Best Media & Entertainment Companies in South Africa
The 208 best Media & Entertainment companies in South Africa in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Music In Africa.
South Africa's Media & Entertainment startup map is sharper than most people realize, and what you're looking at here ranks 208 tracked companies by disclosed equity funding and recent funding momentum. The numbers are still early-stage, $13M in total disclosed funding, no unicorns yet, but the curve is bending fast.
Globally, the prize is enormous. The media and entertainment market sat at roughly $1,960B in 2021, growing at a 7.41% CAGR, with virtual reality, augmented reality, and smarter media-exposure analytics driving the next wave of demand. Play Store installs across 3,108 media and social apps grew a median 12% year-on-year, and I find that number quietly telling because app installs are where monetization follows. Hot coverage themes right now include audio editors, playback engines and mindfulness content, which signals where product investment is concentrating. Music In Africa leads South Africa's disclosed funding at $5M, with Zindi and Billionaire Plus each pulling $2M. Investors like 4Di Capital and the Media Development Investment Fund are the ones writing the early checks. So if you're mapping where the money is moving inside South Africa's media economy, this is the directory to start with.
- Statista
Ranked: Best Media & Entertainment companies in South Africa
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24.com Online digital media group | — | — | Unfunded | 150 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+22 | — |
| 2 | 3rdfloor.tv We’re a creative studio that brings ideas to life through video and animation. | — | — | — | — | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+23 | — |
| 3 | 4Racing Subscription-based platform providing streaming of sports content | — | — | Deadpooled | — | Fundi Sithebe CEO | — | — |
| 4 | A V Africa Video & Multimedia Productions As technology advances, so do we! | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Africa Creative Agency Provider of films and TV production services | — | — | Unfunded | — | Colin Gayle Co-Founder | WordPress Block EditorElementorWordPress+27 | 1 award |
| 6 | Africa Rising African stock video footage | — | — | Unfunded | — | Colin Kisten CEO | — | — |
| 7 | african media entertainment AME is an entertainment company that offers radio broadcasting, digital media, and publishing. | — | — | Public | 230 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+28 | — |
| 8 | Africarare Developer of a blockchain-based metaverse platform | — | — | Funding Raised | — | Shayne Mann Co-Founder | — | — |
Top 12 Media & Entertainment companies in South Africa
#1
Seed · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2018 · 1 employees$1.9Mraised▾
Operator of a network providing data science challenges and resources. It offers opportunities to learn data skills and connect with AI builders. The network facilitates participation in real-world data challenges, both individually and in teams. Participants can earn certificates, develop skills, and explore job opportunities.
- Dec 2021Seed$1M
- Oct 2021Seed$950K
#2
Funding Raised · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2021 · 5 employees$2.1Mraised▾
Provider of NFT-based multilayer board game. Billionaire Plus is a board game that combines NFT, Defi, collectibles with 3D and VR modes where players can own, sell, trade, and collect NFT assets. The game will be available on Mobile and PC platforms.
- Dec 2021ICO$2.1M
#3
Funding Raised · Johannesburg, Gauteng · founded 2012$4.6Mraised▾
Platform providing news, articles, and resources for the music industry. It offers a magazine featuring news, reviews, and articles. The platform also provides a directory of artists, service providers, events, venues, and organizations. It includes educational resources, instrument lessons, and a music database.
- Dec 2020Grant (prize money)$4.6M
#4
Seed · Sandton, Gauteng · founded 2012 · 140 employees$270Kraised▾
Cashless payment solutions at events
- Jan 2020Seed$150K
- Apr 2017Seed$120K
#5
Seed · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2008 · 12 employees$488.8Kraised▾
Online podcast aggregation and hosting platform. Also allows an individual to publish their podcast and offer streaming options for users. Monetizes these podcasts by native ad-insertion in the content. Offer monthly based subscription packages based on the type of user.
- Dec 2017Seed$313.6K
- Nov 2016Angel$175.2K
#6
Seed · Stellenbosch, Western Cape · founded 2014 · 3 employees$683Kraised▾
Offers blockchain-based media security, management and distribution solutions to content owners and providers. Using watermarking, Media houses can hide arbitrary information in video, audio, images and e-books for intellectual property management. Its rights management solution offers detection of compromised media, using bitcoin.
- Aug 2016Seed$420K
- Apr 2016Seed$263K
- Jan 2016Seed—
- 2014Seed—
#7
Deadpooled · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2009$1.5Mraised▾
Indaba Mobile is a mobile-focused social media company.It can help users connect with customers, build a community and communicate with them at a fraction of traditional marketing spend, while providing clear benefits to your customers in the form of free instant messaging and much more. It is backed by capital eye ventures. It extends mobile social communities to organisations wishing to build, understand and communicate with their target audience; be it a retailer, financial services company, a football club, or a market research company.
- Oct 2013Seed$1.5M
#8
Acquired · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2009 · 9 employees$1.5Mraised▾
Personera is a B2B photo printing white label platform which enables it's clients to provide custom print and digital products like photobooks, calendars, cards, posters,etc to their brand fan communities. Personera works by implementing on brand sites or Facebook fan community pages from where users can directly order. Personera handles order payments, printing and delivery services and monetizes through 25% cut per-sales revenue share basis. Users can order physical personalized calendars for $19.95. Got acquired by Impression works in 2014.
- Feb 2011Seed$1.4M
#9
Deadpooled · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2012$50Kraised▾
Found (formerly Pashash) was an online social network for offline shopping. The app that lets user share real-world products pictures on Facebook and Twitter. It enabled the user to start a trend on social media about the deal and help people find the deal. It won the best startup award in 'Startup World' in November 2012.
- Aug 2012Seed$50K
#10
Seed · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2009 · 3 employees$25Kraised▾
Sample board is an online, digital mood board editor for the creative industries. Sample board provides a platform where people from around the world create and share mood boards, discuss the design and get inspired by each other.It provides free 14-day trial initially and then charges $79/month for businesses, $49 for Pro version, $24 for basic version.
- Oct 2011Seed$25K
#11
Funding Raised · Johannesburg, Gauteng · founded 2015$3.6Kraised▾
Online platform for car & dealerships reviews and news. Users can anonymously write reviews for cars & dealerships as per their experiences & browse reviews given by others based on car make & model and dealership location & name. The platform also features automotive information & expert car reviews as well as the latest motoring news & launches.
- Nov 2018Grant (prize money)$3.6K
#12
Series A · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2014—raised▾
NicheStreem is a developer of an on-demand music streaming platforms. The company plans to operate music streaming solutions in emerging markets and their offering in Africa is Liedjie. As of Apr'17, the company has 40K music tracks, 1K curated playlists, and 11K registered users. In Mar'17, Media24 acquired 10% equity in the company.
- Mar 2017Series A—
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Media & Entertainment coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
Common questions
Sweetie watches where the money and the users are piling in. She covers sector wealth and momentum — the install curves and revenue pools that show which corners of the market are quietly on fire.