This year’s conference is
significant as governments and regulators are under pressure to ensure Africa’s
television ecosystem fully switches from analogue to digital by June 2015.
The industry is now worth half a billion dollars in annual TV content sales, a figure that has doubled since 2010 – 95% of these sales are initiated or concluded at DISCOP Africa.
This mandate has come with its
set of challenges and it is becoming apparent that the industry will not
achieve 100% penetration without a combination of new platforms and
collaboration between all players within the ecosystem.
Eutelsat, one
of the world's leading satellite operators, leading discussions at the
future of broadcasting in Africa at the DISCOP.
Rodney Benn, Africa Regional Vice-President
for Eutelsat,
has been
exploring the role satellites will play in the fundamental transformation of
the African TV market – ensuring broad access to choice, quality and
competitive offers.
“There is a lot to do. The main
thing is to make sure that the network is physically ready,” he told Luv Fm on the
opportunities and challenges with the rollout
of the digital terrestrial television (DTT) network infrastructure.
Tanzania and Mauritius are the
only African countries that have been successful in the switch over.
The transition from analogue to
digital would require every household to purchase either a digital television
set or buy decoder for their current analogue TV sets before they can watch TV
in the near future.
Mr. Benn said Ghana needs between 10-20million set of boxes to
be supplied but observed that the speed of manufacturing the digi-boxes and
distribution of the boxes are challenges the country needs to surmount.
Since January 2014, the National
Communications Authority (NCA) has given standards for the type of decoder or
set top boxes (STBs) that Ghana would be allowed in Ghana. Some stations have others
are distributing approved decoders.
The first phase of the rollout is
expected to be complete by end of year 2014 when the country would begin to
switch off the analogue television systems.
But the network infrastructure rollover
would cost the country over US$100million.
“Implementing a DTT strategy or
DTT project is a function of public awareness, finance and it’s a function of
political will and I think all of those things exist in Ghana,” stated Mr.
Benn. He however says public education on the DTT needs to be intensified
whilst government and the private sector collaborate to effectively manage the
rollout the migration plan.
DISCOP Africa provides
investors looking to fund projects and services in
TV content delivery and management solutions the engage stakeholders in the
digital switchover.
Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh
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