SemaBOX has announced the launch of WAZO, a new podcast distribution platform enabling Kenyan and 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 in Kenya to offer a brand-new revenue stream for podcasters and provide advertisers with an aggregated audience of over 39M listeners across the SemaBOX creator network. Advertisers will now have a one-stop shop to reach the Kenyan podcast audience effectively. This is especially beneficial for creators as the major Western platforms do not currently offer monetization to Kenyan creators.
“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.” – Dan Aceda, Founder, 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 delivery. In addition, WAZO will also allow advertisers to make more informed investment decisions.
WAZO was formally launched at a creator event on July 17th, 2023, and will be immediately available globally on the web the same day. IOS and Android apps will be released shortly after. Baraza Media Lab and Africa No Filter have supported the creation of the platform.
