Shaka production heralds bold new strategy for MultiChoice
● Africa’s biggest pay-TV operator, MultiChoice, is pouring billions into new local content and incorporating streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon into its bouquet in a bid to stop subscribers emigrating to these platforms.
MultiChoice is investing R6.2bn in new local shows including Shaka Ilembe, a mega production on the life of the iconic king of the Zulus, which is poised to set records as the most expensive local TV production.
The drama has been in the works for about two years and according to Yolisa Phahle, CEO of general entertainment at MultiChoice Group Africa, it has advanced to preproduction.
“It’s a hugely ambitious project, the most expensive piece of history in the last 25 years,” Phahle said, without sharing the figures. She said production teams were scouting locations and seeking the best actors to bring the story of the legend of Shaka to life.
Speaking at the DStv Showcase 2020, where MultiChoice also launched the DStv Explora Ultra decoder for third-party streaming apps, and Showmax Pro — which brings sports content to Showmax — Phahle said the search had extended to praise singers and stick fighters, costume and bead-makers, land and grass, and armies of extras as well as animals.
“A year ago we played the trailer to people from all over the continent, including Francophone [countries], and they saw this is an African story of a leader who outwitted the enemy and changed the course of the history of South Africa and other parts of Africa.”
Producer Teboho Mahlatsi of Bomb Productions said Shaka Ilembe was not a remake of the 1986 TV series Shaka Zulu, but rather “an authentic Zulu story told in isiZulu and not English, showing the different worlds that gave rise to Shaka”.
“This is not a historical documentary. We want to entertain. The cast will be beautiful, there will be drama, great conspiracies and family disputes,” Mahlatsi said.
MultiChoice Group CEO Calvo Mawela said the target was to produce 45% local content in the next two years as part of plans to grow their subscriber base to 40-million.
“On the continent, local content resonates very well, drives appointment viewing and generates a lot of customers onto our base. Our strategy stands on two pillars — local content and sports — and that is the differentiation that we are going to bring to ensure people stay with us in the everchanging competitive landscape that we operate in,” Mawela said.
He added that the change of strategy to bring services such as Amazon and Netflix onto the DStv platform was based on a model wherein MultiChoice earns commission on the number of subscribers it can generate for these services, which are looking to grow on the continent.
But he said MultiChoice would still campaign for these services to be regulated and operate under the same licensing conditions as traditional broadcasters.
“We are going to partner with them, but we’ll keep asking questions as to what is the best form of regulation in this new technology space.”
It’s the most expensive piece of history in the last 25 years
Yolisa Phahle
CEO of general entertainment at MultiChoice Group Africa