Entertaining Africans: Creative Innovation in the (Internet) Television Space

Main author: Dovey, Lindiwe
Format: Journal Article           
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id eprints-25969
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description In the growing scholarly literature on internet television, Africa is mentioned tangentially, if at all. This article attempts to rectify this by offering one of the first studies of Africa-based and Africa-focused internet television and video on demand (VOD) for domestic and diasporan African audiences. It begins by giving a brief overview of screen and television infrastructure across Africa before moving on to describe the landscape of internet television in Africa, focusing on six core competitive factors: content, internet connectivity, data costs, payment options, security, and multimedia convergence. Finally, it identifies and briefly analyzes the potentially most popular Africa-based and Africa-focused internet television and VOD platforms. The article draws on original interviews conducted with key players at some of the most important Africa-based and African-focused internet television and VOD platforms and with other African media scholars and filmmakers who have expertise in different regions of the continent (and specifically Senegal, Ethiopia, Angola, Rwanda, and Kenya).
format Journal Article
author Dovey, Lindiwe
author_facet Dovey, Lindiwe
authorStr Dovey, Lindiwe
author_letter Dovey, Lindiwe
title Entertaining Africans: Creative Innovation in the (Internet) Television Space
publisher Media Industries Editorial Collective
publishDate 2018
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/25969/