MultiChoice vows to back industry

Pay TV outfit MultiChoice Group has promised to support the local entertainment industry through this tumultuous time of the coronavirus pandemic.

Calvo Mawela, CEO of MultiChoice, noted that as a result of the challenges faced by partners in the industry as well as challenges brought about by the pandemic with various sectors across the continent trying to adjust and find ways to deal with them, MultiChoice has decided to implement several measures, aimed at safeguarding the incomes of cast, crew, and creatives as well as the sustainability of production houses so as to steer the industry through this pandemic period.

He added that the company had set aside R80m to ensure that current productions are able to pay full salaries of cast, crew and creatives for the months of March and April, so as to keep the industry vibrant.

“We believe this to be critical for the industry and in our view this is simply the right thing to do. Our main concern is to ensure as much as possible that we secure the incomes of creatives, cast and crew over this period. We want to ensure that they and their families are not negatively impacted as work has come to a standstill,” said Mawela.

Furthermore, the group has committed to guarantee the incomes of freelancers in SuperSport productions, who are currently unable to work due to the suspension of sports and the national lockdown.

tagged in: Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group