Demand Africa, a subscription-based streaming service that offers original and acquired African content, has made its way to Amazon Prime Video Channels in the U.S.
The service is already available on Prime Video, costing $6.99 per month after a 7-day free trial. Demand Africa boasts hundreds of titles from producers like Viacom, Mnet, ETV, SABC, Canal+ and FilmOne. Its debut on Prime Video comes almost a year after Demand Africa launched as an SVOD service on The Roku Channel.
Demand Africa’s catalog spans a wide range of series from Nollywood, the African continent and other parts of the world. Titles include “Africa on a Plate,” literature-focused “Behind the Words,” long-running dramas such as “Broken Vows” and many others.
Demand Africa’s expanded distribution is a result of U.S. audiences becoming more interested in African and global Black diaspora content, according to Chris Eckman, SVP of operations and OTT services at The Africa Channel.
“We are committed to connecting our audiences with this premium content and introducing new voices reflective of Africa’s rich and diverse cultures, and in doing so, Demand Africa provides a platform to experience, share, inspire, and bridge communities,” Eckman said in a statement.
The Africa Channel is a U.S-based company that operates cable and streaming channels geared towards travel, lifestyle and African culture. The company owns and operates Demand Africa as a standalone service.
Prime Video subscribers can access Demand Africa content via the Prime Video app as well as on mobile, smart TVs and gaming consoles. Aside from Prime Video and The Roku Channel, Demand Africa is available for download on iOS, Android as well as on Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku devices.
Content providers have doubled down on attracting more multicultural audiences. FAST service DistroTV released last year a channel bundle for several African countries – containing content available in those locations’ native languages. Sony Pictures has a Hindi-language FAST channel – Sony KAL Hindi – that’s distributed across a number of streaming platforms in the U.S.
The addition of Demand Africa is another enhancement to Prime Video’s content slate. Amazon last month reintroduced HBO Max to Prime Video Channels, over a year since the service has left the platform.