Orange Digital Ventures has announced its participation in the funding of Afrostream, a subscription video on demand service (SVOD) of African,

African-American and African-Caribbean films and television series, alongside TheFamily, Cross Culture Ventures and ACE Companies.

Through its corporate fund, Orange is expected to enable Afrostream to accelerate the development of its original and innovative service in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and South America.

Afrostream has been supported by Orange Fab France and Y Combinator, a seed accelerator based in Silicon Valley. The investment illustrated Orange’s support to talented entrepreneurs, through a combination of measures made available to start-ups, from the acceleration programme to early stage financing.

Pierre Louette, Deputy CEO of Orange and President of Orange Digital Ventures, said: “This investment is part of ODV’s ambition to finance services that are able to address different geographical areas in which Orange is present. It will enable us to develop the video-on-demand market, particularly in Africa. It is also expected to enable us to enrich the content we already offer to our customers in France, as Afrostream should be launched on Orange TV by next summer.”

Also, Tonjé Bakang, CEO of Afrostream, commented that “The future of television is mobile. With this strategic investment by Orange, Afrostream now brings together the best of the mobile internet and the best of African content. This new alliance will enable us to revolutionize the entertainment industry and to reach all audiences.”