RTI has long been the African public broadcaster that most strongly supports the creation and production of fiction. How much of your investment is devoted to fiction, and what is your typical financing model?
RTI was a pioneer in the field of fiction production in Côte d'Ivoire. We still remember
its successful TV series such as "Pour ou Contre" (For or Against), which later became "
Comment ça va ?" (How's it going?), "Faut pas fâcher" (Don't get angry) and "Qui fait ça ?" (Who's doing that?), broadcast on our channels
from the 1970s to the present day. The early 2000s saw the emergence
of a genuine film industry in Nigeria, which inspired all players
in the sub-region to set up their own production units. This was clearly evident in Akissi Delta's series
"Ma Famille." In order to perpetuate and strengthen this momentum, RTI
created RTI Distribution in 2014. Since its creation, RTI Distribution has supported
around 30 audiovisual projects (TV series, TV movies, documentaries, animation, etc.),
mainly with local producers, but also with leading
producers in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe (ZEE, TV5 Monde, Lagardère, etc.).
An average annual budget of 750,000,000 CFA francs has been allocated to the development of Ivorian
fiction since 2014. This has not only enabled us to regularly feed our channels
with programs that reflect our daily realities, but also to promote the expertise
of our producers internationally through our presence at markets such as DISCOP,
MIPTV, and MIPCOM.
Which productions from recent years have been the most successful
, and why do you think that is?
Without a doubt, we could mention the series "SOEURS ENNEMIES" (SISTERS ENEMIES) by director
Erico Sery. After being broadcast on RTI1, this series was shown on TV5 Monde and France O, which at
the time covered all of France's overseas territories, from French Guiana to French
Polynesia and Mayotte. It was also available on several VoD platforms
dedicated to the African diaspora in Europe and the United States (AFROSTREAM, REELAFRICAN,
TRACE). The English version was sold to South Africa's MNET (a first for an Ivorian
series). Another example is "AU MILIEU D'UN REVE," a co-production with ZEE, filmed
between Abidjan and Dubai. This series broke all audience records when it was released in Dubai. And
then, of course, there is our latest production, "CASH CACHE," co-produced with
KWAI (producer of the series "BARON NOIR"), based in France and a subsidiary of FREEMANTLE. This
series, which resembles the famous Spanish series Casa De Papel, had been in development since 2015.
It was finally filmed in 2022. It was broadcast in 2022 on our channels but
also on one of the Ivorian DTT channels.
You have broadened the scope of possibilities with AMBRE, an ambitious series co-produced with South African company Known Associates Entertainment. How is production of this series progressing, and what lessons have you learned from this experience?
AMBRE is one of the exciting ventures undertaken by RTI Distribution. It all started with a
New Talent Competition launched in 2014 by RTI to recruit and train young talent, in
collaboration with the OIF, in various audiovisual professions. Binta DEMBELE, author of
AMBRE, was the winner of this first competition dedicated to screenwriting.
Since 2015, the young author has been working with various teams in France and South
Africa to develop this ambitious audiovisual project. To date, renowned
authors based in Los Angeles, France, Ivory Coast, and South
Africa are participating in the development of this series. RTI has found in KNOWN ASSOCIATE
ENTERTAINMENT a co-producer that shares the same ambition and commitment to
the realization of this ambitious series. The level and quality of its current development have
led to the participation of SABC, the South African public media, and TV5Monde in
France in this adventure. It will go into production in the second half of 2024.
The lack of training in production professions is often mentioned. How does RTI contribute to improving the training of its teams?
RTI's involvement in training for various production professions occurs on
two levels. The first level is co-production with leading
international majors, enabling our technicians working on our productions to stay abreast
of best practices and customs in audiovisual production. The second level is
the direct involvement of experts and specialists in various professions in the production chain
, from writing to post-production, including the actual filming. For example, the
series "NATIONAL SECURITY" benefited from the presence of French director Jean-Claude
BARNY, who, prior to his role as showrunner, organized a master class with all
the stakeholders involved in the series. We also called on the services of Catherine
BOUTRY, professor of arts at Harvard University in the United States, who worked with the team of
screenwriters on our series "NYALA," which will soon be available on our channels. We could also
mention the various master classes on acting, notably with Nigerian actor Fabian
OJEDE from the series Jacob's Cross on May 30, 2016, during DISCOP Abidjan 2016.
RTI DISTRIBUTION has also expanded its business in recent years. What are its missions and objectives for the coming years?
As mentioned above, RTI Distribution was created with the aim of promoting the RTI group's audiovisual productions in Côte d'Ivoire and around
the world, as well as supporting independent Ivorian and African producers in the exploitation of their works.
Its main mission is to provide the group's channels with high-quality, premium content of all kinds. We also work hand in hand within the group with Mediawan Rights—Mediawan's distribution division
—which supports our content so that it can access the international
market. It's a virtuous circle that is taking shape. Its creation also responds to
RTI's ambition to position itself as a major player on the French-, English-, and Portuguese-speaking African
audiovisual scene.
To date, it has distributed more than 1,500 hours of programming through
a vast network of diverse clients, including TV channels in Africa and around the world, SVOD platforms
, and content aggregators for airlines.
RTI Distribution is now positioned as the leading exporter of Ivorian fiction
programs worldwide. RTI Distribution also sells channel signals (RTI1, RTI2, LA 3, radio stations to satellite operators and VOD and SVOD platforms) and markets archives belonging to the RTI group.
Digital technology is becoming increasingly important in Côte d'Ivoire. How are you responding to this development, which could be both a threat and an opportunity for the audiovisual sector? Do you produce content specifically for the web?
As part of our DAS Digital development strategy, we do indeed plan to
produce and market content tailored to digital media.
For the audiovisual industry in Côte d'Ivoire, and for the RTI Group in particular, the rise of
digital technology presents many opportunities:
- attract new audiences who are turning away from traditional media
- Proposing new forms of marketing for digital content
- Forging new relationships with producers and new distribution channels: content
production and purchasing centers, platforms for distributing this content, etc.
However, our main challenge lies in training and recruiting skilled
personnel in the production and marketing of digital content.