‘MTN One TV’ To Boost Local Content Creation, Monetisation

Kelvin Ashie

 

Manager for Digital Commercialisation at MTN Ghana, Kelvin Ashie, says the company’s new ‘MTN One TV’ platform will be a “game changer” for Ghanaian content creators.

Speaking at the Creative Economy Summit at the Google AI Community Center, Mr. Ashie said the pan-African streaming service will focus on scaling, monetising, and distributing local content to grow the country’s creative economy.

“MTN, by leveraging its vast network, is currently working on a groundbreaking project known as ‘MTN One TV’. The reason we’re doing this is to basically support and drive the local creative economy,” Mr. Ashie stated.

He explained that ‘MTN One TV’ will offer a blend of local African series and movies, live TV channels, and international programming.

According to Mr. Ashie, the platform will tap into MTN’s network of over 300 million people across its markets, creating what he called a “vast untapped opportunity” for Ghanaian creators. The service will cover both short and long-form content across multiple verticals and is expected to roll out by the fourth quarter this year.

Kelvin Ashie stressed that MTN is in “huge conversations with a lot of partners” to secure deals around content distribution. He noted that any model for Africa must be built for local realities. “We can’t import the models from the West and expect them to work. We need to understand the ecosystem we are in. There’s someone who will only be able to buy 500 megabytes of data at a time and will not be able to pay for a certain subscription to watch content. How do we bundle that with great hyperlocal content? And that is what we’re looking to do,” he said.

Mr. Ashie said the evolution of storytelling means creatives must now think about cultural nuances by creating locally authentic stories that can reach an international audience. He added that Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a huge opportunity to “amplify existing talent” in the creative industry, while also lowering the barrier to entry for new creators.

However, he cautioned that ethical use of AI must be prioritised. On intellectual property, Mr. Ashie urged creatives to protect their assets and negotiate licensing deals instead of giving away rights “in perpetuity”. He also called on local and international content platform distributors to continue investing in locally authentic but globally relevant content, noting that the diaspora can become the “biggest force multiplier” for Ghanaian creativity.

By Prince Fiifi Yorke

 

 

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