by Thinus Ferreira
Like Hari Sheldon's psychohistory that determined the creation of the Foundation to try and save the galaxy, Apple's decision to flat-out ignore Africa's media was also by design when it came to publicity support for press around the new drama series Foundation on Apple TV+.
With Foundation, based on the novels of Isaac Asimov, rolling out from 24 September on Apple TV+ as a new science fiction series on the streaming service, the Apple TV+ publicity team responsible for international press relations cut the African continent and South Africa's media out of access and previews.
There's been no help or assistance for the show whatsoever - despite media requests.
With showrunner David S. Goyer serving as Foundation writer and executive producer, there is a reason why Apple TV+ users based in South Africa and across Africa won't see or read any interviews with David S. Goyer or any other of the Foundation crew or cast, and why there will be a lack (if not complete absence) of Foundation reviews from African TV critics and very little else in terms of coverage: Apple TV+ doesn't seem to care about Africa.
A while ago TVwithThinus reached out to Susana Voets at Apple TV+, heading up international publicity at Apple TV+ for shows like Foundation, requesting help and assistance with the new series, including asking for digital screeners to watch and preview the show for review purposes.
No help was forthcoming.
Besides no interviews offered or set up with the producers or cast and the exclusion of Africa's press from group media sessions, at the very minimum it should have been possible for Apple TV+'s PR team to help local South African media and to make Foundation episodes available as screeners, similar to what was done for other media, and as an established practice by broadcasters in their media relations around preview content.
Apple TV+ was unwilling.
Hence no screeners for the media in Africa. No letter to the press in Africa from David S. Goyer about Foundation like what was sent to media elsewhere.
While American PR support for Apple TV+ content is handled separately by publicists like Fabrizia Mauro, Ashley Sugarman and others, Apple TV+ has different people doing international publicity for the same content like Susana Voets.
The Apple TV+ international PR part arranged interviews with David S. Goyer and others, including the lead cast attached to Foundation like Lee Pace, Jared Harris, Lou Llobell (who partly grew up in South Africa) and Leah Harvey, with international media ranging from Canadian to British press - even a virtual group media briefing last week including India's media.
Conspicuously absent in Apple TV+ PR plan and support: Africa.
According to Apple's flawed presumed calculus, there are presumably not enough Apple users or existing or potential Apple TV+ users/viewers in South Africa or across Africa, for any concerted PR push around Foundation or any other series on its streaming service like The Morning Show to be deemed "worth while".
Sadly, it doesn't seem as if Apple TV+ or the Apple TV+ international PR team wants to bother with media, media coverage, or journalists covering television, in Africa.
Perhaps the effort of dealing and interacting with media in South Africa and Africa and helping them is probably not worth it in Apple's estimation.
For Apple, Africa is apparently just that far-off place on the world map where child labour has been used to mine Cobalt for years for Apple's rechargeable lithium batteries in its devices - not a place where media would conceivably be interested in giving coverage about Apple TV+ shows or where it would be worthwhile to work with press around a show based on a seminal science fiction book series.
