Amazon hires ex-SuperSport boss

Amazon Prime Video has appointed former SuperSport CEO Gideon Khobane as director for Africa.

Khobane, who served as CEO of MultiChoice Group-owned SuperSport from 2016 to 2020 and as MultiChoice group executive for general entertainment until 2022, will oversee the development of Amazon’s video streaming platform on the continent.

It’s likely Amazon hopes that Khobane’s 15 years of experience as a television executive – he also worked at M-Net for eight years – will help it secure a stronger position in the highly contested African streaming market.

“Khobane joins Amazon with a remit to support the growth of the Prime Video service across sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa and Nigeria,” the company said in response to a query from TechCentral.

Prime Video costs R79/month in South Africa, offering up to 4K video quality and viewable on up to two devices at the same time. That is aggressively priced next to similar offerings from Netflix, Disney+ and MultiChoice’s Showmax.

Content on Prime Video includes shows such as The Terminal List, The Boys and the record-breaking Lord of the Rings – Rings of Power. But the streaming service believes that international content alone is not enough of a differentiator as it starts to take the African market more seriously.

“Khobane’s new role signals Prime Video’s continued long-term investment in sub-Saharan Africa, and commitment to creating a service that is diverse, attractive and engaging to all Prime Video members in the region,” said an Amazon Studios spokesman.

Read: Amazon to spend $1-billion/year on movies for cinema

Amazon Studios has established an Originals team for Africa and the Middle East. This unit has produced series including Gangs of Lagos, LOL: Last One Laughing Naija and LOL: Last One Laughing South Africa, hosted by comedian Trevor Noah.  – © 2023 NewsCentral Media

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