Hopster Rolls Out in Africa

Hopster, through a partnership with South Africa’s Vodacom and the Congolese telecom provider MTN, has launched in Africa.

Vodacom customers in South Africa now have access to Hopster’s video content via its new Video Play VOD service, which can be accessed via Vodacom’s premium package or as part of the family micro-bundle package. Through the deal, preschoolers can enjoy Hopster Studios titles such as the science-based Clever Brenda and the Grimm’s Fairy Tales series Two Minute Tales. The partnership also features a direct-carrier billing service that allows Vodacom customers to access Hopster’s ad-free app.

In the Congo, the mobile and web application platform provider AfrikaStream will deliver Hopster video content with MTN, enabling MTN’s mobile customers to access hundreds of Hopster’s educational localized French preschool shows, books and music as part of its time-based data plan packages. Available titles include the international hits Pingu and Peppa Pig, as well as the African animated series from Nigerian animator Adamu Waziri, Bino and Fino.

Nick Walters, founder and CEO at Hopster, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have launched in Africa with both Vodacom and MTN. We see real potential for Africa to be a ‘leapfrog’ market—with a new generation of users moving straight to finding their favorite content mobile-first, rather than on TV. We hope that South African and Congolese preschoolers will enjoy our fun, educational content and that we see growth in our subscribers and in future partnerships across the continent.”

Zunaid Mahomed, Vodacom’s group digital and fixed officer, said: “As a brand with a purpose, education is a key pillar of our strategy. It is clear that children of today are living in an exponentially evolving digital era and the increase of smart device usage for education and entertainment purposes is, therefore, a natural progression. It is with great excitement that we have the opportunity to partner with a brand like Hopster, whose passion is educating the youth. Through our video on demand platform, Video Play, we have the opportunity to bring education and entertainment to the young minds of our country, whom we hope to someday shape into great leaders.”