CIO OPINION
CIO
opinion
“
ALTHOUGH THE
WRITING COULD BE ON THE
WALL FOR TRADITIONAL
BROADCASTING, SUPERIOR
USER SATISFACTION
REMAINS AT THE CORE OF
BUSINESS OPERATIONS.
//////////////////
Joseph Hundah, President and Group CEO of Econet Media
The evolution of
broadcasting in Africa
Africa’s Over-the-top
(OTT) market is poised
for growth and it’s being
driven by the need
for superior customer
experience. Joseph
Hundah, President and
Group CEO of Econet
Media, tells us more.
T
elevision has captured the
imagination of audiences since
its inception over 75 years ago.
But as technology evolved, so have
audience needs and expectations. In an
era of instant gratification, the television
industry in Africa has reached an
inflection point. Digital satellite services
(DTH) is no longer a viable option due to
a number of commercial challenges such
as the high cost of content acquisition
and significant levels of piracy.
In 2018, we saw the rise of new
broadcasting business models such as
OTT and video-on-demand services,
where film or TV content is streamed
via the internet. In fact, according to
IHS Markit, the number of households
that stream OTT services in the Sub-
Saharan African region alone grew
21.8% between 2010 and 2017, while
38
INTELLIGENTCIO
TV households grew with a compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6%
during the same period.
A pioneering milestone that needed to
be in place in order for this transition
to take place was the deployment of
ubiquitous high-speed connectivity across
the continent. To put this into perspective,
the 2018 Digital report, released by
global digital agencies We Are Social
and Hootsuite, revealed that Africa has
seen the fastest growth rates in Internet
penetration, with the number of Internet
users across the continent increasing by
more than 20% compared to 2017.
To foster an ecosystem of innovation
enabled by increased connectivity,
Kwesé partnered with sister company
Liquid Telecom and other mobile
network operators to supply connectivity
www.intelligentcio.com