MultiChoice is arguably Africa’s leading content provider with channels that cover up-to-date international and local content, not to mention the best sports moments across the board.
In a competitive market such as film and television, the broadcaster constantly seeks to expand on its current services from their content to their online platforms, all while aiming to make life more entertaining for viewers.
At the 2019 media showcase, held in conjunction with the Joburg Film Festival, MultiChoice last week shared their plans for next year, and there’s a great deal to be excited about…
Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, Johannesburg, was the setting with a media dome taking centre stage at the square, a few metres away from Theatre At The Square. The weather played along with the cloudy and cool atmosphere adding to the joyful spirit amongst media patrons and MultiChoice representatives. After a quick and filling breakfast, we head to the theatre – a modern scene adorned with classical theatrical details.
As everyone takes their seats, presenters Maps Mopanyane and Motshidisi Mohono welcome the crowd and immediately introduce the first speaker of the day, Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice group chief executive officer (CEO) of general entertainment.
“This is really the best content provider you can find anywhere in the world,” she says, adding the multimedia powerhouse uses “African stories and African backdrops to find a global audience”.
Phahle references the class-leading steps Multichoice takes to make local content accessible across the continent.
“Local content is a key differentiator for us, and we intend to continue producing more of it for our various markets. Our latest set of half-year results showed a 12% increase year-on-year in the number of hours of local content production, and our local content library now exceeds 54 000 hours,” says Phahle. “We will continue to shift a greater percentage of spend towards local content.”
Some of the content that recently premiered with success includes the content provider’s first international co-production ‘Trackers’, based on the book by South African author Deon Meyer. Locally produced drama ‘The River’ also received critical acclaim by being nominated for an Emmy award and the Multichoice Group (MCG) won an award at the Seoul International Drama Awards in Korea for ‘The Herd’.
‘Rogue’, set to launch on Showmax in 2020 and a new collaboration with international producers Mannequin Pictures, is predicted to follow in the successful footsteps of ‘Trackers’.
“True to the spirit of genuine collaboration, this co-production combines the know-how and talent of Hollywood with our local talent and crew, making it a perfect fit with our strategy of elevating our content production to an international level. It also creates job opportunities and improves the economics of film-making for everyone,” Phahle says.
“MultiChoice has big plans for 2020 that focus on content, technology and providing great value to our customers. We need to continuously embrace innovation as a key driver of our future success; we need to continue in our drive to ensure that our customers can consume video entertainment from anywhere, any time – and at great value.”
M-Net CEO Nkateko Mabaso shared some insight on what exciting new shows await audiences next year.
“We at M-Net have the best jobs in the world because we get to travel the world, buy the best international content from the biggest studios such as CBS, Warner, Sony and Disney, just to name a few, but we also get to create some really compelling local content, working with the best creatives in the industry across the continent.”
For M-Net (channel 102), viewers can expect to see Rob Lowe take the lead in ‘Lonestar’ from the creators of ‘9-1-1’ and ‘The Prodigal Son’ with new, local, romantic-drama ‘Still Breathing’ in production, the second season of ‘The Bachelor’ and a new dating series, ‘Single Wives’, which will be launching in June.
One Magic (channel 103), which is now a little more than a year old and continues to deliver the best reality content, strong comedy and great drama, also promises a great new line-up in 2020 with ‘Mixed-ish’, a spin-off of ‘Black-ish’, and ‘LA’s Finest’ with Jessica Alba, Mabaso reveals.
Channel 161 Mzansi Magic will be bringing new reality show ‘Madam and Mercy’, a spin-off of ‘The Real Housewives of Johannesburg’, and the return of ‘Papa Penny Ahee’ and ‘KwaMamkhize’.
Aletta Alberts, the media content strategist, innovator and the executive head of content strategy and third-party channels for Africa, gave insight into what global content is making its way to the MultiChoice platforms.
She mentions the new channel CuriosityStream on 185 and CBS Justice on 170 launched for the first time on 21 November. “Fans of factual entertainment and true crime stories will be able to enjoy their favourite programming on familiar channel destinations.”
Showmax, MultiChoice’s internet television service, combines a unique mesh of hit African content, exclusive international series, the best children’s shows and live sport. The platform is also looking to expand its facilities with aims of shaping the objectives around African consumers.
Niclas Ekdahl, CEO of Connected Video, says: “Subscription video-on-demand services haven’t fully addressed the needs of the majority of consumers in Africa, and the end result is that take-up is running well behind that seen in other economies.
Showmax is now set to change this with the launch of a new product designed specifically for Africa, featuring African content and live sport, as well as television series, movies and children’s shows.”
With exciting content on the line-up for MultiChoice customers and Showmax bingers, 2020 looks like it’s going to be the best entertainment year yet.
In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
