Developing innovative solutions for an industry in its maturity like television is always going to be a challenge but this is the `niche' environment that attracted Southern Africa Direct CEO and founding member Pierre van der Hoven.
“The concept at the time was to create an avenue to consolidate African content, a focused audience medium, to deliver the advantage of a multiplatform environment and integrated solutions to advertisers and independent users alike.”
On the November 26, 2007 a new channel was launched - Southern Africa Direct TV; Sky Channel 270. The channel offers tourists and potential investors' quality programming, depicting the character and essence of Southern Africa as told by the people of the region.
One year later Southern Africa Direct has attracted a TV audience of over 3.5 million. The next stop was to create an interactive follow medium via the internet, this has been completed successfully.
Pierre, says, “The original idea was to market the Southern African region to the Global Market, creating a single port of entry for people who want focused information pertaining to the Southern African region, its lifestyle, culture and most importantly commercial potential.”
“Having laid the foundation for the TV channel and Internet we are now able to operate on a multiplatform basis with global reach. The development of a strong distribution network and high impact multiplatform environment is imperative to increasing the service proposition for our clients. The vision in its simplicity is innovative leadership, we want to keep challenging ourselves to create and not just exist as an entity.”
Southern Africa Direct operates two offices one in the UK and one in South Africa, it has created a commercial platform for investors, tourists and Africa enthusiasts to merge and support further developments on African soil. In essence it had started the journey of discovery.
What these viewer statistics have said is in support of South African Tourism in its statement that the highest long haul market coming to the `Southern Tip' of Africa is indeed in the UK. Southern Africa Direct focuses on 25 African countries on or below the equator including `the islands'.
Visit our PRESS OFFICE: Southern Africa Direct is a free-to-air TV channel on the Sky platform in the UK and online. ‘Destination TV' programming provides information for those interested in visiting or building commercial links with Southern Africa.- more....
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