The Africa Channel and Côte Ouest Announce Strategic Business Alliance

CANNES, France, April 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Africa Channel and Côte Ouest announced at MIPTV today in Cannes that they have signed a broad-ranging strategic alliance in which the parties will jointly pursue distribution, licensing and production opportunities across the globe.

The Africa Channel is the largest broadcaster and producer of African-themed content in North America. CôteOuest is the world's largest distributor of African content.  

Under terms of the agreement, Côte Ouest will become a principal supplier of content for The Africa Channel's linear platform. Programs supplied in 2018 include a broad range of premium-scripted series including "Shampaign," a TV Series on the shenanigans surrounding the election of the first female Ghanaian president. This distribution agreement is expanded to The Africa Channel's digital platform, Demand Africa, that Côte Ouest will leverage with its high-end content.

This alliance also includes a distribution agreement, where Côte Ouest will provide TAC-owned content to French-speaking territories worldwide, and a co-production agreement. The two partners also will jointly engage in the development and co-production of new content.

Narendra Reddy, EVP & General Manager for The Africa Channel, said, "This strategic alliance brings together two of the world's leading providers of African-themed content, to the benefit of audiences in the U.S. and around the globe. We look forward to co-producing new programming with Côte Ouest; to introducing our viewers to their outstanding content library; and to Côte Ouest's introduction of our content to French-speaking territories. This is a major step in our growth plans for 2018 and beyond."

Bernard Azria, Chairman and CEO of CôteOuest, said, "The Africa Channel and Côte Ouest share a common vision of the African continent and production. For us it is crucial to showcase to the world and communities beyond the African continent, the beauty of the African lifestyle. We are pretty sure that the outcomes in terms of production and exposure will benefit to the whole African audio-visual industry."

ABOUT THE AFRICA CHANNEL (www.theafricachannel.com) 
The Africa Channel and its production arm, TAC Studios, is a showcase for the African continent's most outstanding English-language television series, specials, documentaries, feature films, music, biographies and cultural and historical content. These travel, lifestyle and culture-oriented programs reflect the people of Africa, the Diaspora and their influence on the world. The channel's mission is to open up a daily window into modern African life and, in the process, help demystify Africa for viewers globally. The Africa Channel is based in Los Angeles and is available in approximately seven million homes in North America and the Caribbean on cable systems such as Comcast, Charter/Time Warner, Cox and those represented by the Caribbean Cable Cooperative.

TAC Studios was created to formalize and build on The Africa Channel's existing production initiatives by developing, producing and distributing premium lifestyle content reflecting Africa's influence on the world. It collaborates with producers from Africa and around the globe to bring contemporary stories, authentic voices and high quality productions to audiences worldwide.

In addition to developing and producing shows, TAC Studios also distributes TAC's existing library of more than 300 hours of premium lifestyle HD content.

ABOUT CÔTE OUEST (www.coteouest.tv/en/index.php) 
Côte Ouest is an independent African company and leader in the distribution of audiovisual content in Africa. Côte Ouest has been operating since 1993 and relies on a network of 93 collaborators across the continent.

With its headquarters located in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), the company also has an office in Ebène City (Mauritius), and representation in Johannesburg (South Africa), Lagos (Nigeria), Nairobi (Kenya). 

Côte Ouest holds a yearly average of 18,000 hours of programming, providing content to about 160 broadcasters spread across over 75 African countries. Côte Ouest started out providing sub-Saharan Africa with content from major Hollywood distributors such as SPTI, MGM, TWDC, CBS, etc, and rapidly expanded to French-speaking Africa, France and its overseas departments and territories.

Five years ago, Côte Ouest expanded its activities to the creation of original content, the dubbing and the production of short form content.

SOURCE The Africa Channel

Related Links

http://theafricachannel.com