We Entertain, We Build, We Invest

We Entertain, We Build, We Invest

Our focus as Fox Networks Group Africa is on the accelerated expansion of key business lines in our owned sports properties , local content production, linear/non-linear branded entertainment and Nat Geo Partners across key markets in East, West and Southern Africa.  In a nutshell as FOX Networks Group Africa we Entertain, we Invest and we Build

We ENTERTAIN:

On the entertainment front, we kicked off 2018 by announcing FNG Africa’s new content agreement with 20^th Century Fox Television Distribution. This agreement gave us access to premiere series such as The Resident, The Gifted, Ghosted, American Dad and Family Guy.  The Resident, and the Gifted will be back on our screens in 2019 These titles joined an already stellar line up of Lee Daniels’ Starr, X-Files, Atlanta, “Empire, Legion, The Walking Dead as well as the acclaimed, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

In our quest for maximum viewership, we tweaked the schedule in July and just by shifting prime time shows to start an hour early we have doubled the ratings between the 15:00 and 11pm time bands.  We also added How I met your Mother, which is preceded by the animation block, and which leads two hours of high-octane action of double crime with Hawaii Five-O. This helped us align our content pillars of Comedy/Animation, Procedurals and First Runs.

In July, we also announced our CANAL+ co-production of WAR OF THE WORLDS, based on the timeless story by H.G. Wells. Produced by Urban Myth Films, in association with STUDIOCANAL this will be our second FNG Europe and Africa production. FNG E&A is fully committed to SA and our business across the sub-Saharan Africa; not only are we investing in local content production across entertainment and sports across the continent, but at a regional level we also recognise SA as a fantastic and versatile market to shoot in. Following the great success of our first original scripted commission DEEP STATE, we are actually going to film parts of the second season in South Africa. There are limited details we share about the second season of this gritty espionage thriller, however we are excited to be using SA as a production base!

VOD FOCUS IN AFRICA:

In FNG E&A, we invest in must-have content and innovate in ways to make this content accessible. We have invested in FOX Enhanced on Demand and Nat Geo Plus (both Available on Cell C Black) to create as much consumer choice as possible. Both VOD offerings combine our expertise in excellent television production with our rich history of product innovation, while fully supporting the Pay-tv industry.  Inside FOX ENHANCHED ON DEMAND we Offer full seasons and series on-demand, and we provide unparalleled on-demand access to key shows from the vast TV content library of 21^st Century Fox.

FOX LIFE:

FOX Life continues to be a work in progress and continues to not only find its feet but also favour with the Advertising Industry with over a 300% revenue increase on the channel as we continue to strike a chord with Female audiences, balancing between Telenovelas, Reality and First Run content.

On the 1^st of August we premiered  Outpatients on the schedule which unpacks the modern approach to aesthetic procedures and break throughs with innovative techniques and methods. From helping victims of violent injuries, to burn victims or those seeking life changing hair restoration, Dr Cathy Davies is making a real difference.

Said to be a million-dollar industry, with up to 1000 guests for the most high-end and lavish weddings, the Nigerian Wedding scene is big and bold and come September 19th viewers will be treated to a magical world of make believe in our brand new show, Nigerian Top Weddings.

We BUILD

It is worth a reminder that as a global company, we reach more than 1.8 billion people every day in more than 50 local languages and Sport is a big part of our world.

WAFU:

It was back in 2016 that we created our WAFU partnership with West Africa’s Zone’s A and B, and our inaugural tournament in Ghana in 2017 was a great success, the tournament was beamed live across 125 million households with over 300 million viewers globally. Host nation Ghana clinched the inaugural title. In July we announced the host nations for the next tournaments and  Senegal will become the first Zone A host for next year’s two-week tournament in September 2019 and Nigeria has been named as home to the third edition of the WAFU Cup of Nations, also to take place in September, in 2021. Here is a look at the cracking two weeks of our inaugural tournament.

AFRICA BOXING:

Africa Boxing, created in 2017 and in partnership with the WBA, has crowned seven Champions Pan African champions to date; and we have made great strides in securing great commercial partners who believe in our vision. We announced recently an agreement we reached with Facebook, which would allow us to livestream all our boxing events globally. The stream sits on Fox Sports Africa Facebook page and seeks to profile some of Africa’s most talent up and coming boxers.

We recently secured a multiyear agreement with Sun International to hosting boxing events and we had our biggest event yet at Carnival City on the 20^th of June. From having launched Africa Boxing in Nairobi, Kenya, in January 2017, the momentum has not stopped and Carnival City was our eighth edition with 2000 people in attendance.

We INVEST

National Geographic is at the centre of a community of bold people with an insatiable curiosity. We chase the big questions, challenge accepted beliefs and push the boundaries of our knowledge about our world…And there is no better place where we do that than through Nat Geo Wild where we are simply untamed…

Wild animals coupled with Wild Destinations is what Nat Geo wild is all about and our viewers love it. You are probably familiar with the great white shark, but how much do you know about these other big sharks: blacktip, tiger, sand tiger, Galapagos, and whale? Those are just five of roughly 500 shark species found in our oceans – and that is the information that thousands of people tune in for every week. Anything with Sharks, Snakes and Africa’s Deadliest beasts is a hit on Nat Geo Wild.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC:

National Geographic has been igniting the explorer in all of us for 130 years through groundbreaking storytelling from the best and brightest scientists, explorers, photographers, and filmmakers in the world. Our yellow border offers a portal to explore the farthest reaches of the earth and beyond. Places only National Geographic can take them.

National Geographic has unparalleled reach, touching millions of consumers of every age, in 172 countries every single month. We are a top 10 brand on Facebook and YouTube. The number one brand on Instagram. We are the largest TV network on FB, and one of the 50 most followed pages.

At National Geographic, we reach over millions of consumers around the world every month including:

-          423 million followers on Social Media, including:

o   Facebook: 193.1MM    

o   Twitter: 41.4MM

o   Instagram: 134.2MM (this is the total across all NG Instagram accounts)

-          54 million NGM print & digital readers in 33 languages, nearly 15 million U.S. readers for Traveler, and nearly 4 million U.S. readers for Kids   And locally we have the Nat Geo Kids Magazine with a 15000 print run in both English and Afrikaans

-          Locally our fans shows us love on Facebook: with over likes: 1 million likes, and 100k Instagram followers

National Geographic+

And we now are able to reach even more of our fans through Nat Geo +, consumers are now used to marathon viewing for entertainment and scripted content – and we are providing a similar experience with Factual. National Geographic+ is an on-demand factual service that brings some of the best programming from the vast catalogue of one of the biggest factual brands in the world.

The content is always relevant and timely, able to reflect and engage, reacting to the world in which we all live.

In 2017, the first installment of Genius, our first scripted series, received 10 Emmy nominations, including Best Limited Series. Genius also garnered the network’s first-ever Golden Globe nomination for Geoffrey Rush’s performance as Einstein. Our second season of Genius premiered in April 2018 starring Antonio Banderas and follows the life of the incomparable artist Pablo Picasso. And the subject for the next installment of Genius is going to be based on the life of iconic author Mary Shelley, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein.

FURTHER:

From the topics, we choose to focus on, the experiences we provide for consumers, and the opportunities we present to satisfy their curiosity, we are constantly striving to go further. One of the ways we are doing that is shining a spotlight on single use plastics.  Did you know that more than 40% of plastics used once then tossed, seeing 9 million tons of plastic waste ending up in the ocean each year, and in the United States alone, 100 billion plastic bags are used each year? Its time for all of us to choose wisely and #chooseplanet.

Our Planet or Plastic campaign further highlights the impact we have in the world: We are the very definition of entertainment with a purpose; One of our most famous explorers, Jane Goodall, once said: “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help shall all be saved.” We put into practice those words every day and believe passionately in entertainment with purpose. We return 27% of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation, and education.* This unique partnership creates a virtuous cycle of storytelling and exploration that inspires people to act, enlightens their perspective, and often provides the spark to new ideas and innovation. And to date we have invested $46, 857, 431 for fieldwork in Africa and $15,401,227 to African Residents.