digicast january edition

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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

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Page 2: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 4: Digicast january edition

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

Page 5: Digicast january edition

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

Page 6: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 7: Digicast january edition

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

Page 8: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 9: Digicast january edition

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

Page 10: Digicast january edition

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,

Page 11: Digicast january edition

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

Page 12: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 13: Digicast january edition

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

Page 14: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 15: Digicast january edition

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

Page 16: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 17: Digicast january edition

“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.

Page 18: Digicast january edition

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

Page 19: Digicast january edition

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

Page 20: Digicast january edition

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

Page 21: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 22: Digicast january edition

“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

Page 23: Digicast january edition

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

Page 24: Digicast january edition

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.

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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

Page 26: Digicast january edition

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).

Page 27: Digicast january edition

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

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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.

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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.”

Page 30: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 31: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 32: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 33: Digicast january edition

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

Page 34: Digicast january edition

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.”

Page 35: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 36: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 37: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 38: Digicast january edition

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.”

Page 39: Digicast january edition

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

Page 40: Digicast january edition

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

Page 41: Digicast january edition

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.

Page 42: Digicast january edition

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.”