Connecting Africa is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 3099067.

Digital Entertainment

BBC Worldwide & Its Mission in Africa

Article Image
Connecting Africa has been actively tracking the digital entertainment explosion in Africa, heralded by the skyrocketing popularity of the smartphone -- admittedly amongst the more suburban, affluent classes.

Such developments have given rise to immense opportunities for those on the end of the telecom value chain in Africa, such as international broadcasters, where a whole new client base has opened up.

The commercial arm to the BBC, BBC Worldwide is a case in point and it has seen its mission in Africa fully realized as the number of digital connections grows on the continent.

At this year's AfricaCom panel discussion on economic development through digital connectivity, BBC Worldwide's vice president and general manager for Africa, Joel Churcher, sat down with AfricaCom TV to talk about African connectivity and how it is helping to succeed in its mission as not only a premium content distributor but also as a local skills enabler.

Speaking about some of the challenges and the contradictory nature of the entertainment space in Africa, Churcher noted that the people of Africa "have great expectations [and] demand quality service, quality content -- they want access to an international perspective and it's a real challenge to give them that when they just don't have access to broadband."

BBC Worldwide is a distributor of some of broadcaster's most prominent and celebrated shows and has even produced local versions of the famed Bake Off and Strictly Come Dancing shows.

But its remit is much broader: Its mission in Africa comprises three pillars. "Our first pillar is to deliver our global brands to the world, our second is to deliver premium content globally and our third pillar is digital innovation," lays out Churcher.

Connectivity has completely transformed BBC Worldwide's business within the past two years, where originally its "TV sales business was predominantly to free-to-air," now digital is its number one client base. Churcher states: "There are new players coming up all the time and they look to the BBC, in terms of content, because they know the audience is there. There is a great resonance with international content, particularly BBC content -- through its affinity, through its international perspective [and] through its 'premiumness'."

In respect to what BBC Wordwide is able to offer African viewers, Churcher believes: "People look to the BBC because of its heritage here in Africa, as a partner that not only offers credibility but also offers something that can help people upskill, develop staff and really make an impact on the continent."

You can view the full interview here:

If you're interested in Africa's digital evolution, then why not attend one of Connecting Africa's series of events?

Upcoming events: East Africa Com May 17-18, Nairobi
West Africa Com July 11-12, Dakar
Nigeria Com September 20-21, Lagos
AfricaCom November 6-10, Cape Town

Be part of the African tech and telco conversation here:
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram

— Chris Read, Contributing Editor, KNect365

Innovation hub

Story

Hot startup of the month: Nigeria's Tech Herfrica

Connecting Africa's hot startup is Nigeria's Tech Herfrica, a social impact organization that focuses on the digital and financial inclusion of women and girls in rural areas of Nigeria.

Story

Omdia View: February 2024

Highlights in February 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included 5G launches in Senegal and 5G trials in Egypt as well as Kenya's first 5G MVNO. Airtel also launched a new wholesale connectivity business while MTN and Huawei are planning a joint Innovation Technology Lab in South Africa – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

More Innovation hub

Latest video

More videos

Partner perspectives

All Partner Perspectives

Sponsored video

More videos

Industry announcements

More Industry announcements

Upcoming events

Africa Tech Festival 2024
November 11-14, 2024
Cape Town, South Africa
More Upcoming events

Africa Tech Perspectives

Story

Uber's Marjorie Saint-Lot on inclusion and sustainability in Africa

Uber's Country Manager for Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, Marjorie Saint-Lot, shares how the ride-hailing company is approaching public-private partnerships, environmentally friendly initiatives and gender inclusion in Africa.

Story

The 100 most influential African leaders in 2023

A new report from Africa Tech Festival and Connecting Africa puts a spotlight on the top 100 African leaders in the telecoms and technology sector in 2023.

Story

Deep dive into East Africa's tech startup ecosystem

New survey reveals a lack of access to investors, reliance on international VCs and global recession trends as the biggest barriers for East African tech startups to access funds.

More Africa Tech perspectives

Guest Perspectives

Story

Omdia View: February 2024

By Omdia Analysts

Highlights in February 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included 5G launches in Senegal and 5G trials in Egypt as well as Kenya's first 5G MVNO. Airtel also launched a new wholesale connectivity business while MTN and Huawei are planning a joint Innovation Technology Lab in South Africa – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

Story

Omdia View: January 2024

By Omdia Analysts

Highlights in January 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included a $200 million fintech deal between MTN and Mastercard as well as 5G network trials by Telecom Egypt – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

More Guest Perspectives

Like us on Facebook

Newsletter Sign Up


Sign Up
Tag id test-002