Pan-African broadcaster Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa took
the
opportunity to showcase its key channel brands, pan-African content offerings and
next-generation OTT developments at DISCOP Africa 2015, which runs at the
Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg until 6 November.
Alex Okosi, senior vice president and managing director of VIMN Africa, will be
sharing his views and insights on the evolving African content sector in his keynote
speech titled “The changing digital landscape: where to from here for traditional
broadcasting?’ Okosi’s keynote speech, scheduled to take place at 14h00 today, will
address the exciting new chapter in content distribution on the continent, while
touching on digital transition, changing content consumption behaviour in the multi-
screen universe, and unlocking value from new and emerging OTT services.
“Twenty years ago, the introduction of linear satellite subscription TV transformed
the broadcasting industry in Africa,’ comments Okosi. “Today, the industry is facing
a fresh wave of transformation brought about by the evolving digital landscape, the
rise of multi-screen viewing and increased competition. This is a huge opportunity
for the traditional broadcast industry, but it has to adapt to this changing digital
landscape to stay ahead of the curve and retain and grow its audience base.’
“The television and film industry is experiencing a shift towards on-demand vs.
scheduled viewing, more “binge viewing’ of multiple episodes of a series and a
migration from traditional TV to multi-screen viewing. While the viewer is in control
of the content and how it is consumed, the vast majority of viewership still stems
from linear feeds. Contrary to popular perception, linear is proving resilient and
viewers are watching more TV than ever before. It is the combination of linear and
non-linear services such as video-on-demand (VOD) and over-the-top (OTT)
services that will catapult content distributors to the forefront of this new digital
era,’ adds Okosi.
Okosi will also discuss the specific opportunities provided by the new Viacom Play
Plex suite of mobile TV apps that enables distribution partners to offer smartphone
and tablet users access to premium content from all its TV brands, anytime and
anywhere.
“There are challenges involved in transitioning from a linear to a non-linear mind
set, but we see a huge opportunity to evolve with these seismic shifts in both
consumption and distribution,’ concludes Okosi.
