The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: ViacomCBS unveils new company name, global content slate and international expansion plans for Paramount+ at investor event
ViacomCBS has announced that the global media company will become Paramount Global (referred to as ‘Paramount’), effective Wednesday, bringing together its leading portfolio of premium entertainment properties under a new parent company name.
“Paramount is an idea: A promise to be the best,” said Shari Redstone, non-executive chair of the company’s board of directors. “That promise has always been at the center of what we aspired to build as the steward of more than a century of cinematic excellence, and with businesses and brands that have defined and redefined entertainment for generation after generation. We have made enormous progress, and I have never been more excited about the future of this company.”
Bob Bakish, president and CEO, said: “Paramount’s iconic peak represents a rich history for our company as pioneers in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Today, as we embrace the Paramount name, we are pioneers of an exciting new future.”
In addition to the name change, the company detailed plans to accelerate the global momentum behind Paramount+, unveiling new content, enhanced product offerings and continued international expansion at its investor event.
“We see a huge global opportunity in streaming, a much larger potential market than can be captured by linear TV and film alone,” continued Bakish. “We’re excited about our ability to not just compete, but thrive, creating significant value for both consumers and shareholders. How? Because we’re broader in four key areas: our diverse content, streaming model, mix of platforms and global reach. As we look forward, the size of the opportunity we see is matched only by our ambition to seize it.”
People moves
Joe Public United makes two new appointments
In 2022, JPU continues to gear itself to bring that same growth-minded creative excellence to the world of digital. While the agency is not new to creating world-class digital creative for its clients, its priority has deepened to focus on high performing and creatively inspired digital experiences that put its clients’ customers first through its specialist digital experience and technology agency, Joe Public Connect.
Aligned to this, JPU has announced two new appointments that showcase its plans for growth in this space.
Vasilios (Vas) Varfis has been promoted from senior business analyst to technology and digital product director at Joe Public Connect. Varfix is the key driver of the agency’s technical project deliveries, and crucially, he will also be leading innovation in the technology and digital product space.
Mia Roets has been appointed as experience design director at Joe Public Connect. Roots will be responsible for leading the agency’s growth in customer experience design, user experience design and user interface design. She is a multi-award winning digital creative, having won awards at Bookmarks and the New Generation Awards. Before this appointment, Mia worked as an Integrated Creative Director at JPU since 2019.
Chief digital officer at JPU, Dan Herman said, “We’re thrilled that both Vas and Mia will be working together to create breakthrough digital experiences for our clients and leading our agency and clients in this important growth area. The pressure on clients and agency partners to embrace digital transformation is stronger than ever, and appointments like these demonstrate our shift towards achieving digital excellence and our drive to deliver powerful digital experiences.”
GinjaNinja hires digital heavyweight as it broadens services to meet the demand for digital content
Trevor van de Ven has been appointed as the head of digital at storytelling gurus, GinjaNinja, where he will grow and develop the agency’s digital services, and more specifically its channel marketing offering. Van de Ven will also manage PR for some of the agency’s newest blue-chip cyber-focused brands.
Van de Ven is an accomplished brand, marketing, and communications executive with more than 20 years’ experience connecting companies with audiences in ways that drive engagement and results. With experience spread across both agency and corporate environments, van de Ven has strong relationship building, leadership and strategic skills.
GinjaNinja owner and MD, Samantha Hogg, said Van de Ven was a welcome addition to her thriving 19-year-old business: “As we continue to build momentum as the sector’s quirky, but brilliant communications agency, having a skill set like Trevor’s is not only strategic, but a creative addition to the team. I first worked with him in 2001 when I managed Text 100 South Africa, and it is truly serendipitous that our paths have crossed again.”
It’s Random Acts of Kindness Week, and The Good Things Guy is named one of the world’s top 100 innovation success stories
This week, the 13th – 19th February is Random Acts of Kindness Week and international platform Innovations of the World.com has highlighted South Africa’s Good Things Guy, Brent Lindeque as one of the world’s top 100 innovation success stories and a shining example of the Random Acts of Kindness movement. The Good Things Guy will also be featured in the “Innovate South Africa” book later this year.
Innovate Publishing said its mission was to showcase and connect the top 100 innovation success stories from the most exciting cities around the world. The site said: ‘South Africa’s news feeds are filled with hard news, stories of murder, corruption, robberies, and failing state-owned enterprises. Is there a space for good news – and do South Africans have an appetite for it? Brent Lindeque founded the Good Things Guy on 1 August 2015 to change the national conversation to bring a balanced view and perception of South Africa for South Africans through inspirational stories and good news’.
Lindeque said being recognised internationally was always incredibly humbling and exciting. “When the initial Neknomination drinking games began in South Africa, I knew that we had to do better. I turned the drinking game concept on its head and instead created the Random Acts of Kindness movement back in 2015. I’m still grateful every day that I have a ‘job’ that I love and that allows me to spread love and kindness, not only in South Africa but around the globe.”
Business moves
SABC Sport acquires CAF broadcast rights for over 400 fixtures
SABC Sport has acquired CAF broadcast rights that sees over 400 African football fixtures included in its schedule. The rights include the CAF Champions League, CAF Confederations Cup, CAF Super Cup, CAF Women’s African Cup of Nations, CAF Women’s Champions League, CAF African Nations Championship, CAF Beach Soccer Cup of Nations, CAF Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, and CAF Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.
All the action will be available on SABC Sport Channel 4 on DTT, Openview 124, and TelkomONE, with live commentary and live updates provided by Phalaphala FM, Motweding FM, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Ukhozi FM, TruFM, MetroFM, and Radio 2000.
Gary Rathbone, head of SABC Sport, said: “SABC Sport is committed to broadcasting sport of national interest to the millions of South African citizens and the introduction of CAF to its offering is indicative of the purpose of our brand. CAF tournaments are the ultimate showcase for African football and the access SABC Sport is delivering to all South Africans has certainly created exciting times for Africa as a footballing continent. It has become more evident that the playing field is being leveled by giving South African viewers access to world-class content without subscription fees.”
FNB unveiled as official Global Partner of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 in Cape Town
World Rugby has announced First National Bank (FNB) as an official global partnerof Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 (RWC7s), which will take place from 9 -11 September 2022 at the Cape Town Stadium in South Africa.
As a Global Partner, FNB joins the top tier of an already strong line-up of commercial support for RWC7s, which will be the pinnacle event and climax to a busy year for the sport. Following rugby sevens’ highly impactful second appearance at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year, the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 is now in full swing, and the Commonwealth Games will also take place in Birmingham, England ahead of the grand finale with the RWC7s in Cape Town.
Fans in the iconic Cape Town Stadium, which was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, will be treated to a three-day feast of thrilling rugby sevens action as the best 24 men’s and 16 women’s international teams go head-to-head in a bid to become world champions.
World Rugby Chief Executive, Alan Gilpin, said: “We are delighted to welcome FNB to the family supporting RWC7s in Cape Town as Official Banking Partner. Building on the success of the format at the Olympics last year, RWC7s 2022 will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the very best of sevens and bring joy and excitement to the fans inside the spectacular Cape Town Stadium and those watching around the world.”
Meet Carmen Murray Communications – a little offbeat, but always on point!
Carmen Murray, a leading digital analyst, content strategist, and CEO & Founder of Carmen Murray Communications, has launched the innovative data-driven content marketing business, which aims to provide its clients with expertly crafted content marketing which produces results and value.
“Every brand has its story to tell, but not every consumer necessarily needs to hear it. Engaging the right audience, with the right message, on the right platforms, at the right time, is more valuable than making the loudest noise,” said Murray. “Where traditional digital marketing agencies might shout your message from the rooftops, Carmen Murray Communications promises the opposite! We’ll whisper it into the ears of those you really want to reach and make sure they never forget it!”
Carmen Murray Communications’ full-service content marketing engine serves up extraordinary content achieving freakishly effective results. Using its tried and tested analytical data intelligence, which has been refined over the past 20 years, the company serves up hyper-targeted content strategies that work.
Boomtown’s interns design new CI for Ubomi
Boomtown’s design interns for 2021 – members of its highly-successful BAYEZA Graduate Programme – have designed the new corporate identity for the Ubomi Foundation, an Eastern Cape NGO.
Explaining the new design, the agency’s design group head, Jesse Sharkie, who worked alongside interns Afra Chinamasa, Tameron Karelse and Temba Mkosi, said that the fact that Ubomi means ‘life’ influenced the team’s decision to bring an organic visual metaphor into the typography.
The Ubomi Foundation’s goal is to uplift communities living within the province and equip their members with the skills and opportunities to change their circumstances and build brighter futures for themselves, their children and their neighbours.
The new CI was launched by the Ubomi’s Foundation’s founder, Siyanda Mxotwa, at a small gathering respecting COVID protocols as well as online to its stakeholders in the province.
Boomtown CEO Glen Meir said he was immensely proud of the 2021 crop of BAYEZA interns, particularly their enthusiasm and willingness to tackle the brief and share their knowledge in a way that would benefit Ubomi going forward.
Zee World joins ViacomCBS Networks Africa channel stable
ViacomCBS Networks Africa (VCNA) will welcome Zee World to its channel stable as of 1 March 2022. This move further reinforces VCNA’s commitment to connect brands to their audiences through platforms that offer authentic storytelling, exciting content and value for money.
Zee World is the world’s first English dubbed Indian entertainment channel and is also first in the world to customise fully by showcasing Bollywood movies and series as well as a variety of shows, tailored for the African audience. Its core audience which are females is what sets it apart and has reached over 4.5 million households in South Africa.
“The environment in which VCNA operates necessitates a diverse, one-of-a-kind, and adaptive approach to commercialisation, distribution, promotion, and the incorporation of innovation in ensuring the success of our business. We are always open to new partnerships that will see us grow and also continue to offer content that resonates with our audiences,” said Strini Naicker, VP of commercial and content distribution at ViacomCBS Networks Africa.
APO Group launches Radio News Release – the first content distribution service dedicated to radio in Africa
APO Group has announced the launch of Radio News Release, the first Pan-African news distribution service dedicated to soundbites and audio clips.
APO Group’s media database of more than 450 000 journalists reporting on Africa, along with the company’s recent partnership with the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) will be able to provide soundbites to all the major radio stations on the continent.
Radios are affordable and portable, and millions of Africans rely on them to stay up-to-date with what is happening in their communities, countries and around the world. According to data from the African Union, more than a third of African adults cannot read or write, so radio is an essential form of mass communication across the continent. And while the rest of the world takes online news for granted, in Africa only 43% of people have access to the internet.
“Radio forms an absolutely crucial part of the African mass media landscape,” said APO Group founder and chairman, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard. “Radio News Release provides radio stations with a quality feed of Africa-related soundbites and audio files which will help them deliver key stories into the heart of African communities.”
Dairy Trailblazer, Tip-Top Milk appoints Cindy Kidger Communications
Public relations and media communications agency, Cindy Kidger Communications, has been appointed to manage public relations, digital and social media marketing for key national dairy industry role-player, Tip-Top Milk as of February 2022.
The campaign aims to promote the local industry, it’s producers and end-buyers, while showcasing Tip-Top Milk’s valuable role in the sector.
“We are delighted to welcome Tip-Top Milk to our client stable. We thrive on opportunities to work with brands that are passionate about making a difference in key sectors of the economy, in crafting meaningful campaigns for credible and effective brand visibility,” said Kidger.
Calling all African entrepreneurs: Kick-start your business with this funding opportunity
With many entrepreneurs having experienced challenges brought by the pandemic such as business closure, unemployment, and lack of funding, it has been difficult for many to recover. The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme is here to help empower African entrepreneurs to kick-start their entrepreneurship journey with 5000$ funding in capital seed, business mentorship, and more!
In 2021, the Tony Elumelu Foundation disbursed $24.75 million to 5 000 African entrepreneurs across Africa for its 2021 Entrepreneurship Programme. The Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Programme remains one of the largest private-sector responses to driving the economic recovery of African youth, women, and SMEs given the effects of the covid19 pandemic across Africa. The foundation has collectively created over 400 000 direct and indirect jobs.
For more information on the programme, please visit the website of the Tony Elumelu Foundation www.TEFConnect.com to apply. The application closes on 1st March 2022.
Bounty Apparel appointed sole distributor for Reebok in SA
Bounty Apparel, a subsidiary of Bounty Brands Group, has been appointed as the exclusive distributor for Reebok in South Africa and countries within SADC by Authentic Brands Group, a global brand development, marketing and entertainment company.
Bounty Apparel is a leading distributor of premium international apparel and footwear brands in Southern Africa, including Vans, Jeep, Superdry, Hurley and Diesel. Reebok is a leading global sports and lifestyle brand with retail sales of more than EUR1.4bn. The transfer of ownership of the Reebok brand from adidas to ABG is expected to close on 28 February 2022.
SEACOM acquires Africell Uganda assets to continue expanding its East African Footprint
SEACOM, the pan-African telecommunications service provider, has announced it will acquire selected infrastructure assets from Africell in Uganda. The acquisition marks a significant step for SEACOM and is a testament to the company’s commitment to providing, competitive end-to-end connectivity and ICT solutions across the region.
“East Africa has been an important market for SEACOM ever since we first arrived on the shores of Mombasa in 2009,” explained Tejpal Bedi, Managing Director and Regional Head of Sales for SEACOM ENEA. “By officially establishing ourselves in Uganda through proprietary facilities and resources, we are prioritising widespread connectivity and opening up opportunities to work with businesses in search of quality Internet services.”
This latest expansion comes on the heels of SEACOM’s recent acquisition of Kenyan service provider Hirani Telecom’s metro fibre network. SEACOM is poised to take over a comprehensive portfolio of infrastructure essential for connecting enterprise customers. This includes 760 kilometres of fibre within the Ugandan capital city of Kampala and surrounding towns, a 250 square metre data centre, and office space for SEACOM representatives and staff members. “The acquisition goes hand in hand with our five-year strategy into expanding operations in the region,” Tej added. “As such, we are very excited about having a greater local presence.”
Making moves
GroupM takes young graduates under its wing – again
On the eve of the pandemic, in early 2020, international media company GroupM launched its graduate programme in South Africa for the very first time. In hindsight, the timing was critical. Within a few months, young graduates looking for practical, on-the-job training were likely to find learnerships and internships hard to come by. Those who secured a position with GroupM were among the most fortunate.
Although all-too aware of the importance of the GradX programme in 2020, GroupM has subsequently come to see it as an ethical and economic imperative. “We believe that we have a role to play in helping to upskill young talent to ensure growth within our industry and within South Africa,” said Wanita Berry, Wavemaker’s head of human resources. “Particularly during these challenging times, we want to do everything we can to create a talented pool of skilled, experienced professionals.”
As the programme enters its third year, it is larger, more robust and has a wider geographical spread than ever before.
With every passing year, GroupM has been steadily increasing its intake of graduates. In 2020, it welcomed 11 graduates. In 2021, this number increased to 33, and this year, GroupM will be welcoming 40 new graduates through its doors. These graduates will be split between GroupM, Wavemaker, MediaCom, Mindshare and the African markets.
MultiChoice Talent Factory kicks off in East London
A handful of lucky creatives got the opportunity to learn from the best creative minds in Africa through the exclusive MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) Masterclass held in East London in partnership with the Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and Culture Council and Department of Sport Recreation Arts & Culture.
The 2022 edition of the MTF Masterclass was launched last Tuesday and offers access to expert-led skills workshops in the film and television industry, while addressing concerns such as accessibility, opportunity, and quality in local productions.
“The Eastern Cape is known for its excellence in the creative space; some of the best scriptwriters, producers and film directors we have in this country and continent hail from this province which is amazing to see. As government we are working to ensure that they tell their stories here in the Eastern Cape, this is essentially what birthed the partnership with MultiChoice,” said Fekeza Nkomonye, Eastern Cape MEC of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture. “The Masterclasses also allow creatives who are not able to attend prestigious tertiary institutions another avenue to learn and sharpen their skills.”
A glimpse of the new face of leadership at the 2022 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit
After two years dominated by economic exasperation and the biggest health crisis of our times, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the fore some of the new vanguards of change who will lead Africa on the path to economic recovery and smart social re-engineering.
In observing International Women’s Day on 8 March, the 2022 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit, presented by Mastercard, will, across two days – 8-9 March – reflect the times, trends and topics leading pandemic recovery in Africa and the world.
The fully-virtual seventh annual edition of the summit will convene a powerful community of female champions, barrier-breakers, goal-diggers and visionary voices unlocking new thinking under the theme ‘Resetting Everything: The New Face of Leadership’.
“The focus on the female entrepreneur will continue as we contextualize her tears and triumphs in mainstreaming her work and finances. The summit will largely focus on the new leadership mindset, the diversity and the playbook needed for every aspect of life, work, art, business and money as also the new metaverse expected to level the playing field for the female workforce,” said Renuka Methil, managing editor of FORBES AFRICA and FORBES WOMAN AFRICA. ”This year’s summit will be about reimagining, rebuilding and resetting the pathways of change to unleash the power of all, as we bring together the best and the brightest from across multiple time zones into a virtual stage, thus igniting a new discourse to foster systemic change on the African continent.”
You can become a part of the change by registering to attend the summit; visit the following platforms:
//hopin.com/events/forbes-woman-africa-leading-women-summit-2022 or //leadingwomensummit.co.za/
Kaya 959 delivers new school shoes to learners at Soweto primary school
More than 250 Grade RR to Grade 3 learners from Ditawana Primary School in Orlando Soweto have received new school shoes.
The handover to the learners took place at Ditawana Primary School this morning. Kaya’s 959’s Breakfast Show hosts Thomas and Skhumba broadcast their morning show live from the school, adding to the excitement in the air.
The sizable donation of shoes was made possible as a joint venture between Kaya 959, Coca Cola Beverages South Africa and Shoes4Souls.
The donation put shoes on the feet of every learner, in each class, from Grade RR to Grade 3.
“The reality of the beginning of the school year is usually a daunting time for many parents who are financially challenged, and for these reasons Kaya 959, Coca Cola Beverages South Africa, Shoes4Souls and Meals on Wheels have pledged partnerships with Ditawana Primary School in Soweto to empower young learners to have a successful start to the year,” said Kaya 959’s brand manager, Amu Mathebula.
Henley Business School partners with AdCademy to build pool of Nigerian business managers
Henley Business School, Africa recently offered scholarships worth over N15 million to five Nigerians, with the aim of developing and upskilling them into more efficient entrepreneurial leaders in the Nigerian economy. The programmes are fully accredited, and each is completed in 12 months’ of part-time study.
The school’s objective in partnership with AAAN’s AdCademy is to continuously build a pool of high-quality Nigerian business managers, especially in this challenging time when businesses are laid prostrate by socio-economic vagaries.
The scholarships, awarded to upcoming managers in the creative/advertising industry, are coming in the same year that the school is celebrating 30 years in Africa. Henley Africa has demonstrated a deeper interest in seeing Nigeria, and to a large extent, African economies, grow faster through developing intellectual and innovative processes more than relying on extracting finite natural resources.
Diary
The Infinite Dial® 2022 South Africa to be presented on 24 February
The Infinite Dial® 2022 South Africa, the leading study on digital audio from Edison Research, will be released and presented by Larry Rosin, President of Edison Research, in a webinar on Thursday, 24 February at 14:00.
This second iteration, of what has become a global benchmark to compare digital media consumption trends, is once again commissioned by the National Association of Broadcasters South Africa (NAB), sponsored by Triton Digital®, and produced in association with The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC).
The Infinite Dial South Africa explores the consumption of audio among South Africans living within the major metro commercial areas, covering the upper two of the three SEM Supergroups (or upper three of the five SEM Clusters).
Click here to register for The Infinite Dial® 2022 South Africa
Registration is now open for the World Out of Home Organization in-person Global Congress in Toronto
Registration is now officially open for the World Out of Home Organization’s in-person Global Congress to be held in Toronto on 25-27 May. This is WOO’s first in-person Congress since Dubai 2019.
The Congress will be held at the Sheraton Toronto Centre Hotel, 123 Queen Street West.
A star-studded international speaker programme, which includes key decision-makers from Out of Home, the wider global advertising industry, analysts, and commentators, is lined-up. An enlarged Exhibition Programme will feature exciting new developments in technology and measurement, with the opportunity for exhibitors to meet leading media owners face to face.
WOO president Tom Goddard said: “This will be a red letter event for the whole Out of Home industry as we meet our friends and colleagues from across the world in person for the first time since 2019.
