Africa’s most-loved storyteller is taking continental stories to the world with innovative co-productions and offering world-class facilitation and distribution expertise to global partners.
With its success as Africa’s undisputed leader in video entertainment secure on the back of more than three decades of producing and showcasing local and international content and sport, MultiChoice is fast positioning itself as one of the leading content co-production partners on the planet.
A ‘hyperlocal’ approach sees it produce relevant content within the respective regions of the continent, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all strategy with generic African and international content. “We have found an almost insatiable appetite for authentic hyperlocal content – at the expense of international content. People want to see themselves, their communities and their cultures reflected on screen,” says Yolisa Phahle, CEO of general entertainment and connected video at MultiChoice. “One of MultiChoice’s strengths is our understanding of the African context – and nobody in Africa produces local content in as many territories as we do. Treating these stories with respect gives us the opportunity to showcase who we really are as Africans, to the world, on our own terms”.
With much of its content successfully produced in-territory, in local languages and created, produced by and starring local talent, MultiChoice has turned its attention to co-producing content with international partners. By partnering with brands the company has historically licenced programming from, it is working to give continental stories the global airtime they deserve.
The company’s first major co-production success story was Trackers, the group’s first co-production with German broadcaster ZDF and HBO’s sister channel, Cinemax, which distributed the series worldwide outside of South Africa and Germany. Based on the novel by global best-selling South African author Deon Meyer and filmed entirely on location in and around Cape Town with an impressive cast of local and international talent, Trackers proved the global appeal of African stories, as well as the world-class production capabilities available in South Africa. The five-part drama garnered rave reviews and was a hit with audiences around the world, breaking records on MultiChoice’s broadcast and streaming platforms at home and earning pride of place as the group’s best performing show of 2019. “The co-production opportunity really was a wonderful experience for our cast and crew,” says Phahle. “The combined budget from multiple broadcasters gave the production room to breathe and the opportunity to achieve incredible production standards.”
Next to air from its co-production slate was Reyka, the hotly anticipated co-production with Serena Cullen Productions, Quizzical Pictures and Fremantle which wowed audiences at the June 2021 Monte Carlo Television Festival. The eight-part thriller about a child abduction in KwaZulu-Natal Midlands is portrayed by a strong female lead, South African actor Kim Engelbrecht, who is familiar to both local and international viewers. It showcases a location that will be largely foreign to international audiences, merging tropical coastlines, rolling hills and lush sugar cane plantations which almost become an additional character. Fremantle executive producer Julie Hodge says Reyker feels truly multi-layered. “We were enthralled by this strong female character whose freedom was taken from her at the very same moment that South Africa as a country received it, and how it has affected this very modern woman with who she is today, in all aspects of her life.”
Following Reyka in late 2021 is the Showmax and Canal + co-production Blood Psalms, a 10-part fantasy series influenced by ancient African mythology as a depiction of pre-colonial Africa. Written and directed by Jahmil XT Qubeka and produced by Layla Swart Najaar, Blood Psalms tells the story of a fierce teenage African queen, Zazi, who battles a world-ending prophecy to navigate her people through complexities, politics, and endless wars. “We really owed it to this phenomenal story to push the boundaries, which we really did,” says Phahle. “Africa has never been portrayed in the way that Blood Psalms depicts it, and we really believe that it’s going to open audiences’ eyes to the continent and showcase the skill and talent our industry possesses to other international producers.”
MultiChoice is driven by a mission to bring new and exciting content to African audiences while simultaneously elevating the profile of African filmmaking, globally – and co-productions are proving an invaluable avenue to achieving that aim.
“We’re looking to work with people who will bring different skills to complement those that we have in our industry,” says Phahle. “This allows us to share skills, upskill and opens up new pathways to help us take our stories and our talent to global audiences – with the ultimate aim of elevating the African creative industry.”
