Boomerang Africa, the kids’ TV channel owned by Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), is changing its name and will relaunch on 25 March.
Georginah Machiridza
From that date, the channel will be called Cartoonito Africa, with the change coming as WBD restructures its linear kids’ networks.
The rebranded channel will offer a mix of classic Boomerang shows and new titles. New content includes Batwheels, Bugs Bunny Builders and Secret Origins of the Batwheels.
Georginah Machiridza, executive head of general entertainment channels at MultiChoice, which carries the channel in Africa, said: “We’ve had a long-standing partnership with Boomerang and Warner Bros Discovery, and we’re excited to carry the rebranded channel for our audiences in Africa. We know that the new Cartoonito channel will bring our DStv customers even more value and more kids’ entertainment.”
Pay TV company MultiChoice and over-the-top streaming service WWE Network have entered into a broadcast deal making the Showmax platform the new home of WWE in Africa.
Matt Drew
All WWE premium live events, including WrestleMania and WWE Network’s vast library of original and archived programming, will be made available to stream on-demand.
The deal also means SuperSport will continue to broadcast live weekly episodes of Raw, SmackDown and NXT, as well as all of WWE’s premium live events.
Matt Drew, WWE’s senior VP for international, said: “Showmax is the market leader and a perfect home for WWE content. By delivering our premium live events, including WrestleMania, we believe this partnership will expand our audience and deliver even more to WWE fans throughout the region.”
“Adding WWE to the Showmax platform is an exciting development that we know our entertainment and sport-loving African subscribers are going to enjoy, making WWE even more accessible and affordable,” said Yolisa Phahle, CEO of MultiChoice Connected Video.
Children’s channel named Moonbug Kids has been made available in Africa via a deal with Pay TV company MultiChoice.
The education and entertainment channel features inspiring stories that expand kids’ worlds and minds, while promoting healthy values such as compassion, empathy and resilience to kids around the world, according to Moonbug.
The channel airs in English and is available to DStv customers across 45 African countries. Its shows include CoComelon, Blippi, Arpo, Supa Strikers and Little Baby Bum.
Nicolas Eglau, Moonbug EMEA and APAC MD said: “This is an incredibly significant deal for us and part of our wider strategy to roll out Moonbug Kids channels on pay TV platforms across EMEA and APAC.
“Launching a premium, advertising-free, linear channel with DStv is one key advantage of our digital-first approach. It enables us to structure the channel by applying our in-depth knowledge of children’s viewing, including when and how they engage with content.”
Georginah Machiridza, executive head of content strategy and third-party channels at MultiChoice Group added: “Digital-first content is entering traditional channels and dominating these. The quality and appeal of these shows has vastly improved over the past few years. Platforms like ours recognise these shows’ benefits in retaining viewership.”
MultiChoice-backed African streamer Showmax has renewed drama series Single Kiasi for a second season.
Due to air in 2023, the show will continue to follow the lives of three women in Nairobi – Sintamei, Mariah and Rebecca – as they deal with the challenges that marriage, relationships and their careers throw at them.
Picking up a couple of months after the season one finale that threw uncertainty over their love lives, the new season will find the central characters experiencing transformational events that will impact their friendship in unforeseen ways.
Gathoni Mutua, Minne Kariuki and Faith Kibathi are reprising their roles as leads Sintamei, Mariah and Rebecca respectively. Also returning are Michael Munyoki (A Grand Little Lie), Brian Abajah (Sincerely Daisy), Kevin Maina, Walter Bruce Opiyo, Derek Bbanga and Maggie Kiundi.
The show is made by Insignia Productions and Grace Kahaki will direct with company partner Philip Bresson.
Candle Media-owned LA- and London-based kids’ company Moonbug Entertainment is partnering with MultiChoice in Africa to launch a linear preschool channel across the sub-Saharan region next month.
Moonbug Kids will include content from across the Moonbug portfolio of IP, including CoComelon, Blippi, Gecko’s Garage, Morphle, Arpo and recent acquisitions such as Little Angel and Oddbods.
The channel is scheduled to launch in October. It will be available to all 21.7 million subscribers of the MultiChoice-owned satellite TV platform DStv across 45 African countries and will air in English.
“This an incredibly significant deal for us and part of our wider strategy to roll out Moonbug Kids channels on pay TV platforms across EMEA and APAC. We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with market leader MultiChoice Africa and look forward to sharing our content with preschoolers across Africa.” said Nicolas Eglau, MD of EMEA and APAC at Moonbug.
“We took a lot of time and effort in seeking out new content for our young viewers. MultiChoice constantly reviews its channel offering to ensure we continue to bring our customers the best quality local and international content,” said Georginah Machiridza, executive head of content strategy and third-party channels at MultiChoice Group.
Pay TV group MultiChoice is in production on an epic period drama series in partnership with South Africa’s Bomb Productions.
Set to be released next year, Shaka Ilembe is being filmed in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal and is set in the 1700s. It tells the story of the making of the eponymous African king, from his early childhood through to adulthood.
The series is executive produced by Nomzamo Mbatha, who also plays the role of Queen Nandi, starring alongside Lemogang Tsipa, Ntando Zondi, Thembinkosi Mthembu and Wiseman Mncube.
“I am honoured to bring the giant that is Queen Nandi to life,” said Mbatha. “History will remember those who informed its people of where we come from, to better understand who we are. I am fortunate to be part of a project that is much bigger than ourselves and to tell this story in our own language. Impi iyeza!”
Yolisa Phahle, CEO of general entertainment and connected video at MultiChoice, added: “Being able to bring this important story to the screen with such stellar talent speaks to the heart of MultiChoice’s ongoing commitment and investment in our local entertainment industry. We are committed to telling great African stories, and this is a proudly African series told through the lens of Africans for the very first time.
“We want people to learn about our history and culture, but we also want to keep viewers glued in anticipation. This drama seeks to uncover nuggets of history but creates narrative in the gaps by putting known characters alongside fictional characters in order to keep the story moving.”
Angus Gibson, creative director at Bomb Productions, said: “It is a cast with deep talent. It is magical witnessing these performers bring life to characters we only know from the history books. When the cast arrive on set, fully dressed in wardrobe and hair from the period, I am blown away.”
The Joburg Film Festival (JFF) has set up a two-day outreach scheme tagged the Youth & Audience Development Programme, which will begin next month.
A new visual identity and key team members have also been revealed ahead of the fifth iteration of the festival, which will take place from January 31 to February 5.
The team members include award-winning film producer Bongi Selane, who will return as festival director, plus festival curator from Keith Shiri and programmer Jack Chiang.
The Youth & Audience Development programme will assist young people in disadvantaged and underdeveloped communities who are interested in the film industry through a series of skill-development and empowerment workshops and masterclasses.
The workshops will take place across the five regions of the province of Gauteng: Sedibeng (October 8-9), West Rand (October 22-23), Ekurhuleni (November 5-6), Tshwane (November 26-27) and in Johannesburg (January tbc).
Topics that will be discussed include directing, performance, story & conceptualisation, production, editing and animation. There will also be training, mentoring and internship opportunities centred on film and content production creativity and the business of monetising ideas and content.
Young filmmakers between the ages of 18 and 35 who wish to participate can take part in a short film competition themed ‘What Inspires You About Your Township?’ Three winners will be selected from across the five regions and will receive a range of prizes, while one selected filmmaker will receive a scholarship to study a film-related course and other valuable prizes. Click here to register.
The JFF is presented by MultiChoice. According to its organisers, the event is strategically positioned to become Africa’s premier film festival through the curation and showcasing of African and international films while providing young people and filmmakers with various opportunities for development, training, skills transfer and networking.
France’s Canal+ Group has increased its stake in African pay TV company MultiChoice Group to more than 26%, having almost doubled its interest in the company over the past year.
Canal+ has gradually upped its stake in the South African company behind the DStv and GOtv pay TV platforms since it first acquired a 6.5% interest in October 2020.
A year ago, the Paris-based broadcasting giant announced that it owned 15% stake in MultiChoice; this rose to 18.44% in June this year, then 20.12% a month later.
A statement to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) this week revealed that Canal+ has further increased this to 26.26%. Canal+ is owned by Vivendi, a mass media holding company that also owns Gameloft, Havas and Prisma Media.
As required by South Africa’s Companies Act, MultiChoice has filed the required notice with the JSE’s Takeover Regulation Panel. If Canal+ acquires a 35% interest in MutliChoice, it would trigger a mandatory offer to shareholders.
However, whether or not Canal+ and Vivendi owner Vincent Bollore intends to make an offer to acquire MultiChoice, it would face some major hurdles, given South Africa’s tight restrictions over the foreign ownership of broadcasters.
“While the group regularly engages investors and maintains an open dialogue with the investment community, its policy is not to comment on its individual shareholders, nor on its interactions with them,” said MultiChoice this week.
Canal+ and MultiChoice have worked together in recent years, coproducing shows such as the South African action-drama series Spinners (8×50’) and gritty Kenyan police procedural Crime & Justice, both made with MultiChoice’s streamer Showmax.
Showmax and Canal+’s African OTT platform MyCanal also coproduced 10-episode South African drama Blood Psalms, based on a pre-colonial Xhosa legend. Canal+ also operates Canal+ Afrique, an African version of Canal+ available mainly in the francophone countries of Central and West Africa.
MultiChoice is backed by African internet company Naspers.
Gary Rathbone, head of sport at South African public broadcaster SABC, has resigned after two years in the role.
Gary Rathbone
According to the broadcaster, Rathbone will be leaving at the end of this month. His future direction is not yet known.
“During his two-year tenure, Gary Rathbone made a significant contribution to SABC Sport’s content offering. He was particularly instrumental in the launch of its 24.7 SABC Sport channel. The SABC wishes Gary Rathbone well in his future endeavours,” the SABC said in a statement.
Rathbone was head of Africa at MultiChoice-owned channel SuperSport from 2008 to 2012, after which he joined Nairobi-based Wananchi Group as the head of the Zuku Sport channel.
He became the head of sport at pay TV broadcaster StarTimes and left in 2015 to work in consultancy and advisory positions in the sports media sector.
He took on a new role as the head of SABC Sport in 2020, where he brought a wealth of broadcasting experience from production to broadcasting as a journalist, scriptwriter and TV producer.
He has been instrumental in delivering a new vision for South African sports media. He is also the founder of Sports News Africa.
African VoD service Showmax, part of the MultiChoice Group, is set to premiere a new crime thriller series called Diiche this month.
Diiche
Diiche is produced by James Kalu Omokwe, founder of Lagos-based production company Feemo Vision, and is also produced by Tolu Ajayi, Fiyin Gambo and Ifeoma Chukwuego.
The six-part thriller, which debuts on on September 29, tells the story of an A-list actor who becomes a prime suspect in the death of her fiance. On a mission to find out who killed him, she does all she can to vindicate herself in the eyes of the law.
Diiche’s cast includes Uzoamaka Onuoha, Daniel K Daniel, Chinyere Wilfred, Frank Konwea, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Gloria Anozie Young, Efa Iwara and Kalu Ikeagwu.
“Eight weeks of shoot, 99% of the team Nigerian, 100% African. 99.9% of the post team Nigerian, 100% African. All black cast and crew; love, blood and sweat. Watch it when it comes out,” the streaming service said on Instagram.
UK pubcaster the BBC and South African pay TV group MultiChoice have teamed up for a five-part crime thriller based on Deon Meyer’s 2004 bestselling novel Devil’s Peak.
Produced by BBC Studios-owned Lookout Point and UK-based Expanded Media Productions, the show is written and created for television by Matthew Orton (Operation Finale, Moon Knight) and production has begun in Cape Town, where the show is set.
The 5×50’ series, also titled Devil’s Peak, will be delivered in 2023, with MultiChoice premiering it on M-Net in South Africa and distributing in sub-Saharan Africa, while BBC Studios will distribute in the rest of the world. South African production services are being provided by Film Afrika.
Devil’s Peak is described as a “multi-layered crime thriller.” The novel is the first in Meyer’s series of books focusing on detective Benny Griessel.
In the adaptation, Griessel is played by Hilton Pelser (Moffie, Glasshouse, Kissing Booth), while Sisanda Henna (Trackers, Rogue) plays a grieving father seeking justice after the murder of his son.
Rounding off the cast are Shamilla Miller (Blood & Water, Troy: Fall of a City) and Masasa Mbangeni (The Republic, Scandal). Jozua Malherbe (Griekwastad, Justice Served) is directing.
Associate producer Amy Jephta (Skemerdans, Barakat) is writing alongside Orton, who is exec producing with Laura Lankester from Lookout Point and Francis Hopkinson from Expanded Media. Yolisa Phahle, Allan Sperling and Jan du Plessis exec produce for M-Net, while Johann Knobel (Bad Sisters, The Shadow Line) is the producer.
Meyer said: “Benny Griessel started his fictitious life as a humble one-off cameo character, and never in my wildest dreams did I think he would one day be part of an international TV series.”
Yolisa Phahle, CEO of general entertainment and connected video at MultiChoice Group, added: “Not only is this an authentically South African story starring a South African cast, it is also filmed in our own backyard, benefiting several industries and economies beyond the television industry.”
MultiChoice previously adapted Meyer’s 2011 novel Trackers into a well-received drama series produced by Scene 24, Three River Studios, Helle Media and Scribe Studios. The show marked the first coproduction between M-Net, HBO’s sister network Cinemax and German public broadcaster ZDF.
The second season of reality TV series Uthando Lodumo is set to premiere on MultiChoice’s video-on-demand service Showmax.
Uthando Lodumo S2, which will debut on September 1, is about the Gqom musicians and superstars Babes Wodumo (Bongekile Simelane) and MaMpintsha (Mandla Maphumulo) and their nine-year relationship.
The new season follows the couple as they raise their baby and shows how their careers are evolving. “We’re an open book in the way we live our lives,” said Wodumo.
NBCUniversal-owned reality format The Real Housewives is set to expand into two more African cities, Nairobi in Keyna and Pretoria in South Africa.
In Pretoria, the 14-part series is being produced and filmed by independent production company Provoco, while filming will commence on the Nairobi version in September under Kenyan production house Young Rich Television.
The latest editions of the franchise come via a partnership between South Africa-based pay TV company MultiChoice and US studio NBCUniversal, part of cable giant Comcast Communications.
Local versions of the format, which centres on a group of powerful and affluent women in a certain location, have successfully debuted in fellow African cities Johannesburg, Durban, Lagos and, most recently, Cape Town.
Ana Langenberg, senior VP of format sales and productions at NBCUniversal Formats, said: “We are so proud to build on the continued success of The Real Housewives franchises across Africa.
“The way each version faithfully embodies the spirit of the city, people and rich cultures it showcases connects with audiences across the region and the diaspora. It was such a magical moment to bring our production partners together with MultiChoice for our summit in Cape Town to connect, collaborate and map out more versions we can add to the family.”
Nomsa Philiso, executive head of content at MultiChoice’s content arm, MNet Channels, added: “The Real Housewives franchise is proving to be very popular with our diverse audiences. This has allowed us to continuously expand and increase to different territories as we operate across Africa. This may be a global franchise, but our spin is authentically African. Leeping up with our viewers’ tastes and preferences is important, and The Real Housewives franchise meets our audience’s needs.”
African VoD service Showmax has greenlit the third season of its original comedy following the adventures of the character Tali, which will debut in November.
Julia Anastasopoulos
The new season, Tali’s Joburg Diary, has already gone into production and will see Tali, played once again by Julia Anastasopoulos, move back to Johannesburg, determined to get her son Jayden into premium preschool and reclaim her crown as Class Mom.
Tali’s Joburg Diary is the latest in the franchise that began with Tali’s Wedding Diary in 2017, following the eponymous ‘Joburg princess’ who moved to Cape Town and got married.
Tali’s Baby Diary premiered in 2021 and saw an unexpected pregnancy force our heroine into a desperate pivot from Insta-influencer to wholesome ‘momfluencer.’
Produced by Sketchbook Studios for the MultiChoice-owned streamer, the new season will feature a returning cast including Anton Taylor, Kate Pinchuck, Kate Normington, Glen Biderman-Pam and Sharon Spiegel Wagner.
“That’s right guys, season three is coming. I am so excited for you guys to follow us on our next adventure. I’m actually finished, and I love you guys so much,” Anastasopoulos said on Instagram.
Nomsa Philiso, executive head of programming at MultiChoice, said: “We all need a laugh after the past few years, so we can’t wait to have Tali back on Showmax in November. It’s going to be the same Tali, with a very different bank balance, in a very different Joburg. Tighten your belt and sharpen those nails. Let the battle for Class Mom begin.”
Tali’s Wedding Diary took home five prizes at the 2019 SAFTAs while Tali’s Baby Diary had 11 nominations, including Best TV Comedy at this year’s awards.
South Africa’s Joburg Film Festival (JFF) is set to return next year in collaboration with pay TV group MultiChoice following a two-year hiatus.
The festival, in its fifth year, will be held from January 31 to February 5, 2023. It will unveil new films from countries around the globe and screen over 60 films, including a range of African premieres.
It will also feature industry initiatives, including The Youth & Audience Development Programme, which will provide young African filmmakers with opportunities through training, skills transfer and networking with industry leaders, as well as launch The Film Society.
In addition, the JBX content market will connect emerging creators and established entertainment brands with investors, distribution channels and sponsors.
JFF executive director Tim Mangwedi said: “After two years of extremely challenging times for the film industry, the Joburg Film Festival is excited to be back with an in-person event with an expanded programme.
“The 2023 edition of the festival will once again attract thousands of visitors to Gauteng, with a focal point of activities at Nelson Mandela Square that will include screenings and industry events.
“The Joburg Film Festival and JBX market will once again position Joburg as the film capital of South Africa, with the festival celebrating African stories and the talent of our home-grown filmmakers as we showcase their films alongside those of filmmakers from around the world.”
Collen Dlamini, group executive for corporate affairs at MultiChoice, added: “MultiChoice is a truly African brand and, as such, telling stories is part of who we are as an organisation. We are therefore extremely excited to bring back the Joburg Film Festival, and this partnership will serve as a platform where storytellers from all over the world will come together and give a renewed light for African storytelling.”
MultiChoice-owned South African entertainment channel Mzansi Magic is set to launch a new season of drama series Ayeye, titled Ayeye: Stripped, seven years after the first run aired.
The first season of the series premiered in 2015 and followed the story of three male best friends who live together, navigating messy love lives, testy friendships and soaring careers.
The 13-part new series tells the story of a mum who becomes an adult content creator in order to maintain her lifestyle after her baby-daddy dies and his family takes everything. This forces her to find other ways to retain her lavish lifestyle and to keep her son off the street.
Ayeye: Stripped is produced by award-winning production company Seriti Film and is set in Johannesburg’s swanky Bryanston district.
With actor and singer Rosemary Zimu (Champagne, Savage) in the lead role, the show also stars radio personality Zama Ngcobo, Big Brother Mzansi S3’s Luthando ‘BU’ Mthembu, soap actor Kealeboga Masango, Moya Maweni, Abomama’s Pabee Moganedi, social media star Tebogo Thobejane and Isibaya’s Charles Phasha.
According to its producers, the Ayeye series will be adapted into an anthology show where each new season features different faces and new stories within a similar universe.
Shirley Adonisi, director of local entertainment channels at Multichoice’s M-Net, said: “As a channel, we’re adaptable and ahead of the curve, which is why we’re embracing the anthology format for some of our shows. The first season of Ayeye gave viewers plenty to talk about and this new season is just as topical.
“It’s important that we keep up with what’s happening in the world around us and reflect that on screen. It’s also exciting for our DStv Compact subscribers to be among the first to get this show on their screens.”
Ayeye: Stripped will debut on Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161) on August 5 at 20.00. The first season of Ayeye aired on the 1Magic channel, also part of the MultiChoice group of channels.
Pay TV company MultiChoice has announced a training initiative aimed at revolutionising African television and improving the quality of its content across the continent.
Fhulufhelo Badugela
The initiative is a partnership with local channels in several African territories and the MultiChoice Talent Factory, the company’s industry development and training scheme.
The new training programme will feature online learning courses, masterclasses with local and international industry leaders, practical training and short courses in post-production, sound, screenwriting, 3D animation and cinematography.
MultiChoice Africa CEO Fhulufhelo Badugela said: “Our vision is to upskill production professionals and to raise the standard of productions right across Africa. This will boost Africa’s film and television industry exponentially, because as you capacitate more people, more people are motivated to start projects and everybody benefits, including the viewers.
“This is an investment in the future of our industry, and investment goes beyond financial investment; it also requires skills, time and a core understanding of the consumer needs. But the most immediate impact will be to raise the standard of productions across Africa.”
According to Badugela, the programme will enable local job creation, lead to more productions, contribute to the economy, respond to the ongoing consumer demand for quality local entertainment, and boost viewership and the financial viability of the African TV industry.
“We have seen the impact investments can have. In Zimbabwe, we ran a training programme to support the launch of new local entertainment channels. The standard of the new channels is excellent, and the market has really opened up in terms of the productions being launched and the calibre of Zimbabwe’s filmmakers,” said Badugela.
“Improving the skills of our TV professionals will give audiences more choice and more chance to see themselves reflected in the content they consume. It’s about quality African content for African viewers.”
NBCUniversal format The Real Housewives is set to launch its fourth local African adaptation, The Real Housewives of Cape Town, on the Mzansi Magic channel next month.
The news comes after the successful debuts of previous iterations The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, The Real Housewives of Durban and The Real Housewives of Lagos on the MultiChoice-owned network.
The Real Housewives of Cape Town, which will debut on July 10 at 19.00, features a group of powerful and affluent women who are beloved, enigmatic and often misunderstood.
They represent diverse social backgrounds and are an eccentric mix of new and old money, connected by one common thread: their desire to run the Mother City.
The shows features Beverley Steyn, a property owner and investor with a love of planes, yachts, fast cars and a luxury lifestyle; Rushda Moosajee, a qualified trainer and mother of three with a fitness empire and an impressive social media presence; Loveline Abinokhauno, a proud wife of 14 years, blogger, momfluencer and entrepreneur; and Thato Montse, a wine connoisseur.
Other participants are Camilla McDowell, also known as the Queen of Constantia; Kutazwa ‘Rooksy’ Gqirana, a proud Capetonian and self-described hustler; and Lulwando ‘Lue’ Tukwayo, a free-spirited property entrepreneur, digital creator, chartered accountant and mother of three.
Ana Langenberg, senior VP of format sales and production at NBCUniversal Formats, said: “We are elated to continue to build on the monumental success of The Real Housewives franchise in Africa with this latest instalment. The spirit of Cape Town and the unique energy this series will bring will deliver an addictive and unmissable experience and we can’t wait for audiences around the world to experience it.”
“We look forward to premiering this exciting new addition on Mzansi Magic, which will no doubt keep our audience hooked and will undoubtedly be of the premium quality our viewers have grown accustomed to,” added Shirley Adonisi, director of local entertainment channels at MultiChoice’s M-Net.
“This may be a global franchise, but our spin on it is very much South African. The story lines explored on the show and the cast’s lives are as authentic as they come. As a channel, keeping up with our viewers’ tastes and preferences is important, and this is evidence of that.”
Produced by Trace Studios, The Real Housewives of Cape Town marks the 17th international version of the franchise, the fourth to be adapted in Africa and the third South African instalment.
The Real Housewives format began life in the US on NBCUniversal-owned cable channel Bravo in 2006 as The Real Housewives of Orange County. The format is shopped internationally by NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Telecoms company MTN Group and pay TV operator DStv have won places in marketing body Brand Africa’s list of the top 100 most admired brands on the continent.
The list for 2022, which looked at Nigeria, West Africa and Africa as a whole, was compiled by Johannesburg-based company Brand Africa and was revealed at a ceremony held in Lagos, Nigeria.
MTN ranked as the most admired African brand, while MultiChoice-owned DStv was named top media name, followed by the BBC and CNN in that category. Broadcaster Channels TV was the most admired Nigerian media brand.
Overall, taking into account both African and non-African brands, US footwear maker Nike took the top spot once again as most admired brand in Africa, as it did in 2021 and 2020. Overall, only 17 of the top 100 brands originated in Africa, including MTN (10th place), Globacom (32nd) and DStv (37th).
Thebe Ikalafeng, founder of Brand Africa, said: “No one can do Africa better than Africans.” But he acknowledged that Africans often undervalue the continent’s brands, which is why he launched Brand Africa in 2010, to drive collaboration promoting African places, products and people.
Nigerian TV presenter IK Osakioduwa and South African radio host and TV presenter Bonang Matheba have been named as the hosts for the eighth edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), set to take place on May 14 in Lagos.
Matheba has hosted several awards shows and events, including 2016’s MTV Africa Music Awards, 2016’s BET Awards and Miss South Africa 2019, while Osakioduwa is the current host of the ongoing Nigerian Idol S7 competition and has hosted lots of other high-profile shows including Big Brother Africa.
Busola Tejumola, executive head of content and West Africa channels at MultiChoice Nigeria, said: “We are excited to have Bonang join IK as co-host for the eighth edition of the AMVCAs. They are both extremely talented and have attained continental acclaim having both hosted some of Africa’s biggest shows. Together they will keep the crowd entertained on the biggest night to celebrate African film and TV stars.”
Bonang added: “It’s been a long time coming. It’s always such an honour to host live productions and I think after Covid-19, we haven’t had the opportunity to be outside to have these big, big productions with live studio audiences. So it’s lovely to have all of that back. It’s also an honour. Any single stage I get to step on is an honour. I’ve always wanted to work with IK. I am a huge fan of his, so I’m looking forward to that too.”
“I feel really honoured to be hosting the AMVCAs again. I’m also really excited about the decision to honour the social media content creators with a category of their own. Trust me when I say, without a doubt this year is going to be another amazing outing for the African film industry,” added Osakioduwa.
The event is produced and broadcast by Africa Magic in association with MultiChoice and is sponsored by drinks brand Amstel Malta. It will air live on Africa Magic channels on DStv and GOtv at 4pm WAT on May 14.
Produced by BBC Studios-owned Lookout Point and UK-based Expanded Media Productions, the show is written and created for television by Matthew Orton (Operation Finale, Moon Knight) and production has begun in Cape Town, where the show is set.
