African stakeholders converge at StarTimes Digital TV Seminar

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African stakeholders converge at StarTimes Digital TV Seminar --

Tue, 09 Jun 2015 16:32

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SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: The 5th African Digital TV Development Seminar, hosted by Chinese multinational technology company StarTimes, is being held from 9 to 10 June in Beijing. The conference, which was first introduced in 2011 when it hosted 27 delegates from 17 African countries, has grown substantially to include 119 representatives from 29 African countries this year. The focus for the 2015 edition is Digital transformation for social development in Africa .

Reporting from this industry event, Screen Africa highlights some of the pertinent issues which Africa faces in this shift, new StarTimes developments and initiatives in the market, and learnings from countries which have successfully completed digital migration.

In his keynote speech, StarTimes chairman Pang Xinxing emphasised the complexity which African countries face in completing digital transformation. Digitisation in Africa is not a simple process, said Pang. It requires complicated technical and communication solutions, training and skills development, extensive finance and funding as well as full acceptance and engagement from stakeholders. It is a complex and systematic process. According to Pang, certain requirements are necessary for successful transitioning; including a supply of rich content, sufficient network capacity, a strong marketing strategy and a team which understands the technical aspects associated with the process. Pang also believes that a unified Pan-African approach should be taken when deciding on encoding, transmission, playout and control standards.

Representatives from Kenya and Tanzania, countries which have recently successfully completed digital migration ahead of the ITU deadline, shared some of their experiences in implementing the switchover. Both Francois Wangusi, director general of the Communications Authority of Kenya; and Fenella Mukangara, minister of information, culture and sports in Tanzania, stated that the biggest benefits to come from digital migration were job creation and a boom in local production. Wangusi shared some of the challenges faced by Kenya and said education was a major obstacle, further complicated by mainstream TV broadcasters refusing to air any communication on the subject, which blocked communication channels between government and consumers and delayed the process. Education was our biggest challenge not just to consumers but to stakeholders, broadcasters and even the judicial system. Mukangara credits the digital success achieved by Tanzania to sufficient preparation and planning. Tanzania took to this challenge early on. There were some initial struggles but we made sure we moved forward at the necessary pace. We gave ourselves two years before the deadline to roll out the process, which was smooth and successful.

According to Michael Dearham, vice president of the StarTimes Group, Africa s digital transformation has a major role to play in social inclusion and the company s drive to make TV accessible and affordable to the masses in Africa. Dearham maintains that a paradox still exists in Africa s economy: despite promising economic growth, extreme poverty is increasing and social exclusion is still a challenge in transformation. Digital is a catalyst in this revolution, said Dearham, who maintained that digital goods, services and an online presence would support local industries. He added that entering the digital era would allow for greater societal and governmental interactivity as well as job opportunities.

Part of StarTimes content strategy is to offer its African subscribers programming in indigenous languages, adapted successful Chinese formats and exclusive sports channels. Day One of the conference included a signing between StarTimes and German football league Bundesliga for exclusive rights to broadcast the league s next five seasons. Pang said of the deal, Soccer is a popular game and should serve its fans. Everyone has the right to enjoy a game on TV. In Africa many people love sport, but viewing live events is still a luxury for many. We want to make Bundesliga affordable and available to all our African viewers. Bundesliga representative and DFL Sports Enterprises GmbH J rg Daubitzer added, To close the contract today is very important to Bundesliga. People in Africa have a deep love for football; they should be able to watch one of the best leagues in the world. We are working with StarTimes to bring Bundesliga to as many African households as possible.

Day One of the conference concluded with StarTimes signing a deal and announcing a continued partnership with Discovery Networks. This will see an expansion and upgrade to Discovery s existing channels on StarTimes Discovery Science, Discovery ID (to be upgraded to Discovery IDX) and Euro Sport News as well as the addition of a future edutainment channel created by the Discovery Learning Alliance.

Report filed from Beijing by Carly Barnes, Screen Africa Deputy Editor.

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