The evolution of the media in the era of new technologies and digital is at the heart of the 5th edition of the African Digital Summit, which opened its second day with a panel on the “Digital Media Service”.
Indeed, the media, in all its forms, have found themselves faced with a fluctuating digital current to which they must adapt in order to offer audiences and readers programs that align with their tastes and preferences.
Speaking during this first panel, Bissane Khairat, director of marketing and television programs at the National Society of Radio and Television (SNRT) reviewed the different aspects of the evolution of television in the digital age, including consumption, audience as well as issues and expectations.
According to the official, the consumption of television in the world undoubtedly continues a downward trend, particularly in North America, up to less than 35 minutes. She points out that what is impressive is that in Europe, this consumption has increased by more than 3 minutes.
This trend is also confirmed in Morocco, in terms of average, “ we are on 2 hours 36 minutes in 2021, which is less than 18 minutes compared to 2020 and less than 11 minutes in 2019, while we are at 1 hour 49 minutes at youth level“, she clarified.
However, the sports channels turn out to be the most consumed, independently of the World Cup. According to Khairat, 36% of these channels increased their PDM in 2021. She explains that the audience of news channels increased by 7% in 2021 vs 2019. As for fiction programs, they remained in the lead with 44 %, or in the top ten programs, followed by entertainment with a rate of 31% and factual programs with 25%, noting that this analysis excludes sports.
In addition, television consumption in Morocco, in terms of average viewing time, remains stable in 2022 compared to 2021, after a significant peak recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic, underlines Khairat. In addition, Morocco will show, in 2021, a television consumption significantly higher than that of the rest of the world and Africa. The Kingdom reached a consumption of 3 hours 43 minutes, while it settled in Africa at 3 hours 33 minutes, and globally at 2 hours 37 minutes.
The director of TV programs reveals that the future of television will be that of personalization. Young people prefer to watch programs offline, that is, they do not consume television content on linear but rather on non-linear, or online platforms, she added. They are particularly attracted by interactive content and appreciate, in this sense, personalized content as well as programs that correspond to their centers of interest and their tastes.
For recommendations, Bissane Khairat explains that the transformation dynamic must necessarily begin with the adoption of a “Digital Mindset”, before starting the change management phases and the creation of a department dedicated to Data and innovation or the search for expertise and specialized skills in the field.