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inkstainedwretch inkstainedwretch The Digital Content Juggernaut in Africa
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It is as tempting to refer to "Africa" as it is to refer to "Europe," when both terms refer to more than 50 countries each (depending on how you count), in both instances all wildly different from each other. Yes, in many countries in Africa content is king, and before long that's like to be more true than not in a growing number of countries.

But right now, there are countries in Africa where many citizens have smart phones not to play games or watch football, but because smart phones have become a vital tool for commerce.

The use cases are many and varied, and the various markets within Africa develop at their own paces according to their respective needs, and occasionally those needs won't include either Halo or a match featuring the Indomitable Lions.

-- Brian Santo

Telecoms Ray Telecoms Ray The Digital Content Juggernaut in Africa
Re: What content is king?

It all comes down to the business case, absolutely, and that's what I'll be looking for at AfricaCom -- and I should be able to find it, because the right people are going to be there.

I'm particularly interested to see if the relationships between local/regional content owners and the network operators are easier to broker (and business rules easier to establish) than nio other parts of the world, where there still seems to be friction between potential partners over who gets what cut of any resulting revenues.

AK242 AK242 The Digital Content Juggernaut in Africa
What content is king?

One of the key areas for any content business to understand is, what content makes the money? Content is indeed king, I think denying that is now fruitless. But all content is not created equal, and in different geographies, different content has value. "Low-value" content (which is anything that won't generate interest and revenue) is not king. It's barely a serf.

For example, football coverage in the UK, Germany and most European countries is like gold. But in Hungary, interest is usually quite low for sports. It was only its recent win over Austria in the Euros that got people involved, but generally doesn't have the same cachet as in most European countries.

Similarly, Hollywood doesn't have the same negotiating muscle in India, where Bollywood rules. Nigeria, with Nollywood content, may present the same challneges for Hollywood producers -- but therefore, also opportunities for local talent. 

Identifying "killer" content and apps will be important as new businesses and business models are developed, for each country or comparatively narrow region. 



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