Nuvu, Ericsson’s mobile-focused SVOD service for emerging markets, said it has acquired more than 2,500 hours of movies and TV shows from partners such as Viacom, MGM, CBS, Al Jazeera, DHX Media and Mattel.
Examples of titles that are part of the agreements include Hawaii Five-O, Next Top Model, CSI: Miami, Being Mary Jane, SpongeBob SquarePants, Bob the Builder, and Vikings.
Introduced in November 2015, Nuvu is an SVOD service – covering both the technology platform and the content licensing components -- for mobile operators in emerging markets.
Among its features, the SVOD service also allows subs to download content to smartphones or tablets during off-peak hours without eating into their data plans. Per the service web site, streaming capabilities are also coming to the platform.
Ericsson and Airtel Nigeria jointly launched Nuvu in Q1 2016 to more than 30 million subs. There, it’s selling for 1,000 Nigerian Naira (US$3.17) per month, or 400 Nigerian Naira (US$1.27) per week.
Nuvu is currently offered on Android mobile devices, with plans underway to extend access to iOS smartphones and tablets.
“We created Nuvu to help mobile operators in emerging markets to address a significant untapped market for video content. Africa has some of the highest mobile adoption rates globally and there is a high demand for quality content from consumers,” Thorsten Sauer, head of broadcast and media services at Ericsson, said in a statement. “We are proud to announce this slate of deals, which we believe will meet and exceed the expectations of Nuvu’s discerning audiences, and we look forward to announcing more content deals over the coming months.”
Nuvu’s existing content partners include BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, BT Sport, ITV, FOX, DreamWorks, Liberty Global, NPO, Canal+, NOS, Bonnier Group, Sky, HBO, TV5 Monde and France 24.
