DEPUTY Minister for Culture, Arts, and Sports Hamisi Mwinjuma has urged the Copyright Society of Tanzania (COSOTA) to intensify its fight against content piracy which is increasingly affecting the broadcasting industry in the country.

Mwinjuma appealed during the MultiChoice Tanzania Local Content Showcase event held in Dar es Salaam recently.

The Deputy Minister said the government is out to intensify its campaign against content piracy and all other copyright infringements and that is why it is in the process of improving COSOTA’s capacity by providing the needed human capital as well as modern facilities.

He admitted that copyright infringement- especially content piracy- adversely impacts the broadcasting industry and consequently the content producers including artists.

He said content piracy is a global phenomenon and the advancement in technology has fueled the problem as cyber content piracy becomes aggressive, hence, the efforts to combat it become more complex.

The Deputy Minister said the government is taking the matter seriously and that is why it has ratified several conventions on copyright and frequent reviews of law and regulations to make sure that COSOTA has the required mandate and ability to deal with copyright infringement.

He further commended MultiChoice Tanzania for its immense investment in local content production- saying that such an investment has played a significant role in transforming the local content production industry, especially film production.

“MultiChoice is doing a great job by investing intensively in local content production. This is evident as you have even introduced two dedicated channels for local content,” the minister noted.

Mwinjuma revealed the contribution of the film industry to job creation and the national economy has increased significantly.

MultiChoice Tanzania Board Chairman, Ami Mpungwe, revealed the firm is continuing its huge investment in local content production by acquiring more local content from local producers.

The official said: “Our aim is not just acquiring more local content, we aim at more content with better quality. To achieve this, we have introduced a training program for filmmakers in a special MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy.”

“This academy trains young filmmakers and the impact of the training is evident in our market as our local films are now scooping international awards!”

The chairman said MultiChoice will continue cooperating with the government to ensure the growth of the local content production industry, hence, creating more jobs and increasing film industry contribution to the national economy.