MultiChoice continues to be the biggest funder of local content in Africa and produced 6 028 hours of local content in the last financial year, with its local content library now comprising close to 70 000 hours of the best in African continental content.

“Our customers want to see more local stories and we have 45 local content channels and counting on DStv across the continentt to meet this demand. As we continue to roll our content out across Africa, we also strengthen our relationships with global co-production partners to continue to expand our repertoire,” says Nomsa Philiso, recently appointed CEO General Entertainment at MultiChoice Group. 

MultiChoice’s premiere South African video entertainment brands, Mzansi MagickykNet and M-Net will offer an array of exciting shows to keep customers entertained and informed.

M-Net

M-Net is the flagship channel for DStv Premium and broadcasts general entertainment such as first-run international TV series, local versions of the biggest international franchises, international co-productions as well as premiere movies, documentaries, and music specials. M-Net Channel 101 partners with the best service providers and studios to produce and acquire the most thrilling and informative entertainment. 

After the success of local shows like ReykaTrackers and Recipes for Love & Murder, M-Net will deliver no fewer than five more international co-productions in the next 18 months – including Devil’s Peak, an adaptation of the hit novel by Deon Meyer.

The crime thriller series stars a South African cast of celebrated names as well as up-and-comers and is produced by Lookout Point and Expanded Media Productions in association with MultiChoice Studios and BBC Studios Distribution. It will premiere on M-Net Channel 101 in 2023.

Based on Deon Meyer’s acclaimed 2004 bestseller, which is the first in the Detective Benny Griessel novels, Devil’s Peak is a multi-layered crime thriller set within one of the most beautiful yet divided cities on earth: Cape Town. It follows talented but broken Detective Benny Griessel, tasked with tracking down a righteous vigilante killer whose crimes are capturing the imagination of the city. Starring Hilton Pelser,Sisanda Henna, Tarryn Wyngaard, Shamilla Miller and Masasa Mbangeni and directed by multi-award-winning director Jozua Malherbe.

Also coming to M-Net is Girl, taken,a co-production with DTI and Screen Ireland. This gripping doccie tells the story of Baby Zephany Nurse, who was abducted from Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town when she was just two days old. 

Lioness is back for a second season. If you missed Season 1, it’s a thrilling South African drama where a woman – played by the inimitable Shannon Esra – is wrongly convicted of fraud and, in the process, loses her children – eight years later she is out of prison and intent on reuniting with her children and clearing her name. 

Then, there is nothing that gets family and friends together like a braai, but it’s not every day you have a Michelin star chef at the flames. The beloved chef duo: David Higgs and the multi-talented J’Something, are back for another season of My Kitchen Rules SA that started on 4 SeptemberThe show is already such a scorcher! 

Mzansi Magic

Mzansi’s Magic new mouth-watering show, Lavish, will air in November 2022 – the perfect appetizer for what the channel has in store for next year. Lavish is a suspense show that takes ordinary people, puts them in an extraordinary situation, pushing them to their limit – and then lets the chaos unfold in front of our eyes as they throw money at their problems, hoping that they go away.

Also set to premiere in November is Imboni yama Tekisi, a show which takes viewers inside South Africa’s taxi industry. The show will follow three taxi bosses as they navigate life in this challenging industry.

Looking forward to June 2023, Mzansi Magic will premiere the much-anticipated ten-part, prime-time drama Shaka Ilembe. The series will feature some of the country’s biggest stars and introduce fresh faces, destined for future success. Shaka Ilembe depicts the great kingdoms of the AmaThethwa, the AmaNdwandwe, AmaQwabe, AmaHlubi and AmaZulu, amongst others. Against this epic backdrop, we see the heroic rise of Shaka. This series was made in Africa, by Africans for Africans and global viewers.

The Real Housewives franchise has taken reality TV by storm. The South African journey started with The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, and then viewers were taken on a journey in Durban with The Real Housewives of Durban – and now fans are following the flashy and controversial lives of The Real Housewives of Cape Town

The Real Housewives of Pretoria will kick off on 13 October on kykNET with The Real Housewives of Gqeberha set to hit the screens in 2023 on Mzansi Magic. Fans of the franchise will now experience the glamour, opulence, aesthetics, and comedic drama from some of the boldest women, from different corners of the country. 

Other newcomers include Indoda, a show about the ambitions, insecurities, and insatiable appetites of men, which is set to hit screens in January. The show follows the story of Luzuko Mxenge, a wealthy shipping magnate. Luzuko has all the trappings of a success. Beautiful houses, brilliant children, a thriving career, and three wives, who love him to death… sometimes, literally.

InKhomkhulu, another first for the channel, Chief Masoso is to be executed for being impotent when his pregnant sister, Sayine concocts a plan with his wife Bongiwe to pass off her pregnancy as the latter’s to save the Chief from execution. Sayine and Bongiwe’s plan works out – with dire future consequences when the children are born and the fight for the throne escalates when the chief mysteriously dies after confronting his wife and sister about the children’s paternity. This gripping new local series will air in April.

In new show Grown Woman, Tina turns 50 years old and gets her groove back. She meets a 28-year-old investment banker, Tim, who she hits it off with and sets her off in a romantic affair with a man who is her son’s age. To hide this affair, she starts entertaining Themba from the office. Tim gives Tin her groove back, while Themba gives her the emotional support she needs. If you want to find out how Tina gets out of this conundrum, the show will air in February.

Mzansi Magic brings back some of the favourites that propelled it to its status as one of South Africa’s most loved channels. After two successful seasons, Umkhokha: The Curse returns with a third in April. Faced with the complete disintegration of a church they both love, two matriarchs from opposing factions arrange a marriage between their children Xolile and Spamandla. Xolile is found hanging from the ceiling of her bedroom. Xolile’s mother (Mamzobe) cannot bring herself to cleanse her body and the family lie that they have performed the ritual.

Favourites The Saturday Showdown; Entangled; Ingane Yam and Love Back will all be making a return to Mzansi Magic in early 2023, while South Africa’s favourite dating show, Date My Family, makes an eagerly anticipated return in November 2022 with its 10th season. 

On 1Magic, season 6 of The River continues to follow the diamond divided Dlaminis and Mokoenas.

On Mzani Wethu,Ubizo and Love Loss both return in April for their third seasons. 

Love and Loss is a docu-reality series telling the stories of widows and widowers who suffered the tragic loss of their spouse and have since encountered challenges with those left behind. In Ubizo, medium Lloyd looks to bring balance to seekers and viewers alike by fitting the missing puzzle pieces to their existence.

Debuting on Mzansi Wethu in January 2023 are two reality shows for viewers to feast on: I’m With Your Ex and Zuzu UmthwaloI’m With Your Ex is a reality show that helps people confess to their friends or loved ones that they are dating their ex.Zuzu Umthwalo is a reality show centred around the burden of ‘black tax’ on certain family members. Host Alphie helps the financially burdened family member confront the issue, in pursuit of an amicable solution.

Philiso also adds excitedly, ‘after the resounding success of Big Brother Mzansi and Big Brother Naija we are switching things up in 2023 with the first ever Big Brother Titans featuring housemates from Nigeria and South Africa. The Big Brother format is a firm favourite for our African audiences, and we are excited to innovate by bringing the two African powerhouses under one roof. Big Brother Titans will be available to all our markets on select packages across the continent and eviction shows will be simulcast across the Pan-African spread of our general entertainment.’

kykNET

kykNET has been keeping viewers glued to their screens since inception – and 2023 will be no different. The channel will continue to deliver cliff-hangers, laughter, and mystery. 

On 3 October 2022, new locally produced telenovela Diepe Waters will air on channel 144. The telenovela focuses on ex-Olympic hopeful Anja Botha who suddenly returns home after twenty years of being abroad. Anja is met with hostility from more than one person in her community and she realizes that blood is not always thicker than water. Justin Strydom, Lea Viviers, Sandi Schultz, Nadia Valvekens, Neels van Jaarsveld, Werner Coetser, Stephanie Baartman and Lizz Meiring all form part of this stellar cast that promises to deliver exciting cliff-hangers from Monday – Thursday on kykNET DStv channel 144 at 18:30

Fraksie debuts in September 2022. The cast of Fraksie is a stellar line-up that includes award-winning actors Edwin van der Walt; Marlo Minnaar; Ilse Klink; Crystal-Donna Roberts and Daneel van der Walt. 

Ushering in the new year, Marciel Hopkins returns for season 15 of Boer Soek ‘n Vrou in January 2023. Boer Soek ‘n Vrou is originally a Dutch format, and this South African version has proved to be a successful recipe for love and marriage – over the past 14 years, 28 farmers have found their soulmate. 

Not to be outdone kykNET&Kie is also starting the year with a debutant. In January 2023 new and exclusive reality show developed for the kykNET&kie from a Spanish format My ma kook beter as joune will be airing. Rapper Eraly B has been confirmed as the presenter. 

After a successful first season Wie word ‘n Miljoener? was lauded by SONY for its incredible production quality. The Afrikaans version of one of the world’s biggest game shows will be back on kykNET in January 2023. Rian van Heerden will be the host and take contestants through the 15 questions that stand between them and R1 million. In the previous season, Theunis Strydom walked away with the cheque of R500 000. Who will survive the hotseat and put their general knowledge to the ultimate test by answering 12 questions with four lifelines – and the opportunity to win R1 million?

In its commitment to continue growing the offering of kykNET&kie programming new titles will kick-off the October content slate such as Sê Jou Sê with popular HeartFM Breakfast host Aiden Thomas and Roer with funnyman Afried Adriaan cooking up a storm with celebrities. 

Ends.

About MultiChoice Group 

MultiChoice Group (MCG), which listed in the Main Board of the JSE on 27 February 2019, is one of the fastest-growing video entertainment providers globally, delivering entertainment products and services to 21.8m households across 50 countries on the African continent. Its track record of more than 30 years is reflective of a commitment to provide audiences with only the best local, sport and international content. 

MCG’s strong partnerships with distributors, installers and telecommunication companies, along with its well-established payment solutions, competitive pricing and choice of viewership packages continue to secure its place in the global market, while also providing solutions unique to the African market. Its direct-to-home (DTH), digital terrestrial television (DTT) and over-the-top (OTT) solutions enable the business to stay relevant and aligned to changing consumer habits while capturing new markets. 

Content is at the very core of the business. MCG aims to deliver quality content anywhere, anytime and on any device through a comprehensive video entertainment offering at different price points. As pioneers in African video entertainment, MCG plays an important role in making information and entertainment easily accessible to Africans. 

MCG aims to secure content rights in a manner that is cost-effective and reflective of the diversity of its audiences. Its substantial portfolio includes award-winning local content (a key differentiator in its service offering), a leading sport offering (including production capabilities) and access to international content, which is all shared on the group’s platforms: DStv, GOtv, Showmax, M-Net and SuperSport. 

MCG has superior technology capability through the security solutions that Irdeto, its technology company, brings to the group. These solutions enable MultiChoice to protect its investment, create new offerings and combat cybercrime. With 50 years’ expertise in software security, Irdeto’s software security solutions and cyber services protect over 5bn devices and applications for some of the world’s best brands. 

Related Post

Verified by MonsterInsights