Why M-NET’s Africa film monopoly is causing discomfort

For a long time, up to around 2000, most broadcasters on the continent sought foreign content. This was especially after the fall of URTNA, a regional organisation formed in the 60s to coordinate sharing of broadcast content in Africa.

Due to economies of scale that they enjoy, foreign producers easily provide content to African broadcasters at an affordable price.

Six years ago, MNET launched the African magic, mostly screening Nollywood movies that are fraught with magic and materialism. At first, this experiment was rubbished but it eventually became point of reference for many broadcasters around the continent.

When national broadcasters finally started airing more local content, film industries opened up, produced more films and other TV content.

Since donor money that has supported African film dried up, filmmakers have been waiting in the markets for distributors.

M-NET’s African magic came with their offer of between $ 1,000 to 3,000, filmmakers did not even think twice. After all, where else would they look?

But some broadcasters tell a different stoty. Last year, Unjiru TV and K24, two new kids on Kenyan TV block went out looking for Kenyan films. To their disappointment, there were none for the taking despite many offers from filmmakers.

According to Unjiru TV, the filmmakers do not own the rights; some do not even have an idea how long they will have to wait to be able to accrue some more benefit from these films. Most are owned by M-NET and have aired on African Magic.

“Most of the time we sell these films after we have squeezed all the opportunities from the Kenyan market,” says Mburu Kimani whose two movies have graced African magic. These are The Race and Dawa Ya Deni both in Gikuyu language with English subtitles.

“The life of a film is eternal as long as the medium lasts,” says Bob Nyanja who recently declined to sell his film rights to M-NET.

“You never know what the value of your movie will be in the long run,” he says in reference to his film Malooned and others which he has directed.

Lifetime rights
His fears are that if he sold the rights to Malooned, he would not be able to make any more money from the film, especially in Africa as it will have been screened many times. Nyanja is also not sure whether he would even have the rights back.

According to the brief from M-NET, the deal with the African Film Library is what they refer to as a “Once off acquisition payment” which they consider a huge benefit to the filmmakers. This means they own rights to the movie for a lifetime.

To some filmmakers, the window of opportunity offered by M-NET is most welcome despite the poor pay.

With the little cash, argues one of them who would not like to be quoted, he is a able to go back on location and make a movie. He adds that its also an opportunity to prove to other broadcasters that local is golden and this will make their films more competitive.