Young adults are watching less TV, according to speakers at the 5th edition edition of the African Digital Summit. The second day of the summit began with a panel discussion on digital media services, featuring national and international actors.
The discussion highlighted the key elements of digitalization that many traditional media outlets have undergone, with a focus on Morocco’s top channels, 2M and SNRT.
The panel emphasized the fact that young adults are watching less TV nowadays, with focus on the effects of the pandemic on TV consumption in Morocco.
Mustapha Mellouk, cofounder of Smart Studios and the panel’s first speaker, addressed a simple question: will television survive? He invited Salim Cheikh, the general manager of 2M, to discuss Morocco’s main TV channel’s transition to a multimedia actor.
Cheikh stated that Moroccan TV consumption in 2020 went very high due to COVID, and the audience grew by 5% in the last 10 years. He outlined how, compared to 2012, the time consumption of TV in 2022 increased from 3h22 minutes to 03h43 minutes.
He followed the presentation of 2M’s digital print with a follower’s chart of celebrities associated with the channel, demonstrating how they have some of the highest followings among Moroccan stars.
Cheikh remarked that “Lmektoub” (the series), a social phenomenon with an explosive view count on TV and YouTube, has gathered 25% of views on social media alone, emphasizing the stunning effect of digital.
FIgnacio Gomez, head of research at RTVE, a state-owned Spanish audiovisual service, spoke of his country’s experience in digital transformation, emphasizing how viewers perceive RTVE after becoming a “one-stop shop,” as well as the need to “upskill your workforce” to innovate.
Robert Hurt, a researcher at the European Broadcasting Union, believes that we live in a hybrid viewing world, with linear television and on-demand broadcasting options ranging from traditional to new, such as paid subscriptions, forming a somewhat unified ecosystem.
Hurt said that youth media consumption is critical, and the Casablanca-based event highlighted that young adults are watching less TV, implying that programs should be tailored to their requirements.
Bissane Khairat, marketing and TV program director for the National Corporation for Radio Broadcasting and Television (SNRT), spoke at the panel and highlighted the effects of COVID on Moroccan TV consumption, which grew as the number of cases increased.
The marketing expert also stressed that young adults are viewing less television, and explained that the future of television resides in customization. According to the SNRT market report she presented, the number of viewers of news channels increased by 7% in 2021 compared to 2019, and fiction continued to dominate with 44% of the top 10 watched programs.
The event carries on as it offers a chance for various experts in communication and marketing to share their expertise.
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