The world's most influential media, entertainment & technology show
13 - 17 September 2019
RAI Amsterdam
See it differently
With so much happening over the five days we want to help you plan your schedule to ensure you get maximum value from your visit to IBC2019. We've created a number of personalised journeys to guide you through the show.
START YOUR PERSONALISED JOURNEY
5 Days
55,000+ Attendees
300+ Speakers
100+ Sessions
A commercial free-to-air TV licence has been awarded to Kwesé TV by South Africa’s media regulator ICASA.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) said it has conducted a thorough review and found Kwesé TV was both compliant and capable to receive the individual commercial broadcasting licence, which also includes a radio frequency spectrum licence of 55% at MUX 3 frequencies.
The watchdog said the proposed service “will stimulate competition and increase the variety of television broadcasting services available to South Africans.”
It also found that the business plan and proposed means of financial support were adequate and the executives had the expertise and experience to run a broadcasting company.
Kwesé Free TV is 20% owned by Econet South Africa, with Royal Bafoteng Metix owning a 45% stake and Mosong Equities holding 35%.
The granting of the licence enables Kwesé TV to offer channels packages which will include sport and general entertainment content.
The JV has proposed the launch of five channels: Kwesé Free Sports HD, Kwesé Brave, Kwesé Focus. Kwesé Vibes and Kwesé Drama.
On deciding whether to grant or refuse a licence application, ICASA considered various criteria set out in the legislation and the Invitation To Apply (ITA) as published as well as the provisions of the ECA.
These considerations included the following:
1. Compliance with the relevant provisions of the ECA
2. Compliance with the requirements of the ITA
3. Market research: Demand, Need and Support of the proposed service;
4. Viability of the business plan and financial means of the Applicant; and
5. Capability, expertise and experience of the Applicant and its employees in business in general and in broadcasting in particular.
Earlier this month Econet Wireless confirmed it will shut its African pay-TV arm Kwesé due to economic issues in its home country of Zimbabwe.
Kwesé was launched by Econet Media – which is owned by Zimbabwe’s richest man Strive Masiyiwa - in 2015 and offers sports and entertainment services across a dozen African countries. It also offered a Roku-based VoD streaming service, Kwesé Play which was launched in 2017.
In November, Econet abandoned its premium pan-African service to focus on its free-to-air offering and mobile streaming services, just 18 months after launching.
French media company Vivendi looks set to vote against a Mediaset proposal to create a Dutch holding company which would bring together its European assets, according to reports.
Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter, reports that Vivendi will vote against the Italian TV company’s plan at an investor meeting set to take place on 4 September.
If Vivendi, which holds a 29% stake in Mediaset, votes against the plan, it could serve as potential setback for controlling shareholder Finninvest, which is ran by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and his family.
To pass the plan – which would merge Mediaset with its Spanish affiliate into a new company called Media for Europe – the company needs a two-thirds majority vote. However, Bloomberg reports that most of Vivendi’s shares sit in an independent trust, meaning it may only be able to use its direct 9.6% stake to vote down the proposal.
Mediaset proposed the restructure in June. Mediaset said MFE has been developed with the aim of creating value and development as the “home of a great European broadcaster.”
But the proposal has met with further opposition, according to a report from Reuters, which claims ISS has advised Mediaset shareholders to vote it down.
In a document seen by the news agency, ISS warned that the deal would limit minority shareholders’ rights, with Bloomberg reporting that ISS described the proposal as not “particularly attractive from a financial standpoint”.
“The proposed governance structure has the clear goal of cementing the control of the Berlusconi family apparently to pursue an M&A growth strategy without losing control of the combined company,” ISS said. “For these reasons, support for the proposed transaction is not warranted.”
This view differs from that of another proxy advisory firm, Glass Lewis, which said Mediaset shareholders should back the Dutch plan because the business would become more efficient.
If shareholders were to follow the advice of ISS over that of Glass Lewis, then Vivendi could potentially rally other shareholders to its cause and block the proposal, striking another blow in a long-running dispute between Mediaset and its French shareholder.
Last month, Vivendi launched a lawsuit against Mediaset in an effort to assert its rights as a shareholder in the Italian broadcaster. This came after Mediaset had blocked Vivendi from voting in shareholder meetings, with the case not likely to be heard until November.
YouTube is in the final stages of implementing plans to end “targeted” advertisements on video for children, according to reports.
The Google-owned video service has come under fire despite its best efforts claiming its primary site is not for children, pointing to its YouTube Kids app, which does not include targeted ads. Children’s content on YouTube’s main site has billions of viewers and is interlaced with graphic and inappropriate advertising.
YouTube head of EMEA Cécile Frot-Coutaz is one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming IBC conference in Amsterdam. Check out IBC365’s exclusive interview with Frot-Coutaz.
According to a report by Bloomberg, “getting rid of targeted ads on children’s content could hit Google’s bottom line but this solution would be far less expensive than other potential remedies that aim to placate regulators.”
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is currently investigating if YouTube has breached the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) that imposes certain requirements on operators of websites and online services banning the collection of personal information of children under 13 years of age.
Last month the FTC reached a settlement with Google over the YouTube allegations, but it has not disclosed the terms of the agreement.
YouTube’s revenue from children’s media has an estimated value between $500 and $750 million a year, according to Loup Ventures research firm.
While it is not clear the planned targeted advertising changes are directly linked to the regulator’s query it’s certainly a move to satisfy them, though the video giant could “immediately dent ad sales.”
Sources close to the discussion have claimed the plans to end targeted ads is “to satisfy regulators” and mitigate a possible multimillion dollar fine from the FTC, Bloomberg said. Both YouTube and the FTC declined to make comment.
The collection of information about the viewer fuels targeted or “behavioural” advertising and since COPPA essentially bans this for viewers under 13 years of age without parental permission, the business model for YouTube could need to be revised.
In July 2018, a coalition of 23 advocacy groups made a complaint to the FTC that YouTube allegedly collected data on children’s video viewing in an illegal manner.
A study by the Pew Research Centre released last month analysed English-language YouTube videos from the platform’s largest channels during the first week of January 2019 and found that videos featuring a children who appeared to be under the age of 13 received nearly three times as many views on average as other types of videos.
UK Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom is set to be granted new regulatory powers to ensure Facebook, YouTube and Instagram will comply with “minimum standards” for video sharing and live streaming.
Earlier this month, IBC365 reported on the first serious crackdown on social media, with the UK Government looking to approve Ofcom as the legal body to penalise technology firms that fail to comply with robust age verification checks and parental controls to ensure children are not exposed to violent or indecent content.
IBC has announced new industry leaders will join the speaker line-up to explore opportunities and challenges around a consumer-first era in media.
Adding to the stellar line-up of Keynotes and Global Gamechangers that will help shape the debate on the future direction of the industry on Friday 13 September are: Mediaset executive board member Gina Nieri; Pluto TV managing director Europe Olivier Jollet; and Vice president international Dominique Delport in Global Business Gamechangers: where’s the money coming from?
EBU director general Noel Curran and RTE director general Dee Forbes will feature in Global Strategy Gamechangers: can public broadcasters stay relevant?
MovieLabs will be hosting a Keynote conference on Sunday 15 September bringing together technology leaders from five major Hollywood studios unveiling their vision for the future of content production, post and creative technologies.
Hollywood’s track record of pioneering new technologies and creative approaches - from HDR to VFX to ACES – will feature in this session, which provides the first-ever discussion of the 2030 Vision Paper that lays out the disruptive technologies and workflows that will become the new mainstream.
This year’s IBC conference will chart the challenges, assess the business and technological opportunities for future generations of the industry, and cement its position as the industry’s most authoritative and stimulating media, entertainment and technology event.
On Monday 16 September, Facebook executive director or media partnerships central and eastern Europe Jens-Uwe Bornemann and social video product manager Erin Connolly, will host a session titled Is Facebook set to become the next big video platform?
Audiences are invited to discover the business model behind this major online platform including how it is evolving video strategy, developing partnerships and designing tools and products to build a deeper relationship with online communities.
Sony Corporation senior vice president Hiroshi Kawano, will deliver the keynote The future of media technology and TF1 chief technology officer Thomas Jacques has been added to the panel on the session Secrets of implementing successful technology projects on Tuesday 17 September.
The five new IBC2019 conference tracks provide a different daily focus for each stage of the end-to-end media content chain. They are:
Saturday 14 September, Publish: Embracing the Platform Revolution presents new business models that are disrupting the industry.
Sunday 15 September, Create & Produce: Creating Disruption offers insights into new technologies and concepts including interactivity and 8K production.
Sunday 15 September, Monetise: Scaling Audiences and Revenues shines a light on brands as broadcasters and new models of advertising.
Monday 16 September, Consume: Engaging Consumer Experiences delves into consumer consumption habits and next-gen fan engagement.
Tuesday 17 September, Manage: Automating Media Supply Chains looks at AI and other new technologies that can create more successful media supply chains.
Joining the IBC conference speakers include Consumer Technology Association president and chief executive Gary Shapiro; Alle3Media chief executive Jane Turton; and BBC Studios UK production managing director Lisa Opie.
With the iBC2019 show less than a month away visitors can look forward to events and features such as the exciting new IBC Esports Showcase, the Media-Telecom Catalyst programme, and the hugely popular state-of-the-art Big Screen and the prestigious IBC Awards, where director, producer and actor Andy Serkis will be presented with the International Honour for Excellence.
Esports comes to play at IBC2019
IBC will explore the technical and commercial opportunities and challenges of the rapidly growing world of esports with an exclusive showcase on 17 September.
The Esports Showcase, which is powered by ESL, EVS and Lagardère and sponsored by NEP, IHSE and the City of Amsterdam, will feature a live esports tournament in the RAI Auditorium taking advantage of a unique combination of world-class technology placing spectators at the heart of the action
IBC Esports Showcase takes place on Tuesday 17 September in the RAI Auditorium.
No content here.
