CD Haus Distributionin the Papua New Guinea Highlands
Baseline Report
Centre for Social and Creative Media, University of Gorokawww.cscm-uog.org
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1997
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Suggested Citation:
Eby, M; Thomas, V (2014) CD Haus Distribution in the Papua New Guinea
Highlands: Baseline Report. CSCM Research Report 1(1). Goroka: Centre
for Social and Creative Media.
About the Authors:
Mark Eby is Lecturer at the Centre for Social and Creative Media,
University of Goroka.
Verena Thomas is Senior Lecturer and Director of the Centre for Social
and Creative Media, University of Goroka.
Contact:
Dr Verena Thomas
Centre for Social and Creative Media
University of Goroka | P.O. Box 1078 | Goroka 441
Eastern Highlands Province | Papua New Guinea
Tel. +675 5311 858
Fax. +675 5322 620
ww.cscm-uog.org
Layout & Design by Joys Eggins
NO.1 2014
CSCMRESEARCH REPORT
1997
TH
E
UNIVERSITY OF
G
O R O KA
Cre
at i
ng the Futu
re
PANTONE 639 PANTONE 583
C88 M40 Y30 K20 C53 M44 Y100 K27
PANTONE 411 70% Tint
CD Haus Distributionin the Papua New Guinea Highlands
Baseline Report
4CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
This study was funded through the Pacific Media
Assistant Scheme (PACMAS). The research team would
like to thank Moses Tongere, Francis Herman, Kate
Raseta and Wilson Toa from PACMAS as well as Vipul
Khosla from ABC International Development.
This report was co-authored by Mark Eby and Verena
Thomas, both from the Centre for Social and Creative
Media (CSCM) at the University of Goroka. We would
like to thank Miliakere Kaitani for assistance with data
analysis.
The project involved a large number of student
researchers with the goal of providing training in data
collection and data entry to a variety of students.
We would like to acknowledge the contributions of
research assistants, fieldwork researchers and data entry
assistants.
Research Assistants: Freda Armba, Mcleen Pikacha,
Aaron Inamara, Kingsford Nepai, Efen Kaina, Tony Gai,
Miriam Hassimani and Edward Ravian.
Student Researchers (Fieldwork): Mai Aiopa, Gideon Aku,
Thomas Anamu, Tonny Anis, Steven Asineha, George
Bale, Mason Blackie, Raymond Burul, Simin Carter, David
Daniel, Kennedy David, Joel Embo, Tony Gai, Osborne
Gelwa, Allan Gonohopo, Wanpis Hesum, Ngini Hetawi,
Misek Himuke, Jeremiah, Inase, Moses Inkham, Presley
Acknowledgement
Ipe, Kevin Ivan, Jerol Jerry, David John Toro, Efen Kaina,
Stanley Kale, Elizah Kamane, Joyce Kapak, Kelvin Kapeli,
Julie Kep, Loyce Kerowa, Tongai Kints, Bobby Kiri, Everlyn
Koima, James Koren, John Kouba, Elis Kupa, J.Tony Leo,
Joe Lilou, Frank Lusbe, Raphael Maine, Christine Mara,
Jonathan Mark, Paul Mila, Joy Moni Mininga, Bill Mark
Otto, Rebecca Peter, Dickson Robert, Jim Sale, Genevieve
Samo, Paul Simond, Paul Sine, Christa Stanley.
Research Assistants (Data Entry): Christine Palisa, Dorah
Mailil, Suzie Siaguru, Martha Mission, Kolvin Apa, George
Kuno, Elizabeth Sei, Kay Minimulu, Francisca Kerenga,
Chank Sprion, Herman Pinia, Jeremiah Inase, Genevieve
Samo, Rex Apa, Pauline Yaubela, Daissy Yaganame,
Steven Asineha, Frankey Samuel, Alice Sibili, Slade Taika.
We would like to thank the CD haus owners, audience
members and communities who agreed to take part in
the study and provided information.
We acknowledge the support from the School of
Humanities and the management team at the University
of Goroka (UOG), as well as from staff of the Centre for
Social and Creative Media (CSCM).
Any opinions represented in this report are those of the
authors and research participants and do not necessarily
reflect the views of PACMAS.
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report5
Acknowledgement
ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation
ABC ID Australian Broadcasting Corporation International Development
AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
CSCM Centre for Social and Creative Media
EHP Eastern Highlands Province
HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus
KTP Komuniti Tok Piksa
UOG University of Goroka
PACMAS Pacific Media Assistance Scheme
PNG Papua New Guinea
SHP Southern Highlands Province
WHP Western Highlands Province
Acronyms And AbbreviAtions
tok Pisin words
note on terminology
CD haus DVD house (village cinema)
Haus piksa House picture (village cinema)
Tok Pisin Papua New Guinea Pidgin
In this report the Tok Pisin terms haus piksa and CD haus are used interchangeably to describe a village cinema. The
Tok Pisin terms seem regionally based, with CD haus being more common in the Eastern Highlands and haus piksa
more common in the Western Highlands. There is no distinction between CD and DVD in Tok Pisin. In Tok Pisin, plural
is indicated with an adjective (e.g. ol (all) CD haus) so when we refer to the CD haus in plural, we use the English
alternative, CD houses.
6CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
Fig 1. Student Researchers going through survey responses and mapping haus piksas 13
Fig 2. Map of PNG and surveys undertaken by Highlands province (n=385) 14
Fig 3. Age of CD Haus Owners (n=378) 15
Fig 4. Employment status according to CD Haus Owners (n=280) 16
Fig 5. Reasons for owning a CD haus according to owners (n=379) 17
Fig 6. CD haus owner Peter from Hizaguruamaka, Goroka in the Eastern Highlands Province 17
Fig 7. Map of CD houses in Jiwaka Province by researcher Paul Mila 18
Fig 8. Use of CD houses for other purposes (multiple responses possible) 19
Fig 9. CD haus (left) and trade store (right) owned by Gogula Magee at Ufeka, Faniufa, EHP 20
Fig 10. CD Haus attendance weekdays/weekends (n=366/371) as reported by owners 21
Fig 11. Entry Fees charged by CD Haus Owners for children (n=385) and adults (n=383) 21
Fig 12. Audience at Hizaguruamaka CD Haus, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province 22
Fig 13. Selling tea, betelnut and cigarettes in Masi village, Eastern Highlands Province 23
Fig 14. Items being sold at the CD haus according to CD haus owners (n=333) 24
Fig 15. Street Seller in Goroka (left) and Sylvester Stallone movie collection (right) 25
Fig 16. Most popular movies according to respondents (n=1107) 27
Fig 17. DVD covers of the HIV awareness films O Papa God and Em Rong Blo Mi Yet 30
Fig 18. Categories mentioned in regards to positive aspects of the CD haus in the community 32
Fig 19. Categories mentioned in regards to negative aspects of the CD haus in the community 33
list of figures
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report7
Executive Summary 8
1 Introduction 10
2 Background 11
3 Methodology 13
4 Findings 15
4.1 Respondents’ Profile 15
4.2 Infrastructure 18
4.3 Screening schedule and audience numbers 20
4.4 Ancillary revenue, DVD cost and profitability 23
4.5 Media Content 26
4.5.1 Popular movies 28
4.5.2 Pacific Productions 29
4.5.3 Broadcast Television31
4.5.4 Pornography31
4.6 Values and Social Change 32
4.7 The potential for edutainment 34
5 Outlook36
6 References 37
content
8CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
Demographic of CD Haus Owners and Audience Members
CD haus ownership is dominated by young males.
Ninety-four percent of all CD haus owners were male
and eighty-five percent of all owners are under the age
of 40.
Nine out of ten CD haus owner respondents had no
tertiary education and the large majority (62%) had
dropped out of high school before completing 10th
grade.
Many CD houses are informal or additional businesses
for people that consider themselves subsistence farmers,
self-employed or even unemployed.
Infrastructure
The CD haus phenomenon appears to be widespread
throughout the Highlands region. Over two thirds (69%)
of the respondents were aware of at least one other CD
haus in their community area.
There is a low level of individual or family ownership
of TVs. Almost three quarters (74%) of the CD houses
were generator powered pointing to the low access to
electricity in the PNG Highlands communities.
Screening Schedule and Audience Numbers
CD houses provide regular evening activity in the
community. Over half of all owners (56%) show movies
at least once a day. Audience attendance increases on
the weekend. CD haus owners generally reported a
higher number of children viewing during the week.
executive summAry
The most common charge for entry for both adults and
children is 50 Toea. Over two thirds (72%) advertise their
films in some way. When audience members were asked
how often they watched movies, almost a third (31%)
responded every day.
Ancillary Revenue, DVD Cost & Profitability
CD haus owners can generally be considered
entrepreneurs. A third (34%) of them run trade stores in
addition to operating the CD haus. Most owners (95%)
permit other community members to sell their goods as
well.
DVD sales are mostly conducted by young men who buy
DVDs at discount in bulk from Asian-owned businesses.
They then make a profit selling them on the streets.
Over two thirds of CD haus owners (73%) prefer
purchasing movie collection DVDs, rather than single
movie DVDs, or VCDs. In regards to their weekly profit,
over half (51%) said they made less than a K100.
Media Content
The list of most popular films was dominated by action
movies (67%)1, followed by romance movies (23%) and
less popular were drama and comedy (5% each). Music
videos are also a popular genre in the CD haus.
Topping the list of most popular movies was Rambo
(Action, USA), followed by True Love (Romantic Tragedy,
Nigeria) and Titanic (Romance/Disaster, USA). Although
US action films dominate the list of most popular
movies, romance movies are popular. There is also world
cinema representation with movies from countries such
as Nigeria, Philippines, India or Thailand.
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report9
Over half of the owners (51%) and audience members
(55%) said they had not shown or seen PNG films. Of
those owners who had, the AIDS awareness film series, O
Papa God: Wai Na Em Olsem and Em Rong Biling Mi Yet,
was easily the most popular (46%).
Fourteen percent of the CD haus owners admitted to
showing pornography. A fifth (20%) of those who said
they did not show pornography were aware of it being
shown in other CD houses. The most common response
(43%) when asked why they did not show pornography
was that it violated Christian principles and community
restrictions.
Over half (58%) of the respondents do not receive
a broadcast signal. Of those who do, almost all of
them (99%) received EM-TV and a quarter (24%)
received Kundu2. Watching broadcast TV however is
predominantly dedicated to sports programming.
Values and Social Change
The study shows that people regard the influx of CD
houses as both positive and negative. When asked
about positive impacts of the CD houses, a third of
the owners (32%) pointed out that the CD houses had
become a place for entertainment, socialization and
relaxation. Another quarter of the responses (24%) said
they provided a space for the community to buy and
sell goods. One in ten owners (11%) pointed out the
educational opportunities to learn about the outside
world.
When asked about the negative impacts of CD houses,
the primary concern of owners (21%) focused on the
increase in sexual activities. Another complaint was that
it distracted students, kept them from studying and from
getting enough rest (15%).
Potential for Edutainment
When asked about whether the CD haus owners would
like to screen the locally produced Komuniti Tok Piksa
(KTP) films, almost all CD haus owner respondents (98%)
expressed interest.
A majority of CD haus owners (95%) said they would be
interested in watching educational content and nine out
of ten owners said they would be willing to pay for it.
In final open-ended comments, a third of the responses
(32%) affirmed that they were happy to show PNG and
Pacific films.
1 The percentage is calculated from the top 35 most popular movies.
10CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
1 introduction
This report presents the findings of a study funded
by the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS)
Innovation Grant and carried out by the Centre for Social
and Creative Media (CSCM) to better understand the
way people consume media in the haus piksa or CD haus
in Papua New Guinea. The study titled The Haus Piksa
Film Advocacy Program focuses on the Highlands region
where the haus piksa phenomenon has been observed
and could be considered an informal media distribution
system.
The PNG Highlands are characterised by a high number
of village communities with at times little infrastructure
and services. In the last decade the rise of the CD haus
has provided a new video distribution avenue. CD haus
owners purchase DVDs that they play in their home-
built cinemas charging a minimal entry fee. This informal
distribution system holds potential for thinking about
communication for development and CD houses as
spaces where information and communication around
pressing social issues can be communicated.
The Haus Piksa Film Advocacy Program is divided in two
parts. Firstly, it includes the mapping of CD houses in
the PNG Highlands and understanding media consumer
patterns and, secondly, it will undertake the distribution
of a PNG produced film series on HIV and AIDS to see
whether CD houses can be used as distribution avenue
to get locally produced films to audiences in remote and
urban areas.
This report presents the findings of the first phase of
the PACMAS Innovation Grant study. This includes a
mapping of 385 CD houses in the Highlands of PNG and
a description of their characteristics. Through surveys
with CD haus owners (n=385) and audience members
(n=755) this report captures the role CD houses play
in the PNG Highlands and examines their previously
unrecognised contribution to the PNG media industry.
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report11
Papua New Guinea (PNG) has the largest media industry
among the South Pacific island countries. However, the
geographic layout of the country makes media access
uneven among its seven million people. Almost half of
PNG’s population lives in the Highlands region 2, an area
that has no road access from the capital Port Moresby.
Despite this relative isolation, the PNG Highlands have
been described as most media-rich in terms of home
media access compared to other PNG regions (ABC ID,
2012).
In the past decade PNG has seen a steady increase in the
use of media technologies, including mobile phones,
IT equipment and video equipment. While mobile
phones and radio use in the Highlands are the most
common form of media consumption, with 87% and
86% respectively, only 53% have access to a TV. This is
even lower for people living in rural areas across PNG,
with 21% TV access. As the ABC report states however
lack of media access is often compensated by communal
media access (ID, 2012).
Communal viewing is by far the most prevalent in
the Highlands region, where watching TV at a friend/
relative’s house is in fact more common than watching
TV at home. (ABC ID, 2012, p. 49)
TV is on the rise in PNG but mainly restricted to urban
areas where electricity and broadcast signal are provided.
In the Highlands and in rural areas, the consumption of
visual media is often facilitated by the CD haus or haus
piksa, which has emerged as a new phenomenon in PNG.
The CD haus is a communal viewing place, often run by
someone as a business where people pay an entry fee to
view movies or television.
2 bAckground
To date, the CD haus phenomenon has received
relatively little attention when it comes to discussing
the media landscape in PNG. Only a few references have
been made based on observations (Eggins, Thomas,
& Papoutsaki, 2011; Thomas, 2011). There has been no
extensive study of the CD haus or of the informal video
distribution system in the PNG Highlands. Studying
‘informal’ (not-controlled) media distribution requires
studying the places where media consumption takes
place at the grassroots level and previously unmapped
areas.
Other countries demonstrate the power of such informal
distribution systems. In Nigeria for example, local
cinemas and pirated media, have played a key role in
developing a local movie industry (Larkin, 2004). Initially
dominated by foreign products, informal distribution
systems based on piracy and street sales, contributed
to a growing production industry, demonstrating
the interest and enthusiasm for local productions by
Nigerian audiences (Lobato, 2012).
In Papua New Guinea, the expansion of a local film
production has been hindered by a number of factors
including funding for filmmaking as well as copyright
laws, production training and distribution networks.
While it has been challenging to reach the seven
million people in Papua New Guinea with visual media
the increase of mobile technology reaching remote
communities and the emergence of the haus piksa point
to a potential movie market in PNG. In order to assess
whether a phenomenon such as the haus piksa has the
potential to support a growing media industry in PNG,
further studies are needed.
2 See preliminary results of the 2011 Papua New Guinea census, according to which 43% of the population live in the Highlands.
12CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
The haus piksa is part of a changing media landscape,
initiated by young village entrepreneurs who have
created a community space for entertainment,
relaxation, and commerce where foreign media
products are consumed that portray heroes, shape
values, impart skills, and create a window to the world
outside the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The impact
that the predominantly foreign movies have on people
in the community is difficult to assess. A short film by
Danish filmmakers Sofie Rordam and Anders Skovbjerg
Jepson titled Mi Go Long CD-Haus (I go to the CD haus)3
is among the few references highlighting some of the
challenges that youth face in the community when
regularly spending time at the CD haus. Understanding
what PNG audiences like and view and how movies are
distributed via informal systems allow better insight into
audience preference for further local production and
can potentially inform media education strategies in the
country.
3 (Rordam & Jepsen, 2011)
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report13
The initial goal of the study was to map CD houses in the
PNG Highlands and to get a better understanding of the
informal video distribution system.
In order to reach communities the project utiltised
University of Goroka (UOG) students to undertake
surveys with CD haus owners and audience members
as well as capture data about the communities. The
CSCM employs locally appropriate ways of undertaking
research, building links with communities through
previous relationships (see Thomas et al. 2012). Another
component of the study was capacity building of
students at UOG in undertaking community research.
A questionnaire was developed based on initial
interviews with CD haus owners, taking into account
audience numbers, infrastructure, media content,
revenue, profitability and an inquiry into values and
social change. A similar questionnaire applying the
same categories was developed for audience members
predominantly to verify information received from the
CD haus owners. The questionnaire was fine-tuned by
researchers and piloted and tested as part of the research
training for the field researchers. In addition a template
was developed to capture basic community information.
3 methodology
Student researchers travelled to their home provinces
during semester break and undertook surveys in
communities they identified, usually their own home
community. Each student was asked to undertake at
least three surveys sets, each set containing four surveys,
including a survey of the CD haus owner, a survey of a
male and female audience member, and a survey about
the community. The student researchers average survey
set completed was between 6 and 7. Overall, surveys
were undertaken at 385 CD houses in all 7 of the PNG
Highlands provinces, which include Eastern Highlands
(EHP), Simbu, Jiwaka, Western Highlands (WHP),
Southern Highlands (SHP), Hela and Enga. The surveys
covered 29 out of 35 districts and 51 out of 105 local-
level governments (LLGs). The surveys included 385 CD
haus owners and 755 audience members.
Fig 1. Student Researchers going through survey responses and mapping haus piksas Credit: Kingsford Nepai
14CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
Fig 2. Map of PNG and surveys undertaken by Highlands province (n=385)
The number of surveys undertaken per province is not a
reflection of the number of CD houses in these provinces
but rather a reflection of community access by student
researchers. Left out of the survey were remote districts
like Karimui-Nomane in Simbu, Kandep and Lagaip-
Porgera districts in Enga and the Imonggu and Komo-
Margarima districts of the Southern Highlands because
student researchers did not travel to these areas. Easier
accessible areas from UOG such as the Eastern Highlands
and Simbu Province had more coverage in this study.
UOG staff and students who received training in data
entry on Microsoft Excel entered the results of the
questionnaires. The data was then imported into SPSS
predictive analytics software for analysis. Interviews and
observational information served to verify the results.
Contacts of CD haus owners were collected in order to
assess feasibility of establishing a network of CD haus
owners for distribution of educational content and
locally produced media.
The CD haus is usually individually owned and run as
a businesses in the community. The study sought to
find out the structure of these businesses and how
they are integrated with other services and changes
currently happening in PNG communities. The primary
key informants of the study were therefore the CD haus
owners themselves as their motivation and business
skills contribute to the haus piksa phenomenon in
the PNG Highlands. Secondary key informants were
audience members or customers of village cinemas.
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report15
4.1 Respondents’ Profile
CD Haus Owner Profile
CD haus owners tend to be young men. Only a small
percentage of all responding CD haus owners were
female (6%). This result corresponds with recent findings
from the ABC Citizen Survey (ID, 2012, p. 10), which
shows that often, male members of the family control
home media tools. Similarly the haus piksa business
clearly demonstrates a male dominance in terms of
ownership.
The study found that 44% were less than 30 years old
and 85% were under 40 years of age (see Fig. 3). The
rapid technological developments suggest that older
people are less likely to be interested in the haus piksa
and to see the opportunities for such a business.
4 findingsIn regards to education, nine out of ten CD haus owner
respondents had no tertiary education and the large
majority (62%) had dropped out of high school before
completing 10th grade. Almost three quarters (74%)
were married with a median number of 3 children.
In regards to religious affiliation, CD haus owner
respondents were predominantly Seventh Day
Adventists (SDA) (24%). Lutherans follow with 16%,
then Catholics with 15%, and Evangelical Brotherhood
Church (EBC) with 8%. This does not correspond with
census figures for religious affiliation among the general
populace, which ranks Catholics first, than Lutherans,
United Church, and SDA (Gibbs 2007, p.92). Religious
affiliations are relevant to provide a context for the
media content, values and social change sections,
where reference is made to community restrictions and
a Christian value system.
Age Range of CD Haus Owners
%
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0 14 or under
15-19 20-19 30-39 40-49 50-59 60 and over
Age Range
0.5
7.9
35.7
41
10.8
3.70.3
Fig 3. Age of CD Haus Owners (n=378)
16CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
Owning a haus piksa is clearly an informal business, and
for some an additional business. When asked about their
employment status, about a third of respondents did
not specify an occupation. Out of those who specified
their employment status (n=280) responses varied from
self-employment to subsistent farmer to unemployed
and others (see Fig. 4). A third of those characterize
themselves as self-employed or small business owners.
This indicates that CD houses are predominantly run as
side businesses by the CD haus owners.
When asked why they started a CD haus, it is clear that
there are strong economic motivations but they also
saw it as providing a service to the community. The main
reason given (53%) was to create a business to generate
income. Other reasons were to entertain, to provide
a community gathering place for socialization and
relaxation, to pay for school fees, to attract customers
to their store, provide a place to market produce, and to
improve their standard of living (see Fig. 5).
CD Haus Owner Employment Status
%
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Subsistence farmer
Self-employed
Employed by governmentUnemployed
Student
Small business owner
Employed by business/companyTradesman
Housewife
Employment Status
27.1 26.1
12.9 12.1
8.2
5.7
4.62.1 1.1
Fig 4. Employment status according to CD Haus Owners (n=280)
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report17
Fig 5. Reasons for owning a CD haus according to owners (n=379)
One owner responded, “because I have the potential,
the community wanted entertainment, and I have the
equipment”4. People that are able to make an initial
investment are able to run CD houses as a business
and often an established business might precede the
ownership of a CD haus. For example one respondent
stated he ran the CD haus “to attract customers to my
trade store”5.
Fig 6. CD haus owner Peter from Hizaguruamaka, Goroka in the Eastern Highlands Province
Reasons for Owning a CD Haus
To generate income/business
To entertain
For community gatherings
To raise funds for school fees
To attract customers to the store
To market produce
To improve standard of living
Other
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
%
Reas
ons
3.5
3.9
4.7
5.3
6.4
7.4
15.8
53
4 CD Haus owner from Simbu (1491SIM)5 CD Haus owner from Simbu (276SIM)
Credit: Mark Eby
18CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
Audience Member Profile
The audience member surveys were conducted with
a younger demographic than the owners. Almost a
quarter (23%) were under 20 years of age and 91% under
40 years old 6.
A number of respondents (16%) had no education. A
third (33%) had completed grade six or less. Another
40% had reached an education level between grades
7-11. Only 11% had completed high school or gone on
to tertiary education. In regards to gender a balanced
representation of men and women was anticipated
by setting out to choose one male and one female
audience member per community. The collected sample
includes 56% male and 44% female respondents.
Almost half (48%) said they were single. Almost a third
of the respondents (32%) characterized themselves
as subsistence farmers and, reflecting the youth of
the respondents, another fifth (22%) were students.
Another 16% said they were self-employed, 13% were
unemployed, and 7% characterized themselves as a
housewife.
4.2 Infrastructure
The CD haus phenomenon appears to be widespread
throughout the Highlands region. Over two thirds (69%)
of the CD haus owners were aware of at least one other
CD haus in their community area and one quarter of CD
haus owner respondents (26%) were aware of 3 or more
CD houses in their community.
The reason that the CD haus has popped up in most
communities in the PNG Highlands is a reflection of the
fact that most families do not own their own TV and
DVD player. When audience members were asked if
they owned their own TV and DVD player, 83% said they
did not. When they were asked if there were families in
their community who owned TVs, over a third (36%) said
there were no families owning a TV. Of those who said
yes, almost two thirds (64%) claimed there were 5 or
fewer families owning these items.
Fig 7. Map of CD houses in Jiwaka Province by researcher Paul Mila
6 n=746
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report19
Almost three quarters (74%) of the CD houses were
generator powered pointing to the low access to
electricity in PNG Highlands communities. Not having
access to electricity is not a hindrance to consuming
media within PNG communities, but it does require an
initial investment to purchase a generator. This likely
contributes to the communal movie viewing practices in
the PNG Highlands.
Half (51%) of the CD haus establishments have only
been in operation for 18 months or less. This indicates
the recent boom in this activity, or possibly, that there is
a high turnover rate. However, there is some stability in
the business since 18% reported being in the business
for over 4 years.
About three quarters of respondents (74%) said that they
build the house specifically to show movies. However,
once built the house was put to many other uses as
well, the most common being selling produce and
trade-store goods, gambling, sleeping quarters, and for
community meetings and social events (see Fig. 8). One
owner responded, “Yes. Sleeping, kitchen, gambling, and
men’s house” 7.
Use of Haus Piksa for Other Purposes
Selling Produce and Store Goods
Gambling
Sleeping Quarters
Community Meeting and Social Events
Storage of goods (coffee, timber, etc.)
Kitchen for Cooking
Dancing
Snooker
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
5
13
16
17
22
49
85
92
Purp
ose
Number of Responses
Fig 8. Use of CD houses for other purposes (multiple responses possible)
7 CD haus owner from Simbu (165SIM)
20CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
Traditionally villages in PNG have a communal gathering
space. In the Highlands, the hausman (or men’s house)
has for a long time been one of the gathering places
in the community, in particular for male members of
the community. The haus piksa today is found to serve
multiple purposes and it is also used for community
meetings and gatherings. It provides shelter for night
market activities while also providing entertainment.
However some criticised this transition of a communal
place for discussion and storytelling to include
entertainment and market activities. In earlier research
by Thomas et al., participants considered CD houses
to have an impact on increased sexual activities and
contribute to an increased risk of HIV transmission in the
communities (Thomas et al. 2012) (see also Chapter 4.6
in this report).
Fig 9. CD haus (left) and trade store (right) owned by Gogula Magee at Ufeka, Faniufa, EHP
4.3 Screening Schedule and Audience Numbers
CD houses provide regular night activity in the
community. Over half of all owners (56%) show movies
at least once a day. Almost three quarters (74%) of the
owners said movies were only shown in the evening.
Audience attendance increases on the weekend, with
over half (55%) of CD haus owners indicating 50 or more
people watching movies on the weekend as opposed
to only 30% reporting over 50 people attending during
weekdays.
Credit: Mark Eby
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report21
CD haus owners generally reported a higher number of
children viewing during the week. The most common
charge for entry for both adults and children is 50 Toea8.
Children however are likely to get a discount and are
Fig 10. CD Haus attendance weekdays/weekends (n=366/371) as reported by owners
more likely to be charged less than 50 Toea (see Fig. 11). A
small percentage (4%) show movies for free, responding
that this was a way to attract buyers for goods in their
trade store.
Fig 11. Entry Fees charged by CD Haus Owners for children (n=385) and adults (n=383)
8 100 Toea = 1 PNG Kina (approximately US$ 0.42, exchange rate 29 July 2013)
Credit: Mark Eby
22CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
Over two thirds (72%) advertise their films in some way.
When asked how they advertised their movies one
owner responded, “I make an announcement and put
up the CD cover beside my house”9. Most respondents
confirmed displaying the cover of the DVD or posting
a notice as a way to advertise a movie showing (78%).
Another respondent described advertisement as “by
word of mouth and also the sound of the generator plus
the sight of lights indicates there is a show”10. Making a
verbal announcement to the audience is common (10%),
or some just turn on the lights or play music to signal
that the movie is about to start (3%). The fact that in
many communities the haus piksa is the only place that
has electricity at night automatically attracts audiences.
When audience members were asked how often they
watched movies, almost a third (31%) responded every
day. Another 43% responded at least two or three times
a week and 16% responded once a week.
Fig 12. Audience at Hizaguruamaka CD Haus, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province
9 CD haus owner from SHP (1246SHP)10 CD haus owner from EHP (0380EHP)
Credit: Mark Eby
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report23
4.4 Ancillary Revenue, DVD Cost and Profitability
This section considers the haus piksa as a business and
considers issues such as profitability for CD Haus owners.
Understanding the conditions under which CD Haus
owners operate can assist in assessing whether a local
media industry and local distribution as a network could
be effective in the long-term.
CD Haus owners can generally be considered
entrepreneurs. A third (34%) of them run trade stores
in addition to operating the CD Haus. A typical response
was “a trade store adjacent to this video show house,
which is currently in the process of selling consumable
items” 11. Another said, “I own a trade store and a PVM
truck,”12 and a third responded, “I have a trade store,
buy cherry coffee, and poultry”13. In addition, because
they attract an audience a large majority (87%) sell
other items as well, the most popular being cigarettes
and betel nut. Only a minority sells alcohol (5%), and a
wide variety of other items were mentioned including
fresh garden produce, Digicel flex cards (mobile phone
credit), biscuits, cooked food and drinks (see Fig. 14).
Most owners (95%) permit other community members
to sell their goods as well. The area around the CD haus
in most places has become a community marketplace.
Most CD houses in the village community are built from
natural materials. The initial investment required is in the
building of a house and installing the equipment which
in most cases consists of a TV and a DVD player, and in the
majority of cases a generator. The most popular brands
of electronic equipment were Sharp, Sony and Integrity
that offer low cost DVD players and TVs. Ongoing cost
include the maintenance of the house and the costs for
electricity or in cases of generator powered electricity
costs of purchasing fuel. The majority of respondents
(82%) estimated the amount spent on fuel to be less
than 100 Kina per week.
11 CD haus owner from EHP (0432EHP) 12 CD haus owner from EHP (0644EHP) 13 CD haus owner from EHP (0444EHP)
Fig 13. Selling tea, betelnut and cigarettes in Masi village, Eastern Highlands Province
Credit: Dilen Doiki
24CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
In addition to the infrastructure costs mentioned above,
CD Haus owners purchase DVDs. These are usually
purchased at the closest urban centres in the Highlands,
which are Kainantu, Goroka, Kundiawa, Minj, Kudjip,
Banz, Hagen, Wabag, Mendi and Tari. In addition, four
towns outside the highlands were mentioned, Lae,
Kimbe, Port Moresby and the batas in Jayapura, which is
the PNG/Indonesian border where cheap pirated DVDs
can be purchased.
DVD sales are mostly conducted by young men who buy
DVDs at discount in bulk from Asian-owned businesses.
They then make a profit selling these on the streets. When
CD haus owners were asked where they purchased their
DVDs from street sellers they mentioned the market, the
bus stop, and areas that have informal markets.
Items Sold at CD Hauses
Cigarettes
Belenut
Bread Buns
Coffee
Candy
Tea
Alcohol
Other
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Number of Responses
Item
s
84
77
207
207
212
231
273
278
When asked to name specific stores where DVDs were
purchased, over a quarter (28%) mentioned ‘Asian shops’
without identifying them by name. The Goana Centre
in Goroka has a DVD store and is a popular place to
purchase DVDs in the Eastern Highlands (20%); Brian Bell,
with stores in most urban centres in PNG was mentioned
(9%), TNA located in Kundiawa (6%), and Papindo,
another company with stores in most PNG urban centres
(4%). In addition to purchasing DVDs, other options
were to borrow or exchange or copy them from a flash
drive. Internet download for movies is not common as
Internet connection and download costs are high. Only
four owners responded that they downloaded movies
from the Internet.
Fig 14. Items being sold at the CD haus according to CD haus owners (n=333)
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report25
CD Haus owners DVD purchases can be placed in three
different categories: DVD with a single movie, DVD with
a collection of multiple movies, and VCD with part 1 &
2. Many CD Haus owners (42%) had purchased all three
of these but the most popular (43%) appear to be the
DVD with a collection of multiple movies. Apparently,
collections can hold anywhere from 8 - 36 movies but
the picture and sound quality deteriorate considerably
the higher the number of movies on a single DVD.
A follow-up question about preference shows that over
two thirds (73%) prefer purchasing the movie collection
DVDs. The reported costs of the different types of DVDs
vary. Generally VCDs cost under K10, DVDs with a single
movie cost under K15, and most DVDs with a collection
cost under K20. Interviews of street sellers in Goroka
show that the movie collections are purchased in bulk
from a wholesaler in Lae for K5 and sold on the streets
of Goroka for K10. Movie collections are usually sold
in the street and not in stores. A street seller that was
interviewed said he sold from 15 to 30 DVDs a day and
that he was not self-employed but worked with two
other street sellers for a businessman.
A majority of owners keep the DVDs in their collection
after they are screened but about a fifth (20%) resell
them. Most of those who resell them (88%) do so at a
discounted price. Under half (44%) also rent their DVDs,
usually for under K5 for one night. The majority of
owners (60%) have under 100 movies in their collection
but about a fifth have somewhere between 100-150
and another fifth have more than 150 movies in their
collection.
When owners were asked to estimate their weekly profit
after the deduction of expenses, including from the sale
of food and any other items, over half (51%) said they
made less than a K100. Another quarter (25%) said they
cleared K100 to K199. Twenty-two percent reported
profits of K200 or over.
Credit: Mark EbyFig 15. Street Seller in Goroka (left) and Sylvester Stallone movie collection (right)
26CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
These results need to be understood in the context of
the income economy in the PNG Highlands. While the
majority of people in the rural are on a very low income
there is also a significant portion of people in the PNG
Highlands who make a considerable income through
coffee sales (Rogers et al., 2011). Coffee however is
seasonal and the CD houses in these cases provide a
fairly steady income in addition to other activities for
many.
This informal movie market is based on piracy of
predominantly international movies. While copyright law
exists in PNG, they are not strongly reinforced within the
legal system. The results of this study show the relatively
small profit margin involved in running a haus piksa and
one might suggest that this village enterprise can only
exist because of the low prices of DVDs based on piracy.
Were DVDs more expensive CD haus owners would
likely struggle to make a profit. Currently the haus piksa
system, from DVD purchase to setting up the screening
facility and charging entry fees, works as an individual
business at the microeconomic level. Consequently,
those interested in creating locally produced content for
the CD haus market in the PNG Highlands would need to
understand these local economics.
4.5 Media Content
One of the primary aims of the baseline survey was to
find out what audiences are watching in the CD Haus
throughout the PNG Highlands communities. A series
of questions about content were asked, the first being
“What kind of movies do you show? Can you give
examples of five favorite genres?” The survey did not
provide genre categories because there was an interest
in seeing what kind of categories a participant would
create. The result was that instead of a category some just
named an actor (e.g. Van Damme) or a movie title (e.g.
Bobby Teardrops), or characters from a movie (e.g. Jack
& Rose, referring to the main characters of the Titanic),
or a production company (e.g. OJ Productions, which
is a Nigerian production company that has produced
popular movies). These were placed in the appropriate
category as Action, Tragedy, Romantic and African.
Without preset categories there were also results like
meaningful, sad, imaginary, funny, scary, sorrow, lovely,
aliens, jungle fighting, gun battle, true story and so on.
Again, these were placed in more conventional genre
categories when analysed.
While this process provided an interesting insight in the
way people describe movies, it also highlighted that
respondents are not familiar with genre categories as
understood in the field of media studies. For analysis
purposes genres were evaluated from the favourite
movie list (see Fig. 16). Within the top 35 movies the
action genre clearly dominated with two thirds of the
films being action movies (67%). A quarter of the films
were romance movies (23%) and less popular were
drama and comedy (5% each). Although no single music
video made it onto the popular movie list, it is also a
popular genre in the CD haus.
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report27
Rank Title No. Genre Country of Production
Year Stars
1 Rambo (series) 453 Action USA 1982-2008 Sylvester Stallone
2 True Love 244 Romance Tragedy Nigeria 2003 Omotoloa, Jalade-Ekeinde, Ramsey Noah Jr.
3 Titanic 167 Romance/Disaster USA 1997 Leondardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
4 Van Damme 157 Action USA Jean-Claude Van Damme
5 Endless Love 148 Romance Tragedy Philippines 2010 Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera
6 Delta Force 146 Action USA 1986 Chuck Noris, Lee Marvin
7 The Expendables (series)
141 Action USA 2010 Stallone, Statham, Li, Lundgren, Couture, Austin, Crews, Rourke, Willis
8 Commando 136 Action USA 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger
9 Krishna 112 Bollywood Romance India 2008 Ravi Teka, Trisha Krishnan
10 The Gods Must Be Crazy 108 Comedy South Africa 1980 N!xau Weyers, Prinsloo, Thys
11 The Transporter 108 Action France, USA 2002 Jason Statham, Shu Qi
12 Jackie Chan 92 Action Martial Arts Hong Kong Jackie Chan
13 Terminator (series) 91 Action Science USA 1984-2009 Arnold Schwarzenegger
14 Jet Li 85 Action Martial Arts China Jet Li
15 Brave Heart 83 Historical Drama USA 1995 Mel Gibson
16 Street Fighter 78 Action USA 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme
17 Tears of the Sun 77 American War Film USA 2003 Bruce Willis
18 Undisputed (series) 69 Action Thriller USA 2002-2010 Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames
19 Sniper (series) 63 Action USA 1993 Tom Berenger, Billy Zane
20 American Ninja 58 Action Martial Arts USA 1985 Dudikoff, James, Fujioka, Aronson
21 Bruce Lee 53 Action Martial Arts Hong Kong Bruce Lee
22 Bobby Teardrops 53 Drama Turkey 1970
23 Ong-Bak (series) 52 Action Martial Arts Thailand 2003-2010 Tony Jaa
24 Rush Hour 51 Action Martial Arts USA 1998-2007 Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker
25 Prison Break (series) 49 Action, Crime Thriller USA 2005-2009 Domnic Purcell etc
26 Universal Soldier 46 Action/Science Fiction USA/ 1992 Jean-Claude Van Damme
27 Blood Diamond 46 Political War Thriller USA/Germany 2006 DiCaprio, Van Damme, Dolph, Lundgren
28 Mr. Bones 44 Comedy South Africa 2001 DiCaprio, Connely, Hounsou
29 My Love 44 Romance Nigeria 2002 Leon Schuster
30 Double Impact 44 Action USA 1991 Chiege Alisigwe, Fred Amata, Hanks Anuku
31 Lion Heart 43 Action USA 1990 Jean-Claude Van Damme
32 Chuck Noris 41 Action Martial Arts USA Chuck Noris
33 O Papa God/Em Rong Bilong Mi Yet
40 AIDS Awareness Drama PNG 2006/07 Maria, John Soti, Prisilla Elwin, James Gahare, Bonny Garahe
34 Hard Target 38 Action USA 1993 Jean-Claude Van Damme
35 Twilight (series) 37 Romance Fantasy USA 2008-2012 Stewart, Patterson, Lautner
Most Popular Movies
Fig 16. Most popular movies according to respondents (n=1107)
28CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
Expendables (141) and Commando (136). Ranked fourth
is Van Damme, not a movie title but clearly a popular
movie star and used as shorthand to indicate his movies.
Jean-Claude Van Damme movies show up multiple times
in the top 35 popular films: Street Fighter (ranked 16),
Universal Soldier (ranked 26), Double Impact (ranked
30), Lion Heart (ranked 31), and Hard Target (ranked
34). Arnold Schwarzenegger has two films in the top 30,
Commando (ranked 8) and the Terminator series (ranked
13). Chuck Norris stars in Delta Force (ranked 6) but his
name also shows up ranked 32. Similarly, Jackie Chan’s
name shows up at 12 and his popular movie Rush Hour is
ranked 24. With these top 35 statistics, the most popular
action movie stars are Sylvester Stallone (594), Jean-
Claude Van Damme (406), Arnold Schwarzenegger (227),
Chuck Norris (187) and Jackie Chan (143). Although
writing about East New Britian, Keir Martin in a recent
publication confirms our observations in the Highlands.
“Action movies are most popular. Films are chosen largely
by whether the star of the film is well-remembered from
a previous outing. Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Jackie
Chan are big hits” (Martin 2013, p.49).
Ranked tenth is the 1980 South African comedy, The Gods
Must Be Crazy (108). Another South African comedy, Mr.
Bones, is ranked 28 demonstrating that South African
humor about race relations has some resonance in PNG.
Although US action films dominate the list, it’s interesting
to note that in the top 35 films, there is world cinema
representation: Nigeria, Philippines, France, India, South
Africa, Hong Kong, China, Germany, Papua New Guinea,
Thailand, and Turkey. The popularity of these films show
that people do have an appreciation for genres besides
action blockbusters, that embraces romance, comedy,
drama, and martial arts films.
The only films produced in Papua New Guinea to make
the list at 33 were the two films in the HIV/AIDS awareness
dramas series produced by the Seventh-day Adventist
HGM Media Productions and directed by Pastor Matupit
4.5.1 Popular Movies
CD Haus owners were asked to name ten popular movie
titles and audience members were asked to list five
favourite movie titles. This resulted in a list of 6949 titles
(n=1107). Those movies that showed up consistently
in multiple “favourite lists” will be discussed. CD haus
owner and audience member lists were initially analysed
separately and later put together in a combined list (see
Fig. 16).
The top eleven films were the same for both CD haus
owners and audience members with only a difference
in order. Combining both, topping the list was Rambo.
Movies from this series were mentioned 453 times. The
Expendables, in which Sylvester Stallone directed and
starred, was ranked seventh (141) making Sylvester
Stallone the most popular actor.
The second, third, fifth and ninth ranking were romance
films. A relatively obscure film produced in Nigeria in
2003 by OJ Productions called True Love was mentioned
on 244 favourite movie lists. This is followed by Titanic,
James Cameron’s 1997 Hollywood romance disaster
movie at third place (167). A romance produced in the
Philippines in 2010 called Endless Love, an adaptation of
the Korean drama, Autumn in My Heart, ranks fifth (148).
Not only are these romantic films, they all end in tragedy
with both of the star-crossed lovers dying at the end.
Ranked number nine is Krishna (112) a 2008 Bollywood
film from India in the Telugu language. Unlike the other
romance films that end in tragedy, Krishna marries
Sandhya, and presumably they live happily ever after.
Interestingly, in the romance category, films produced
outside the U.S. dominate.
The favourite movie list is clearly dominated by US
action movies as these are also widely circulated and
available. The sixth, seventh and eight rankings are filled
with big Hollywood action films: Delta Force (146), The
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report29
Darius. It appears O Papa God: Wai na Em Olsem? (Oh
Father God: Why is it this way?) and Em Rong Bilong Mi
Yet (It’s My Own Fault) have had more impact in the PNG
Highlands than any other films produced in PNG.
Possibly, the most obscure film to make the list is
Teardrops, known in PNG as Bobby Teardrops (ranked
22). It was produced in Turkey in the 1970s by a UK
production company and dubbed into English in
Ireland. A story of a woman wrongly accused of infidelity
by her husband and abandoned to raise her son, Bobby,
on her own, this movie somehow made its way to PNG
some time in the 1970s and deeply resonated with PNG
audiences, PNG women in particular (Wardlow, 1996). It
remains a popular film in the PNG Highlands.
When favourite movies are analysed by audience gender
category (N755) Delta Force (57) ranks third among the
men but does not show up in the women’s top ten.
Similarly, Endless Love (44) ranks fourth with the women
but does not show up in the men’s top ten. The Gods
Must Be Crazy (36), Transporter (36), and Terminator (32)
show up in the men’s top ten list but are absent from the
women’s and Krishna (33), Jackie Chan (29) and Jet Li (25)
show up in the women’s top ten but are absent from the
men’s. In addition, even though True Love ranks second
on both lists, it was listed by 75 women versus 58 men,
demonstrating the strength of its popularity among
women. These results show that men and women share
similar tastes but women demonstrate a preference for
romance and martial arts films.
4.5.2 Pacific Productions
To find out if there are any regional productions that
make their way to the CD Haus, the survey asked if
they showed any movies about the Pacific Islands. A
strong majority of the owners (72%) said they had not
shown them and even more audience members (78%)
stated they had not seen any. The owners were asked
if they had shown the HIV/AIDS awareness series Love
Patrol produced by Wan Smolbag Theatre in Vanuatu
and popular across the Pacific. Only 4% of the CD haus
owners and 7% of the audience members said they had
seen it.
When owners were asked to list movies they had shown
about the Pacific Islands, only 28% responded. Most of
the movies on the list are from PNG although the survey
included a further question asking about PNG movies
specifically. Music videos are clearly popular and three
Solomon Island music artists were mentioned: Sisiva
(13%), Sharzy (7%) and Saba (5%). The Legend of Johnny
Lingo was noted by a few people (2%), a 2003 film set in
Polynesia and produced in New Zealand. Blue Lagoon,
the 1980 American romance starring Brooke Shields and
Christopher Atkins was also mentioned (2%), because it
is shot in Fiji.
There are a number of Pacific productions available,
but these do not seem to make it to the CD houses. This
might have to do with their smaller distribution circle
and that they are generally less known. But it is also likely
to do with the merchants who copy and distribute DVDs
focusing on Hollywood and Asian movies.
30CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
Fig 17. DVD covers of the HIV awareness films O Papa God and Em Rong Blo Mi Yet
The survey also asked specifically about showing Papua
New Guinean films. Over half of the owners (51%) and
audience members (55%) said they had not shown
or seen PNG films. Of those owners who had, the film
series mentioned above, O Papa God: wai na em olsem
and Em Rong Biling Mi Yet, was easily the most popular
(46%) (see Fig. 17). An AIDS awareness genre was also
acknowledged for respondents who did not remember
the exact titles of the films (6%).
Locally produced music videos are also popular. The
music video categories add up to just over a fifth of the
responses (22%), which includes music videos without a
specific title (10%), CHM Collection (3%), and artists such
as Sisiva, Texas Allan, Saba, or PNG Mekim Musik. While
some of these are Solomon Island artists as mentioned
above, some consider them to be locally produced
videos. Two other PNG personalities were mentioned:
Kanage, a popular local comedian who stars in a series
of videos, and Stanley Nandex, a Papua New Guinea
world champion kick-boxer known as The Headhunter.
The videos of his fights are popular. The other PNG
films mentioned by a few are Kokoda, Tukana, Tinpis
Run, Black Harvest, First Contact, Joe Leahy’s Neighbors
and Wokabout Bilong Tonten. Robinson Crusoe was
mentioned as it was shot in PNG and featured a PNG
actor, William Takaku alongside Pierce Brosnan.
It is interesting that HIV and AIDS films have made
it to the CD houses. It shows that Higher Ground
Ministry Media Production, a support ministry of the
Seventh Day Adventist Church, has had a successful
distribution strategy through their church network.14 It
is also relevant to note that 24% of the CD Haus owner
respondents claimed SDA religious affiliation so the SDA
church has taken the lead in producing and exhibiting
locally produced content by Papua New Guineans for
Papua New Guineans. “What happens to children when
their parents die of AIDS?” is the question explored by O
Papa God. The follow up film, Em Rong Blo Mi Yet looks
at a group of high school girls who contracted HIV and
are sent home to live with their parents. One of the girls
14 See also http://higherground.adventistconnect.org [accessed July 2013]
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report31
is rejected by her dad, who sends her away into the bush
to live by herself until she dies15. These stories seem
to resonate in the Highlands of PNG and parallel the
response to pathos and tragedy in the popular romance
films.
There have been no action movies produced in PNG to
date, but clearly this is a genre that could be explored
with a local twist. This research might contribute to
further exploration of the potential for action movies in
Papua New Guinea and the support from audiences for
locally produced films.
4.5.3 Broadcast Television
There are two local free-to-air television stations in PNG.
The first, EM-TV is owned by Fiji television through a
subsidiary called Media Niugini Limited16. Some content
is produced locally but the majority of the programming
is from Australia (Papoutsaki & Sundar Harris, 2008). The
second is the NTS (National Television Service) known as
Kundu2. Launched in September 2008, it is state-owned
and broadcasts PNG produced content but has a limited
broadcast footprint and limited broadcast hours (Wall,
2008).
We asked audience members if they received a broadcast
TV signal and over half (58%) said no. Of those who did,
almost all of them (99%) received EM TV and a quarter
(24%) received Kundu2. A minority (4%) said they
received an Australian broadcast channel, which can
be received with a satellite dish. Almost three quarters
of the CD haus owners (72%) said they charged a fee to
watch TV. Watching broadcast TV however is dedicated
to sports programming, either for special events like the
Australian State of Origin rugby match between New
South Wales and Queensland (66%) or sports events
in general (27%). A fifth of the audience (20%) also
mentioned watching television news.
4.5.4 Pornography
CD haus owners were asked if they showed pornography.
This is a sensitive question since pornography is illegal in
PNG. However, 14% admitted to the practice. Of these,
almost half said they showed it once a week (49%),
about a quarter (24%) showed it once a month, and a
small percentage (6%) said they showed it every day.
Three quarters (74%) said the entrance fee was different
then the other movies they showed. The assumption
is that it costs more but the amount was not specified.
Most respondents (96%) reported that pornography was
shown to a restricted audience. How it was restricted
was not always specified clearly. Just over a quarter
(27%) reported that it is restricted without specifying
age or gender. Another 17% reported that it is restricted
to an adult audience without specifying gender. Just
under half (46%) reported that it is restricted to a male
audience.
A fifth (20%) of those who said they did not show
pornography were aware of it being shown in other
communities. The most common response (43%) when
asked why they did not show pornography was that it
violated Christian principles and community restrictions.
Another 23% said that it was out of concern for young
people because the CD haus audience was a mix of
children and adults. As one owner responded when
asked, “because a majority of the audience are children
and it is against society morals and values”17. Another
owner said “because I am an Adventist member”18.
Another reason given was simply that it is illegal (16%).
Finally, 11% responded with concerns that pornography
increased sexual activity at an early age, prostitution,
rape, adultery, and pregnancy. As one owner said,
“because it affects our sexual behavior”19.
15 See http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/36771485?q&versionId=47748352 [accessed July 2013] 16 http://www.emtv.com.pg/about-us [accessed July 2013]
17 CD Haus owner from Simbu (1479SIM)18 CD Haus owner from Enga (1391ENG)19 CD Haus owner from EHP (0592EHP)
32CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
Although over three quarters of the audience (84%)
claimed they did not watch pornography at the CD haus,
9% did admit to it with 7% choosing not to comment. Of
those who admitted to watching pornography, 46% said
they watched it once a week, 31% once a month and
6% every day. Most (94%) agreed that the audience was
restricted. Almost a fifth (18%) said they were aware of it
being shown in other CD houses.
4.6 Values and Social Change
“Because of the CD hauspeople live in the light.” 20
CD houses are having an impact on PNG Highland
communities in many ways. The content people are
watching is shaping values and identities. The survey
asked respondents to comment on both positive and
negative impacts of the CD houses. In responses, the
impact on youth was frequently mentioned, once again
highlighting the young demographic of CD haus viewers.
Fig 18. Categories mentioned in regards to positive aspects of the CD haus in the community
When pointing out positive aspects responses focused
on impact on the community as a whole, the activities
the CD houses created and their impact on youth. A third
of the owners (32%) pointed out that the CD houses had
become a place for entertainment, socialization and
relaxation. This is confirmed by 36% of the participants
in the audience survey. Another quarter of the responses
(24%) said they provided a space for the community
to buy and sell goods, again confirmed by 27% of the
audience. An audience member said the CD haus “helps
in boosting cash flow in the community”.21
One in ten owners (11%) pointed out the educational
opportunities to learn about the outside world. For
example, one response was that the CD houses “make
people become wiser from viewing other people’s
experiences”.22 This was particularly emphasized in
relation to youth as respondents said that “it educates
school children about the global world”23 and “children
are learning English better by watching movies”.24 It was
also commented that CD houses had a positive impact
by keeping “youths from doing illegal things, especially
during the night.”25
Rank Categories Number
1 Entertain, socialize and relax 5732 Provides space for community to buy and sell goods, generate income, and increase cash flow 4803 Educational for children and adults. Learn about the outside world. 1594 Promotes peace and unity 885 Keeps people in their own community, central place for gathering 546 Brings in cash to contribute to community for compensation and bride price 487 Improve children’s English 458 Power to charge mobile phone and provide light 44
20 CD Haus owner from EHP (0484EHP)21 Audience member from Simbu (0063SIM)22 Audience member from Simbu (1477SIM)
Positive Aspects of CD houses
23 CD Haus owner from EHP (0380EHP)24 CD Haus owner from Simbu (0033SIM)25 CD Haus owner from Enga (1400ENG)
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report33
The majority of respondents agree that the CD houses
provided a suitable space for community members
to get together whether for business activities or to
socialize. Some highlighted the positive aspect in having
people stay in their communities and promoting peace
and unity in the community. As one respondent said,
it “keeps the community intact and they avoid moving
from village to village causing problems.”26
When asked about the negative impacts of CD houses
respondents focused on the consequences of CD
houses as a space of socialization as well as on individual
behaviours among audience members. Once again,
youth were mentioned frequently as a key group that
CD houses are impacting.
The primary concern of owners (21%) focused on the
increase in sexual activities that lead to prostitution,
sexual activity between young people, unwanted
pregnancy, adultery, polygamy, and rape. As one
respondent described, “people dress up well and
opposite sex find their mates mostly in the CD house”.27
Fig 19. Categories mentioned in regards to negative aspects of the CD haus in the community
The increased social activities at night were considered
increasing disturbances in the community. One of the
CD haus owner respondents said “[it] attracts drunkards
during the night, which leads to commenting and
conflict and my area has become a public area and my
family does not have privacy.”28
Mostly however comments were made about individual
behaviours. For example an audience member
responded, “[I] do not feel like going to the garden
after viewing the CD.”29 Another said “people become
lazy by gambling every night when the power is on.”30
Another complaint was that it distracted students, kept
them from studying, and prevented them from getting
enough rest (15%). As one respondent said, “School
children are distracted every night to watch and are not
concentrating on their studies.”31
The other concerns among owners were that the movie
content is a bad influence that promoted negative
behaviors among children and young people (12%), an
increase in the abuse of alcohol that leads to drunken
Rank Categories Number
1 Increase in sexual activities that lead to prostitution, unwanted pregnancy, adultery, polygamy, and rape 3522 Distracts students. Keeps them from studying and they do not get enough rest 2413 Promotes laziness. People stay up late, restless nights, lack sleep and are too tired to work. 1784 Increase in abuse of alcohol and leads to drunken fight 1765 Bad influence promotes negative behavior among children and young people 1546 Noise disturbs the community 1247 Promotes stealing 102
26 Audience member from EHP (0709EHP)27 CD haus owner from SHP (1307SHP)28 CD haus owner from Simbu (0041SIM)
29 Audience member from SHP ((1300SHP)30 Audience member from Simbu (0043SIM)31 CD haus owner from Simbu (0049SIM)
Negative Aspects of CD houses
34CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
fights (10%), the promotion of laziness because people
lacked sleep and were too tired to work (8%), promoted
stealing (5%), increased litter and waste around the CD
haus area (4%), and the spread disease including HIV
and airborne diseases (4%).
Audience members also showed concern about these
issues but also mentioned an increase in fighting (4%),
domestic violence (3%), gambling (3%), and drug
abuse (1%). Those with a smaller percentage are the
views of a minority of audience members, but concerns
nonetheless.
In particular, young people were mentioned as being
impacted by changing attitudes. One respondent said
“kids [are] stealing money from their parents to pay
for their gate fee.”32 And another respondent pointed
out that “attitudes of teenagers change due to western
influence.”33
The study shows that people regard the influx of CD
houses as both positive and negative. Firstly, the space of
the CD haus has influenced activities in the communities,
whether that includes business activities, or increased
socializing at night where issues such as gambling,
drinking and sex emerge. Secondly, it is suggested that
the content is changing individuals’ understandings and
behaviours, impacting young people in particular.
The next section focuses on the potential of the CD
houses as sites for edutainment, building on the fact
that regular consumption of media takes place there
and they can provide spaces for learning.
32 Audience member from Enga (1401ENG)33 Audience member from Enga (1401ENG)34 Audience member from Simbu (0293SIM)35 Audience member from EHP (0754EHP)
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report35
4.7 The Potential for Edutainment
In preparation of the second part of the study, an
evaluation of the impact of the HIV awareness series
Komuniti Tok Piksa (KTP), the final section of the survey
asked CD haus owners about the possibility of screening
the KTP films. It also included a section on open-ended
comments.
Almost all CD haus owner respondents (98%) expressed
interest in screening the KTP films. Over two thirds
(69%) said they would not charge for an initial screening
if the DVD was given to them for free to be used for
subsequent screenings. Almost a quarter (23%) of those
who did want to charge specified 20 toea to 50 toea per
person.
Audience members were also enthusiastic about
watching PNG films at the CD haus (97%). Most (92%)
said they would pay money to watch a PNG film. A
majority (95%) also said they would be interested in
watching educational content and 90% said they would
be willing to pay for it.
In final open-ended comments CD haus owners provided
a variety of responses, many of which emphasised their
interest in screening more PNG films. One respondent
said “after showing so many movies from other countries,
it would be nice to show PNG films.”35 A third of the
responses (32%) affirmed that they were happy to show
PNG and Pacific films.
36 Audience member from WHP (1130WHP)37 Audience member from Jiwaka (0967JIW)38 Audience member from Simbu (0222SIM)
Another 15% were happy to become partners with KTP
and CSCM to assist in further research and screenings.
Feedback included comments such as “as a student, I
wish to see movies produced here, which are educational
to help us young ones.”36 or “life is getting tougher and
tougher. Therefore, I would like to encourage students
to watch education movies so that it can help them to
increase their knowledge.”37
Others noted their appreciation for the survey (11%),
that if the KTP DVD was provided for free that they were
very happy to show it to the community (10%), and they
were happy to show educational and social awareness
films (4%). A final question was about after the DVD
delivery and if there would be any other benefit (5%).
Further comments included invitation to undertake a
production in the community and criticism of video
piracy. One of the respondents said “CD haus has
promoted media development but it has a lot of negative
effects,”38 commenting on the complexity of the issue
and seeing both positive and negative impacts of the CD
houses in the communities.
The results of the final section of the study demonstrate
a keen interest from CD haus owners and audience
members to view PNG films as well as to view films with
educational content.
“Distributing educational CDs to CD houses will greatly help the village people. Villages are far apart and it is hard to go from village to village to educate the people. The only place where people gather is the CD house. Therefore, if CDs are given to the CD houses, many people will come to watch and learn good things.”
(Audience Member)34
36CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report
CD houses have become part of an informal
entertainment industry in the PNG Highlands. This study
provided insights into the increased interest in visual
media consumption in PNG communities. The lack of
availability of PNG films and the cheaply available pirated
videos from overseas determine the predominantly
foreign content viewed in CD houses.
While concerns are raised about the impact of such
content and the passive consumption of such media,
the hunger for visual media reveals people are open and
keen for PNG and Pacific content. The willingness CD
Haus owners showed in working with the CSCM team
and potentially showing some of the locally produced
PNG videos demonstrates a potential for a more
established distribution network.
At the same time, the increase in media consumption
among young populations must be recognized by the
education system. There is a need to increase training in
media literacy among Papua New Guinean audiences.
This study provides the baseline for the PACMAS
innovation project, which in the second part will test the
possibility of distributing the KTP DVD via CD houses
in the PNG Highlands. This will contribute further to a
better understanding of audience consumption of visual
media in the PNG Highlands and the potential of using
this distribution system to inform and educate PNG
audiences.
5 outlook
CD Haus Distribution in the PNG Highlands | Baseline Report37
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