It’s media tech prediction season. The future is African.
Yesterday we launched the first Product Byte, a sports and media tech community event series. Byte #1 was in Liverpool, attended by the people behind digital products at ITV, Premier League, Real Madrid, Formula One, Formula E, Liverpool FC, Everton and many more.
It was a great opportunity for us to talk about how we make apps, content and other digital products for global audiences and I gave a talk on something I’m passionate about.
In fact the clue is where the next mini-Byte will be held: Accra in December.
I’ve converted the talk to a blog below, I hope it makes sense without the context of the day!
We’re coming up to that time of year we will look forward to so much where media and tech consultants up-and-down the land face off in a battle of their big shiny crystal balls.
It’s that time of year when we ask ourselves who will accurately predict what happens….next year. Will it be Deloitte? Will it be EY? Could it be KPMG. Or will it be…PwC? Will generative AI take all our jobs, build all of our products for us, and generate all of our content? Will TikTok be banned in America? Or will 2024 be another year of the great OTT rebundling?
Ladies and Gents, you don’t have to wait much longer, Prediction season is almost upon us.
Let’s not be hypocrites. We all read those papers don’t we? Some of us even enjoy reading those papers (this guy). Some of us regurgitate those papers (who me?).
But you know what I did last night? I had a look at some of those papers. From 2019 to be precise. Couldn’t find one reference to a pandemic!
Oh and nobody seemed to predict the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the market downturn and how difficult it would become to raise capital at an agreeable price, and the impact on startup funding.
Who predicted the impact specifically of Saudi Arabian investment in Sport before it already happened?
So I put this to you.
What if most of the technology shifts that we’re being told will affect the future of media, entertainment, sport…what if they actually weren’t the main thing at all?
What if something like adult loneliness was the source of profound change? If you’re a Scott Galloway fan you might have been thinking about it recently.
What if a shift in population dynamic would have more impact than anything?
After all, remember what drove the emergence of TikTok — the youthful craze for karaoke in China.
By 2050 (some of us might still be working by then!), a third of world’s youth will live in Africa, according to the UN.
In fact Africa as a whole is the youngest population in the world. 40% are 15 and under versus global average of 25%.
“Western” organisations have long since had their eyes on economic growth in in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
But what I’m here to say is this — Africa is different.
There is no equivalent.
Africa is so incredibly diverse, with over 54 countries. Not states. Countries! With thousands of languages and belief systems.
It’s a continent filled with youthful energy and passion — for art, science, sport, music, technology and progress….combined with ages-old wisdom. With help from ever-increasing levels of internet access, lower cost smart devices and (despite what you’ve been told), political stability and economic growth, there’s no other place in the world can come close.
Africa is not just a place. Increasingly it’s a way of being, and an identity that inspiring, driven diaporans have helped to infuse into western world.
You only need to chart the rise of Afrobeats to see how new strands to African culture can impact the way the world behaves, far beyond its borders. Sounds emanate from Lagos with cross-pollination of ingredients from London and New York.
Or the gradual introduction of African food into the world’s consciousness. Yewande Komolafe helping to put west African food on the global menu beyond ‘just’ Jollof.
Or look at the output of Right to Dream the Ghanaian / Egyptian and now Danish and American soccer talent academy — one institution providing a platform for a huge volume of world class professional football (and academic) talent. Mohammad Kudus!
With all of this together, I wouldn’t mind betting that your audience of the future may just be in Cairo, Lagos, in Kigali, in Dakar, in Nairobi, in Joburg, Abidjan, Lome or Accra.
And I don’t mean in 30 years, I mean now.
No, I’m not saying forget about everywhere else because clearly the economics and situation is different. What I am saying is that the influence and impact of your (sport/media/entertainment/tech) offering in Africa has the power to transform your level of relevance in the world.
Ask CNN — would it exist outside of the US without its Nigerian audience?
Ask LiveScore — the must-have football app in Ghana and beyond.
Ask the BBC — its Pidgin site bringing in a whole new audience of people who, unlike younger audiences at home, still care about the BBC.
Now, if you believe all this, what next?
Are you thinking about data bundle costs? How much does it cost to stream a game on MTN in Nigeria or Vodacom in South Africa?
How much are people earning anyway? Is subscription even a thing?
Are you figuring out what a membership programme might look like in Egypt versus Uganda?
Did you know Tranmere Rovers have a cult following in Ghana?
Are you thinking about shared consumption where fans huddle around someone else’s subscription?
Are you thinking about device usage? Android versions? CDN points of presence?
Are you thinking about how to validate identity? Mobile money Payments?
How do you avoid regulatory issues? Are you thinking about piracy? Regulatory issues.
Are you thinking about a pidgen English version of your product?
Put simply, are you thinking about the future of your own product in a way that has even a chance of connecting with an audience that you might not truly understand?
Or have you been hoodwinked by negative western bias that you’ve kind of disregarded Africa as too disconnected ? Too low earning? Too “difficult”?
Maybe. And who can blame you with all of that bias swilling around.
In a sense that could be a good thing for Africa.
Because if you see what I see, the next generation of properties, formats, tournaments, games, products, fashion, cuisine, consumption in general is just as likely to emanate from Africa, as it is from anywhere else in the world.
This is not a fad, it’s the future.
Tomorrow’s world will be a lot more African than you might think.
That’s one reason I can’t ever leave for long. Why we’ve got ourteam in Accra. Why the next mini Product Byte will be in Accra on December 12th — filled with aspiring tech and media people.
You’re invited!
Thank you.
