By Our Reporter
Vision Group has launched a new digital platform that will change how news is consumed.
Launched during an event held at Golden Tulip Hotel on Monday, the new platform is aimed at giving their digital content consumers an engaging, simplified and dynamic experience.
The news app features Augmented Reality (AR) which will enable readers on digital platform interface with the physical copy of the newspaper.
In a demonstration by Paul Ikanza, the Head of IT at Vision Group, guests were able to watch a video version of some of the stories written in the newspaper on their mobile device by simply scanning the AR icon on the photos of specific stories in the paper using the app.
“The AR feature is our attempt to create a way for our readers to interact with the print copy of the newspaper.” Paul Ikanza explained. “All it is really is that you have content in the paper that you can consume off the app. It becomes rich content when consumed off the app.”
According to Robert Kabushenga, the Managing Director Vision Group, the new innovation was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic which made it hard to sell physical copies of the paper and represents a fundamental shift in media consumption.
“The time when people just sat in studio and pushed out as many video as they could without caring what people thought or the time when all you did was sit at 4pm to decide which headline would be consumed by people the next day is gone. It is completely finished,” remarked Robert Kabushenga. “People are no longer waiting for the news tomorrow; they want it as it happening. They want to be part of history as it occurs and not just read about it.”
“We have invested heavily in this technology and it is going to be a long journey of continuous innovation at the technological front. We are constructing the technological foundations that will guarantee the future of this company.” He added.
Available for download on Google Play and Apple Store, the new digital platform is more than just a news app. It also has other features live sport, radio streaming and TV streaming (yet to be launched) among others.