NAB Show Shaping The Media Landscape In Africa

NAB Show is an annual trade show produced by the National Association of Broadcasters. NAB show is the largest show for media, entertainment and technology. NAB Show is the global event for the entire broadcast, media and entertainment industry.

The NAB shows cover: broadcast TV, radio, production, post-production, news gathering, streaming, cable TV, satellite TV, film restoration, data storage, data management, weather forecasting, industrial TV, FX, CGI, connected media, cybersecurity and more

Inaugurated in 1923, The NAB Show which is produced annually by the National Association of Broadcasters has made significant strides towards changing the narratives in broadcasting.

Over the years NAB continues to advance radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory, and public affairs. Through advocacy, education, and innovation. It has also enabled broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses, and seize new opportunities in the digital age.

Since 1991, the NAB Show through the opportunities created for participants like exhibitors’ booths, lectures, panel discussions and workshops has impacted many attendees.

The participation of Broadcast personnel from the African media landscape continues to impact positively over the years. With many media platforms desirous to take advantage of the opportunity offered by NAB Show, the platform is increasingly becoming one of the most sought-after.

THE AFRICAN MEDIA LANDSCAPE

African media are undergoing major transformations today due to the evolution of information and communication technologies. The media landscape in Africa has chalked some successes over the years. Over the years, there has been gradual progress in the performance of the African media.

Production and other multiple challenges in production in the media landscape is also worrying. Other challenges include logistics, local transport, poor telecommunications & infrastructures, lack of skills, lack of quality broadcast equipment among others.

The numerous challenges militating against Africa’s broadcast landscape are varied and country-specific but there are common challenges that runs through irrespective of geographical location.

1. Restrictions from authoritarian regimes
2. Lack of will and capacity to shift from traditional media business model
3. Lack of resources to increase capacity
4. Lack of training to embrace new digital tools required for a scale-up
5. Lack of will and capacity to shift from cult personalities and state propaganda
6. Competition with the influx of foreign media

Anglophone Africa and Francophone Africa media have developed media systems that have different dynamics.

One of  the biggest threats to Africa media landscape is lack of capacity-building opportunities for media practitioners. Another challenge faced by broadcasters in Africa is accessibility to modern gadgets and digital tools required to make work easier and to compete with global broadcasting entities.

Efforts to overcome these challenges faced by broadcasters in Africa require urgent attention. Addressing some of the challenges requires partnerships and collaborations between broadcasters, content creators, and advertisers to foster a more sustainable media ecosystem. Stakeholders must work together to overcome these challenges and ensure that African broadcasting remains a vital platform for cultural expression and information dissemination.

THE NAB SHOW PLATFORM; A MUST FOR AFRICAN MEDIA/ENTERTAINERS NEED

Increasingly, the NAB Show platform is the biggest opportunity for African broadcasters to access a marketplace for innovation and opportunity and the latest tools, trends and technology. It allows African broadcasters to discover products while learning their integration across workflows. It allows practitioners to find solutions for boosting productivity and streamlining processes. And engage directly with cutting-edge tech through interactive demos and live sessions.

The NAB Show has become a hub and home to major media conglomerates, production studios, tech firms and ad agencies. Many African broadcasting houses are increasingly taking advantage of the NAB Show platform to boost their capacity in human and material resources. It offers African braodcasters an opportunity to Reconnect with peers, the pros and the entire industry, test drive new tech and implement time-saving techniques while Rediscovering how to use what you’ve got, but in a whole new way.

More than a quarter of attendees (27 percent, up 2 percent from last year) who attended the 2024 NAB Show program were international attendees, representing 163 countries and included 34 delegation buying groups from all across the world. Ten first-time delegations attended from Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, Oceana and Central Asia.

Africa media and entertainment industry are becoming conscious of the enormous benefits offered by the NAB Show platform. For instance, the 2024 NAB Show exhibitors debuted and showcased thousands of new products and next-generation and pioneering technologies from brands that include Adobe, ARRI, AWS, Blackmagic Design, Canon, Fujifilm, JVC Professional Video, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Sony and Verizon Business. These are relatively technologies that are not common to the broadcasters and entertainers in Africa making it a crucial platform to discover new trends and digital tools changing the face of broadcasting.

As Karen Chupka the incoming executive vice president and managing director, NAB Global Connections and Events stated at the last edition of the show, “We’re blown away to see over half of our attendees this year experiencing NAB Show for the first time,” “This, and the strong international attendance proves that NAB Show is where global storytellers come to find the tools and technologies needed to create, distribute and monetize content”, many African Broadcasters will continue to find the NAB Show platform a very useful opportunity to build capacity, discover new ideas and rub shoulders with the best in the industry.

About NAB

The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America’s broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at nab.org.

RAPHAEL SARKODIE

Raphael Sarkodie joined Ghana’s biggest media platform Media General Ghana Limited in November 2021. He is an astute journalist who has covered various events in the field of sports and beyond. He is a blogger and a sports broadcaster.