Funding and Financing of Local Content - Understanding the Challenges & Opportunities

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Funding and Financing of Local Content - Understanding the Challenges & Opportunities

Presented by

George Bosompim

Senior Executive, Producer Director, Lecturer NAFTI

85 Authorized TV Broadcasting Stations in Ghana

On air, 51

Not on air, 34

Source; NCA Q3, 2016

TV Broadcasting Stations in Ghana

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Analogue TV DTT FTA DTH FTA Digital Cable DTH FTA Platform

DTH Pay Platform

DTT Pay Platform

Understanding the Media Landscape in Ghana

• With over 50 TV stations, what should drive them?

• What contents are these TV stations showing?

• How many local productions are being produced by the TV stations?

• How many of these Stations commission productions?

• What type of content generate eyeballs and sponsorship ?

• Does the Media Commission have guidelines as to what percentage of local content TV stations broadcast?

• What does advertisers look for in content?

HOMEBASE TV

• Homebase TV is part of the authorized DTH Pay TV with frequency (Platform)

• Homebase has one FTA channel (Hb TV) and broadcast 60% local content (Twi) and 40% foreign content

• Homebase redistributes Azam Pay TV bouquet in Ghana on Eutelsat 7degrees East

• Some of the key productions of Homebase are (Asetena mu Nsem, Hello Gorgeous, Concordance, Eboboba, Ghana Kasa, Ehotesen, Illusions)

Funding and financing for local content - understanding the issues

43%

24%

33%

Content

Corporate Bodies Self Funding Coproduction

TV Contents

Things we do for Love/YOLO Yellow Café Ultimate Paradise All that Glitters Home Sweet Home Living with Trisha Efiewura Chorkor Trotro Bands Alive Peep

Examining the current financing infrastructure to support

the development of quality local content

A Case Study

•Corporate Sponsorship •Self Financing •Co-production

• USAID through Johns Hopkins University, GSMF

• An adolescence reproductive campaign to address teenage pregnancy, early sex, unsafe abortion, peer pressure

• Budget per episode $3,000

• Shown on GTV

• You Only Leave Once • Sponsor USAID &

DIFID

• Continue campaign to address teenage pregnancy, early sex, unsafe abortion, peer pressure, the aftermath

• Budget per episode $8,000 (2016)

• TV3

• Sponsorship by

MTN

• To inform and educate the public about their product and services

• Budget per episode $3,000 (2016)

• TV3

Corporate

• Self funding and advertising

• Living with Trisha, a fast paced drama tells the story of greed, wickedness, hatred, and it’s devastating effects on a family.

• Budget per episode $3,500

• Shows on Viasat 1, Europe and USA

• Self Funding (Friends)

• A drama set to educate on morals and habits in the family, and how the ignorance of a rich boy nearly cost him his inheritance .

• Budget per episode $3,000

• The program was shown on TV3, OBE TV

• Self Funding & Advertising

• A comic drama set in a compound house, the behavior of Tenants and Landlord in everyday life.

• Budget per episode $3,500 (2000 - 2016)

• The program shows on TV3 and MULITI TV, TVa

Self financing

• TV3/GAMA coproduction

• Bands Alive is a reality show about a local band competition for the youth

• Total production cost for 2 seasons $330,000

• Shows on TV3

• TV3/GAMA Coproduction

• Day to day happenings in a public transport, full of humor and intrigues

• Budget per episode $4,000

• The program was shown on TV3, ETV

• TV3/Sparrow Coproduction

• An online publication company ‘Peep Online’, set up by two young guys and a lady whose aggressive approach to unearthing the truth about a bank and its operations

• The program shows on TV3

Co-production

peep

Key Challenges • Distribution

• Change of Company focus or direction

• Collateral to secure Bank loans

• High Risk: for the Bank to loan for TV Production

• Influx of Foreign productions at cheaper cost

• Pitching ideas for financing

• Inadequate Intellectual Property Right provisions

• Influence from Corporate Bodies (Brand positioning)

Examining the current financing infrastructure to support the development of quality local content

• Positioning

• Loan Facility for Creative arts

• Establishing a truly collaborative environment by the TV Stations

• Government should increase budget for creative arts

• media companies need to improve intra-facility collaboration

• Corporate social responsibility

• An effective broadcast bill

• The Film Act

What role can public money play in creating a viable local audio-visual content industry in Africa?

• TV License Fee

• Film Fund

• Creative Arts Fund

• Audio Visual Rights Society of Ghana (ARSOG)

Opportunities for local content producers to access available lines of funding - both local and international

Thank you