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A Few Hard Choices for African TV

Charles Achaye-0dong

Development of technology poses new questions for African TV stations

https://p.dw.com/p/1Hnu

Twenty six years ago, when I first started to work for Uganda TV, television broadcasting operated in a very different way. It enjoyed monopoly of the air waves and the remote control was not necessary. No zapping. Then almost overnight came liberalisation of broadcasting laws and availability of satellite-delivered programmes to the public on the African continent. Direct-to-home (DTH) satellite broadcasting marked the end of the era when television broadcasting largely stayed within national boundaries. Cross border television broadcasts by satellite has suddenly become an issue of great concern to TV executives on the continent of Africa. Technology has brought competitors with greater financial resources and experience. How can they ensure that they continue to maintain their audience ratings? These television stations must not only compete with the other stations but also multimedia-Internet etc. Digital television brings a new era in broadcasting and computing. For the consumer this means a wide range of options. Predicting the future is therefore more important than ever.

What next, what about the future?

I think about these question and my head begins to ache and my neck begins to pain. But who can I ask? Where can I go? Montreux? I went to the 20th International Television Symposium and Technical Exhibition to find answers. There was a lot of new information, the world's first digital terrestrial TV system - the ATSC DTV standard recently approved for the United States and the DVB standard developed by and for Europe were demonstrated. We saw a lot of new products and I believe many TV executives from my continent of Africa left Switzerland with more questions than answers. Getting these answers and getting them soon may mean survival.

Which format should we choose? The Betacam SX - Sony's "Digital Solutions for Today and Tomorrow" or Panasonic's DVCPRO and DV family of formats, or JVC's Digital-S under the "Planet JVC" banner. In 1994, Motion Picture Expert Group's MPEG-2 became the standard for the next wave in digital television. How long will MPEG-2 survive? Will MPEG-4 or MPEG-7 change everything? Which digital TV system should we choose? Should we embrace the American ATSC or the European DVB? When should we begin the transition from the current analog to the totally digital system? When will television and computer / Internet merge and what impact will it have? When should we start making programmes in a wide screen 16: 9 aspect ratio? What is the justification for any investment into the new technology? Economics or is it viewers demand? And - possibly the most important question - if and when do we decide to implement the new technologies, does the average citizen of Africa have the financial resources to participate in this new media?

In the ancient chiefdom of my great grandfather, predicting the future was an activity performed by Ajwaka, the village priest. If consulted today, I believe Ajwaka will tell us that the new generation of TV technology will come but what is most important is the making of good meaningful programmes. This is what consumers will continue to demand. At my great grandfather's times you would have disobeyed the Ajwaka at your peril.