Pesaflix, one of the first video on demand application to revolutionize entertainment industry

Pesaflix is one of the first video on demand applications in the world to offer micro-billing via both Google Play Card payments and MPESA Mobile Money Payment model of premium video streaming.

Ndovu Group Investment Limited Founder Fredrick Alunala said the initiative that he started ensures users from all over the world about 177 countries where Google Pay is active, can subscribe on a daily package and pay for a movie and watch all that they can consume within 24hours.

Alunala said the solution currently allows for a daily subscription fee renewable every 24 hours which allows users to only pay and watch when they need to and not just subscribe for a longer period where they might not even find the time to watch the movies.

“I used to subscribe at competitions where I paid for a monthly subscription but when I audited myself, I found that I barely watched the movies or I would maybe watch two to four movies per month since I was busy,” said Alunala.

He said this made him think of the millions of users globally that have no other option but to pay monthly even if they do not consume the service frequently, that is when he started researching how to build a Video on demand on solution that will allow a Pay as you Go daily subscription, micro billing model leading to formation of Pesaflix.

Alunala said that Pesaflix being a subsidiary company of Ndovu Group Investments Limited, a seasoned regional Fintech solution provider, will now have inroad access in not only Kenya, but also, Tanzania, Congo DRC, and Cameroon among other countries where the Group has a presence.

“This not only assures Pesaflix success but also, the launch of the product in over 177 countries in the globe on micro billing through Google Play Card Payment, will see Pesaflix revenue grow tremendously,” said Alunala.

He said that currently they do not have partnerships with any bank, however they are looking for a bank partner who will drive the card payments uptake for their users and that they are currently processing payments via MPESA and any other card linked to Google Play.

Alunala said that they would however prefer having a primary bank card partner who would help push card payments from a regional perspective, this way they can grow the solution to the regional market together with the bank as their primary payment card partner for Pesaflix.

He said that the Major challenge since the establishment of Pesaflix in 2023 has been to transform users' mindsets from the monthly payment model which is common, to ‘Pay as you go’ payment model.

“You do not have to pay monthly if you only need to watch movies with your friends or family one Friday evening for 24 hours all through Saturday night, its value for money via Pesaflix, however, we are slowly changing the market perceptions,” said Alunala.

He said another major challenge has been mobile data which as you know, could be a bit expensive since the solution needs mobile data or Wi-Fi to stream, he said they have been looking for a telco partner or Internet Service Provider (ISP) to collaborate in data distribution and probably, a revenue sharing model would be discussed hence helping to scale up subscription numbers.

Alunala said the application works in a very simple way where the user needs to just download the ‘Pesaflix’ mobile app on Google playstore pointing out that there is no need to create an account, once you have the app downloaded, proceed to preview the available movies and click on the one you want to watch.

“You Then select ‘Play Now’ and a window will open which will allow you to pay via Google Play Payment linked Card or a user can just enter a mobile number for Mobile Money Payment with Pesaflix Google Play accepts global payments in over 177 countries,” said Alunala.

He said that Mobile payment is currently in Kenya done through MPESA and Tanzania through TigoPesa which recently rebranded to YAS and Immediately the payment is received, in microseconds, the movie auto opens on the device that initiated the payment and this whitelists that device for 24hours.

Alunala said this allows the user access to any movie they want to watch for the next 24 hours,the solution also exists on web via https://pesaflix.com/ which is mainly used for PC/Laptop users or non-smartphone users.

He said the solution is pretty simple, it is a 3-step process for new users, Step 1. Download the Pesaflix mobile app or open the web portal via https://pesaflix.com/ Step 2. Select your movie, Step 3. Pay and start watching. No need for creating an account or linking your credit card.

“I am very certain the business will guarantee me returns for my investment since this a numbers game, our margins are very minimal considering the fact that we are doing micro billing, users only pay when they intentionally want to watch, it is quite different from competition where a user can subscribe to a bouquet yet they remain passive during the month,” said Alunala.

 He said their model means their operating costs are at optimal with the return on Investment guaranteed upon hitting critical mass user numbers, this is why they have launched the service both regionally and globally to over 177 countries via Google Play and activation of Mobile Payments in Kenya via MPESA and Tanzania via TigoPesa/YAS.

Alunala said they are also closing on partnerships with Universities/Campus & Colleges in the region to promote local upcoming content creators who are also their main customers who are the students.

“Our headquarters is in Kenya, however, since we are servicing the global market, we perceive the product as an international solution, this negates the conventional need of a physical office in each country where we have launched the service,” said Alunala.