Vodacom launches Video Play

Vodacom has launched a “new way to watch video via mobile” – a mobile app called Video Play.

“It is an app that utilises spare network capacity to download and cache selected video content at a reduced cost,” said Vodacom.

Users pre-select their content which is then downloaded during low-demand periods, between midnight and 05:00, states Vodacom’s website.

The service bills per minute and not in data units, which Vodacom said is the “perfect way to watch uninterrupted video”.

How Video Play works

A Video Play user selects the video they want to watch and adds it to their download queue. The app then manages the downloading of the content to the device overnight.

Once downloaded, the customer can watch the videos offline whenever they want.

The mobile app offers videos from eNCA, eTV, Urban Brew, and MobiTV.

“The initial content consists of music videos, with a focus on gospel, local, and African music. The selection will be expanded to include a variety of other content over time.”

The price

“Customers have to buy a prepaid bundle of minutes, available in the app, to use the service,” said Vodacom.

There is no charge for browsing, only for the minutes of the video a user downloads.

“For example, if a three-minute video is downloaded, only three minutes will be deducted from the video bundle. No other data charges apply.”

As part of the app’s launch, users can buy a 30-minute bundle for R5. More bundles are planned for the future.

The Video Play app is available for free in the Android and BlackBerry app stores, with other platforms to follow shortly.

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