Google has quietly launched a transactional video-on-demand (VOD) service in South Africa through its Google Play platform.
The launch of Google Play Movies comes two months after the US Internet giant launched its music streaming service, Google Play Music, in the country, offering access to 35m songs, including a large catalogue of South African music, for R59,99/month.
Google Play Movies allows consumers to rent or download a wide range of titles. Rentals typically appear to be between R11,99 for older titles and R34,99 for the latest blockbusters. Outright purchases of the latest titles fetch up to R149,99 for purchases, with older titles going for as little as R39,99.
Television shows are, however, still not available through Google Play in South Africa. According to Google, TV series are only available to users in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US.
However, Google Play Movies is now available in a wide range of countries, including many in Africa.
The African countries that can access Google Play Movies are Angola, Benin, Botswana, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Strangely, major African markets such as Nigeria and Kenya are not included in the list. — (c) 2016 NewsCentral Media
