Econet, Vice form production hub


By Content Nigeria reporter
October 17, 2017

News

African media group Econet Media has set up a joint venture with Vice Media to bring localised content to Sub-Saharan Africa in 2018.

The new service, Kwesé VICE, will develop and produce locally tailored youth-focused lifestyle and culture programming for its channels and third-party platforms across digital and linear.

Econet Media, which owns and operates pan-African broadcast network Kwesé, targeting emerging millennials, launched Viceland on its multi-platform network earlier this year.

The latest deal will also see Viceland launching in South Africa as part of a roll-out in 45 Sub-Saharan African countries.

Kwesé VICE, which includes a local production studio, will be headquartered in Johannesburg with regional offices in Nairobi and Lagos.

A local recruitment drive is now underway for young creatives, journalists and filmmakers. The deal includes an African home for Vice’s creative agency Virtue Worldwide to develop branded content specifically for the local market.

Joseph Hundah (left), president and group CEO of Econet Media, called Vice “an important strategic partner for us in building an innovative, future-focused media business for Africa.”

The deal will increase Vice Media’s presence to more than 80 territories by the first quarter of 2018. Earlier this year, it struck deals with Brazil’s Globosat, Moby Group in the Middle East and Times of India.