A national student television network is being launched at top universities in South Africa, giving the tertiary institutions a vital added income stream, as well as providing brands with direct access to this important Generation Z demographic.
The brainchild of BOO! Surprising Media Solutions, a leader in the outdoor media industry in South Africa and digital out of home specialist, the new student media network will include campus TV screens with a national automated advertising booking and content delivery system; campus radio exposure; as well as alternative media such as student bus branding and direct media drops to student residences, like door hanger advertising.
BOO! chief executive and founder, Dave McKenzie and his experienced team, have been working on the innovative concept for three years, assisting universities in identifying viable “third stream” income opportunities, like harnessing brand advertising through potential advertising opportunities on campuses.
The first universities to sign up with BOO! to roll out the campus-wide media channel are: University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, University of the Witwatersrand, Rhodes University and the University of Johannesburg.
BOO! has already begun installation and trials at Stellenbosch and Rhodes universities, and will officially launch the new student media network on 1 February 2019 at five of South Africa’s top universities, reaching over 150 000 students in the spaces they converge on with high dwell times, like the library, outside large lecture halls; student centres; residences, dining halls, cafeterias, cafes, foyers, food courts and main entrances.
McKenzie said: “This project, dubbed ‘The Media Transformation’ project, has been in development for three years. Learning how the universities operate and building their trust in us and what this initiative stands for, took longer than anticipated. We had to learn their business and the income that we will generate will be utilised by the universities for their projects, and will filter down into enormous benefits for students who cannot afford their tuition fees, as one example.”