Over The Top (OTT) digital media services provider Basebone has reported unprecedented growth, on the back of an ambitious global expansion strategy, which has enabled it to reach new audiences by leveraging carrier billing.
Its most recent expansion is in Turkey, where the digital market includes over 84 million users with a mobile penetration of 71 percent. This represents over 58 million potential customers that now have access to Basebone’s flagship products that offer customers unlimited access to thousands of mobile games, movies without ads.
In the UAE and Egypt, Basebone accumulated over 18 million sign-ups and US$9 million in revenue across its products. South Africa alone has seen over 12 million sign-ups in 2021 and US$17 million in revenue.
In contrast to the high rate of mobile penetration, only 42 percent of people in Turkey own a credit card. So most online users are unable to access paid or premium content due to having no means to pay for it.
Middle East partnership
Basebone expanded into the Turkish market in collaboration with the Middle East-based mobile payments platform, TPAY, marking a major milestone in the company’s efforts to expand its product line into more emerging markets. TPAY is available in 24 countries, including Turkey, where millions of users get access and unrivaled coverage.
Tailored for emerging markets across the globe, Basebone is giving mobile phone users the option to pay with their monthly phone bills or deduct the amount from their prepaid card. According to Basebone, this has translated to over 100,000 new subscribers in Turkey since September 2021.
The global market is heavily Android-dominated with about 74.4 percent of all phone users worldwide being Android users. Basebone’s venture into Carrier Billing within Turkey opens its services to Android users who also heavily dominate the MENA market. This, in turn, translates to more potential users for Basebone because of its Android-focused distribution.
“These are still early days but we are very excited over the first signs of success in this new and promising market and we will continue our efforts to increase Basebone’s reach by also investing in localized content and Turkish-language content to further accommodate subscriber demand,” said Michael Holmqvist, CEO, Basebone.
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