ViacomCBS Networks International Announces New Africa Executive Leadership Team as Alex Okosi Moves to a New Opportunity

VIACOMCBS NETWORKS INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES NEW AFRICA EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM AS ALEX OKOSI MOVES TO A NEW OPPORTUNITY

Craig Paterson and Monde Twala elevated to lead ViacomCBS Networks Africa

Madrid, January 21, 2020 – ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) announced today that following the departure of VCNI veteran Alex Okosi, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of VCN Africa and BET International at the end of February 2020, Craig Paterson and Monde Twala will be named as co-General Managers of ViacomCBS Networks Africa.

“Alex has made an immeasurable impact on our business in Africa,” said Raffaele Annecchino, President of ViacomCBS Networks Europe Middle East, Africa and Asia. “Since launching MTV Base in 2005, Alex has spearheaded the development of our business on the continent, which now delivers more channels to Africa than any other international network – reaching 100 million viewers in 48 territories across MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET.”

Okosi took over leadership of BET International in 2017 and has continued to advance the value of the brand internationally delivering double-digit distribution growth and improving profitability and margins. Under Okosi’s leadership, BET International elevated its presence at the BET Awards by incorporating the “Best International Act” award into the live broadcast, which simulcasted live in Africa for the first time. In addition, BET International expanded its presence during the BET “Hip Hop Awards” by launching a new category to honor artists from around the world.

“I am proud to have had the opportunity to build our Africa business from the ground up,” said Okosi. “This has played a pivotal role in transforming the music and content space and changing the narrative on Africa. Leading our Africa and BET International businesses to success is testament to the extraordinary teams, colleagues and partners that I have worked with throughout my tenure. ViacomCBS has been my home for more than 20 fantastic years, and I leave behind incredible creative and commercial talent that will continue to deliver growth.”

David Lynn, President & CEO of ViacomCBS Networks International added, “I’m immensely grateful to Alex for his contribution to the success of VCNI, including his role in developing such a strong team of successors. Alex’s leadership has been essential to our success in Africa and to the continued growth of BET International.”

VCN Africa Leadership Team:

Effective March 1, 2020, Monde Twala and Craig Paterson will assume their new roles as General Managers of VCN Africa.

As co-head of the business, Twala, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Editorial VCN Africa, will focus on content, creative, editorial and marketing for VCNI brands. Twala is currently the Vice President of ViacomCBS Networks Africa’s BET, Youth & Music, ViacomCBS Networks International and Africa. Twala is responsible for driving the development and growth of iconic music, youth and entertainment brands BET, MTV, MTV Base and MTV Music24, across the African continent. Monde joined the company in 2016 after nearly 20 years’ experience in the South African broadcasting and media industry.

Paterson, Senior Vice President & General Manager, VCN Africa, will be responsible for all corporate functions, including business development and strategy. Currently Senior Vice President, Business Operations for ViacomCBS Networks Africa, Paterson is responsible for driving strategic growth and business opportunities in Africa. Prior to this role, Paterson was responsible for Operations and Finance for multimedia brands MTV, MTV Music24, Nickelodeon, Nick Toons, Nick Junior, MTV Base, BET and Comedy Central on the African continent. He spent nearly five years at Viacom beginning in 2011 as VP of Operations and Finance in Africa and returned to the company in 2018 as Senior Vice President of Business Operations in Africa.

“I am delighted that Craig and Monde will take over leadership in this important market,” said Annecchino. “Both have worked with Alex for years, which coupled with their expertise will ensure a seamless transition. Craig and Monde are experts in their respective areas and in addition to incredible business acumen, have demonstrated leadership and collaborative excellence throughout each of their careers and tenures with the company.”

Craig Paterson

Monde Twala

Raffaele Annecchino

David Lynn

END

ViacomCBS Networks International

ViacomCBS Networks International, a unit of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAC), is comprised of many of the world’s most iconic consumer brands. Its portfolio includes Network 10, Channel 5, Telefe, Viacom 18, ViacomCBS International Studios, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Network and Pluto TV among others. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, ViacomCBS Networks International provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution and advertising solutions for partners on five continents and across more than 180 countries.

From The Nation:

YouTube appoints Alex Okosi as MD of Emerging Markets

YouTube has appointed Alex Okosi as Managing Director of Emerging Markets for YouTube in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Okosi will be responsible for running YouTube’s business and partnership teams across emerging markets in EMEA including Russia, the Middle East, North and Sub Saharan Africa.

He will report to the Head of YouTube EMEA, Cécile Frot-Coutaz. Based in the London office, Alex will start in April 2020.

He said: “YouTube is a game-changing platform that plays an increasingly important role in our lives today through the dynamic content and innovation that it delivers.

“I am very excited to be joining Cecile’s leadership team to continue empowering creators and elevating value for viewers and partners across the region.”

Commenting on the hire, Cécile Frot-Coutaz, Head of YouTube EMEA, said: “I look forward to welcoming Alex to our YouTube EMEA leadership team.

“He brings a wealth of experience in the content industries and has a track record for building businesses and audiences in established and new markets.

“Alex will be leading our existing teams in Russia, Sub Saharan Africa, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa to drive further expansion in these key markets.

Prior to joining YouTube, Okosi served as a long-time TV executive.

He was Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Viacom/CBS Networks Africa & BET International.

Alex Okosi is the driving force behind ViacomCBS Networks Africa (formerly Viacom International Media Networks Africa), home to powerhouse entertainment brands BET, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV Base, MTV Music, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and NickToons in Africa, as well as BET International with channel brand businesses across Europe, Asia and Africa. With media and entertainment experience amassed across 3 continents over a 21-year span, Okosi has a broad background in Business Development, Corporate Strategy, Advertising Sales, Distribution, Digital Media and General Management.

Okosi’s association with the company goes back to 1998 when he joined the Trade Marketing team in New York. He then went on to become part of the MTV Networks Affiliate Sales and Marketing division in 2000 based in Los Angeles where he led distribution efforts for the network within his territories in the western region. In 2003, Okosi transferred to MTV Networks International’s Strategy and Business Development team in London where he achieved a personal and industry milestone by identifying a business gap for a youth music and lifestyle channel in Africa, developing the business plan and launching MTV Networks International’s first localised channel in Africa, MTV Base, in 2005. Okosi would go on to spearhead the growth and development of the Viacom International Media Networks business in Africa through launching additional channel brands tailored for the African market including MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, NickToons and BET. Approaching its fifteenth year, the business delivers more channels to Africa than any other international network with a collective footprint that reaches 48 territories and more than 100 million viewers.

In early 2017, Okosi was appointed Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) and by July he took on additional responsibility as the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of BET International to drive the growth of the brand in markets outside the US. Through BET linear channels and SVOD platforms, the brand is accessible to more than 40 million homes in over 60 countries around the world. Okosi’s remit was further broadened in September 2019 to lead the international growth and expansion of VIMN’s Live Events business.

Okosi’s mission is to develop engaging content and campaigns that not only entertain and showcase great creativity and talent, but also serve to socially empower audiences. Some of the key campaigns created by Okosi include the MTV Africa Music Awards, MTV Shuga, MTV Base Meets, Nickelodeon Genius, Comedy Central Africa International Festival, NickFest, BET Experience Africa and the BET Awards Best International categories.

For his innovative business leadership, Okosi has been recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013, an All Africa Business Leader Award Finalist in 2018 and an honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) in 2019. Okosi has also been featured as a thought-leader in key global media outlets including BBC, CNN and Forbes. Nigeria born, Okosi was educated in the US, graduating magna cum laude with a dual major in Business Administration and Economics from St Michael’s College in Vermont.

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From The Guardian Nigeria News:

Nigeria’s Alex Okosi joins YouTube as Managing Director

YouTube has announced the appointment of Nigerian-born US-educated media executive responsible for developing and launching MTV Africa in February 2005, Alex Okosi as Managing Director of Emerging Markets for YouTube in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Okosi will be responsible for running YouTube’s business and partnership teams across emerging markets in EMEA including Russia, the Middle East, North and Sub Saharan Africa. He will report to the Head of YouTube EMEA, Cécile Frot-Coutaz. Based in the London office, Okosi is expected to resume in April 2020.

Prior to joining YouTube, Okosi deployed his expertise in the success of Viacom CBS Networks Africa (formerly Viacom International Media Networks Africa), home to powerhouse entertainment brands such as BET, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV Base, MTV Music, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and NickToons in Africa, as well as BET International with channel brand businesses across Europe, Asia and Africa.

With media and entertainment experience amassed across three continents over a 21-year span, Okosi has a broad background in Business Development, Corporate Strategy, Advertising Sales, Distribution, Digital Media and General Management.

His association with the company goes back to 1998 when he joined the Trade Marketing team in New York. He then went on to become part of the MTV Networks Affiliate Sales and Marketing division in 2000 based in Los Angeles, where he led distribution efforts for the network within his territories in the western region. In 2003, Okosi transferred to MTV Networks International’s Strategy and Business Development team in London where he achieved a personal and industry milestone by identifying a business gap for a youth music and lifestyle channel in Africa, developing the business plan and launching MTV Networks International’s first localised channel in Africa, MTV Base, in 2005.

Okosi would go on to spearhead the growth and development of the Viacom International Media Networks business in Africa through launching additional channel brands tailored for the African market including MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, NickToons and BET. Approaching its fifteenth year, the business delivers more channels to Africa than any other international network with a collective footprint that reaches 48 territories and more than 100 million viewers.

In early 2017, Okosi was appointed Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) and by July, he took on additional responsibility as the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of BET International to drive the growth of the brand in markets outside the US.

Okosi’s mission is to develop engaging content and campaigns that not only entertain and showcase great creativity and talent, but also serve to socially empower audiences. Some of the key campaigns created by Okosi include the MTV Africa Music Awards, MTV Shuga, MTV Base Meets, Nickelodeon Genius, Comedy Central Africa International Festival, NickFest, BET Experience Africa and the BET Awards Best International categories.

For his innovative business leadership, Okosi has been recognised as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013, an All Africa Business Leader Award Finalist in 2018 and an honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) in 2019. He has also been featured as a thought-leader in key global media outlets including BBC, CNN and Forbes. Nigeria born, Okosi was educated in the US, graduating magna cum laude with a dual major in Business Administration and Economics from St. Michael’s College in Vermont.

On his appointment, Okosi said, “YouTube is a game-changing platform that plays an increasingly important role in our lives today through the dynamic content and innovation that it delivers. I am very excited to be joining Cecile’s leadership team to continue empowering creators and elevating value for viewers and partners across the region.”

In his reaction, Frot-Coutaz, said, “I look forward to welcoming Alex to our YouTube EMEA leadership team. He brings a wealth of experience in the content industries and has a track record for building businesses and audiences in established and new markets. Alex will be leading our existing teams in Russia, Sub Saharan Africa, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa to drive further expansion in these key markets.”

“Google and YouTube have long invested in growing its business across its EMEA, recently at the annual Google for Nigeria event in July 2019, YouTube announced its commitment to support emerging talent across Nigeria by teaming up with Mr. Eazi and the emPawa initiative to support 10 emerging Nigerian music artists to build their craft, increase their fanbase and connect with the world through YouTube. Throughout the years, YouTube has played an essential role in the discovery and development of African sound, exporting African music to listeners worldwide — in fact 70% of the views from the 25 most watched Sub-Saharan African artists, come from outside the continent.

“In September, 2019, YouTube successfully launched YouTube Music and YouTube Premium in MENA, which further exemplifies the opportunities offered by this high-growth region.

Russia is one of YouTube EMEA’s highest growth markets with the number of YouTube channels of more than 1 million subscribers growing by more than 70 per cent in the last year.

“Okosi’s appointment will only further fuel the development of our creative ecosystem in the region.”

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From The Guardian:

Okosi… rise and rise of Nigeria’s entertainment export

Heads YouTube In Europe, Middle East And Africa

Bada Akintunde-Johnson, Country Manager for Nigeria at ViacomCBS Networks Africa (left), EVP and MD ViacomCBS Networks Africa, Alex Okosi,Co-GM, ViacomCBS Networks, Craig Paterson, and Co-GM ViacomCBS Networks Africa, Monde Twala at a special party in honour of Okosi in Lagos

It was a star-studded evening on February 8, 2020, at The Wings Event Space, Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island, Lagos, as friends, colleagues, family members and stakeholders in the showbiz/media industry converged to honour Alex Okosi, the outgoing Executive Vice President and Managing Director of ViacomCBS Networks Africa and BET International.

Hosted by the duo of Tolu ‘Toolz’ Oniru-Demuren and ace comedian Bovi, the event was put together to celebrate Okosi for his significant contributions in reimagining Africa and transforming the media and entertainment industry since he took up the mantle of leadership on the continent 15 years ago.

For a man of Okosi’s stature, who has been instrumental to the growth and development of the industry in Africa, the impressive turn-out didn’t come as a surprise. In fact, it was expected; he has paid his dues.

Notable among guests were captains of industries, who collaborated with Okosi and his team in the last 15 years, including the Founder of Silverbird Group, Ben Murray-Bruce to the CEO of Megalectrics Ltd, Chris Ubosi; CEO Livespot360, Deola Art-Alade. Others are celebrities such as Rita Dominic, Michelle Dede, Nse Ikpe-Etim, comedian Basketmouth, Flavour, D’banj, 2Baba, Ice Prince, Falz, Dr Sid… it was indeed a star-studded evening.

“I feel thankful! Very grateful! I’m truly humbled. It means a great deal to me that everyone in the room showed up for me, and that I’ve had their support these past 15 years. Everyone in that room has been instrumental in the work that my team and I have done in contributing to the development of the entertainment and media industry in Africa,” excited Okosi said.

While extending his gratitude to his fellow colleagues, industry friends and guests for joining in the celebration, he said, “I’m truly comforted by knowing that we have a team, who can take on the task ahead with vigor and experience to carve a unique space together with you in ViacomCBS and African history. You all have the opportunity and power to continue to drive change, to create opportunities for our youth, the industry and our continent.”

Since launching MTV Base in 2005, Okosi has spearheaded the development of the business on the continent, which now delivers more channels to Africa than any other international network – reaching 100 million viewers in 48 territories across MTV, MTV base, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET. He bids ViacomCBS adieu after almost two decades at the helm of different roles including BET International at the global company.

Detailing his journey from an Intern in 1998 to Executive Vice President and Managing Director, the Anambra State native, who is moving to YouTube as Managing Director of Emerging Markets for YouTube in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said, “What began as a vision and a passion 15 years ago has been realised even beyond my initial expectations when we first pressed play to African Queen in February 2005. It’s taken a number of committed and hardworking people over the years to bring this dream to life and I’m immensely grateful for the industry trust and support as we forged forward to achieve the impossible.”

A graduate of St Michael’s College, Vermont, where he studied Business Administration and Economics, Okosi is an award winner of the Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013, an All Africa Business Leader Award Finalist in 2018, and an honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Marketing of Nigeria in 2019.

He took over leadership of BET International in 2017 and has continued to advance the value of the brand internationally delivering double-digit distribution growth and improving profitability and margins.

Under his leadership, BET International elevated its presence at the BET Awards by incorporating the Best International Act award into live broadcast, which simulcasted live in Africa for the first time. In addition, BET expanded its presence during the BET Hip Hop Awards by launching a new category to honour artists from around the world.

“I’m proud to have had the opportunity to build our Africa business from the ground up,” Okosi noted, adding, “This has played a pivotal role in transforming the music and content space and changing the narrative on Africa. Leading our Africa and BET International businesses to success is a testament to the extraordinary teams, colleagues and partners that I have worked with throughout my tenure. ViacomCBS has been my home for more than 20 fantastic years, and I leave behind incredible creative and commercial talent that will continue to deliver growth.”

Fifteen years ago, while Okosi was still working at the MTV Headtquaters in New York, his dream was to bring the brand back to motherland and help promote talents.

“From the very first day I walked into the MTV headquarters in New York as a coordinator, my vision was to take the MTV brand to my home continent; to showcase the youth culture and talent that the continent is blessed with to the rest of the world. I think I can say that I realised that vision and even more. What started as pitch to launch a localised TV channel in Africa quickly turned into a network with many channels that cater to millions of people in different demographics. We’ve also been able to inspire and empower millions of African creatives and entertainers,” he enthused.

Though MTV is a successful brand in Africa today, convincing the organisation to look towards the black continent in its content creation, wasn’t neccessarily an easy task. Thank to Okosi for his doggedness and insistence that Africa needs a platform to showcase her culture globally.

“It was difficult, and understandably so; this wasn’t due to lack of interest. At the time, Viacom was in every region in the world, except for Africa and internally, there was a lot of interest to complete the global picture. But no one was exactly excited about plunging into a continent of 54 countries and thousands of different languages and cultures. It seemed like too much of a risk considering all that and the political instabilities and infrastructural challenges the continent was faced with. But thankfully, after over 20 revisions of the original business plan, I was finally able to convince management about the potential and possibilities that abound in Africa,” he revealed.

No doubt, the coming of MTV brand to Africa in general and Nigeria in particular, played a vital role in setting standards for the music industry, especially when it comes to music videos, as artistes began to improve on the quality of their works to get aired on a global platform.

“When we finally got the go-ahead to launch in Africa, one of the biggest challenges we faced was that the quality of the available music videos wasn’t up to par with the brand’s requirements. We devised a formula to solve that problem by investing directly in training local talent and guiding them on how to make better videos. Today, our music videos are just as good as those from more developed parts of the world.”

He continued: “One of our major goals when we established MTV in Africa in 2005 was to show the world the beauty and talent that abound in the African continent through quality content and music videos. 15 years down the line, I think we can beat our chest and say we’ve achieved that. The world is finally paying attention, our talents are getting global recognition and selling out arenas all over the world. The industry may still have a long way to go, but it is nowhere near where we met it when we debuted in 2005.”

In 2008, Okosi and his team conceived the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) to celebrate the most popular contemporary music in the continent. The 2008 and 2010 events took place in Nigeria, first in Abuja and then in Lagos. By 2009, the glamourous show moved to Nairobi, Kenya. However, the award had a three-year hiatus, returning only in 2014 in Durban, South Africa, while the 2016 edition was hosted in Johannesburg.

Notwithstanding, what many didn’t know was that setting the award in motion was a tough task. In fact, the maiden edition held in Abuja actually caused Okosi to shed tears; things didn’t go exactly as planned.

“Not a lot of people know this, but the morning after the very first MAMAs in Abuja, I cried. Nothing in my plans quite prepared me for how bad some of the event experience was. Our saving grace was that it was not aired live and the TV production was actually good. Notwithstanding, We were still able to give the audience a great show. I say this to say that it wasn’t easy. None of it was easy, but we’ve been able to make it work in spite of all the hurdles,” he said.

Just when it looked like the MTV Africa was all about entertainment and red carpet, the brand in 2009 launched a multi-channel campaign in Kenya, MTV Shuga, which focuses on positive sexual health messaging for young people within the age bracket of 16 to 25. The central feature of the campaign is an award-winning TV series that has been aired in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa; the show is viewable throughout Africa (and worldwide) via social media and other sources, and has, till date, reached an audience of over 720 million, with a social media reach of about 118 million.

Since 2013, MTV Shuga was adapted for Nigeria, the campaign has used a 360-degree mass-media behaviour change design, which directed young people to, and promoted the use of HIV-testing and treatment services that were specifically designed for this population. This 360-degree approach meant that MTV Shuga had presence in the places where young people were most active.

The campaign fuses sexual-health messaging with gripping storylines, exploring the issues of sexual relationships between young people against a backdrop of continuing HIV infections in the continent.

“For MTV Shuga, the goal was to target young adults and educate them regarding HIV prevention, self-testing and reproductive health. MTV Shuga fuses hard-hitting storylines with sexual health messages to influence viewers’ attitudes and behaviour. With Shuga, we established ourselves as the media industry’s gold standard in behaviour-change campaigns,” Okosi hinted.

His tenure also facilitated the partnership between MTV Networks Africa and MTN for a groundbreaking pan-African multimedia campaign, MTV Base Meets… with MTN. The programme is an African localised version of the established MTV Meets… franchise that has previously interviewed influential individuals, including Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair, Morgan Tsvangarai and Wyclef Jean.

Designed to inspire African youth by connecting them with some of the world’s most influential personalities, the programme is an 8-part youth empowerment initiative and TV series that creates a dialogue between young people and the political, business and cultural leaders, who shape the world today.

The intimate documentary series allowed Africa’s young minds to put probing questions to influential, inspirational and sometimes controversial individuals. Among the eminent people, who featured in the series are former Liberian President Madame Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Mr Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda and South African politician Mr Julius Malema (President of the ANC Youth League) and many African leaders and influencers, who exercise a significant impact on the continent.

For the show, diverse panels of young people representing different youth interests were assembled from across the African continent, with participants coming from Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda and others. Young, but well-informed, the panelists were articulate, engaging, provocative and opinionated on a range of complex subjects – be it HIV/AIDS, global warming, education, poverty, corruption or entrepreneurship. Fearless with attitude, their no-holds-barred approach made for exciting television viewing, as they fired big questions to the influential people whose actions and opinions have a direct impact on their lives.

“The idea is to connect African youth with the thought leaders, opinion formers, decision makers and role models who shape their world. We strongly believe in entertainment and education and these are ever present in any project we embark on,” Okosi said.

Then, there was NickeFest [NickFest], which has been hosted three times in Lagos. Though conceived as a platform for kids, the project has turned out to be a family show.

“Nickelodeon is a firm favourite for family entertainment globally. When we did the first edition, all we wanted to do was to bring happiness and fun to kids and their parents in Nigeria. From 2017 to date, we have organised three editions successfully, each recording over 4,000 attendees. We’ve been able to pull this off because of the incredible show of support from parents, children, our partners and local artistes and creatives.”

Call Okosi ‘Nigerian Ambassodor,’ then you won’t be entirely wrong; he’s proudly Nigerian. All through his career, he remains a strong believer in Nigeria and has represented the country globally. “I strongly believe in representing the country to the best of my ability whenever I have the opportunity to. I’m a Nigerian through and through, and this further inspires me to be a good representative of the country everywhere I go.”

As for the usual negative stereotypes about Nigeria and Nigerians, Okosi believes the narrative is gradually changing.“You will agree with me that the perception about Nigeria is changing. Maybe when I was younger and still an undergraduate, there were lots of negative stereotypes about Africans, but this is gradually changing,” he noted.

Asked for how he copes with his tasking job and being a family man, the Onitsha-born media expert said, “Family comes first in everything I do; every decision I make is always with them in mind. And I think that they know this, so, they are very understanding when I have to be away for a while, or when I’m up late working. Also, as an executive, having a loving family offers one the much needed therapy and strength to survive the tough world of business. I couldn’t have achieved any of what I did in my career without the love and support of my family.”

As for his most memorable moments with ViacomCBS Networks, he explained, “I have had lots of memorable experiences since I joined the company. I mean, we have been creating magic and challenging ourselves since day one. But if I am to pick my most memorable experience, that will have to be the day we launched MTV Base in Africa. It was a vision that I had had for a long time, and I was very happy when it came to fruition in February 2005,” he enthused.

No doubt, Okosi latest appointment with YouTube connects strongly with his outstanding performance as the face of MTV brand in Africa.“I believe my experience and the work that my team and I have done at ViacomCBS Networks Africa definitely would have been a factor,” he confirmed.

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From Vanguard News:

Former MTV Base’s Alex Okosi reveals story behind MTV in Africa

The last episode of MTV Base Behind The Story features Alex Okosi, who is the driving force behind ViacomCBS Networks Africa, home to Powerhouse Entertainment Brands BET, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV Base, MTV Music, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and NickToons in Africa, as well as BET International with channel brand businesses in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

In the episode, Alex sits with host, Pearl Thusi and opens up on several issues about him, his background, and how he built the Viacom business in Africa. With entertainment experience amassed across three continents in over 21 years, Alex Okosi spoke about his humble beginning in Enugu, his family, and how travelling to America at the age of 12 in pursuit of academic excellence changed the course of his life for the better.

Alex also shared details of his early days in America, living in a gang-infested neighbourhood. In his words “It was like the wild wild west out there”, and he had to move out of that neighbourhood after the death of his friend. He also talked about playing basketball, living with a foster mother, and how a knee injury ended his dream of playing in the NBA.

On the launch of MTV in Africa, he said the goal at that time was to have Africans appreciate Africa. Alex, who achieved a personal and industry milestone when he identified a business gap for youth music and lifestyle channel in Africa, developed the business plan and launched Viacom’s first localised channel in Africa, MTV Base, in 2005.

Alex Okosi shared some exclusive stories about the early days of MTV in Africa, the challenges faced in building the business and the people behind the scenes that have made the company successful.

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More Nick: Nickelodeon and Emerge Gaming Partner for 'NickX', a New Kid-Focused Competitive Gaming eSports Platform!

Originally published: Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 19:10 GMT.

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