SemaBOX has launched WAZO, a podcast distribution platform that will assist African podcasters to earn directly from plays and advertising revenue.
WAZO, which means Thought in Kiswahili, will initially be available free of charge to all listeners through the Wazo ONE plan from July 17, 2023. The monetization of Kenyan content will begin immediately, while the monetization for Ugandan and South African Creators will follow in Q3 of 2023.
WAZO is the first platform of its kind in Kenya, offering a new revenue stream for podcasters. It will also providing advertisers with an aggregated audience of over 39M listeners across the SemaBOX creator network.
“We are truly excited that we can finally bring this online. Our goal has always been to help podcasters earn revenue, and we are confident that WAZO will be the tool that can unlock this effectively. We also hope that by introducing monetization right from the start, the rest of the podcast industry will follow. These wonderful creators are making world-class content, and it’s about time they started to benefit from this.” said Dan Aceda, Founder and CEO SemaBOX.
WAZO will also aggregate data about Kenyan podcasts and Kenyan podcasters more directly. This will enable podcasters to get the necessary information to grow their product and improve their delivery. In addition, WAZO will also enable advertisers to make more informed investment decisions.
WAZO is available on the web currently and IOS and Android apps will be released shortly. The creation of the platform has been supported by Baraza Media Lab and Africa No Filter.
SemaBOX is Africa’s largest podcast incubator. It is the leading digital content distribution company that enables African creators to monetize their content effectively. They offer a range of tools and platforms that help creators reach their audiences. SemaBOX is Kenya’s first specialist podcasting studio.