Brands/Products
Samsung Excites Nigerian Customers with Latest 4K, 8K QLED TVs
South Korean multinational conglomerate, Samsung Electronics, has announced the availability of its 2019 QLED TV line at selected stores in Nigeria.
The product, which comes in 4K and 8K, features more screen size options, stunning picture quality enhancements, dazzling colours from every angle, exciting new design elements and intuitive smart TV upgrades.
Samsung’s QLED line-up offers 4K and 8K models in a range of sizes to suit the needs of every home and every lifestyle including: QLED 8K Q900: 98″, 82″, 75″, 65″ and QLED 4K in Q80: 75″, 65″, 55″ and Q60: 82″, 65″, 55″.
The 2019 QLED TV is powered by Samsung’s proprietary Quantum Processor and as part of its special launch, makers of the television set have promised to give a free Samsung UHD or FHD TV to those who purchase a 2019 QLED TV between July and August 2019.
According to the Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Central Africa, Dudu Mokholo, “Our 2019 QLED line is designed for users who want the best combination of picture quality, smart TV capabilities and design.”
“This year’s line-up represents our largest screen size offering ever. It brings together innovative feature enhancements and exciting content and service partnerships to deliver a truly ground-breaking viewing experience and unprecedented value,” Mokholo added.
The 2019 Q80 feature ‘Ultra Viewing Angle’ technology, which restructures the TV’s panels so the backlight passes through the panel with lights evenly onto the screen.
Engineered to reduce glare and enhance colour, Ultra Viewing Angle provides a vibrant picture regardless of where you’re sitting. In addition, Q80, and Q900 models offer Direct Full Array technology that uses a panel featuring concentrated zones of precision-controlled LEDs. These LEDs adjust automatically to display deeper blacks and purer whites, delivering stunning images with pristine contrast.
Q900 Series 8K TVs incorporate Samsung’s proprietary Quantum Processor 8K, which up-scales lower resolution content. Depending on the content, it can allow for playback close to crystal clear 8K resolution.
This year’s models also utilise the Quantum Processor 8K that optimises audio and video to the specific content on the screen. It can create an even more detailed sound experience by tailoring the audio settings to the specific layout of the room.
Samsung’s new QLED 4K models also feature their own proprietary Quantum Processor 4K, which can use AI upscaling to deliver improved brightness, picture quality and sound optimised for each scene.
Samsung’s 2019 QLED range takes the user experience to the next level by offering iTunes Movies and TV Shows and Apple AirPlay 2 support. Support on 2018 Samsung Smart TVs will be made available via firmware update. In an industry first, a new iTunes Movies and TV Shows app will debut on Samsung Smart TVs in more than 100 countries. AirPlay 2 support will be available soon on Samsung Smart TVs in 190 countries worldwide.
Using the new iTunes Movies and TV Shows app on Samsung Smart TVs, Samsung customers can access their existing iTunes library and browse the iTunes Store to buy or rent from a selection of hundreds of thousands of movies and TV episodes — including the largest selection of 4K HDR movies. iTunes Movies and TV Shows will work seamlessly with Samsung’s Smart TV Services, the new Voice Command and Search, to create a consistent experience across Samsung’s platform. With AirPlay 2 support, Samsung customers will be able to effortlessly play videos, photos, music, podcasts and more from Apple devices directly to Samsung Smart TVs, including QLED 4K and 8K TVs as well as other Samsung UHD and HD models.
The 2019 Samsung Smart TVs offer even more ways for users to discover and watch content. It features an improved AI algorithm that leverages a user’s subscription services, favourite content, and TV viewing habits to offer customised recommendations about what to watch.
Users will be able to leverage the new Voice Command on 2019 QLED TVs and soon use Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant to easily control their TVs and access their content through voice commands.
They can quickly and easily navigate their content with Samsung’s OneRemote. And with the addition of Far Field Voice Capability on the OneRemote, users can use voice commands to control their TV even if they are across the room from their remote.
Real Game Enhancer optimises the gaming experience through a unique set of gaming features. This year, Real Game Enhancer features AMD Radeon Freesync™ variable refresh rate technology, which helps prevent tearing and stuttering, as well as Game Motion Plus, which removes motion blur and judder. Real Game Enhancer combines these technical innovations with Auto Game Mode, which minimises input lag on compatible devices.
It also includes AI-based audio and video enhancements that optimise the settings to delivering cinematic sound and smooth, lifelike visuals that can remain clear even during bright and dark scenes. Ambient Mode complements any living space by turning a blank screen into a decorative or informational display when the TV is not in active use. It can provide useful daily information, like the time, weather forecast, or that day’s headlines. It can also display artistic content like photos and works of art.
This year, Ambient Mode offers users an even greater variety of artistic and decorative pieces for the home, through new decorative patterns, photos, and artwork and mattes, as well as new ways to display information on the TV.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To make finding the right service provider or reaching the right customer seamless, popular local information portal, Connect Nigeria, has introduced a Quote Request platform.
Connect Nigeria described the new system as “a digital solution designed to make connecting with service providers faster, easier, and more reliable.”
It said the Quote Request was built for consumers who need services quickly and want trusted options without the stress of searching endlessly; and service providers and businesses looking for real, high-intent customers without spending heavily on marketing.
“Whether you need a caterer for an event, a plumber for your home, or a designer for your brand, the platform is designed to connect you with the right people,” Connect Nigeria added.
“By connecting demand directly with supply, the platform creates a more structured and dependable marketplace,” it further stated.
At its core, the Quote Request simplifies the entire process of finding and offering services.
To use the service, users have to submit a request describing the service or product needed, which is then sent to verified vendors on the platform. Interested providers respond within 1–2 days, and users compare offers and choose what works best for their needs and budget.
“Instead of searching for vendors, the vendors come to you, with relevant, tailored responses,” Connect Nigeria explained.
The company expects this new platform to eliminate the stress of endless online searches, delayed or vague responses, and uncertainty about service quality.
As for businesses, it solves poor visibility, inconsistent customer flow, and lost opportunities due to slow response times.
Connect Nigeria Quote Request mobile app is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An institutional investor, First Ally Capital, has strengthened a leading Nigerian financial technology company, Mathesis Analytics, to scale its proprietary credit decisioning infrastructure.
It made this possible by injecting fresh capital into the firm, which specialises in AI-powered credit decisioning infrastructure, an action that will directly support the growth and scaling of Mathesis’ core mission of providing the intelligence and infrastructure needed to bridge the credit gap for millions of unscored or underscored individuals across Nigeria.
With this investment, Mathesis will enable financial institutions to confidently assess and extend credit to borrowers who lack a formal credit history by leveraging an expanded pool of alternative behavioural and transactional data.
To date, Mathesis’ systems have supported more than 8 million loans for over 2 million unique borrowers in Nigeria, and the company is actively deploying its infrastructure to establish a growing pan-African footprint.
With the investment from First Ally Capital, Mathesis is well positioned to transform how the credit ecosystem operates, driving financial inclusion in partnership with lenders across the continent.
A significant barrier to credit access in Nigeria, which prides itself on being Africa’s largest economy, is data fragmentation. Borrowers frequently build positive financial behaviours across multiple digital platforms by repaying microfinance loans, saving through fintech wallets, or servicing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) facilities.
However, under traditional credit infrastructure, these achievements remain invisible to new lenders.
Mathesis addresses this challenge through the concept of Personal Equity—the quantified expression of an individual’s financial behaviour aggregated across every institution with which they have transacted.
By translating these disparate signals into a precise, portable measure of creditworthiness, Mathesis creates a comprehensive credit identity that reflects the full breadth of a person’s financial life.
“True financial inclusion cannot be achieved in a vacuum; it requires structural collaboration in which lenders and fintech companies work as partners within the ecosystem.
“This investment from First Ally Capital validates our approach to reshaping credit infrastructure. By quantifying Personal Equity, we empower lenders to safely look beyond the constraints of formal credit histories and recognise a borrower’s true creditworthiness. This capital enables us to accelerate our pan-African expansion while maintaining the robust, institutional-grade infrastructure our partners rely on,” the chief executive of Mathesis Analytics, Winston Osuchukwu, stated.
On his part, the chief executive of First Ally Capital, Mr Ebenezer Olufowose, said, “At First Ally Capital, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop destination for financial solutions, offering a diverse portfolio of services ranging from investment banking and asset management to trusteeship, inclusive banking, and real estate.
“Our investment in Mathesis Analytics reflects our strong belief in the company’s vision and our commitment to supporting forward-thinking enterprises that deliver excellence.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of Canal+ Africa, Mr David Mignot, has disclosed that MultiChoice is now fully integrated into the media group.
Mr Mignot disclosed this via a statement issued on Thursday, noting that this development marks a new phase in the evolution of one of Africa’s leading pay television operators.
He noted that the integration positions MultiChoice within a global media organisation with an extensive international footprint.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries. The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mr Mignot said.
The statement underscores the scale of the combined business, highlighting Canal+’s global reach alongside its significant investments across Africa.
The completion of the transaction is expected to strengthen MultiChoice’s position in the African media and entertainment market by giving it access to the broader resources, expertise and international capabilities of the Canal+ Group, while reinforcing the group’s commitment to the continent.
MultiChoice operates across sub-Saharan Africa through platforms including DStv and GOtv, serving millions of subscribers with entertainment, sports and news content.
