KENYA: Film and TV industry players seek wider African markets

Record ID: 360957

  • Title: KENYA: Film and TV industry players seek wider African markets
  • Date: 7th September 2010
  • Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (SEPTEMBER 03, 2010) (REUTERS) WIDE OF MEETING VENUE, PARTICIPANTS AT THE 4TH EDITION OF THE CONTENT DISTRIBUTION, PROGRAMMING AND CO-PRODUCTION FOR EMERGING WORLD MARKETS (DISCOP) VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS VARIOUS OF THE ARAB NEWS AGENCY SCREENING STAND (SOUNDBITE) (English) DISCOP GENERAL MANAGER, PATRICK JUCAUD SAYING: "This is our fourth edition, we o
  • Embargoed: 22nd September 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Industry
  • Reuters ID: LVADM8UXFQ4TFN6EUPAWJ1VJB3J2
  • Story Text: Broadcasters, filmmakers, producers and marketers showcase their work at an exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya and share plans to take the industry into larger African and international markets.
    Film and TV industry players are seeking wider African markets, participants at a recently held meeting of broadcasters, film makers, producers and marketers said.
    The Content Distribution, Programming and Co-production for Emerging World Markets (DISCOP) meeting and exhibition was recently held in Nairobi, Kenya.
    The three day event was aimed at providing a platform for African audiovisual media content and producers access to both the domestic and the international market and also attracted a host of international broadcasters and independent African Film producers.
    "This our fourth edition, we organize DISCOP-Africa alternatively in Western and Eastern Africa and we are happy to welcome today here in Nairobi about 350 people 200 TV stations from Africa and about 100 companies who came to sell Television content; films, live events, documentaries, TV series and package TV channels," said Patrick Jucaud, DISCOP'S General Manager.
    The Kenyan edition of DISCOP-Africa combined individual meetings between participants and later a conference program which sort to address issues related to development of television business in Africa.
    Creation of compelling programming bouquets, building and management of distribution deals and the emerging roles of China, Brazil and India in the African Television landscape were also discussed.
    "In Africa you have about 50 million television homes and you have about 3 million digital subscribers and about 300 million mobile users; I think that it is the beginning and as in any business there is got to be money to be made. If there was not money made no one will be here," said Jucaud.
    Independent African film producers also had access to organisations that provide funding opportunities. Qualified fiction writers were selected to pitch their works to five international and Kenyan broadcasters and other producers interested in African co-production opportunities.
    Movie and TV piracy in Africa is so rampant and complex that African film producers can hardly make any profits and they asked their governments to intervene.
    "We are not putting out enough content and that being, in production the recoup on your investment actually drives more production and if you are not getting enough from the exploitation of your product there is no way you can produce more. The reason why we are not getting enough from the exploitation is because of piracy mostly. If the level of what we get back from what we invest is not that much we can not plough in enough to generate more content," said Nigerian Film maker, Emeka Ossai A shift by budget-conscious African production houses to cheaper digital technology has unleashed a wave of piracy that threatens to topple the industry: unlike traditional 35 millimetre film, DVDs are cheap, easy and quick to replicate.
    Movie makers from some production houses in Africa are refusing to distribute in their home countries, preferring to sell their product only to diaspora Africans in better regulated markets due to piracy.
    An estimated 2500 participants are expected to take part in the various DISCOP events organized in 2010.
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