Ben Morou is the CEO of M Media Africa, a TV program distribution and broadcasting company founded in 2007. It also produces African soap operas. What does M Media Africa do?
M MEDIA-AFRIQUE is a Beninese company with subsidiaries in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger, and Togo. When we started, our main activities were distribution, content broadcasting to TV channels, and series dubbing. In 2010, in response to demand, we created the TV Content Production Department. Since November 2015, M.MEDIA-AFRIQUE has been the exclusive representative (agent) of CANAL+ ADVERTISING for Benin, Burkina Faso, and Togo.
What types of content do you produce?
M.MEDIA-AFRIQUE exclusively produces African series and soap operas. However, we are open to other content that may be of interest to our partner channels.
What are your prospects for development?
We will continue to develop our "Content Distribution" sector, responding to demand from our international and African broadcasters. We intend to strengthen our collaboration with CANAL+ADVERTISING by increasing our turnover. We will work on co-production projects.
What difficulties do you encounter on a daily basis?
Our difficulties are daily and more general. Limited financial resources to meet production demand. African banks have not yet integrated the financing of the audiovisual industry into their approaches. We also encounter some difficulties in identifying certain human resources, which is the Achilles heel of quality African production. That is why we at M.MEDIA AFRIQUE are investing in training young actors in the film industry.
Can you tell us about "La Parfaite Inconnue"
(The Perfect Stranger
)?
"La Parfaite Inconnue" is a 52-episode series, each episode lasting 26 minutes. The casting brought together around 50 actors from six French-speaking countries, including Benin, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and France.
This is the third production by M. Média Afrique, and "La Parfaite Inconnue" bears the signature of director Arantess de Bonalli (Adama Coulibaly). Nathalie HOUNVO-YEKPE, Serge Constant ABESSOLO, Guy KALOU, Sébastien DAVO, Roger PEGARD, Vincent GOUITAA, and Pelagie BEDA are the main actors in "La Parfaite Inconnue.
" What are your expectations and ambitions for this series?
Like any investment, the priority is the profitability of the series. My greatest hope is that it will be more successful than our first production: LA SAGA DES HERITIERS.
How do you see the future of audiovisual production on the continent? What needs to be done to develop local production?
African producers, mainly in French-speaking Africa, should play their part by joining forces to establish a genuine industry that creates wealth through professionalism and by taking into account the needs of local audiences. The main challenge for us at M Media Afrique-AFRIQUE is to succeed in creating a genuine audiovisual market. It is to convince governments and policy makers that there is enormous potential in terms of employment and competitiveness and that the sector needs to be helped to grow.
It is to persuade African businessmen and billionaires that investing in the media industry with professionals is a "highly profitable" investment. It means training more and more of the young professionals of tomorrow who will grow this sector.
When you look at demographic trends in Africa and rising incomes, you understand why foreign production companies are positioning themselves on the continent. The challenge is whether African productions and producers will be part of it.
We are working on this at M Media Afrique…
What types of projects are you currently working on?
We plan to launch two productions in the second half of 2019. One is a 52-episode, 26-minute production that we are financing ourselves, and the other is a 52-episode, 26-minute co-production. We are also working on a program project that will open a new page in the adventure book of M.MEDIA-AFRIQUE.