distribution

Two TV channels – one Beninois and the other Ghanaian – announced satellite distribution deals last week.

Shortage of capacity over Africa is likely to present a major challenge for OU providers as they prepare for the World Cup next year, and will be good news for satellite operators.

MultiChoice Africa, operators of pay television service DStv, have launched a new pay television package called DStv Access. The new package goes for a subscription sum of UShs21,000 per month in Uganda and it offers 25 channels. It was launched across East Africa last Monday.

Most people in the industry know that Bollywood is one of the largest film producers in the world. But far fewer know that one of the largest potential markets for Indian film is Africa. Sylvain Beletre talks to Cherian M. Chacko, Director of Berserk Media Limited, an Indian film and TVcontent distributor.

Q: Is there a market for Indian Films in Africa?

Kenya’s Wananchi Group is to use the national electricity transmission network to build a fibre optic platform expected to open a new front in the bruising battle for control of Kenya's lucrative media market.

The platform - a product of an agreement between the media firm and Kenya Power and Lighting Company -- puts Wananchi on a converged media highway that enables it to compete in television content, internet provision, data and voice transmission markets.

The African Movie Channel (AMC ) continues to blaze the trail as the home of Africa’s top creative talent and most captivating entertainment. From Friday, 26th June, AMC will make available on-demand, the epic 11-part tale of Mary Slessor, the Scottish missionary whose service to the people of Calabar is remembered and honoured to this day.

A Black business consortium is to serve papers on the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) opposing the publication of digital terrestrial television (DTT) regulations governing the allocation of additional digital channels.

The National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) consortium is opposing the allocation of 50% of Multiplex 3 to M-Net, saying this would extend MultiChoice's monopoly to digital terrestrial television.

- The story of the Nigerian movie industry’s success has been examined in an interesting documentary called "Nollywood Babylon," by Canadians Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal. It traces Nollywood's roots back to a 1992 thriller called "Living in Bondage." "Nollywood Babylon" mixes scenes from Nigerian movies with a wide range of Nollywood professionnals. Length: 74 minutes. , Museum of Modern Art 11 W. 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, NYC, USA.