Broadcasting
AfricaMagic: Africa Channel for Africans
In 2003, just months after the very first Big Brother Africa production revolutionized reality television, pioneering a new experience for TV audiences across the continent, M-Net launched another initiative, one destined to change both the company’s legacy and its future forever.
On December 1, the AfricaMagic channel was born on DStv!
Envisioned as a dedicated channel made in Africa, for Africans by Africans, the very first of its kind, the channel quickly caught the attention of viewers in East, West and Central Africa from the moment it went live.
First designed as a 6-hour channel, the enormous demand for the homegrown content it offered saw the channel develop at a rapid rate, exceeding all the expectations of its creators.
It continued, unstoppable, to expand both its screening hours and its footprint with Southern African audiences gaining access to the channel just three months later. And when AfricaMagic was launched in South Africa in July 2004, the move brought its proudly African programming to an impressive 41 countries.
With the dynamic heart of African filmmaking, Nollywood, producing dozens of titles monthly and with an already comprehensive library of movies waiting to be showcased, AfricaMagic was perfectly positioned to take these properties to wider African audiences who were just awakening to the power of Nollywood’s frenetic production schedule and its rising stars.
Timing, strategy and the age-old principle of supply and demand coincided almost immediately and a new brand began rising to prominence.
Five years later, having established one of the fast-growing and most recognizable names in Africa, the channel opened another chapter in its story, exploring a new opportunity. In June 2008, the AfricaMagic Plus channel made its debut on DStv. Packaging programming from East and Southern Africa, the channel joined its successful sister in quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
But the story was just gaining momentum. In March 2010, AfricaMagic grew once more and, once again, the brand made history.
This time, M-Net simultaneously launched not one but two dedicated AfricaMagic channels in the languages of two of Nigeria’s largest communities.
AfricaMagic Hausa and Yoruba debuted on DStv channels 117 and 118 respectively, each running 12 hours daily. With sub-titles available in English, the channels were also seen throughout East, West and Central Africa.
They too quickly became popular to audiences who had long desired a dedicated television destination in the languages of their homes.
Then, little over a year later with two English language channels and two African language channels screening African programs to the continent’s increasingly enthusiastic audiences,
M-Net moved forward again, this time focusing on one of Africa’s oldest and most beautiful languages.
Launched to widespread commercial and critical acclaim, AfricaMagic Swahili made its appearance on DStv channel 127 on the 1st of July 2011. Broadcast to a range of Swahili speaking countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and the DRC, AfricaMagic Swahili continues to grow its fan base as audiences embrace both its line-up and its message of keeping Africa’s powerful languages alive.
Having launched 5 channels in just 8 years, which are now seen in 47 countries on the continent, in 4 different languages, it would be hard to dispute that the AfricaMagic brand has developed into one of the most innovative television brands in Africa.
Now its challenge and the challenge to M-Net, the company that dreamed it into existence, is to evolve AfricaMagic so that it continues to reflect the identity of the viewers who show their appreciation by tuning in daily, the producers who support it with their compelling work and of course, the Afro-hip generation who adore it for being so true to what they want Africa to be bold, fresh and forward-thinking; proud of its past, excited by the possibilities of tomorrow.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, simply known as Fela, legendary Nigerian musician, has made history as the first African artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Fela
This is coming after he was posthumously honored with the 2026 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first African artist to receive this prestigious special merit recognition.
Fela will be honoured in the early influence category this year, along with Queen Latifah, rapper MC Lyte, country rocker Gram Parsons, and Cuban singer Celia Cruz at this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event.
The honorees were revealed on Monday night in the US, during an airing of American Idol.
Sade Adu, Nigerian-born British singer, will be honoured in the performance category.
However, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, New Edition, and Pink, missed out on the final cut despite being nominated.
Over 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals voted to decide the honorees.
The induction ceremony will be held on 14 November at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is set to launch so-called FreeTV, with over 100 channels for news, sports, education, entertainment and children’s programming in multiple Nigerian languages.
The launch is scheduled for May 15.
Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC, who disclosed this, said the new platform will offer free-to-air access with no carriage fees, leveraging hybrid satellite and internet delivery via NigComSat-1R.
The new plan is not an upgrade, the NBC stressed. This is a rebuild, according to Ebuebu .
FreeTV will be true free-to-air – no encryption, no set-top box barrier.
Any DVB-T2/S2 television will work. A mobile app will extend reach to phones and tablets.
The platform will launch with over 100 national, regional and state channels across sports, news, children’s programming, education, entertainment and cultural content in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Tiv, Ijaw, Edo, Fulfulde, Ibibio, Efik and Nupe – all in HD.
Crucially, the NBC has partnered with a Bulgarian firm, GARB (operating since 2006 and recognised by the European Broadcast Union), to deliver a 94 per cent-accurate audience measurement system using return-path data, app analytics, demographic panels, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
To qualify broadcasters, must commit their channels, produce a minimum of 60 per cent local content, and promote FreeTV until January 2029.
After that, a regulated tiered rate card takes effect.
According to NBC, the strategic rationale is simple: build viewers first, monetise later.
The document further revealed that six regional production hubs in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano and Benin would function as local content factories, expected to generate 500 to 1,000 jobs per zone within two years.
Popular Nigerian artist Adekunle Gold has lent his support to the growing youth-driven movement behind The Gathering on 100, further amplifying conversations around what is fast becoming one of the most talked-about upcoming experiences among young Nigerians.
Adekunle Gold
Known for his music and his strong connection with youth culture and evolving creative expression, Adekunle Gold’s involvement signals a deeper alignment between the event and the kind of audience it is attracting, a generation that is bold, expressive, and constantly redefining what community looks like.
While details of his involvement remain understated, his visible support adds a new layer of support and cultural relevance to the movement. In a landscape where attention is currency, endorsements from artists of his stature often act as a signal, drawing more eyes, more curiosity, and ultimately, more participation, but beyond visibility, the significance lies in what it represents.
The new father has, over the years, built a reputation for embracing creativity in its many forms, from music to visual storytelling, fashion, and digital engagement. His brand has consistently resonated with young Nigerians navigating similar spaces of self-expression and identity.
From interactive experiences like live music sessions and open performance moments to fashion runways and content creation spaces, the event is designed to blur the lines between audience and participant. It invites attendees to move beyond observation and become part of the moment.
This is a concept that closely mirrors the kind of cultural shift Adekunle Gold has been part of, one where boundaries between creator and consumer continue to dissolve.
His support also reflects a broader trend within Nigeria’s entertainment industry, where artists are increasingly engaging with youth-led initiatives that go beyond traditional performances. Rather than simply appearing on stage, they are aligning with movements that foster community, creativity, and shared experience.
For fans and attendees, this adds another dimension to what The Gathering on 100 represents.
As registrations increase and conversations expand across social platforms, the movement is gradually taking shape through the collective interest of those drawn to it.
Head to gathering.com to register.
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