The rise of French-speaking African audiovisual media is real. Diversity of content, diversity of production, quality, authenticity… Africa is a continent steeped in history. Stories that are told, but also stories that are brought to life on screen to satisfy an audience with ever-increasing expectations.
Even though financing and training are major challenges, African production has a bright future ahead of it. The arrival of new DTT channels, the rise of the middle class, the boom in digital technology, and the emergence of VOD platforms are multiplying opportunities for development in audiovisual production in French-speaking Africa, particularly local production.
The market is becoming more structured and professional, and large-scale projects are multiplying. Adweknow takes stock of 2020, a year that saw real momentum in the audiovisual production sector.
Fiction, the main draw for audiences
Players in the audiovisual landscape are in agreement: audiences want fiction, especially from the continent. Fiction is on the rise, widely acclaimed by audiences.
To meet these expectations, major pan-African broadcasters such as CANAL+ and TV5Monde have continued their commitment to creating African content, notably by increasing their investment in fiction production.
After "Invisibles," the first award-winning series produced on the continent, "Sakho et Mangane," CANAL+ played the original creation card twice with "Agent" and then "CACAO," the first African saga directed by Alex Ogou, produced by Tanka Studios based on an original idea by Yolande Bogui.
With this sixth original production, CANAL+ is gradually building up a catalog of strong programs with the ambition of picking up the pace.Indeed, at the launch of the series, the goal of producing at least five original creations per year and, in the medium term, ten per year was mentioned. According to several internal sources, the CANAL group is also in the process of considering how to organize fiction production within the group, in which Alex Ogou could play a major role.
The group is also relying on A+ Ivoire, launched in 2019 on Ivorian digital terrestrial television, to participate in the development of the industry. A+ Ivoire has strong ambitions in terms of production, as explained by Damiano Malchiodi, the channel's CEO: "With our latest successes, which have been acclaimed by our viewers, we are increasingly confident in strengthening our investments in the creation of African long-running, serialized, and daily series. Our aim is to develop strong brands in line with our audience's expectations in order to capitalize in the long term with concepts that can be adapted into several seasons."
Read also: Interview with Damiano Malchiodi, CEO of A+ IVOIRE
The launch of other private channels on DTT has also helped to boost local production, which has long been supported by RTI, often in co-production with pan-African players, as the originator of all projects. On the fiction side, Nouvelle Chaine Ivoirienne (NCI), which has been broadcasting since December 2019, wants to strengthen its programming with the acquisition of successful African series, but also with the co-production of season 2 of the Ivorian shortcom Madame Tonkpi & Compagnie. It is also the broadcaster of Chez les KOFFI, a series of 45 episodes of 26 minutes produced by the Ivorian company Icône Media. As for Life TV, the focus is on local content production. Fabrice Sawegnon, CEO of the channel, chose Vitib to set up a platform dedicated to the production of the channel's major productions.
For its part, TV5Monde is actively pursuing its policy of acquisition (purchase and pre-purchase) and co-production with its partners in French-speaking Africa to offer the public quality programs that reflect local realities. TV5Monde's ambition is to build on the success of programs broadcast exclusively on the channel and on the quality of its productions. Its intentions also focus on young people, as the channel intends to significantly increase its presence in the production of African edutainment programs. Finally, to contribute to the international reach of its offering, TV5Monde took advantage of 2020 to launch its completely free digital platform, TV5Mondeplus. The channel's ambitions are reflected in major investments in programming in general. TV5MONDE spends more than €2 million per year on the production of African programs. In terms of fiction, the budget allocated for the production of a series project varies according to the nature of the project and the conditions of production.
Senegal is booming.
Beyond the representation of Senegalese cinema at numerous festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, which crowned Mati Diop's film "Atlantique" in 2019, the local audiovisual production sector is proving to be dynamic.
According to Jean-Noël Bah, founder of the production company Scenarii: "Creativity exists everywhere on the continent, but a real industry is emerging in Senegal, which is approaching the audiovisual landscape with a different approach, with its gaze fixed inward. For example, most films are made in Wolof and broadcast locally thanks to the strong involvement of sponsors who financially support local production. "
As everywhere else on the continent, Senegalese series are hugely successful in the country, and local production companies are making a name for themselves. Marodi TV is a case in point with "Maîtresse d'un homme marié" (Mistress of a Married Man) broadcast on the private channels 2STV and A+, "Virus" and, coming soon, the teen series "Virginie." These series have racked up millions of views online, not to mention their popularity with Senegalese viewers.
"What makes Senegalese series unique is that they are local stories, produced by Senegalese people with a keen sensitivity in the way they tell their stories and, above all, a commendable effort to find attractive formats with respectable quality. The era of Brazilian and Mexican soap operas is over,"
says Mbathio Diaw, producer of the series Renaissance
, which was entirely produced in Senegal and broadcast exclusively on TV5Monde last May.
The challenge of financing
Even if the outlook suggests a promising future for local production, the crux of the matter remains financing, which has a considerable impact on the sector as a whole and conditions artistic creation.
This delicate situation is pushing players to adapt, reinvent themselves, and redouble their inventiveness. The sector lacks funding, but large groups and local players are investing heavily in ambitious projects to attract broadcasters and audiences alike. International organizations such as CFI and OIF are also doing their part by supporting the players. Indeed, these organizations are increasingly involved in supporting the development of high-quality production projects.
"I hope that local institutions understand that these ambitious series, which employ more than 100 people for seven months, half of which are live, contribute to the country's economy and deserve a minimum of support,"
says François Deplanck, CEO of Tanka Studio.
The financing of African audiovisual productions is also the responsibility of public authorities, without whom the development of the sector remains compromised. Some countries, such as Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, have understood the importance of supporting the development of cultural industries. Others will follow, just as co-production agreements are being established between French-speaking African countries.
Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, but also the DRC and Cameroon… Creativity is everywhere. In the audiovisual landscape, large-scale fiction productions are being made across the continent, even if some countries are showing greater dynamism than others. Audiovisual groups and local players are organizing to support production: projects are multiplying and meeting the expectations of an increasingly demanding audience. Beyond the quality that continues to prove itself, television schedules are being enriched with local, varied, and large-scale programs.
Although financing and training remain the industry's Achilles heel, not to mention the global health crisis, which has significantly slowed down activity, stakeholders remain confident. Initiatives and combined efforts are driving forward audiovisual production and creativity and contributing to the industrialization of the sector.
Key players in the audiovisual production sector have their say:
Interview with Marjorie Vella, Deputy Director of Programming at TV5Monde
Interview with François Deplanck, Managing Director of Tanka Studio
Interview with Mbathio DIAW, Director of RAES and producer of the series Renaissance