Issue no 149 7 February 2013
Top Story
Afrik.tv video news agency grows with new clients and a stock of news from all over the African continent
There are a few news agencies out there who keep an eye on the African continent but few of them are 100% focused on just the whole African continent. The recent success of Afrik.tv shows that there was a gap in the market for fresh and professional video reports across the region.Since its promising launch at Fespaco 2011, Afrik.tv video news agency has grown up with 11 bureaux in Africa and correspondents in each country to provide a better vision of the continent accessible to all. Traffic on Afrik.tv's website is large and the agency has convinced large TV broadcasters…
Broadcast
Nigeria: Viacom Africa joins forces with NTA
Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa (formerly MTV Networks Africa) has signed a landmark partnership and training agreement with Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Nigeria's national terrestrial network.From 1 February 2013,…
Broadcast
South Africa - TopTV on life support: Can it be saved?
The story of TopTV's chronic failure to capture the South African pay television market has its origins in the failure by the broadcasting regulator, ICASA, to open the subscription television…
Broadcast
CNBC Africa partners Multi TV for business content
Africa’s premier financial and business cable network, CNBC Africa has selected Multi TV to provide content from Ghana for is global viewers. The agreement would also see Multi TV act…
Broadcast
Nigeria: NCC, Police Arrest Six Over Illegal DSTV Signal
Officials of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, NCC, Thursday, in Onitsha arrested six persons over alleged illegal transmission of signals of Digital Satellite Television, DSTV, and recovered hi-tech electrical gadgets worth…
Broadcast
TV ads fail trust test in South Africa
Over 60% of young consumers in South Africa have low levels of trust in television advertising, although a similar number still find commercials enjoyable, a report has revealed.Pondering Panda, the…
Broadcast
Broadcast - In Brief
Africa 7, lanched by “groupe Citizen Media Group” and managed by Oumou Wane is going through financial difficulties. Africa 7 was launched as a new international (including diaspora) TV channel.…
Content
Africa: Why resilience is key to making it in the film and TV business
Carolyn Carew, founder and CEO of South African film and television production company, Born Free Media (BFM), is an award winning executive producer and entrepreneur. With over 25 years extensive…
Content
Tinsel actress Lizz Njagah talks about Kenya’s film and TV industry
Kenya’s low cost film industry – dubbed Riverwood after Nairobi’s River Road area – has flourished in recent years, but is still dwarfed by Nigeria’s Nollywood. Lizz Njagah, one of…
Content
South Africa: Wild Talk Africa Film Festival and Conference back in Durban
In 2013 the Wild Talk Africa Film Festival and Conference will be moving to the lush coastal city of Durban, in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province of South Africa.The change of…
Content
Eight African movies to look forward to
The Guardian‘s Africa Network have collected a list of eight African movies to look forward to this year. From Nigeria they list Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun…
Content
The AfricaMagic Viewers' Choice Awards
Here is a sneak peek at prestigious AMVCA trophy.With the nominees for the first-ever AfricaMagic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCAs) just days away from being announced, today marked another highlight for…
Content
Content - In Brief
Asad, shot on the west coast of Cape Town and featuring Somali refugees living in the South African city, has received an Oscar nomination in the Best Short Film category.Modern…
Distribution
M-Net has licensed over 1,000 hours of content to stream on the PanaTV.com platform
M-Net – the multi-channel Pan-African content provider – has today announced that it has signed a deal with PANA TV, one of the leading online TV services for African content.…
Distribution
Ghanaian TV Stations Show Our Music Videos For Free
Controversial Ghanaian rapper, Kwaw Kese has sent a strong message to major Ghanaian TV stations regarding their ‘pay for play’ policy on music videos. The rapper contended that it should…
Distribution
AFCON Fans Diaries to air on Sky TV, UK, MultiTV Ghana
For the first time, Ghanaians based in the United Kingdom will get closer to the ''behind the scenes'' action at the ongoing AFCON 2013 tournament.In a landmark agreement, two UK…
Distribution
Digital TV Penetration Accelerates in Sub-Saharan Africa
A new market research report, "Digital TV Sub-Saharan Africa" by Digital TV Research highlights the following.About 35.3% of TV homes (14 million) in the sub-Saharan region of Africa took digital…
Distribution
Nigeria: Nollywood Movies Debuts On American Cable Networks
A welcomed innovation in the entertainment industry is here, as Nollywood movies will now be available on major cable television networks in the U.S. courtesy of Brandcast Media, Inc. Nollywood,…
Distribution
Distribution - In Brief
South Africa: The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is a statutory body set up by government to grow and develop the South African Film and Video industry. The NFVF…
Technology & Convergence
South Africa: Broadband the winner in TV migration
The final regulations governing South Africa’s migration from analogue to digital terrestrial television will ultimately make spectrum available for broadband applications.The final regulations governing South Africa’s migration from analogue to…
Technology & Convergence
North Africa/ME: OSN showcases its latest innovative offerings
OSN showcased its latest innovative offerings to the Minister of Information and Communications at the opening of InfoConnect 2013.OSN, the pay-TV network in the Middle East and North Africa, presented…
Technology & Convergence
South Africa: Apple TV available
Apple TV is available in South Africa.Core Group, the official distributors of Apple products in South Africa, announced that the highly anticipated Apple TV device will be made available to…
Technology & Convergence
Nigeria: Startimes Launches New M50 Mobile TV Phone
As part of the activities put in place to better connect Nigerian consumers, StarTimes, one of the leading pay digital TV providers in Nigeria, has unveiled StarTimes M50 Mobile TV…
Technology & Convergence
Technology & Convergence - In Brief
In Senegal, public TV channels RTS1 and SN2 are now available live on RTS’ website. The upgraded website also provides video archives, podcasts and live RSI radio. The portal is…
Regulation & Policy
MultiChoice Africa and Irdeto piracy probe leads to arrests
Irdeto revealed it has been working undercover with MultiChoice Africa and the Botswana Police Serious Crime Squad to investigate and disrupt the illegal distribution of pay TV content in Africa.…
Regulation & Policy
Ghana: Gov’t will enforce ban on importation of analog TV sets
Minister-designate for Communications, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah says government will strictly enforce the law banning importation of analog television sets into the country, in accordance with the Antalya and Geneva…
Regulation & Policy
South Africa: SA’s unfolding digital TV nightmare
Confusion around the encryption and control of set-top boxes, and the complexity of subsidies of the boxes for poorer households, are threatening South Africa’s migration to digital terrestrial television. By…
Regulation & Policy
Tanzania: DSTv already digitalised
In Tanzania, DSTv is already digitalised, operation manager said.MultiChoice Tanzania has cleared confusion regarding its place in digital migration in the country assuring its subscribers that through its pay TV…
Regulation & Policy
Regulation & Policy - In Brief
South Africa: The Presidency has noted media reports about government media advertising and a subsequent call made by the Leader of the Democratic Alliance, Ms Helen Zille for the establishment…
Investment
Chinese state funds behind ‘Africa’, BBC's Attenborough series
Viewers hypnotised by the BBC's landmark series Africa, with its stunning images of fighting giraffes and baby turtles scuttling into the sea, are watching pictures partly funded by the state…
Investment
Kenya: StarTimes pay TV widens reach to 12 other towns
Chinese broadcaster StarTimes has widened the reach of its pay television signals in 12 other towns, signalling a battle for subscribers in towns outside Nairobi and Mombasa.StarTimes services will now…
Investment
Nigeria: GOtv, SuperSport Bring AFCON Games
Africa is a continent united in its culture, diversity, identity and history. But come 19th January 2013, it’s every country for itself in the battle to see whose flag will…
Investment
Kenya: Digital TV Decoder Prices
Kenya: Digital TV Decoder Prices Still ExorbitantThe price of digital television set-top-boxes is still beyond many consumers' reach even as the country prepares for analogue Tv switch off any time…
Investment
Box TV extended its African partnerships
At the end of 2012, Box TV announced a raft of deal renewals in the African market.Box Television, the Channel 4 and Bauer Media music television joint venture has announced…
Investment
Investment - In Brief
Digital move: In Jan. 2013 in Senegal, a meeting held under the patronage of ICT Minister Cheikh Mamadou Abdoulaye Dièye and with Malick Ndiaye, coordinator of the national comitee highlighted…
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Events
12-14 March 2013CABSAT 2013venue: Dubai World Trade CentreCABSAT is the established and respected trade platform for the broadcast, digital media and satellite sectors across the Middle East, Africa and Southern…
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People
Benin TV chief jailed for program slamming presidential palaceA Benin court on Wednesday jailed the director of a private television channel for airing a program in which a former government…
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Opportunities
Africa Movie Academy Awards goes to Malawi – Call for supportMalawi is the home of the 2013 Africa Movie Academy Awards Nomination Night. This event holds on the 15th and…
