Issue no. 179 15 May 2014
Top Story
African TV channels: tips for innovative sports TV programmes
In a previous issue, we highlighted that there are massive opportunities in the sports TV market. This week Balancing Act's broadcasting analyst Sylvain Beletre talks to consultant Bertrand Cardot about ways in which African TV channels can improve their sports output.Bertrand Cardot works as a consultant for 'SCAB', an audio and video engineering organisation set up in West Africa and based in Senegal. Cardot has worked on major TV events programmes such as the 'ligue 1 football' with Canal+ and beIN Sport, the champions league, the Europa league, the 'Tour de France', rugby matches or the London OG as well as 'The…
Broadcast
Rwanda: Liquid Telecom Shares Its Vision (incl TV)
Internet: forever a challenge in Rwanda. We have all been in that situation; switching from carrier to carrier, waiting in vain for our email to load. Apologizing to friends or…
Broadcast
Tunis Media City - Satellite Broadcasting Company Created
The creation of a city entirely dedicated to telecom services and satellite broadcasting, Tunis Media City, was announced Thursday in Tunis. Jordan-Saudi Company for Satellite (JASCO) is initiator of this…
Broadcast
Zimbabwe: Call to Revive ZBC-TV
Gweru residents have called for the revitalisation of ZBC-TV so that it becomes a broadcaster of choice. Contributing to an Information and Media Panel of Inquiry consultative meeting in Mkoba…
Broadcast
ICASA granted 5 licences for subscription broadcasting services
In Johannesburg, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa hereby notifies the media and stakeholders that it has conditionally granted five (5) licences for individual commercial subscription broadcasting services. Although…
Broadcast
Broadcast - In Brief
In support for their colleagues from the Agence Internationale d'Images de Télévision (AITV), a group of France Télévisions, POLITICO TV invites you every night at INFO Africa. Info Africa is…
Content
Call for entries! Africa in Motion Short Film Competition 2014
African filmmakers are invited to submit short films of no longer than 30 minutes for Africa in Motion's prestigious annual short film competition, to which a substantial cash prize is…
Content
Policies for Audiovisual Development in Africa
The entirety of the cinematographic and audiovisual chain in Africa is in severe difficulty. There has been a sharp drop in production and in some cases its virtual disappearance; a…
Content
Tunisia turns to Star Wars to boost tourism
The Tunisian National Office for Tourism has teamed up with the country's own Star Wars fan club to stage its first Star Wars encounter in the country. Participating fan clubs…
Content
Western Sahara: Fisahara Film Festival 11th Edition kicks off
In Dakhla (Refugee Camps), the 11th edition of the International Film Festival in Western Sahara (FiSahara) kicked off Wednesday in the Wilaya of Dakhla, Sahrawi refugee camps, under the theme…
Content
AiM Festival: 'Sports Stories from around the African Commonwealth'
Welcome to this special edition of the Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival. We are kicking off the year with a touring programme of African sports films, entitled Sports Stories…
Content
Content - In Brief
Made by the Afro-German director Mo Asumang, 'The Aryan' (DIE ARIER in German) is an excellent 2013 documentary (HD, 16/9) produced by ZDF in Germany broadcast on Arte TV channel.…
Distribution
South Africa: SABC spin on Mbalula and sports quotas
'We will soon be releasing a fairness assessment of the (election) news coverage across all media being monitored and will be among the first to highlight concerns around fairness in…
Distribution
Ghana: New Card Offering From GOtv
In Accra, GOtv, the leading pay television service in Ghana, has released another product onto the market. GOcard, introduced in partnership with Hisense and Neotion, is said to be first…
Distribution
VoD: House of Lungula to Show on Buni TV
Kenyan blockbuster House Of Lungula will from next month be available on the online television, Buni.tv. With the film, available on the online platform starting May 4, Buni.tv will be…
Distribution
mobiCINE Education Celebrated its 150.000th school student-viewer
On 29 April 2014, mobiCINE Education Celebrated its 150.000th. school student-viewer at the House of Culture Douta Seck in Dakar.mobiCINE was set up as a new system of screening films…
Distribution
5th Durban FilmMart Project Selection announcement
It's that exciting time of the year again when the Durban FilmMart proudly reveal the names of the African filmmakers whose film and documentary projects have been officially selected to…
Distribution
Distribution - In Brief
africaone.tv - proposes an aggregation of videos from various sources.AfricAvenir & FNCC host yet another Namibian Film Event. In order to promote public awareness in Namibia about Namibian film heritage,…
Technology & Convergence
Nigeria, VoD: Multichoice's BoxOffice Launches Locally
In Lagos, Multichoice has officially launched its BoxOffice offering in the country.This would provide digital satellite television (DSTV) subscribers with the ultimate in home television entertainment, according to the company.BoxOffice…
Technology & Convergence
Eutelsat-Nilesat 7/8' Wvn breaks barrier of 50 million homes in MEA
Audience of the Eutelsat-Nilesat 7/8' West video neighbourhood breaks barrier of 50 million homes in Middle East and North Africa.Eutelsat announces headline results of its 2014 TV Observatory in the…
Technology & Convergence
Nigeria: collaboration between BBC World Service and BlackBerry
News from the BBC Hausa service is now available via BBMTM in Nigeria, thanks to collaboration between BBC World Service and BlackBerry. Subscribers to the service will receive up to…
Technology & Convergence
Technology & Convergence - In Brief
The month started off with Amazon announcing Fire TV, its long rumored ' and eagerly awaited ' streaming set-top box. MTN Rwanda has partnered with Tele10 to enable customers to…
Regulation & Policy
Somalia: Angry Mob attacks and beats TV Journalist
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) denounces the increasing violations against the press in the town of Baidoa, after angry demonstrators attacked a Television journalist and beat him seriously…
Regulation & Policy
World Press Freedom day: Egypt's authorities called for tolerance
Amid mounting concern for detained journalist Abdullah Elshamy's health on the hundredth day of his hunger strike, Al Jazeera has called upon the Egyptian authorities to urgently grant him access…
Regulation & Policy
Ghana: Security Forces Harass Journalists, Seize Reporting Equipment
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has noticed with concern the increasing acts of violations perpetrated against journalists in their line of duty.Even before the end of the first…
Regulation & Policy
2014 FIFA World Cup broadcasting rights for the Middle East and Northern Africa
FIFA would like to reiterate that contrary to some reports about the 2014 FIFA World Cup coverage in the Middle East and Northern Africa, including statements attributed to ZDF, FIFA's…
Regulation & Policy
Liberia: Regulators to Shut Down 'Illegal' Radio, TV Stations
Barely a week and the half to the celebration of World Press Freedom Day, the Liberia Telecommunication Authority has threatened to shut down radio and Television stations, it considers illegally…
Regulation & Policy
Regulation & Policy - In Brief
Ethiopia multicrackdown: 7 bloggers, journalists as well as 20 opposition party members, arrested. Full story here: StarTimes, GOtv face consumer action over loss of TV channels. Full story here: The…
Investment
Kenya: Startimes to extend its DTT network to rural areas
StarTimes Media plans to increase coverage of its digital television services to the rural areas to net more customers. StarTimes said it will expand its network to target a coverage…
Investment
Zambia: growth of the media industry
The United Nations Committee on Information (UNCOI) has expressed happiness at the growth of the media industry in Zambia.UNCOI chairperson, Lyutha Sultan Al-Mughairy said the growth of the media industry…
Investment
Zimbabwe: Digitilisation - Viewers to Buy New TV Sets
Most Zimbabweans will have to dispose of their television sets or buy the equipment that enables them to watch digitalised content when the country migrates from analogue to digital, parliamentarians…
Investment
Mandela International Film Festival to Drive Economy and Tourism in Eastern Cape
The Mandela International Film Festival set to take place in the Nelson Mandela Bay area in December 2015 will focus the world's film industry in South Africa and attract global…
Investment
DIFFA film distributes Caribbean films
DIFFA - Distribution internationale de films et fictions d'Afrique is happy to announce Caribbean films in its catalogue.DIFFA has acquired the international sales' rights of 4 films by the Guadelupian…
Investment
Investment - In Brief
Agency (Ecofin) - MaxAxion founded in February, 2014 provides the opportunity for advertisers to reach African audiences via mobile (text, voice, video and data). The company has signed an exclusive…
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Events
Important events in the African broadcast, film and TV sector 14 to 25 May 2014 The 67th annual Cannes International Film Festival (Festival de Cannes) Venue: Cannes, South of France. One…
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People
John Boyega, a British/Nigerian actor who featured in the Nigerian movie Half of a Yellow Sun, has been selected to play a leading Jedi role in the upcoming Star Wars:…
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Opportunities
The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Competition is the most prestigious Awards for journalists on the continent. To enter, you will first need to create an online account by clicking 'create…
