Transnational Television in Sub-Saharan Africa

By GRAHAM MYTTON, RUTH TEER-TOMASELLI & ANDRE-JEAN TUDESQ

Introduction that will begin to shape much of the Television is less developed in Africa future of African TV in a different wav than in any other ~tmtinent. Fewer European influence continues' to people have a television set at home and guide the development of African TV, there are fewer TV stations transmitting This is not necessarily always something per head of population than on any that comes direct from Europe; it other continenti Television 111 sub- happens because of the linguistic legacy Saharan coun tries is characterised bv that the colonial powers bequeathed the the following features: . continent for good or ill. As noted • The dominance of state-owned and earlier, European languages dominate -controlled broadcasting. African television, and chieflv this • Broadcasting that is for the most means English and French, with the less part national, rather than local or widespread addition of Portuguese It regional. means that these three languages define three broadly different television • Dominance of imported content, landscapes, certainlv so far as ma in lv from Europe and the United transnational television activitx 15 States. concerned." US influence and input IS • Dominance of three European now also of growing importance. mainlx languages: French, English and III anglophone countries. Sim ilarlv. Portuguese. Brazilian involvement and influence 'is • Under-investment and poverty of beginning to be seen !!1 Iusophone facilities leading to low levels of local countries. production. • Lox levels of inter-African co- operation in television production, Transnational Television in exchange and marketing. an African Context Each of these factors has also slowed or 'In contrast to radio. \'.-:~.::-:-, '~:'ossecl hindered the development of national boundaries fr,::)!:': :~~~Ct:'11est transnational television. The market IS days, depending as it cce s T, C.:'eas of verv limited, the risks are high and the the electro-rnagnet:c s:c<~:',,:~' 'hat potential profit for commercial ventures carrv much furrhe:'. ~e:e'.:5: ~", :.:, :'7'12.;)\ is small. But at the start of the 21 SI years, was br02.C:c::;'5~ the cen t urv there are signs of change and of boundaries of a P2:'~::.:>: The the beginnings of continent-wide activity exception to this :-,:-: ,'_ '-:,'~''.lSlon channels that s r ; .~"':ional

"ii","Sflllli",1 33 IHl'rfON. TEER-TOMASELLI & TUDESQ

boundaries. For instance, populations of at a time when government monopoly the two capitals of the two Congas, on over the electronic media had been well either side of the Congo River, have for established. Links with the former several years been able to watch colonial powers were reflected to some television services from the other extent in the content and style of the country. People in northern areas of output. This was especially so in the Tanzania could watch Kenyan TV in the former French colonies. The close links 1960s, twenty-five years before TV that the majority of francophone states eventually came to Tanzania. Similarly, maintained with France led to a people in Botswana and Lesotho could dependency on programmes from watch South African TV long before they France and on news images sent via had their own national TV stations. satellite, although the state-run national Aside from these, most services are television stations exercised control over contained within the boundaries of the their programming. iv nation-state. Broadcasting frequency Advances in television technology, bands are pre-planned and internally together with a relative liberalization of coordinated through the International the media and the phenomenon of Telecommunications Union (ITU) to globalization, led to the growth of .avoid mutually harmful inference transnational television activity ID between neighbouring countries. The Africa, starting during the last decade of· current international frequency the twentieth century. The synergies assignment plans for television are between telecomm unications, included in the regional agreements information technology and electronics established by the ITU and adopted by all increased the possibilities for satellite signatory countries. Currently, the VHF television business in Africa. and UHF bands for television are set There were three main ways for between 174MHz and 470MHz to 854 transnational television to develop. at MHz, according to the Geneva Plan of this stage in Africa's media development. 1989 for Africa and neighbouring One was to reach general populations countries. These regulations require that through existing terrestrial stations. For all medi um and high power frequencies this to happen, links needed to be made are coordinated with neighbouring with these stations. The second way to countries so as not to cause intentional go was similar to the route taken by trans-border interference. Any new several entrepreneurs in Europe and frequency or relation of a frequency or Asia - the direct to home satellite increase in transmitter power of a television service, as demonstrated most medium or high power transmitter successfully by BSkyB in the UK and situated within approximately 400km Star TV in South Asia. The third way from am border of South Africa's was to use cable or MMDS - Multipoint neighbours (Namibia, Botswana, Multichannel Distribution Service - to Zimbabwe. Swaziland, Lesotho or bring satellite television services to Mozambique], to take just one important households who paid a subscription for example, would require . extensive them to be provided without the need for bilateral negotiations. Although this a satellite dish. v planning and coordination takes place, However, for any of these three in ruanv instances traris-border spillage developments to occur, changes in the is unavoidable."! political and cultural sphere were TV in Africa, with a few exceptions, necessary. The more liberal atmosphere was introduced after each of the new necessary for transnational television to states had achieved independence, and grow was slow to develop in many parts

lnternutionat Journal of Communication -'\'0.] Januarv lO()S TR,t\S.\! T/O.\AI. 1'U.(;I'/,\'/O" /.\ .!FRIC! 34

of Ahica. To sorue pxtent it is still to 4, Terrestriallv transmitted pay-TV emerge 111 some co,:ntries. But in most services which broadcast mainlx

of th e 48 sub Saharan sta te s. foreign programmes, deregulation of soruc kind has lifted J. Cable or MMDS television services, restricuons on broadcasting activities, which transmit television channels tor rncrlv

.-l1T tnterdisciplinury Journal OICOll1l1ll1l1ic1lt101I Studie» 35 ;HYTTO/\', TEER-TOMASELLI & TUDESQ

television programmes. Some of the operation between countries that have newer private channels broadcast the French language in common. In mostly, or even entirely, imported effect, francophone African countries programmes, as can be seen in Kenya have joined with France, Canada, with Nation TV. Many such stations Switzerland and Belgium In an have emerged in recent. years and the international 'community' held together trend can be expected to continue. by the French language». Interestingly, Transnational television in bilingual Canada appears to be the most francophone Africa is better developed active of these countries outside France. than elsewhere and reaches more The policy of cooperation with state- audience numbers. For this reason the owned African television services, which section on francophone activity will France has maintained since occupy more space here. While the independence was gained by its former different linguistic regions of Africa colonies, has been implemented thanks operate largely separately, this is not to to good relations with these African say that there are no linkages. There is states. France has extended its policy of in fact a growing number of connections co-operation to include those states that and further growth can be expected. were former Belgian colonies. Canal France International (CFI) is Francophone Africa the outward audiovisual instrument of Television is very unevenly established this aspect of international French in sub-Saharan Africa. In francophone policy. When it was set up in May 1989, countries, there is a very wide gap in CFI broadcast encrypted programmes some countries between urban and rural via the Intelsat V satellite solely to areas. There are also some major African terrestrial television stations, differences between one country and combining the activities of AITV (the another in levels of access to and International Television Agency) and development of the medium. Although it those of FMI France Media is widely available in the Ivory Coast, in International. The AITV was set up in. Gabon and in Cameroon, and 1983 as part of RFO - Radio France particularly well developed in the capital Outre-mer (taking over the cities of Senegal and the two Congos, it transmission of programmes previously is very underdeveloped in the Central sent daily by France's public channel, African Republic, Chad, Rwanda and FR3), whilst FMI had exclusive rights Mali. State control is found everywhere. over the export of programmes produced In the whole of francophone Africa, by French public television. private television services are of Some earlier ambiguity about this significant importance only in the Conga policy was due to another French (DRC). In the rest of francophone Africa, collaboration with African states which there are relatively few private television had been devised by Herve Bourges-" in stations, and those that do exist are the context of Canal + Africa at the end mostly the result of links with foreign of 1987 with the creation of Canal partners. Horizons, the first pay television station The rapid and successful aimed at francophone Africa whereby a development of the more popular and public company would be set up in every successful francophone transnational country where this service of encrypted television stations in Africa has resulted programmes was received via satellite. from France's own political and cultural Canal Horizons (supported by Canal + approach, which among other things and SOFIRAD, the French state media seeks to extend and strengthen eo- enterprise) would be a shareholder In

lnternutionul Journal ofCommunicution No.] JIIIII/III".I" lOOS TRA/",'SNAT10.\AL TELEJ 15/0\ 1\AFRICA 36 such a company and would market the into lusophone and anglophone Africa. channel, .the first of which .was There was also the emergence of private, established in Senegal in December fee charging networks. In January 1998 1991. Furthermore, in 1992, the a digital platform was launched for francophone television station TV5, francophone Africa, cornprrsmg 8 which was launched in Europe in 1984, channels: CFI-TV, TV5, Planete, Canal created TV5 Afrique, pioneered first by +, Arte, Euronews, MCM, RTL9. Later it the Quebecois-=, followed by the added Canal Horizons and three others. Belgians and the Swiss, whilst the The main international francophone French only joined in later. At its TV broadcaster is CFI. Since June 2000 inception, TV5 Afrique was simply a one of its subsidiaries manages SAT, broadcast of TV5 Europe to Africa. Satellite Africa Television, formerly The domination of the .English Portinvest, created in 1997 by SOFlRAD, speaking media at the beginnings of which sold its capital in June 2000 to global television through satellite, as CFI. Only CFI and TV5 are broadcast well as the dominance of US output in direct, whilst a subscription and a the field of internationally marketed decoder are both necessary for the other programming, led to a reform of French French language satellite channels. media policy, as recommended by a Since April 2002, however, SAT also report on France's 'international broadcasts Arte, the Franco-German audiovisual policy', requested in 1987 by cultural TV channel, France 2 and Jacques Chirac, then French Prime France 5 which can be received either bv Minister. Developments followed quickly direct satellite reception or by MMDS in with increasing globalization and the Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Burkina extension of MMDS networks. CFI could Faso. now be received directly by the general Since the launch of its first pu blic either through su bscription programmes on 17th May 1989, CFI has services or : through the terrestrial increased the duration of. its broadcasting of its programmes by programming. From 1995 it has been African state television stations. Using broadcasting 24 hours a day across 5 the same satellite decoder, subscribers continents, especially to 29 television could also receive both TV5 and Canal stations in 27 sub-Saharan Africa. The Horizons in all parts of the continent. French Ministry for Cooperation has Audio-visual broadcasts in French equipped the majority of these stations form one of the cornerstones of France's with the satellite receiving equipment cultural policy and indeed the general needed. policy' of promoting France's interests Nowadays, there are two arms to and language. Alongside CFI (public), CFI. The first is CFI Pro which Canal+ Horizons (private) and TV5 distributes 237 programme hours each Afrique (mixed), which is aimed month (of which 85 per cent are free) to particularly at Sub-Saharan Africa, the 46 African television stations in 40 interest in developing a French language countries, mostly francophone but also news channel benefited from the some anglophone and lusophone. which withdrawal of the British channel, ITV, are especially interested in receiving from the Euronews consortium and this sports programmes (which make up has enabled a strengthening of the 14.7 per cent of programmes broadcast French presence. by CFI-Pro). These television stations French policy aimed to coordinate its receiving CFI services are then able tc international audiovisual programme decide whether to retrarisrnit entire more effectively and CFI was extended programmes or parts of them in their An Interdisciplinary Journal of Communic ation Studies 37 MYTTON, TEER-TOMASELLI & TUDESQ schedules. CFI has also become Serge Adda (0.6 per cent). The current accessible direct as a television channel, managing director is Denise Epote which can be received in its entirety Durand. TV5 is broadcast on satellite from satellite, like other French digital NSS7. programmes, and this is its second arm. We are seeing the beginnings of Canal+ Horizons has given rise to local television enterprise in two companies in sub-Saharan Africa. francophone Africa, marketing services Canal Horizons Senegal was set up in that are available from transnational 1991 as a joint venture with Canal sources. One example is Africable Horizons holding IS per cent of the Network SA, which was launched in capital, together with the state 200 I by cable operators in Bamako, broadcaster and private investors. Then Mali, and grouping together Multicanal in Ivory Coast, in December 1992, Canal (Bamako), Tele Plus (CameroonJ, Horizons won the tender to become a Mediastar (Niger) Linda Communication private television station and received its (Congo), TV Sat (Gabon), Delta 2000 own frequency. The channel is (Senegal), APTV (Madagascar) and broadcast by SEDACI, which was set up Neerwaya (Burkina Faso), with the in 1994 by Canal+, together with intention of broadcasting private African SOFlRAD, and capital from the Ivory television stations by operators of Coast. Madame Boni-Claverie, former MMDS. The initial project seems to have director of state broadcaster RTf and been slightly altered following minister of communication in the negotiations with Portinvest with a view Ivorian government, was its first to being broadcast on the francophone president. Since April 1995, SEDACI SAT, and also with francophone or also broadcasts TVS.ix anglophone public television stations In May 2002, Canal Horizons (SABC,AITof Nigeria, TV3 of Ghana). launched Canal Satellite Horizons in the There is a network of independent Ivory Coast, a digital francophone agents responsible for managing bouquet of over 20 radio and television subscriptions and providing delivery channels, which can be received direct services by MMDS or making direct via satellite with a 90cm dish. Broadcast satellite access possible in francophone from satellite NSS07, the bouquet countries as well as in some lusophone comprises channels for cinema and anglophone countries. These (Cinecinerna, Action), sport (Pathe sport, companies have a variety of Motor TV), youth (Cartoon Network), arrangements in place that differ from entertainment (AB1, l Serne Rue, RTL9, country to country and between cities Paris Premiere), music (RFM TV), and and towns in the same country _ MMDS general interest (CFI, France 2, TF1, services tend to be confined to major TVS). population centres while direct satellite TVS Afrique is one of the beacons services are available more widely. There ofTVS's global network, the francophone are many different arrangements in channel whose shareholders are France place. For instance, in Senegal, Canal Television (47.38 per cent of Horizons is distributed in Dakar by 21 share holding), Arte France (12.5 per distributors using MMDS, direct to cent), SSR, the Swiss public television home satellite service or by terrestrial n~\"wl)'t'R \ \ \.\ per cen't) ID"tl'P, tile transmission, 1n Rufisque and Thies, Belgian public broadcaster (11. 1 per _terrestrial transmission is employed. For cent) Radio Canada (11.1 per cent),'RFO homes in Saint-Louis, Kaolack, Mbour, (4 per cent), INA (2.61 per cent) plus Tamba and Ziguinchor direct to home three individual shareholders led by satellite is the main means of delivery.

international Journal IIf Communication Nil. 2 January 200S TRANSlYA T/ONAL TELEVISIO.V 1.\ AFRI(A 38

In the Ivory Coast, Canal Horizons is programme about social issues. In distributed in nine districts of Abidjan addition -to news programmes. 13.4 per by MMDS, while direct satellite cent of output is devoted to magazine transmission is usual in most other programmes and 4.2 per cent to parts of the country. In the second city, features, adding up to around 30 per Bouake, MMDS is employed>. In cent of the output that can be described Cameroon, there are satellite as 'factual' content. Besides these two distributors in DouaIa, Yaounde and channels, SAT provides news from RTL9 Garoua. Distribution is also provided by and Euronews. Although not a news both direct satellite service and MMDS programme as such, but reflecting in Cotonou, Benin, in Bujumbura in current affairs, La Semaine des Guignols Burundi, in Conakry in Guinea, in (Puppets' week), attracts a large N'djamena in Chad, in Bangui in the audience in African capitals by poking Central African Republic, in Nouakchott fun at prominent figures in public life, in Mauritania, and in Pointe Noire in mostly, it has to be said, non-African. Congo. Both means of reception are Entertainment programmes, as also found In Ojibouti, Burkina Faso everywhere, constitute a substantial and Niger. In the Congo (ORC) both share of output. We have already noted alternative services are available in Canal Horizons' high proportion of films. Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. The same CFl-TV dedicated 27.5 per cent of its circumstances are found in Libreville output in 2002 to fiction (films and and Port Gentil in Gabon, in serials), 4.6 per cent to other Antananarivo in Madagascar and In entertainment programmes and 21.5 per Bamako in Mali. cent to music. Sport, which represented Analysis of the content of 6.3 per cent of CFI's content, can be francophone transnational services linked both to information and shows a high level of sport, news and entertainment. Finally 9.2 per cent is cinema. 50 per cent of Canal Horizons' made up of programmes for the young. programme output is accounted for by CFl broadcasts very popular cinema (360 films per year), 25 per cent programmes that have met with huge is sport, the remainder is comprised of success in France, notably variety shows music, documentaries and youth such as Sebastien c'est Show, Le Plus programmes. News is one of the genres Grand Cabaret du Monde, and Stars especially sought by audiences, who Parade. However, this channel aiso look for the latest news and better news broadcasts African films as well as coverage (especially on Africa). In many African music, the programme Africa cases, the television viewer expects the Musica and musical clips such as that of channel to overcome the blackout or Manu Oibango. There are numerous restrictions imposed on news items cultural programmes on CFI, which broadcast by domestic or national usually come from western television media. TV5, for example, broadcasts a such as Histoire des Religions. De news bulletin every hour. In 2002, 13.3 l'Actualite de l'Histoire, L'Aventure des per cent of CFI-TV's output was in news Planetes., Les Geants du Siecle. Some programmes from TFl or France 2, as come from Africa such as Net d'Afnque. well as 12 minutes of a special daily Canal Horizons is the most widely . ' pan-African news programme Edition available transnational station In Afrique. Afrique Presse is a 40-minute francophone countries. This is followed weekly programme on African current by CFI-TV and TV5 with other stations affairs, produced in conjunction with falling some way behind them, If we use RFl, and Boulevard du Midi IS a the familiar market research concept of An Interdisciplinary JOIITJ/{// of Communication Studiev 39 ,"Il'TTOIV. TEER-TOMASELLI & TUDESQ

share, Canal Horizons' share of stations thern.» Ivory Coast provides the best received is 31.5 per cent of households. field of research for a study based on CFl and TV5 each have a 17.7 per cent individual countries, partly because of share while the remaining 33.1 per cent the extent of television reception and is made up of all the rest. partly because of the frequency of radio

We have information from and television audience surveys there. vn audience research in some areas that Two surveys in Ivory Coast dating from tell us about the respective popularity of 1995 and 2001 enable us to distinguish available television services and certain characteristics and programmes. The importance of the role developments. The first, in June 1995, of transnational television stations in was conducted in Abidjan, Bouake and Africa is illustrated to some degree by San Pedro, whilst the second, from June size of the audiences watching the 2001, concerned covered samples in the programmes. This can be fairly well same three cities with the addition of evaluated from recent surveys, mainly Daloa and Korhogo. The tables that conducted in urban areas. However, the follow show the equipment used to assessment of the qualitative impact or access transnational television stations. importance of the broadcasts is likely to For the purposes of this study we be more difficult. have analysed the data by those According to audience research, demographic variables that are transnational television services have significantly correlated with access to witnessed an increase in their audience the relevant equipment and actual in Africa since 1996. This is partly viewing behaviour. These are especially because the number of channels knowledge of French, higher education broadcast has increased. But it is also and social and economic status. because less expensive means of Table 6.1: Percentage of households with delivery have been devised, other than direct access to transnational TV the very large satellite dishes that have channels and video recorders, Abidjan, been required. Free to air broadcasting June 1995 \DJl)S for a few hours every day of otherwise Satellite Subscribers Videu dish 10 Canal recorder su bscri ption -based encrypted channels Ilorizons has also contributed to audience All 2.1 3X 6.3 21.5 growth. Affluent In 2·L' 52.7 75.6 There is more than one way of classes describing the audience numbers for Executives 1:13 5.7 22.~ 41.X transnational channels. Those channels With good .:1.6 6.3 12.6 30.S that rely on Sll bscription give the command 01 numbers who subscribe. Thus Canal French Horizons quoted 115,000 subscribers language I I.t) throughout Africa in 1995 and 150,000 11ighcr 21 I -14.7 59.3 education at the end of 1999. Describing the ~ l 'ncducaicd I ].X 11 ') situation in 2002 but referring only to * -1.-1 .., .., sub-Saharan Africa, the figure of 75,000 Munuul * 16.X Workers was given. At the beginning of 2000 the Housewives 0.6 -1.3 15.1 French digital platform had 70,000 * subscribers, 50 000 via MMDS and Basic 0.9 2.6 2.6 17.3 command 01 20,000 by direct reception from satellite. French But the more interesting data are *: Nil or negligible those that tell liS about who actually watches and how many there are of

lnternutionul 1(1"1'111I/ of Communication No.] 1111111f1rl' ]()OS TRANSNATIONAL TELEI/SIO' I' -tFRICA 40

Table 6.2: Consumption ofTransnational Television, Abidjan, June 1995 (percentages I

~ny iCanal trvs .-\n~ iFI rrV Horizons Interna- I tional T\ il"ree to air encrvpted resular ~iaily reaular Idaih rezular Daily regular Idaih rezular Jail:- !"':~....;:J:- dailv .., , All fJ2-l 1-l8.4 f40.2 190 12.7 .., 14.7 ko 7.8 1.1 _~- 'J n.6 Affluent 1<>7.5 175.3 11.2 )0.6 '"'2.1 ~IJ 15.4 36.X '9.3 h" ~.'"..' - 2~ ..~ 'lasses ..,1.8 Executi I'es ~1.8 ~6.9 ~0.6 7.3 ~4.6 ~.3 "'8.8 ~I ~3 ..N~ 16.} With Good 'omrnand 01 I French i l Language ~6.9 57.8 52.0 12.9 20.7 5.9 Q.2.3 ~.7 17.9 ;2-l -n.9 11.2 Further 199.5 ~7.1 f49.5 12.7 50.1 15.4 ~3.3 14.5 1-l2.9 '12.1 <:>2.5 i 1I..,,..,;, .. Education No 88.7 ~ 1.8 33.5 7.4 7.6 0.3 19.0 2.3 ".2 ~IU 33.5 ~.5 Education , Housewives 89.5 51.4 38.3 13.7 6.1 0.4 9.7 3.4 3.6 ~)(J 31.1 12.0 Basic French 190.4 f42.2 35.2 16.8 8.4 0.2 10.9 '.6 1).6 KJ.4 G-t3 !n Note: "Regular" means at least once a week. The data show that satellite TV access is Six years later, it is the very much higher among elites. We see a demographic groups that were already similar pattern when we look at actual the most receptive towards these viewing behaviour. channels that have improved their It is evident that there are a far access. greater number of viewers of Table 6.3: Percentage of households with transnational television than there are direct access to transnational TV owners of the equipment to receive it. channels and video recorders, Abidjan, This arises from something June 2001 characteristic of much of sub-Saharan Africa and which assists greatly the Subscribers "'ideo Satellite !'I vms 10 (ana~ spread of TV viewing - the widespread dish ,.. . H' lrecorder I orrzons I community-based lifestyle and climate ! that encourages open-air activity. It is All 3.5 63 ".!I :239 Affluent easy to watch TV even if you do not have -ll. -:- 53.S -3.11 89.3 a set. It is also true that direct lasses broadcasting via terrestrial re- Executives '2.0 25.1 38.3 55.7 broadcasting, which takes place at With Goodl certain times, will contribute to the high Command o t'..t 5A 6.3 15.1 ~5.4 , audience levels achieved by some French Higher .... ., .., francophene transnational services. In __') 1.- 11.9 ~4.0 82.6 education I spite of the great differences between I Uneducated p.5 1.7 2.1 10.4 social classes and at the very least ,I Manual between the levels of education and ~5 ~.4 2.4 IlllS Workers knowledge of French, transnational House« il<;!, kJ.9 ~6 ~.2 i13.6 television stations have clearly made inroads even among those with only Basic I ornmand ot 1.3 2.11 . 17.1 -' - I modest income since 1995. French i

An Interdisciplinary Journal of Communicanon STudies 41 MYTTON, TEER-TOMASELLI & TUDESQ

As shown by Table 4, similar rates of per cent in San Pedro. In Bouake, only growth are found for the actual 2.9 per cent of households were audiences reached. connected to MMDS. Access to any transnational TV service was even lower in the other Ivorian towns surveyed. International television stations' Table 6.4: Previous day's consumption of status as a leading source of news and television, Abidjan, June 2001 information endows them with a (percentages) prominent position. The survey in Abidjan in June 1995 that we have Any Trans- CFI Canal TV5 already quoted puts international elevi national Hori- television stations in sixth place for sion TV zons information on international news, but All S5.S ri: 3.1 16.5 6.4 in second place (after international radio Affluent 12.3 57.6 5.2 17.7 ? \.6 .lasscs stations) for affluent classes and for those who have higher education, and in Executives 46.4 [26.6 94.5 4.5 ?0.8 third place for executives and ~()()d employees. International TV reaches ornmand 0197.2 37.0 5.2 no 15.3 second place for information on science French and technology and even first place Further 98.1 60.6 9.4 ~2.8 24.1 education among affluent classes and graduates. Uneducated In June 2001 in Abidjan, ?s.1 12.6 1.7 10.8 1.7 international television stations ranked V,..orkers. in third place as the best source of rattsrncn 81.6 17.1 6.6 10.3 4.9 information about events abroad but in second place (again after international Housewives radio stations) for the well-educated, 83.3 15.7 0.8 14.9 p.9 employees and executives, affluent Basic people and even in second place (as ever command 0 after international radio stations) for French 81.8 16.5 3.1 12.8 4.3 executives, employees and the well off, i I I I as a leading source of information about an event in the Ivory Coast. International television stations are also received by a significant Surveys in the Ivory Coast show that number of people in Senegal where a audiences for all television are very local office for Canal Horizons has been much lower in rural areas. Audiences set up, and where there also exists a for transnational television are very low dynamic MMDS network, particularly in outside the major towns. Even in towns Dakar but also in provincial towns. A outside Abidjan, audiences are smaller survey conducted by SOFRES in and this is linked to much lower levels February 2001 stated that 34.1 per cent of access to the necessary household of those surveyed subscribed to MMDS, equipment and generally lower levels of 20.2 per cent to Canal Horizons and subscription to paid-for services. For that 1.5 per cent had a satellite dish in example, in Bouake, only 3.3 per cent Dakar-Pikine. However, the actual subscribed to Canal Horizons while the number of television viewers is well figure in San Pedro was 4.6 per cent. above that, as the following table Satellite dish ownership in Bouake was shows.v» only 1.9 per cent of households and 3.2 lnternatiotutl Journal of Communication No. 2 JIIII/IIUT 2005 TRANS.'VATlONA.L TELEI'ISIO.\ l\tFRIC-t 42

Table 6.5: Previous day's shares of 52.4 per cent of the better educated), 2.9 audiences to transnational TV channels, per cent subscribed to Canal Horizons Dakar-Pikine, Senegal, February 2001 (39.6 per cent of the better off). Just 0.9 (percentages) per cent of the sample owned a satellite dish but 35.6 per cent had watched Interna- Canal+ CFI TV:; tional Horizons international television stations over the T\ week preceding the survey and 15.6 per stations cent the night before. Canal+ Horizons 3L.1 15.4 16.0 had been watched by 11.5 per cent 15-2~ ~cars 5X.3 43.0 18.9 21.4 during the same week (by 35.3 per cent SlUd':IlIS 6<).8 53.6 24.6 25.5 of executives), TV5 by 29 per cent and Secondary 64.4 46.7 24.0 24.9 CFI by 15 per cent. xiv and higher In Cameroon, foreign television stations education benefit from the fact that the national EI1lf1lll~ ces, t)3.3 36.2 33.8 27.0 television network CRTV does not fulfil Executives the expectations of its audience. The Manual 28.7 17.2 9.4 11.5 digital package offered by SAT is Workers watched by 58.5 per cent of the viewers Artllll'1ll 73.2 49.8 31J 32.9 of Yaounde, at any time. The most classes popular channels are Euronews (34.7 Poorer :n.o 21.0 6.8 7.6 classes per cent), RTL9 (31.5 percent), Canal+ tucducarcd 23.2 16.t) 6.0 5.9 Horizons (29.7 per cent), followed by CFI and then TV5.xv The influence of transnational We have retained those categories of television stations can be measured people in Table 5 who were most likely according to the greater or lesser to watch transnational television number of viewers who watch them and stations and those who watched it the also by the length of time that is spent least. It is interesting to note that, even watching them, These television among the latter, ratings are not stations meet a need for information insignificant. Among other channels in that is not supplied at present by the the French digital SAT package, not national public television services, listed in this table, MCM Africa had a 6 especially in times of crisis. This is per cent audience on the previous day, particularly noticeable for the better while RTL9 had 5 per cent. International educated and executives who are also television stations ranked in third place the main listeners to international radio in Dakar and Pikine, Senegal, among stations. the leading sources of information about The influence of transnational a news event abroad, behind national television stations in francophone cities and international radio stations. For is all the greater since national members of the affluent classes, television stations fail to meet the international television came second, expectations of viewers because of their just after international radio stations. inadequate local output. This is very In other capital cities in evident in the two major cities of francophone Africa audiences for Cameroon where television, commonly transnational television can also be transmitted either by cable or by MMDS, high. Figures from Ouagadougou in enables a sizeable audience to access Burkina Faso show that 16.1 per cent of RTL9 whose programme Ca va se sauoir, a representative sample subscribed to (It will be found out), exposes personal MMDS (90.3 per cent of the affluent and and private disagreements on air. The

An Interdisciplhtary 10111'1111/ of Communication Studies 43 HYTTON, TEER-TOMASELLI & TUDESQ

following table illustrates RTL9's weekly of the emerging private television audience.w' stations. They widen the gulf that separates city dwellers from rural Table 6.6: RTL9's audience in Cameroon, inhabitants and the poorest from the December 2001 (percentages) wealthiest, all the more according to the level of education and of French Douala Yaounde language. Transnational television ,\11 57.3 56.9 channels, however, whether received by 15-24 ) ears 66.9 65.6 satellite or by the intermediary of. an Lmpk» ccs. Executivt:s 7().9 64.3 MMDS or cable operator are on the increase amongst the public of large Manual Workers 57 47 francophone cities, especially among the Pupils. Students 69.3 76.5 ruling classes and the young. This Housewives 55.9 49.4 undoubted influence can be expected to Uneducated 41.4 39.9 increase in the years ahead, not the least because throughout francophone Transnational television channels are Africa national broadcasters are received less in those countries where hampered by financial problems and television itself is less widespread. government control that limit their However, the gap widens between the creativity. capital and the remainder of the country, between the leading classes and the well educated and the rest in Lusophone Africa every country. In 2000 at Niamey in Portuguese-speaking countries have also Niger, only 5 per cent of adults were developed a network of transnational connected either by satellite or by cable, television stations, a development led to despite the fact that in the course of the a large extent by channels based in week preceding the survey, 17 per cent Portugal and Brazil. There IS the had watched TV5 and 10 per cent CFI.xvi, Portuguese international TV station, As far as Chad is concerned, R'I'Pl=:", as well Lusovisao which, in a there is only a survey dating from 1993 similar way to TV5, has since July 1999 by ASA, at which time CFI reached 2.4 been distributing the output of per cent of a sample of the population in Portuguese television stations and that the capital N'djamena; TV5, 2.1 per cent of the five Portuguese speaking African and CNN 1 per cent. Yet, 59 per cent countries. MGM Latin America provides watched neighbouring Cameroon's some of its service from Brazilian television, an interesting example of sources and the Brazilian giant TV cross-border television, where a foreign Globo International is also available channel got more viewers than the from satellite. There is now also a national television, which did not even children's service known as the Panda broadcast every day. Channel originally targeted at children Transnational television channels between 4 and 14 years in Portugal but will have an increasingly important role now on satellite for lusophone Africa. to play in francophone Africa, which has RTPI is probably the most already been greater than elsewhere on important of these. It signed agreements the continent. Programmes from foreign in 1994 and 1995 with all five broadcasters account for an important lusophone countries. In January .1998 it part of the schedules of many national launched a special Africa service RTP public television channels and account Africa, which is available as a free to air for an even greater part of the schedules terrestrial service in Angola. Lusovisao lnternutionul Journal of Communication No. 1 January 1005 TRANSN.4 TlONAL TELEVISION IN AFRICA 44 was created on a trial basis, to establish television's weekly reach) had increased the exchange of programmes between from 74 per cent to 91 per cent in Portugal and the five lusophone Maputo and from 51 per cent to 75 per countries In Africa. The Portuguese cent in Beira.> group Visabeira whose activities, in The cable service TV Cabo reckons addition to radio and television, also that it will be available in 15,000 homes extend to industry, tourism and in Maputo in a few years. In Luanda, the property, joined forces with capital of Angola, in 1996, 3 per cent of telecommunications providers in homes had access to satellite television, Mozambique to introduce TV Cabo in but RTP Africa was also received via Maputo and later in Beira and in cable. The state TV station, TPA, Nampula. TV Cabo broadcasts CNN, broadcast a schedule in which 60 per Cartoon Network, Skynews, RTPI, RTP cent was imported programmes, Africa and also other channels for sport, particularly from CNN, CFI and RTPI. In cinema and news. Luanda as a whole, 67 per cent of South Africa's Multichoice, which households received television, and we describe in some detail in the next these statistics for access remind us section, has also moved into lusophone that here, as in many other countries in countries. Multichoice Angola was Africa, most audiences see the content launched in 1998, first being confined to of transnational television through the Luanda but now also accessible in mainstream terrestrial services, rather Cabinda, Lobito and Namibia. In 2002 it than from satellite direct or cable and registered 20 000 subscribers, especially MMDS.xxi those who wished to view TV Globo. Direct access to satellite services in lusophone Africa might not be Anglophone Africa widespread but has shown rapid growth The two major English language players in some places. For example, In in transnational television In Mozambique in 1995, only 1 per cent of anglophone Africa are both Sou th homes in Maputo and 3 per cent in African. They are MultiChoice Africa and Beira had cable or satellite television. By TV Africa, while a number of content 2001, 5 per cent of homes had access to providers, most of them from outside satellite television, 8 per cent in Maputo, Africa, utilize these broadcast- 6 per cent in Chimoio, 3 per cent in pu blishers to get their services to Beira and 1 per cent in Nampula.v= For viewers on the continent. Other satellite the most part, direct-to-home satellite services are beginning to emerge. services reach only the wealthiest MultiChoice is the pre-eminent sections of the public in Portuguese- content carrier in anglophone Africa. speaking countries. Many more are The parent company, MultiChoice reached, as in the rest of Africa, through Holdings Investments Limited (\!IHJ. rebroadcasting on terrestrial services. operates subscription services across The development of television has the whole of Africa, as well as the Middle been rapid in the main cities of East, Greece and Thailand. It e:;.erged lusophone countries. For example in from Mnet, South Africa's first pr: v-ate Mozambique, between 1995 and 2001, television channel. Historicallv. Mnet the number of daily television viewers was only a terrestrial channel aric was climbed from 60 per cent to 74 per cent available only in South Africa. It oegan in Maputo and from 46 per cent to 60 broadcasting in 1986, breaking several per cent in Beira. Over the same period, decades of SABC's broadcasrmg weekly viewing (otherwise called

An lnterdisciptinarv Jt1IlTIlUl ofComnutnicanon 5tudit's 45 MI''TTO!\', TEER-TOMASELLI & TUDESQ monopoly. Initially it was a joint venture services were offered across Africa in of four newspaper publishers: Nationale 1995, utilizing the C-band on PAS4 Pers (Naspers) owned the greatest share, satellite. With the delivery via satellite, while Republican Press, Allied the bouquet of channels was enlarged Publishing, and Times Media Limited significantly. This was the beginning of held equal shares, In 1998, Naspers DSTV (Direct Satellite Television), a acquired control over MIH from the subsidiary of MultiChoice. At this point, other press groups. Its subsidiaries MNet and MultiChoice were formally included MultiChoice (which was simply separated, with the latter changing its a distributor platform and. subscription name to MultiChoice Investment management service), MNet, the content Holdings (MIH). During the next few provider and scheduler for analogue years, MultiChoice expanded beyond terrestrial subscription television in Africa: into Greece in 1995, Thailand South Africa, and M-Web, the Internet two years later and China in 1999. That portal. The following year MIH Limited year, the transmission moved to PAS7 celebrated its initial public offering on satellite and in 2000 the launch of the the Nasdq and Amsterdam stock Eutelsat W4 satellite opened up the Ku- exchanges. In 2002 the cycle was band services to sub-Saharan African completed, with the whole conglomerate and the Indian Ocean Islands. Asia was of MIH Limited and MIH Holdings the next stepping-stone, and 2001 saw becoming wholly owned subsidiaries of the acquisition of 46.5 per cent of QQ Naspers. Naspers restructured itself as a (China), a satellite television service on holding company with five subsidiaries: the China mainland. and also the MultiChoice Investment Holdings launch of Indian and Portuguese (MultiChoice and M-Net); M-Web bouquets. Thus within a single decade, (internet portal); Media24 (print MultiChoice expanded horizontally, newspaper titles and online news moving from being a terrestrial pay- service); Nasboek (book publishing and television platform in a single country, retailing) and Educor (private colleges to a multi-platform provider across the and business schools). In this way, the African continent. Naspers/MultiChoice stable is an At the time of writing, MIH outstanding example of cross-media Limited owns operations that span over ownership and control, making full use 50 countries, providing entertainment, of the synergies and cost-efficiencies of interactive and e-commerce services. such an arrangement, while at the same The group employs over 6,000 time fully exposed to some of the pitfalls collaborators, 690 of whom are based in of over-enthusiastic expansion. their Randburg headquarters in South An analogue service, distributed Africa. The group claims over two million via satellite, was launched to more than paid-up subscribers m Africa, the 20 African countries in 1992. Its Mediterranean and Asia, 1.25 million of subscriber management division became whom are in Africa. 57 per cent of so successful that the company was able African customers subscribe to the to build on it, hiving it off from the rest digital platform (DSTV): 638,000 of the business, and renarmng it households in South Africa and a MultiChoice Limited (MCL) m 1993. further 200,000 in the remainder of Both MCL and MNet traded on the sub-Saharan Africa, while approximately Johannesburg Stock Exchange as linked 632,000 subscribers remarn on the units until 1995. The first transnational analogue services. [ joint venture was entered into with Critics point out that with an Namibia in 1993. Digital satellite annual monthly subscription of US$60,

IIIft!rIIl1tiOlllllltJ1lr11l1/lIfCllmnllllliclIfion Nil. 1 1111I11111)1005' TRANSNATIONAL TELEVISION IN AFRICA 46 the reception of these services is limited sector. Under the joint venture model, to foreign nationals and the local elite, MIH undertakes a partnership with local and thus do not contribute to the entrepreneurs or state broadcasters, in enrichment of the local states, either which each party has a partial culturally or economically. Prices are shareholding and a joint management very much higher for this service than strategy. Joint ventures trade under the for the francophone transnationals name of MultiChoice and the county, outlined earlier and this has meant that e.g. MultiChoice Zambia, and have full audiences and access to transnational access to MultiChoice Africa's nerve television have so far been much lower. centre in Randburg through satellite In a show of optimism that communication, allowing for technology characterised media industries transfer and fully staffed customer- worldwide at the turn of the millennium, service support. Franchises carry a MultiChoice diversified further, investing MultiChoice identity, while the parent in the interactive television operating company provides management, system, Open TV, in 1997. This venture infrastructure, training and marketing proved to be untenable and, in 2002, support. As with joint ventures, they are MultiChoice's shares in Open TV were facilitated through a fully online sold to an American company, Liberty connection to the central computer Broadband Interactive Television, a system. Independent agents comprise a subsidiary of Liberty Media, for US$17 network of entrepreneurial agents who .million. sign up subscribers and install DSTV. The Multi-Choice group is able to These companies trade under their own leverage its business into four areas: business names, while also promoting content aggregation, subscriber the MultiChoice Africa brand. A table of management, platform development and the countries in which MultiChoice marketing and branding. Within Africa, Africa operates, arranged by business MultiChoice Africa operates under three model, is provided in Table 6.7. different business models, together with a programming and technology support

Table 6.7: MultiChoice Business Models b)' country .loint ventures Franchises Indepe"denta~e"h I3(H,\\"an~ Angola Hcnin lihana Ethiopia Burundi K~n~·'l Malawi Cameroon Namibia vlozambrque COIllOf!b Nigeria Swaziland Congo (Brazzav ilk I Tuuvania (mainland) Zimbabwe Congo (DRC) I.alllhia Equatorial Guinea l.ritrca Gabon Gambia Ivory Coast Madagascar Mali Mauritius Niger Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe SC1H:gal Sierra l.cone Tanzania (/.aJlI.Ihar I Togo

All lmerdisciptinory Journat ofCommunicution Studies 47 MY1"TO/V. TEEH-TOMASELLI & TVDESQ

MultiChoice Africa IS a broadcast- a much higher frequency than the older publisher and subscription manager. In C-band, and has a much smaller its former guise, MCA packages footprint with more power. This means channels. some fully imported from that it covers a smaller area across the America. Europe or Asia, others continent, requiring a greater number of compiled from imported programming transponders. However, the advantage of together with locally commissioned the Ku band is that it requires far programmmg through its sister smaller (and less expensive: satellite company. MNet, and broadcasts these dishes than other bands, allowing; for ,) as channel 'bouquets' to subscribing greater consumer uptake of satellite clients. These clients are served with technology. The Ku band also allows for programme guides, both printed m greater reach and penetration of magazine form as well as electronically coverage across the continent and available on-screen .. As a subscription greater bandwidth (i.e. the amount of manager. the company administers data a transponder can carry), making contracts with, and receives payment possible parallel channels for language from subscribers; operates a call centre dubbing in additional languages. for su bscri ber service; and co-ordinates One of the advantages of the supply and servicing of decoders to digitalization IS the cpportunitv to subscribers. amortize the content over a number of As a subscription business, all the different content delivery' platforms, MultiChoice television programming is notably the Internet. As part of the encrypted. The system in use is the MultiChoice Investment Holdings Ltd lredeto System, for which they have the Group, the content acquired by MNet agency in Africa (and large parts of and DSTV is used to cross-promote the Mediterranean Europe). Encryption African M-Web Internet operation. implies the scrambling or encoding 0\ lnteractive television is in its mrancv, the signal, which is then decoded at the exemplified mainl , thruugh the point of delivery through a television-top electronic programme guides; however. decoder. Clients not in good financial some territories do have access to standing are simply 'cut off - i.e. the embryonic services in e-mail. gaming ability to decode the signal IS and home shopping, all of which discontinued. MultiChoice operates two promise to be a major part of future distinct systems of distribution development. encrypted terrestrial broadcasting and Growth in the Satellite television encrypted broadcasting via satellite. The market will be determined most directlv latter is available on both the analogue by the expansion of a middle class and digital platforms, although strong consumer able and' willing to afford the. moves are being made to 'migrate' all subscription fees for the service. Beyond subscribers onto the digital platform. this, three other factors will play a role: Multi-Choice operates three satellites over Africa: PAS 7 for Ku band • The increase in bandwidth capacity, coverage of southern Africa, PAS 10 for which will allow the delivery of high C band coverage of sub-Saharan Africa; speed, bulk data on a point-to-point and Eurelsat W4 for spot beam coverage basis, while at the same time, of Nigeria and broadband coverage of facilitate a drop 111 the cost of the rest of Africa. Further capacity of Ku transmission services. band services was recently rolled out on • The growth of interactive the back of the Eutelsat W4 at a cost of applications. such as email using US$lO million. The Ku band operates at the television/ satellite connection,

Intcrnutionu! Journa! ofConnnunicution No. 1 Jumutry lfJ05 TRANSNATJONAL TELEVISIO/V IN AFRICA 48

which will encourage a News provide a mainstay of diversification of the services on offer programming. Some of tI-e channels are to consumers, adding value and of international standar ..s, while others creating greater demand. are created by thei : Sr.' lers for specific • The ability to store content on world regions. BBC Prime, for instance, decoders through Home . Media is a 24-hour enter-ainrnent channel Service without the intermediary use offering a selection of the best British of a VCR, thus fundamentally domestic programming emanating from changing the way in which the BBC. The line-up of programming is consumers interact with television decided by the BBC, and sold as a viewing. MlH, through the terrestrial package, tailored for different regions of broadcaster MNet, has three wholly the world, thus obviating the necessity owned, 'proprietary' brands: K-TV for for the carrying satellite service to apply children's programming, Super Sport for individual programme rights. CNN for sports coverage and Movie Magic too has an international edition tailored for movies. Each of these channels is for Africa. Foreign language made up of both commissioned local programming in French (including programming together with Canal+ and TV5), Italian and German is programming produced elsewhere available as a standard part of the and dubbed or subtitled into the bouquet, while specialist bouquets, local language. The Movie Magic provided for an additional fee, for service acquires exclusive pay-TV Indian, Portuguese and Arabic viewers rights to premier movies, notably are also available. from the Disney, Columbia The only available detailed Tr istary Sony, Warner Brothers, Fox,' audience data for MultiChoice services MCA/Universal, Paramount. MGM by satellite applies only to the South and Dreamworks Studios.v= African portion of the viewer ship. Thev All three of these services or brands confirm that viewers are mostly to be play out' on the terrestrial service found among the high-income earners, available in South Africa, MNet, which is government officials and expatriates. a broad-spectrum entertainment Another prominent channel is SABC channel, supplemented by specialist Africa, the external service of the South Super Sport channel. Further channels African Broadcasting Corporation, South provided by MNet include the partially- Africa's state-owned broadcasting body. interactive reality TV show, Big Brother, The channel was created by an which in 2003 was produced as Big amalgamation of two previously separate Brother Africa, with an all African cast, channels. Its namesake, SABC Africa, . living together in a game house until all was a news, current affairs and but one is eliminated. documentary channel beamed at the The analogue and digital services rest of the continent, while Africa-2- available via satellite are delivered as Africa, an all-entertainment channel, DSTV, a direct-to-home service, and was launched in September 2000, in provide various 'bouquets' of channels. order to provide a satellite channel In addition to those already mentioned, broadcasting entertainment made Jl1 fully-imported channels such as Africa, for Africa. On April 1st 2003 a Discovery, National Geographic, hybrid channel was launched. drawing Hallmark, BBC Prime and Cartoon programming from both sources. The Network are also included. Twenty-four- channel is housed on the DSTV platform hour news channels - BBC World, CNN operated by MultiChoice, reaching 49 International, Sky News and China countries (see list for MultiChoice). The All Interdisciplinary Journal ofCommunication 5111dil!.\· 49 M)'TTO/\, f££R-TOMASELLI & T[!D£SQ channel also serves as an overnight feed including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Lesotho, on SA.BC2, one of the three domestic Swaziland, Zambia, Nigeria and the key SABC terrestrial channels. In terms of francophone territories. TV Africa, content, the channel has a dual content broadcasts between 3 and 18 hours of strategy - to provide news and current sports and entertainment programmes affairs,as well as entertainment every day. These are received mostly by programming. Most of the weekly commercial television stations. Most of programming is based on the TV Africa's programmes are in English, news/current affairs format, while but it is also providing some French weekends are predominantly language content to partners in Benin, entertainment. The stated philosophy is Burundi, Gabon, Niger and Togo. to 'celebrate the positive side of Africa Charles Zougoua, TV Africa's Director and being African'. Some programming, for West Africa, has described the approximately a quarter of the airtime, network's mission as being 'to bring particularly lifestyle, news and current Africans sport and entertainment affairs programmes, are especially programmes. 'xxiv TV Africa is able to sell commissioned for the channel, while a time to advertisers within a programme special effort is made to source African package that is delivered via terrestrial movies. Two African-produced dramas stations to audiences in several are broadcast every week, representing countries. This is a formula that is also countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, being used by another satellite TV Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Guinea service supplies, African Broadcast Bissau , Cameroon and Ethiopia. For the Network, as we outline later. most part, however, the programmes are Much of the programming of TV rebroadcasts of material shown on the Africa is similar to that provided by terrestrial channels in South Africa. The MultiChoice / DSTV, with the latter majority of programming is broadcast in having the rights to encrypted English, with considerable sub-titling in broadcasting while TV Africa holds African languages, French and territory rights to the free-to-air Portuguese. transmissions. African-produced Detailed audience data for SABe programming on TV Africa emanates Africa is available only for South African mostly from Nigeria and Ghana, viewership.v= The audience profile is although these programmes are in short predominantly male and predominantly supply. The local affiliates, spread in the middle-aged. The channel attracts the 24 countries throughout Africa. produce top two socio-economic groups on the the news programmes where these are Living Standards Measurement index, available. The estimated reach of TV i.e. those with over $US2,500 per Africa through its affiliates is 62. 1 household per month. million. xxv TV Africa started broadcasting from TV Africa seeks to make use of South Africa in July 1998. Founded by existing terrestrial broadcasters to reach Barry Lambert and David Kelly and audiences and to sell access to those financed by Zephyr Management, the audiences to media buyers - advertisers Africa Investment Fund and the South of consumer goods and services Africa Enterprise Development Fund, it targeting African consumers. TV takes a draws its revenue from advertising relatively low share (about 20 per cent) rather than subscription. At the time of of sub-Sahara's advertising expenditure. writing, its network provides satellite This will grow but the total cake is not services to 34 African television large and television's share is not likely channels based in 24 countries, to reach the levels found elsewhere of 40

lntermuionut Iournal ofCommunication No. 1 January 2005 TRANSNATIONAL TELEVISION IN A FRIC4 50 per cent and more. TV Africa's growth is recognises that many members of likely to be slow. Audiences to terrestrial African TV stations' ac jiences, being stations are also of less interest to some financially very weak, a'

An Interdisciplinary JOIIT/W/ a/Communication Studie» 51 .HYTTO,v, TEER-TOMASELLI & TUDESQ

the immediate future. What will change hypothetical development of a pan- in the field of transnational television African satellite channel. At this stage services by satellite will be the successes only South Africa (MultiChoice) and and failures of the different approaches possibly ABN seem to be in a position to that we have outlined. We have seen the make this happen. The second relates to dominance of European and South the development of a partnership African initiatives in which the rest of between African and Western television Africa south of the Sahara has played stations, which would allow the former relatively little part, at least so far as to express themselves whilst using the production is concerned. There is huge logistics and technical know-how of the potential for the future, but television is latter. Nevertheless the freedom of an expensive medium and the risks of expression of African television stations failure art> high. A major problem in is hindered by conservative attitudes of writing this chapter is in making any African governments, which continue to predictions for what will succeed. control most television production and Transnational television stations transmission on the continent. play a role in sub-Saharan Africa that varies greatly from a country to another. There has been more activity in francophonc countries than elsewhere, although this imbalance now seems to be changing. In many countries it already forms a major part of the television landscape and especially in the television consumption habits of the Notes upper classes and of young urban i Accurate and reliable statistics for Africa people transnational television activity are hard to find. The BBC's international throughout the continent can be research department estimated in 1999 that there were 29 million TV sets in sub-Saharan expected to continue to grow while the Africa, about one for every twenty people. pu blie service broadcasters continue to This compares to Asia and North Africa be weakened by a lack of adequate where there is one set for every six people. resources to meet audience needs and See Graham Mytton. 'From Saucepan la demands. ABN, TV Africa and some of Dish', III Richard Fardon and Graham the francophone and lusophone Furniss (eds), African Broadcast Cultures enterprises may be able to break (Oxford, James Currev, 2000). As for as T\ through this bv bringing a greater pan- transmitting facilities are concerned, there African element and especially in ABN's are several African countries with only one case, if it is successful, by the pooling of terrestrial domestic broadcaster. In many countries, satisfactory reception can only be resources for more and better obtained in and around the major urban indigenous production. areas. See World Radio TV Handbook, ABN, TV Africa and some of the (Oxford, WRTH Publications, annual). francophorie and lusophone enterprises ri Of the 48 countries south of the Sahara, 19 rnav be able to break through this by can be classified as francophone, and 17 as bringing a pan-African element and anglophorie. Additionally three countries can especially in ABN's case, if it IS be classified in both camps. Five lusophone successful, by the pooling of resources countries, one Spanish speaking and three for more and better indigenous that do not fall into any of these categories production make up the remainder. There are two potential developments. The first is linked to the

Intermuionat Journul ofConnnunication ;Vo.] j{/I/II{/~I' ]005 TRANS/\>1T10NAL TELEVISION 1,\' AFRICt 52

· Persona! corrn'pondence. Lvnn Mansfield. xi" Immar Etudes medias [Kinshasa. S:\BC (iM Strategic Planning. Radio. 16 May December 2001). lUO:). =lbid. ;. Andre-dean Tudesq, l'Afrique noire et ses xvi Ibid. teleuision-, (Paris: Anthropos-Ina , 1992), and

Andre-clcan Tudcsq and George Wedell. "" Immar .Etude des lItoyel/;; d'iIlIO(llIuTlClII Television mId Democracy ill Africa. Report Niamey. Other surveys found similar low for the EEC (DG8). September 1996. levels of household access to satellite TV. There were only 0.5 per cent of the sample ,'MMDS IS sometimes described as a cable possessing a satellite dish in a survey service without cables. It uses a high completed in February 2000 in the three frequency transmission system to carry principal towns of Madagascar. In a survey several TV services in a package similar to in Cotonou, Benin, only 1.5 per cent had a what one might have from a cable service satellite dish although 12.3 per cent had that can be received in any household access to MMDS. subscribing to the service and with the specialised receiving equipment necessary. xvif Radio'Televisao Ponuguesa Internacional is more or less the Portuguese equivalent of vt Perhaps the best known outcome of this CFI. It carries some commercial advertising co-operation is TV5. referred to later, a global but it is a state enterprise. TV service that seeks to retlect the cultural product of this grouping of francophone xix BBC World Service. Media Survey. countries. Mozambique, 200 I.

·.ii Herve Bourges, a friend of socialist xx Ibid. President Mitterand, was initially appointed to head the French state's international radio xxi BBC World Service. Media Survey, Angola. service. Radio France International. He later 1996 moved on to. other government-appointed xxu Some of these films and programmes are posts in the media before going to SOFlRAD. available on terrestrial channels 111 the various territories. \I:i The francophone Canadian province.

xxii! SAARF TV audience data 2003. ix This and other pieces of information about the SItuation in the Ivory Coast refer to the "-X" Quoted in the Ivorian daily newspaper Le situation before the outbreak of fighting Patriote, 8 June 2000. between government and rebel forces in late 2002. Many aspects of the television xxv Estimate provided by the broadcaster landscape were changed by this conflict and xxvi George Twumasi, 'Television: Africa's the long-term situation remains unclear. future media opportunity', The Churuiet, .Jan- ~ See previous footnote. March 2003, p.20.

xxvii Ibid ,:i For access to much contemporary audience dam we are grateful to Jean-Marc Be1chi. Head of the Research Department at eFl, to Daniel Nobi. Director of the Research Department ar RFI. both in Paris, and Marie Dziedzic at the research archive of the BBC World Service in London.

-, The variou s tables for Ivory Coast have been provided by Etudes Medias of HPCI, Hilrnar Peter Consultants International.

'.: Sofres .Etude sur les mosjeris d'infonnauon till Senequl. Dakar-Pikinc, February 20Ul. :137 interviews of adults (15+).

All 11I(<'rtli.~dplill/lrl' Journal (If Communication S(II/Iil'\