MultiChoice‘s mission is to showcase the rich and diverse culture of Africa through the deep narrative history of our continent.
Pan-African entertainment company
MultiChoice (MultiChoice.com) has further expanded its hyperlocal offering with
the launch of two new television channels, Maningue Magic and Kwenda Magic, for
audiences in Mozambique and Angola, respectively.
The group’s long-established hyper-local
strategy is a multi-pronged hybrid approach combining local content
acquisition, local production and local content development through
international production partnerships.
The new Portuguese-language channels will
show dramas, telenovelas, local versions of hit reality shows, hilarious
comedies, international dubbed content and local music on the DStv and GOtv
platforms when the channels go live on Monday, January 17.
“These channel launches are an exciting
milestone for MultiChoice and our hyper-local strategy,” says Joao Ribeiro,
Channel Head for Kwenda Magic and Maningue Magic. “MultiChoice’s mission is to
showcase the rich and diverse culture of Africa through the deep narrative
history of our continent. Having two new 24-hour channels in local languages,
with locally produced content, provides an incredibly powerful platform to do
this.”
Over the past 18 months, MultiChoice has
increased its local content offering through the launch of various channels
including Pearl Magic Prime, Akwaaba Magic and Abol TV in Uganda, Ghana and
Ethiopia, as well as successful international co-productions such as Reyka and
local productions in course as the ever popular Big Brother Naija.
Local content continues to be a fundamental
part of the group’s differentiation strategy. The group produced an additional
2,692 hours of local content in 2021 (41% year-over-year growth). The combined
MultiChoice local content library is now approaching 66,000 hours and represents
45% of total general entertainment content spend.
Although this ratio is in line with local
content targets, the group plans to further increase investment in local
content. Ribeiro says that the new canals are already proving a significant
boost for the production industries in both countries.
“Until now, independent producers had few
outlets for their work and had to act on many levels, fighting to get budgets
and to get their content shown,” says Ribeiro. “With our channels requiring
content 24 hours a day, we can now invite local producers to submit ideas,
commission and develop projects, and pay fair, market-related rates for the
work.”
“By investing in the industry, we are
creating opportunities for local talent, telling local stories and contributing
to the stability of the industry. We are committed to growing the industry in
the countries where we operate and to offering content that resonates with our
viewers,” says Ribeiro.
Ribeiro says that in the months that
MultiChoice has spent setting up the channel, broadcast professionals in both
countries have been exposed to many new opportunities. Happy workers now have
more options and are less likely to leave the industry due to job shortages.
“We are commissioning jobs from established
producers, as well as smaller companies from across the continent, while also
creating opportunities for MultiChoice Talent Factory alumni,” says Ribeiro.
Speaking about hyper-localization and
ongoing content production in Africa, MultiChoice Africa CEO Fhulufhelo Badugela
says: “When we develop local channels or produce local content, our goal is to
create a platform that reflects local culture, so that audiences see themselves
represented in the content they watch.
“Localization goes beyond simply
duplicating popular formats in a different language or with a different cast,”
says Badugela. “It’s about incorporating a country’s social, gender, and
religious conventions, as well as pop culture trends like music, influencers,
and celebrities into stories. This is what makes our hyperlocal strategy unique
and exciting.”
Highlights of Maningue Magic’s offering
include the telenovela Maida, about a naive teenager who leaves the countryside
for the big city; a proudly Mozambican music show Estação do Boss; Date My
Family Moçambique, a local version of the hit dating reality show. The
Influencer, a Mozambican original series will tell the story of a girl who
pursues the dream of being a digital Influencer who ends up in a drug and
prostitution ring. Top+ will showcase famous Mozambican and African artists and
personalities who are drawing attention on social media. Txunado, a magazine
about Mozambican fashion, arts and lifestyle.
On Kwenda Magic, flagship shows include O
Rio, an Angolan adaptation of 1Magic’s popular soap opera The River; Makongo, a
new drama about the life of a young man in Luanda; and Salão de Beleza, a
sitcom about a Luanda establishment and its diverse and dramatic patrons.
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