Issue no. 177 - 17 April 2014
Top Story
Africa: Massive opportunities in the Sports TV sector
The sports TV segment in Africa is largely under-developed despite several paradoxes; the facts that Africa holds, 1) a very strong sports audience, especially for football games; 2) a large number of TV channels; 3) a pool of talented African sports players active in international games.Balancing Act polled TV channels sports experts, sports programmes distributors and advertising agencies to uncover catalogues of sports TV programmes available, budgets spent by TV channels on sports programmes and major opportunities.Between February and April 2014, 28 African TV broadcasters covering 16 countries contributed to the survey. What did we find out?Plenty of opportunities to improve…
Broadcast
Tanzania: Dar Ready for Science TV Channel
The Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) is to introduce a television channel that highlights scientific innovations in the country. In its latest communication, the Commission has made a call…
Broadcast
Broadcast to VoD: Mayibuye Film Festival is on Wabona
In South Africa on April 1, 2014, Wabona, one of Africas premiere video streaming services is happy to announce a ground breaking partnership with Cape Town based Gravel Road Entertainment.…
Broadcast
Ghana: Launch Factory 4th Healthline TV show launched
Launch Factory announced the launch of the fourth season of the award-winning television show, Healthline, in Ghana. The 13-part TV series produced by Launch Factory & developed by Vodafone Ghana…
Broadcast
Nigeria: StarTimes offers Subscribers an Early Easter Gift through its Open Week
StarTimes offers its dormant and active subscribers access to free viewing for 13 of its channels during its Open Week, from April 7 to 13, 2014 Free Channels were derived from…
Broadcast
New pay TV network: Montage TV unveiled in Lagos
Montage Cable Network, (MCN), a digital satellite television company which promises to offer top of the range family conscious entertainment, lifestyle, news, documentaries, movies, children movies and sports channels was…
Broadcast
Broadcast - In Brief
Football fans in Rodrigues will be delighted: all matches counting for the next World Cup of the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) to be held in June in Rio…
Content
South Africa: Cape Town Eco Film Festival
The inaugural Cape Town Eco Film Festival took place at the Labia Theatre on Orange Street in Cape Town from 27-31 March 2014."We've got so many environmental documentaries to share…
Content
Fashion, Sunday In Brazzaville: 25 mins documentary from DRC on Al Jazeera
The SAPE is an ode to joy, the joy of living. The SAPE is an art form, the pure wit born from poverty in our streets almost a hundred years…
Content
The Rise and Fall of TV Programmes in Nigeria
From the late 70s to the 90s, Nigeria was known for her rich and educational TV programmes that informed, educated, enlightened, persuaded, integrated and at the same time entertained viewers.…
Content
Africa in Motion Film Festival to have a sporting theme
Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival has announced their upcoming festival, Sports Stories from around the African Commonwealth which is set to take place during the lead up to the…
Content
Nigeria's Nollywood: Most Prolific Movie Machine
A 15-second drum roll and the title of the film, "Deceptive Heart," comes crashing onto the screen in a groovy 1970s font.Less than 10 minutes into the Nollywood movie, the…
Content
Content - In Brief
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) releases its first television advertisement - and it's entirely home-grown. From the production crew and actors through to the locations and voice over, the 30-second…
Distribution
Motive TV begins South African implementation
Hybrid TV technology specialist Motive TVs services unit has begun the installation of its Content Express platform in South Africa following it deal with Siyaya Free to Air TV for…
Distribution
Africa: Convergence leads to increased demand for tablets
The shifting dynamics of how people are opting to utilise their personal computers has resulted in a change in the type of device being chosen. Increasingly consumers are requiring mobile…
Distribution
Launch of Ster-Kinekor EFC Africa partnership
Extreme Fighting Championship EFC Africa 28 will be screened in select Ster-Kinekor cinemas around the country for the first time on 27 March 2014, following a partnership agreement between the…
Distribution
Kenya: Old TV Sets to Go Off As World Goes Digital Way
Analogue television sets could soon be phased out as the June 17, 2015 deadline for migration to digital broadcasting draws closer. Secretary general of UN's International Telecommunications Union Hamadoun Tour…
Distribution
Cote Ouest clinches International deals for quality African films
Cote Ouest, the premier distributor of content for and from Africa, announces an impressive range of international sales for Pokou Princess Ashanti, Africa Zapping and Emmy-nominated Angolan soap-opera Windeck. The…
Distribution
Distribution - In Brief
Save Guimbi Theater! (Bobo-Dioulasso - Burkina Faso)Today Guimbi Theater stands as a ruin of no archeological value. It must be saved so that it will step out of its urban…
Technology & Convergence
Nigeria: GOtv Re-Introduces Antenna Swop Campaign
As part of efforts to boost subscribers viewing experience, GOtv has announced the re-introduction of its antenna swop campaign. The campaign which involves exchanging indoor stub antennas for external UHF…
Technology & Convergence
Ghana: DVB-T2 Digital TV Labs, neighbouring countries to co-finance?
Ghana's National Communications Authority has appointed the UKs Digital TV Labs as an accredited test centre for DTT receiver conformance in Ghana, supporting the countrys digital switchover. Digital TV Labs is…
Technology & Convergence
Global index: A 719% surge in mobile and tablet video time
If you thought mobile video was growing fast, think again: it's growing incredibly fast. Ooyala's Q4 Video Index reports that time spent watching video on tablets and mobile devices is…
Technology & Convergence
South Africa will not use CA to cut off non-payers, says minister
Multichoice clashes with SA government over digital switchover plans:The South African government has no intention of using conditional access in digital-terrestrial set-top boxes to cut off viewers who dont pay…
Technology & Convergence
BET Networks Launches Its First Ever Brand App BET NOW
Functionalities Include TV Everywhere Authenticated On-Demand Viewing of Its Award-Winning Shows:The New BET App is Available for iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones and tabletsDownload now for free at the App…
Technology & Convergence
Technology & Convergence - In Brief
Cosmo City, an underprivileged suburb undergoing major social and economic development in Johannesburg, is the latest community to receive the Samsung Digital Village model which will provide residents with access…
Regulation & Policy
Kenya: Three Stations to Get Digital TV Licence, Switch Date Moved
The Court of Appeal on Friday moved the deadline for the migration to digital television to September 30 (2014) after finding that at the time the Communications Commission of Kenya…
Regulation & Policy
Tunisia: Transition - the Role of the Media
In the span of only one month, Tunisia has witnessed the historic passing of a transitional justice law and adoption of a new constitution. Implementation of transitional justice processes, as…
Regulation & Policy
Zimbabwe: Muchechetere Fingers Charamba for ZBC Collapse
The presidential spokesperson George Charamba, who is also Secretary for Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, has been accused of interference and causing the chaotic mess plaguing the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation…
Regulation & Policy
Chad: PM opens the Constitutive General Assembly of Private Television in Africa
Monday, March 31, 2014, Chad's Prime Minister, His Excellency Mr. Kalzeub Payimi Deubet chaired the opening of the Constituent General Assembly of the African Private TV ceremony at the "palais…
Regulation & Policy
Regulation & Policy - In Brief
Libyan state TV airs video of Saadi Gaddafi apologising to the nation & asking for forgiveness: Saadi Gaddafi, Muammar Gaddafi's third son, asks Libyans for forgiveness in interview videotaped in…
Investment
Malawi: Wananchi Group to Invest U.S.$10 Million in Malawi to Launch Zuku TV
Barely three months after Malawi government successfully migrated from analogue to digital broadcasting, Wananchi Group, owner of payTV channel Zuku, has announced plans to venture into Malawi by investing about…
Investment
Airtel Launches Pocket TV App for Android
Airtel Digital TV, the DTH service arm of the leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel introduced a new Android app called Pocket TV, which would allow the subscribers to watch TV…
Investment
Preparing for the emergent mobile markets
Guest post by Kirill Filippov, Chief Executive Officer, SPB TVThe growth of the global mobile and OTT TV market reveals nuances and problems previously unexpected but which determine future research…
Investment
Kipco reveals plans to float OSN this year
Middle East investment group Kuwait Projects Co (Kipco) has said it plans to take pay TV operator OSN public within the next few weeks, according to local reports.Kipco vice-chairman Faisal…
Investment
Investment - In Brief
Launching DTT in South Africa is another long walk to freedom. But the country is almost there, just a few legal aspects need tying up. The country has an excellent…
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Events
23-27 April 2014Festival International Du Film Panafricain - Cannes /PanAfrican International Film Festival Venue: Cannes, France. The festival is devoted to the new generation of African Digital filmmaking. 14 to…
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People
Intelsat Appoints Global Media Veteran Robert Callahan to Board of DirectorsOn 1 April 2014, Intelsat S.A. announced that Robert F. Callahan, Chairman of Longueview, a media, internet and technology advisory firm,…
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Opportunities
Call for funds and partners - film production and VoD projects, related to AfricaMartin Baker, the Company Director of Vision Media London Ltd and a film Producer focused on Africa…
