Joox is one of the most downloaded music streaming app in Asian markets including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong, among others.
Tencent Holdings, a major provider of internet value-added services in China, has announced that it is looking to bring its paid music app Joox to some of Africa’s most populous countries after the streaming service proved a hit in Southeast Asia. The music service was launched in South Africa as a pilot for the African market in 2017, but Tencent now wants to bolster Joox’s presence across the continent.
Joox is one of the most downloaded music streaming apps in the APAC market. The next country for Joox could be Nigeria, which has the biggest music market in Africa and is the continent’s most populous country.
Commenting on the move, Poshu Yeung, vice president of Tencent’s international business group, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying: “There are a lot of local labels and artists that are big in Africa, but the whole digitalisation journey is not even there. Rather than go fighting for the pie, it’s better to build a pie.”
In 2019, Joox’s paying users grew between 30% and 50% across its key Asian markets, led by Hong Kong and Malaysia, Yeung said. Its monthly active users across Asia have increased 533% over the past five years, he said, without disclosing numbers. Joox is still not profitable.
