Multichoice has invested in the production of over 25 local stories since the inception of Pearl Magic, the first channel dedicated to Uganda content, five years ago.
The revelation was among the announcements during MultiChoice’s 2023 media showcase, the annual event where the Pay-Tv provider takes stock of the year and what’s to come. The showcase features segments touching on different aspects of the business – content, customer experience and other initiatives.
Amid stiff competition from streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ which are all eyeing Africa as the next frontier, MultiChoice has ramped up its investment in telling African stories with hope to maintain its market dominance.
Amazon Prime Video has so far inked three African content deals in Nigeria and South Africa that will see it develop originals as well as licensing stories by top-tier producers across Africa.
Meanwhile, Netflix which has spent $175m in film production in Africa since launching on the continent in 2016 this week revealed it is set to expand in Africa with $63m earmarked for South Africa alone in 2022/23. However, its recent attempts to crackdown on password sharing could prove a challenge in a market where affordability (of subscription and Internet) is still an issue.
Last year, Disney+, the streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, launched in South Africa with plans to extend to Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Tunisia.
For these companies, investing in local productions is cheaper but data has also shown there’s growing popularity for African stories compared to foreign titles. Last year, Showmax (MultiChoice’s streaming service) revealed that seven of the 10 most streamed titles in South Africa, eight of the top 10 titles in Kenya and Nigeria, and nine of the top 10 in Ghana, were African.
Since 2018, MultiChoice has launched four Ugandan channels – Pearl Magic, Pearl Magic Prime, Maisha Magic Movies and Pearl Magic Loko. These have facilitated the development of original and locally produced content eg Sanyu, Prestige, Mama & Me, Urban Life, JDC, Take Me Back, KanSeeMe, Our Perfect Wedding, Date My Family, The Salvado Show etc.
During this year’s media showcase, Brian Mulondo who heads local content at MultiChoice Uganda said in the last 5 years, the company has commissioned and licensed over 25 shows. Numerous awards (Uganda Film Festival, Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award, Kalasha Awards, iKon Awards, New Vision Film Awards) are some of the fruits of this investment.
The MultiChoice approach of creating relevant local content for its markets has seen the broadcaster produce more than 6,000 hours of local content in the past financial year, in 40 languages, across 50 countries, and reaching more than 100-million people every day.
Uganda’s film industry is finally at take-off stage, largely attributed to the rise in demand for content which has for a long time been a hindrance.
While producers poured money into productions, TVs were not willing to pay the right value for this content and neither were Ugandan stories pulling the audience to cinemas. The lack of market also meant filmmakers were unable to produce work that matches the quality of foreign content.
“MultiChoice’s collaboration with local producers has resulted into award-winning high-quality productions that showcase Uganda’s culture and heritage,” said Rinaldi Jamugisa the PR and Communications Manager for MultiChoice Uganda, during the showcase.
He further says that through MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), over 500 Ugandan filmmakers have been trained and equipped with skills to develop high-quality content.
Rinaldi says this will help the country create a set of filmmakers that have the requisite skills to create compelling stories that can compete favorably on the global scale. And this (year-long training), MultiChoice does at zero cost.
There is so far a growing number of MTF alumni who have already translated their training into actual careers by taking up roles on major local productions from which they earn revenue.
Allan Manzi, a producer has the Covid pandemic to thank for the transformational wave that the Ugandan creative industry is witnessing. When lockdowns disrupted life, suddenly everyone came to a realization that they needed something – content – to preoccupy them.
“The wave of local content is what really opened up doors. And right now, crewing, and casting are some of my worst things. The jobs on set are so diverse yet everyone is so vital,” he said, adding that the content demand created by MultiChoice has created a deficit in the market when it comes to crew members.
These strides notwithstanding, mixed sentiments remain regarding whether the DStv/GOtv customer gets value for the money they part with.
While the Marketing Head, Lois Kwikiriza tried to explain the different packages that are designed to cater to every viewer in their different tiers, she fell short of exhaustively dissecting the recent criticism that MultiChoice has faced in Uganda over its endless hikes in the subscription fees.
“What people need to realize is, there are so many choices. We will give you everything and our job is to say ‘Take some time to discover these things’. Go all the way from the movies to the news channels. Our job is to bring it at a great price point. This is why we have the different packages,” said Kwikiriza.
There is also a perennial debate about the need for the Pay-TV provider to grant viewers the liberty to choose what channels they wish to have on their bouquet. For now, this remains unresolved.
On his part, Hassan Saleh, the Managing Director, MultiChoice Uganda emphasized that the organization compliments the quality of content with a great level of service to the customer.
“We are committed to ensuring that our customers have access to uninterrupted, high-quality viewing experiences, with content delivered with the chief aim to inform, educate, entertain, and inspire people across the country,” he said.
“Our investment in the latest technology has enabled us to provide our viewers with access to high-definition channels and streaming services like Showmax, the DStv App, making it easier for them to enjoy their favorite content on multiple devices, including smart TVs, smartphones, and tablets.”
The company also reported a surge in customers with an additional one million subscribers in the number of 90-day active subscribers. MultiChoice Africa currently has a subscriber base of 21 million.
Video-on-demand subscriptions in Africa are projected to hit 13.7 million in 2027 up from 4.89 million at the end of 2021 with revenues tripling from $623m in 2021 to $2bn in 2027.
What’s coming….
Later this month, a new TV show titled Popi will launch on Pearl Magic Prime. The others are Suubi and Damali in July and August respectively. On PM Loko, two originals – Akanyoola Bikya and Omwana Wendagu – just launched
MultiChoice also announced that Sanyu is launching on Pearl Magic after Prestige.
The next few months will also continue the footballing theme – confirming MultiChoice’s position as the home of football on the African content.
The season is building to a climax in several leading international leagues – the DStv Premiership, English Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Copa del Rey and Ligue 1 – and football fans will be glued to DStv and GOtv to see which clubs emerge with the silverware.
With school holidays approaching, kids can also look forward to a feast of educational, informative, and downright fun entertainment. Parents can unleash the peanut gallery on their screens with total peace of mind, thanks to the easy parental-control functionality.
Besides football, sports fans can look forward to F1 racing, NBA, as well as UFC and WWE fights.
The Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards will be a perfect tribute to the past year’s outstanding performances in television, film, entertainment from across the African continent.
