Where is that based?
In Lagos. We looked at the
alternatives but we felt that Lagos
has terrific potential. It would be
silly to pretend that there were no
challenges due to being based
there. But in every economy
experiencing dynamic growth there
are going to be challenges. Of
course we will have a significant
presence in Johannesburg with
Bloomberg TV Africa but we
consciously make this bold step of
having the HQ in Lagos.
Is this a 24/7 operation?
We are much more concerned with
quality rather than quantity, so we
are going to grow Bloomberg TV
Africa gradually. While weʹre
having a new studio built in Lagos
for live business coverage, we have
begun with pre‐recorded
programming such as
Africa
Business Weekly
and
African Women
to Watch
.
Where else do you have local
products?
I see our English language channels
as Bloomberg TV’s global backbone,
but there are ribs coming off that
backbone which are our localised
TV products. When we go into a
region we look for what is missing
in terms of coverage of local and
international news. In Turkey there
was clearly a real need for quality
business news focusing on the
Turkish market and how those
domestic issues interact with
international business as well, so
we started Bloomberg HT in
Turkish in 2010 around the same
time we started Bloomberg India.
We now have localisation deals
in Indonesia, in Mongolia, Africa,
we have signed a deal for a
Bloomberg TV Mexico, and there
will be a Bloomberg branded block
in Arabic language for Prince Al‐
Waleed bin Talalʹs new Al Arab
channel – we are very excited about
that. We have also entered into a
landmark partnership to create the
first business news channel in
Malaysia this year, and there are
various localisation deals in the
pipeline. Our local products are a
very important initiative for
Bloomberg digital video because it
enables us to partner with local TV
companies, newspapers and other
media companies who really have
that in‐depth knowledge of the
local region which we can then
marry with our international
expertise and resources –
Bloomberg currently has about 150 news
bureaux worldwide.
We donʹt have a ʹone size fits allʹ idea
of creating these localisations. There is
no point in creating just a carbon copy of
the English language version. We do
very much want to get that local flavour
and local style and sometimes a different
emphasis on the type of content that
people in that region want to watch.
These deals are very much a
commercial venture for the partners as
well as for us, and of course have had
the additional impact in growing
awareness of Bloomberg TV in these
regions.
And looking ahead?
Weʹve got a new CEO, Justin B. Smith,
who is currently setting Bloomberg
Media strategy for the next five years.
Any large business needs to do this
every so often: looking at how we do
things, how we could do things
better/differently, developing a strategy
for the next five years. Justin has an
amazing track record on bringing
change and innovation.
We want to become
the
source of
business news, wherever you are in the
world and whatever level you want the
business news to be, whether it’s global
deals or whether you want to focus
more on local trends and businesses just
in your own country and not necessarily
in English language.
We will be continuing the programme
of localised products to grow and
develop Bloomberg digital video. I
really think calling it Bloomberg TV now
is too narrow and does not truly reflect
what we are doing now which is taking
digital video in all its different forms
and delivery methods to audiences
around the world. We see huge potential
in these localisation projects and thatʹs
why we will be adding to the local line‐
up in 2014.
Lindsey Oliver, thank you.
We are
engaging
a new
business
audience
“
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