Innovative company leads the wave of innovation in digital media

Dries Prinsloo (left) and Etienne Louw, respectively the CEO and Managing Director of MMB Service Providers, seen here in their offices at The Innovation Hub's Maxum Business Incubator.

Digital media company MMB (Multi Media Broadcasting) Service Providers (Pty) Ltd - a participant in the Maxum Business Incubator - is pioneering a revolution in broadband content. MMB recently qualified as one of the emerging Technology Top 100 Enterprise for 2006.

The company first entered the spotlight in January this year, when they delivered the mobile and broadband content of the 2006 Women's World Cup of Golf, marking the first time in South Africa, that highlight clips of a sporting event could be viewed on mobile while the tournament was still running.

According to Managing Director, Etienne Louw, MMB Service Providers aims to increase the value and potential of broadband for millions of customers by allowing anyone - from large corporations to small businesses, and eventually individual consumers - to become online content providers to the mass market. "We provide the engine room that allows for an end-to-end content management solution."

MMB CEO, Dries Prinsloo, says that this extensive solution is made possible through their innovative service platform, which integrates the up loading, protection and delivery of content. "What's unique is that we can receive content in almost any format and only need to package it once before distribution to all the required end-user technologies, whether Internet Protocol TV or mobile phone."

This cutting-edge capability was the driving force behind the Women's World Cup of Golf coverage triumph. The company successfully relayed broadband highlights packages, live web broadcasts, and mobile phone-customised on-demand content loops to audiences in Europe and Japan, as well as to Vodafone Live in South Africa.

Louw and Prinsloo agree that new media (mobile and broadband) is a largely uncharted territory. "We are at the front end of pushing this technology. Right now, everybody is experimenting with various business models for new media", says Prinsloo. Louw adds that one of the reasons why the Maxum Business Incubator was an attractive option for MMB is its networks with other incubators internationally. "It gives you exposure to young entrepreneurs and cutting edge technologies from all over the world and opens up fantastic opportunities for learning and sharing."

Not only does The Innovation Hub afford MMB a favourable platform from which to secure its future, it is also the place where their success story began. As Blue Label members of the Hub's INNOV8 community, Louw and Prinsloo first met at a Pub@Hub networking event in 2004. At the time, Prinsloo shared his vision with Louw and the idea for creating MMB Service Providers was born.

The company's services include customised web TV portals for live web broadcasts and on-demand content, as well as media on-demand for mobile phones and other portable devices. MMB and its strategic partners also provide content and content rights management, fully developed service administration, advanced reporting and billing and content production services.

MMB wants to dispel the perception that new media is only a domain for the elite and well off. The team is currently involved in a pilot project to provide educational material to previously disadvantaged schools through broadband. "People don't realise that there is an evolution happening in access technology that could make this available to just about everyone. Our aim is to really reach the masses and not just the few 'haves' in the country", says Louw.

For more information on MMB Service Providers, contact Etienne Louw on +27 82 453 5475 or Dries Prinsloo on +27 83 929 8405.

[Back to top]

Next