The broadcasting landscape - although struggling and hampered by fragmented infrastructure - is changing massively, and the biggest winner is the consumer.
So says Chris Oberholzer, the head of strategy and development at the South African satellite broadcaster MultiChoice. He was speaking today at the AfricaCast 2011 TV summit that kicked off today in Cape Town as part of the 14th AfricaCom conference.
''Foreign direct investment, the real interest that's being shown in Africa is leading to an upliftment - a resurgence in Africa's television market,'' Chris Oberholzer said.
''The broadcast landscape in Africa is changing. We've got significantly more TV platforms, we've got digital migration from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT), there's an increased focus on fibre capacity - both sub-marine and terrestrial - and there is a strong change where previously broadcasting was restricted to terrestrial networks and direct-to-home (DTH) for pay TV but now many new entrants coming in.''
''This growth is all good news for the consumer. It means multi-channel, mass market access and very point-specific solutions where the consumer wins.''
''We're seeing many regional broadcasters offering local content, local content that's very compelling,'' said Chris Oberholzer. ''IPTV and DTT is expected to become an ever-increasing part of the mix of television in Africa. As these markets mature, obviously, we expect it to take a greater market share.''
''Many of our markets in Africa however struggle with infrastructure. Infrastructure is spotty, it's fragmented. We have pockets of high-capacity across the continent - specifically in big metropolitan areas - but we have many fragmented operators. There's also very diverse environments, diverse regulatory environments each with their own sets of issues. So it's a tricky environment to navigate,'' he said.
''With these two world's approaching each other - the IPTV and the direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV world - the key to note is that the Americas are flattening out and is getting saturated from a satellite television point of view. The eyeballs are still increasing in the Americas - people are watching more TV - but it's across a wider mix. In contrast the Asia Pacific and Africa territories show very strong growth and are now leading the charge.''
