Broadcast, Film and Convergence in Africa - Issue no. 333 13 February 2020
Top Story
Cello is looking to sell 100,000 solar powered televisions a year into Africa and sees huge long-term potential
13 February 2020
Solar powered TVs are slowly creating a whole new category of rural TV viewers in Africa. Russell Southwood spoke to Brian Palmer, CEO, Cello about its own solar powered TV and the prospects for the market. Cello is the last remaining UK manufacturer of televisions. It started 15 years ago when it “saw value as TVs changed from analog to digital. In the beginning we concentrated on small screen products for UK supermarkets (M&S). It was mot the easiest business to deal with. We’ve reached the end of DTT in the UK so we knew we had to spread our…
Broadcast
New TV Series for Young People Surpasses 1.7 Million Views Per Episode in Kenya
13 February 2020
A new part-animated, part live-action series for adolescents is scoring top ratings on Citizen TV, Kenya’s most-watched television network. My Better World, which premiered on October 19, is averaging 1.7…
Broadcast
Panaccess’ Nigerian broadcast bouquet now on Amos-17 KU band
13 February 2020
Spacecom, operator of the AMOS satellite fleet, today announced that it is providing Ku-band capacity from its AMOS-17 communication satellite to PanAccess, a leading German broadcast services company, for broadcasting…
Broadcast
Athletic South Africa and SABC sign broadcast agreement
13 February 2020
SABC and Athletic South Africa (ASA) have recently announced an agreement to broadcast the athletic games. The public broadcaster will produce and broadcast marathons, track, field and road running…
Content - Film
SA short film to be screened at Pan African Film Festival
13 February 2020
Windhoek - Eyelash, a South African short film which was among the three Jury Award Winners of the I am Africa Short Film Competition, is set to be premiered at…
Content - Film
‘Influence’: Film Review of man who masked ‘South African governmental corruption with race-baiting fake news’
12 February 2020
This glossy, bustling documentary ambitiously tackles the late Tim Bell's unscrupulous political PR career, but suffers from information overload. When Tim Bell died in London last summer, the media response…
Content - Film
South African sci-fi to premiere at prestigious US festival
13 February 2020
The sci-fi/horror film Fried Barry is set to premiere at the acclaimed Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California in March this year. Fried Barry follows the outlandish tale of…
Content - Film
Watch: Young Zim Filmmaker Releases Short Film On Tackling Child Marriages
12 February 2020
A young award-winning Zimbabwean filmmaker based in South Africa, Tapiwa Gambura has produced a new short film titled “I am not your Bride: A Woman’s Constitution”. The film, which was…
Content - Film
In brief
13 February 2020
Anti-romcom Seriously Single will screen at the 28th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF), taking place in Los Angeles, California from 11 to 23 February 2020. The quirky…
Content - Television
Days of Cannibalism Nominated for Best Documentary Award at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival
13 February 2020
South African filmmaker Teboho Edkins's crossgenre documentary Western, Days of Cannibalism has been nominated for a Best Documentary Award at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival which takes place in…
Content - Television
Netflix Acquires Ghana’s 2020 Oscars Submission ‘Azali’
13 February 2020
The American streaming platform has announced that it has acquired ‘Azali’, which is set to be available for streaming in February 2020. ‘Azali’ also happens to be Ghana’s 2020 Oscars…
Content - Television
‘Queen Sono’ is Netflix’s first South African original
13 February 2020
We are entering a new era of content in Nigeria. For far too long, a handful of gatekeepers have controlled funding for projects in Nigeria and shut out new talent…
Content - Television
The Snail and the Whale, the latest Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler adaptation, is now streaming first on Showmax in Africa.
13 February 2020
Animated in Cape Town by Triggerfish for Magic Light Pictures, The Snail and the Whale premiered on BBC One at Christmas to four-star reviews and over 7.5m viewers. RadioTimes calls…
Content - Television
AMVCA 2020: Full list of nominees
13 February 2020
The organisers of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards on Thursday released the full list of nominees for the coming event. The nominees were announced via a televised broadcast on…
Content - Television
In brief
13 February 2020
Film Director and Creative Writer, Peter Sedufia, has sealed a deal to have two of his films on popular US movie streaming site Netflix. The movies, Keteke and Side Chic…
Distribution
The Africa Channel has launched in Canada on Rogers Ignite TV
13 February 2020
Showcases programming that opens up a daily view into modern African life Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. (ECG), the world's largest multicultural broadcaster, is pleased to announce that The Africa Channel…
Distribution
Netflix To Charge Nigerians And Kenyans In Local Currency - Reports
13 February 2020
The global video-on-demand streaming service, Netflix, has announced that it will be implementing new ways to make it easier for subscribers to pay and renew their subscriptions. In Nigeria and…
Distribution
New Local Video Streaming Platform Launches In South Africa
13 February 2020
Caxton, a South African media platform, has successfully launched a new video streaming service, Spectrum, across 73 of its local news websites. Spectrum aims to offer relatable content on a…
Technology & Convergence
Namibia: NBC Digitalisation Falling Apart Due To Decoder Scarcity - Reports
13 February 2020
The highly praised digital migration of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) which was launched five years ago, is now seeming to be a curse, rather than a blessing, according to…
Regulation & Policy
MultiChoice Nigeria warns of dangers of ending exclusive rights
13 February 2020
MultiChoice Nigeria has warned that damage could result from the government's decision to end exclusive rights to broadcast major sporting events in the country, according to Gadget. MultiChoice has said…
Regulation & Policy
Movies used to change health behaviour
13 February 2020
Some innovative local organisations are using film to empower people to make better decisions about their health. Dr Susan Levine is a medical and visual anthropologist based in Cape Town.…
Investment
The SABC says it's not planning to sell off its struggling SABC3 TV channel, nor its 5FM, Good Hope FM or Metro FM radio stations.
13 February 2020
The South African public broadcaster says that the SABC has made no plans or decisions to get rid off and to sell of either its SABC3 TV channel, nor its…
More
People
13 February 2020
Hollywood producer looking for greener pastures in Uganda Hopeful. Milan Selassie is known for the LifeTime film Back to School Mom, yet, last year in South Africa, two Ugandan enthusiasts…
More
Opportunities
13 February 2020
KENYA FILM COMMISSION ROLLS OUT FILM HUBS ACROSS KENYA The Commission has launched a program aimed at establishing film hubs countrywide. This initiative is aimed at strengthening local film makers’…
More
Events
13 February 2020
OTT Content Streaming and On-Demand Summit 202019 – 20 February 2020 Cape Town Global revenues from OTT content streaming and on-demand services are set to reach US$100billion by 2020. The…
