Africa’s Greatest Storyteller Doubles Down On African Content

Africa has a young and diverse population, spanning 54 countries, with over 3,000 languages and even more ethnic tribes, serving as a great source of inspiration for rich storytelling. Local audiences want to see themselves on screen. It’s something we’ve seen play out again and again, all around the world, and it’s certainly true here on our home continent.

MultiChoice remains the largest producer of original content on the African continent.

“In the last year, we produced 6,502 hours of local content, taking our collective local content library total to 84,871 hours. The MultiChoice platform hosts over 30 proprietary, dedicated local content channels across 10 markets,” explains Nomsa Philiso, CEO: General Entertainment at MultiChoice Group, speaking at the opening of MIP Africa, hosted in Cape Town from September 1-7, 2024.

The MultiChoice Group has 39 years – and counting – of video entertainment industry experience and market leadership; a unique understanding of the African continent, customers’ entertainment preferences in different markets, as well as their broader consumer needs and deep experience in critical operational fields such as content licensing, production, packaging and distribution, advertising sales, as well as in regulation and administrative fields such as taxation.

“Africa is a challenging market because of those differences. We’ve faced every challenge you can imagine, and a few more you probably can’t, and have had to be creative innovators at every hurdle,” says Philiso.

“We have had to be as tenacious as the people we serve, who get up every day to make ends meet amid very challenging macroeconomic conditions. Their commitment inspires us to remain deeply committed to unearthing opportunities in Africa”.

Philiso says that the differences between us also make it near-impossible to speak about a unified Africa market – nor should we.

“Our stats show clearly that Nigerians are watching Nigerian content, Kenyans Kenyan content, and South Africans their own content, with little overlap. That said, there are exceptions, like Big Brother Naija and The Real Housewives of Lagos and Nairobi, but they’re few and far between – and that’s evidence that our hyper-local focus on content is working. MultiChoice is deeply rooted in the communities in which we operate. Our entertainment speaks to people in their own languages and tells stories in which their own lives are reflected.”

“It’s important to us to never forget that our reason for being is to make beautiful stories for very different Africans, in our indigenous languages and set in our diverse communities,” says Philiso.

“When we start by looking for what is most personal, we find the things that are most universal, but it doesn’t work as well the other way around. When we start asking, ‘How do we make a show for the whole world?’ it’s easy to start to over-explain, or over-simplify, or start to cheat geography and casting and accents.”

Philiso believes that the more content is made for communities, the greater the increase in investment interest and better-quality content – which will inevitably travel further and further around the world.

“Expanding our focus on local channels, we launched Afia TV in the Nigerian Igbo language and Maningue Magic in Mozambique, along with Maaddii Abol in East Africa featuring content in the Oromo language, the fourth most widely spoken African language,” she says.

Nigeria is the country of honor at MIP Africa this year, and Africa Magic has played a significant role in MultiChoice’s transformation, producing over 25,000 hours of authentic Nigerian content. As Africa Magic celebrates its 21st anniversary, its impact is evident in how African storytelling continues to inspire, connect, and drive progress across the continent.

“We’ve had arguably our best year ever for content – the heart of what we do. We’ve seen shows like Shaka iLembe, Sibongile & The Dlaminis, Outlaws, The Mommy Club and Adulting set viewing records on their respective launch platforms – with Shaka iLembe seeing more than four million views on its premiere episode and becoming the most searched TV series on Google in South Africa,” says Philiso.

“We’ve also seen increased international recognition, with productions like Spinners, surpassing our expectation and becoming the first African series at Canneseries and winning at the Shanghai TV Festival’s Magnolia Awards, amongst a growing list of awards it continues to win. Catch Me A Killer became the first African series to feature at Series Mania, Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story won at Tribeca, Two Sides was nominated at the International Emmys and Wyfie was nominated for ‘Best TV Series’ at Seoul and the Global Production Awards, presented by Screen International in Cannes.”

MultiChoice aired three successful co-productions on linear, namely Reyka season 2, Devil’s Peak and White Lies, which were produced in collaboration with international partners at Fremantle, Canal +, and Abacus Distribution and BBC Studios-owned Lookout Point. Devil’s Peak, the crime thriller based on the best-selling 2004 novel by Deon Meyer, continues to garner international attention. The series was sold to Fox’s Tubi video-on-demand platform for exclusive streaming in the U.S. and Canada in January 2024. White Lies is an eight-part drama co-produced by M-Net, Quizzical Pictures and Fremantle, starring award-winning actress Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games, Picnic at Hanging Rock) and Brendon Daniels (Four Corners, Skemerdans, Trackers).

MultiChoice continues to work alongside international partners including Fremantle to STUDIOCANAL to take African stories to the world, and co-producing with the likes of Banijay, the BBC, CANAL+, HBO and NBCUniversal.

“You can now see MultiChoice content all around the world,” says Philiso.

“Spinners made it to #6 on the CANAL+ charts in France during its primetime run there. Reyka is licensed to over 150 territories; Recipes for Love and Murder to over 90; Whites Lies to the likes of Sundance Now; Catch Me A Killer to the likes of Britbox; and The Real Housewives of Durban to the likes of Hayu, Bravo and Peacock,” Philiso adds. “As it stands, as MultiChoice, we have over 84,000 hours of local content to showcase on the world stage.”

Through initiatives like the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs), the African film industry has seen significant growth, investing ₦9 billion in the sector over the past decade. The AMVCAs have elevated African film standards, gained international recognition, and fostered talent.

The MultiChoice Talent Factory is a continent-wide skills-development initiative that has also helped foster talent. We have academies in Lagos, Johannesburg and Nairobi offering training, masterclasses and industry network sessions. We are upskilling young filmmakers and empowering them to direct their love for production and filmmaking into our industry. Talent Factory graduates are now playing key roles across the industry – like Nandisa Mkhize, the head writer on Showmax’s hit teen telenovela Youngins. 

“Where others dip a toe, white label a platform, test a business case, make a splash and then disappear without a trace, MultiChoice has always been – and we will remain,” says Philiso. “Africa is not our side hustle.”