London — YouTube is the leading streamer in Africa and is a vital part of reaching new young audiences and the diaspora. This week russell southwood looks at a comparison between YouTube viewing in Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Senegal.
Looking at YouTube subscribers and monthly views is a good way to gauge how well African countries are coping with digital transformation, and in most countries, broadcasters are the main players. Broadcast media gives historical players a key advantage, which some, like RTI in Côte d’Ivoire, have seized with both hands. In Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, government interference with broadcasters is less apparent (see article on allowing Séverin Tchounkeu, Equinoxe TV In Brief below).
So what are the underlying statistics that influence this comparison? Cameroon has the largest population (29 million), followed by Senegal (17.9 million) and then Côte d’Ivoire (10.7 million). In terms of GDP per capita, Côte d’Ivoire leads the way ($44,298), followed by Cameroon ($3,600) and then Senegal ($3,300). However, both the Ivory Coast and Senegal have a significant diaspora.
In terms of the metric I’m looking at, I’ve taken the top 5 identifiable YouTube players that provide the equivalent of streaming output. Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal are fairly even, although Côte d’Ivoire’s performance has an advantage because it has a smaller population:
Social Blade Ranking/Company Subscriber Views Last Month
2. New Ivory Chain 558,000 9,337,000
3. Official RTI 1.99 m 6,085,000
13. Broadcasting Television 335,000 5,985,400
15. Abidjan.netTV 398,000 635,156
18. Raoul Wafo TV 156,000 590,473
Two points should be made about these numbers. First, Social Blade’s ranking reflects longer-term trends, and second, until recently, RTI hasn’t had any real competition.
Although Senegal’s numbers are higher, they reflect both a larger population (almost double) and probably a larger diaspora:
Social Blade Ranking/Company Subscriber Views Last Month
3. TFM 1.93 m 15,714,000
4. Dakar Buzz TV 1.37m 13,566,000
5. Senegal7 1.3 million 12,549,000
6. SSB Senegal 245,000 12,637,000
9. Lutte TV 699,000 6,546,000
Cameroon has the largest population and a GDP per capita that is halfway between the other two, but clearly underperforms in comparison:
Social Blade Ranking/Company Subscriber Views Last Month
4. Channel 2 International 236,000 1,057,000
6. Yolk TV 274,000 988,166
9. Study MBN 18,400 5,879,000
16. New Bell Music channel 84,700 184,478
24. Chretienne TV Family 12,500 94,114
Channel 2 International, the long-time leading broadcaster, is well ahead of the others, but remains quite modest in terms of monthly views compared to players from the Ivory Coast and Senegal.
So what is affecting Cameroon’s performance? To one extent, home broadband prices are very similar in all three countries if you look at Orange’s offerings. The main difference is that Orange is promoting packaged services that include a telephone line, a TV bouquet with Canal Plus and a mobile offer. However, the quality of the broadband network is significantly lower in Cameroon as there is no competition in the wholesale market. Control of the network falls to the not always impressive Camtel.
African broadcasters need to be aware of their digital broadcast offerings or they will start to lose the next generation of viewers and lose touch with diaspora audiences.
Update Note: Following last issue’s story about the analogue blackout in South Africa, South Africa’s full migration from analogue to digital broadcasting services has been delayed by three months. The Johannesburg High Court, dismissing e.tv’s and other intervening parties’ applications for costs, postponed the analogue blackout from the March 31 deadline to June 30.
Soon
Netflix’s South African original teen series “Blood & Water” is currently in production, and fans around the world are excited. Netflix shared a sneak peek on their Instagram account with the caption: “Mzansi’s coolest kids are back! #BloodAndWater season 3 is currently in production. Here’s your first look.” The cast of the series includes Ama Qamata, who plays the role of Puleng Khumalo; Dillon Windvogel (Wade); Khosi Ngema (Filkile); Thabang Molaba (KB) and Arno Greeff (Chris).
Cameroon: The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for media regulations in Cameroon to lift the ban on reporters from Equinoxe TV, a private broadcast station, and allow the station to operate freely. The media regulator of the National Communication Council released a statement mentioning that Séverin Tchounkeu, CEO of Equinoxe TV and Cédrick Noufele, editor-in-chief, were banned as reporters for a month, and the station’s “Droit de Réponse” (” Right of Response”) The program was also banned from broadcasting during that month. A source said the station planned to challenge the regulator’s decision in court. Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator, said: “The regulator must allow Séverin Tchounkeu, CEO of Equinoxe TV, and Cédrick Noufele, editor-in-chief, to return to work and refrain from censoring content of public interest.” .
Nigeria: Nigeria’s highly anticipated reality show The Real Housewives of Lagos (RHOLagos), airing on Showmax, has collaborated with MTN Nigeria to lighten the burden of data costs and subscription fees for customers to watch the program on the streaming platform. Starting April 8, 2022, the MTN and Showmax streaming package will allow MTN customers to go to the MTN app or Showmax website and pay for the 30-day subscription to Showmax Mobile or Showmax Pro Mobile using your airtime coupon in exchange for discounted data. .
South Africa: eMedia has revealed that a new Afrikaans language channel will be added to its satellite broadcast service, OpenView. The added channel, ePlesier, will include all-day streaming of eTV’s variety of Afrikaans-dubbed Turkish soap operas, including Gebroke Harte, Bittersoet, Stilleto Vendetta, Kurt & Shura, Die Put and Vierspel Vuurspel. The channel will air new episodes Monday through Friday, and Omnibus will repeat the show on Saturdays for those who missed it during the week. The new channel, ePlesier, will begin broadcasting on OpenView on April 18, 2022 on channel 112.
Nigeria: The Film Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN) has revealed its latest box office figures, noting that it generated US$827,000 from tickets sold in the country during March. CEAN National Chairman Mr. Patrick Lee made the announcement during an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. The president indicated that the figures reflect a 45 percent increase compared to the return of $451,272 in March 2021. Mr. Lee added that this indicates a seven percent increase in ticket sales during March, as $720,000 was generated in February. He highlighted the highest-grossing movies in the country during the month of March such as “The Batman”; “Unexplored”; “The contractor”; “A Simple Lie” and “To Turn Red”. “In March, we sold US$827,000 in tickets, which is encouraging compared to February’s US$720,000. The blockbuster movie “The Batman” sold the most tickets, accounting for 39 percent of the total revenue of box office in March
Burundi: Burundi’s media authority announced on Wednesday that it would lift a nationwide ban on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), nearly three years after the broadcaster was forced to cease operations in the East African country. . The National Communication Council withdrew the broadcasting giant’s license in 2019, accusing it of violating press laws and unprofessional conduct. “We have made the decision to reopen BBC radio from today,” said the regulator’s chairman, Vestine Nahimana.
East Africa: MultiChoice Kenya has delivered US$31,300 worth of equipment to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) to help with TV signal quality. Receiving the equipment on behalf of the corporation, KBC Acting Managing Director Samuel Maina mentioned that the Media Asset Management System (MAMS), together with the Newsroom Management System (NMS), will enhance the efforts made by the entity to enrich its audio and video. Additionally, the investment will ensure that the entity obtains a High Definition signal throughout the country for its channels, KBC Channel 1, Y254 and Heritage TV. Maina is confident that the new systems will help KBC create new revenue streams by monetizing archived content in digital formats such as VOD.
Subscribe for free to AllAfrica newsletters
Get the latest in African news straight to your inbox
Namibia: The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has announced that no new licenses will be allocated to any telecommunication and broadcasting entities between the last quarter of 2022 and 2023. In the meantime, the regulator plans to assess the levels of competition within the market mobile from Nambia and assess market saturation. In addition, the regulator has notified that it intends to determine the challenges of the new entities before resuming the allocation of licenses. Emilia Nghikembua, CEO of the Namibia Communications Regulatory Authority (CRAN), said: “The regulator is not currently accepting any new license applications, but will review any inquiries to update, withdraw, transfer or cancel active telecom or broadcast licences. “.
Kenya: MultiChoice Kenya has delivered $31,300 worth of equipment to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) to help with TV signal quality. Receiving the equipment on behalf of the corporation, KBC Acting Managing Director Samuel Maina mentioned that the Media Asset Management System (MAMS), together with the Newsroom Management System (NMS), will enhance the efforts made by the entity to enrich its audio and video. Additionally, the investment will ensure that the entity obtains a High Definition signal throughout the country for its channels, KBC Channel 1, Y254 and Heritage TV. Maina is confident that the new systems will help KBC create new revenue streams by monetizing archived content in digital formats such as VOD.
