Issue no. 168 22 November 2013
Top Story
AfricaCast 2013: The truth that dare not speak its name – Africa’s telco operators may not be ready to launch VoD services
In the last issue we highlighted the rumours circulating about the launch of VoD services by two large operators. In the event, both continue to move forward but neither was ready for a public launch. Sylvain Beletre looks at a major operator already doing VoD below the radar and asks: Are African telcos ready to launch VoD in the short term?Delegates to AfricaCast 2013 last were treated to a demonstration of a mobile content service. Those involved should have heeded the old saying among broadcasters: never work with children, animals or technology. The demonstration ran over a 3G network of…
Broadcast
Canal+ Group adds a million subscribers, good performances in Africa
Canal+ Group said that as of the end of September its total portfolio reached almost 14 million subscribers, up by a million year-on-year, following last year’s Polish merger between its…
Broadcast
CCTV works with Globecast to deliver French-Language channel to West African viewers
Globecast announced that it has signed a new contract with longtime customer China Central Television (CCTV), the state broadcaster of China. Under the latest agreement, Globecast will deliver CCTV-français, the…
Broadcast
AfricaCast Multi-network Forum Expert Q&A
Monday’s AfricaCast Twitter Q&A was a huge success, and the participants – Steve Christian, VP Marketing, Verimatrix, Anton Smith, CEO Hambisana and Nick Ruczaj, VP Business Development EMEA Vubiquity –…
Broadcast
The “Wikileaks of Africa” has a web channel, SaharaTV
The “Wikileaks of Africa” has a web channel, SaharaTV. Its YouTube channel has 31,025 subscribers and 9,521,610 views.Created in April 2011, SaharaTV is the broadcast outlet of SaharaReporters, the groundbreaking…
Broadcast
Broadcast - In Brief
- Jo De Loor, Product Manager at Newtec gives you in this 3.5 minutes video a complete overview and what you can expect of the Newtec Sat3Play platform, including the:…
Content
DISCOP Africa 2013 opens, showcasing packed DISCOPRO conference agenda featuring 70 speakers
Los Angeles / Johannesburg, November 6, 2013 – More than 1500 delegates from 70-plus countries arrived in Johannesburg for the 8th edition of DISCOP Africa, which took place at the…
Content
Côte Ouest’s new productions
Côte Ouest, Africa's leader in the distribution of TV content, announced, that the company is expanding its operations through the launch of a new production arm. The first innovative concept, Africa…
Content
Content - In Brief
- It’s hard being gay in Africa and in this episode of “Africa In The City”, Tracy of SaharaTV finds out just how hard it is to be a gay…
Distribution
DIFFA is happy to announce the first sale of a French-speaking African TV series to the English-speaking market
DIFFA has announced the first sale of a French-speaking African TV series to the English-speaking market: « The kings of Ségou ». The kings of Ségou is a TV series…
Distribution
The African DTH TV Provider – MultiChoice Africa’s fresh update
MultiChoice Africa has 4.5 million subscribers in South Africa and 2.3 million in other countries in Africa. Gerdus van Eeden, MultiChoice Africa’s chief technology officer, predicts that in 18 months,…
Distribution
Video on Demand Poised to Change How Africa Watches (BBC)
On taxis, buses and trains across Africa, people are plugging in and tuning out as they catch up with the latest episode of the XYZ Show from Kenya or reminisce…
Distribution
Distribution - In Brief
- Across Africa, Comarex is currently distributing TV series and telenovelas produced by Azteca (one of the leading producers of Spanish speaking content), four series by VIACOM Latin America (Popland,…
Technology & Convergence
Trial in Cape Town shows that TV White Spaces can deliver broadband access without interference
TV White Spaces—the unused spectrum between TV channels—have the potential to bring wireless broadband access to underserved and rural areas. These low frequency signals can travel long distances and fill…
Technology & Convergence
Sony Professional Solutions Middle East and Africa Offers Free License of ASSIMILATE SCRATCH Lab
Sony Professional Solutions MEA FZ LLC announced it is offering a FREE license of ASSIMILATE’s award-winning SCRATCH Lab® Advanced Dailies software to customers who purchase any Sony CineAlta camera: PMW-F5…
Technology & Convergence
Advanced video streaming offers benefits across industry sectors
With the exponential growth of connectivity, the explosion of smartphones, tablets and other devices, and the massive popularity of social video channels, such as YouTube, video has become very much…
Technology & Convergence
Dune HD partners with Quadrille on African VOD
Set-top box maker Dune HD has partnered with push video-on-demand specialist Quadrille to offer satellite-based VOD to operators in Africa. The firms said that they had created a receiver able…
Technology & Convergence
Technology & Convergence - In Brief
- Follow the first web TV in West Africa dedicated to human rights here: - The Cheetah Code is a web TV series spotlighting Africa’s young entrepreneurs and emerging technology…
Regulation & Policy
African DTT migration facing “multiple challenges”
Digital-terrestrial TV migration in Africa faces multiple challenges, with little sign that deadlines will be met, a panel of experts told AfricaCast attendees yesterday.Convincing governments about the long term economic…
Regulation & Policy
Kenya: Stormy digital migration voyage
Early last year, officials of the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) were required to make a presentation to the Kenya Revenue Authority to make a case for the need to…
Regulation & Policy
Minister Mashatile opened DISCOP AFRICA 2013
Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile delivered the opening address at the 8th edition of DISCOP AFRICA 2013, which ran from Wednesday 6th November to Friday, 8th November 2013 at…
Regulation & Policy
Regulation & Policy - In Brief
- "A local administrator from a small town in Kenya is making a huge impact through social media." That's how @ChiefKariuki was introduced at the annual Google Ideas conference in…
Investment
Startup Accelerator in Africa
In a continent fraught with high unemployment rates, lack of access to startup business loans, high interest rates, very high failure rates with businesses, corruption being named in high places…
Investment
In 2011, a 32-year-old had become the talk of Nollywood
Four years ago, Jason Njoku sat down with his old friend Bastian Gotter and told him about an investment opportunity in Nigeria, a precious resource that was sitting there, just…
Investment
SES delivered solid performance including in Africa
YTD Revenue of EUR 1,378.2 million- An increase of 2.4% at constant exchange rates (“constant FX”) over the prior year period;5.7% when excluding the EUR 42.6 million of analogue revenue…
Investment
Investment - In Brief
- Every day, the web is changing lives in Africa. In the next five years, 7 out of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies will be from Africa. The web…
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Events
exact dates tba, Novembre 2013Film Africa 2013Venue: London, UK.The UK’s largest annual festival of African cinema and culture.For more information clcik here. exact dates tba, Novembre 2013Kenya International Film Festival…
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People
Zuku hires Turner execAfrican triple-play pay TV operator Zuku has poached a Turner Broadcasting System exec to become its chief commercial officer.Charles Murito was TBS’s director, business development, Africa and…
