Will Ryde TV succeed where Viusasa has failed?

With Viusasa still struggling to attract subscribers, Royalmedia Services (RMS) is banking on its latest product Ryde TV, a partnership with taxi hailing company Uber in a move geared towards raking in more revenue and spreading the cost of acquistion of the Video on Demand (VOD) platform’s content.

Business Today has authoritatively learnt that the platform is owned by one of the RMS Chairman SK Macharia’s sons and is a well thought out idea that is keen to make maximum use of content available on Viusasa to enhance the experience for Uber riders.

Still wounded by low returns from Viusasa which was projected to be a game changer, the media group first piloted Ryde TV in 100 Uber cabs in Nairobi to test the waters on the viability of the business before expanding the project.

Business Today sources also indicate that plans are already in the pipeline to rollout the platform to other regions after early positive reviews.

The platform’s business model is that the media group installs screens in the taxis which will act as an advertising avenue. RMS has partnered with various advertising agencies which have submitted some of their client’s commercials for airing.

Advertisers will have to fork out a fixed amount of money for Ryde TV to run their commercials in at least 100 taxis. The media group will in turn pay Uber for using their platform to make money.

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To capture the attention of the commuters, Viusasa content will be at the disposal of the riders who will have the luxury of choosing what they want to watch from Viusasa’s portfolio before they reach their destination.

Speaking while unveiling the new product during the Marketing Society of Kenya (MSK) Awards held at the Arboretum Gardens in Nairobi on November 18, 2018, Ryde TV CEO Kabutha Nduati said that the company will roll out 2,000 of the platforms from December 2018 to July 2019.

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“An Uber ride takes a passenger 15 to 20 minutes. For those minutes we will have you within a certain mindset. We are giving you choice of being able to choose what you want,” said Kabutha.