TIDAL Is Launching in Africa Through a Partnership with MTN
The streaming platform will start in Uganda before it's rolled out to Nigeria and the rest of the continent.
TIDAL, the streaming site founded by Jay-Z, recently launched in the continent. The first country to get TIDAL is Uganda through the country's largest mobile network, MTN.
Nigeria will be the next country in which the streaming service will be rolled out to. The rest of the continent, especially countries in which MTN operates, will come next.
MTN's Chief Marketing Officer Olivier Prentout told Quartz yesterday:
"Uganda offers an opportunity to not only provide this exclusive entertainment content to a youthful population in partnership with MTN Uganda but also builds a long term approach to improving opportunities with its young and talented artists."
A TIDAL subscription will be available to MTN users as part of their subscription package and will be paid for using MTN money. Customers will have a choice of how long their membership on TIDAL will be. The options available are three, seven and 30 days after a free trial.
International streaming sites are steadily tapping into the African market. Apple Music launched in South African in 2015, while Spotify launched in March of this year.
The biggest challenge to streaming in the continent is the high price of bandwidth. So, hopefully TIDAL collaborating with MTN means we will pay less for data to stream the music we love.