Unifying Africa's TV Viewing.

New Service Up and Running

"People always say, 'I don't know much about Africa,'" observed African Broadcast Network (ABN) head of Programming James Makawa. "The thing is, it would be so nice to put together a channel that we can back-haul into the Western world. You could get it on your cable system and find out what's going on over here."

With last January's launch of the ad-supported pan-African network, Makawa's dream is inching towards realization. Viewers in six territories across sub-Saharan Africa are now able to receive a one-hour block of primetime ABN programming Monday through Friday. The idea is to form a unifying mass-media network that will give Africans a glimpse into the lives of other people across the continent. Although Africans do have other TV choices, the addition of Johannesburg-based ABN to the media landscape may serve to strengthen ties between nations. As Makawa pointed out, "Africans themselves don't have enough information about each other and that's where the problem comes in. People don't trust each other because they don't know each other!" Makawa noted that Kenyans probably know more about the typical diet of an American than that of a South African or a Namibian. "They don't have that kind of free flow of information among African countries, and that's one of the things we're out to help change."

ABN is modeled after the American scheme of affiliate stations. "We are heavily involved in our stations," Makawa said, "and we're not just feeding a signal." ABN will be involved in the promotion, marketing and branding of its affiliates just like ABC, CBS and NBC. "Some of the things we do with our affiliate broadcasters goes beyond just feeding them product," he explained. ABN's affiliates are located in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana. ABN's revenue stream is advertising-based; which enables free-to-air broadcasts. Currently, "the best quality [African programming is] on a pay system, but how many people can afford digital satellite TV?" Makawa added that "there is a wide range of advertisers on board" including banks, soft-drink companies, cellular providers and other consumer goods retailers. Through its association with the U.K. company Granada Media, which has agreed to serve as the network's international ad sales agent, it is expected that ABN will bring much-needed ad revenue a nd business opportunities to the continent.

Although ABN is initially broadcasting one-hour segments, Makawa said the network will expand to a two-hour block by this June or July. The broadcasts reach an estimated audience of 250 million. ABN's current lineup includes American specialties like the NBC soap Passions, which will air as a unique half-hour segment prior to each nightly sitcom. The five comedy series, one per evening, are Carsey-Werner's Damon and Cosby, NBC Enterprises' One World and CBS Enterprises' King of Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond Makawa noted, "TV across sub-Saharan Africa is not like what you have in the U.S. today, they struggle to get good material ... People are hungry for it, advertisers are hungry for it..." However, "We're not just feeding American stuff into the system, Makawa assured. "We have a commitment to the TV stations that we are going to do African content, so 20 percent of what our content will be before this year is out will be African in nature. There will always be an element of foreign product on the netw ork because people want it and like it."

"We want to get to a point where we're getting quality [product] that we can feed through. It's a window into Africa, and it's also an opportunity for producers in Africa to earn some hard currency," Makawa remarked. "As Africans, we are consistently consuming and buying, but it's time for us to start exporting wonderful stories about ourselves, culture, entertainment, music..." ABN is U.K.-registered and funded by Modern Africa Growth and Investment Company. The network's main offices are located in London and Johannesburg with affiliate branches in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Broadcast organizations in Namibia and South Africa have expressed interest in becoming ABN affiliates.