ITV

Tag: Africa

  • GoQuest Media brings Croatian romance drama to Africa

    GoQuest Media brings Croatian romance drama to Africa

    MUMBAI: India based worldwide television content sales agency, GoQuest Media is living up to its name of bringing exciting dramas of various genres to its clients worldwide. 

    A recent development in this regard is Lara’s Choice, a popular Croatian romance drama that has landed in Africa following a deal for the English speaking territories in Africa between GoQuest Media and Beta Films, the global drama and formats distributor.

    Lara’s Choice is a story about the choice of a woman between two men, the choice between career and family, loyalty, and the battle for survival. The show’s 50th episode was viewed by a record-breaking 1.2 million viewers in Croatia.

    GoQuest has been committed to bringing variety to its content offerings to the television and digital platforms in Africa.

    “In the past we have licensed one of the best Turkish dramas to Africa. With the evolving market, more opportunities will arise for Eastern European dramas and a series like Lara’s choice will give the African audience, a new flavour of drama entertainment” said GoQuest Media managing director Vivek Lath.

  • Zee Entertainment acquires TOIFA 2016 global telecast rights, except India

    Zee Entertainment acquires TOIFA 2016 global telecast rights, except India

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Group has bagged the exclusive telecast partners across the world, excluding India of The Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) 2016.

    The partnership is aimed at promoting TOIFA’s grandeur, to reach out to viewers across the globe, which will include some of these regions like Middle East, Pakistan, Asia Pacific, America, Africa and Europe.  

    TOIFA 2016 Dubai presented by Gulf Air and Splash will be held on 17 & 18 March at the Dubai International Stadium and also will see performances by Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, YoYo Honey Singh and others.

    Zee Entertainment Middle East CEO Mukund Cairae says, “It’s a privilege to associate with TOIFA as an exclusive broadcast partner, as Zee is also the global leader in providing entertaining content for global viewers at present. This partnership goes beyond the Middle East region, as we have acquired International telecast rights. With Zee’s global reach and viewership, we are sure to entertain the audience with Indian and Bollywood content.”

    TOIFA is going to be promoted across India, Bahrain, KSA, Qatar, Oman and UK. TOIFA has already partnered with Thomas Cook in India and Dadabhai Travels in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as its Travel Partners.

    Zee Entertainment Middle East chief content & creative officer Manoj Mathew added, “At Zee, our simple mantra is to continuously entertain and bring new content to our viewers. We continue to do this with our association with TOIFA and this year the awards have special significance since it is hosted in Dubai.” 

    He further added, “The event offers great entertainment with performances by some of the biggest Bollywood icons; we are thrilled to partner with the event, which will further delight our viewers not only on-ground but also broadcasting it on Zee Cinema and Zee Aflam for the region.”

    For the South Asians audience in Middle East TOIFA will be showcased exclusively on Zee Cinema and for the Arabic audience it will be showcased on Zee’s Arabic Bollywood channel Zee Aflam.

  • Zee Entertainment acquires TOIFA 2016 global telecast rights, except India

    Zee Entertainment acquires TOIFA 2016 global telecast rights, except India

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Group has bagged the exclusive telecast partners across the world, excluding India of The Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) 2016.

    The partnership is aimed at promoting TOIFA’s grandeur, to reach out to viewers across the globe, which will include some of these regions like Middle East, Pakistan, Asia Pacific, America, Africa and Europe.  

    TOIFA 2016 Dubai presented by Gulf Air and Splash will be held on 17 & 18 March at the Dubai International Stadium and also will see performances by Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, YoYo Honey Singh and others.

    Zee Entertainment Middle East CEO Mukund Cairae says, “It’s a privilege to associate with TOIFA as an exclusive broadcast partner, as Zee is also the global leader in providing entertaining content for global viewers at present. This partnership goes beyond the Middle East region, as we have acquired International telecast rights. With Zee’s global reach and viewership, we are sure to entertain the audience with Indian and Bollywood content.”

    TOIFA is going to be promoted across India, Bahrain, KSA, Qatar, Oman and UK. TOIFA has already partnered with Thomas Cook in India and Dadabhai Travels in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as its Travel Partners.

    Zee Entertainment Middle East chief content & creative officer Manoj Mathew added, “At Zee, our simple mantra is to continuously entertain and bring new content to our viewers. We continue to do this with our association with TOIFA and this year the awards have special significance since it is hosted in Dubai.” 

    He further added, “The event offers great entertainment with performances by some of the biggest Bollywood icons; we are thrilled to partner with the event, which will further delight our viewers not only on-ground but also broadcasting it on Zee Cinema and Zee Aflam for the region.”

    For the South Asians audience in Middle East TOIFA will be showcased exclusively on Zee Cinema and for the Arabic audience it will be showcased on Zee’s Arabic Bollywood channel Zee Aflam.

  • Fox International Channels names Ratna Siriah as GM – Africa

    Fox International Channels names Ratna Siriah as GM – Africa

    MUMBAI: Fox International Channels (FIC) Europe & Africa has appointed Ratna Siriah as general manager for Africa.

     

    Siriah will report directly to Fox International Channels UK, Nordic region, Turkey and Africa EVP Adam Theiler. She will be based in Johannesburg where she assumes management of the company’s business in the region.

     

    In Africa, FIC operates pay TV channels in the entertainment, factual and sports segments including: Fox, Fox Crime, FX, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic Gold, Fox Sports, Fox Sports 2 and Baby TV.

     

    Prior to joining FIC, Siriah has held several leadership positions in the media industry both in the region and prior to that in India.

     

    On her appointment Theiler said, “The appointment of Ratna reflects our ambition in Sub-Saharan Africa. She brings a vigorous commercial approach to the market and an impressive ability to understand the needs of our fans, affiliate partners and advertisers. Her pure energy and enthusiasm for product driven growth is in line with the culture of FIC. We have invested in the best of Hollywood on Fox, blue chip event television on National Geographic and heart pounding live sport on Fox Sports, and we are thrilled to welcome a leader who can grow our portfolio and extend our reach across the continent.”

     

    Siriah added, “This is an amazing opportunity. Fox International Channels is a dynamic multi-media player and it operates the best brands in the industry. I am extremely excited about the opportunity.”

  • WPP Q3 revenue up 5.9% at ?2.927 billion

    WPP Q3 revenue up 5.9% at ?2.927 billion

    MUMBAI: UK-based advertising behemoth WPP reported a 5.9 per cent growth in revenues in Q3 2015 at ?2.927 billion.

     

    In US dollar basis, revenues fell 1.6 per cent to $4.533 billion, while it was up 17 per cent in euros to €4.075 billion. In Japanese yen, revenues were up 15.4 per cent to ?554 billion.

     

    The company’s third quarter constant currency revenue was up 7.9 per cent (like-for-like revenue up 4.6 per cent). Despitesoftening in the United Kingdom, WPP’s like-for-like revenue growth in the third quarter continued at similarly strong levels in the US.

     

    Net sales in Q3 stood at ?2.518 billion, which was up 4.2 per cent on a reported basis and 6.1 per cent in constant currency. Like-for-like net sales went up 3.3 per cent, compared to 2.3 per cent in the first half, partly the result of easier comparatives, with the gap compared to revenue growth less in the third quarter than the first half, as the scale of digital media purchases in media investment management and data investment management direct costs continued at a similar slightly lighter level to the second quarter.

     

    Nine months reported revenue was up 6.5 per cent at ?8.766 billion (approximately $13.4 billion).

     

    While the company’s nine months constant currency revenue was up 6.9 per cent, the nine months constant currency net sales were up 5.2 per cent.

     

    Operating margin for the nine months period were up 0.5 margin points in constant currency, 0.3 margin points in reported and targeted to be up 0.3 margin points in constant currency for full year in line with objective.

     

    WPP’s net new business in Q3 was at ?1.9 billion pounds, whereas for the first nine months it stood at ?3.312 billion, resulting in the number one position in all net new business tables. Results to date in the tsunami of largely United States based media investment management reviews have been highly satisfactory with major retentions and wins and limited losses, and with significant opportunities still to be decided, where we have relatively limited exposure.

     

    The company saw constant currency revenue growth in Q3 in all regions and business sectors, with particularly strong growth geographically in North America, the United Kingdom and Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa & the Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe, and functionally in advertising and media investment management and sub-sectors direct, digital and interactive and specialist communications.

     

    WPP’s average net debt for the first nine months increased by ?403 million to ?3.436 billion compared to last year, at 2015 constant rates. This continued to reflect significant incremental net acquisition spend and share repurchases of ?374 million in the twelve months to 30 September, 2015, compared with the previous twelve months, more than offsetting the improvements in working capital over the same period.

  • Eutelsat partners Facebook on satellite initiative for Africa

    Eutelsat partners Facebook on satellite initiative for Africa

    MUMBAI: Eutelsat Communications and Facebook are partnering on a new initiative that will leverage satellite technologies to get more Africans online. 

     

    Under a multi-year agreement with Spacecom, the two companies will utilise the entire broadband payload on the future AMOS-6 satellite and will build a dedicated system comprising satellite capacity, gateways and terminals. In providing reach to large parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Eutelsat and Facebook will each be equipped to pursue their ambition to accelerate data connectivity for the many users deprived of the economic and social benefits of the Internet.

     

     

    Spot beams for community and Direct-to-User access

     

    Scheduled for start of service in the second half of 2016, the Ka-band payload on the AMOS-6 geostationary satellite is configured with high gain spot beams covering large parts of West, East and Southern Africa. The capacity is optimised for community and Direct-to-User Internet access using affordable, off-the-shelf customer equipment. According to the terms of the agreement, the capacity will be shared between Eutelsat and Facebook.

     

     

    State of the art satellite technology to meet pent-up demand

     

    Using state of the art satellite technology, Eutelsat and Facebook will each deploy Internet services designed to relieve pent-up demand for connectivity from the many users in Africa beyond range of fixed and mobile terrestrial networks. Satellite networks are well suited to economically connecting people in low to medium density population areas and the high throughput satellite architecture of AMOS-6 is expected to contribute to additional gains in cost efficiency.

     

     

    Eutelsat steps up Internet activity in Africa

     

    The capacity will enable Eutelsat to step up its broadband activity in Sub-Saharan Africa that was initiated using Ku-band satellites to serve professional users. Eutelsat is establishing a new company based in London that will steer its African broadband vision and business. The company will be led by Laurent Grimaldi, founder and former CEO of Tiscali International Network, and will focus on serving premium consumer and professional segments.

     

     

    Facebook continues Internet.org initiative

     

    Two years ago, Facebook announced Internet.org, an effort to accelerate the rate of connectivity by addressing the physical, economic and social barriers that are keeping people from getting online. For Facebook, this satellite system represents one of many technology investments to enable cost-effective broadband access to unconnected populations. Facebook plans to work with local partners across Africa to utilise satellite and terrestrial capacity to deliver services to rural areas.

     

    Internet.org vice president Chris Daniels said, “Facebook’s mission is to connect the world and we believe that satellites will play an important role in addressing the significant barriers that exist in connecting the people of Africa. We are looking forward to partnering with Eutelsat on this project and investigating new ways to use satellites to connect people in the most remote areas of the world more efficiently.”

     

    Eutelsat chairman and CEO Michel de Rosen added, “We are excited by this opportunity to accelerate the deployment of our broadband strategy and to partner with Facebook on a new initiative to provide Internet access services in Africa. Eutelsat’s strong track record in operating High Throughput Satellite systems will ensure that we can deliver accessible and robust Internet solutions that get more users online and part of the Information Society.”

  • Digital fuels growth in Africa’s entertainment & media industry: PwC

    Digital fuels growth in Africa’s entertainment & media industry: PwC

    MUMBAI: After more than a decade of digital disruption, the African entertainment and media industry has entered a new landscape – one where the media is no longer divided into distinct traditional and digital spheres, according to a report from PwC titled Entertainment and media outlook: 2015 – 2019 (South Africa – Nigeria-Kenya). 

     

    The Outlook forecasts that South Africa’s entertainment and media industry is expected to grow from R112.7 billion in 2014 to R176.3 billion in 2019, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4 per cent. Digital spend is expected to fuel the overall growth. South Africa’s Internet access market will rise rapidly from R32.5 billion in 2014 to R76.2 billion in 2019, far ahead of any other consumer spend category, making it the largest contributor to South Africa’s total entertainment and media revenues.

     

    PwC Southern Africa entertainment and media leader Vicki Myburgh said, “This year’s Outlook shows consumer demand for entertainment and media experiences will continue to grow, while migrating towards video and mobile. Increasingly, though, it’s clear that consumers see no significant divide between digital and traditional media – what they want is more flexibility, freedom and convenience in when, where and how they interact with their preferred content.”

     

    “Consumers are choosing offerings that combine an outstanding and personalised user experience with an intuitive interface and easy access. This includes shared physical experiences like cinema and live concerts, which appear re-energised by digital and social media,” Myburgh added.

     

    The Outlook presents annual historical data for 2010–2014 and provides annual forecasts for 2015–2019 in 11 entertainment and media segments for South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya: the Internet, television, filmed entertainment, video games, business-to-business publishing, recorded music, newspaper publishing, magazine publishing, book publishing, out-of-home advertising and radio.

     

    Aside from the Internet, the Outlook predicts that the fastest growth will be seen in video games, business-to-business and filmed entertainment. “But it is Internet access itself that is acting as a driver of revenues in video games and film, creating new revenue streams by making over-the-top (OTT)/streaming or social/casual gaming viable to more consumers and thereby cancelling out physical falls,” added Myburgh.

     

    Music, magazines and newspapers, which will show only moderate consumer growth, are three segments that face strong competition from the Internet. The music market was worth R2.01 billion in 2014, compared to R2.08 billion in 2013. Annual revenue is forecast to grow marginally by a CAGR of 1.3 per cent over the next five years to remain relatively flat at R2.1 billion in 2019.

     

    Television remains a highly significant contributor to consumer spending, with combined revenues from TV subscriptions, advertising and licence fees projected to reach R40.9 billion by 2019. The report also shows that one consistent trend – and not just in South Africa, but globally – is the rise in overall consumer spending through to 2019 on video-based content and services, against far flatter prospects for spending on primarily text-based content and services. If consumer revenue from TV subscriptions and licence fees is aggregated with that from video games, around R4.5 billion will be added between 2014 and 2019.

     

    In contrast, consumer revenue from books, magazines and newspapers is expected to rise by just R1.3 billion over the entire forecast period.

    Alongside video providers, a further thriving source of revenue over the coming five years will be live events. Revenue from live music is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.9 per cent in the next five years, reaching R1.5 billion in 2019, up from R1 billion in 2014. Box office revenues are also steadily increasing at a CAGR of three per cent to reach R972 million by the end of the forecast period.

     

    The appeal of live entertainment has also had a positive effect on the related advertising revenues. South African cinema advertising revenue is also rising at a CAGR of 6.7 per cent and will be worth an estimated R884 million in 2019. “It is clear that consumers value – and are willing to pay a premium for – real-life physical entertainment experiences, and these in turn are the types of consumers that advertisers wish to target,” said Myburgh.

     

    The report shows that South Africa’s total entertainment and media advertising revenue is expected to rise by 5.6 per cent from R39.7 billion in 2014 to R52.1 billion in 2019. TV advertising is by far the largest contributor to total advertising revenues, followed by newspaper advertising: however, their combined 52 per cent share of total advertising in 2014 will fall slightly to 51 per cent in 2019.

     

    Despite the strong projections for advertising, its share of the entertainment and media mix is predicted to decrease by 2019 as consumer spending takes an ever larger part of the pie; from 35 per cent in 2014, advertising will account for just 30 per cent of spending in 2019.

     

    “Affordable Internet access will continue to digitally disrupt the market in novel and innovative ways. The ongoing spread of services to mobile networks, novel devices and emerging markets will change how media and entertainment are served, consumed and monetised in multiple ways. Affordable Internet access will also inhibit the revenue growth of various sectors as consumers use it to access free, ad-funded and lower-priced subscription-based versions of new and existing media services,” said Myburgh.

     

    Nigeria

     

    Nigeria’s entertainment and media market grew by 19.3 per cent in 2014 to reach $4 billion. By 2019, the market will be more than twice as big, with an estimated total revenue of $8.1 billion. As in South Africa, the Internet will be the key driver of growth for Nigeria. Television, comprising revenue from TV advertising and subscriptions, is the other main driver.

     

    Excluding Internet access, television, filmed entertainment and video games are the areas where Nigerian consumers are expected to spend the most over the next five years.

     

    Consumer spend on video games and music is set to see the sharpest rise in forecast CAGRs at 14.3 per cent and 11.4 per cent, respectively. Piracy continues to remain a problem in Nigeria, limiting growth across several entertainment and media sectors.

     

    Kenya

     

    Kenya’s total entertainment and media industry was valued at $1.8 billion in 2014, up 13.3 per cent from 2013, when it stood at $1.6 billion. The market is expected to surpass the $3 billion mark in 2019 to reach $3.3 billion.

     

    Again, the Internet is expected to be the largest driver of growth, followed by television and radio. TV advertising will overtake radio in 2016, and Internet advertising will see the fastest growth rate at a CAGR of 16.8 per cent. Traditional mediums such as TV, radio and newspapers will continue to be the first choice for most Kenyan advertisers in the foreseeable future.

    Kenya’s total entertainment and media industry was valued at $1.8 billion in 2014, up 13.3 per cent from 2013, when it stood at $1.6 billion. The market is expected to surpass the $3 billion mark in 2019 to reach $3.3 billion.

     

    “Today’s media companies need to do three things to succeed: innovate around the product and user experience; develop seamless consumer relationships across distribution channels; and put mobile (and increasingly video) at the centre of the consumer’s experience,” concluded Myburgh.

  • Animal Planet to air reality series ‘Lodging with Lions’

    Animal Planet to air reality series ‘Lodging with Lions’

    MUMBAI: Lions once roamed from the southern tip of Africa all the way to northwestern India. But today, their populations have declined drastically in Africa. Since 1975, 80-90 per cent of the African lion population has been decimated, due to hunting, habitat loss, and disease. Several efforts are on-going to help save these animals, which play an important role in the food chain and Africa’s ecosystem.

     

    There is a place in Africa where you can walk with lions. Where you can be part of the pride. And this is exactly what a group of volunteers are doing, as they take part in a unique conservation program at Zimbabwe’s Antelope Park. Animal Planet’s new series ‘Lodging with Lions’ follows the volunteers as they venture into the lions’ domain and find out more about these majestic animals, from how they hunt and stalk their prey, to how they play and nurture their young. This July, ‘Lodging with Lions’ airs on Animal Planet, every Monday to Friday at 9 pm.

     

    At Antelope Park, Zimbabwe, a group of volunteers from all over the world have signed up for a unique conservation program, which is part of the efforts of the African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT). For their own safety and survival, the volunteers must first learn how to read a lion’s posture, how to approach the lions in a non-threatening manner, and what to do when faced with a dangerous situation. Dan Matthews, who heads the volunteer program, then introduces the volunteers to the lions affectionately. Over the course of two weeks, the volunteers will observe the lions, walk with them, and watch them feed their cubs, follow them on hunts, and even tag them with microchips to obtain invaluable data which could help save lion populations. They also witness firsthand the devastating effects of poaching, and discover that in the African bush there are other dangers apart from wild beasts.

     

    Follow these passionate volunteers who are ‘Lodging with Lions’, discover the threats faced by the African lions, and find out what is being done to save these iconic animals known as ‘The King of the Beasts’.

  • Animal Planet brings new epic series ‘Africa’

    Animal Planet brings new epic series ‘Africa’

    MUMBAI: The award-winning documentary team behind the breakthrough natural history series Life returns with a revealing look at a seemingly familiar continent that is still holding many secrets. Four years in the making, ‘Africa’ premieres on Animal Planet on 7 January at 8 pm.  Airing every Wednesday, ‘Africa’ is an extraordinary series that brings to life the continent as never seen before, including never-before-filmed species, animal behaviors and secret, natural wonders of the world.

     

    Travel to a secret location in southwest Africa to witness what could be the last great rhinoceros gathering on Earth, filmed with a newly developed camera system that is operated using the light of the stars and captures sound using microphones embedded around a watering hole. Track a teenage chimp in the Congo with a sweet tooth that drives her to perfect complicated honey-hunting techniques using four different tools. Meet some gutsy lizards who hunt for flies on the backs of sleeping lions in the Serengeti, a behavior never before captured on film. And see giraffes in a whole new way as two rival males in Namibia deliver sledgehammer-like blows on each other in a knockout fight for domination.

     

    To capture on film these and other spectacular animal behaviors, the production team spent 1,598 days on location across 79 separate expeditions in 27 African countries. They utilized 21 different types of cameras to shoot more than 2,000 hours of footage. Of the 553 cameras deployed throughout the series, only eight were lost or damaged beyond repair.

     

    The ‘Africa’ team’s extreme efforts are chronicled in the episode “Africa: the Making of..” Other episodes of the series uncover bizarre, brutal and newly discovered animal behaviors in the deserts of the Kalahari, the dense forests and snow-capped peaks of the Savannah, the dynamic Congo rainforest, the ever-changing climate of the Cape and the massive and parched Sahara desert. The greatest and most iconic wildlife continent is at a tipping point. The animals of the next generation will face very different challenges than the ones met by their ancestors – and the animals themselves must adapt to the new landscape and changing relationship with humans.

     

    In the Savannah, the cameras track a giant but elusive bird known as the shoebill, and in the rainforest of the Congo, a chimp displays unusual honey-hunting skills.   In the episode, ‘AFRICA: the making of..’ cameras are turned on the crew as they hunt, capture, and react to memorable shots, including a gathering of elusive black rhino, the death of an elephant calf in the drought-stricken Amboseli National Park, and great whites feeding on a whale carcass according to size. Viewers will see a team that spent weeks in the forest searching for a teenage chimpanzee who uses four tools to steal honey, a duo that goes a little mad trying to calculate how fast silver ants move in the Sahara, and a cameraman who was left in complete darkness after a forest elephant chewed through a power cable and spent four hours trying to knock him loose from the tree in which he positioned himself overnight.