DISCOP Africa to Spotlight Sports

LOS ANGELES/PARIS: In the lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, sports will be a key focus at the second annual DISCOP Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, this September.

Some 350 participants are expected to attend DISCOP Africa, which will take place at The Nairobi Hilton Hotel from September 16 to 18. Companies already registered include Al Jazeera Network, Discovery Communications, Globo TV International, MTV Networks International, MGM and Televisa Internacional. With the 2010 FIFA World Cup to take place in South Africa, the FIFA body will also be attending, to update African television programming managers on its 2010 World Cup distribution strategy across the content.

“We chose to organize the second DISCOP Africa so quickly after the first one in order to enable our participants to continue the negotiations they had initiated in Dakar at the first DISCOP Africa,” said Patrick Jucaud, DISCOP’s CEO. “Because of the momentum created by the proximity of the 2010 World Cup and the positive impact on the buying power of African television operators, we hope to facilitate a great deal of business at our second international event in Africa.”