From Stand Up Zambia to Catwalk Kenya, from Idols to Living It, from Big Brother Africa 2 to Big Brother Africa 3. In the past 6 months M-Net has proudly continued to honor its African roots, investing heavily in African TV production.
Now there’s more. From June this year, DStv viewers will get greater African programming when M-Net launches its newest channel AfricaMagic Plus.
Focused on programming from East and Southern Africa, the launch of AfricaMagic Plus follows the success of the first AfricaMagic channel, which is and will continue to be primarily focused on content from West Africa; especially Nigeria which is the hub of the home video industry.
AfricaMagic launched in 2003 and since then, the channel has quickly become a buzzword on the continent. It’s widely popular with DStv audiences for its mix of African movies, series, talk-shows and specials, all made in Africa for Africa.
The result has been a growing audience demand that will be met with the start of AfricaMagic Plus.
Already the channel’s first month line-up is packed full with content from Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, encompassing everything from comedy and drama to romance and adventure.
For M-Net’s Joseph Hundah, director of operations for sub-Saharan Africa, AfricaMagic Plus symbolizes growth and action.
"AfricaMagic was the very first channel of its kind anywhere on the continent and it has proven, every day since it began, that African audiences embrace African stories. With Africamagic Plus, we aim to partner with producers in East and Southern Africa and to offer an additional African focused channel."
Welcoming the launch of the new channel was Eben Greyling, MultiChoice Africa chief executive officer who said, "DStv is truly the home for African channels and original African content and we will continue to grow in quantity and depth of programming to service our subscribers in Africa."
Meanwhile, Hamida Suliman, head M-Net’s AfricaMagic division, is also excited about the new channel and the year ahead.
"AfricaMagic Plus has given us a new opportunity to showcase even more African talent. Our homegrown stars, our imaginative directors and our enterprising producers should be celebrated and this channel will allow us to do this, on a bigger scale."
Suliman goes on to encourage filmmakers and producers to send their work to AfricaMagic Plus.
"We are always on the lookout for relevant content and we welcome anyone who wants to make a submission. If you have content that you think is suitable, please do send it to us so we can view it and make a decision on whether to acquire it. You can contact us via on our website www.mnetafrica.com/africamagic."
According to additional information from Segun Fayose of MultiChoice Nigeria, Africamagic Plus will include a special ‘Bollywood’ slot on Sundays at 05:00 pm to test African demand for TV content made in India.
First and foremost though, Africamagic Plus will be focused on African content and will be available on DStv channel 115.