By Jeremiah Agada
In just two years of operations, Nigeria’s foremost channel for Millennial and Generation Z driven content, Views Channel has grown to having over 10,000,000 monthly impressions across social media while broadcasting premium youth- centric content 24/7 with a high concentration of live shows for its rapidly growing TV audience.
This was made known by the Group Managing Director of Views Channel’s parent company, Maxima Media Group, Mr Femi Ogundoro at the celebration of the channel’s second anniversary. Staged at the company’s office in Gbagada, Lagos, the celebration was a quite affair organized in strict compliance with the COVID-19 prevention measures.
These impressions are based on the Channels proactive sharing of contents from simultaneously across an omni-channel platform.The elaborate process of content curation by his team takes a rounded approach. It puts into consideration various aspects such as lifestyle, food, fashion, culture, trends, and sports, in determining what end-products get on the consumer’s table. While production is a centerpiece in the chain, delivery of such contents using channels that amplify reach has been key to its fast-paced growth pattern. To bridge the gap between traditional TV and online streaming, programmes are simultaneously broadcasted on channel 108 on StarTimes, and as well as its outlets across all its social media handles. Through this approach, it recorded a staggering 10 million impressions for the month of July.
While expressing thanks to God for bringing the station this far, he explained that many had doubted its chance of surviving within a year. “A lot of people did not believe that we could come this far. They believe that if you want to start a TV platform, you must be on a certain platform to make it viable. It is a myth and we have been able to debunk it. How do you run a 24hours station and still maintain the quality of your output? It has been a journey from 1 August 2008 that has been eventful.”
Continuing, he said, “I remember when I got the idea of this channel in 2009, I said, I didn’t want the trouble. And here we are in two years. I would say it’s two years of God truly showing that he’s God because a lot of people said different things before, we started. You want to start a television channel, there’s a certain platform you have to be on for it to become viable but it’s a myth because we have been able to cross it out. Yes, maybe in terms of mileage but viability, commercial viability or acceptance, that notion is not right.”
Ogundoro also revealed that though the first month was a major struggle, he and his team have been able to forge ahead and become outstanding. “Another thing is how do you run a 24-hour outfit and still maintain the quality, honestly, I can’t explain how we have done it but it’s been a journey from August 2018 and it was a struggle for a month after which we had a major telecom company and other brands followed. TV business is about content and to get content, it’s about money. So, it’s not a cheap venture and that is what set certain platforms apart from others. For us in the last two years, it’s been an experience.”
Speaking on the reason for the establishment of Views Channel, Ogundoro said, “Vews Channel started as TV Programme called Views and Chills. It was born out of the need to provide some feedback mechanism because as the saying goes in marketing, ‘consumer is king.’ So, if the youth are king, why don’t they have a say in the product or services they get. At the time we started, we felt that there was a gap between the entertainment space where people were just doing whatever they deemed fit. We thought of having a show from the consumer’s point of view that will project their voice and that was why we started Views and Chills and we focus more on music at the time. The programme did quite well with loads of sponsorship from a number of multinationals.
“In the first year, we have been able to set the tone and foundation, tweaking a number of things before we can actually go full blast. We have been able to put certain things in place. We have recorded some successes; we have had patronage from brands, like 6-7 brands have supported us. We were the only platform not running on the DSTV platform and was on the red carpet, and had our own stand at the AMVCA 2018, all thanks to Airtel. So, we are not there yet, but we are on the way. We are now going to be engaging more young people. We will be having interactions which they want and that is why we built a studio where we can broadcast live from.
Over the course of two years, the station which is positioned at channel 108 on Startimes, has taken over the youth market in the media space with exclusive content, earning a much deserved ‘’Top 100 Fastest Growing Business in Nigeria’ recognition by BusinessDay last year.
So far, he attributes this milestone to consistency at identifying consumers’ needs and providing such demands applying the broadcast industry’s ethical practices.“Once brands see that you are on track, they join, they support you. And they can see also that we are committed. A couple of channels are not following the broadcast code. You can imagine downloading movies and showing it on a TV station without licensing, without getting the rights to that content.
“Although It gives them an undue advantage, our clients are aware that we will never do that. There is a process behind it. It is either there is a partnership there or they are paying us for it, or we are paying them for it.”
Over the past two years, Views Channel TV has updated its contents’ styles to suit the ever-changing tastes of its audience. The sports genre which was noticeably absent in its debut year now parades an array of sports contents to meet demands in that sphere.Also, in order to constantly be in touch with the outside world and help it record real-time feedback, several live shows that discuss current trends and viral acts have also been commissioned. The brand is also working around developing its mobile application, granting quick access to its contents on mobile.
“You need to run your schedule on a monthly basis because their lifestyle changes. This month they want this, next minute they don’t want that, they want food. And that’s why for us, we are trying to increase the frequency of live content we have, and you cannot ignore social media.”
Also, within the two- year period, Views Channels has had partnerships locally and internationally to better position the station. It entered a strategic partnership with Deutsche Welle, DW, Germany’s foremost international broadcaster to bring the young population of Nigeria DW’s foremost youth centric programme, the 77 Percent. It was also the only Nigerian station and one of the 15 channels in Africa chosen to partner XOD Global, a global multi-platform service operator specializing in the aggregation, transport and distribution of international programming. Locally, Views Channels is engaged in some level of partnerships with Airtel Nigeria to distribute content on their streaming site, Airtel TV, which currently boasts of 1.2 million active users across Africa.
As a forward-thinking channel, Views Channel has mapped out strategies for the post COVID-19 pandemic: “I agree. In fact, it (pandemic) is a blessing in disguise,” Ogundoro said, acknowledging the increased viewership since the pandemic. However, he is not banking on this for sustainability. To match and even surpass these numbers post-COVID, he elaborates strategies in place to maintain viewership.
“We had a number of things we had lined up pre-COVID in terms of activations and all that we wanted to do. But due to the COVID-19 situation, we had to shut some of those things down. Fortunately, people tuned in to watch on TV or online. As soon as things return to normal, we will get back on the streets, if that’s where they want to be. We are to infiltrate anywhere you find young people.”
Continually creating value, the media mogul hinted on his initiative to help SMEs boost their productivity through ad exposure that they cannot get on other platforms.Whilst he cannot take all the credit, the team behind him has helped bring to life his visions and dreams. According to Ogundoro, continuous training has helped maintain his growing staff number and their efficiency to deliver.
Views Channel was launched in 2018. Since then, it has been at the forefront of Millennial and Generation Z driven contents. Based in Lagos, Nigeria; it currently broadcasts from Channel 108 on StarTimes on a 24-hour operational basis