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Rapid increase in the number of radio and TV channels in Africa, says new report

Over the last ten years, the African broadcast industry has slowly been liberalising and over the last year, the pace of this process has quickened. New Free-To-Air channels are planned in an increasing number of countries and there are new entrants to the Pay-TV market which has begun to grow in size. There are shifting patterns for advertising in different media. For anyone in the industry or interested in how it has and will develop, there has been a frustrating lack of data up until now.

In issue 24

Content

Nigeria: Kano’s “Kannywood” hurt by restrictions in the wake of a sex scandal

Africa: Apprentice Africa Goes on Air

Liberia: Arcelor Mittal Launches New Web-TV Season

Botswana: Controversial sports DJ Chillieboy speaks his mind

Broadcast

Angola: Unita MP criticizes the Government for handing TPA’s Canal 2 over to son of the President

Rwanda: GTV Set to Change the Television Landscape

Nigeria: Freedom Radio soon to launch a TV channel

Eritrea: Opposition Launches Satellite TV Against President

Distribution

South Africa: Sithengi set to relaunch in a more focused way

Nigeria: MultiChoice Launches Mass Market Bouquet

Investment

Nigeria: Daarcomms launches new digital Pay TV channel and will build Film Village with IPO cash

Kenya: Kirubi’s Capital Group Expands Into Television Broadcasting with CNBC deal

More

Regulation & policy

Technology & convergence

Events

People

Opportunities

Top story

Rapid increase in the number of radio and TV channels in Africa, says new report

Over the last ten years, the African broadcast industry has slowly been liberalising and over the last year, the pace of this process has quickened. New Free-To-Air channels are planned in an increasing number of countries and there are new entrants to the Pay-TV market which has begun to grow in size. There are shifting patterns for advertising in different media. For anyone in the industry or interested in how it has and will develop, there has been a frustrating lack of data up until now.

This week sees the publication of African Broadcast and Film Markets by Balancing Act in association with Intermedia. It is over 340 pages long and has 132 charts, 41 tables of statistical data and 12 graphic maps. It is probably the most detailed data source on both industry and audience information for the sector in Africa. The report comes in two parts: part one covers industry trends and data and part two looks at audiences. There are seventeen country user surveys covering: Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

• Part 1 provides an analysis of the developing industry and has the following sections:

African industry overview – Slow but steady liberalisation: This looks at the state of liberalisation, for radio and TV; the international players in the market; the scale of broadcast advertising; and the battle for Pay-TV subscribers. The beginning of the end for Mr President TV looks at the difficult commercial position of public broadcasters and ways they might get out the trap they are in.

Other areas covered include: The costs of local and international programming; Digitilisation and High Definition– Slow progress but it is on its way; Africa’s film industry – Low output but big changes afoot; Africa goes triple-play – the early pioneers roll-out; The potential market size for Pay Television; Reaching African diaspora audiences – competing for eyeballs away from home; and Mobile TV – a technology for Africa?

• Part 2 looks at Africa’s rapidly shifting landscape through audience research from 17 key markets: Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

• Each survey involves a large sample size, and is conducted through face-to-face interview, usually in the home of the respondent. The result is an unusually rich, single source for data on how Africans are interacting with traditional and emerging broadcasters and platforms, new technologies and modes of mass and inter-personal communication. It is sufficiently standardised to allow cross-comparison between countries and trend analysis across the timeframe data has been collected.

Trends picked up by Part 1 of the report include:

• Explosion in number of radio stations: The liberalisation of radio broadcasting has led to an explosion in the number of radio stations, particularly those broadcasting in local languages. These are known in East Africa as the “vernaculars” and they have been one of the growth areas of the last five years. The most vivid example of this trend is Uganda where there are now over 150 radio stations, 69% of which cater for audiences in the 38 different languages of the country.

• Success of Free-To-Air TV channels: Countries where the privately owned FTA TV channels have taken the majority of both audience and advertising revenues tend to be where fuller competition exists. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are all countries where the existence of several FTA companies means that both audiences and advertising are much more fragmented and the state broadcaster no longer necessarily has the dominant position in terms of either audience share or advertising revenues.

• TV advertising spend: Based on countries where more detailed statistics are available, overall advertising spend on television has increased slightly in some countries but declined in others. The report identifies 15 markets which have significant volumes of TV advertising.

• Growth of radio and TV ownership: On a fairly conservative projection, television ownership in the selected 40 countries surveyed will grow by an average of 17%. This growth will vary from country to country with the higher rates being found in those countries where economic growth is above the global average. Radio growth is equally strong and geographically more widespread.

• International investment: The absence of international players (except in the Pay TV market) has meant that Africa has not been viewed as a single potential market. Whilst there is an increasing level of international interest, the likely players remain regional or even sub-regional. Restrictions on foreign ownership mean that in most cases multinational investors are unable to buy direct control of these entities and are therefore unwilling to invest.

• State broadcast weakness: Where the state broadcaster competes in a more liberalised FTA TV channel environment with 4-5 competitors, the state broadcaster usually sinks to the bottom position in terms of advertising share over time or simply stays one ahead of the last new market entrant.

• Triple play and converged players: The report analyses the ten countries where there are converged operators (including cable) or telcos providing IP-TV. In each case, the size of the market is comparatively small but the numbers have continued to go upwards over the last 12 months: there are both subscriber numbers and bouquet breakdowns with rates.

The report looks at those like Telkom Media and Egyptian operator PCN who are starting to enter the market. It examines Algerie Telecom’s Fibre-To-The Home roll-out and its ambitions with IP-TV. Triple play has been hampered by backward looking African regulation on VoIP in some countries and the high cost of international bandwidth but with the arrival of several new fibre projects in liberalised East Africa in 2009 all that will begin to change.

• Rights and programming costs: One factor that has slowed down the development of the African broadcast sector has been the costs of both rights and locally produced content. This report gives a breakdown of regional production costs and the resources required to buy in international programming. In one section it looks at the battle over rights and their costs during the African Cup of Nations.

• The great mobile TV experiment: The continent is the site of one of the most extensive set of roll-out plans for mobile TV. The report has a section that covers how it is being done, the initial numbers using the services and the technologies involved.

Part 2 of the report focuses on audiences, with detailed robust survey data that tackles a range of questions including:

• Radio the dominant media in most countries: The realities of economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa mean that whilst television and radio are widely distributed in main cities, radio is the main medium for rural areas. In most of the countries surveyed, the majority of the population listen daily to the radio. That said, some countries have limited terrestrial television and as described in Part 1 of the report, there is a strong correlation between access to electricity and television ownership.

• More control, less trust: Wherever Government exerts tight control over the public broadcaster or all media, the audiences trust the resulting news output far less than they might otherwise. For example, in Egypt, the domestic media is less trusted than international outlets. The most trusted source of information is Al Jazeera. As a pan-Arab satellite giant founded by the Qatari emir, the channel is technically international or foreign. Yet Egyptians, like viewers in most Arab societies, have appropriated Al Jazeera as their own, considering it akin to a local channel.

• Popularity of imported content: Much of the most popular content tends to be music on the radio, or largely imported soaps on television. For example, in Mozambique’s main cities, private channels feature a regular diet of Portuguese and Brazilian soap material. But these are not just a feature of Portuguese-speaking markets for both Portuguese and Spanish soaps are a central programming element in Kenya.

• Hunger for music and entertainment: There is a huge appetite for FM music radio. Africans, both sub-Saharan and North African, surround themselves with music in cars, public transportation, shops and homes. Wherever deregulation has taken place, multiple FM channels have emerged. Consumers also hunger for entertainment television.

• Affordability and the size of the middle class: Many of the new converged services assume that there is an affluent audience out there who can afford to pay for them. This report contains breakdowns of the size of the middle class in each country. Where there has been above average economic growth in countries, the middle classes have actual grown significantly: for example, the Kenyan middle class has grown by several percentage points. That may sound small but the numbers run into millions of people. The user surveys tackle both media equipment ownership (televisions, radios, PCs, mobiles, satellite dishes) and also the level of usage “yesterday”. On affordability, it asks respondents whether they can afford expensive goods like televisions and fridges.

Balancing Act’s African Broadcast and Film Markets, published in association with Intermedia, is over 340 pages long and has 132 charts, 41 tables of statistical data and 12 graphic maps. Don’t say that convergence is all hype until you know what the new landscape may actually look like.

For details, go to: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/publications.html

For an extract that contains a detailed table of contents with a full list of the charts, tables and maps, send an e-mail to: editorial@balancingact-africa.com

The report is priced as follows: Full price (Africa) – GBP500/US$1,000; Full price (Rest of the World) – GBP750/US$1,500; Reduced price for universities and NGOs – GBP375/US$700. Click below to order:
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/profiles/order/order_form.php

Content

Nigeria: Kano’s “Kannywood” hurt by restrictions in the wake of a sex scandal

Fury over a sex video in Moslem northern Nigeria has all but finished a flourishing local film industry that employed thousands of people, but was under scrutiny by clerics and officials. Nigeria is well know for its "Nollywood" video production in the country's south, which turns out about 200 films a month that play in English as well as the local Yoruba and Igbo languages, throughout West Africa.

The northern "Kannywood" industry (based in Kano) is less well known as it is accessible only to Hausa speakers, a language used among Muslims across the region. The sex video that triggered the scandal involved popular local actress Maryam Hiyana and was filmed in 2006 on a cellphone during a private tryst and never intended for public distribution.

But it got out, prompting the state government to slap a six-month ban on any video production in Kano, the biggest city in Nigeria's north and the one that gave "Kannywood" its name. Though it ended this month, the ban was followed by 32 new restrictions that, operators say, make production all but impossible.

"We were shocked when the pornographic clip appeared because we never expected such behaviour from any actress - we had been counselling them on the need to be careful about their private lives," said Aminu Sharif Momoh, head of the Kano Guild of Artistes, and himself a film director, producer and actor. "We knew there would be consequences but we didn't anticipate it would be this severe," he told AFP. "The ban has dealt a lethal economic blow to the industry. Some performers have become destitute."

Kannywood had already been under close watch by Muslim clerics and government officials who believed it promoted un-Islamic foreign values. So when the video clip did the rounds of nearly every cell phone in Kano state, it gave those lobbying for a clampdown the ammunition they needed.

During the six-month ban, the Kano-based industry lost about 3.5 billion naira (29 million dollars, 20 million euros), Momoh said. And operators say the new restrictions on actors and film companies are just as crippling. Among the most contested is a requirement for each film company to have capital of at least 2.5 million naira (around US$21,000 dollars).

(source: Film-Maker South Africa)

Africa: Apprentice Africa Goes on Air

Apprentice Africa, the business reality television show sponsored by Bank PHB will hit the airwaves from Tuesday. The programme will also be aired simultaneously in five different countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. 18 contestants, nine men and women drawn from Ghana, Uganda, Guinea, Cameroon, Kenya are currently in camp, executing their first task. They were selected after a series of auditions were held in different parts of Africa

Apprentice Africa is the African version of the popular TV series "The Apprentice" produced by Mark Burnet and hosted by US multi billionaire, Donald Trump. Since its premiere in 2004, the show has spawned many licensed international versions as well as several imitations. Mark Burnett Productions is the creators of other major reality series such as Survivor and The Contender. The commencement of the Apprentice on Tuesday, mark it's first broadcast in Africa.

The Apprentice are expected to go on a sixteen week job interview, where contestants will compete in a series of rigorous business tasks, many of which include major companies and require street smart and intelligence to conquer, in order to show the CEO of the programme, Biodun Shobanjo, Chairman of Troyka, that they are the best candidate for the job. Shobanjo will bring his over forty years of top-notch corporate experience, entrepreneurial savvy, multi-disciplinary industry experience and a business maxim founded squarely on the belief that success is not negotiable into the programme.

In each episode, the losing team is sent to the boardroom, where the CEO and his associates judge the job applicants on their performance in the task. One person is fired and sent home. The Producers of the show, Storm Productions and The Executive Group (TEG) have promised viewers that the production would be world class in terms of picture quality, direction, and the accompanying drama.

Past Storm Vision productions include Doctors' Quarters, Amstel Malt Box Office ( AMBO ) and Big Brother Nigeria.

(This Day (Lagos), 23 February 2008)

Liberia: Arcelor Mittal Launches New Web-TV Season

ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel company, has launched the second season of its Web-based television series focusing on its brand value of transforming tomorrow. Interestingly, the first episode focuses entirely on Liberia. The web-television broadcasts information about the company internally to its 320,000 employees world-wide and also to its many stakeholder groups.

In a short statement launching the series, Nicola Davidson, Vice President of Communications for ArcelorMittal, said: "Liberia was a natural choice for the first episode. This is really an example of where ArcelorMittal can help make a difference to a country and its people. We want to help raise the profile of Liberia, to make people aware of the huge problems this country has had in the past and the challenges that it now faces to secure a sustainable future."

The episode charts the progress of the project in Liberia, which will ultimately create about 3,500 direct jobs in the country through the rehabilitation of iron ore mining in Nimba County as well as operation in Grand Bassa County.

It also shows how ArcelorMittal is not only working to re-start iron-ore mining, but is also taking over the running of schools and hospitals in its effort to help build up infrastructure in the country. As Joe Mathews, CEO of ArcelorMittal's Liberian operations points out, "We want to bring the communities along with the project."

The episode shows Harry Cooper, Public Relations Manager in Liberia, reminiscing about the country's mining heritage. "I was here in 1968", he says. "There was great industrial activity, now there is just a shell. But ArcelorMittal has come to rebuild it. By 2009 when we will have the mine up and running at full capacity, we will produce 15 million tons per annum of iron-ore."

(The Inquirer (Monrovia), 22 February 2008)

Botswana: Controversial sports DJ Chillieboy speaks his mind

The wise saying 'everybody will get his or her chance under the sun"-and never have these words proved truer than in the case of Macdonald Rakgare. Popularly known as Chillieboy to his legions of fans that come every Sunday tune into his controversial sports show on Yarona FM simply entitled "Sudden Death", the young man's star continues to rise.

Being a sports presenter, Chillieboy also gives listeners an up-to-the-minute daily sports updates both on the youth radio station's breakfast and afternoon drive shows. Dubani-wa-Dubani recently had a chat with the self-confessed conceited radio sports presenter.

Q. Many who listen to your show perceive you to be controversial. What's your take on that?

I'm not controversial. I just love to say things as they are and I am not scared to take anyone to task as long as I think what they are doing is not right. Let's just say I call a spade a spade. Not only do I do this on the radio only but it's a principle I apply in my everyday life.

I guess I take after my mother. She takes anybody to task as long as she knows she's right. She has no fear in her heart. To her it does not matter whether you are a granny, head of the family or a chief. When she wants something done right, she won't back off. If we could all adopt this kind of attitude our country would be a better place for everybody.

When I take anybody to task on my show be it the president of the Botswana Football Association (BFA) or the chairperson of the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) or any team official it is not that I want to destroy anybody. I just want things to be done properly. There is nothing personal about it. A lot of people especially the ordinary Motswana who loves and follows sport appreciate what I am doing and many tell me so. Some football club officials have also congratulated me on the interest I have brought to the sport.

Q. How do you deal with the attention and pressure that comes with being a celebrated radio personality?

I do not see myself as a celebrity and this helps me a lot. I am just an ordinary Motswana doing a job and making a mark. I am in this world to make a mark and change things for the better where and whenever I can. I do get attention from ladies and I try my best to make them understand that as much as I appreciate their attention I am looking for a special woman with whom I can build a family. Most of them understand that and we just become friends. I also get a lot of feedback from people who recognize me when walking down the street and they tell me I am doing an excellent job. Let's just say I'm enjoying myself.

Q. Could you tell us more about your dream woman?

I want an honest woman with whom I can properly raise a family with.

I want my children to be amongst the leaders of this country and that's why I need a woman who can help me implant useful values in my children. I have no met and made my choice yet.

Q. Talking of values what do you think of our youth? Social commentators lament that most of our young are not only rotten but also fall short of the much-needed moral fabric?

Most are spoilt and want to be spoon-fed. They do not want to do anything for themselves.

They want their parents and the government to provide everything for them. There are so many opportunities in this country but young people lack the initiative and drive to utilize them in order to better their lives. In other countries university students run small businesses. Most students in our tertiary institutions lack the initiative to start something for themselves and would rather complain about what the government is not doing.

I got my job at Yarona FM because I took the initiative and approached the station management about giving me some work. The only challenge I had was that at the time on-air personalities in most of our private radio stations were required to do the job in English but I just gave it a try and I persevered. I was hired and I became the second person after The Big Fish to do a show in Setswana on the Radio. UB students are some of the most vocal to complain that our government is not doing enough but when they have to exercise their political power to vote and help change the political balance many of them don't.

Statistics show that only 60% of them bothered to vote in the last elections. This shows they do not take things seriously and would rather grumble and whine than do anything to change their circumstances. Its time this mindset changed.

Q. What do you think of our adults?

Many doubt their own intelligence and this has trickled down to the youth.

In brief

- On 4 March, 2008 EuroNews launches “Comment: Visions”, a series of interviews and events with prestigious guests on the challenges facing humankind in the coming century. Visions is a complete partnership between EuroNews, European Voice and Shell, which is available on air, online, in print and at events in Brussels. EuroNews provides a branded content programme for Shell, as well as an ad campaign for Shell that will run all the year round. Each six-minute programme will be posted on the dedicated website commentvisions.com. In addition, in the section “Visions from...” professionals engaged in the topics of the programme will continue the debate online, giving their views on the key themes arising from the monthly interviews. Finally, visitors to the website will be invited to participate in a poll.

Broadcast

Angola: Unita MP criticizes the Government for handing TPA’s Canal 2 over to son of the President

Unita Deputy Alcides Sakala criticized the Angolan Government (of which Unita is a part) of “nepotism” in handing over state broadcaster TPA’s Canal 2 to the son of the President Tchizé dos Santos without a tender process for privatization. His daughter is already a minority shareholder in the largest mobile operator Unitel.

Vice-Minister of Communications Miguel de Carvalho denied the charge saying that the younger dos Santos had simply gone into a management partnership with the Channel to provide much needed help with content, for which read providing money to buy rights. On this basis, the deal was not a privatisation. However, it is unclear what the structure and financial arrangements are for the management partnership.

MPLA Deputy Tany Narciso accused the opposition of “manipulating information” and that the management deal was simply a contractual arrangement reached by the Channel, not a privatization. Rather more threateningly MPLA Deputy Norberto dos Santos hit back at those attacking the Government, saying that they were not showing sufficient respect to the President.

(source: LUSA - Agência de Notícias de Portugal)

Rwanda: GTV Set to Change the Television Landscape

GTV, the new pan-African pay TV operator is currently taking the country by storm, particularly attracting sports fans. The pay TV Company will launch its services in the country on the 26th of this month. When it comes to pay TV, Africa has been faced with limited choices, low quality and poor value for money, but that is changing as the new GTV services will be offering a variety of new choices and quality to a whole new audience and at an affordable price.

"The African market has been artificially constrained by monopoly pricing and non relevant content. Consumers want to watch the latest high quality television programming that combines international and local content with great consumer service and real value," Julian McIntyre, the founder and managing director of GTV commented.

He also said that whether sports, entertainment, news or education, GTV will ensure quality content is accessible to many rather than a select few. For those who love the premier league, GTV purchased not only 80% of the rights to broadcast all the premiership matches but also all important matches. It will broadcast 8 live matches per week. The company will also be broadcasting live games and expert analysis through out the week.

While Africa represents the least penetrated pay TV region in the world, GTV believes it is the right time to offer a service which challenges the market place, and all who operate in it. Less than 1% of television owning house holds in sub Saharan Africa currently subscribe to pay-TV services compared to15% in Eastern Europe, 38% in Western Europe and 93% in North America.

GTV is set to change the monopolized market that has so far limited choice and value with its innovative package which targets main stream customers rather than an elite few. The company will be offering two packages: GTV base with 12 channels and G plus package with 15 channels, both of which will offer entertainment for the whole family with sports, especially the unmissable Barclays premier league, news, movies, series music, religious and children's programming.

(Focus Media (Kigali), 7 November 2007)

Nigeria: Freedom Radio soon to launch a TV channel

Chairman, Board of Directors of the Independent Radio Station "Freedom Radio" in Kano, AVM Mukhtar Muhammad, said that a plan is in pipeline for the establishment of an independent television to be called "Freedom TV." Mukhtar disclosed this in his remarks to the 2007 End of the Year Award Night, as part of the 4th year anniversary of the Freedom Radio, held at the premises of the station at Sharada quarters, Kano.

He stated that the purpose of establishing the television station is due to the progress obtained by the Freedom Radio within a short period of time, and also “to realise a new face for the enlightenment of the people in every sector”.

He told the gathering that Freedom Radio was established four years ago with a view to enable the people express their minds on the development of their communities' well being as well as issues relating to politics, economy, religion, culture and social interactions, and urged the people to utilise the good opportunity for their progress. "It is necessary for us to give everybody a chance to express his views," he said, adding that "whatever somebody said in the station is not the views of the Freedom Radio".

The chairman also stated that although the station has given chances to every one to express his views, the gesture was not done to hurt anybody, but to assure the general public that everybody has a right of expression in the right direction. The Waziri of Dutse also stated that the station will soon expand its transmission to other part of the country such as Lagos, Abuja Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Adamawa.

(Leadership (Abuja), 27 February 2008)

Eritrea: Opposition Launches Satellite TV Against President

Eleven Eritrean opposition activists in exile have launched a satellite TV channel to broadcast news against Eritrea's President Isayas Afewerki. The group's spokesman, Mengisteab Asmerom, told the Nation in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, that the new programme, broadcast in Arabic and Tigrigna, is part of a wider struggle against the the Afewerki regime. The programme is broadcast to Eritrea, East Africa and the Middle East.

"The aim of the programme is to expose the increasingly dictatorial Eritrean regime to Eritreans both at home and in exile," Mengisteab said. "We had no choice but to broadcast via satellite since we want to reach the greatest audience possible in the country through different technologies," he said. "We are broadcasting the programme from a neighbouring country I don't want to disclose which one," Mengisteab said.

Mengisteab said his group plans to hold an all inclusive conference in March to form an opposition government in exile and also intensify the fight against the Afewerki regime. He refused to comment on Ethiopia's support for the Eritrean opposition, but acknowledged that his group and the Ethiopian government have "mutual interests".

(The Nation (Nairobi), 29 February 2008)

In brief:

- Television in Kenya: Regulation and Programming, an 88-page book written by Pierre-Emmanuel Maubert and published by Transafrica Press with the support of the French Embassy to Kenya in 2006, attempts to explain the importance of adoption of quotas in regulation and programming of television in Kenya. Mutahi Kagwe, the immediate former minister for information and communications, has written the foreword to the book in which he calls for “a more productive collaboration between the television stations and our independent local producers to expand significantly the local content in our programming.”

- Following a management dispute, Smile FM, a community radio station based in Zwedru, a north eastern-town, about 643 kilometres from Monrovia, the police on February 20, 2008 closed down the station. Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)'s correspondent reported that the Acting Superintendent of police in the area, Tarley Dweh and his Commander stormed the premises and closed the station at about 12 midday. The station's Advisory Board had in January suspended the Station's Manager, Victor Gbeyeah following a recommendation of a committee that probed the station. The committee's report indicated that Gbeyeah had misappropriated funds of the station. Gbeyeah rejected the committee's findings and complained to the local authorities.

- Burundi’s National Council for Communication has approved the setup of the private radio station Rema FM. It will be the first local radio station to air a twenty-four hour English news programme.

This radio station may help Louis Kamwenubusa to gain prominence once again. This seasoned journalist was the assistant to the director of Radio Publique Africaine. He had had troubles with Alexis Sinduhije, the former director of RPA, in the wake of the fabricated plot against prominent authorities. It was then that the ruling party sought to silence this radio station which had broadcast news showing that the plot was a fabrication of the ruling party. Louis Kamwenubusa was fired from RPA after he connived with Nyamitwe to destroy the leadership of this new station.

- Nigeria’s Court of Appeal approved the live coverage of the judgment of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal by television stations. The Acting Chief Registrar, Bode Thomas confirmed the approval. He said the essence of the live broadcast was to show the high level of transparency with which the tribunal carried out its activities. "I agree this is novel, and it is the first time a court sitting will be allowed to be transmitted live to members of the public Bode Thomas declared in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja before the announcement.

Distribution

South Africa: Sithengi set to relaunch in a more focused way

The new Board of Directors of “Sithengi” (the annual Southern African International Film and Television Market) – hosted in the city of Cape Town since 1996 - has announced that the future looks positive for the Market organisation which ran into cash flow problems last year and halted the 2007 edition.

The board jointly commented that “this isn’t atypical in the business of running industry festivals and markets, some of the biggest festivals in the world have faced similar set-backs. We took the view that this enforced break had to be put to positive use as it has provided a chance to constructively review the advancing and shifting needs of the market. Our aim has been to conceive of a more progressive, dynamic media and entertainment event that will, in the long-term, enable future business and creative models to develop between Africa and the global entertainment industry, beyond traditional media.

“The value of the Sithengi brand - made up of hard-earned longevity and loyalty – could never be compromised or relinquished, so our aim is to build on the many strengths of the past, as well as provide for the “future” which is upon us every day; an increasingly converging and constantly evolving media landscape in a globalised business.”

The Market Plan aims for a fresher, more streamlined and cutting edge event, ultimately smaller with fewer components - yet providing for a broader market. The key words of the Market are “Business” and “Knowledge Building”.

The Market Components will include a Co-Production Forum, Conference Sessions, And, for the first time, a Knowledge Development Lab. The next edition will also introduce a New Media element - directed at Converging Media. In addition to staying in line with global media trends, this element aims to widen the delegate Profile in the digital media revolution from Content Developers and Owners, Distributors, Producers, Operators, Device manufacturers, Broadcasters, Brands – all inextricably involved in cross media content and distribution platforms. “There is an upsurge of New Media producers - who all need to discover new business and creative models of production, distribution and exhibition.”

The board is in the process of engaging with existing and potential members and funders and all around the reaction to the new plans has been exceptionally positive. “That Sithengi grew to span eleven years is testimony to the vision, faith and commitment of the local industry and stake holders who recognised the need for a local platform to present the continent’s entertainment industry to the rest of the world. We value their ongoing support.” says Rorich.

(source: Film-Maker South Africa)

Nigeria: MultiChoice Launches Mass Market Bouquet

MultiChoice Nigeria, one of the leading pay-TV operators in the country has made another significant contribution to the country's digital future with the launch of a mass market bouquet called DStv EasyView. DStv EasyView bouquet is coming into the market at a rock-bottom subscription fee of N 3, 600 per year making it the cheapest bouquet offering ever in the history of pay-TV business in Nigeria .

The company, which has established a world-class reputation for innovative offerings and pioneering technology, has now launched its record-breaking new product DStv EasyView into the Nigerian market.

With a super-affordable annual subscription fee of N 3, 600 per year, DStv Easy View will be available to interested members of the public across all the geographical divides of the country With its low pricing which comes to the equivalent of just N 300 per month, DStv Easy View is destined to positively transform the landscape of the pay-TV in the country, affording a wide pool of citizens the much-desired opportunity to join the DStv family.

Available from March 2008, DStv Easy View will effectively make pay-TV accessible to millions of viewers in the country, allowing them to share in a world of news, music, movies, sport and more.

With this launch, the DStv product has now truly become a household name in the country. DStv EasyView will now complement the existing Premium, DStv compact, DStv Family bouquets bringing to four, the total number of bouquets available to DStv subscribers in Nigeria.

The new package will contain channels such as the headline-driven Al Jazeera, the all-action SuperSport Update, the educational Mindset Learn and the M-Net packaged MagicWorld channel among others, DStv EasyView combines high value, affordable pricing and great programming. Subscribers can also access interactive gaming via Playjam Games plus 14 radio channels.

Another major highlight of the DStv EasyView package is the inclusion of local free-to-air channels. The inclusion allows widespread coverage for public broadcasters who have previously been challenged by the reception limitations of analogue signals.

(Leadership (Abuja), 20 February 2008)

In Brief

- There is an interesting site for those wishing to promote completed programmes:
http://www.ipextv.tv/ipextv/welcome.do

Investment

Nigeria: Daarcomms launches new digital Pay TV channel and will build Film Village with IPO cash

Nigerian broadcaster, Daar Communications Plc, is dreaming of digitised media powerhouse to serve the needs of the continent and beyond, as the company said at the weekend that the bulk of the fund to be generated from its Initial Public Offer (IPO) would be used for migration of its equipment from analogue to digital systems. This is coming as DaarComms plans to introduce a new digitised pay TV operations with 40 channels before the end of the year.

DaarComms commenced its IPO by putting up for sale 960,000,000 ordinary shares, to raise N10 billion deal of 50 kobo each at N5 per share, which would last till the end of March, this year. Daar is primarily involved in broadcasting, telecommunications and allied Multi-media as well as printing and publishing services across the globe.

Reiterating the determination of the board of Daar Communications Plc to enthrone digital communications in its domains of operations globally, its Chairman, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, said that strategies have reached advanced stage to ensure that few months after the closure of the IPO, implementation would begin in earnest in all installations and stations.

He also outlined other purposes for which the fund would be committed, including completion of the 11 new stations and construction of a film village in the South Western part of the country, upgrading of existing facilities, procurement of programme content, programmes and digital satellite systems as well as working capital requirement.

For the managing director, Daar Communications, Ladi Lawal, the completion board meeting in Lagos at the weekend, was the day the Lord has made, although he was quick to add that it took up to 10 years for the transformation to come to fruition.

Lawal described the share structure as people- friendly because it's just a 'pure water price,' predicting that the DaarComms would be over subscribed. "Africa Independent Television (AIT), RayPower is yours, so you can now own it from Monday February 25 to March 31," he asserted, even as the offer is appealing and would be rewarding.

Lawal disclosed that a new pay TV would soon make its debut with 40 channels, which he tagged the biggest to be established in a sweep on the continent, emphasising that its not just about DaarComms again, but about the African media powerhouse.

(Daily Champion (Lagos), 27 February 2008)

Kenya: Kirubi’s Capital Group Expands Into Television Broadcasting with CNBC deal

Kenyan businessman Chris Kirubi is expanding into television business in a deal that will see the Capital Group partner with NBC Universal owned by CNBC to launch Kenya's first dedicated business news channel.

The deal will both expose Capital Group to a wider revenue pool by expanding beyond radio to television and it will also give CNBC Africa a much-need free terrestial news channel that will allow it to get into more households and the key upper-income market it targets. The station at first aired on DSTV before striking a deal with KBC.

The partnership underscores the growing interest by both continental and global audiences for Kenyan news. Reuters last year launched a dedicated Africa business channel at the same time as CNBC Africa did and CNN this week announced that it was expanding its coverage of the Kenyan market in a wider plan to expand coverage in the region.

However, even as media giants are eyeing the African news markets, the rising competition comes at a time when advertising spend has been constrained by post-election violence and a proliferation of radio and television outlets. Recently, entrepreneur Rose Kimotho launched K24, a television station.

A partnership between pan-African business channel CNBC with local media house Capital Group will create the new broadcasting firm, known as Capital Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). CBC will stream locally relevant business content on a dedicated television channel to viewers around the country. CBC also hopes the unique partnership will open up opportunities for advertisers who want to reach an upper income target audience in Nairobi. A mix of CNBC Africa programming and local content is expected to draw regional based advertising slots and sponsorship opportunities.

The television station, which has been in the planning stages for almost a year now, will initially broadcast to Nairobi with plans to gradually extend to country-wide coverage. Kirubi said the station would be continuing short broadcasts already available on national broadcaster KBC to continue to raise awareness of the new channel as it commences rolls out across the country.

CNBC is an international business news television network that launched its pan-African channel in June last year. The station markets itself as the first channel of its kind to cater to the information needs viewers, providing business and investment communities with meaningful analysis of the events behind the headlines that relate to how current events can impact on business.

(Business Daily (Nairobi), 20 February 2008)

In Brief:

- Speaking as panelists at a recent event filmmaker Abius Akwaake, Edwin Kanguatjivi, director of the Namibia Film Commission and Mushitu Mukwame, from the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, all agree that the Namibia film industry has a long way to go because it requires a lot of money but finding sponsors and financial resources is a mammoth task.For his part Kanguatjivi said the lack growth of the film industry is largely due financial constraints. The Namibia Film Commission is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, Act No. 6 of 2000 to promote and develop the Namibian film industry, while at the same time regulating and encouraging international film productions. However his budget by itself is not enough to make a difference.

- There are strong indications that the huge media debts which have bedevilled the advertising industry in Nigeria are about in part to be laid to rest. This was the message emanating from the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON ) House, as the Special Committee on Media Debts Issues (ASCOMDI), may have recorded significant progress in getting agencies which owed some of these debts to settle their creditors. Dr. Chris Doghudje, APCON Chairman at a briefing regretted the bad image which the so called huge debt has given the advertising industry and expressed the council's resolve to reclaim the integrity of the advertising profession by satisfactorily resolving the issue within the shortest possible time.

- Kagiso Media and Lagardère Active Radio International (LARI), a division of France's Lagardère group, announced on 26 February 2008, that they have acquired South African online media agency Acceleration Media for an undisclosed sum. Acceleration Media specialises in online media strategy, planning and buying. Its key areas of expertise are email marketing, paid search marketing, online analytics and ad operations. Based in the US, UK and South Africa, it serves more than 200 customers across a broad spectrum of industries.

- Supersport has signed a US$13.5 million, four-year deal with Kenya Premier League and the money will be used to develop and market the game through the competition in the next four years.

- Uganda’s Vision Group on Monday announced a 55% jump in net profits in the six months to December on the back of increased turnover and effective cost management, a company statement said.

More

Regulation & policy

Cameroon: Private Radio Suspended, Independent Newspapers Prevented From Appearing

The Cameroon Government has suspended a range of different media including radio stations and newspapers during the outbreak of rioting in the country’s second city Douala.

As the Communications Minister called on newspapers to be "responsible", the unrest has left the privately-owned press in crisis after security forces raided the studios of Magic FM radio seizing equipment and forcing it to close. Much of the privately-owned printed press has been prevented from appearing.

Trouble broke out on the fringes of a taxi-drivers strike on 25 February, against the background of political tensions over a planned reform of the Constitution aimed at ending the limit on the number of terms the country's president can serve.

Despite the end of the strike, on 27 February, clashes continued and escalated between demonstrators and security forces and privately-owned newspapers, chiefly printed in Douala, have not been able to appear. Only state media are still being distributed.

"The situation is deteriorating on a daily basis and becoming untenable for the independent media in Douala", the worldwide press freedom organisation said. "Since they cannot be printed they are no longer in circulation"

"Moreover, it is not for the communications ministry to give lessons to journalists. What will happen to those who do not observe the "recommendations" and do not practise self-censorship ?" it asked.

"Only the central administration can legally suspend a radio. We call on the authorities to immediately lift this measure which was taken unfairly by the police and return Magic FM its broadcast equipment", the organisation said.

The Communications Minister, Jean-Pierre Beyiti Bi Essam, on 28 February summoned the editors of privately-owned newspapers to his office and urged to "show responsibility" and "not to publish any news which could pour oil on the flames".

On the same day, in Yaoundé, southern Cameroon, security forces raided the offices of Magic FM without a warrant and ordered its closure. "Right now the radio is no longer broadcasting. A score of police arrived yesterday and seized our equipment saying that we had been irresponsible in letting listeners analyse the head of state's speech," editor, Roger Kiyeck, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The police were referring to the programme Magic Attitude, which invites listeners to phone in and comment on the news. Some listeners who called in on the morning of 28 February considered that the speech made by the head of state the previous evening in which he said he would use "all legal means" to restore order was more "aggressive than appeasing" and that it did "not respond to the wishes of the people".

Kiyeck said the security forces also took computers, the mixing console and broadcast equipment. Police questioned the station's owner, Grégoire Mbida Ndjana, and the presenter of the offending programme, Jules Elobo.

The Communications Ministry on 21 February ordered the suspension of privately-owned Equinoxe TV, on the grounds that its owner had not paid a deposit of 100 million CFA francs required to obtain a broadcast licence.

(Reporters sans Frontières (Paris), 29 February 2008)

Somalia: In Mogadishu Media Crackdown, Media Executive Arrested, Equipment Confiscated

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has condemned in the strongest possible terms the attacks on Radio Shabelle and Radio Simba in Mogadishu by the Armed Forces of the Somalia Transitional Federal Government.

On 2 March 2008, the Armed forces forced their way into the offices of Radio Simba and took away three computers, audio mixer, a computer laptop, two Audiotape recorders, two digital cameras and four studio microphones. During the attack, the forces had beaten reporter Abdiaziz Hussein Hassan, who was in the Simba news studio. On 1 March 2008, a rocket hit the building of Radio Simba and destroyed the Radio’s archive.

A few minutes after the attack on Simba radio, the armed forces broke down the doors of Shabelle Radio, which is near to offices of Simba Radio, and took two audio mixers and main computer from the production studio. When leaving from Shabelle Offices, forces ordered Director of Shabele Muktar Mohamed Hirabe to go with them.

Security Forces also visited the Horn Afrik Radio and ordered to shut down the radio, but did not take any equipment, according to Horn Afrik journalists.

According to the journalists and management of these Radio stations, the attacks were to intimidate journalists and the media, and particularly these radio stations. Shabelle Radio contacted Government officials, when their offices were broken in, but no official came or ordered to end the attack, as said by Shabelle Management.

Government Forces are carrying out security operation in Bakara Market and the entire Howl-Wadaag District, which situates in the centre of the city after heavy fighting in the capital between insurgents and Somali and Ethiopian soldiers.

NUSOJ rejects any attempt to muzzle or control the media and restrict journalists in times of security operations. “We believe that journalists' ability to report freely is essential to the nonviolent resolution of conflicts, and that suppression of the media during periods of unrest or armed operations only increases fear and suspicion among the people” Omar Faruk declared.

NUSOJ reiterates its deepest concern about the escalating attacks on Media and worsening security and safety of Media professionals by the armed groups, despite blood-spattered violence against journalists and media assistants last year.

(National Union of Somali Journalists (Mogadishu), 3 March 2008)

In brief:

- Officers of the Liberia National Police assigned to the provincial city of Tubmanburg in Bomi county on 1 March 2008 flogged and briefly detained journalist Edwin Clarke of Truth FM Radio, located in Liberia's capital Monrovia.

Technology & convergence

South Africa: Mobile Advertising Showing Real Results

The mobile advertising space is starting to see important growth and is likely to explode in the run up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Internationally, mobile advertising and branding campaigns are starting to show significant results.

According to a report on an Adidas campaign posted on the JackMyers.com business-to-business media website, an internal branding study showed a 69% increase in intent to purchase Adidas products, with 87.5% of people who saw the campaign interacting with the ad on their handheld devices.

Targeting boys and girls aged 13 -19, the ad features well-known basketball stars positioning the concept that Basketball is a Brotherhood. Mobile viewers who clicked on a text ad posted on various mobile websites (mobisites) were sent to a specially built mobisite where they could choose from a handful of options, which included calling one of the stars, tailored voicemail on their phones from the stars, specialised ringtones, and wallpaper.

Five million mobile impressions on ads for the Adidas mobisite drove 75 000 page views to the mobisite in the first week, and some 8000 people opted in, providing their cellphone numbers. About a thousand of those people clicked to call one of the stars, Kevin Garnett, and 18% of those called him again. The research also found that mobile outperformed all other media for driving opt-ins at a fraction of the cost.

A JackMyers survey of 500 teens in the US States aged 15 - 17 found that 37% viewed news and/or sports videos on their cellphones and were likely to pay attention to video advertising on cellphones, while 31% were likely to pay attention to text advertising on cellphones.

In a similar campaign to the Adidas Basketball is a Brotherhood campaign, Nike ran a campaign locally on Vodacom's VLive! Portal around 'using your body as a weapon' (www.justdoit.co.za).

Like the Adidas campaign, the portal hosted within VLive! offered mobile content free (no digital rights management) which saw 84 000 downloads and 9200 survey responses in about three weeks. (www.on-the-line.co.za/content/view/65/61). Interestingly, Nike only expected 15 000 downloads and 4000 survey responses.

JackMyers Media BusinessReport projects mobile advertising will increase 120% to US$1.1 billion in 2008 and 120% again in 2009 to US$2.44 billion. In contrast, newspaper advertising in the US was expected to decline over 2008 and 2009, while broadcast network TV and radio advertising were expected to start declining in 2009.

Online advertising is the only other big grower in the US and was expected to grow by 24% in 2008 and 28.5% in 2009.

Mobile advertising is therefore on the cusp of huge growth. Given the low Internet penetration stats in SA, the large mobile base of subscribers and the fact that Vodacom launched a mobile advertising unit in 2007, SA is poised to see mobile advertising take off in the run up to the World Cup.

(Biz-Community (Cape Town), 29 February 2008)

South Africa: Mass Market Reach With in-Game ADs

In-game ad placement - the placing of ads alongside or within online games - is poised to break through into the mass consumer market in South Africa. One of the country's foremost online games suppliers, SkillPod Media, has inked a deal with Brabys Ad Sales.

In its 103 years of operation, Brabys has become Southern Africa's most comprehensive business directory, and has built a huge online ad sales presence on the back of this. SkillPod Media and Brabys Ad Sales have forged a strategic relationship, where the experienced and accomplished Brabys ad sales team will sell ad space on SkillPod Media games. These games appear on some of South Africa's busiest websites, including IOL, Ananzi and News24.

It's the perfect partnership to bring global in-game advertising to the mass online market in Southern Africa. The solution will give advertisers the opportunity to brand games with ads that appear before the game loads, and have strategically placed branding or product placement within the actual games.

Research indicates that most gamers aren't bothered by this form of advertising - partly because it brings an element of realism to the games. As a result, in-game ads promise better return on investment than traditional banner ads, as they are not actively ignored or disliked by players.

In-game advertising thus holds the potential to be a more effective method of reaching online consumers - particularly the elusive 18- to 34-year old male market, and female consumers, who make up more than half of all online game players. A recent report from Forrester Research indicates that in-game advertising is also the most successful way of reaching teenagers online.

The Yankee Group estimates that spending on in-game ads will reach $92 million in 2008. Longer term predictions put the total value of the in-game ad market at up to $1.8 billion by 2010 in the US alone.

The SkillPod Media/Brabys deal means that South African advertisers can now start to realise this potential. The in-game ads will be published across the SkillPod Media network of partner sites in South Africa, which will also benefit the publishing partners, as each of them shares in the revenue generated by the ad spend.

SkillPod Media's white label solution for casual games is proving to be a winner, with a mass of publishers using the solution in South Africa, New Zealand, India, UK, Ireland, Canada and the USA. The SkillPod Games application on Facebook was another step in the right direction, as social networking sites become an important element of all of our daily lives. It allows users to play games where it's most convenient for them - and means even more in-game advertising opportunities for businesses that are looking to penetrate the crucial social networking market.

Now, in a very interesting development, international telcos are looking at getting involved in the distribution and sale of gaming content to counter their revenue losses from users migrating to VoIP solutions.

SkillPod Media has also started migrating many of its popular games to Google Gadgets, allowing these fun games to be accessible to the mass global market. The company intends launching around 100 games on the Google Gadget platform.

SkillPod Media has added 6 new multiplayer games to its already massive selection of games, which includes 500 online games, 250 downloadable games and lots of other gaming content. SkillPod launched its multiplayer Pool game almost 2 years ago and this has proven to be unbelievably successful, with around 500,000 unique visitors playing in the region of 7 million games of pool a month.

(Biz-Community (Cape Town), 29 February 2008)

In Brief:

- TTETV launched its official Internet portal to provide eclectic mixes, hot track downloads and never seen before video mixing all in one place. Turntable Entertainment is a multi-media DJ, production and music consultancy organization set to take modern music by storm. The hot sketch video mash up mix show ‘Cut from Scratch’ is a fusion of favorite movie clips and popular tracks enhanced with fabulous scratch patterns; ‘Turntable Journey’s’ is the 411 on global club life, featuring exclusive hot-spots hosted by world re-noun DJ Kofi rocking the party in, Europe, Australasia, Asia and the United States.

In addition to all these great features TTETV are offering a membership service like no other with, a VIP section on the website that allows you to download free mixes, tracks and TTETV shows to your ipod for only GBP12 per year.

People

- Lebogang Mzwimbi, a Zimbabwean student based in South Africa, has been picked as series presenter for the popular M-Net's reality show Idols.

- Starting next Monday, GTV will air Skika, an entertainment programme showcasing East African popular youth culture and entertainment. Running for 13 weeks, Skika is hosted by Kenyan actress Aimee Ongeso and was created for Channel O by Nairobi-based production house Mondeas, in collaboration with two other local production companies.

Jobs & Opportunities

FACE: the Council of Europe's film award

The Council of Europe, an institution distinct from the European Union with 47 member states, will once again grant the FACE award this year to the director whose film best succeeds in raising public awareness towards human rights issues.

The FACE award includes a sculpture in bronze and prize money of 10,000 euro, which will go to the winner of the "human rights" section announced during the Istanbul International Film Festival to be held between 5-20 April 2008.

In 2007, film director from Mali Abderrah Ahmane Sissako was given the award for his film Bamako (The Court). The FACE award was established to further the Council of Europe's commitment to cinema and the promotion of cultural diversity. The prize also acknowledges the role of the film industry in contributing to the development of human rights worldwide.

For further information, Council of Europe - Philippe Potentini – Tel : 06 14 35 42 66 - E-mail : philippe.potentini@coe.int – Web Site: www.coe.int

Africa in Motion 2008 - Call for Entries from emerging African filmmakers

The Africa in Motion film festival (AiM), which takes place annually in October at Edinburgh Filmhouse, is officially inviting African filmmakers to submit short films for a new AiM competition.

In order to target the competition specifically towards young and emerging African talent, filmmakers who enter a film for consideration must not have completed a feature-length film previously. Films entered must have been completed in 2005 or after, and must be no longer than 30 minutes.

The competition winner will be selected from a shortlist of films and will be announced at an awards ceremony at the third successive Africa in Motion festival in October 2008. The winner will have the opportunity for their film to be screened at AiM 2008 as well as the chance to win a significant cash prize. A selection of other short films specially commended by our competition jury will also be screened as part of a short film showcase at AiM 2008.

The AiM 2008 Short Film Competition will be judged by a jury panel consisting of local film specialists and established African filmmakers; still to be confirmed.

The deadline for competition submissions is 31 May 2008, and following from this a shortlist of films will be selected by an AiM viewing committee. The shortlist will be announced in July 2008. These films will then be viewed by all jury panel members, who will make a collective decision as to the prizewinners, based on a point scoring system that will take into account the relative merits of each of the shortlisted films.

Please see www.africa-in-motion.org.uk/call.html for full submission guidelines and to download an entry form. For any further enquiries, please contact AiM festival director Lizelle Bisschoff at: submissions@africa-in-motion.org.uk.

Events

§ BIRDS EYE VIEW FILM FESTIVAL 2008

MARCH 06-14: ICA, BFI Southbank, Curzon Soho, London, UK

www.birds-eye-view.co.uk/festival.htm

A week of inspiration and celebration, with over 70 events at London's leading cinema venues. Each year we showcase the very best in new features, documentaries and short films from women filmmakers from across the globe, alongside premiere screenings, special multi-media events, Q&As, panel discussions and parties.

§ Morocco : Tetouan hosts the 14th Mediterranean Film Festival

From 29 March to 4 April, Tetouan (Morocco) will host the 14th Tetouan International Mediterranean Film Festival which, since its inception in 1985, has continued to actively promote Mediterranean cinema. The creation of the Tetouan International Mediterranean Film Festival Foundation in 2006, headed by the Minister for Communications, was aimed precisely at ensuring the continuation of the festival.

In 7 days of screenings at 5 different venues, almost 100 films from Mediterranean countries will be shown, together with 10 feature films, 15 short films and 10 documentaries which will be in competition. More than 10 countries will be represented, 200 special guests are invited and 50,000 spectators are expected.

This year, the Festival will have a special focus on Tunisian cinema and the 3 Continents Festival of Nantes. They will be the special guests of honour, with a retrospective that will look at films produced over the last 20 years.

Festival events will also be open to the public at large, including those scheduled as part of the “Special Youth” programme. Two roundtable discussions will be held which will examine synergies between film exhibition, distribution and festivals, as well as the link between cinema and literature.

With the aim of supporting and paying tribute to Moroccan writers, this year’s Festival will see the launch of a special section which will enable the general public to interact with filmmakers and writers. Moroccan novelists and writers will participate in a roundtable discussion and provide their contribution to the debate on literature and the possibilities for film adaptations of the literary works presented in this section, which works will - at the same time - be brought to international attention.

§ South Africa : Aluta Film Festival

February 25th-March 2nd 2008

motheoseleke@yahoo.com / www.aluta.co.za

§ TPI Awards

London, UK – 17th February 2008

Gearhouse South Africa was honoured to receive the award for Favourite International Production Company of the year, at the 2008 TPi Awards in London on 17th February. Now in its seventh year, the TPI annual Awards pays tribute to the creme-de-la-crème of the international Technical Production Services industry; including awards for production and tour managers, sound engineers, lighting designers, video directors, set designers, transport companies and riggers.

For the Gearhouse group, this award is the stamp of approval from the international TPS community and a tribute to the staff whose creative and technical abilities contribute the “magic” element of the company’s slogan.

Managing Director, Ofer Lapid, who received the award on behalf of the group at the world-famous Grosvenor House in London's Marble Arch, said “We are extremely proud of this achievement and the recognition from the European industry leaders for our hard work. For the group to be nominated alongside international players of the calibre of STAGECO, JANDS PRODUCTION COMPANY, SPECTRA, AMPCO, FLASHLIGHT and CLAIR BROTHERS AUDIO is a success in itself, never mind actually winning the award.”

Gearhouse SA is well-known for its ability to predict and meet industry trends, and for a company-wide commitment to the ideals of top-quality and attention to detail.

§ 7th Annual Tiburon International Film Festival

March 13th-21st 2008

1680 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, CA 94920

Phone: (415) 381-4123

Fax: (415) 388- 4123

info@TiburonFilmFestival.com

www.TiburonFilmFestival.com

Tiburon International Film Festival is a non-profit cultural and education organization dedicated to provide a greater understanding of the world and its many cultures through the artistic medium of film. The Tiburon International Film Festival, in its 7th edition, will screen over 220 films from more than 90 countries, including three tributes, first to: John Wayne (The Searchers...), an American legend with his family present, on Saturday, March 16 @ 4:45 PM. Second, to Blake Edwards, another great American director (The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Breakfast at Tiffany…) on Saturday, March 15 @ 5 pm. Mr. Edwards will be present for his tribute. Third, a tribute is to Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces, The Kings of Marvin Gardens...), known as “one of the kings of independent film”, in person

The Spotlight program this year is on Brazil, with ten of their latest and finest films: The Samba Poet, After The Ball, Drained, Black God, White Devil, Earth Entranced, Not By Chance, Rhapsody of the Absurd, Pixinguinha, Dotcom, Paired Off...

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