By Chris Ihidero
Thanks to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) I had the pleasure of participating in Africast 2014, which ran between the 21st and the 23rd of October 2014 in Abuja. My only other participation at Africast had been some 6 years ago, I think, and I felt totally lost because everywhere I turned all I saw were broadcast equipment and the talk was all about broadcast technology and technicalities. For one whose business is content, I felt Africast wasn’t a place for me. The reverse was the case at Africast 2014.
In 2015, Nigeria will join the rest of the world in cutting over to digital transmission. Test transmission is already going on in Plateau state and the journey to full digital transmission for the whole country will begin next year. It will not be achieved overnight but it was heartwarming to see that the NBC is talking to people who have seen the process implemented elsewhere and presenting the realities of a digital cut over to players in the broadcast industry in Nigeria. Contrary to the expectations of many, this will not be a walk in the park and I like how this was made clear to those who were at Africast 2014. Digitisation will not suddenly solve all the many problems of the broadcast industry in Nigeria. Rather, it will provide amazing opportunities for platform owners and content producers to collaborate in ways that are mutually beneficial.
Africast moved towards content in it’s programming this year and I think this is instructive, especially as we move towards digitisation. In sitting on panels and speaking on content and context in a digital age, I came off with the feeling that a lot of content producers are excited about digitisation because they believe that the multiplication of channels through digitisation means that a lot more platforms will be available for their content and boom, all their problems are solved! Nothing could be farther from the truth. Digitisation is a sword that cuts both ways. For content producers, it will mean that only the best will swim through the murky waters of abundant content and rise to the top. And completion will not only come from local peers but global content powerhouses too. Digitisation will ensure that, if you do not bring your A game to the content battle, with your context firmly locked in, your chances of survival are very near to nil. I wonder if many Nigerian content producers will be so expectant of digitisation if they understood this. The digital journey is a long one and we are just starting. It is also a marathon, not a dash.
Africast will become a yearly event from 2015. This is an important step towards rapid interventions. Two years is too long a time to wait in a digital world where new ideas and inventions become obsolete by the minute.
Africast needs a continental look and feel. While it is hosted and programmed by the National Broadcasting Commission, I believe that it needs to move towards a continental outlook and become the hub for ideas and intervention in the broadcast industry across the continent. This will surely not be easy but then, nothing good comes easy. And a continental dominance is always a good thing.
Africast 2014 was a blast for me in many ways. It was an opportunity to engage the NBC’s plans for digitisation at close quarters, to make my very little contributions to ongoing conversations on content, as well as a great chance to (re)introduce myself and my new initiatives to friends and colleagues.
My only moment of sadness occurred the night of my arrival. I walked into the Ladi Kwali Conference Centre of Abuja Sheraton Hotel and Towers and walked past the VIP Lounge. The door was wide open and it was empty. I took a few steps back, stood in front of the open doors and stared at the second single sofa to the right of the empty room. I whispered to myself: ‘That’s where she usually sits.’ Between 2007 and 2012, Amaka Igwe hosted BoBTV, the television programmes and film expo, at this same conference centre. I worked with her at every one of those editions of BoBTV. She would run each day of BoBTV sitting on that sofa in the VIP lounge. That moment was yet another reminder of what will never be again. Sad as the moment was though, Africast 2014 was a generally satisfying experience.
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