Pretoria – Communications Minister Faith Muthambi says broadcasters in Africa must make the most of the opportunities presented by digital migration.
The Minister recently attended the NexTV CEO Africa 2016 Summit, which concluded last Friday in Mauritius. The gathering brought together top executives from across the continent in the broadcasting industry.
“We went to participate in this summit knowing very well that the definition of television in our country and the continent is changing… The NexTV CEO Africa Summit was the perfect place not only to network, but to learn about new ideas about the future of the TV industry across the continent,” Minister Muthambi said.
The two-day summit also looked at the “Africanisation” of TV content, with a special focus on sports rights. On the final day, there was a roundtable discussion on strategies to deal with piracy, advertising challenges and opportunities, as well as internet connectivity.
Minister Muthambi said there were important lessons for South Africa in the summit. “What we have learned from experts in the broadcasting space is that when it comes to content, one size does not fit all anymore… Pay TV operators and free-to-air broadcasters, including the public broadcaster, must say goodbye to ‘one size fits all’ services and diversify their content offer, as well as the way they distribute content in order to thrive in the years ahead.
“…Viewers’ habits are changing and if you want to be a mass market player, you have to cater for all these different groups. DTT [digital terrestrial television] must provide opportunities for viewers to pick and choose according to their budget and lifestyles.”
Minister Muthambi said for Africans to fully enjoy DTT, foreign media houses should employ newsgatherers from the continent with more knowledge on the socio-economic and political dynamics in Africa.
Her sentiments were echoed by Soweto-born BBC Africa Bureau analyst and correspondent, Milton Nkosi. “What I have realised while covering stories across the continent is that Africans want to tell their own stories and the majority want to tell such stories in their indigenous languages.
“My view is that the era of parachute journalism in the continent should come to an end, since we have a lot of experienced journalists in the continent with the capacity to tell the world the true story that Africa is a continent moving towards prosperity.” - SAnews.gov.za
