I’m back in Namibia for some workshops with Namibia Broadcasting Corporation, Namibia Film Commission and the Filmmakers Association of Namibia. In March 2011, I shared some astounding videos on how social media is completely redefining how we interact with the world, and high speed internet, global connectivity, and new technology such as the Google Chromecast dongle, will increasingly mean that if broadcasters don’t offer the the kinds of content that audiences want to see, those audiences will just go elsewhere.
For state broadcasters in Africa, in the old days, that might not have been a problem. But governments are clearly no longer willing just to chuck money at tv stations, just for the fun of having them. Hence, our discussions on cross- and trans-media story telling. I found some of the best stuff on this is coming out of USA Network – here are a couple of fascinating stories about capturing the audience (and revenue streams) with Psych and Burn Notice.