Imagine watching a show being live-streamed from a radio station—while you are relaxing in your home, or on break at work place, or waiting for a business partner on his/her way to you on business-related discussion.
This is the vision of a South African Company, named Immedia, based in Durban.
Backed by American Tech Giant Microsoft and the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa, the 25-year-old Company’s sole vision is to digitally empower community radio stations across the Africa continent.
On the adage “charity begins at home”, Immedia is beginning with South African community radio stations, with a ten million Rand for each station whose services and current financial status tell its ‘qualification’ for the money.
Immedia’s channel for the digitalization is Fabrik technology, founded in 2017, which allows media entrepreneurs to upend the traditional notion “we broadcast and you receive”, by creating a feedback mechanism that enables the station and its listeners to gallop over old technology, turn listeners into ‘citizen journalists’, and enables the station and its listeners to find their strategic place in the digitally transformed world.
“It is already being used by 15 commercial clients, including radio station Gagasi FM, Smile 90.4FM and YFM,” according to a on Immedia’s web page.
Focusing on the entire African continent, the South African technological company states that it will be giving its platform to qualifying media entrepreneurs in Africa for free for one year.
“This includes consultation, training and support to help monetize the technology, cumulatively valued at R10m,” reveals the PR article.
This pioneer technological innovation is part of Immedia’s “Digital Leap Programme”, which can be read about here.