M24, which already exists in an experimental "Euronews"-type format, "will be launched in two or three months," Hachimi Idrissi said in an interview with the electronic news website Médias24.com.
According to a study, Moroccans listen to 45 minutes of information per day, including 20 minutes on national media and 25 minutes on foreign media, he added, noting that the Agency wishes to recover, through its TV channel, 10 to 15 minutes out of the 25 dedicated to foreign media.
Thus, MAP's new TV Channel will "strengthen national information sovereignty," he said.
Hachimi Idrissi said that this TV channel adopts a “slow-news” model which tries to debate, explain and convince in order to give stakeholders in economic, political and social life time to explain to viewers what they do.
In addition to M24, MAP announced on October 6 its 24-hour internet news radio, RIM Radio, which offers both a live stream and on-demand audio clips.
Broadcast in Arabic on "www.rimradio.ma", the platform allows to listen live to radio newspapers, programs and pre-recorded reports (podcasts) in streaming and downloadable.
The diversification of the Agency's products, which used to present a mono-product, namely the news report, was essential with, initially, a preliminary analysis of the activity of the MAP and then in the strategic vision subsequently developed, he said, explaining that the desire to diversify took place in a context of change with increasing digitization and a booming electronic press where internet was beginning to disrupt the entire media landscape.
This change has enabled the arrival of a new generation of journalists better trained in digital technology who have brought know-how, new life and freshness to the agency, he pointed out.
At the end of this digital transition, “all the vectors with which we will reach our subscribers and our customers will be digital, including on social networks”, he said, adding that MAP is present on the various social networks, namely Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, via updates made every hour by a highly motivated team.
Regarding the turnover of the Agency, Hachimi Idrissi said that it increased from 17 to 45 million dirhams, adding that until 2011, the main part of the income came from news reports but today the other services have taken the lead with a new offer of packages which turned to be a very interesting source of income.
“When I arrived, the MAP achieved 17 million dirhams in turnover compared to 45 today, but in the long term, we expect 100 million DH in income with the contribution of all the services we offer (news reports, photos, ads, etc.)," he said, adding that it is a “very modest” objective which can be reached in 2022 or 2023.
Hachimi Idrissi referred to the MAP print publications which are part of a natural desire to find the kiosk at a time when the sector as a whole is looking for a new momentum and a new economic model.
"This return of the public service to the kiosks seemed to us strategically important because the entire sector could no longer cope with the constraints of digital changes", he said.