WINDHOEK: MultiChoice Namibia Managing Director, Roger Gertze, has warned Namibians against content piracy, stating that piracy harms all aspects of society, from the economics to the growth of the local content business.

Gertze said this on Thursday in Windhoek during a gathering which brought together journalists and creatives to discuss the state of piracy in Namibia and Africa at large, leveraging the strength of the collective industry across the value chain from content creation to broadcasting of produced work.

“When defining the streams required to partner against piracy, it is critical to consider the impact that piracy has on stunting the growth of the local creative industry. The fight against piracy has the potential to shift the trajectory of our industry, especially considering the journey MultiChoice Namibia has begun on to invest even more in native Namibian content,” he said.

The session featured a virtual presentation delivered by Edward Mnisi, Southern Africa Piracy Manager of Irdeto, who spoke to growing trends observed across the continent, underscoring what the industry and the public at large need to know about piracy and its dangers, including but not limited to the reality that cross-border piracy is a growing problem in Namibia.

“For us as a business, we hope that sessions like these will strengthen our united fight against content piracy in Namibia and an opportunity for us to work closely with like-minded institutions to ensure that our local content industry no longer has to face the obstacles it currently faces to the benefit of all,” said Mnisi.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency