African Content Ready for the ‘Global Moment’: MultiChoice at MIP Africa

“There’s a good chance that the African film industry is about to have its global moment.” That’s the optimistic view shared on Monday about the state of African film and TV programming by Nomsa Philiso, CEO of general entertainment at African pay-TV giant MultiChoice Group, owner of African streamer Showmax, in her keynote speech at MIP Africa. “We’ve already seen this happen with Afrobeats, Amapiano and African music as a whole.”

He also said that more African TV series and films are being broadcast globally than ever before, highlighting what the company calls “a series of innovations for African content in the past year,” according to highlights of his speech, obtained by The Hollywood ReporterAmong these are those of the university drama Lasscrime thriller series ReykaAND Shaka the Lembethe epic story of an iconic African king.

Additionally, a record number of African films screened at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and Rise: The Story of Siya Kolisi won the Audience Award at last year's Tribeca Film Festival.

MultiChoice has also brought African stories to the world through its sales arm MultiChoice Studios, as well as through partnerships with distributors such as Abacus, AMC, Fremantle, StudioCanal and The Exchange, which is the opening film of MultiChoice’s MIP Africa. The solution.

After Reyka opened the Monte-Carlo Television Festival and earned international Emmy nominations in the categories of best drama series and best actress in 2022, Fremantle has sold the first season to more than 150 territories, including BritBox in North America, Channel 4 in the UK and HBO in Latin America, Philiso said.

Philiso also cited other successful examples, such as The Real Housewives of Durban, which aired on channels such as Hayu, Peacock and NBCU’s reality streamer Bravo. The Real Housewives of Nairobivigilante assassin thriller Devil's Peak which was sold to Tubi for North America, and crime thriller miniseries White liesstarring Natalie Dormer, sold to broadcasters including Sundance Now, Stan in Australia and Channel 4 in the UK

MultiChoice claims to be the largest content producer in Africa, with a presence in 50 of Africa’s 54 countries and stories told in 45 languages.

MultiChoice’s African streamer Showmax relaunched in February with a focus on an expanded content slate, including local originals, Hollywood blockbusters and English football, attractive pricing and plans to “change the game” in streaming on the continent. The relaunch followed an early 2023 agreement between MultiChoice and Comcast’s entertainment division NBCUniversal and its European pay-TV unit Sky for a deal and partnership to “bring some of the world’s best content and technology to streaming customers” in sub-Saharan Africa “at a time when Africa is approaching a tipping point in terms of broadband connectivity and affordability.” The Showmax group has since been 70 percent owned by MultiChoice and 30 percent by NBCUniversal.

MultiChoice, for which Vivendi’s Canal+ business has made a takeover bid, currently has more than 84,000 hours of local content to showcase on the world stage, Philiso said on Monday. “We’ve been buying content from all the global giants for decades, but increasingly these relationships are becoming reciprocal as demand for African content grows,” he said. “Our scale and proven track record make us an ideal partner in Africa for anyone as passionate as we are about diversifying the global content mix.”

Philiso stressed however that while international reach is important, MultiChoice's primary focus remains on producing content for its core audiences across Africa. “Like everyone else, Africans want to hear their own languages ​​and see themselves reflected in what they watch,” he told MIP Africa. “On Showmax, nine of the 10 most-watched programmes since its relaunch in February have been local. It took a huge show like House of the Dragon to make a dent.”