Broadcasters Urged to Modernise Infrastructure
Panellists at a Broadcast Media Africa webinar called on African broadcasters to upgrade systems, tighten cybersecurity, and build technical skills.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Data Centers
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Broadcast technology and media executives from Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia spoke at a Broadcast Media Africa webinar on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, under the theme "Monitoring, Automation & Intelligent Systems Management." Panellists advocated a phased approach that integrates legacy systems with newer technologies.
Why it matters
Many African broadcasters face financial and operational constraints that make complete infrastructure replacement difficult, so incremental modernisation is positioned as a practical path. Growing convergence of broadcast engineering, IT networks, and cloud systems also adds cybersecurity exposure across the region.
The webinar is a panel discussion rather than a measured study, and no quantitative figures on power costs, cybersecurity incidents, or broadcaster budgets were reported. The extraction does not specify how many broadcasters were surveyed or how the recommendations were weighted.
The players
Yowela Chomba
Yowela Chomba is General Manager of Powerhouse Media Group in Zambia and moderated the webinar.
Broadcast Media Africa
Broadcast Media Africa is the organiser of the webinar series on broadcast facilities and systems management.
The details
Panellists recommended integrating existing SDI systems with IP-based workflows to create hybrid infrastructure. They also flagged power reliability, diesel generation, and backup costs as major operating concerns, and urged continuous training and mentorship to retain technical staff.
Timeline
Tuesday, 3 November 2026: Broadcast Media Africa webinar held under the theme "Monitoring, Automation & Intelligent Systems Management."
Big Picture
The webinar sits within the Broadcast Media Facilities and Systems Management series, extending its ongoing focus on how broadcasters manage infrastructure and systems. It applies that focus to African broadcasters facing constrained budgets and growing cybersecurity exposure.
Broadcasters that adopt hybrid SDI and IP workflows may need to retrain staff and budget for backup power and cybersecurity upgrades. Viewers would see changes only indirectly, through service reliability and the pace of technology upgrades.
The takeaway
Incremental modernisation that keeps legacy equipment running while adding IP capability is presented as a realistic route for broadcasters with tight budgets. Treating cybersecurity and technical training as part of the same upgrade plan is the panel's central recommendation.
Further reading
For broader context on how modern facilities handle these systems, see our Data Centers coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Broadcast Media Africa.
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