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Uganda’s digital entertainment industry witnessed a historic turning point on Tuesday as Play It Loud officially launched at a high-profile event held at Mestil Hotel, confirming weeks of speculation around the platform’s rapid creator signings and bold market entry. The launch brought together top creators, media stakeholders, digital entrepreneurs, and entertainment industry leaders, officially unveiling what many are already calling East Africa’s most ambitious creator-first streaming platform.
In the weeks leading up to the launch, Play It Loud had quietly but steadily been signing some of Uganda’s biggest and most bankable digital personalities, triggering massive anticipation online. Social media teasers, behind-the-scenes clips, and creator announcements fueled one central question across the industry: “Why is everyone rushing to sign with Play It Loud?”
At the launch, Play It Loud confirmed a powerful creator ecosystem that already includes Katrina, Bad Black, Mami Deb, Tindi, Natasha Sinayobye, Prim Asiimwe, Anna Kansiime, Azeezah, Evelyn Mic, Pablo, Troy Kente, Faisal, Kingsley, Marijan, Patra, Abryans, Kato Katende, Akelly, Ken Katuramu, Ken Kayongo, DJ Vee, Keith Malembe, Diana Kahunde, Eyo Mackus, Stella Nantumbwe, Comedy Store, Zari, Navio — with more creators set to be revealed in the coming weeks. The depth and diversity of this lineup — spanning comedy, music, lifestyle, film, radio, and digital entertainment — immediately signaled that Play It Loud is not launching as a small experimental platform, but as a full-scale content economy.
Speaking at the launch, Shafik Nekambuza, Commercial & Strategy Lead at Play It Loud, emphasized that the platform is built on long-term creator ownership rather than short-term distribution.
“We didn’t just build a streaming platform, we built an economic engine for creators. Play It Loud is a creator-first platform designed to help African storytellers produce great content, build bankable intellectual property, and connect their stories to the rest of the world. For the first time, creators are not just contributors — they are partners in the ecosystem.”
Industry analysts say Play It Loud’s launch could be a turning point for Uganda’s position in Africa’s digital economy. For years, African creators have exported talent to global platforms while owning little of the underlying infrastructure. Play It Loud reverses that trend by placing platform ownership, content IP, and monetisation directly in creator hands. Through Play It Loud, African creators can now reach global audiences on an African-owned platform, package content with professional production standards, and monetise at scale through streaming, licensing, advertising, and IP ownership. Many observers believe this could mark the beginning of Africa exporting its own original streaming culture, rather than only consuming content from international platforms.
What makes Play It Loud’s entry different is not just the technology — but the calibre of creators who committed before public launch. Securing this level of talent prior to go-live reflects strong internal confidence in the platform’s financial model, infrastructure, and long-term vision. Digital economy experts describe the development as “a new creative economy forming in real time”, driven by creator ownership, platform equity, and sustainable revenue from African audiences and the diaspora.
The official launch at Mestil Hotel on December 10 confirmed one thing clearly: Play It Loud is not testing the market — it is entering with force. With its creator-first model, heavyweight signings, and pan-African ambition, the platform is positioning itself as a bridge between African creators and global audiences, and a serious challenger in Africa’s fast-growing streaming economy.
As one industry insider at the launch put it, “If this many big creators have already signed, then Play It Loud isn’t just launching a platform. It’s launching a movement.”
