African Barter lands syndie slate

By ELIZABETH GUIDER

The African Barter Co., a feisty newcomer that made a splash at the recent Mip TV trade show in Cannes, has snapped up barter syndication rights to a hefty slate of U.S. movies and TV shows for the African continent.

James Makawa, director of the African Barter Co., announced Tuesday an agreement reached at Mip with executives from the international sales arms of three Hollywood majors --- Time Warner, Paramount and MGM --- granting the Johannesburg-based company barter rights throughout Africa to a number of theatrical and TV titles beginning July 1997.

Titles include such movies as "The Addams Family," and "The Hunt for Red October." TV shows include "Cheers," "Matlock," "In the Heat of the Night" and "The Outer Limits." Deal also includes "The 1998 Goodwill Games" and "HBO World Boxing" from Time Warner.

The African Barter Co. is a joint venture between Grey Advertising South Africa and U.S.-based TV distrib MediaVentures Intl.

Makawa and Richard Hammer, VP MediaVentures Intl., recently returned from Nairobi, Kenya, where they spearheaded a training seminar on promotion and marketing techniques for African TV execs.