Ladi Akeredolu-Ale, controller of current affairs at Channels TV, remains optimistic about the Nigerian broadcaster’s future in the age of digital transition, attendees at the Nigerian International Film & TV Summit (NIFS) heard this week.

Akeredolu-Ale spoke about the Nigerian TV industry’s outlook during a session hosted by Ijeoma Onah, founder of NIFS and CEO of Super TV.

Asked how prepared Channels TV is for the digital migration, Akeredolu-Ale said: “The business will be affected but we hope it won’t affect it negatively. We see lots of opportunities here. For example, if you are talking about the TV business, you are talking about income. There are multiple income streams in this convergence, like what we have started doing in the business of podcasting.

“Lots of people want to see things, while others want to hear them. With all the convergence that has occurred in our environment, radio is still the most popular medium of communication across the country.

“The challenge here is how do you attract that kind of audience to this platform? It is still a work in progress and we are looking at it more consciously because it involves significant investment.”

Akeredolu-Ale added that Channels TV wants to create podcasts in indigenious languages that will be beneficial to people. The exec said he sees this as an opportunity because if people can easily get health-related information in a language or format that is easy to access, they will subscribe. “And each time that person comes back on the basis of satisfaction with the previous experience, it’s good for your bottom line and makes you more relevant to their day-to-day life,” he said.

Onah also asked Akeredolu-Ale about the future of monetisation in traditional TV and whether will Channels TV be able to sustain itself amid digital disruption. Akeredolu-Ale responded by saying legacy players are also able to target specific audiences they might not have been able to in the past.

“Channels TV used to think of itself as an ABC station but the vast population is in the DE segment. It has been a challenge to get them to engage and let them know the relevance of engaging. But with this disruption, you have an opportunity to target them specifically. The information is still the same but the mode of communication is different,” he said.

The issue of traditional media ensuring truthful information in the digital age was also raised. “Take a deep breath, look at the information over and over again, identify loopholes, cross check information and finally run checks on what you have gathered,” Akeredolu-Ale advised.

They key topic at this year’s NIFS was the so-called streaming wars, and the implications for the future of content monetisation for film and TV content. The event was held from August 29 to September 1 in Lagos.

tagged in: Channels TV, Ladi Akeredolu-Ale, NIFS, Nigerian International Film & TV Summit