Can you tell us about BBLACK TV?
The BBLACK! brand was created in 2010 on the initiative of Sébastien GADJARD, and since 2013, I have been creating BBLACK Africa for the continent, so next year we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of this wonderful channel!
BBLACK is a brand dedicated to African and Caribbean cultures, through music and culture, aimed at the entire African continent, the diaspora, and the United States. BBLACK AFRICA is a channel specifically for French-speaking Africa, mainly featuring music videos.
BBLACK now consists of three main channels: Bblack Classik, Bblack Africa, and Bblack Caribbean, as well as an FM radio station, BBLACK RADIO GUYANE. BBLACK is now a major event operator, notably with BBLACK CRUISES developed with COSTA CROISIERES.
Today, we have around ten employees, four of whom are based in Ivory Coast. Our business model is based on subscriptions and advertising. We have more than 10,000 subscribers thanks to the broadcasting of Bblack TV on SFR, Numéricâble, Bouygues, and CANAL+ Afrique (channel 132) packages.
After 10 years in business, how do you plan to develop this project?
BBLACK AFRICA is getting a makeover. As it prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary on the continent, Bblack Africa's motto is to always strive to meet the expectations of its viewers.
We are beginning our transition to a more intelligent media outlet. Today more than ever, our viewers are sensitive to products made in Africa and the richness of African music.
We are the sounding board for this committed Africa. Here, we are 100% African music, featuring both established and up-and-coming talent.
We are 100% participatory, with our viewers becoming active participants in the channel: simply using their cell phones, whether they are in Dakar, Douala, or Abidjan, our viewers can share their passion for singing or dancing, for example, with the whole of Africa. It's a new way of thinking about television. It meets today's expectations.
We are 100% African content with series, portraits of those who take action on a daily basis and promote positive values, and many other programs that shine a light on Africa's progress. We will also offer behind-the-scenes looks at major shows.
Finally, we will be 100% events-focused, with an ever-increasing presence at local events of all sizes.
What lessons have you learned from these past years?
After 10 years in business, we can only look back on our activities with satisfaction. We have succeeded in establishing a lasting presence on the African continent. African audiences appreciate this channel and its programs. What we broadcast is representative of the African music world. However, after 10 years of activity, it is time for us to reinvent ourselves.
It is important to distinguish ourselves from other players in the market by representing traditional African music and the great legends who have marked the history of music on the continent. We want to embody a dynamic Africa, an Africa that is moving forward.
Finally, in terms of our television channel, we will take advantage of our 10th anniversary to launch our channel in HD, with a new look and new programming to revitalize the channel.
We are launching our unique formula that gives everyone a voice: ALLO BBLACK. It is a video and audio answering machine that allows you to react at any time on the air and share an opinion, a talent, a dance, a voice, a style, a birthday, a marriage proposal… More than ever, BBLACK AFRICA is the spokesperson. This is something that is very important to us. I would like you to appreciate the daily contributions of our BBLACK reporters who travel across the continent in search of personalities from different countries, cities, and neighborhoods. More than ever, BBLACK AFRICA is close to its audience.
We will always target a young audience that, beyond its culture and era, wants to reconnect with traditions.
Beyond broadcasting music videos, we also have a lineup of themed programs:
- Bblack Talents
- Bblack Movie (short African series)
- Bblack Hits
- Bblack Journal (showbiz news)
- Clap, which highlights African cinema
Which countries listen to you the most?
The countries that consume our content the most are Ivory Coast, Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, Mali, and Burkina Faso, although we are seeing a real rise in popularity in Benin and Togo, where we are being approached by more and more advertisers.
To gain ground, we have developed a digital strategy to keep up with new mobile uses. We are present on social media and we maintain a website. We have also just launched a mobile app that will be available from May 2022.
Our partner Anselm Nfa, CEO of the production company Icone Media, will also be in charge of the development and marketing of our activities.
Do you plan to diversify your content beyond music?
As a producer, I work closely with Icone Media on series projects, including a 100-episode series currently in preparation that will soon be broadcast on a major international channel and then on BBlack TV.
The channel is music-based, but we want to occasionally broadcast short series to entertain our audience, such as the series "Allô Tribunal." This will give the channel a dynamic feel.
We promise our audience lots of new things, including the promotion of new talent in the vein of Fally Ipupa, Dadju, Heritier Watanabe, Debordo, and others. We also plan to gradually expand into the production and broadcast of series, African telenovelas, and reality TV shows. This is in the works and will be managed from Abidjan.