BCA unveils plans for Africa-focused media services platform

Broadcasting Center Africa (BCA) is seeking to establish an Africa-focused media services platform that will enable producers and broadcasters to access technical infrastructure and operational support without the cost of building and maintaining their own facilities.

The company is presenting the proposed platform at CANEX WKND 2026 in Lagos, where it is exhibiting on a shared stand with Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE) and MediaCity Mauritius at the Afreximbank-organised event, which runs from November 5 to 8.

The platform will provide services across production, post-production, channel operations, and content storage and distribution, targeting media companies that need technical capacity to serve audiences across television, streaming and mobile platforms.

“Our clients don’t finance the infrastructure,” said the Chief Executive of BCA and MediaCity Mauritius, Najib Gouiaa, speaking at the stand. “They buy technical capacity under a service-level agreement.”

Under the proposed arrangement, customers will pay for access to facilities and operational support through contractual agreements, while BCA will take responsibility for maintaining the equipment and providing the personnel needed to deliver the services.

This will allow broadcasters to outsource the technical operations required to keep their channels on air, while production companies can access editing, archiving and content distribution services when needed, rather than investing in the infrastructure themselves.

The initiative is being developed in partnership with BCE, a broadcasting and media services company within RTL Group. BCE announced its agreement with BCA at the International Broadcasting Convention held in Amsterdam last September.

Under the partnership, BCE will support the design and integration of BCA’s technical infrastructure, train its workforce and provide ongoing operational assistance.

BCA’s planned media services hub in Mauritius is expected to open in 2029. However, the company intends to begin serving customers from BCE’s existing facilities at RTL City in Luxembourg during a three-year incubation period.

The arrangement will allow BCA to test its systems, train its employees and build operational experience before transferring its activities to the planned Mauritius facility.

“We are launching the business to serve our first clients, train our teams and validate the infrastructure, all with real clients, on real productions,” Gouiaa said.

The phased approach is designed to give the company an established customer base and a record of delivering services before its African facility becomes operational. It will also enable prospective customers, including those in Nigeria, to access services through an existing broadcast centre while the Mauritius infrastructure is being developed.

Gouiaa said the company was targeting growing demand from media organisations that distribute content across multiple platforms, including traditional television, streaming services and mobile channels.

Such distribution models require different content formats, language versions and delivery arrangements, alongside reliable systems for storing, managing and protecting media assets.

Music is another area of opportunity for the proposed platform. Concerts, festivals and studio performances require professional recording, sound mixing and post-production services to produce content suitable for broadcasters and digital platforms.

BCA is also targeting sports rights holders and telecommunications companies seeking to develop video services, as demand for professionally produced and distributed content expands across the continent.

Gouiaa said a significant proportion of spending on media production and technical services originating from Africa still goes to providers outside the continent.

He noted that some African producers complete their post-production work in Europe, broadcasters operate their transmission services from the Gulf, while media archives are frequently hosted overseas.

BCA’s longer-term ambition is to retain more of this spending within Africa by developing the infrastructure and technical expertise required to deliver such services locally. The company also hopes to create skilled employment opportunities through the transfer of knowledge and training of African professionals.

Workforce development is a central component of the partnership with BCE, with Gouiaa saying the arrangement envisages training 160 young African professionals in the first instance.

The trainees will include engineers, technicians and operators who will work with the systems being developed for the Mauritius facility and gain practical experience through client productions during the Luxembourg incubation phase.

“These young people will be certified through real productions, not in a classroom,” he said.
In Mauritius, BCA is expected to serve as the technical core of MediaCity Mauritius, a broader development designed to bring production companies, media businesses, training institutions and technology providers together at one location.

The planned BCA infrastructure will include television studios, control rooms, post-production suites and a data centre for hosting and archiving content.

Gouiaa said the proximity of these facilities to other media businesses and service providers would create opportunities for collaboration and access to specialised skills.

Producers using the technical centre would be able to work alongside other companies within the development, while training institutions would maintain links with operational facilities. This, he said, would help develop a steady pipeline of skilled professionals for businesses operating within the media ecosystem.

Beyond African companies, BCA is also seeking to attract international media groups looking for an operating base from which to serve African markets.

Gouiaa identified Mauritius’s bilingual business environment and its connections to African and Asian markets as important considerations behind the choice of location.

The company intends to serve both African businesses and international organisations producing content for, or conducting business with, the continent.

At CANEX WKND, BCA’s immediate priority is to convert interest from prospective customers into specific business assignments.

The company is seeking opportunities to conduct technical assessments and develop pilot projects with potential clients. These could include channel launches, broadcast continuity services and live sports operations.

Under the proposed model, BCA will remain the primary point of contact for customers, drawing on BCE’s engineering and operational expertise where necessary.

“CANEX brings together the people behind Africa’s creative industries,” Gouiaa said. “They are our clients and natural partners.”