All posts by Gary

Cameras roll on Odubawo film Àjaga

Adenike Odubawo and Femi Jacobs

Nollywood film producer Adenike Odubawo has announced the start of production on her new movie titled Àjaga.

Àjaga – meaning ‘yoke’ in Yoruba – is being produced by Odubawo herself and directed by Remi Ibinola. The film stars Femi Jacobs, Tope Olowoniyan, Carol King, Jaiye Kuti, Tomiwa Sage and Lola Smart.

It is about women, faith and abuse and, according to Jacobs, the movie will be better appreciated by women.

He said: “Churching is very familiar to Nigerians. But I think women generally, and especially younger women in the general society and the church specifically, would love to see this film, especially since we have had a number of opportunities to take a closer look at what’s happening to our women in those religious corridors. Women make up about 70% of church people, although it’s the men who populate the leadership.

“The best time to have told this story was two decades ago. I decided to tell it now because no one has ever told this very version. I am telling it now because I can afford to tell it now. This is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

“If you know me you’d know I’m perpetually bursting with energy, always testing new waters. Filmmaking is something I have always wanted to do and getting that done on the year my mum passed on to glory makes it very remarkable.

“2023 is the year I felt two strong emotions and exact same proportion. Extreme sadness when I lost my mum and unexplainable joy getting to film a story like Àjaga.”

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Nomsa Chabeli named group CEO of SABC

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has appointed Nomsa Chabeli as group CEO.

Nomsa Chabeli

Chabeli’s career includes a stint as general manager of marketing at mobile operator MTN, head of marketing at MultiChoice and marketing director at the SuperSport channel and the DStv platform. She has an MBA from the Henley Business School in the UK.

According to SABC, she will now spearhead the strategic vision and operational excellence across the entire group – comprising eight TV channels and 19 radio stations – and will take up the position from March 1 next year.

Her appointment comes after former group CEO Madoda Mxakwe left amid the loss-making public broadcaster’s turnaround plan in June as it struggled with declining audiences due to digitisation. Nada Wotshela was appointed as his replacement on an interim basis.

“This organisation holds a rich legacy of public service through broadcasting, and I am committed to advancing its mission and intensifying efforts to significantly improve revenue generation and lay the foundation for enduring success,” said Chabeli.

“Faced with the challenges of a rapidly evolving digital landscape, together we will embrace innovation, foster meaningful connections and ensure that our content continues to inspire, inform and resonate with diverse audiences in this dynamic landscape.”

Ranaka to host talkshow Sip & Talk

Dineo Ranaka

South African radio personality and television presenter Dineo Ranaka (Dineo’s Diary) has been named as the host of a new Sunday night talkshow called Sip & Talk.

Ranaka will host DJ Sbu, Celeste Ntuli, Khabonina Qubeka, Mona Monyane and other celebrities as they share stories of public trials and tribulations, from heartbreak to recovery on MultiChoice-owned channel Mzansi Magic.

Sip & Talk will shed light on the human struggles these celebrities have endured in the public eye and will provide an in-depth exploration of the issues that frequently surface in our social dialogues.

Episodes will also feature Simphiwe Ngema, Kayise Ngqula, Ayanda Ncwane, TK Sebothoma, Reason and Nozuko Ncayiyane Ntshangase as they discuss public grief, the pursuit of mental wellness and stories of resilience and reinvention.

Sip & Talk will premiere on Mzansi Magic, via satellite platform DStv, on November 26 at 21.00. Episodes will also be available on OTT service DStv Stream.

Amazon, ARD board The Morning After

Amazon’s Prime Video and German broadcaster ARD have boarded forthcoming South Africa-set comedy drama The Morning After.

Amara Okereke

Created by Thierry Cassuto and Karen Jeynes, the series is produced by Paris-based Paradoxal and Cape Town-based Both Worlds Pictures. It is the latest project under the two prodcos’ production agreement and follows Recipes for Love & Murder.

FabFiction, the international coproduction initiative from ARD’s SWR, is on board to coproduce the eight-part series, which will premiere in sub-Saharan Africa on Prime Video and in Germany on ARD’s streaming service Mediatek.

The Morning After stars British actress Amara Okereke (In The Lost Lands, Red Rose) as an aspiring singer who gets adopted by a group of local young misfits after she washes up 6,000 miles from home, alone and naked on a Cape Town beach, with all of her possessions missing and a story that’s clearly got a few holes.

The series also stars Tarryn Wyngaard (Devil’s Peak, The Watch), Gaosi Raditholo (Warrior, The River), Carmen Pretorius (Lien se Lankstaanskoene, Table Manners), Danica Jones (Asinamali, Aya), Richard Gau (Prime, Aya) and Khaya Dladla (House of Zwide).

Filmed entirely around Cape Town, The Morning After is directed by Cindy Lee (Girls of St Agnes, Desert Rose) and Jeynes (Recipes for Love & Murder). Executive producers are Paradoxal’s president Rémy Jacquelin and Both Worlds Pictures’ directors Jeynes, Thierry Cassuto and Thato Cassuto.

Paris-based Paradoxal is handling international sales.

Toke Makinwa takes helm of tourism film

Nigerian radio personality, television host and presenter Toke Makinwa is set to executive produce global tourism film 180 Nigeria.

Toke Makinwa

The film will showcase the captivating beauty of Nigeria to a global audience and shed light on grassroots charities and the individuals who selflessly dedicate their lives to making the world a better place for others.

Made in collaboration with Pinnaclemena Media Nigeria, Oxygen and the Temple Company, 180 Nigeria is produced by Bunmi Ajakaiye and the co-executive producer is HRH Prince Adesegun Oniru.

“Nervous. Excited. Scared. I cannot begin to describe how I have been feeling but if you know me, you know that I embrace my fears. 180 Nigeria the movie is coming soon. It is my first time as an executive producer guys. I’m super-excited to share this journey with you all,” said Makinwa.

180 Nigeria is set for release next year.

Prime Video Nigeria seeks unscripted

Amazon’s Prime Video in Nigeria is looking for talent-led unscripted shows and formats as it continues to build out its nascent originals strategy in the country, according to Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu.

Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu

Speaking on a panel at Mipcom this week, the head of Nigerian originals for Prime Video, Amazon Studios, said that given how advanced the Nollywood scripted production sector is, unscripted likely presents the largest growth area.

“The biggest opportunity for us is really in unscripted,” she said. “The most important thing is being able to tell the stories the local talent wants to tell in the way they want to tell them. And being able to add extra value and help with production values with those technical things that will super-size Nollywood and Nigeria to the world. I think the time is now.”

Mba-Uzoukwu added that she is on the hunt for “new, groundbreaking, simple, relatable unscripted content” that is “localised for Nigeria, unique to Nigeria or can be adapted for Nigeria.” The content must also “help us see a bit more about who Nigerians are and not some of the stereotypes that exist.”

Among the new unscripted titles coming out of Nigeria is Ebuka Turns Up Africa, produced by Rapid Blue Productions Nigeria. The show follows Nigerian star Ebuka Obi-Uchendu as he and a group of friends travel across Africa and take part in adrenaline-fueled activities.

While Amazon is looking for new unscripted projects, scripted remains an area of interest for Prime Video in Nigeria following the success of crime drama feature Gangs of Lagos.

Mba-Uzoukwu was speaking alongside Ned Mitchell, head of African and Middle East originals, Amazon MGM Studios, who has been spearheading the strategy on the continent for the past couple of years.

To date, Prime Video has focused its African strategy on Nigeria and South Africa. Mitchell touted the tech giant’s “long-term commitment” to the market and said the plan is to expand into other African countries in the future. He wouldn’t, however, be drawn on which additional African markets Amazon is looking to develop and produce originals in.

“Africa is so huge; we wouldn’t dare paint it with a single brush. It’s hundreds of languages and dialects, cultures and belief systems, so for us, Nigeria and South Africa are a great fertile place to start and to really build our home for talent,” he said.

“We’re hard at work building a pretty large slate of originals, and we also have great stuff coming into Prime Video through licensing routes as well.

“What we’re doing on the originals side to really complement that are these really big, splashy, loud scripted and unscripted series and movies that have some of the biggest stars in the country, that take this bespoke approach that we took with Ebuka Turns Up Africa, where it’s someone who has a unique insight, a unique fanbase and someone who wants to speak to the audience in a new way. Our process is slowly but surely developing that.”

Selasi, Weinstock, Fremantle prep dramedy

US-based writer and photographer Taiye Selasi has collaborated with executive producer Nicholas Weinstock, Fremantle and Known Associates Entertainment to develop a comedy-drama set in Lagos.

Taiye Selasi

Victoria Island follows the adventures of a Nigerian-American woman who returns to Lagos, newly married to an oil billionaire, and launches an event planning company with the help of her friends in the city.

Selasi, who is of Nigerian and Ghanaian heritage, will write and exec produce the series through her production company Cocoa Content; Weinstock will exec produce through his prodco Invention Studios; and Known Associates Entertainment, led by Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri, will also exec produce.

Weinstock, whose credits include Escape at Dannemora, Severance, In The Dark and The Package, has a first-look deal with global production giant Fremantle, signed in 2022.

“I always dreamed of working in film/TV — but never dared express it. Those dreams, I thought, were for kids with trust funds, family connections and/or the luxury of unpaid internships. Not for firstborn African immigrant daughters trying to repay school loans. I was wrong,” said Selasi. “Victoria Island is just the first of six series we’ve got in store.”

Selasi is the author of the book Ghana Must Go, children’s book Anansi & the Golden Pot (2022) and short stories The Sex Lives of African Girls (2011), Driver (2013), Aliens of Extraordinary Ability (2014) and Brunhilda in Love.

Africa Magic marks 20th anniversary

MultiChoice-owned channel Africa Magic is celebrating 20 years of crafting, inspiring and celebrating the magic of African storytelling.

Africa Magic, which started with just one channel in 2003, has grown to a bouquet of seven channels within the past two decades: Africa Magic Showcase, Africa Magic Urban, Africa Magic Family, Africa Magic Yoruba, Africa Magic Igbo, Africa Magic Hausa and Africa Magic Epic.

The brand has established itself as the reliable home of high-quality family entertainment in Africa, according to MultiChoice. With over 30,000 hours of original content, and an estimated one million viewers daily, Africa Magic has “elevated the business of movie production and licensing on the continent while also discovering and nurturing talents for the entertainment industry,” the pay TV group added.

Over the past 20 years, the channel has achieved milestones including commissioning original Nigerian content, reaching audiences across over 42 countries in Africa, having partnerships with Nollywood, creating the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs), introducing the first Industry Merit AMVCA, putting African fashion on the map and bringing Big Brother to Nigeria.

Other achievements include launching shows such as Nigerian Idol, Ultimate Love, The Voice, Come Play Naija, and other shows and telenovelas. It has also introduced the MultiChoice Talent Factory to support emerging filmmakers, creating over 260-episode series yearly, and investing in storytelling through the airing of indigenous channels.

In celebration, the channel has unveiled a new logo and identity colours for each of the seven Africa Magic channels.

Busola Tejumola, executive head of content and West Africa channels at MultiChoice West Africa, said: “Changes to Africa Magic channels represent the beauty, spirit, peculiarity and diversity of cultures on the African continent. As part of Africa Magic’s 20th anniversary celebrations, we are unveiling a new Africa Magic logo with unique colours for each of the seven Africa Magic channels available on DStv and GOtv.

“We have had two decades of impactful storytelling and growth with our audience at the heart of this journey. The new logo and colours of Africa Magic channels represent the tenacity, creativity, enthusiasm, warmth, harmony, happiness, inspiration and hope among the diverse cultures on the African continent. As we celebrate this milestone, Africa Magic looks forward to more decades of quality entertaining content for our esteemed audiences.

“We are delighted to offer DStv Compact and GOtv Supa+ customers this open window to the exclusive Africa Magic Showcase channel during our 20th anniversary celebrations. We understand that our customers have been a bedrock for our past and present success and, as such, they are major stakeholders in the ongoing celebration.”

Seun Arowojolu opens The Chronicles

The Chronicles

Nigerian filmmaker Seun Arowojolu’s drama series The Chronicles is set to premiere today on Wazobia Max and Wazobia TV on UHF 33, DStv 259, GOtv 128 and StarTimes 195.

The series is written, directed and produced by Arowojolu (Squatterz, Birds of a Feather) and filmed, shot and edited at Lagos-based ContentGram Studios Africa, where Arowojolu is executive creative director.

The cast includes Chioma Jennifer, Shola Johnson Victor Inyang, Isabella Joseph Emmanuel Adodo, Gloria Opara and Kingsley Bewi.

The series is about two sisters whose serene life is shattered by the death of their maternal grandmother, leaving behind not only profound memories but also a multi-billion-naira estate and the shocking revelation of a 27-year-old son.

The Chronicles is described by the producers as “not just a tale of inheritance and family ties but a riveting journey of power struggles, hidden truths and the unrelenting race for affluence.”

MNet hooks Van Rensburg’s Piranha

A novel by bestselling South African crime writer Rudie Van Rensburg is to be adapted for TV by US-based Strong Studios, Convergent Media, UK-based ForLan Films and South African broadcaster MNet.

Based on the Van Rensburg novel Piranha, Endangered will start production in early 2024 in South Africa. Strong Studios, part of Strong Global Entertainment (SGE), and Convergent Media will oversee global distribution outside Africa, while distribution in Africa will be handled by MNet and parent company MultiChoice.

The six-part series has double Bafta winner Stuart Urban (The Mystery of Suzy Lamplugh, The Secret, May I Kill U?) on board to direct and screenwriter Jake Riddell (Reyka, Grantchester, London Kills) penning the script.

The series will be produced by ForLan’s Emmy-winning producer Steve Lanning (Empire Strikes Back, Gandhi) and Jake Lanning (Pulse, Trial & Retribution) alongside Advantage Entertainment’s Vlokkie Gordon (Black Sails) plus: SGE chairman Kyle Cerminara; Strong president David Ozer and exec VP of production and development Scott Weinstock; Convergent’s Dan Reardon and Santosh Govindaraju; and MNet’s Nicola van Niekerk and Wikus du Toit.

Endangered centres on a wealthy Englishman in exile who runs an illegal syndicate smuggling endangered rhino horn, and the veteran detective who is aggressively pursuing him across South Africa. The novel Piranha was published in 2020.

“With Stuart’s vision and Jake’s dynamic screenplay, Endangered has all the facets lining up to produce a global binge-worthy hit,” said Ozer, while Reardon described the series as “a fast-moving thriller, yet grounded in important real-world issues, both of which will appeal to a broad range of international audiences.”

“Endangered represents a unique opportunity for MultiChoice to support a project that not only promises gripping storytelling but also addresses a pressing global concern. It’s a testament to the power of storytelling to make a positive impact,” added Georginah Machiridza, executive head of general entertainment for MultiChoice Group.

African writers chosen for AuthenticA lab

L-R: Tiah Beye, Wanjiru Kairu, Moreetsi Gabang and Kelly-Eve Koopman

The AuthenticA Series Lab, a development initiative based in South Africa and offered by the Realness Institute, has chosen four African screenwriters for its second edition.

The four are Senegalese scribe Tiah Beye, Kenyan writer and chair of the Kenya Scriptwriters Guild Wanjiru Kairu, Botswana’s Moreetsi Gabang and Cape Town’s Kelly-Eve Koopman.

The participants will begin their six-month mentorship journey on September 19 under script consultant Selina Ukwuoma and creative producer Mehret Mandefro, and will participate in both online sessions and in-person residencies in South Africa and Switzerland.

The Series Lab programme will conclude with a pitching session at the Series Mania Forum in Lille, France in March 2024. At the event, the participants will create a concept story pitch deck and a pilot script to present to attendees.

Mandefro said: “Providing African writers the support, time and space they need to do their best work is an important intervention in the media landscape. I look forward to working with this new cohort and their stories.”

“AuthenticA Series Lab pitches in 2023 were a great success and demonstrated the interest of the international industry in projects coming from Africa. We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with the Realness Institute for a second edition. The new cohort is of high quality and I am sure the projects will find partners in Lille,” said Laurence Herszberg, general director of Series Mania.

Animator Ayodele Elegba preps short film

Nigerian animator Ayodele Elegba, founder of Lagos Comic Con, has announced the production of a new romantic animated short film called Uniquely Me.

Uniquely Me

Elegba, who is also CEO of Lagos toon studio Spoof Animation, said Uniquely Me is an old idea he felt would be better told in 3D animation.

“I have always had stories I felt would be best communicated through 3D and now Spoof Animation is finally embracing 3D. Uniquely Me is a short film where imagination meets reality,” he said.

Described as an adventure of authenticity and empowerment, the film takes viewers on a journey to embrace their individual uniqueness and stand out in a world where everyone wants to fit into what’s trending. In a world where conformity is king, breaking free and embracing your uniqueness is a mental battle, according to Elegba.

Uniquely Me will premiere on Valentine’s Day next year. Spoof’s previous credits include Hero Corps, Soul Ties and Ajaka: Lost in Rome.

Channels TV lines up business show

Independent Nigerian broadcaster Channels TV has teamed up with Lagos production company Lighthouse Television & Filmworks for a new business competition show titled Fund It Forward.

Neil Oyenekan

The show was conceived by executive producer Zemmy Momoh, who also serves as director of corporate social responsibility and social impact programming at the broadcaster’s parent company, Channels Media Group, and Lighthouse Television & Filmworks MD Neil Oyenekan.

Its primary objective is to empower young business leaders and activate their social enterprise ideas. Oyenekan (The Justice Court) is the showrunner and Channels Media Group owns the format.

Seeking to find answers to questions surrounding impact-driven business models in Nigeria, the show will put 12 young social entrepreneurs to the test as they compete in a series of challenges designed to elevate but also evaluate their budding social enterprises. Week after week, they must balance their business acumen with their commitment to making a positive difference.

In these challenges, participants will undergo a journey mirroring the real-world phases of establishing a purpose-driven enterprise. Spanning eight rigorous elimination rounds, participants must persuade a panel of experienced judges that they possess the exceptional blend of creativity, passion and business acumen required for success.

They will compete for the opportunity to secure substantial grant funding of up to N30m (US$38,000) and mentorship from established social entrepreneurs.

Motivated Nigerians aged between 20 and 35 with early-stage social enterprise ventures and who are passionate about changing Nigeria for the better can apply for a chance to take their start-up to the next level. To register, click here.

Momoh said: “Nigeria has one of the world’s largest youth populations, with about 70% of the country’s population being under 30. Here we have a huge potential economic driver, if we can just tap into the entrepreneurial and problem-solving spirit that is so evident in young Nigerians.

“Channels Media Group has social impact and empowerment in its very DNA, so we wanted to play our part in motivating the youth in an entertaining but informative way. We thought why not give young, mission-driven entrepreneurs a real helping hand and educate and inspire our viewers on the ins and outs of socially motivated business at the same time?”

“Fund It Forward is an interesting twist on business TV formats,” added Oyenekan. “I do feel quite proud of this new creation.”

The show will premiere on Channels TV in October.

ITV2 heads to SA for Love Island spin-off

Love Island

ITV2 in the UK has commissioned reality spin-off Love Island: All Stars, which will see former contestants return to South Africa for a second chance at finding romance.

Produced by Lifted Entertainment, part of ITV Studios, and GroupM Motion Entertainment, the series is scheduled to debut in early 2024 and will also be carried on streaming platform ITVX.

The format sees old favourites from the dating show couple up and try to avoid being dumped from the island.

Relationships will be put to test as the singletons try to win the hearts of each other and the viewing public, with only one pair being crowned winners.

Love Island has become a reality juggernaut for commercial pubcaster ITV, amassing over 300 million streams alone on ITVX this year.

The launch episode of this year’s series attracted around three million viewers across all devices, with the final the most watched programme for 16- to 34-year-olds.

The format is co-owned by distributors ITV Studios and GroupM Motion Entertainment, whose head of formats and entertainment is Martin Oxley. It has been commissioned in 27 territories including the US, Greece and Germany.

Paul Mortimer, director of reality commissioning & acquisitions and controller ITV2, ItvBe said: “After 10 ratings busting seasons of Love Island on ITV2, we’re delighted to be able to celebrate a decade of the number one dating show on television with the first-ever series of Love Island: All Stars.

“I know the audience will welcome back some of the most iconic UK Islanders, as they set out in pursuit of love all over again in a brand-new version of our worldwide hit.”

Showmax lines up Real Housewives S2

The Real Housewives of Lagos

African SVoD service Showmax has announced another season of the Nigerian version of NBCUniversal’s format The Real Housewives.

The Real Housewives of Lagos gives an insight into the opulent and glamourous lives of some of the most affluent women in Lagos. Season one featured Laura Ikeji, Carolyna Hutchings, Mariam Timmer and Iyabo Ojo, and fashionistas Chioma Ikokwu and Toyin Lawani-Adebayo.

The new season will also introduce two new cast members, namely Nigerian model and entrepreneur Tania Omotayo and Faith Morey, a US-based Nigerian supermodel, designer and upcoming actress.

According to the MultiChoice-owned streaming service, the second season of the show is set to build on the success of its first, continuing to showcase opulence, drama and friendships.

“The first season attracted record-breaking viewership, clinching the title for the most first-day views on Showmax in Nigeria and dominated Twitter (now X) trends in Nigeria, South Africa and the UK.

Each cast member also trended in Nigeria, bolstered by an official Twitter event and a spotlighted recap on Twitter Space by the Twitter TV account, which further propelled its reach to global fans.

“With the inclusion of the new Housewives and the promise of more luxury and drama, S2 is expected to match this success,” stated the streamer.

The Real Housewives format is produced by Livespot 360 and shopped internationally by NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Other versions of the reality format have been produced in other African cities such as Johannesburg, Durban, Nairobi, Abuja, Gqeberha, Cape Town, Pretoria and the Winelands of South Africa.

CAF, New World TV sign media rights pact

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and pan-African broadcaster New World TV have agreed a media rights deal covering free-to-air and pay TV in English and local languages in sub-Saharan territories.

Dr Patrice Motsepe

New World TV has previously secured significant sports rights, including the Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar on pay TV across sub-Saharan Africa.

The new agreement, which covers CAF’s events and competitions until 2025, includes the rights to the upcoming TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire, which presents an opportunity for African football to reach new audiences on the continent and globally.

It will also lead to substantial investments by CAF in television production and increased financial support for football development in Africa.

CAF president Dr Patrice Motsepe said: “The media rights agreement with New World TV is the biggest investment by a pan-African broadcaster in CAF’s history. We are very proud to partner with such a globally competitive and innovative broadcasting company, which has adapted quickly to the changing demands and viewing patterns of the modern football audience. New World TV is also introducing new ways of consuming video content through its strong partnerships with various mobile operators and its television networks.”

Nimonka Kolani, managing director of New World TV Group, said: “New World TV pays special attention to ensuring that all Africans can access their competitions at an affordable price. We are delighted that CAF trusts us, and this opportunity to be the gatekeeper of their rights will allow us to strengthen the relationship with the public through these unique events organised by CAF, the attractiveness of which is becoming more and more important.”

CBS lines up Bob Hearts Abishola S5

Bob hearts Abishola

US broadcast network CBS has ordered a fifth and final season of TV comedy series Bob Hearts Abishola, which is set to premiere on February 12 next year.

The show is written by Emmy winner Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two & a Half Men) and produced by Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros Television. It debuted on CBS in September 2019 and is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros Television Distribution.

The sitcom is a love story about a middle-aged businessman from Detroit who unexpectedly falls for his cardiac nurse, a Nigerian immigrant, while recovering from a heart attack and sets his sights on winning her over.

Undaunted by Abishola’s lack of initial interest or the vast differences in their backgrounds, Bob is determined to win Abishola’s heart, in this comedic examination of immigrant life in America.

The cast includes Nigerian actress Folake Olowofoyeku, Christine Ebersole, Matt Jones, Maribeth Monroe, Vernee Watson, Shola Adewusi and Barry Shabaka Henley.

Olowofoyeku took to Instagram to announce the final season. “Five seasons of leading a historic and groundbreaking primetime show. To think I’d move from Nigerian to America, as a teenager, on my own, to accomplish this! Wow; just wow!

“Breaking ground as a first with the legend Chuck Lorre! With CBS TV, Warner Bros TV, with my Bob Abishola family. Through a pandemic, through a strike, we kept rolling! Oh, what a ride! Season five, our final season, is going to be epic.”

Showmax orders Collective Media doc duo

African streamer Showmax has ordered two documentary series from factual production company Collective Media Group (CMG) exploring shocking stories related to sport.

Claire McArdle

Death Before Glory (working title) is made up of three 90-minute episodes focusing on serious crimes in sports, while the three-part series Foul Play (wt) delves into cases of scams and fakery.

Rooted in a number of African countries, including Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa, CMG said the stories address broader global issues, spanning the treatment of young footballers, the dynamics between coaches and athletes and questions surrounding gender violence in sports.

Both series have been developed by CMG’s Poppy Taylor and Arianna Perretta, who will also series produce, while Claire McArdle and Rebecca Knight will executive produce for CMG.

Allan Sperling, executive head of content at Showmax, commissioned both series, which are being distributed internationally by CMG.

It comes just over a week after the MultiChoice Group-owned streamer announced it would relaunch in February 2024 in partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky, with a new app powered by Peacock.

Showmax was launched in 2015 and is available in more than 40 markets across the continent. It offers original African content, international series, movies, documentaries and kids’ shows.

Founded by former ViacomCBS International senior execs McArdle and Knight, CMG works across the full range of premium factual output, with a particular focus on storytelling around sport.

Since launching in September 2021, CMG has built a range of high-profile projects across sport and factual. Its first feature, Brazil 2002: The Real Story, was followed by The Footballer, His Wife & the Crash, and two series of Air Warriors for the Smithsonian Channel.

In September, CMG produced the opening and closing ceremonies of The Ryder Cup in Rome, and its latest feature, The Footballer Fraudster, was released on ITVX in November.

McArdle, co-CEO at CMG, said: “The intersection of sport and true crime is a space we know well following our award-winning documentary The Footballer, His Wife & the Crash and recent ITVX feature The Footballer Fraudster. We’re delighted to be bringing the experience of members of the teams from both of those films to these series with Showmax.”

Nigerian legal drama Agu to debut

Agu

AMVCA-winning director Anis Halloway (Unmarried, Truth, Hustle) is behind Agu (6×60’), a new legal drama from Nigeria debuting next month.

Streaming platform Showmax, which is jointly owned by South Africa’s MultiChoice Group and US cable giant Comcast, has revealed the premiere of the series will be on December 14, with episodes dropping weekly.

The six-part series explores the lives of three key characters as they find themselves entangled in a court case for murder.

The narrative depicts the complex dynamics of an estranged father and his daughter facing off on opposing sides of the law in the wake of a murder.

The storyline unfolds with family secrets, ancient spells and the pursuit of justice, raising intriguing questions about whether witchcraft can find a place in the court of law.

It stars Mofe Duncan, Ireti Doyle, Linda Ejiofor, Ego Nwosu, Vine Olugu and former Big Brother housemate Miracle.

African TV execs head to Content London

Cocktail hour at Content London 2022

African programming will be in focus at the upcoming Content London development market and conference, organised by Content Nigeria’s parent company C21Media and taking place at the end of this month.

Content London, now in its 11th year, is the biggest programming development event in the industry calendar and sees more than 3,000 industry executives at one event, networking and agreeing coproduction deals for new programming. This year the event takes place between November 27 and 30 in the UK capital.

One of the key sessions on the Wednesday is titled Producing & Coproducing with Africa and includes executives from MultiChoice, Canal+ International, AfricaXP, Known Associates Entertainment and Good Karma Fiction discussing issues and opportunities around coproductions with African partners.

Elsewhere at the event, Hot Properties, the Content London strand that aims to lift the lid on exciting new scripted shows about to hit the market, has included a number of African projects to showcase to potential buyers.

Three projects set in Africa are in the Hot Properties: Africa mix. The first is Quizzical Pictures and Fremantle’s White Lies, an eight-part crime thriller set in Cape Town starring Natalie Dormer, greenlit by South African channel M-Net. Dormer plays a journalist who investigates the murder of her estranged brother in Cape Town but finds herself at loggerheads with a veteran detective played by Brendon Daniels (Four Corners).

Content London venue The Lighterman

Next up is Johannesburg-based Ochre Moving Pictures and Red Arrow Studios International’s Soon Comes Night, a 6×60’ gritty post-Apartheid crime drama for SABC and for which Netflix has African rights. It follows a liberation hero turned heist king and a broken Apartheid cop seeking redemption who find their lives interlocked.

The third project is Cape Town-based Both Worlds Pictures’ The Morning After, produced in association with Paris-based Paradoxal , Amazon Studios and SWR Fernsehen for ARD FabFiction. The show will premiere in sub-Saharan Africa on Prime Video and in Germany on ARD’s streaming service Mediatek.

The Morning After stars British actress Amara Okereke (In The Lost Lands, Red Rose) as an aspiring singer who gets adopted by a group of local young misfits after she washes up 6,000 miles from home, alone and naked on a Cape Town beach, with all of her possessions missing and a story that’s clearly got a few holes.

The Hot Properties: Africa session will shine a light on the three upcoming African dramas expected to have an impact on the international market over the next 18 months. Delegates will hear how the series were created, developed, packaged and sold from those closest to the project.

Also during Content London, the much-anticipated annual Drama Series Pitch – which sees writers and producers pitching new drama projects to a panel of judges in the hope of winning development finance – will include two African projects.

Gloria is from Blackverse Studios of Nigeria and is a political drama series set in Nigeria during the 1980s. It follows the eponymous protagonist, who is arrested for smuggling drugs from Africa to London, then dies in jail in suspicious circumstances. The seven-part series is set in Lagos, London and Colombia, and is estimated to cost US$2.5m.

Boy Under Water, meanwhile, is from Nagvlug Films of South Africa. In this crime thriller, a small-town community closes ranks when the lifeless body of a black teenage boy washes up in an affluent white resort. With an estimated total budget of €3.8m for the series, Nagvlug Films is seeking around 50% of that to close the finance, as well as a global distribution partner.

More information on the Content London event can be found here.