TVAfrica

For the unrelated commercial television channel in Ghana, see TV Africa.
TVAfrica
CountryMauritius
South Africa
Broadcast areaAfrica
HeadquartersSaint Denis, Mauritius (legal)[1]
Johannesburg, South Africa (operational)
Programming
LanguagesEnglish
French
Ownership
OwnerTVAfrica Operations S.A. Pty Ltd (Africa Media Group)[2]
History
LaunchedJuly 1998[3]
Closed1 October 2003 (liquidation)[4]
2005 (closure of the company)
Former namesdTb (Direct-to-Broadcast; programming unit, pre-1998)
Direct-to-Broadcaster Programming (1998)
African Broadcast Network (1998–1999)
STV (East Africa; 1998–2002)

TVAfrica was a pan-African television network founded in 1998 by former advertising executive Dave Kelly alongside sports broadcaster Berry Lambert.[5] Domiciled in Mauritius and operating from South Africa, the network relayed up to 80% of its content to private television stations in sub-Saharan Africa and also licensed the broadcast of sporting events (excluding South Africa due to licensing regulations)[6] to interested broadcasters. At its apex, the channel broadcast to as many as 26 countries (up to 40 in licensed sporting events),[7] the majority of them English-speaking and French-speaking states. There were four separate versions, three in English and one in French.[3]

Funding problems led to the liquidation of the channel in October 2003.

History

Origins as Direct-to-Broadcast/Direct-to-Broadcaster Programming and African Broadcast Network

TVAfrica was founded in 1997[8] and started broadcasting in July 1998 (some sources say June 1998)[9] from its operational base in South Africa. The founders were Barry Lambert and David Kelly, with funding provided by the Zephyr Management Group, the Africa Investment Group and the South Africa Enterprise Development Fund.[3] Domiciled in Mauritius, the network's broadcasting facilities were located in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast.[10]

Initially it was a programme provider. Its programming division started off as dTb (Direct To Broadcast, some sources reported the name "Direct to Broadcaster Programming"),[11] whose concept was to buy free-to-air terrestrial rights of "quality programming" to attract viewers and advertisers.[9] dTb had assisted in the upgrading of Joy TV, which used the frequencies of the second channel of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, in mid-1998, providing it with expansion to Bulawayo, up until that point the channel was only received in Harare.[12] TVAfrica's programming packages were sent to the widest number of commercial stations possible. Affiliates would benefit heavily from the advertising money brought in from the attractive programming.[9] The company, under the corporate name Direct To Broadcaster Programming, started delivering its service on 1 July 1998.[11]

The programming model was similar to the American television network format, with affiliates across the coverage area. The network started with affiliates in four countries, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe before extending its reach to more than two dozen countries and over 40 affiliates.[13] Uganda, one of the first affiliates, came from a reshaping of the line-up of Sanyu Television, Uganda's first privately owned television channel.[14] Sanyu was joined by STV in Kenya, Joy TV in Zimbabwe and GBC TV in Botswana.[11] Similar to other programming barter companies, its model involved programming offered for free, with the advertising revenue being shared between TVAfrica (international advertisers), the local broadcaster (three minutes of local commercials) and network spots being split during the 10 minutes per hour.[9] Programming packages were compiled in Johannesburg and encoded to Intelsat in order to prevent piracy.[9]

On 7 November 1998, Direct to Broadcaster Programming was renamed Africa Broadcast Network (no relation to the later syndicator African Broadcast Network).[15] Later that month, ABN bought Sanyu TV from the Katto family,[16] for the sum of US$5.5 million, "a considerable amount of money" according to Lambert, compared to other affiliates at the time.[17] The sale was finalized in April 1999. Negotiations had been underway since July 1998, but ABN wanted a takeover.[18] The station changed its logo to a modified version of TVAfrica's bearing the STV initials.[19] TVAfrica also managed STV in Kenya, whose coverage was initially limited to Nairobi and extended to Mombasa and Kisumu.[9] Its control of STV led to a period of expansion during April 2000, becoming available in seven cities.[20]

As TVAfrica

At the end of 1999, all units of the company were now reportedly using the corporate name TVAfrica.[21][8] It already had an agreement in place with Television Malawi, a state channel, which at the time had financial problems and limited equipment,[22] and in early 2000, the Nigerian private channel Channels Television.[23]

TVAfrica quickly became successful, owing primarily to two factors, convenience and high quality entertainment.[24] Operations in East Africa were still branded as STV, but in 2000 a new generic name was considered for all of its operations.[24]

The network stemmed out of a gradual process of liberalisation of television stations across the African continent in the 90s. Networks in individual markets were still touted as being propagandistic, leaning to their respective governments of the time, whereas the emerging private television sector was still facing heavy difficulties at the time, with many channels shutting down over time.[8] In May 2000, it assisted in the creation of the Nigérien private channel Ténéré TV, delivering it with five hours of programming.[25]

Quentin Green left e.tv where he had a job as sales and managing director and joined TVAfrica in April 2001.[26]

TVAfrica also faced competition from another syndicator, the African Broadcast Network (ABN), domiciled in the United Kingdom, which tied in with state television channels in several countries.[27]

Expansion

2001 was a year of growth for TVAfrica. The network signed an agreement with Ethiopia Television's second channel to carry the whole schedule, as well as signing further agreements with SBC in the Seychelles and MBC in Mauritius (the country where its parent was registered) while an agreement with Eri-TV was on the cards. The company estimated that only 0.8% of the continent had subscription television services (46 million viewers), yet its coverage – thanks to separate sporting agreements – was higher.[28] On 17 October 2001, Quentin Green, Chief Operating Officer of the network, sought for the creation of new terrestrial broadcasting partnerships, at the Broadcast World Africa in Johannesburg. Under this investment, TVAfrica sought to buy six to eight transmitters for satellite reception and giving coverage to 60 to 70% of a country's population.[29] The network had projected that by 2007, advertising on sub-Saharan African TV would increase from US$160 million to US$410 million, adjusting to factors such as increased access to television sets and liberalisation of media.[30] It also invested 55% into the Desert Entertainment Group, owners of Desert TV, Namibia's first private television station, which was due to launch in June.[31]

The channel secured the exclusive rights to the African Cup of Nations starting from its 2002 edition in a deal that was valid until 2008.[32] In early 2002, it assisted in the financial rebound of Radio-Télévision Analamanga and started airing four hours of its French output per day.[33]

The network boosted its potential viewership base upon purchasing the rights to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, having sold 90% of the potential sponsorship packages a month and a half ahead of the start of the tournament. The syndication formula had already become a win-win at the time.[34] The network had paid $1.5 million for the rights in Nigeria alone.[35]

TVAfrica moved to new premises in the Morningside suburb of Johannesburg on 17 May 2002, two weeks before the start of the World Cup. The new facilities cost US$1.8 million out of the US$22.5 million it had received in the first few months of 2002 alone, by developing the technological capabilities of the network to include two production studios, six editing facilities and four final control centres for the four feeds of the channel. The World Cup coverage was presented by South African sports journalist Louis Karpas from the new building, as well as an educational programme.[36] The move also introduced a new version of the network's logo and a new slogan, "all round entertainment".[32] Late in 2002, TVAfrica set up a new Namibian affiliate from scratch, partnering with local production company INTV, as well as holding 20% of the stocks of STV in Mozambique.[37] Building on from the rebrand, the channel added two continuity announcers, George Munetsi Biza from Zimbabwe and Irene Ndlovu from Kenya.[38] On 1 September that year, TV3 became the new Ghanaian affiliate of the network, after Metro TV left it.[39]

Founder Barry Lambert left TVAfrica in 2002 to found LIM Africa, which in 2005 partnered with Setanta Sports to later set up an African version of the channel and licensing agreements with free-to-air broadcasters.[40]

Following the outbreak fo the First Ivorian Civil War, TVAfrica decided to close its regional office in Abidjan in November 2002.[41] STV in Mozambique withdrew its affiliation agreement in early 2003 as the content didn't match local tastes.[42]

Liquidation

Africa Media Group, the parent company of the channel, decided to put TVAfrica up for liquidation on 1 October 2003. A number of alternative solutions to keep the network afloat were considered, but neither of the options was suitable for its economic climate, prompting the station to go off air and liquidate, as the operation didn't meet expectations at the long term.[4] Dave Kelly still showed belief in the idea of such a network, but it was complicated, on the grounds that its US investors did not apply the capital properly. He and Quentin Green left the network owing to disagreements ahead of its liquidation.[43]

"One of my great sadnesses – apart from the fact that I invested five years and quite a lot of my money – is that people will say there goes another failed African project. But I still think it's doable. I'm now trying to raise funds for another try. I'd like not to have just financial investors but also a strategic investor as a partner who understands the media business." – Dave Kelly on the liquidation of TVAfrica

One of the factors that led to the collapse of the network was its affiliation with smaller television stations, almost all of them commercial, in opposition to the dominating TV channels in many countries that were under government control.[5]

Affiliates also blocked the network's commercial breaks in order to insert their own ones, blocking commercials for clients already booked by the network. This caused problems in the advertising scheme, disabling TVAfrica from billing its clients.[7]

The shutdown of the network exposed the fragile status of building a pan-African television network, as well as the status of media in Africa in general.[44] Channels Television in Uganda announced on 2 October 2003 that it would resume operation, but without the TVAfrica programming. One of its popular programmes, The Young and the Restless, was removed as it was part of the network's output, [45] Its prospective affiliate in Sierra Leone, ABC Television-Africa, was expected to commence transmission in October 2003, but the effects of the closure caused its launch to be delayed; the lack of the network caused its chairman to find new foreign partners.[46]

New channels and companies took over the frequencies and operations of TVAfrica in some countries weeks after its liquidation, in Namibia One Africa Television took over,[47] while in Nigeria Proudly Africa Media replaced the activities of the former West African unit of the network to its affiliates. The new replacement company also expanded its local production activities in Nigeria and Ghana.[48] All of its other operations were shut down.[49]

Programming

"The biggest challenge is raising the hurdle of the African continent and getting over it." – Dave Kelly on the need to create an African content market

TVAfrica's lineup consisted primarily of American and British television series as well as international sporting events, broadcast either on full-time or part-time affiliates (the latter affiliates only carried sports broadcasts). In its early years, TVAfrica lacked its own news programme, instead relaying a daily half-hour of news from BBC World and affiliates resorted to air their own newscasts. Thanks to initial agreements with the early affiliates, these carried five hours on weekdays and seven hours on weekends, including sports.[8]

Most of the programming was in English, but programming in French was also carried, to cater affiliates in Benin, Burundi, Gabon, Niger and Togo. TVAfrica had the ability to sell time to local advertisers in programming packages sent to terrestrial broadcasters. These programmes were similar in nature to the ones carried by M-Net and other DStv channels. Local African programming primarily came from the Nigerian and Kenyan bureaux, but such programming was in short supply. The local affiliates were responsible for the production of news output for the service, where available.[3]

TVAfrica sponsored and held boxing matches in countries where it had an affiliate in an attempt to create permanent fixtures, with three bouts in November and December 1999 in Swaziland and one in Botswana in January 2000. These events were, according to Barry Lambert, a "nursery" to train boxers to later develop their international careers. With the success of the boxing events, TVAfrica also equated the creation of other similar events with other sports, as well as equating the creation of a pan-African daily news programme.[50]

TVAfrica in its beginnings carried a heavy amount of foreign (mostly American) TV series, such as Friends, Suddenly Susan, Malcolm and Eddie and ER, as well as sporting events such as WWF and the Premier League.[9] There was no children's programming at first, but in 2000 it was announced that such a block would be added.[51]

In 2001, Africa Business Tonight premiered, a daily 15-minute bulletin about business in the continent.[52] That same year, TVAfrica lost the rights to broadcast the Premier League to SuperSport.[53]

The biggest focus was TVAfrica's sports output, Premier Sport, which complemented the sports offerings on the state broadcasters. The East African version of the network produced a "sharp" mini-series with assistance from the BBC, Heart and Soul.[54] Heart and Soul premiered on KBC1 in Kenya on 6 July 2002 and aired on the TVAfrica network two days later.[55]

In May 2002, the channel introduced 7 Days, a weekly newsmagazine, with inserts provided by the affiliates, and the pre-existing Africa Business Tonight had its length doubled from 15 minutes to 30. Further plans for 2002 included a cooking show, concerts from artists from the countries where the network had affiliates and a gameshow.[56]

Educational programming started in line with the move to Morningside. Titled African Learning Channel, inserted in the children's slot K Club, this consisted of a pre-recorded curriculum slot followed by a second slot where teacher-presenter William Smith answered questions related to school subjects live by telephone. The five targets of the initial phase were Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda and Botswana. The pre-requisite for taking part involved access to a TVA affiliate and a phone line. Initially these broadcasts were aimed at Tanzania (East feed) and Botswana (South feed). A Tanzanian commercial company had signed an agreement to sponsor the telephones and television sets enabling children to phone to the presenter.[57] The project followed a two-week experiment that started on 13 March.[58]

The network carried the 2002 FIFA World Cup having spent $1.5 million.

A celebrity cooking show (Taste of Africa) was added in October 2002. The show was presented by Tich Mataz and filmed on location in ten countries, with each episode having a guest star from the specific country.[59]

Overnight simulcasts of BBC World were added to the feeds (and subsequently its affiliates) in January 2003. At the time, the network covered seven million households.[60]

On 11 August 2002, Guinness TV specials started on TVAfrica, aired on Sundays in the English feeds and Fridays on the French feed. The three-hour programming block aired from 8pm to 11pm and consisted of a mixture of documentaries and feature films. The first slot was given to biographical documentaries about success stories, the second slot covered current affairs docu-dramas and the third slot consisted of feature films, such as The Pelican Brief and The Bodyguard.[61] Negotiations were underway in December 2002 to air the League of Wales on the network, negotiated by John Fashanu. The cause was the influx of Nigerian players entering the league.[62]

In its last year on air, the network grabbed the rights to the Brazilian national football championship's 2003 season.[63]

In July 2003, TVAfrica signed an agreement with Nigerian company Wale Adenuga Productions to distribute its series Odd World.[64]

After the closure of TVAfrica, Africa Business Tonight was outsourced to African Business Channel, owners of Summit Television in South Africa, and was carried by one of its successors in Nigeria and Ghana.[48]

Affiliates

The number of affiliates varied constantly. When TVAfrica filed for liquidation in 2003, it had 39 affiliates in 23 countries.[5] Another source claimed that the number was 34 affiliates in 24 countries.[3] The highest reported number, around the time of the World Cup in 2002, was 45 affiliates in 26 countries.[6]

TVAfrica was divided in three English feeds (East, West, South) and a French feed. Most affiliates relied on TVAfrica for live sports, others relayed the entire schedule.

The company's modus operandi also involved partial or total control of private television stations in Africa. In some countries, up to two channels were eligible, yet in Nigeria, the number was up to 20. Candidates for affiliate status should have a suitable broadcasting license, financial stability, apolitical programming and strategy and abidance to the national regulator.[8] In most cases, TVAfrica wasn't responsible for investments in broadcasting infrastructure, leaving that to the affiliates.[24]

The rationale behind the affiliate system was deeply rooted in the lack of money the affiliates had in acquire programming. By relying on the network's pre-packaged content formula, this gave audiences to advertisers and programming to affiliated broadcasters. The four feeds all had the same programming, disregarding the regions each channel was broadcasting to.[65]

East

Country Channel Type Amount Period Ref.
Ethiopia Ethiopia Television Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Ethiopia ETV2 Public Whole schedule ?-2003 [65]
Eritrea Eri-TV Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Kenya STV Private Whole schedule 1998-2003 [11]
Tanzania (Zanzibar) Television Zanzibar Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Tanzania (mainland) Channel Ten Private Whole schedule 2000-2003 [66]
Seychelles SBC Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Uganda Sanyu Television Private Whole schedule (renamed TVAfrica Uganda in 2002) 1998-2003 [67]
Uganda Channel Television Private Whole schedule (renamed TVAfrica Uganda in 2002) 2002-2003 [67]
Rwanda Tele10 Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Burundi Tele10 Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]

West

Country Channel Type Amount Period Ref.
Nigeria Nigerian Television Authority Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Nigeria NTA2 Public Whole schedule ?-2003 [65]
Nigeria Minaj Broadcast International Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [65]
Nigeria Africa Independent Television Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [65]
Nigeria Murhi International Television Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [65]
Nigeria Galaxy TV Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [65]
Nigeria DBN Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [69]
Nigeria Africa Independent Television Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [69]
Nigeria Channels Television Private Whole schedule 2000-2003 [70]
Nigeria DITV Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria Rivers State Television State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria ITV Benin Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria Anambra TV State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria Cross River TV State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria Imo Broadcasting Television State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria Kaduna State Television State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria Katsina RTV State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria Kebbi State TV State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria OSRC TV State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria Rivers State TV State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria TV Taraba State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Nigeria Plateau TV State public Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]
Ghana GTV Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Ghana Metro TV Private Whole schedule ?-31 Dec 2001 (revoked) [71]
Ghana TV3 Ghana Private Whole schedule 1 Sep 2002-2003 [65]
Cameroon CRTV Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Cameroon Spectrum TV Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [72]
Sierra Leone SLBS Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Sierra Leone ABC Television-Africa Private Whole schedule 2003 (halted before launch because of the closure of the network) [46]
Liberia LBC Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
The Gambia GRTS Public Sports ?-2003 [65]

The list of affiliates in Nigeria is incomplete, as it was recorded that there were 48 of them as of the time of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.[35]

South

Country Channel Type Amount Period Ref.
Angola Televisão Pública de Angola Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Namibia Namibian Broadcasting Corporation Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Namibia Desert TV Private Whole schedule ?-Mar 2002 (withdrawn because the company wanted "excessive shares of their revenues", moved to competing syndicator ABN in May 2002) [73]
Namibia TVAfrica Namibia Private Whole schedule Sep 2002-2003 (liquidated and renamed One Africa Television) [47]
Botswana Botswana Television Public Sports 2000-2003 [65]
Botswana GBC TV Private Whole schedule 1998-2003 [5]
Zimbabwe ZBC TV Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Zimbabwe Joy TV Public Whole schedule 1998-2003 [74]
Malawi Television Malawi Public Whole schedule 1999-2003 [65]
Mozambique Televisão de Moçambique Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Mozambique STV Private Whole schedule 2002-2003 (withdrawn before its liquidation because most of its content was American, which was not quite the type of content its audience preferred) [75]
Swaziland Swazi TV Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Lesotho Lesotho Television Public Whole schedule May 2002-2003 (replacing a former agreement with M-Net) [76]

French

Country Channel Type Amount Period Ref.
Ivory Coast La Première Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Ivory Coast La 2 Public Whole schedule ?-2003 [65]
Senegal RTS 1 Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Benin Office de Radiodiffusion et Télévision du Bénin Public Whole schedule ? [65]
Togo Togolese Television Public Whole schedule ?-2003 [65]
Togo TVG2 Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [65]
Burkina Faso Radio Télévision du Burkina Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Mali Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision du Mali Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Niger Ténéré TV Private Whole schedule 2000-2003 [77][25]
Gabon TV+ Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [78]
Central African Republic Télévision Centrafricaine Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Republic of the Congo Télé Congo Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Democratic Republic of the Congo Radio-Télévision nationale congolaise Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Guinea Radio Télévision Guinéenne Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Mauritius MBC3 Public Sports ?-2003 [65]
Madagascar Radio-Télévision Analamanga Private Whole schedule ?-2003 [68]

Controversies

Nigeria

In 2000, the network took the Nigerian Television Authority to court over illegalities in the licensing of UEFA Euro 2000, which had been taken over from Canal France Internationale.[79] NTA was forced to remove its carriage of the championship, resulting in piracy issues.[80] The NBC believed that TVAfrica wasn't registered to the regulator, causing Channels Television (which had obtained the rights from them)[81] and other channels relaying its content to cease the relays or face sanctions by the commission.[70] Channels Television was also interested in Euro 2000, but also faced the same problems as NTA, under the grounds that TVAfrica was not registered in Nigeria.[82] The NBC accused TVAfrica of beaming its programming without following "internationally acceptable standards", while the Association of Movie Producers of Nigeria probed the network in July. Moreover, concerns were raised about the lack of African programming. To offset these issues, TVAfrica planned to invest 30 million naira in local content all over Africa for a ten-year period, valid until 2010.[83]

The 2002 African Cup of Nations held in Mali caused massive controversy over the lack of free-to-air television rights in Nigeria, under the grounds that TVAfrica was a content provider and not a television channel. In addition, TV channels in Nigeria would only air the matches without airing commercials for alcoholic beverages before 9:45pm, per local rules. TVAfrica gave the stations a package of foreign commercials that were sourced by the company with directives for the affiliates to not feature local representatives of brands or even local adverts.[84]

Outside of sports broadcasts, affiliates of the Nigerian Television Authority, TVAfrica's main competitor, were strongly discouraged from broadcasting the output of the network, as NTA was long-established and had more priority.[44]

Ethiopia

During 2000, when the government decided to open up to new licenses, some Ethiopian legal experts believed that the broadcast of TVAfrica on local television channels was illegal, under the grounds that there was no regulatory body for broadcasting.[85] On 25 February 2003, deputy general manager of ETV Asefa Bekele told The Sub-Saharan Informer to withdraw TVAfrica's programming, which he thought to be unsuitable with the Ethiopian cultural climate. Moreover, he was concerned that TVAfrica only offered "one or two advertisements a day", while at the beginning, there were concerns that it would take away parts of its advertising revenue. TVAfrica in Ethiopia was limited to Addis Ababa and its surroundings.[86]

Other countries

The effects of TVAfrica's win over CFI in the rights to carry Euro 2000 were noted in the French-speaking countries, where the matches carried by TVAfrica's affiliates in Francophone markets were shown in English. The CFI-backed satellite operator, Le SAT, had no sports channel in its offering. ORTB and CRTV, part-time affiliates of the network, relayed the matches in French, unlike the majority of the countries.[87]

Independent Television in Tanzania illegally broadcast the early matches of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. During the broadcast of the match between Nigeria and Argentina on 2 June, TVAfrica staff interrupted ITV's commentary as they were breaching the rights to cover the matches. ITV was also in a rights lock with Africa Media Group-owned Dar es Salaam Television.[88] The channel was using a feed that was reserved for Televisão de Moçambique. After ITV refused to comply with the measure, TVAfrica inserted a scrolling message which said that, if the broadcasts were received outside of Mozambique, the satellite feed and the channels involved were infringing the law. Finally, TVAfrica and ITV came to terms and carried the rest of the World Cup legally.[89] Later that month, KBC in Kenya did not telecast the Budget speech, being contractually obliged to air the match between Italy and Mexico on 13 June. KBC had opted out of another match (Cameroon vs. Ireland) to cover the Madaraka Day celebrations at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi earlier in the tournament.[90]

At closing time, the network was criticized due to its reliance on affiliation agreements with smaller television stations and programming that did not cater to the tastes of the viewing audience. Most of the content seen on the service was American, which many viewers didn't like.[2] This also counterbalanced the amount of local programming, which would have saved the network from collapsing.[44]

See also

Similar companies, also defunct:

References

  1. ^ "GOVERNMENT GAZETTE OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA" (PDF). SAFLII. 15 November 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b "TVAfrica goes off air". BBC News. 3 October 2003. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Transnational Television in Sub-Saharan Africa". University of Nigeria Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication Studies. 2005. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b "African Media Group decides to liquidate TV Africa". BizCommunity. 3 October 2003. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d "Model mistakes". Mail & Guardian. 24 February 2004. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  6. ^ a b "TVAfrica kicks off in high-tech studios". Variety. 9 June 2002. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b "AMG shutters cash-strapped TV Africa". Variety. 19 October 2003. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Press". TVAfrica. 9 February 2001. Archived from the original on 12 July 2001. Retrieved 3 November 2023. Alt URL
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Think global, act local", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 23, November 1999 – January 2000
  10. ^ "Disclosure". World Bank International Finance Corporation. 9 February 2001. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d (1998, Jul 01). New TV service to go on air. Africa News Service
  12. ^ "Joy TV signs deal with South Africa's dTb", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 17, April–June 1998
  13. ^ "Disclosure". World Bank International Finance Corporation. 9 February 2001. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Uganda: Sanyu TV in major build-up". AllAfrica. 1 July 1998. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  15. ^ "AFRICA BROADCAST NETWORK ARRIVES". African Intelligence. 7 November 1998. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  16. ^ E-Readiness Assessment Report; Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications; Government of Uganda; page 157.
  17. ^ "Uganda: Sanyu TV in major build-up". AllAfrica. 24 November 1998. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  18. ^ Uganda/South Africa: Sanyu TV taken over by South African firm. (1999, Apr 13). BBC Monitoring Media
  19. ^ "The Uganda Gazette" (PDF). Gazettes.Africa. 21 July 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  20. ^ TV Station Widens Coverage To Nakuru. (2000, Apr 06). Africa News Service
  21. ^ a b "Can we cut it?", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 23, November 1999 – January 2000
  22. ^ Malawi Television planning to expand countrywide. (2000, Mar 31). BBC Monitoring Africa - Political
  23. ^ Nigeria: Paper surveys state of private radio, TV. (2000, Mar 31). BBC Monitoring Media
  24. ^ a b c "TVAfrica: domination of East Africa", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 24, February–April 2000
  25. ^ a b "LA TÉLÉVISION ET LA VIDÉO AU NIGER". UNDP-UNICEF Niger. 2003. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  26. ^ "E.TV's Marketing Director Leaves to join TV Africa". AllAfrica. 17 April 2001. Archived from the original on 24 April 2001. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  27. ^ "African Network ABN Signs Up Swazi TV". WARC. 19 November 2001. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  28. ^ "Luring Africa's audiences", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 31, November 2001 – January 2002
  29. ^ "TV Africa invites partnership", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 31, November 2001 – January 2002
  30. ^ "African stories in production", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 32, February–April 2002
  31. ^ Namibia: Report outlines plans for 'free-to-air' private television station. (2001, Mar 09). BBC Monitoring Africa - Political
  32. ^ a b "TVA Africa secured the sole right to broadcast the World Cup", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 33, May–July 2002
  33. ^ "RTA's Projects on Madagascar". African Intelligence. 16 March 2002. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  34. ^ "TVAfrica scores with soccer Cup". Variety. 14 April 2002. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  35. ^ a b "TVAfrica Commits N1.8bn On W/Cup For Nigeria". AllAfrica. 31 May 2002. Archived from the original on 1 June 2002. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  36. ^ "Multimillion US dollar TV studio opens in Johannesburg". BizCommunity. 17 May 2002. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  37. ^ "Africa Film & TV Magazine". Google Books. 2003. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  38. ^ "TVAfrica puts on a good face", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 35, November 2002 – January 2003
  39. ^ Ghana: TV3 announces increase in transmission time. (2002, Sep 03). BBC Monitoring Africa - Political
  40. ^ "Uganda: Setanta Africa Pioneers Free to Air Sports Television". AllAfrica. 23 July 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  41. ^ Cote d'Ivoire: Conséquence de la crise en Côte d'Ivoire : TV Africa quitte Abidjan, retrieved 21 February 2026
  42. ^ Makura, Moky (2012). Africa's Greatest Entrepreneurs. Penguin Random House South Africa. ISBN 9780143027362. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  43. ^ a b "AdReview – Page 72". Google Books. 2003. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  44. ^ a b c "TV Africa's demise ends free-to-air television in Africa?". GhanaWeb. 12 January 2004. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  45. ^ TV Africa Uganda outlet says looking for alternative programmes as former folds. (2003, Oct 03). BBC Monitoring Africa
  46. ^ a b Sierra Leone: ABC TV to start operations "soon", says director. (2004, Sep 01). BBC Monitoring Media
  47. ^ a b "One Africa TV Succeeds TV Africa's Failure". AllAfrica. 27 November 2003. Archived from the original on 11 May 2004. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  48. ^ a b "Nigeria: Proudly Africa Replaces TV Africa". AllAfrica. 27 November 2003. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  49. ^ "Transnational Television Worldwide: Towards a New Media Order". Google Books. 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  50. ^ "Distributors taking action", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 23, November 1999 – January 2000
  51. ^ "The young and the restless: Programming networks neglecting the genre", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 25, May–July 2000
  52. ^ "TV Africa Strides On". AllAfrica. 29 October 2001. Archived from the original on 4 February 2002. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  53. ^ "STV lose Premiership". New Vision. 6 November 2023. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2001.
  54. ^ "African productions: embracing Reality TV and international interest", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 31, November 2001 – January 2002
  55. ^ "Heart & Soul", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 34, August–October 2002
  56. ^ "TVAfrica's new locally-produced fare". BizCommunity. 2 May 2002. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  57. ^ "TVAfrica to launch interactive TV learning programmes". BizCommunity. 2 May 2002. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  58. ^ "TVAfrica to launch interactive TV learning programmes". BizCommunity. 15 July 2002. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  59. ^ "Look What Agnes is Cooking Up ..." BizCommunity. 11 October 2002. Archived from the original on 27 October 2002. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  60. ^ "AIB The Channel January 2003" (PDF). The Association for International Broadcasting. January 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  61. ^ "TVAfrica leaps into spring with Guinness TV", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 35, November 2002 – January 2003
  62. ^ "Fashanu begins Barry revolution". BBC Sport. 23 December 2002. Archived from the original on 11 February 2003. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  63. ^ "TVAfrica goes Brazilian". New Vision. 19 March 2003. Archived from the original on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  64. ^ Cooper-Chen, Anne (2005). Global Entertainment Media: Content, Audiences, Issues. Routledge. ISBN 9781135607821. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  65. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al "Broadcasting Policy and Practice in Africa" (PDF). Article 19. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  66. ^ "MEDIA PROFILE – TANZANIA" (PDF). Gamos Ltd. 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  67. ^ a b "TV Africa, CTV Enter Alliance". AllAfrica. 18 February 2002. Archived from the original on 29 March 2002. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  68. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Africa Film & TV Magazine, MIPTV 2001 supplement
  69. ^ a b "TV Africa: Death of a Dream". AllAfrica. 18 February 2002. Archived from the original on 5 November 2003. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  70. ^ a b "Broadcasting In Nigeria: Unlocking The Airwaves" (PDF). Article 19. 2 February 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  71. ^ "Metro TV sues TV Africa for $320,000 damages". Modern Ghana. 17 January 2002. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  72. ^ "Histoire de la télévision en Afrique noire francophone, des origines à nos jours". Google Books. 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  73. ^ "Desert TV On the Air". AllAfrica. 21 May 2002. Archived from the original on 1 June 2002. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  74. ^ "Zimbabwe to finally open up airwaves?", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 26, August–October 2000
  75. ^ "ESTRATÉGIAS DISCURSIVAS DOS TELEJORNAIS DE MOÇAMBIQUE – Análise crítica do Jornal Nacional e do Jornal da Noite" (PDF). Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo. 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  76. ^ "TVAfrica signs with Lesotho Television". BizCommunity. 2 April 2002. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  77. ^ "Ténéré TV – 2TV (Niger)". Unifrance. 4 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  78. ^ "La mondialisation culturelle en Afrique francophone: le cas du cinéma à Libreville (Gabon)". University of Lorraine. 2014. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  79. ^ "TV Africa Drags NTA To Court Over Euro 2000". AllAfrica. 25 May 2000. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  80. ^ "Nigeria: A Clash In The Air". AllAfrica. 21 June 2000. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  81. ^ "IMPLICATION OF NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMMISSION CODE ON BROADCAST MEDIA (A STUDY OF AIT LAGOS)" (PDF). Afe Babalola University. August 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  82. ^ "Broadcasting Regulation and Broadcasting In Nigeria: An Overview Of The Approaches" (PDF). International Institute for Science, Technology and Education. 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  83. ^ "Face off between NBC and TVAfrica", Africa Film & TV Magazine, nº. 26, August–October 2000
  84. ^ "TV Africa Versus Nigerian Broadcasters: A Twist in the Tale". AllAfrica. 30 January 2002. Archived from the original on 10 February 2002. Retrieved 8 January 2002.
  85. ^ Ethiopia: Broadcasting of TV Africa on Ethiopian TV illegal, paper says. (2000, Sep 18). BBC Monitoring Africa - Political
  86. ^ Ethiopian TV considering banning TV Africa's "sexual" programmes. (2003, Feb 28). BBC Monitoring Africa - Political
  87. ^ "le football est-il anglophone ?". Afrik.com. 21 June 2000. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  88. ^ TV Africa get injunction against Tanzanian network for illegal World Cup relays. (2002, Jun 05). BBC Monitoring Africa - Political
  89. ^ "EAST AFRICAN REPORT". British DX Club. August 2002. Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  90. ^ Kenya: World Cup contract prevents KBC TV from broadcasting budget speech. (2002, Jun 14). BBC Monitoring Africa - Political
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.