FIFA-AUB partnership boosts Africa's broadcasting industry

"FIFA was contacted by AUB back in 2004 to see if we can start a new era and new working relationship in regard to the continent's sports broadcasting industry, and we have since signed more than 30 agreements and we still have to sign more in the near future that will help Africa's sports industry," Ericsson explained.

FIFA will empower sub-Saharan Africa's broadcasters to make money to become sustainable, and improve their standards by providing platforms for advice and training in match productions, he added.

Transferring knowledge, building capacity

Therefore, the FIFA Legacy Week, as part of FIFA's 'Win in Africa with Africa' initiative, focuses primarily - through the reinvestment of broadcast rights and revenues into the development and promotion of football in Africa - at transferring knowledge and building capacity in a manner that is relevant to the respective country in the region.

At the end of the first phase, some 3000 African TV and radio professionals from 41 countries will have been trained in international broadcast standards.

Ericsson said each course is designed to accommodate up to 100 participants, and encompasses three key modules, namely TV and radio journalism for football, TV and radio production for football, and TV and radio sports rights and marketing.

Education and training

France-based Host Broadcast Services (HBS) is providing instructors, teaching materials and demonstration equipment for conducting skill-building courses in football production, such as training of commentators, cameramen, video-operators, directors and producers.

Likewise, the AUB is conducting seminars, workshops and conferences on topics such as news, educational broadcasting and TV development of communications, satellite communications and training.

The FIFA Legacy Week is open to eligible professionals from the following 41 sub-Saharan Africa countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Cote d'Ivoire, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.

AUB production centre, studio

Furthermore, Ericsson said: "As we all know, most African countries get match international signals from Paris or various parts of Europe, but we aim to change that and for the first time we are providing AUB with its proper production centre and studio at the International Broadcast Centre right here in Johannesburg."

The IBC-based AUB studio is set to produce two shows, one in English and one in French, during the World Cup, FIFA said.

For more information, email Francis Tellier of HBS at vt.sbh@reilletf.