The Sunday News
Nhlalwenhle Ngwenya
The internet has proven to be a tool of choice for talented digital entrepreneurs ranging from application developers, online stores and social media platforms.
Ever since social media giants like Marck Zuckerberg raised the online business bar high entrepreneurs all over the world have harnessed the power of the internet for their own benefits.
Several Zimbabweans have also borrowed from that leaflet, opting to launch online television stations which are slowly but surely starting to get international recognition especially on the African soil.
Considering that the audience is wide in a global village, upcoming online stations are failing to target and reach out to African audiences due to their content, as a result despite increasing internet penetration, DSTV still commands a huge following in Africa.
Nevertheless one thriving online television station is Link Africa Television Network (LATV), owned by Farai Verenga from Zvishavhane which hosts a series of programmes designed to positively give a reflection of African communities and is slowly taking huge strides to ensure that is head in the global village.
Verenga’s inspiration to start an online TV station is not only backed by 15 years of experience in the digital sphere, but it’s also pushed by the desire to provide inspiring content where traditional television stations have failed to live up to expectation.
“Traditional media outlets offer very limited opportunity for positive images of Africans. Entrenched stereotypes are recycled constantly offering very few options. As a platform, LATV is a place for the underserved, non-stereotypical and positive images of Africans and Africa itself to be presented,” he said.
Unlike most online TV stations that specialise on churning out international content and a few of their own programmes, Verenga said LATV’s backbone is stitched to incubate and improve African content.
“In its incubator role, the network creates television projects, develops artistes through its recording studios. So far we have successfully done collaborations with established artistes namely Andy Muridzo, Junior Spragga, Rebel and Junior. We also sign artistes to our record label and look forward to sign up more artistes and help their careers by promoting their music through our various platforms such as the LATV,” he said.
With the internet’s open door policy, competition in online TV business is tense, newly formed stations barely last months. Despite all this, Verenga said he has a few tricks up his sleeves that will see LATV standing the test of time.
“LATV offers a unique opportunity for the African consumers who require easy access to online media content, specifically created for and relevant to them. This is the best platform for small businesses and advertisers who need more efficient, cost-effective media outlets to reach their targeted market,” he said.
One of the things that LATV is keen to do is to create a one-stop shop in terms of cultural diversity.
“The company embraces a multi-cultural African society and audience in its entirety and diversity. The station creates, aggregates and curates video content inspired by and for Africans worldwide. Also we launched the station to address the needs of a rapidly growing, and media content hungry audience globally,” he said.
