A24 Media last week, brought respite to the African media environment with the launch of its landmark online content delivery site designed to bring the African voice to a global audience yearning for an authentic perspective on African issues. "A vision that started three long years ago is finally coming to reality. A24 Media will change the face of journalism in Africa and will truly give us Africans control over our stories" remarked Salim Amin, chairman of A24 Media at the launch in Nairobi which was attended by over 100 top media executives and journalists.
A24 Media is Africa's first online delivery site for material from journalists, African broadcasters and NGO's from around the Continent. The organization is committed to building the capacity of reporters and photographers to compete globally for share of voice for African issues and is thus solely structured with journalist's desires in mind.
Content generators will send their material to the main office in Nairobi where it will be verified and re-edited as necessary to create a slick, marketable and branded story. The stories will be checked and verified for balanced, accurate and independent content and will be of the best technical and journalistic quality. Feedback will also be provided to the contributor in order to promote a culture of journalistic excellence.
The content will then be marketed to broadcasters around the world through a compelling and easily navigable website developed to enable broadcasters view and purchase high-quality video for broadcast on their TV channels.
Access to local content has traditionally been a barrier for broadcasters seeking to provide an authentic African perspective on issues affecting the continent. Journalists often have no means to distribute their content to broadcasters so they then have to pay heavily for international crews to cover local stories. A24 Media provides a smart solution to these challenges, placing high quality local content at the click of a button for broadcasters eager for a new way to communicate about Africa.
The revenue will be split on a 60:40 basis in favour of the contributor and most importantly, the contributor will continue to own the copyright of the original footage. This focus on safeguarding the intellectual property of the contributor and compensating journalists fairly for their work marks a welcome break with past practices which often exploited local journalists.
Transparency guides all of the interactions on the site and journalists and advertisers are able to download and review the contracts directly from the website, making the system user-friendly and clear. Corporate organizations can take up sponsorship of particular categories according to their brand positioning, providing them with access to specific audiences and demonstrating their proactive support for building media capacity in Africa.
Operating as a commercial entity emphasizes A24 Media's commitment to sustainability. The business model ensures that journalists, African broadcasters and NGOs that contribute materials will receive excellent exposure for their content, thereby generating sustainable and generous revenues from the sale of their stories.
