Alex Okosi is the driving force behind Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa, home to Viacom’s powerhouse entertainment brands MTV Base, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., NickToons, VH1 Classic and BET on the African continent.
An 18-year veteran of the entertainment industry on 3 continents, with a broad background in marketing, affiliate sales, events, strategy and management, Okosi achieved a personal and industry milestone when he launched MTV Base, MTV’s 100th channel internationally, and Africa’s first bespoke MTV channel on 22 February 2005. His tenacity and belief in Africa soon paid significant dividends. VIMN Africa has become Viacom’s fastest growing international operation in terms of revenue growth – thanks to the rapid expansion of its footprint across Africa as a multi-portfolio brand distributed on multiple platforms including pay-TV, FTA, internet, SVOD and mobile platforms. Now in its thirteenth year, VIMN Africa delivers more channels to Africa than any other international network. Its collective footprint reaches 52 territories and more than 100 million viewers.
Appointed Senior Vice President and Managing Director of VIMN Africa in July 2007, Okosi’s association with the company goes back to 1998 when he joined the sponsorship development and trade marketing team in New York, before becoming part of the MTV Networks Affiliate Sales and Marketing division in Los Angeles in 2000. By mid-2003, Okosi had transferred to MTV Networks International’s Strategy and Business Development team in London where he developed the business plan for MTV’s expansion into Africa and, in 2004, secured approval for the roll-out of Viacom’s localized play in Africa with the launch of MTV Base in 2005.
Okosi’s vision has always been to develop content and experiences for audiences that not only entertain and showcase the best of African music and entertainment, but also serve to socially empower audiences in Africa and around the world. As Africans, he believes, we have to keep living the mission of showing a “reimagined Africa” to the world. A tireless supporter of initiatives that motivate, empower and educate Africa’s youth, Okosi is recognized as an influential figure on the continent and was also named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013.
Okosi managed the growth and development of the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) – the largest celebration of African music and achievement on the continent. Launched in 2008, with an Africa reimagined narrative, the annual awards franchise has given top African artists a continental and international platform to raise their profiles. In 2015 he was instrumental in bringing the BET Experience to Africa for the first time. This successful BET franchise celebrates the rich and varied faces of the urban lifestyle experience under one roof.
Born in Nigeria, at the age of 12, Okosi moved to the US where he was educated at the Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and attended St Michael’s College in Vermont on a full basketball scholarship before graduating magna cum laude with a double major in Business Administration and Economics.
In March 2017, Okosi was appointed to Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks Africa.
Okosi is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Follow Alex Okosi on Twitter @A_Okosi
