Africans have a large appetite for locally conceived and produced audio-visual content that features our own stories. Surveys have found that as soon as more local content becomes available, Africans view considerably less imported content. With that said, this appetite is not satisfied by ‘one size fits all’ generic African content. The more ‘hyperlocal’ the setting and story, the more it will be followed by local cultures and communities.
proprietary dedicated local content channels across
of local content this year
invested in local general entertainment and sport content
MultiChoice is a prime mover behind building an African film industry that enriches our lives and cultures. Local content not only thrills African audiences – a primary MultiChoice focus – but brings with it a range of social and economic benefits.
Creating local content boosts the local film industry on the continent. It creates opportunities for African writers, actors, producers and the numerous support positions created and sustained by any noteworthy audio-visual production. Hundreds of Africans are now being enriched through the filmmaking opportunities being opened up by MultiChoice.
Local stories speak directly to African hearts and minds. They inspire pride in our local cultures and nations. New generations of storytellers – and those whose stories were never told until now – are being enabled by MultiChoice’s determination to seed Africa’s young and talented film and TV industry.
Click on the highlighted areas on the map to read more about our activities in that country.
Angola
DStv Angola launched Kwenda
Magic, a local channel catering
exclusively to Angolan
customers.
Ethiopia
As part of the commitment to enhancing viewer experience, Abol TV was launched on the DStv platform.
Ghana
Akwaaba Magic Abusua targeted at
DStv Access and GOtv customers
offering exciting local content at a
competitive price.
Mozambique
Maningue Magic, a new channel
for Mozambicans launched and
features locally produced content.
Nigeria
Africa Magic with MultiChoice announced an eight-day series of events in preparation of the 8th Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.
South Africa
Wie Word ‘n Miljoenêr, the Afrikaans rendition of reality TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, quickly gained viewers after launching on kykNET, and Big Brother Mzansi was a big hit after relaunching on Mzansi Magic.
Tanzania
MultiChoice Tanzania launched
the Maisha Magic Movie festival
at Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel.
Uganda
MultiChoice Uganda added five new local stations with an array of content ranging from edutainment, entertainment, current affairs and sports, among others.
Case studiesThe 8th Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards celebrated over eight days
An eight-day feast of African film, television and culture took place in Nigeria to celebrate the eighth edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMCAs).
Following an exuberant opening night on 7 May 2022, the subsequent seven days featured a spectacle of curated events celebrating African food, film, and culture. The best in colourful African attire was featured in the first-ever AMVCA runway show for emerging fashion designers.
Hardly missing out in the festivities, MTF Academy students participated in movie screenings and panel discussions in a dedicated MultiChoice Talent Factory Day. A special Content Market Day hosted by Africa Magic gathered various stakeholders in the film industry. We also hosted a Digital Content Day intended to unmask talent in the growing terrain of online content, while tickling the tastebuds at a pan-African food festival. The cherry on top was the awards night on Saturday, 14 May.
“The AMVCA was birthed in line with Africa Magic’s vision of providing entertainment for Africans by Africans. We are focused on shining the light on the many aspects that make the African film and television industry truly magical and beaming that magic to millions of Africans who watch the awards every year,” says Dr Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels at MultiChoice Nigeria.
Case studiesEast African content featured in Maisha Magic Movie Festival
In March, African film enthusiasts were presented with a film bazaar of an array of 45 movies from various genres produced in East African countries. The Maisha Magic Movie Festival showcased entertaining offerings ranging from comedies, thrillers to romantic dramas.
Maisha Magic Movies, available on DStv channel 141, used this festival to reinvigorate the channel by reintroducing new storytelling initiatives from Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya’s television and film production sectors. MultiChoice Tanzania hosted the launch event in Dar es Salaam for regional film stakeholders, who were addressed by Timothy Owase, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Film Commission. He said, “The Kenya Film Commission commends Maisha Magic Movies for offering local film producers an opportunity to showcase their talent to the regional audience. MultiChoice remains truly committed to the development and growth of our local film sector.”
Films such as Contract Love, Amandla, and Antisocial produced by Kenyan movie directors Dr Zippy Okoth, Anthony Owuor, Tevin Kimathi and Likarion Wainaina have created many opportunities for crew and cast members to showcase their talents in the Kenyan film industry and beyond.
“Maisha Magic Movies is proud to partner with local producers to offer them a platform to enrich the lives of our audiences through their talent and craft by telling captivating and authentic stories from across the region.” says Barbara Kambogi, Channel Head for Maisha Magic Movies
According to Barbara Kambogi, the Covid-19 pandemic slowed down projects for most creatives, but it also created opportunities for new emerging talent. The movie festival showcased movies produced within the last two years, revealing vibrant East African film production.
Case studiesPartnership with Namibian Broadcasting Corporation injects impetus for Namibian content
For several years, Namibia has almost been in hibernation in the African film scene. Even MultiChoice customers were asking for more content from that country on the DStv and GOtv platforms. This will no longer be the case.
Over the next two years, 26 films featuring Namibian content will be produced. This follows a partnership between the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and MultiChoice Namibia/M-Net to foster the creation of authentic Namibian stories. As part of the initiative, a call for submissions was undertaken through social media and radio campaigns, resulting in a massive response of over 200 film proposals. Teams from NBC and M-Net collaborated in the vetting of proposals in two-month plus selection process.
Case studiesAbol TV celebrates first year anniversary
Abol TV was launched in 2021 by MultiChoice Ethiopia to much eager excitement and anticipation. As a general entertainment channel, it promised new and exclusive local shows, with a mix of Telenovelas, Reality, Drama, Lifestyle, Music and harnessing the best talent from Ethiopia.
As a one-year-old channel, it has been well received by viewers and provided over 200 hours of Ethiopian content through various DStv packages such as DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus and DStv Compact. Its impact and presence have catapulted Ethiopian film production enterprise to new heights.
“In addition to entertaining our customers, we have a positive impact on the Ethiopian film and TV industry. We have supported various production houses that we have worked with through acquisition and commissioning of local content and upskilled production houses through onboarding training on production best practices to improve content quality,” says Timothy Okwaro, Channel Director: East and Southern Channels.
Case studiesPositive spinoffs of investment in content
As part of our commitment to creating and nurturing new talent for the film and TV industry, we entrusted our MTF class of 2021 with a major task: assisting with shooting our ninth season of the Survivor South Africa franchise.
15 new interns were moved into in-personal training and professional production placements, with 10 interns placed on professional productions, including 40 days on Survivor SA.
