It's back-to-school time for the A+ and A+ Ivoire channels. What's in store?
The 2022 season promises to be rich in content. We have redefined our objectives for the occasion and can already announce several major new features coming to the channels, including sports, laughter with a new weekly show, and entertainment programs that have been "revamped" for the occasion.
In terms of series, we will be offering a selection of new series from all over Africa: from Mali to Burkina Faso and Senegal.
Let's start with sports
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What new features can we expect in the program schedule?
We were already broadcasting sports before the start of the 2022 season with a morning show dedicated to fitness called "On est en forme," which is a hit with the public. But this year, we will be broadcasting some of the best matches of the Ivorian Ligue 1 championship with weekly broadcasts on Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. (broadcasting has already begun). After the live matches, we will offer viewers a magazine program called "Les Koumanli de Foot" to analyze the entire match and the Ivorian championship, including exclusive interviews with the coaches. The aim is to make the channel more masculine, as we currently attract a more female audience.
And on the entertainment side, what's new?
On September 4, we officially launched a new show called "On est versé" with the talented comedian Joël. It's a family show in which, for 26 minutes, two established comedians compete in a "battle" of laughter on a given theme. Tune in every Sunday at 4:55 p.m.!
Beyond these new features, how did you choose to strengthen the channel's flagship programs?
We have indeed chosen to rework existing programs that are at the heart of our channel, such as the show "On se dit les Gbê." We have certainly strengthened the editorial side with new themes, but overall, the A+ Ivoire "recipe" remains the same because it works well. We have also started a second season of the family game show "Tu me connais" (You know me). We were very pleasantly surprised by the success of the first season, so we want to continue, but with a focus on the "game" aspect of the show.
Finally, viewers will also be able to enjoy our cooking show "Recettes d'Afrique," which takes them on a tour of Africa's chefs.
In terms of series, what are the big series to look forward to this year?
We are kicking off the fall 2022 season with a new Malian series, "Un dimanche à Bamako," which will air Monday through Friday at 3 p.m. It's a series that combines three storylines around the theme of marriage. We're also back with season 2 of the series "Impact," produced in Senegal by Marodi TV, and season 3 of the series "Infidèles," which started on September 12.
We have also had some very successful series in Côte d'Ivoire, which will surely be renewed for a second season to be broadcast on our channels… In terms of our ambitions, we want to continue to explore and represent the whole of Africa through series from Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal. As for their broadcast, we are keeping the same time slot, which starts at 3 p.m.
How are series that are not Ivorian productions received by the local audience?
In the "creation" section, on which we spend a lot of time and invest a lot, we can see that the series are really successful, even if they are not Ivorian. I can take the example of the series "Madame, Monsieur," which comes to us from Cameroon. It's a real hit in Côte d'Ivoire! So much so that we brought the actors from the series here for a preview screening organized here in the country. The successful series produced by Marodi TV are also doing very well! When the stories are good and the quality is there, it's a success!
In terms of audience, how would you define A+ Ivoire's position?
A+ Ivoire is the most watched channel in Côte d'Ivoire and we are very satisfied with the audience figures. They are doing well. We are clearly ahead in terms of our core content. RTI is very present in the news segment. Nevertheless, we prefer to remain humble because we are aware that everything can change despite this head start. Audience measurement is a real issue and we are working hand in hand with other DTT channels to achieve regular and consensual audiences. This is a key element for the development of the sector and for advertisers. We are in discussions with the HACA to build the advertising market we need.