MORE INSIGHTS
Ask any film and television content producer and they will tell you: the audience holds power. In this era, viewers are spoilt for choice; thus relatability, high quality offerings and affordability will secure viewership. Andani.Africa was commissioned by The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) to engage with South African film audiences and gain insights about their engagement, consumption habits and expectations of local content. The report also presented data from film distributors and external stakeholders (government agencies, production companies, producers etc.) which enabled us to assist the NFVF with making informed decisions about the kinds of content it chooses to support and motivate for a wider marketing and distribution plan for local films.
Who’s viewing what and from where?
COVID-19, fast-growing streaming platforms and the expansion of social media usage has had a significant impact on content viewership. The study reported that of the 2345 participants that completed the survey across all 9 provinces, 1460 respondents (61%) would rather watch films in the comfort of their homes, while only 16% preferred to go out to the cinema. With cinema chains such as Ster-Kinekor facing potential shutdowns due to loadshedding and consumer spending pressures, home viewership numbers may see an even greater increase.
Reality Check!
Film distributors indicated that internet streaming via video on demand (voD) was the fastest growing film-viewing platform. The reality is that these numbers can only rise as far as the internet reaches. We cannot ignore the fact that a vast majority of the population, specifically in the rural areas and small towns, are excluded from this number. The study found that these viewers opted for broadcast TV (SABC and eTV) due to low internet access and high data costs in South Africa. Though they also expressed frustration with paying R265 for a TV license which was perceived to offer a bouquet of poor-quality content with ‘endless repeats and no value for money’. Until telecommunications regulator ICASA regulates high data costs (among other related challenges), this dynamic will continue to leave low-income and under-resourced audiences out of the loop.
Give the people (audiences) what they want!
Stakeholders and decision-makers in the South African film industry ecosystem have a crucial part to play in not only increasing viewership but incorporating systemic change, systems thinking and applying a contextual understanding of audiences in their offerings. Our audience surveys indicate that language, relatability to characters and storylines are important cues for filmmakers to take note of when producing content. Apart from English, 60% of the respondents favoured watching films in isiZulu over Afrikaans, isiXhosa and Sepedi; yet 79% were open to watching films with subtitles which is a good signal for producing non-English content.
65% of the respondents appreciated films with storylines and characters they could relate to and identify with. The rise of streaming presents the leading platform in Africa, Showmax, with the opportunity to leverage on these findings, specifically to invest in more African content. Partnerships with local creators and production companies and responding to audience preferences will drive subscriptions and in turn, give international streaming platforms a run for their money.
Spoiler alert!
Not only did we provide in-depth insights on audiences’ preferences, but we’ve got some predictive data to share:
1. Producers can create content that will be consumed and sold at a higher rate if they consider audience interests when developing content
2. Focusing more on research during the production process can help create uniquely South African stories with relatable characters.
3. Adopting bold new techniques like human-centered design can boost the promotion of South African films at home and abroad.
4. Better produced and more visible film adverts from distributors can help attract more clients.
Essentially, the growth of the SA film industry will require increased financial support for filmmakers which will boost content supply. Stakeholders are called to initiate more competitive promotional strategies for content and foster an ecosystem that enhances the South African film industry as a whole.
