TRACE Acquires African VOD Platform

LONDON: Ahead of the launch of its own TracePlay VOD platform, urban entertainment group TRACE has bought the pan-African service Buni.tv.

Restless Global launched the VOD service in 2012 and today Buni.tv is one of the three largest on-demand players in Africa. With the deal, TRACE also secures the pay and VOD rights to Buni Media’s comedies At the Top from Nigeria and The XYZ Show from Kenya.

“TRACE and Buni.tv share the same strategic vision in that we believe that VOD is the future of television,” said TRACE’s CEO, Olivier Laouchez. “We also share the same analysis that the success of any VOD service in Africa will depend on whether it can source and offer high-quality original African content.”

Buni.tv will initially operate under the TracePlay banner but the two platforms will eventually merge. Buni.tv’s existing subscribers will have access to the full TracePlay catalog.

“Critical mass is crucial for the success of any VOD service,” said Buni.tv’s CEO, Marie Lora-Mungai. “As the African VOD market becomes increasingly competitive and sophisticated, we are thrilled to join forces with a solid and forward-thinking partner such as TRACE.”

Lora-Mungai will join TRACE to consult on the company’s content development strategy for Africa.