Senior Content Portfolio Manager at MultiChoice

Purpose of the Position:

• Responsible for the management of a Portfolio of International and Local (SA) 3rd Party Channels.
• Responsible for the oversight of Content Portfolio Managers

Strategy Formulation & Execution

• Work closely with the MAH / SA lead to support & align the strategic 3rd Party content objectives to overall business strategy.
• Define a clear and comprehensive content portfolio strategy that outlines content acquisition, licensing, contractual compliance and production goals.
• Collaborate with monetization teams to develop strategies for maximizing revenue from content assets.
• Ensure that content investments align with the overall content strategy and company objectives.
• Identify and assess potential content partnerships and collaborations that align with the content portfolio strategy.
• Support a content licensing strategy that includes content acquisition, rights negotiation, and contract management.

Content Management

Supplier Management

Portfolio Management

Stakeholder Management

• Identify and categorize key stakeholders, which may include content creators, producers, distributors, investors, talent agencies, regulatory bodies, and more
• Develop strong relationships across GE, MAH and MCSA to ensure alignment of core business objectives.

Governance

People Management

• Drive and support the achievement of performance objectives within the content portfolio team by actively monitoring and tracking KPIs.
• Create a high performance and motivated work ethic within the team.
• Determine and analyze development needs for the team and liaise with HR to manage & implement.
• Participate in Interviews and recruitment of new members of the team.
• Resolve grievances raised by team members and escalate as required.
• Ensure employees are participating at their absolute best by creating a safe environment for the team.
• Proactively manage channel performance review process and the annual performance review calendar: brief research and marketing teams, provide content insights and scheduling input. Oversee, co-ordinate and review final presentations with insights, summaries and recommendations.
• Utilise viewing data/trends and other available research and content analytics tools to track performance of key content and make scheduling/programming recommendations.
• Source, analyse and make recommendations for new content and/or channels based on content gaps and/or needs assessment.
• Receive, collate and present new channel proposals at intervals required by stakeholders, including clear and timeous communication to applicants.
• Oversight maintenance of the channel proposal portal with the relevant online support teams.
• Drive the content engagement and retention agenda with genre deep dives, trends & insight discussions and prepare quarterly briefs for GE EXCO
• Manage customer content queries.
• Facilitate regular marketing and/or content highlights meetings between channel suppliers and GE marketing and content discovery teams to ensure channel content is promoted to the right viewers.
• Continuously review and update department workflows and periodically assess and report of improvement in efficiencies
• Provide guidance to channel suppliers and support to internal divisions to ensure compliance to regulatory and EPG.
• Liaise with MultiChoice channel suppliers for all content-related requirements for new channels and/or changes to existing channels (in conjunction with Content Portfolio Managers and Head of Content Strategy)
• Maintain and update supplier account management system (contract extracts), ensuring all relevant information is current.
• Ensure that contracts include provisions for quality control, deadlines, and penalty clauses for non-compliance.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers and vendors.
• Manage assigned 3rd Party channel portfolio, develop good business relationships and act as liaison as needed with various internal divisions to ensure consistent, timeous delivery and compliance with contractual and operational requirements.
• Monitor and maintain performance of assigned 3rd Party channel portfolio in line with overall business and content strategies per country and/or tier, identifying under-performance and implementing action plans accordingly.
• Manage channel portfolio and liaise with relevant product/ CVM/ marketing / regional teams to refine content offering as required.
• Oversee title selection for catch up and that VOD rights are optimised across all available platforms.
• Continuously assess portfolios to determine if adjustments are needed based on changing market conditions and audience preferences.
• Develop and maintain portfolio management workflows to monitor efficiency and productivity
• Manage licensing agreements and distribution strategies for the content portfolio, including negotiations with distributors, broadcasters, and streaming platforms.
• Develop crisis management plans and protocols to handle unexpected events, such as scandals, controversies, or disruptions.
• Maintain a network of internal & external supplier relationships.
• Maintain effective communication with stakeholders, including content creators, producers, distributors, and executives.
• Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and expectations for each stakeholder group.
• Engage with stakeholders on sustainability and social responsibility initiatives related to content production and ethical considerations.
• Use audience feedback and data to guide content, channel and marketing strategies.
• Ensure contractual compliance for 3rd party channels
• Work closely with MAH / SA Regional Content Heads & Regulatory to manage all content & 3rd Party channel related compliance or regulatory issues
• Ensure compliance with industry regulations, copyrights, licensing agreements, and other legal requirements.
• Utilise reports from CII where feasible and/or conduct annual channel audits to track contractual fresh hours, holdback and overlap compliance, implement appropriate strategies
• Develop and enforce policies related to content creation, distribution, copyright, ethical standards, and other relevant areas.
• Identify and assess potential risks related to content production, distribution, and other operations.
• Develop risk mitigation strategies and plans to address identified risks.
• Ensure compliance with data privacy regulations and best practices.

Qualifications Essential:

• Post Grad in Business Management/ Sales/ Marketing / Communication / Media studies or equivalent

Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of years of television programming and broadcasting / media industry experience
• Knowledge of current and future global content trends across multiple markets and platforms
• Extensive local and international content knowledge
• Knowledge of MC products and platforms
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of content research, able to contextualise performance, Insights and recommendations

Technical Competencies (List the key technical competencies)

• Stakeholder Relationship Management
• Regulatory Management
• Scheduling and research Management
• Financial Management
• Governance and Compliance
• Fully computer literate (PowerPoint, Excel, etc.)
• Excellent Presentation & Communication  Skills – written and verbal
• Content Production
• Media Technology
• Content Management Systems
• Audience Engagement Metrics
• Portfolio Management

Behavioral Competencies (List the key behavioral competencies)

• Relationship & team Building
• Conflict Resolution
• Analytical thinking
• Decision Making
• Holistic Thinking
• Persuading & Influence
• Attention to detail, performance driven, goal orientated
• Ability to build relationships
• Flexibility and adaptability to change
• Ability to work under pressure, quickly and accurately
• Initiative and self-motivated                        
• Professional maturity        
• Solution-driven
• Service and delivery oriented