Today, Mansa, a streaming service and content aggregator that offers a curated selection of Black cultural content, launched out of stealth. Founded by actors David Oyelowo (“Selma”), Chiké Okonkwo (“La Brea”), Nate Parker (“The Great Debaters”), and tech entrepreneur and film financier Zak Tanjeloff, Mansa is a free ad-supported streaming service that provides a wide variety of content, ranging from on-demand titles and digital linear (FAST) channels to short-form videos and user-generated content. Supported by an $8 million seed round led by MaC Venture Capital and funded by Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Mike Novogratz’s Web 3-focused Galaxy Digital, Robert F. Smith’s Vista Equity Partners, Base Ventures, Dubin & Co, and Rainmaker Films, Mansa is hoping to assert itself into a space dominated by subscription-based alternatives.
The company believes that there is a gap in the market for free ad-supported platforms for Black audiences. As per Nielsen ratings, Black audiences make up nearly 40% of the view time on major ad-supported streaming services like Tubi and Pluto TV. This led to the inspiration for Mansa; CEO Tanjeloff believes that by offering their curated selection of global Black culture for free, they could appeal to Gen Z and younger Millennials, who are spending almost eight hours a day in front of screens.
Mansa’s library of content includes over 1,500 hours worth of movies and TV shows, including recently released titles such as “Second Coming” starring Idris Elba and Trevor Noah’s comedy special “You Laugh But It’s True”. In addition, users can access over 24 licensed FAST channels, such as Maverick Black Cinema and True Crime Now, or view trending videos in the TikTok-style news feed.
The very distinct feature of Mansa is its “Watch Out Loud” feature, which allows users to watch movies or shows and chat with creators and independent filmmakers in real time. Mansa is also planning on developing its own original titles, short-form content created in partnership with small creators, and is looking to invest in Black filmmakers through its Future Storytellers Fund. Furthermore, the platform is promised to offer audio and video commentaries asynchronously and works on web3 features in the future.
As of now, Mansa is available in the U.S. on desktop and mobile devices, with plans to expand the platform on other connected TV devices such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung, Vizio and LG in the near future.
David Oyelowo and Nate Parker are both highly successful and decorated actors that have seen tremendous success throughout their careers. David Oyelowo has starred in films such as Selma, The Paperboy and Spooks: The Greater Good, as well as played Martin Luther King in the Oscar-nominated movie Selma. Similarly, Nate Parker is known for films such as The Great Debaters, Proud Mary and Beyond the Lights, while he is also critically acclaimed for his performance as Nat Turner in the 2016 historical drama film The Birth of a Nation.
Zak Tanjeloff, CEO of Mansa, is a well-known Hollywood financier and tech entrepreneur. In addition to films he has produced such as The Birth of a Nation or American Skin, he has also worked for major tech and media companies such as Netflix, BET, Hulu, Roku, Tubi, Redbox, and Complex. Finally, Mansa is backed by a number of renowned investors, such as NBA player and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Black Capital VC, James Norman, and Wemimo Abbey.
