Building engagement workflows, publishing calendars, and reporting systems
Baze – a digital entertainment platform delivering video, music, podcasts, events, tv, radio and creator content across mobile, web, and TV.
The brief called for a platform that could scale, monetize effectively, and speak directly to the needs of African creators and consumers. This meant building a solution from the ground up that:
Seamlessly integrated with Safaricom’s ecosystem including M-PESA, Airtime, Bonga Points, and Header Enrichment.
Delivered a world-class entertainment experience across mobile, web, and TV.
Enabled flexible monetization pathways to support long-term sustainability and partner growth.
Prioritized local content, language, behaviors, and payment preferences.
Was designed for the future extensible, exportable, and adaptable across new territories, content formats, and service categories.
To deliver a fully-fledged, scalable platform that:
Empowers creators through content visibility and monetization.
Delights customers with relevant, local entertainment.
Positions Safaricom as Africa’s leading lifestyle brand.
Offers frictionless onboarding, intelligent content discovery, and flexible access.
Becomes a foundation for live TV, gaming, education, events, and commerce.
Big Bold Red partnered with Safaricom as the lead creative and engineering agency, responsible for delivering the vision and execution of the Baze platform. Our contribution spanned five key areas:

Intuitive interfaces for mobile, web, and smart TV
Scalable architecture supporting video, music, live content, and third-party integrations.
Including ad-based access, pay-per-view, and tiered subscriptions (daily, weekly, monthly).
Integrated partner portal and vetting tools for content contributors.
Built-in Digital Rights Management (DRM) to protect premium content and enforce licensing rules.
Machine learning models for content recommendations, personalized carousels, and dynamic homepage curation.
Real-time reporting tools for platform performance, engagement, and revenue metrics.
The launch of Baze marked a major milestone for Safaricom’s digital evolution and Kenya’s creator economy:

Successfully launched across all major platforms — Web, Android, iOS, and Android TV — ensuring wide accessibility and adoption.

Pioneered East Africa’s first telco-led content ecosystem, setting a new benchmark for digital entertainment in the region.

Monetization integrated natively, resulting in seamless conversion flows and reduced friction for Safaricom users.

High creator participation and content diversity through the UGC Platform and structured CP partnerships, enabling new revenue streams for local talent.

Personalized recommendations increased content engagement and helped surface emerging creators through intelligent content surfacing.

DRM ensured secure content distribution across devices, enabling partnerships with premium content providers.

Designed for regional scalability, with the platform architecture requiring minimal adaptation for expansion into African markets.

Established Baze as a future-ready lifestyle platform, creating a launchpad for Safaricom’s broader ambitions in education, gaming, live events, and commerce.
We are a creative technology studio that partners with organizations and brands to design, build, ship and grow digital platforms and experiences.
Big Bold Red Advertising Agency
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Nairobi, Kenya
+254 722 58 22 06
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