Latest news with #MichaelMarkovitz


Daily Maverick
17-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Leading Media Through Disruption: New GIBS Programme Tackles AI, Sustainability and Market Challenges
The four-month Executive Programme in Media Leadership at GIBS Business School will equip senior African media and communication professionals with practical leadership, strategy, and innovation tools, covering areas like AI, sustainable business models, and competition law. Applications close July 4, 2025. Across Africa, independent journalism faces one of its most challenging eras. Newsrooms are shrinking. Audiences are fragmenting. Advertising markets are dominated by global tech giants. Misinformation spreads rapidly, eroding trust. The skills required to lead sustainable, resilient, and innovative media organisations today are vastly different from those of even five years ago. Against this backdrop, the Executive Programme in Media Leadership offered by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), comes at a pivotal time. Designed to equip senior media and communication professionals across the continent with the leadership, strategy, and innovation tools needed to navigate an increasingly complex environment, the programme offers an exciting and intense learning opportunity to build new capabilities and networks. 'The future of Africa's media depends on strong leadership,' says Michael Markovitz, Director of the GIBS Media Leadership Think Tank and lead faculty for the programme. 'Yet too often, talented editors, executives and innovators are forced to lead in isolation, without the structured support, peer learning, and professional development that leaders in other industries take for granted.' A Leadership Programme Built for Africa's Media Challenges The four-month hybrid programme, running from July to October 2025, has been designed from the ground up to respond to the realities of African media markets — from small digital startups to legacy broadcasters, from public interest media to entrepreneurial ventures. Participants will gain practical skills in areas such as: AI in the newsroom and emerging technologies Sustainable business models and media financing Competition and communications law Negotiation strategy and board management Entrepreneurship in Africa Public interest journalism in an era of market failure Audience-centric innovation and product strategy Styli Charalambous, CEO and co-founder of Daily Maverick, who co-designed the GIBS programme with Markovitz describes the motivation for the course: 'We wanted something that responds to the real constraints and opportunities facing African media, whether you're in Nairobi, Lagos or Johannesburg. And, importantly, making it accessible in terms of costs and travel.' A World-Class, Cross-Disciplinary Faculty One of the programme's major attractions is its exceptional faculty, combining GIBS's top thinkers in leadership, strategy, entrepreneurship and innovation with globally respected media experts. Participants will learn from leading academics, practitioners, and innovators working at the forefront of fields such as media strategy, AI, public interest journalism, digital transformation, competition law, and media investment. GIBS's own faculty brings deep expertise in strategy, leadership, AI, entrepreneurship, finance, and change management — ensuring a cross-sectoral learning experience that bridges media with the wider business and innovation world. Urgency and Opportunity Applications have opened with a deadline of 4 July 2025. A limited number of scholarships are available to support participation by candidates from across the continent. The programme welcomes senior media and communications professionals, including editors, newsroom leaders, digital and product heads, media executives, policy-makers, financial and operational leaders with prior leadership experience. Participants will graduate with a powerful new network of peers and faculty across Africa's media and innovation ecosystem. Why Now? Africa's media cannot afford leadership deficits at a time of profound market disruption. New operating systems, frameworks and networks are necessary to respond to the challenges of this important sector. The programme will seek to address the disruption by: Digital platforms and AI are transforming content distribution and monetisation. Financial pressures, market consolidation, and platform dominance are threatening the sustainability of many outlets. New models of audience engagement, revenue generation, and collaboration are needed urgently — but require new skills and strategic thinking. The regulatory environment is shifting fast, with competition and media law playing a growing role in shaping market outcomes. 'There is no going back to the old ways of funding and managing media,' says Markovitz. 'Leaders need to be able to operate in what we call a state of permacrisis — constant change, complexity and challenge. That requires not just resilience, but fresh thinking.' Designed for Impact Unlike conventional academic courses, the Executive Programme in Media Leadership is intensely practical and applied. Participants will engage with case studies, peer learning and a Capstone project to translate insights into action. Sessions will include: Public interest journalism and market sustainability AI and data-driven strategy Strategic transformation and entrepreneurship Regulatory frameworks and competition law Leadership in permacrisis and resilience Inclusive leadership and cultural frameworks Audience-centric innovation and strategic communications Apply Now For African media leaders ready to take on the next phase of their journey and to help build a stronger, more sustainable, more innovative media ecosystem. This is a rare opportunity to invest in transformational leadership skills. Visit to learn more and submit your application. Applications close 4 July 2025. There are limited partial scholarships available so interested applicants should not delay. DM


News24
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
YouTube at 20: From viral videos to a global cultural powerhouse
The first video ever uploaded YouTube turned 20 years old on Wednesday 23 April. The Google-owned video-sharing platform has billions of active users monthly. YouTube has evolved into a major player in the tech, television and podcast arena. Few 20-year-olds can say they're worth billions of dollars and have a network of over two billion people. But YouTube can - and does. "It's been disruptive and transformative for the industry," Michael Markovitz, head of the GIBS Media Leadership Think Tank, told News24. In March, during a conference to showcase the platform's most significant developments in Switzerland, Pedro Pina, the vice-president of YouTube for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said their 2024 impact report found that the revenue generated from the platform's creator economy was equivalent to 185 000 full-time jobs in the EU in 2023. "Our mission has been to give everyone a voice and show them the world," he said. Over two decades, YouTube has reshaped how we consume media, understand the world and engage with public figures: Elusive Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio launched his channel this year. "Hi, welcome to my YouTube channel" is embedded in our cultural lexicon. Since the advent of YouTube, unboxing, viral, mukbang, and ASMR have taken new meanings. Pina said: We've been at the epicentre of culture. We want to continue to be at the epicentre of culture. For millions, YouTube isn't just a website. It's a mirror, a lifeline. A home away from home "I'm a queer person of colour; when I was struggling with my sexuality, I found answers and people like me on YouTube," Renaldo Schwarp told News24. Schwarp is an award-winning video and content strategist with over a decade of experience in South African newsrooms and broadcast studios. "It allowed us to find community, especially for marginalised groups; YouTube became a brand where you can find a community and find yourself in that community," he said. Lasizwe Dambuza, Ryan Lombard, Mpoomy Ledwaba and Macgyver (MacG) Mukwevho have accelerated their careers and earnings because of the video-sharing platform. With low barriers to entry, the platform has democratised screen time, transforming passive viewers into active creators. However, Schwarp flagged that the "flip side" of the low barriers of entry was that those with ill intent could as easily upload their content. 'Safety is a priority; our policies are always evolving' The Google-owned company has often had to address concerns about hate speech, safety, and copyright. "We've listened to feedback from creators and viewers and continued building our trust and safety system," Colin Goulding, vice-president of trust and safety, told News24 at a media presentation in Zurich. In 2015, YouTube launched a children's app, YouTube Kids, with age-appropriate videos and parental controls. The task is mammoth, ongoing and requires a systematic approach. Content that violates policy guidelines is detected through AI software and engineers. "Because free expression is at the root of our platform, we generally lean toward leaving content up rather than taking it down. But we do acknowledge what happens in the world happens on YouTube, and the world moves fast." News24 Five hundred hours of content is loaded every minute on YouTube. "That's why we don't do this ourselves. We partner with external experts and YouTube creators, and we listen to the community as we think through the risks that are happening online." Video killed the Hollywood star Although it seemed the digital world had moved from the living room and scheduled viewing because of the dominance of smartphones and tablets, the tide is turning. At the top of the year, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said YouTube is the new television. Smart TVs have become the primary viewing device in the US, even for YouTube Shorts. YouTube is morphing into a noticeable player in television globally. "Creators are becoming more and more part of the start-ups of Hollywood ... YouTubers are creating their own studios. They have their script writers, video editors, social media managers, accountants and personnel," said Pina. And as the platform grows, so do conversations around dominance, regulation and how it will impact traditional media in the future. "The one thing that we know is that the internet is going to become more and more of a dominant media platform [in the future]," said Markovitz. Like every 20-year-old, YouTube is growing, ambitious, forging full-steam ahead and has its eyes firmly set on the future.