digicast january edition
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ÂTRANSCRIPT
Friday, July 18, 2014
COVER STORY
PILOT DIGITAL SWITCHOVER FLAGGED OFF IN JOS, NIGERIA
As Pinnacle Communications wins carrier licence for transition from analogue to digital
broadcasting...
SABC BOSS UNDER PROBE
SABC's Hlaudi Motsoeneng is alleged to have accepted a 22-year-old "wife gift"
COSON, BON EMBRACE PEACE AT LAST!
The peace process was sealed with the signing of an MOU.
SUMMARY OF FIRST QUARTER, 2014 NBC MONITORING REPORTS
924breaches were recorded on 179 stations reported on by the ten NBC Zonal Offices
THE RISE AND FALL OF TV PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA
Through the 70s-90s, Nigeria was known for rich TV content that informed, educated,
entertained, but this has given way to new music and dance based trends filled with degrading
moral values.
ICASA TO PROBE BROADCAST INDUSTRY
SA’s communications regulator, Icasa, set to probe competition in broadcast industry dominated
by MultiChoice.
TIAN OLIVIER NAMED SABC CEO
SABC appoints Tian Olivier as acting CEO and James Aguma acting CFO.
PRINT MEDIA, KEY PARTNER IN DIGITISATION -NBC
First Media Parley for 2014 addressed Issues including Africast 2014, Political Coverage; Digital
Switch-over; COSON vrs BON/IBANt, Broadcast Operators Workshop.
JOS PILOT DIGITAL SWITCHOVER CITY TASK FORCE INAUGURATED.
Jos compact and accessible enough to enable the NBC carry out all its tests and surveys
successfully.
NEW DGS FOR FRCN, NTA.
Sola Omole DG NTA, Ladan Salihu DG FRCN.
SABC BOSS STEPS DOWN
SABC Group Chief Executive Officer Lulama Mokhobo, is resigning from her post at the end of
February.
All Eyes on Digital Broadcasting in 2015 in Nigeria
Nigerians are worried even as NBC raises hopes
NIGERIA BANS IMPORTATION OF ANALOGUE TVS, TRANSMITTERS
Aimed at phasing out analogue technologies preparatory to 2015 digital switch-over.
FG MOVES TO AMEND NBC, NTA LAWS AHEAD OF DIGITAL SWITCH OVER
*NBC working with National Assembly to amend the relevant laws. *Jos, Plateau State selected
for switch over test-run in June.
GBC TO LAUNCH ‘UNIVERSITY’
Ghana's Public Broadcaster plans to transform training schools into a dedicated tertiary
institution.
BIG CHANGES AT MULTICHOICE
MultiChoice, merges its DStv Mobile & Online divisions into a single yet to be named unit.
FRCN SOUTH-SOUTH ZONE TRAINS COMMUNITY REPORTERS
The orientation exercise took place simultaneously in Bronze FM Benin, Atlantic FM Uyo and
Treasure FM Port Harcourt.
Lead Stories
SABC COO FOR CONFIRMATION
Motsoeneng, who has been serving as SABC Acting COO for several years, will be appointed to
the position permanently.
CONTENT ACCESS FEES TO REPLACE RADIO/TV LICENCE
Controversial Radio/TV licence collected by local governments across the country may soon be
replaced according to the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku.
SUSPENSION GALE AT ONDO RADIO-VISION CORP
Management accused of pursuing a vendetta against staff who are leaders of professional
unions and have criticized the running of the station.
SUB-SAHARAN GROWTH BOOSTS MEA DIGITAL TV FOOTPRINT
Digital TV Research says digital TV penetration in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to be three
times higher by the end of this year thanin 2010.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS GROWING AS A TRUSTED GATEWAY FOR NEWS
Almost 20,000 people surveyed,report show that social media revolution is now itself
fragmenting with different players dominating different countries.
NEW PAY-TV PLATFORM FOR NIGERIA
Owned by Continental TV that runs TVC, CONSAT plans to deliver low-cost subscriptions.
WORLD CUP STREAMING HITS 6 BILLION SCREENS
Brazil 2014 is proving to be the most accessible in World Cup history, revealing that PCs, tablets,
and smartphones are providing alternatives to conventional TV viewing.
DSTV AND THE POLITICS OF IGBO CHANNEL
Ndigbo marginalized on DSTv despite claims to the creation of Nollywood.
KENYA’S PAY-TVs CEASE BROADCAST OF FREE-TO-AIR CHANNELS
Supreme Court rules that Kenya is not yet ready for digital migration, raising concerns how this
will affect consumers who pre-pay for these services.
GUGLIEMO MARCONI A PIONEER OF RADIO. MARCONI ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF
RADIO
ODSG ORDERS ARREST OF BROADCASTING UNION LEADERS
OSRC workers had earlier chased out the DG, Ladi Akeredolu-Ale and blocked the station’s
entrance
AFRICA DIGITAL RADIO SUMMIT IN APRIL
HARRIS USA SPLITS INTO TWO
GLOBECAST ACQUIRES TWO AFRICAN CHANNELS.
Distribution Covers Over 30 Countries In Central and West Africa.
MULTICHOICE - A BULLYING “MONOPOLY”, S.A. MINISTER
SA Minister Yunus Carrim, accused Multichoice of trotting out the “same old, tired issues” over
digital terrestrial television.
NBC INVITES BIDS FOR SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION
One Licence reserved for NTA. Second licence, to be awarded through a bidding, while the third
licence will be issued in the future based on market developments.
WAZOBIA FM PRESENTER REGAINS FREEDOM
Police confirm his release but was unaware if any ransom was paid.
NBC WARNS AGAINST DENYING OPPOSITION ACCESS
Broadcast regulator ”working towards making example out of one or two radio stations”
GUNMEN KIDNAP WAZOBIA FM PRESENTER
Demand N10 Million ransom from pregnant wife.
NBC CRIPPLED BY BROADCASTERS’ DEBTS
Can the NBC add bite to its bark, withdraw licenses of defaulting broadcasters and offer them to
those who remain on a long queue waiting for broadcasting licenses?
NEW CEOS END MERGER SPECULATIONS AT NTA AND FRCN
Palpable relief among NTA/FRCN staffers as appointments put paid to Oronsanye committee
merger recommendation.
MOKHOBO: ‘WHY I QUIT THE SABC’
In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Duncan McLeod, outgoing SABC Group CEO Lulama
Mokhobo explains why she's leaving the public broadcaster, her relationship with acting group
chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng and the controversial channel supply agreement with
MultiChoice.
REPORT: TRADITIONAL TV STILL DOMINANT VIEWING PLATFORM IN FIVE YEARS
Mobile devices will however replace television sets in the next eight years as the most common
way to consume entertainment.
iROKOtv SECURES N1.3B FOR NIGERIAN VOD PLATFORM
This arguably makes iROKOtv one of the most well funded internet companies in Africa today.
INDIAN CONTENT ‘GLOW’ IN SA
GLOW TV SA provides some solid proof about the cross-border reach of Indian television
content .
AZAMTV TAKES ON DSTV FROM TANZANIA.
AzamTV from Tanzania has ambitious plans to launch itself across the continent.
RWANDA PUBLIC BROADCASTER STREAMLINES
Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) is targeting to become a successful business venture in the
next few years.
STARTIMES ACCUSED OF BRIBES FOR LICENSE
Kenya’s Nation Media Group drags StarTimes to a Nairobi court accusing it of bribery.
SABC CUTS 'IMPROPER' ADVERTS DURING MOURNING
The prohibition on "inappropriate" advertisements would last until December 16
NIGERIANS GROAN UNDER MULTICHOICE’S PAY TV
Subscribers bemoan poor quality, high fees and lost signals of DSTV, GOTV.
DOKPESI, DAAR COMMUNICATIONS, FACE N20 BILLION DEFAMATION SUIT
Ogun State PDP chieftain accuses AIT of broadcasting a story that the Court of Appeal had
ordered his extradition to US to face narcotics charges.
BRILLA FM’S IZAMOJE SUES COSON FOR N5.5B
Izamoje claims COSON listed him as a broadcaster of unauthorised music who has made massive
profit from the works of the musicians
SABC COO FOR CONFIRMATION
Thu, Jul 10, 2014
Motsoeneng, who has been serving as SABC Acting COO for several years, will be appointed to the position permanently.
SABC COO FOR CONFIRMATION
Following recommendations by the board of the South African Broadcasting
Corporation (SABC), the minister of Communications Faith Muthambi has
announced that Hlaudi Motsoeneng, who has been serving as the national
broadcaster’s acting chief operations officer for several years, will be appointed to
the position permanently. Despite Motsoeneng’s matric certification coming under recent scrutiny along
with his salary, which seems to be increasing exponentially with each year,
Muthambi maintained that he would be a positive force in driving Digital
Terrestrial Television (DTT) migration and preparing for the 2016 local
government elections. “I believe the appointment shall bring the necessary certainty and operational
efficiency to the SABC board and management viewed collectively,” said
Muthambi. Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had previously recommended that Motsoeneng
be removed from his position and accused him of many inconsistencies. He has
also been accused of suppressing programming which he considered offensive to
Jacob Zuma and recently proposed that journalists should only be allowed to
practice with a licence. Gavin Davis, MP and spokesman on communications for the Democratic Alliance
said “Motsoeneng has been given a renewed mandate to continue his reign of
terror at the public broadcaster. We can expect more surveillance and purging of
SABC staff, more clampdowns on editorial independence and more ‘happy news’
that reflects positively on the governing party.”
Civil rights group Afriforum said the appointment indicated the SABC board had
“refrained from heeding” the public protector’s earlier proposals.
Deputy CEO Alana Bailey said in a statement the move was “a further example of
disrespect for the constitution and constitutional institutions that exist to protect
the public against abuse of power and mismanagement”.
The Economic Freedom Fighters was “distraught” by Motsoeneng’s appointment.
CONTENT ACCESS FEES TO REPLACE RADIO/TV LICENCE. Sun, Jul 06, 2014
Controversial Radio/TV licence collected by local governments across the country may soon be replaced according to the Minister
of Information, Labaran Maku.
The controversial radio/TV licence which is collected by local government across
the country may soon be out of vogue. It will be replaced by Content Access Fees,
according to the minister of Information, Labaran Maku.
The Minister who stated this at the opening of the Extra-ordinary meeting of the
National Council on Information in Abuja, said the fees .will be introduced ahead
of the digital switchover next year.
According to him, the planned content access fee, which was currently
undergoing final adjustments, is expected to get the nod of the Federal Executive
Council before the migration.
He said that government and other stakeholders would leverage on the new
technology to make the new format more effective than the archaic radio and
television licence fees. “For a long time radio licences have not been collected and
in other countries the public broadcast services are run from fees collected on
broadcast content. But unfortunately in our country, the existing constitutional
provision has made fee collection less effective.”
Maku said that under the new regime, for anyone to have access to television
content he or she would have to pay an annual content access fee. He added that
some of the advantages of the new broadcast content fee collection regime was
improved financial capability for stakeholders to improve content and upgrade
infrastructure. It will also help the National Broadcasting Commission and other
stakeholders to have access to adequate funds for sustained upgrade of their
infrastructure for effective service delivery.
On digitisation, the minister pointed out that Nigeria was at crossroads to either
transit smoothly or risk being cut-off from the rest of the world by June 2015
when the global migration deadline takes effect. He stressed the need for
improved coordination and cooperation among stakeholders to ensure that
Nigeria joined the rest of the world in the new digital era.
He said the extra-ordinary meeting of the NCI was convened “because we are
approaching the deadline and Nigeria must transit. We must do everything
possible, we must work 24 hours to ensure that our country is not cut-off from
the rest of the world,” he said.
The minister, who acknowledged that the process of migration was not an easy
one, however, noted that the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages.
While stressing the need for robust public sensitisation ahead of the deadline, he
urged the NBC, state governments and private broadcast stations to work
together to ensure a smooth digitisation transition for the country.
SUSPENSION GALE AT ONDO RADIO-VISION.
Sun, Jul 06, 2014
Management accused of pursuing a vendetta against staff who are leaders of professional unions and have criticized the running
of the station.
The management of the crisis-plagued Ondo State Radio-Vision Corporation
(OSRC) has suspended eight senior members of staff, most of them journalists,
According to online news organisation, SaharaReporters, the suspended
employees are Taiwo Ibitoye, Sola Obagbamisoye, Wahab Bankole, Akinwunmi
Abodunde, Obafemi Sogbe, Bankole Olaranrewaju (Lanre-Cole), Bayo Olanusi, and
Tunji Ogidan.
SaharaReporters obtained a copy of the suspension letter signed by Teme
Fatukasi, the station’s director of finance and administration on behalf of the
governing board.
Some of those affected accused the management of pursuing a vendetta against
staff who are leaders of professional unions and have criticized the running of the
station. One suspended employee, Wahab Bankole, is the current chapel
chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) while another, Tunji Ogidan, is
the chairman of the Radio Television Theatre and Art Workers Union of Nigeria
(RATTAWU).
A source at the station said Mr. Bankole, a sports journalist, was accused of using
his influence as the chairman of the NUJ chapel to travel to Brazil to report on the
ongoing World Cup tournament without first obtaining the approval of the
station’s management.
A source at the station told SaharaReporters that Sola Obagbamisoye, Akinwunmi
Abodunde and Bayo Olanusi were suspended for one month, but would also lose
their next promotion.
Obagbamisoye is the station’s correspondent at the State House of Assembly and
also covers the judiciary.
Mr. Olanusi, a broadcast engineer who also owns a video- editing studio in the
capital city of Akure, was accused of diverting editing jobs to his private studio
where he reportedly charged heavy fees.
Employees of the state-owned broadcasting organization have been decrying
their poor working conditions as well as the station’s dilapidated equipment. They
had urged the state government to take steps to rectify the sorry state of affairs
at the agency.
A source among the staff told SaharaReporters that the management perceived
the workers’ complaints as “a form of rebellion against the director general of
Station, Akeredolu-Ale, and to force investigation of the financial affairs of the
station.”
Though Akeredolu-Ale has since been placed on compulsory leave, several
workers said they await a thorough investigation of what they described as his
financial misdeeds.
The state government had set up a panel on 25 March 2014 to investigate the
goings-on at the station. The panel had received several memoranda from
employees and had called some of them to testify before it. The panel, headed by
a former Head of Service, Ajose Kudehinbu, has submitted its report but the
government has taken no action.
A source disclosed that the panel’s report recommended that the state governor
act urgently to save the station from total collapse.
Several employees who spoke to SaharaReporters stated that the panel’s report
may have been compromised, hence the management’s decision to suspend
some key staff, including union leaders.
The suspension letter stated that the eight employees were suspended
indefinitely without pay. It also stated that none of the suspended workers should
be seen within the premises of the broadcasting station, ordering them to hand
over any of the station’s property and identity cards in their possession to the
director of finance and administration.
One worker described the suspended workers as some of the best at the station.
“Why would you suspend some of the best workers and most experienced staff of
this corporation if you want it to continue to perform” the source asked? He
added: “The suspensions are unjust, and should be condemned.”
A senior staff added that the affected workers had exposed various lapses in the
station as well as the director-general’s corrupt style. The source said some
members of the governing board as well as Bisi Adanri, the chairman of the
disciplinary committee set up by the board, were not pleased with the
suspensions.
Another source said the investigation panel into the station had in fact
recommended that action be taken to check possible financial recklessness at the
corporation.
In another development, two of the station’s best female journalists, Adenike
Thompson (who was the director of news) and Titilayo Adegun, have been
redeployed to the Owena government printing press. In addition, two broadcast
journalists at the station’s Lagos office, Sola Obanla and Fatai Kareem, have also
been reposted to Akure.
SUB-SAHARAN GROWTH BOOSTS MEA DIGITAL TV FOOTPRINT Mon, Jun 30, 2014
Digital TV Research says digital TV penetration in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to be three times higher by the end of this year
thanin 2010.
A new report by Digital TV Research says digital TV penetration in sub-Saharan
Africa is expected to be three times higher by the end of this year than it was in
2010.
Recent findings from the Digital TV Middle East & Africa Databook, which covers
56 countries in the vast MEA region, show that digital TV penetration in sub-
Saharan Africa will jump to nearly 60% this year from nearly 20% in 2010. In the
Middle East and North Africa, it will have risen by just under ten percentage
points this year, from 64% in 2010.
“What’s interesting here isn’t so much the Middle East and North African results,
but rather the sub-Saharan side of things,” said Simon Murray, principal analyst at
Digital TV Research. “A lot of African countries have or will switch off their
analogue signals by the end of this year, or are in the process of doing so. The
sub-Saharan number is what’s pushing the overall figure, it’s a huge jump and it’s
starting to take effect now.”
He explained that digital penetration in the Middle East is already high. “As you
know, a lot of people are already receiving free signals over satellite dish; it’s an
ongoing trend in the Middle East and North Africa. Not many countries in that
region have had the digital switchover deadlines that we’ve had in Western
Europe. Because so many homes get a lot of free satellite signals, it’s not really as
pressing as it is elsewhere to switch off the analogue signals.”
The findings show that the Middle East & Africa will reach nearly 90 million digital
TV households by the end of 2014, up by 12.4 million during this year alone and
by over 50% since 2010. Free-to-air satellite TV will become the most popular
platform in 2014, overtaking the declining analogue terrestrial total.
There will be 132 million TV households across the region by the end of 2014, up
from 117 million in 2010. However, 113 million homes, which is just under half of
the total households surveyed, will not have a TV set by end-2014.
“TV penetration in a lot of sub-Saharan African countries isn’t above 30%; as you
can imagine there are a lot of homes that don’t get TV,” explained Murray. “For
example the DRC is a huge country with a comparatively big population, but they
don’t really have much in the way of TV penetration. In the MENA region by
contrast, I can’t think of a country that doesn’t have strong TV penetration.”
The results showed that Pay TV revenues are expected to reach $8 billion in 2014,
up by nearly 65% since 2010. Satellite TV contributes the bulk of pay TV revenues,
with its share of the total rising by one and a half percentage points to 79% in four
years. 2010 Pay TV revenues in the Middle East & North Africa will increase by
47% to $4.4 billion in 2014, with Sub-Saharan Africa doubling over the same
period to $3.6 billion.
“Turkey is a big influence here, as are South Africa and Israel who all have pretty
good pay TV markets,” said Murray. “But when you take those out, there’s not a
lot left.
“Elsewhere in the region, particularly in the Middle East where the commercial
model is different, so many people get free signals that I can’t see them
converting to pay TV in a hurry. The only thing that really gets people interested
in spending more money in the Middle East is sports, primarily English premier
league football.”
Pay TV subscriptions will have jumped by just over 75% in four years, again
influenced heavily by the activities in sub-Saharan Africa, which at 13.1 million
delivers more than double its 2010 total. “A lot of homes there are converting to
DTT, whether free DTT or pay DTT service. Pay DTT is taking over a lot of African
countries as an option, as it’s more affordable than other services around. That
has also forced the satellite TV operators to push down their prices.”
Murray concludes that the sub-Saharan area is quickly challenging the MENA
region in terms of the number of subscriptions, and to a certain extent, revenue.
“Nobody has said they are not making a profit in MENA, but a lot of people across
the entire TV network spectrum are establishing offices and contacts across sub-
Saharan Africa: content people, equipment manufacturers and so on. China has a
big presence there. This report has been well received so far, as getting
information out of sub-Saharan African can be difficult.”
PILOT DIGITAL SWITCHOVER FLAGGED OFF IN JOS, NIGERIA Thu, Jul 03, 2014 As Pinnacle Communications wins carrier licence for transition
from analogue to digital broadcasting...
Digitisation of broadcasting in Nigeria has been flagged off with the launch in Jos,
Plateau State, of the Pilot Digital Switchover on Monday, 30 June, This represents
the first phase of the country’s transition from analogue to digital television
broadcasting.
Also, Pinnacle Communications Limited has won a carrier licence for transition
from analogue to digital broadcasting.
The pilot digital switchover in Jos was witnessed by
broadcast chief executives and other stakeholders in the broadcasting industry,
including the minister of Information, Labaran Maku, representatives of the
National Assembly, content providers, signal distributors and equipment
manufacturers.
On the occasion, the director general of the National Broadcasting Commission,
Emeka Mba maintained that the ultimate goal of striving to keep up with the
global revolution of digital TV transition is to ensure that broadcasting continues
to serve the needs of Nigerians and remains socially relevant in the lives of the
nation and its people.
On his part, Labaran Maku gave assurance that the Federal Government, being
fully aware of the global necessity to switch over with the rest of the world by the
ITU’s deadline, would do all that is required to make the project a success so that
on 17 July 2015, Nigeria will not be left in a digital darkness. He added that the
federal government is fully behind the National Broadcasting Commission and
poised to support the transition project with adequate funding and the necessary
legislation to enable the NBC function effectively in the new era and give the
transition legal teeth.
The digitization programme in Nigeria is being implemented in phases and is
expected to be completed by 1st January 2015. The successful take off of the pilot
in Jos is to be followed by coordinated switchovers in other major Nigerian cities.
Pinnacle Communications Limited beat Phase3 Telecoms to win a carrier licence
made available by the Federal Government for transition from analogue to digital
broadcasting. Pinnacle offered N618, 750,000 for the licence against N100m
offered by Phase3 Telecom
This ushers in a new era of broadcasting in the country, where Radio and TV
stations will not need to own transmitters but will depend on carrier companies
as providers to carry their signals to the audience.
The Chairman of Digi Team, the Presidential Committee
charged with the implementation of the transition from analogue to digital
broadcasting, Mr. Edward Amana, said Pinnacle did not only beat its competitor
but also met the reserve price of N500m.
Amana said one carrier licence had been reserved for the infrastructure company
that would be carved out of the Nigerian Television Authority while a third carrier
company would be licensed should the business environment require a third
signal carrier.
Amana said, “It is the intention of the government to switch off analogue TV
broadcast services before the ITU deadline of 17 June 2015. The overall plan is to
build the digital infrastructure so as to broadcast digital TV services in parallel
with the existing analogue services and then encourage existing analogue TV
stations to gradually switch off as the coverage of digital signal expands.
“This is another milestone in the Nigerian transition programme. Consumers will
be able to access digital broadcasting by acquiring compliant Set Top Boxes or
integrated digital TV sets“.
“Already, 14 companies have submitted proposals to manufacture Set-Top Boxes
in Nigeria and we are engaging them all to ensure that a manufacturing base is set
up at the earliest time to meet the attractive market in Nigeria.”
SOCIAL MEDIA IS GROWING AS A TRUSTED GATEWAY FOR NEWS. By Fergal Ringrose
Mon, Jun 30, 2014
Almost 20,000 people surveyed,report show that social media revolution is now itself fragmenting with different players
dominating different countries.
WhatsApp is emerging as a key network for news in some countries, while
Twitter appears not to be as popular as some British and American journalists
assume.
One source, Facebook, has established a powerful position in all 10 countries
surveyed by YouGov into news consumption habits for the Reuters Institute for
the Study of Journalism 2014 Digital News Report. YouTube is a vital outlet for
some countries, but almost unused for news in others.
A key finding of the report, which surveyed 18,859 people, is that having shaken
up the comfortable old world of news dissemination, the social media revolution
is now itself fragmenting with different players dominating different countries.
In Japan and the US many established news organisations are finding it hard to
move success offline to the web, but in the UK, Denmark, Finland and Germany
traditional news brands have managed to maintain market share online at the
same time as driving editorial and business innovation.
The report identifies new threats to the traditional sources of news – with the
smartphone and social media as the most powerful agents of change. A
generational split in how people find and interpret news is emerging.
The rise of messaging network WhatsApp, which was acquired by Facebook in
February for $19 billion, is a key finding. In Spain, 60 per cent of the survey
respondents had used the network in a given week, while 26 per cent had used it
for news following experiments by providers like El Pais. In the UK, however, just
2 per cent had used it for news and only 12 per cent had used it for any reason.
Smartphones are encouraging users to consume news more frequently
throughout the day reducing the dependence on appointment to view television
and newspaper editions, according to the report. Young people are turning
increasingly to mobile devices as their preferred way of receiving news and
consequently snacking more in terms of both the time spent on sites and the type
of content they consume.
Across all 10 countries surveyed by YouGov for the Reuters Institute, over a third
(36%) of 18-24s say the smartphone is now their primary access point for digital
news. Author Nic Newman said, “across the world we see a generational split in
terms of platforms, formats and the type of emerging news brands that are being
consumed.”
The research confirms the increasing popularity of new digital players with their
commitment to mobile and social news formats. Both The Huffington Post and
Buzzfeed are attracting significant audiences in a number of European markets as
well as the US and Brazil -- while Google News remains a leading player in Italy,
France and Germany and Yahoo! is the top news site in Japan.
In the United States and Japan these born-digital companies rival traditional
media in popularity online, putting further pressure on business models although
there is less disruption in many European countries.
There is mixed news on consumers’ attitudes to paying for news. Despite the
growing number of paywalls, the report finds only a minority have paid for digital
news in the last year (ranging from 7% in the UK to 11% in the US, 14% in Finland
and 22% in Brazil) --- although in some countries many more say they might pay in
the future and there has been a substantial increase in the proportion taking out
a subscription.
In most countries the majority of news consumed online still comes from
established newspaper and broadcaster brands, whose work is particularly valued
in covering stories of national and international importance. The report also
reveals that much of the conversation in social media is driven by the work of
mainstream journalists -- with 64% of Twitter users in the UK following a
professional news account.
The report highlights a growing trend towards journalists as a key driver of trust
and consumer loyalty. In some countries, especially the US, France and Spain,
large numbers of people are identifying with journalists directly – and this in turn
is fuelling the growth of news start-ups built around these journalistic leaders.
Director of the Reuters Institute Dr David Levy said “In some countries such as the
UK established news brands have retained their loyalty in the more competitive
online environment but the rapid growth of social media as a way of discovering
and consuming news has a range of possible ramifications.
“While choice proliferates, consumption may narrow; reliance on
recommendations from like-minded friends could mean people are less exposed
to a broad news agenda.
“As news aggregation and sharing take off, consumers may be more conscious of
speed and the source of the recommendation than the reliability and
trustworthiness of the original news source. Finally as the ways of reading news
change, some people may operate in a news echo chamber where they are less
likely to be exposed to other content through chance,“ said Levy.
WORLD CUP STREAMING HITS 6 BILLION SCREENS Sun, Jun 22, 2014
Brazil 2014 is proving to be the most accessible in World Cup history, revealing that PCs, tablets, and smartphones are providing
alternatives to conventional TV viewing.
The ongoing football World Cup in Brazil is proving to be the most accessible in
the tournament’s history, with broadcast and streaming services available on up
to 5.9 billion screens globally. This is according to Ovum, which reveals that PCs,
tablets, and smartphones are providing alternatives to conventional TV viewing,
accounting for 57% of all screens.
However, with football fans keen to watch the matches on the biggest screen and
in the highest resolution possible, Ovum stresses that the importance of
traditional broadcasting – via terrestrial, cable, satellite, or IPTV – for attracting
the largest audiences and generating the most value for World Cup rights holders.
Connected devices are playing a crucial role in evolving viewing habits for big-
event TV, though. “Devices capable of streaming live and on-demand video – of
which there now 4.7 billion – are providing additional viewing opportunities
outside the appointment viewing taking place in people’s living rooms,” says Ted
Hall, senior analyst at Ovum. “With the likes of tablets providing the convenience
and flexibility to consume content whenever and wherever, fans are able to
watch more of the tournament than ever before.”
The reliability of online streams compared with traditional broadcasts remains a
concern, however. “For broadcasters and operators providing multiplatform
World Cup services, supplying demand with minimal technical hiccups should be
of paramount concern,” says Hall. “Having set consumer expectations for TV
everywhere, providers must now deliver on the promise of their offerings, as
failure to do so can result in bad press and, more importantly, frustrated fans.
While viewing live events online is improving, there is some way to go before it
can compare with the reliability traditional TV distribution offers for the largest
audiences.”
Significant innovation of the viewing experience for this World Cup is somewhat
lacking, in Ovum’s view. The tournament will not, for instance, provide the launch
pad for the much-vaunted 4K Ultra high-definition format – though FIFA and
technology partner Sony are capturing three matches in 4K, very few people see
them in this resolution, with screenings limited to public venues in Rio de Janeiro.
“4K technology is far from ready for home viewing, with holes in the transmission
part of the ecosystem meaning that it will be some time before audiences of any
significant scale will be watching UHDTV content in their living rooms,” explains
Hall. “And with FIFA abandoning its support of 3DTV for Brazil 2014 – in light of
the format’s spectacular failure to capture the public’s imagination – the less-
glamorous HDTV will be the preferred format of many World Cup viewers, with
up to 260 million homes watching matches in high-definition.”
Ovum will be shortly publishing a new report on World Cup broadcasting
strategies, analysing how broadcasters and pay-TV operators can innovate and
effectively monetize big-event TV.
COSON, BON EMBRACE PEACE AT LAST!
By BENJAMIN NJOKU Fri, May 23, 2014
The peace process was sealed with the signing of an MOU.
After months of war of words and disagreements, the Copyright Society of
Nigeria, COSON, the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria, BON, and the
Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria, IBAN have finally agreed to
sheathe their swords as they embrace peace again.
The bodies have been at loggerheads for over seven months now, following the
latter’s decision to stop the airplay of musical works belonging to Nigerian artistes
registered with the former over the payment of royalties.
The peace process was sealed on Wednesday, after the parties gathered at Eko
Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island to sign a Memorandum of Understanding.
The signing of the MOU was witnessed by the Director-General of the Nigerian
Broadcasting Commission, Mr Emeka Mba, Director-General of the Nigerian
Copyright Commission, NCC, Mr. Afam Ezekude, Mr Mark Emakpore,
former Director-General of NBC who initiated the peace process, foremost
broadcaster, Julie Coker, chairman of Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria,
Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa, Chairman COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji and Mr. Kenny
Ogungbe who represented the chairman of Independent Broadcasting Association
of Nigeria.
Speaking at event, Director-General of NBC, Mr. Emeka Mba said, the essence of
the MoU was to open a new chapter for the nation’s creative industry.
According to him, the struggle is not about the broadcasting, but also, it’s about
the entire industry and having respect for intellectual property in the country.
“Signing of the MoU will set a new standard for those who are abusing the works
of creativity,” Mr Mba said.
Mr. Mack Emakpore who was also the Chief negotiator, said, the essence of the
MOU was to create a level playing ground for the warring bodies. He, however,
urged the parties to ensure that they respect the MoU to the letters.
The chairman of Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa,
Chairman COSON, Chief Tony Okoroji and Mr. Kenny Ogungbe who represented
the chairman of Independent Broadcasting Association of Nigeria, respectively
expressed happiness for ending their seven-month old feud on a good note. ”I am
extremely happy to be part of history today. We are together and together we will move this
industry forward,” said Kenny Ogungbe.
NEW CEOS END MERGER SPECULATIONS AT NTA AND FRCN
By BEN EGBUNA Sat, Feb 08, 2014
Palpable relief among NTA/FRCN staffers as appointments put paid to Oronsanye committee merger recommendation.
There was a palpable feeling of relief among the staff of the Nigerian Television
Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) following
the announcement of the appointment of substantive directors general for the
two broadcast networks.
After many months of waiting, the two federal broadcast organisations now have
substantive chief executive officers. President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday,
6thFebruary 2014 ended what was beginning to look like a relay race of acting
directors general in the two agencies, and also the suspense that had gripped the
staffers since the committee set up by Jonathan to review the size of government
recommended the merger of the three Federal broadcasting outfits.
While Shola Omole was appointed director general of the NTA, Ladan Salihu was
named director general of the FRCN. Both appointments took immediate effect.
Omole succeeds Usman Magawata who retired from service in
May 2012 when he attained the age of 60 years. The station had since then had
no substantive DG. On the other hand, Salihu succeeds Yusuf Nuhu, the last
substantive DG of FRCN whose tenure lapsed in February 2013. From March 2013
until last Thursday, FRCN has had two acting DGs - Samson Alhaji Shaibu who was
in office for about four months before his retirement on the attainment of 60
years, and Bola Agboola.
The new helmsman at the NTA, Shola Omole, assumes duty in the network with a
measure of experience. He began his broadcasting career in the defunct Nigerian
Broadcasting Corporation (now FRCN) as a newscaster. He later worked in the
NTA in the same capacity until his departure to the oil company, Chevron, where
he was Public Affairs Adviser. On retirement from Chevron he served as Chief
Executive Officer of the Musical Society of Nigeria until 2013.
Ladan Salihu was until his new appointment the Zonal
Director of the Kaduna National Station of the FRCN. He moved to FRCN in 2007
from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the regulator of broadcasting
in Nigeria. He had also had stints at NTA and the Bauchi State Television.
Agboola, who was acting DG of FRCN until Thursday, is
still in service and may be returning to his post as Zonal Director Ibadan National
Station of FRCN.
The appointment of substantive directors general for the NTA and FRCN
effectively puts an end to speculations in the two organisations about a possible
merger as recommended by the Oronsanye committee.
The committee had recommended the merger of the three federal broadcast
stations – NTA, FRCN and the Voice of Nigeria (VON).
SOCIAL MEDIA IS GROWING AS A TRUSTED GATEWAY FOR NEWS. By Fergal Ringrose
Mon, Jun 30, 2014
Almost 20,000 people surveyed,report show that social media revolution is now itself fragmenting with different players
dominating different countries.
WhatsApp is emerging as a key network for news in some countries, while Twitter
appears not to be as popular as some British and American journalists assume.
One source, Facebook, has established a powerful position in all 10 countries
surveyed by YouGov into news consumption habits for the Reuters Institute for
the Study of Journalism 2014 Digital News Report. YouTube is a vital outlet for
some countries, but almost unused for news in others.
A key finding of the report, which surveyed 18,859 people, is that having shaken
up the comfortable old world of news dissemination, the social media revolution
is now itself fragmenting with different players dominating different countries.
In Japan and the US many established news organisations are finding it hard to
move success offline to the web, but in the UK, Denmark, Finland and Germany
traditional news brands have managed to maintain market share online at the
same time as driving editorial and business innovation.
The report identifies new threats to the traditional sources of news – with the
smartphone and social media as the most powerful agents of change. A
generational split in how people find and interpret news is emerging.
The rise of messaging network WhatsApp, which was acquired by Facebook in
February for $19 billion, is a key finding. In Spain, 60 per cent of the survey
respondents had used the network in a given week, while 26 per cent had used it
for news following experiments by providers like El Pais. In the UK, however, just
2 per cent had used it for news and only 12 per cent had used it for any reason.
Smartphones are encouraging users to consume news more frequently
throughout the day reducing the dependence on appointment to view television
and newspaper editions, according to the report. Young people are turning
increasingly to mobile devices as their preferred way of receiving news and
consequently snacking more in terms of both the time spent on sites and the type
of content they consume.
Across all 10 countries surveyed by YouGov for the Reuters Institute, over a third
(36%) of 18-24s say the smartphone is now their primary access point for digital
news. Author Nic Newman said, “across the world we see a generational split in
terms of platforms, formats and the type of emerging news brands that are being
consumed.”
The research confirms the increasing popularity of new digital players with their
commitment to mobile and social news formats. Both The Huffington Post and
Buzzfeed are attracting significant audiences in a number of European markets as
well as the US and Brazil -- while Google News remains a leading player in Italy,
France and Germany and Yahoo! is the top news site in Japan.
In the United States and Japan these born-digital companies rival traditional
media in popularity online, putting further pressure on business models although
there is less disruption in many European countries.
There is mixed news on consumers’ attitudes to paying for news. Despite the
growing number of paywalls, the report finds only a minority have paid for digital
news in the last year (ranging from 7% in the UK to 11% in the US, 14% in Finland
and 22% in Brazil) --- although in some countries many more say they might pay in
the future and there has been a substantial increase in the proportion taking out
a subscription.
In most countries the majority of news consumed online still comes from
established newspaper and broadcaster brands, whose work is particularly valued
in covering stories of national and international importance. The report also
reveals that much of the conversation in social media is driven by the work of
mainstream journalists -- with 64% of Twitter users in the UK following a
professional news account.
The report highlights a growing trend towards journalists as a key driver of trust
and consumer loyalty. In some countries, especially the US, France and Spain,
large numbers of people are identifying with journalists directly – and this in turn
is fuelling the growth of news start-ups built around these journalistic leaders.
Director of the Reuters Institute Dr David Levy said “In some countries such as the
UK established news brands have retained their loyalty in the more competitive
online environment but the rapid growth of social media as a way of discovering
and consuming news has a range of possible ramifications.
“While choice proliferates, consumption may narrow; reliance on
recommendations from like-minded friends could mean people are less exposed
to a broad news agenda.
“As news aggregation and sharing take off, consumers may be more conscious of
speed and the source of the recommendation than the reliability and
trustworthiness of the original news source. Finally as the ways of reading news
change, some people may operate in a news echo chamber where they are less
likely to be exposed to other content through chance,“ said Levy.
GUNMEN KIDNAP WAZOBIA FM OAP.
Demand N10 Million ransom from pregnant wife.
A group of unknown gunmen shot and kidnapped a Port-Harcourt based Wazobia
FM presenter, Anthony Akatakpo, from his residence in Rumuekini in Obio/Akpor
Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The gunmen, said to be about 12 in number, shot Akatakpo in the leg and took
him away in his private Mitsubishi Endeavor SUV. The incident happened about
2a.m.
The gunmen were said to have left a message for the pregnant wife to pay N10
million as ransom or risk the killing of her husband, popularly known as
‘Diplomatic Akas Baba’.
Akatakpo’s wife, Candy, spoke of how the kidnappers broke into their residence
at about 2am and beat up her husband in the presence of his family. According to
her, “Diplomatic Akas Baba was shot on his leg and driven away by one of his
attackers in his Mitsubuishi Endeavor SUV with registration number LSD 871 CM.”
Mrs. Akatakpo has however, appealed to her husband’s abductors to release him
unconditionally while the management of Steam and Globe Broadcasting and
Communications Limited, owners of Cool FM, Wazobia FM and Nigeria Info has
condemned the abduction of their staffer.
Rivers State Police Commissioner, Tunde Ogunsakin, has visited Akatakpo’s family
and assured them that the police command would leave no stone unturned in
ensuring the unconditional and early release of the ace presenter.
NBC CRIPPLED BY BROADCASTERS’ DEBTS
Can the NBC add bite to its bark, withdraw licenses of defaulting broadcasters and offer them to those who remain on a long
queue waiting for broadcasting licenses?
Of what value is an expired licence, especially a broadcasting licence? None. Nil.
Zero.
That exactly is the situation with a large number of the country’s broadcasting
organisations. Technically (and actually) many broadcasting organisations are
ineligible to keep doing what they are doing, given their repeated failure to pay
for the renewal of their respective licences. Up until 9 January, the scale of
default in payment by radio and television organisations, including cable and pay
TV services providers, to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), stood at
over N3trillion.
Stung by the size of debt, the NBC, last December threatened to come down
heavily on defaulters. The threat, issued via an advertorial published in
newspapers, was titled, ‘Notice of sanctions on defaulters against the NBC Act’
and contained the list of organisations operating illegally with expired licences.
The advertorial split the defaulting organisations into three segments. Privately-
owned stations had 18 entries, while those owned by government had 11. Also,
there were 20 entries for those that were granted provisional licences, which
have since expired.
The smallest of the debts stands at N1million, while the highest is N800 million.
Broken down, 16 private broadcasting organisations owe the NBC
an aggregate of N1.7 trillion. The Nigeria Television Authority, NTA; Federal Radio
Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, and 34 other state-owned owe N1.3 trillion. Also in
the debt loop are radio and television stations owned by the Federal Capital
Territory Authority. The exceptions are those owned by Cross River and Kaduna
states.
The leading organisations in the league of debtors, according to that
NBC advertorial, are Silverbird Communications, DAAR Communication, FRCN,
NTA and Niger TV/Radio.
For state-owned stations, the biggest defaulters are Niger, Kebbi, Borno, Plateau
and Taraba.
The NBC also complained that the window given to licensees “to settle all
outstanding licence and other statutory fees and levies have expired”, but stated
that some have since paid up and have been issued new licence certificates. The
commission similarly threatened to follow up the publication of defaulters’ names
with enforcement sanctions in accordance with the NBC Act 2004.
On 9 January, NBC Director-General, Emeka Mba, issued what he
said was a final warning to defaulters, when he told journalists in Abuja that any
station that failed to pay up or substantially exhibit commitment to do so by the
end of that month would cease to be a broadcaster. The warning went unheeded,
while the sanction threatened was not applied. This has necessitated an extension
of the deadline to 16 February with NBC expressing confidence that many of the
stations have commenced plans to redeem their debts to avoid suspension of
operations and possible revocation of licences.
Breaching the NBC Code will invite non-renewal of licence and possible revocation
of such. But in a country where influence, especially of the political variety,
trumps due process, there are suspicions that many defaulters may end up not
paying and also escape the sanctions recommended by the law. Protection from
sanctions, it is suspected, will be sought from higher authorities.
In a country where regulations are negated with impunity
especially by those who claim to be friends of government, where the law is given
scant consideration, this is a possibility. If influence triumphs over regulations,
the NBC is certain to be hobbled in the drive towards digitisation of the
broadcasting process, which it is leading. Recently, that was admitted by the D-G,
NBC, who told journalists the need to accelerate the digitisation process is
propelling the commission to recover debts from defaulting broadcasting
organisations.
But can the NBC add bite to its bark? Will it withdraw these licenses and offer
them to new businesses who remain on a long queue waiting for broadcasting
licenses? The ball is in Mba’s court.
FRCN SOUTH-SOUTH ZONE TRAINS COMMUNITY REPORTERS. By Benson Clement in PH
The orientation exercise took place simultaneously in Bronze FM Benin, Atlantic FM Uyo and Treasure FM Port Harcourt.
The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, South-south zone is establishing a pool
of community correspondents for effective coverage of activities in the six states
of the zone.
At an orientation exercise for the reporters in Port Harcourt, the Acting Zonal
Director, Mr.Osaze Iyamu, said the FRCN was obliged to report happenings in the
local communities by giving voice to the people.
The orientation exercise took place simultaneously for community reporters
assigned to Bronze FM Benin, Atlantic FM Uyo and Treasure FM Port Harcourt.
In a charge to the correspondents in Port Harcourt, the Acting Zonal Director,
FRCN South - South, Mr. Osaze Iyamu, represented by the Zonal Head of
Administration, Dr. Tony Okofu, said all the stations under the zone were being
repositioned for effective news coverage of people in the rural areas.
Mr. Iyamu said the purpose of community based reporting was to improve
content and have a paradigm shift from urban based bulletins and programmes to
giving a platform for the voiceless in the rural parts of the state.
The Zonal Director urged the traditional rulers, socio-cultural organizations and
government institutions in the twenty three local government areas of Rivers
state to take advantage of the presence of the community reporters to showcase
their activities, challenges and achievements.
The General Manager of Treasure 98.5FM, Port Harcourt, Regina Daka-Osika,
encouraged the community based reporters to be at their best to report the grass
root.
On his part, the Zonal News Coordinator, Mr. Uchechukwu Jiwuaku, said the
community based reporters were expected to file in human angle stories from the
twenty three local government areas of Rivers state to give those in the rural
areas an opportunity to be heard.
Head of News, Treasure FM, Port Harcourt, Mr. Kola Oredipe, warned that the
management would not condone sharp practices and urged them to maintain
professional ethics in the discharge of their duties.
NIGERIA BANS IMPORTATION OF ANALOGUE TVS, TRANSMITTERS By Stanley Opara - The Punch, January 16, 2014
Aimed at phasing out analogue technologies preparatory to 2015 digital switch-over.
From June 17 this year, it will not be business as usual for importers and users of
analogue television sets and transmitters as the Federal Government will place a
ban on the products.
The move is aimed at phasing out analogue technologies in line with the Federal
Government’s digitisation agenda.
The programme being driven by the National Broadcasting
Commission will also result in the stoppage of the importation and use of
analogue transmitters for broadcasting purposes throughout the country.
The Director-General, NBC, Mr. Emeka Mba, told our
correspondent that the commission was working with the Nigeria Customs
Service to ensure that the importation of analogue TV sets, transmitters and other
equipment was stopped in order to avoid the accumulation of electronic wastes
since the equipment would no longer be useful.
Mba said from June 17, some TV sets currently in use in the country would stop
working as only digitally-enabled sets would be functional.
He said, “When the digital switchover happens,
there won’t be importation of analogue sets, that is, the second-hand or
Tokunbo TVs and analogue transmitters anymore. Certain TV sets will not work
again”.
“People using digitally-enabled sets with digital tuners may not need decoders
because signals can be picked from the air; but antennas will be needed.”
The NBC boss said the commission was aware of the quantum of transmitters in
the country, and would not relent in phasing out analogue ones in 2015.
Mba said issues surrounding the digital transmitters already in use in the country
would be handled by the relevant companies in charge of transmission in the new
era.
According to him, there is no going back on the transition from analogue to digital
broadcasting.
Digitisation, as far as broadcasting is concerned, is the conversion of the
broadcast and communication systems from analogue systems to digital.
It is an important global movement driven by the International
Telecommunications Union to revolutionise broadcasting. Based on consensus, it
was agreed between the NBC and the ITU that the country could conveniently
transit to digital broadcasting by June 2015.
In its bid to drive the initiative and better inform Nigerians about the project, the
NBC had stressed that digitisation improved the quality of reception and ensured
a more efficient use of the spectrum, which is a scarce and finite natural resource
belonging to all citizens and held in trust by licensees.
BIG CHANGES AT MULTICHOICE
MultiChoice, merges its DStv Mobile & Online divisions into a single yet to be named unit.
Continental pay-TV operator MultiChoice, owner of the DStv satellite platform,
has decided to merge its DStv Mobile and DStv Online divisions into a single yet to
be named unit.
The news was revealed late October via a statement which
read: “It has become increasingly clear that the DStv Mobile and DStv Online
businesses enjoy huge overlaps and should be integrated into one unit. These
businesses will be merged into a single entity with immediate effect and the
combined business unit will be headed up by John Kotsaftis, current CEO of DStv
Online".
“In view of the increasing complexity of the MultiChoice business,
Mark Rayner, the current head of DStv Mobile, is appointed to the position of
chief operating officer of MultiChoice South Africa with immediate effect,
reporting to group chief executive officer Imtiaz Patel.”
The statement also revealed that current MuliChoice South Africa CEO Collins
Khumalo has decided to take ‘time out’ after 17 years with the group.
“Collins Khumalo has played various roles within the payTV
environment and has been a stalwart in assisting the company to build the pay-TV
business across the continent. The company would like to thank Collins for his
sterling service to the group and wish him well in the future,” reads the
statement.
In another new appointment, Calvo Mawela has been appointed to the position
of Stakeholder and Regulatory affairs: Multichoice South Africa Group. Calvo will
report directly to Patel.
iROKOtv SECURES N1.3B FOR NIGERIAN VOD PLATFORM
This arguably makes iROKOtv one of the most well funded internet companies in Africa today.
Currently, 50 per cent of iROKOtv’s audience is located in the U.K. and U.S.,
iROKOtv, the Africa-based movie platform for Nigerian movies, known as
‘Nollywood’, revealed a funding round of $8 million, about N1.3 billion, led by
existing investor Tiger Global, with further participation from Sweden-based
Kinnevik. It also introduced a new investor to this round, US-based Rise Capital.
This brings its total asset base to $21 million, arguably making iROKOtv one of the
most well funded internet companies in Africa today.
iROKOtv is a leading Video-on-Demand, VOD, platform for African content and
following the announcement of the $8 million investment, the company said it
would continue to focus its attention on growing traffic, content curation and
building a platform-agnostic distribution system for its one million monthly users.
To-date, the capital raised by iROKOtv has been used to acquire content, expand
the London-based tech team, develop mobile websites and applications and open
offices in London, New York and Johannesburg, alongside the company’s Lagos
headquarters. The company now holds about the world’s largest online catalogue
of African content, with over 5,000 movies.
The new capital would be channeled at buildings and transitioning the company’s
audience from a primarily Diaspora base to an African base, as well as migrating
from a largely ad supported model to more subscription service.
Currently, 50 per cent of iROKOtv’s audience is located in the U.K. and U.S., but
with the continent coming online, demand for homegrown multi-platform video
content is rising fast.
There will also be a renewed focus on monetizing iROKOtv’s catalogue through its
SVOD service, iROKOtv PLUS, as well as through its strategic distribution
partnerships with global airlines and TV channels.
Jason Njoku, CEO and co-founder says: “The $8Mn raised by
Tiger Global, Kinnevik and Rise Capital will further fuel our expansion and help us
to realise our long term goal of becoming one of Africa’s preeminent media
companies. We started life three years ago as a Nollywood content aggregator on
a YouTube channel and today we find ourselves with a VC-backed dedicated VOD
platform, watched in 178 countries around the world, with one million unique
visitors a month. These metrics were achieved with hard work from a great
international team and today’s news allows us to continue in the same vein and
accelerate our growth.”
Bastian Gotter, COO and co-founder says: “We have forged a
niche in African movie programming and captured people’s imagination in terms
of bringing previously unobtainable yet popular content, loved by millions, to a
global audience on an awesome platform. This additional capital allows us to
consolidate our position as VOD market leaders for Africa, invest in tech, content
and infrastructure and, importantly, we are now in a position to become
profitable by 2015, which is an extraordinary feat for any start-up, let alone an
African VOD one like ours.”
The announcement also sees a new investor, Rise capital, brought into the
funding series, with Gotter adding: “Nazar’s guidance as our first outside investor
and active board member has significantly helped our development as a
company, so we are excited to strengthen this relationship with him and the Rise
Capital team. We look forward to continuing to benefit from their global
investment expertise.”
Nazar Yasin, Managing Partner of Rise Capital says: “We are very
pleased to participate in this round of financing alongside Kinnevik and my former
colleagues at Tiger Global.
“Having worked with Jason, Mr. Bastian and the team since their early days, we at
Rise Capital look forward to continuing to help them scale their content
acquisition and distribution channels and secure their positioning as Sub-Saharan
Africa’s largest and most impactful media company.”
Mia Brunell Livfors, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kinnevik
adds: “This latest funding round for iROKOtv is testament to the fact that Kinnevik
continues to support them on their journey to becoming one of Africa’s most
exciting and far-reaching media companies”.
On July 1, 2012, iROKOtv introduced a subscription service, SVOD, on its site,
iROKOtv PLUS, where for $7.99 a month, subscribers are the first to access the 12
brand new movies uploaded onto the site every month.
The iROKOtv PLUS business is currently growing rapidly and is now the largest
single source of revenue for the company, revealing that more consumers are
willing to pay for quality content. However, 95 per cent of content on iROKOtv
continues to be free and is supported by an advertising (AVOD) business model.
Coined by the media as the ‘Netflix of Africa’, iROKOtv has successfully re-
organised the multi-million dollar Nigerian movie industry’s distribution
infrastructure.
DOKPESI, DAAR COMMUNICATIONS, FACE N20 BILLION DEFAMATION SUIT. Mon, Dec 02, 2013
Ogun State PDP chieftain accuses AIT of broadcasting a story that the Court of Appeal had ordered his extradition to US to face
narcotics charges.
Alleging character defamation, a chieftain of Nigeria's ruling
Peop;es Democratic Party PDP in Ogun State, Buruji Kashamu, has slammed
a N 20 billion suit against Chief Raymond Dokpesi and DAAR Communications
Plc owners of AIT and Raypower, at a Lagos High Court.
Kashamu is accusing Dokpesi of repeatedly broadcasting on his AIT, a
story claiming that the Court of Appeal, Lagos has given a judgment purportedly
ordering Kashamu’s extradition to United States to face narcotics charges.
The suit alleges that “the defendants made the broadcast knowing that it was
false, twisted or contrived to give the impression that the claimant is criminal,
who is on the run from law enforcement agencies in the United States and had
been declared wanted and a fugitive for this reason the Court of Appeal had given
a judgment for his extradition to the USA for prosecution.”
In a 23-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Kashamu in support of the suit, he
stated, among others, that “the publication was perceived and understood by the
general public to mean that I am not a person to be associated with”.
Kashamu is praying the court to award him N20 billion being general and
aggravated damages as a result of the defamatory broadcast.
He is also asking the court to grant “a perpetual injunction restraining the
defendants from any further dissemination of the false and libelous statements as
contained in the AIT broadcast”
BRILLA FM’S IZAMOJE SUES COSON FOR N5.5B
Izamoje claims COSON listed him as a broadcaster of unauthorised music who has made massive profit from the works of the
musicians
For releasing, publishing and circulating a statement on its website, Twitter and
Facebook pages, Larry Izamoje owner of sports radio group Brilla FM has filed a
libel suit at the Lagos High Court against the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON)
for defamation.
Izamoje is seeking redress and claiming N5.5B in damages for COSON's widely
circulated press statement which credited him as one of those that caused the
death in penury of many late Nigerian musicians including Rex Jim Lawson,
Celestine Ukwu, Sonny Okosun, Christy Essien Igbokwe, Bala Miller, Oliver De
Coque and Chief Osita Osadebe.
The Brilla FM boss said COSON rebuffed all requests to retract the offensive
publication. This he interpreted as a “calculated attempt to rubbish my integrity,
dwarf all I have achieved in sports business and turn the families of the deceased
musicians against me”.
The suit lamented that COSON listed Izamoje as a broadcaster of unauthorised
music who has made massive advertising revenue and profit from the works of
the musicians.
Defending himself against the COSON allegations, Izamoje said he was in primary
one when Rex Lawson died and in secondary class 4 when Celestine Ukwu passed
on. While also acknowledging the musicians for their accomplishments, Izamoje
confessed he was never their fan. His business he maintained “has been and
remains sports, not the works of Nigerian musicians”.
Lawyers to Izamoje challenged COSON to prove that he received advertising
bookings and revenue for music.
COSON which is yet to file a defense has in recent times angered the Broadcasting
Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and the Independent Broadcasters Association of
Nigeria (IBAN) over claims of arbitrary and unilateral imposition of royalty fees on
broadcast stations by COSON.
NBC WARNS AGAINST DENYING OPPOSITION ACCESS Mon, Mar 24, 2014. Broadcast regulator ”working towards making example out of one or two radio stations.
The Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission,
Emeka Mba, has described as “a very serious issue” denial of access to opposition
parties by radio stations. He warned that the broadcast regulator would sanction
radio stations that are found to be engaged in such breach of the broadcasting
code.
He said: “It is a problem that has become a very serious issue and we are
committed to making an example out of one or two radio stations.”
The NBC Director General spoke when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria
Forum.
“If you deny a group, especially during this election period, we will also deny you
being on air. This is something that we’ve communicated very strongly to all the
radio stations, especially in the states, he stressed.
Mba noted however that some of those who are complaining now of denial of
access to radio stations also shut their opponents out of the stations when they
were in power.
“I was telling someone this afternoon that I have seen a former State Governor
who came to the commission to complain that the incumbent Governor was not
allowing him access to radio and I showed him a report that when he was
governor, he also did not allow the other people.”
He however pointed out that such is not an acceptable reason for any broadcast
station to close its doors against opposition parties. “But to be honest, we are
working towards making example out of one or two radio stations.”
Mba, said there is the need for the broadcasting industry to brace up to the
challenges of the times by creating relevant programmes that would appeal to the
audience, arguing that “proper and relevant broadcasting could shape the minds
of the people, especially in the face of security challenges facing the nation.”