On September 28, The Africa Channel launched daily morning show Expresso, the first series ever to air live on the African continent and then on tape in the U.S. the next day. If you think that sounds like a major logistical challenge – you’re right. Narendra Reddy, SVP, Programming & Production for The Africa Channel, explains how the net got the show to air.

Cynsiders: How did the idea to air Expresso in the U.S. come about?

Reddy: TAC’s head of acquisitions came across the show while researching new programming from the African continent.  She was impressed by the fresh young cast and “African” version of a common American-style morning show. Reaching her colleagues in South Africa, she confirmed that the show was very popular and of high quality despite still being produced in SD. Pursuing the idea of getting the show live in the U.S. meant overcoming the cost and workflow challenges, so in the interim, TAC licensed 60 of Expresso’s best episodes to air as “Preview” episodes while developing a workflow to receive and air the series on a daily basis. The Expresso team was equally excited about having distribution in the U.S. and converted their studios from SD to HD to meet western television standards.

Cysniders: It took quite a while to make this happen. What were the primary obstacles and how were they overcome?

Reddy: Delivering Expresso to our audience in the U.S. on a fresh, same-day basis was a tremendous logistical challenge involving the creation of a digital post-production workflow transporting the daily, three-hour program in HD from Cape Town to L.A. inside a six-hour window. Technical teams on both continents worked for a year on bringing this to fruition. With the advancement of technology, new methods of media distribution are constantly evolving and being implemented throughout the industry. No longer are we limited to downlinking satellite feeds or fiber optic transmission to deliver live or near live broadcasts. Cloud based or delivery over IP is emerging as an additional industry standard. This was our method of choice.

The biggest challenge that we had to face with that approach was the limited bandwidth and data cap restrictions that apply to Africa. Through extensive research, infrastructure upgrades, workflow collaboration and testing with the Expresso studio and our content distributor, Globecast, we were able to overcome such hurdles and streamline an effective means of delivering South Africa’s #1 morning show to our viewers in the U.S. and Caribbean each and every weekday.

Cynsiders: Is the show’s content comparable, say, to Today or GMA?

Reddy: Much like Today and GMA, Expresso showcases the latest news and trends in everything from fashion to technology. In an age when global content and talent are gaining increasing acceptance in the United States – The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah being an example – the ability for viewers to be exposed to daily entertainment shows from other countries is what Expresso adds to morning television. The show’s segments seek commonalities that they can identify with and share differences, especially in the local language segments.

Expresso’s team keeps the daily three-hour program flowing with entertaining studio segments on beauty, health and gadgets, as well as musical performances and local field stories. Once you see these six stylish, informed and talented South Africans, you’ll understand why they’re embraced and respected among their peers. Awards include Best TV Presenter for Katlego Maboe at the 2015 SAFTAS, South Africa’s version of our Daytime Emmys.

Cynsiders: How are you promoting the series?

Reddy: The Africa Channel has taken two approaches. One was a Trevor Noah spoof promoting the coincidental launch of our show the same day Comedy Central’s Daily Show introduces South African native son, Trevor Noah. We are also promoting the show on our air and social media platforms.

Cynsiders: Does the series have any related digital platforms?

Reddy: As with all our programming, Expresso will be enhanced by a strong online and social media strategy that will create an integrated multi-platform experience for viewers, inviting them to join the conversation. Our digital strategy includes bonus videos, images and articles that specifically support on-air programming while directing traffic to specific shows with tune-in information.

Cynopsis: What has the response been from advertisers?

Reddy: The Africa Channel is still in a growth mode where we are delivering on our commitment to our cable operators and haven’t fully gone out to the ad market for specific shows. We’ve reached out to broad industry sectors including South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and other African and Middle East airlines as well as enterprises in Africa like banks seeking to reach the diaspora population in the United States.  We are seeing growing interest from these potential sponsors.”

Cynsiders: What else is new this fall on The Africa Channel?

Care for Color, a half-hour series centers on self-love, self-care and self-knowledge through the lens of the African diaspora. Diaries, an original series, takes viewers around Africa to profile the businesses, people and places that shape the continent and defy Western expectations. Our Africa Movie House will return with 20+ hours of new movies about Africa or from African filmmakers. Two feature films will be presented weekly. And we’ll present three special programming events from October through December: Congo Week (October 19–25), Holidays (November 22–December 25) and New Year’s Eve (December 31).

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