Issue no 127 12 April 2012
Top Story
Nollywood film producers caught in a squeeze – FVPMAN points the blame at Africa Magic
Nollywood may be the planet’s third biggest film industry after Hollywood and Bollywood but it is feeling the squeeze. Despite the brio with which it churns out new films, times are hard and the returns are not good. A sign of this pressure is that this week the Film, Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (FVPMAN) declared that it would try and stop DStv’s Africa Magic channel from showing Nollywood films before they were released elsewhere. Russell Southwood look at Nollywood’s success has been its own downfall in some ways.Many Nollywood productions are actually shot as 13 episodes for…
Broadcast
Broadcast, Film and Music in Africa 2012 conference
Africa’s broadcast, film and music industries are increasingly developing synergies and merging through the power of electronic media.Broadcast, Film and Music in Africa 2012 - BFMA is the continent’s only…
Broadcast
Sky News Arabia to launch on 6 May 2012
Sky News Arabia, the latest 24-hour rolling news channel for the Arabic speaking market, is to be unveiled across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on 6 May 2012.The…
Broadcast
EFC AFRICA sets TV audience records
South Africa: The live TV ratings from EFC AFRICA’s most recent event on March 2 blew other sports ratings away, clocking a peak audience of over 1.6 million and pulling…
Broadcast
Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF 'too scared' to open up airwaves
The chairman of the parliamentary committee on media, information and communication technology claimed that ZANU PF is 'too scared' to open up the country's airwaves. Settlement Chikwinya, the MDC-T MP for…
Broadcast
Broadcast - In Brief
- South Africa : Saarf has released the AMPS December 2011, covering the media, product and brand consumption habits of South Africa's adults over the past year. Results show that…
Content
Liberia: Documentary to expose horrific Women's Rights abuses in the country
Filmmakers Jessica Vale and Nika Offenbac are at the tail end of a widely popular Kickstarter campaign to raise finishing funds for their feature documentary 'Small small Thing'.'Small small Thing'…
Content
South Sudan: Jollywood - Move over Hollywood, Bollywood and Nollywood!
In the world's youngest country, South Sudan, a film industry is slowly taking shape with the appearance of the first locally-produced film, Jamila. Welcome to Jollywood."I am pregnant," states a…
Content
North Africa: Arab Spring Documentaries
The eruption of the Arab Spring sent shockwaves around the world as digital images of protest and violence provided an instant depiction of unfolding events. It continues to do so…
Content
DStv Film Talent Celebration Competition
The film industry in South Africa is one of our country’s most dynamic industries, mostly because of the passion and commitment of our filmmakers.DStv’s contribution towards the film industry comprises…
Content
Content - In Brief
- 3 April 2012 in São Tomé: Angola's Media vice minister, Manuel Miguel de Carvalho "Wadijimbi", inaugurated on Monday in Sao Tome and Principe the television programme dubbed "Hora Angola"…
Distribution
Mnet launched its African Film Library in VoD with 100 titles so far
AFL online has been on beta test for about a year. Mnet finally and officially announced its launch just on time for MIPTV.On 26 March 2012, M-Net – the multi-channel…
Distribution
A24 Media in partnership with Indian players
A24 Media has formed a partnership with NBS News in India. With this, news coverage from the Indian sub-continent will be made available to emerging Africa. It will also create…
Distribution
MIPTV: BBCWorldwide will distribute Planet Earth filmed in Africa
BBC Worldwide unveiled major wildlife series Planet Earth Live today at MIPTV.The corporation described it as the biggest live wildlife broadcast they had ever undertaken. The series is being made…
Distribution
Distribution - In Brief
- ESPN has made the announced of a new deal with the Australian Football League (AFL) to bring viewers live television coverage of the AFL Premiership in the United Kingdom,…
Technology & Convergence
Kenya: government to ban importation of analogue TV sets
The Kenyan State is about to ban analog TV imports into the country in the next four months as a way of speeding up uptake of digital TVs locally, it…
Technology & Convergence
SABC, e.tv seek competition clarity for digital migration
South African broadcasters e.tv and SABC have requested the regulator conducts a regulatory impact assessment before issuing new terrestrial television licenses in the advent of digital migration.The free to air…
Technology & Convergence
Technolgy & Convergence - In Brief
- Digital Depot, believed to be the first online electronics store catering to the film and media industry, has opened its first retail outlet in Cape Town – at the…
Regulation & Policy
Mali: Independent media one of the first casualties in coup
Mutinous soldiers who seized power last week from Mali's President Amadou Toumani Touré also occupied the headquarters of the state radio and TV broadcaster and interrupted other TV and radio…
Regulation & Policy
Angola: Media Council warned about criterion on objectivity
The National Council of Social Communication (CNCS) calls the attention of social communication organs to work with objectivity, exemption and strictness enshrined in the press law and the structuring principle…
Regulation & Policy
Regulation & Policy - In Brief
- UNESCO and the Government of Tunisia will be co-organizing the main celebration of the World Press Freedom Day 2012 under the theme “New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform…
Investment
The role of TV in making African football into a viable and marketable product
The African Football Exec. Summit will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa from 18-19 April 2012.The purpose is to?“Driving new investment, good business practises & technical issues to enhance sustainable…
Investment
Cape Town: aerial filming from helicopters
Cineflex is now permanently stationed in Cape Town. Cinesky, offers aerial filming in Cape Town, as well as ground tracking services for the entertainment and sports industries.“Our affiliation with top…
Investment
Sweden grants US$4.5 million to empower local radios with ICT in Africa
Last February Sweden, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), concluded an agreement under which 30 million Swedish Kronor (around US$4.5 million) will be donated to UNESCO to support…
Investment
Investment - In Brief
- At MIPTV 2012, there was much discussion about crowd-funding as a potential source of that money, but Danae Ringelmann, co-founder and chief operating officer at IndieGogo, said success would…
More
Events
24th to 28th April 2012The Douala Audiovisual Meetings (3rd RADO) - 2012 EDITION Venue: DoualaSummary: Producers, broadcasters, professionals, journalists and audiovisual partners are informed that the 3rd Douala Audiovisual Meetings…
