Clearly Buzzfeed must have stumbled onto something with its lol, win, omg, wtf content that has made it a successful media company that there are many wannabes or copycats globally that want to ride on its success. The 80 million people (US alone) that read Buzzfeed cannot be wrong. Here is a business created by CEO and founder Jonah Peretti that didn’t exist two years ago, but now it generates 5 billion monthly views—half from video, across all the platforms where it now publishes content.
Copycats abound – from ScoopWhoop in India to Playbuzz in Isreal. Why should Nigeria be left out?
Of course, there are some Nigerian/African companies that believe they can also do it…..and they are doing it in such a short time.
Launched in August 2015, this is a relatively new website owned by Big Cabal Media; the same company that owns TechCabal. Founders, Bankole Oluwafemi and Seyi Taylor must have done their research to come out with this African Buzzfeed that has endeared itself to Nigerians at home and abroad. Known as the best place for shareable content from Africa, Zikoko has literally taken Nigeria by storm. Zikoko focuses on viral content – listicles (list-articles), memes, short videos, polls and quizzes. This content is suited for a younger audiences – lots of images, not much text and shareable content.
Though not verified, Similarweb estimates that the site is doing about 190k site visits per month.
Party Jollof came to the party about six months after Zikoko. Who says there is no room at the top?
PartyJollof was founded by Redux Digital, a digital media and marketing company based in Lagos. It has 4 independent verticals across Music, Weddings, Style and something they call ‘Life’.
Though not verified, Similarweb estimates that the site is doing about 144k site visits per month.
Currently tailored to people in three African countries – Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya, OMG Voice is the brainchild of OMG Digital founded by Prince Boakye Boampong and Jesse Arhin Ghansah. OMG Voice focuses on African entertainment, lifestyle, news, videos, quizzes and fashion.
Launched early this year, OMG Voice has grown to 3 million monthly unique visitors, with 70% of those people coming back every month.
OMG Voice hopes to launch soon in Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia
Though not verified, Similarweb estimates that the site is doing about 785k site visits per month.
Are there any other Buzzfeed copycats out there that we do not know about? If so, let us know.
