DCS Events, organisers of the Emerging Cinema Markets Conference at
the Grand Tarabya Hotel in Istanbul (19th – 21st
November) have announced further details of the dedicated Africa sessions and
speakers at the conference - Spotlight on Nigeria and West Africa.
Africa is the world's second largest and second most-populous continent.
It covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area. With 1.3
billion people and a median age of 19.7 years as of 9th October 2019
(and set to double by 2050), it accounts for 16.72% of the world's human
population, but currently a nominal amount of the global box office.
Nigeria is the key regional player in West Africa, with an
English-speaking population of approximately 197 million, which accounts for
about 47% of West Africa’s population, and has one of the largest populations
of youth in the world.
Nigeria and West Africa is a vastly under-screened area, with only 1
screen per 1.5 million people.
Ghana sits on the
Atlantic Ocean and borders Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. It has a
population of about 30.6 million (2019). Ghana consistently ranks in the top three countries in Africa for
freedom of speech and press freedom, with strong broadcast media, and radio the
medium with the greatest reach. Factors such as these provide Ghana with solid
social capital.
Liberia is one of the
youngest countries in the world with a median age of 18.9 years and a total
population of 4.9 million (2019). With only 1 cinema and 4 screens, Liberia is
greatly under-screened. George Weah, the former Chelsea, AC Milan player named
FIFA World Player of the Year in 1995, is the current president of Liberia.
·
The Big
Picture have focused on twenty of the fifty-four African countries with
significant prospects for growth and a current population of 961m people
·
421
million of these are English speaking; 193 million French; 188 million are
Arabic and 60 million speak Portuguese.
·
By 2050
as much as 40 per cent of the population in the world could be African, and the continent already has the
second largest population on earth.
·
10% of
all births worldwide are projected to be in Nigeria.
·
There is
only 1 screen per 1 million people Africa currently
·
Just 1 IMAX cinema
(Nigeria) for 394 million people in West Africa
With 70% of worldwide economic growth is
forecast in Emerging Markets, ECM2019 will explore opportunities, the
challenges (including technical and political) and how cinema suppliers,
operators and producers can innovate and grow their businesses across the
continent.
At the #AFSIC Conference in London
earlier this year former Minister, Rory Stewart MP from the UK Dept for
International Development said, “It’s going to be about people. It’s going
to be about people on the ground. It’s going to be about people with experience
of a particular country…and it’s on making sure that we trust those people,
making sure we have the right type of trust”.
Rob Arthur, Founder and
Director of DCS Events and Senior Consultant at The Big Picture says, “Cinema in Africa is the new frontier. It is
critically important that the industry stakeholders work as a team to best
manage the growth opportunities cross the continent. Transparency, Integrity,
Trust and Compliance are key areas which will enable the development of cinemas
in Emerging Markets and with all of the key industry stakeholders participating
and attending ECM2019 it will enable a far greater understanding of the need
for support and development.”
Olayemi Anyanechi,
Managing Partner, Sefton Fross says,
“Nigeria has a large youthful population with
a burgeoning cinema culture. In July and August 2019 alone, the Cinema
Exhibitors Association of Nigeria reports a spend of approximately $3.33m in
cinemas. This is despite the fact that there are a little above 200 screens to
serve this large population. Clearly, there are significant opportunities for
both local and foreign investment in cinemas in Nigeria.
Furthermore, there has been concerted
campaign against piracy and other infringements of intellectual property rights
by relevant stakeholders across the industry, and Nigeria continues to work
assiduously to enhance the ease of doing business in the country, thereby
creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. This is the time to
take advantage of the opportunity to invest, and enjoy considerable returns”
Jared Murray-Bruce,
Chief Executive Officer of Silverbird Film Distribution says, “Nigeria and West Africa as a whole are at a
crucial inflection point, where we are ready to showcase ourselves on the world
stage with growing Box Office success and rising admissions. With amazing local
content and greater access to Hollywood hits we are proud to be on the
forefront of the growing African Cinema market.”
Opeyemi
Ajayi, Executive Vice President, Genesis Pictures
says, “The Cinema Industry is evolving everyday with new innovation across the
globe, Nigeria and West Africa are key players contributing to growth in the
global market. We are continuously expanding and enhancing the cinema going
experience with a range of great local and international content, leveraging
latest technology and working with global partners. We believe there are
massive untapped markets across West &Central Africa despite the rise of
alternative platforms. This is in addition to improving current movie-going
experience in major cities. Our aim is to continue to uncover such markets,
delivering exceptional movie experiences for our audience. We look forward to
showing our market to the world and are thrilled to be one of the major players
in the Emerging African Cinema market”.
Moses
Babatope, Co-Founder, Group Executive Director /Managing Director FilmOne FilmHouse
Cinemas and FilmOne Distribution and Production, Nigeria
added, "As a key player in one of the most dynamic emerging cinema
markets, we always look forward to sharing our insights. The Nigerian (West
African) market is growing rapidly from a very small base, so we believe that
there is still huge potential for expansion and opportunities for filmmakers,
exhibitors and other players across the industry. The Emerging Cinema Market
conference gives us a great platform to articulate this potential to interested
parties."
The Emerging Market Pioneers recognise the
extent of the challenges as well as the opportunities, such as government policies,
piracy, technology standards, theatrical release practices, international trade
practices and the lack of highly valued relationships within the industry at
large – Challenges which are shared by counterparts across other Emerging
Markets.
ECM2019 is a platform for the Emerging
Cinema Markets to meet the International Stakeholders who are able to share in
depth their knowledge and experience. Spotlight on Nigeria and West Africa will be hosted by Patrick von
Sychowski, Editor, Celluloid Junkie on Thursday 21st November
as part of the #ECMIstanbul Conference.
