DISCOP AFRICA 2, the matchmaking and networking event targeting sub-Saharan African’s free and pay television platforms, concluded last week in Nairobi on a positive note with attendees expressing optimism regarding the future of the television business in Africa.
A total of 332 participants attended the event, just six months after the inaugural DISCOP AFRICA which took place in Dakar, Senegal in February this year.
“Holding two events so close to each other has definitely increased the reach of our DISCOP platform across the continent, with half of the African broadcasters and pay-TV platforms attending in Nairobi new to the market,’ says DISCOP general manager Patrick Jucaud.
Attendees in Nairobi for the three-day event included 90 broadcasters and Pay-TV platforms from 21 sub-Saharan countries. They held an impressive number of decisive meetings with the 79 international suppliers of film, finished programmes, formats and packaged TV channels represented.
“By the same token, close to half of the sellers who exhibited in Nairobi, had also attended Dakar and many indicated that they felt the additional business generated in Kenya justified their investment in a second DISCOP AFRICA’, adds Jucaud.
Close to half of these sellers attending the event were from Africa (36 producers and distributors from the continent) underscoring the increasing regional interest in African content. To help fuel that trend and improve audiovisual content production and distribution skills in Africa, the Paris-based Media Consulting Group launched the Made In Africa™ training and informative year-round programme during DISCOP AFRICA 2, bringing together 12 African producers and 15 international experts.
Also taking part in this second edition were 16 advertising agencies seeking branding and product placement opportunities for major Pan-African television advertisers such as Coca-Cola, Toyota, Nokia, Orange, Zain, Safaricom and Unilever.
The decision to revert to one annual edition of DISCOP AFRICA will be taken after DISCOP AFRICA 3 which is scheduled to return to Dakar, Senegal from 24 to 26 February 2010.
