POLICY BRIEF DIGITAL REVOLUTION: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE FILM AND MUSIC INDUSTRY IN TANZANIA (DECEMBER 2016)
Executive Summary especially for film and music This policy brief is a product of research in culture and creative Industries focusing on the film and music sub-sectors contribution to creative econo- • With regards to the planning and monitoring the contribution of film and music to the GDP of my in Tanzania and EAC Common Market that is Tanzania, there is a weak mechanism for measurbeing implemented by Culture and Development ing trends in consumption of film and music online East Africa (CDEA). This policy brief has been published with funding • Currently, there is no on-going research to assess from Danida. the impact of the web giants on legal, technical and financial aspects for cultural production One of the tasks of this research was to identify especially for film and music that increasingly the challenges and opportunities resulting from being consumed online the digital revolution to the film and music industries in Tanzania. • Lastly, there is limited capacity support provided to digital artists and entrepreneurs through The research identified the opportunities and training, networking and R&D programmes challenges of the digital revolution as listed below: Opportunities • The data revolution that is facilitating efficient sectorial planning, monitoring and evaluation • The shift from analogue and digital broadcasting. Tanzania was scheduled to go digital-only in February, 2015 • The increase in consumption of digital content with 2,895,662 Internet users on July, 2016, 5.3 % % penetration of the population, 3,700,000 Facebook subscribers on July 1, 2016. (Internet World Stats)
Challenges • A key challenge related to the digital revolution and access to cultural and creative content, is that there is limited access to modern communication infrastructure to enable consumers access film and music online • Secondly, there limited government effort to ensure the film and music content that is stored in the analogue format is digitized, nor is there generic understanding of the importance of digitization in relation to preserving Tanzania’s cultural heritage. • In relation to this, there is a weak legal framework related to updating of regulations, intellectual property protection, the fight against piracy and copyright abuse of digital art,
The primary audiences for this policy brief are: • Tanzania Communication and Regulatory Authority (TCRA) • National Museum of Tanzania • Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training • Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication • Ministry of Trade and Industry • UNESCO Institute for Statistics • The International Telecommunication Union • Universities • Creative incubators and hubs The proposed policy recommendations are: o Modernization of communications infrastructure to enable consumers access digital art like film and music o Creation of digital libraries for film and music so that Tanzania’s cultural heritage is not lost o Provision of digital literacy o Modernization of the legal framework – updating of regulations, intellectual property protection, the fight against piracy and copyright abuse o Use Big Data: Involve the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the International Telecommunication Union to: – Measure trends in consumption of film and music online
o Research on the impact of the web giants on legal, technical and financial aspects for cultural production especially for film and music that increasingly being consumed online o Establish training, networking and Research and Development (R&D) programmes designed for digital artists and entrepreneurs 2. Statement of the Issue/Problem: Culture and Development East Africa (CDEA) is implementing a project titled: ’Research in Culture and Creative Industries focusing on the film and Music sub-sectors contribution to creative economy in Tanzania and EAC Common Market’ that is supported by Danida. According to CDEA’s research analysis of the industry-specific framework conditions relevant for growth and investment in Tanzanian film and music industries , Tanzania has 7.35 million households and a TV household penetration rate of 17%. (Dataxis, 2015) Dataxis states that within the East African region, Tanzania has the largest Pay-TV base in the region with 592,700 users accounting for 36% of the EAC total. In relation to the digital StarTimes edged MulitChoice in terms of overall market share with 39% against 38%. The largest single platform was StarTimes Digital terrestrial television (DTTV or DTT) with 34% market share, followed by the MultiChoice DSTV satellite offering (20%) and its GOtv DTT service (18%). StarSat, the StarTimes (Direct To Home (DTH) Satellite offering, accounted for a further 4%. The research identified the opportunities and challenges of the digital revolution as follows: Opportunities o The data revolution that is facilitating efficient sectorial planning, monitoring and evaluation o The shift from analogue and digital broadcasting. Tanzania was scheduled to go digital-only in February, 2015 o The increase in consumption of digital content with 2,895,662 Internet users on July, 2016, 5.3 % % penetration of the population, 3,700,000 Facebook subscribers on July 1, 2016. (Internet World Stats)
Challenges o A key challenge related to the digital revolution and access to cultural and creative content, is that there is limited access to modern communication infrastructure to enable consumers access film and music online o Secondly, there limited government effort to ensure the film and music content that is stored in the analogue format is digitized, nor is there generic understanding of the importance of digitization in relation to preserving Tanzania’s cultural heritage. o In relation to this, there is a weak legal framework related to updating of regulations, intellectual property protection, the fight against piracy and copyright abuse of digital art, especially for film and music o With regards to the planning and monitoring the contribution of film and music to the GDP of Tanzania, there is a weak mechanism for measuring trends in consumption of film and music online o Currently, there is no on-going research to assess the impact of the web giants on legal, technical and financial aspects for cultural production especially for film and music that increasingly being consumed online o Lastly, there is limited capacity support provided to digital artists and entrepreneurs through training, networking and R&D programmes 4. Statement of CDEA’s interests in the issue: CDEA’s mission is to facilitate multi-stakeholders to use culture as a resource to stimulate innovation and find solutions for sustainable production and lifestyles. As a service provider, CDEA aims to contribute to improving the digital policy environment for the production, distribution and consumption of film and music in Tanzania.
5. Policy Recommendations: o Modernization of communications infrastructure to enable consumers access digital art o Creation of digital libraries for film and music so that cultural heritage is not lost o Provision of digital literacy o Modernization of the legal framework – updating of regulations, intellectual property protection, the fight against piracy and copyright abuse o Use Big Data: Involve the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the International Telecommunication Union to: Measure trends in consumption of film and music online o Research on the impact of the web giants on legal, technical and financial aspects for cultural production especially for film and music that increasingly being consumed online o Establish training, networking and R&D programmes designed for digital artists and entrepreneurs
5.1 Primary Target Audience Trade of Good Stakeholders
Capacity issues
Action Points
Tanzania Communication and Regulatory Authority (TCRA
Improving access to digital art, such as music and film
Modernization of communications infrastructure to enable consumers access digital art
National Museum of Tanzania
Preserving cultural heritage
Creation of digital libraries for film and music
Ministry of Education, Science, Integrating digital education in various levels of education Technology and Vocational Training
Provision of digital literacy
Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication
Modernization of the legal framework – updating of regulations, intellectual property protection, the fight against piracy and copyright abuse
Enabling the policy environment on Intellectual Property (IP) for digital content
Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mapping digital consumption of film and music UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the International Telecommunication Union Universities
Creative incubators and hubs
Measure trends in consumption of film and music online
Research and Development
Establish the impact of the web giants on legal, technical and financial aspects for cultural production especially for film and music that increasingly being consumed online
Support to digital artists and entrepreneurs
Establish training, networking and R&D programmes designed for digital artists and entrepreneurs
6. Sources Consulted or Recommended: 1. CDEA (2016): Tanzania Film and Music Industries: Analysis of Industry SpeciďŹ c Framework Conditions Relevant for Growth and Investment 2. Internet Live Stats http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/tanzania/, Elaboration of data by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), World Bank, and United Nations Population Division 3. UNESCO (2014) UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions: Analysis of Parties’ periodic reports and contemporary digital trends Prepared by Octavio Kulesz 4. Dataxis: PAY-TV / FTA Broadcasting in East African Community (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania & Uganda) http://dataxishop.dataxis.com/brochure-pay-tv-ftabroadcasti ng-in-east-african-community.pdf
For more information : Ayeta Anne Wangusa Executive Director CDEA-Culture and Development East Africa, Plot No. 421, Nyumba Na.1001, Mikocheni B, P.O.Box 13355,Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Phone +255 22 2780087; Tel : +255 784856866 Email : Ayeta.Wangusa@cdea.or.tz Ayeta_Wangusa@yahoo.com Cdea.Tanzania@yahoo.com
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