Botswana has entered the realm of streaming services with the much-anticipated launch of upgraded NOW! Internet Protocol Platform (ITP). The new platform which offers a plethora of entertainment options similar to Showmax went live on Monday and is expected to take the creative industry in Botswana to new heights.
What makes NOW! channel enticing is it is entirely free to its users, who just have to register without paying any subscription, marking a significant step forward in the country’s digital entertainment industry offering viewers diverse content just at their fingertips.
The service comes as a welcome addition to the country’s digital landscape. Similar to its counterparts Netflix and Showmax, NOW! boasts a user-friendly interface, allowing its registered users to navigate effortlessly through an extensive catalogue and binge-watch what attracts them.
The Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture (MYSC) Tumiso Rakgare said the upgraded NOW! channel is the right tool to inspire the creatives in Botswana to take up the film industry by storm as it will put up 100% local content.
“When MYSC deployed this strategy to set up NOW! the purpose was to respond not only to our mandate to develop and commercialise the creative and cultural Industries (CCI) but to also take up the UNESCO 2005 convention for promotion and protection of the diversity of cultural expressions. And the content on this will only be from Botswana,” Rakgare said.
Rakgare further stated that he hopes that the upgraded NOW! channel would inspire local creatives to start sharing their stories through videos and films and grow the creative economy of Botswana. “In a quest to increase the production and flow of CCI goods and services and create more value chain opportunities for CCI practitioners in the film and video industry, there was a need for intentional response to increase economic activity hence the channel was set in place and motion,” he said.
To develop and commercialise CCI, the minister added that his ministry has set aside a budget for the acquisition of films and television content and commercialisation through distribution channels such as NOW! “The ministry has thus far managed to support the film and television industry by acquiring content of a total 297 programmes at a total cost of P150,728,332 which financially boosted 213 production companies. We, therefore, wish to recognise that this is a business that should be treated professionally,” he revealed.
The NOW! channel is accessible on digital platforms by downloading it from Playstore for Android users, while for IOS users it can be downloaded from the Apple store.
