MultiChoice has organised a panel discussion entitled "Unlocking Opportunities in the African Film & TV Industry" at the event.
MultiChoice participated in MIP Africa 2023, an annual platform for African content creators, producers, and vendors to showcase their work to a global audience of buyers, investors, and potential co-production partners.
MIP Africa is an integral part of Fame Week Africa, a week-long celebration focusing on African television, music, and film, and MultiChoice plays a pivotal role as a sponsor for both events. This year’s event took place from September 4 to 6, 2023, in Cape Town.
Key factors contributing to success in the African television and film landscape were discussed during a panel session organised by MultiChoice at MIP Africa. These insights, characterised by practicality and actionability, highlighted three essential criteria – authenticity, hyperlocal stories, and a visceral understanding of the audience – for content creators to effectively pitch their work to become part of MultiChoice’s creative ecosystem.
The panel discussion, titled “Unlocking Opportunities: MultiChoice and the African Film & TV Industry,” took place during the event.
Waldimar Pelser, Channel Director: Premium Channels at MultiChoice, stressed the importance of content creators thoroughly understanding their target audience. “The most productive conversations we have are with producers that consume our content and on a visceral level know who our audience is. (Our partners) have to understand who they’re making content for,” he noted.
In terms of what that content looks like, Pelser shared that content that can only be made locally, and that viewers would not be able to find elsewhere, reap the most success.
While genres like drama and unscripted reality have universal appeal, the key to success lies in presenting something authentically South African, with a locally specific setting and a storytelling approach that resonates with the audience.
Viewers gravitate toward dramas characterised by authenticity, warmth, and optimism, while there is generally a low tolerance for gimmicks – in any genre. In the realm of unscripted reality, shows that reflect the audience’s own experiences tend to flourish. Pelser remarked, “For unscripted it’s a mirror. “We want to see ourselves on screen. (Shows) that remind us who we are – those tend to work.”
Tebogo Matlawa, Head of Scripted Content: Middle&Mass: South Africa at MultiChoice, echoed Pelser’s sentiments, emphasising that while viewers seek relatability, content creators should also step outside their own perspectives.
“Our audience likes to be involved and go on the journey” and for that reason, they’ve found that very family-orientated shows, with a female point of view, and generally not risqué, do well. While action and dramas have seen success, there isn’t much of an appetite for violence. “Always think, would you watch this with your grandmother?” he advised when considering pitches for scripted content for middle and mass markets.
Victor Sanchez Aghahowa, Head of Production, West Africa for MultiChoice Africa, and Nicola van Niekerk, Head of Content for Premium Channels and co-productions, reiterated MultiChoice’s success with hyperlocal content. “We need the connection; people need to feel. If not, what are you doing?” said Aghahowa. “Compelling characters in compelling situations that anybody can relate to – that’s what we’re looking for. Anything inauthentic will immediately be sniffed out by our younger audience.”
According to Van Niekerk, Showmax, specifically, has seen significant success with documentaries as well as dramas.
In terms of co-productions, Van Niekerk pointed to the necessity for producers to have an in-depth understanding of both the local and the international audience before pitching a project. “As a producer, you need to assess your story and say, ‘Where will this story work?’ Will it work in a very specific demographic hyper-locally in South Africa, but where else will it work? Which other broadcaster will like that? And to know that you need to understand all of the broadcaster’s strategies (on a global level).”
She warns against assuming that success in one market will guarantee success elsewhere, emphasising the importance of aligning with broadcasters’ global strategies. This helps to secure funding if the appetite and interest have already been assessed.
Van Niekerk said popular co-productions generally have three things in common: “It’s crime, it’s English and it’s in a beautiful setting. We can tell that those work the best.”
Lerato Moruti, Senior Manager: Reality and Entertainment for Middle&Mass: M-Net, discussed the success of reality shows that provide a sense of tabloid voyeurism. Family-based reality shows also rate highly with South African viewers, who often seek meaning in content. Moruti pointed to “help TV” as a popular genre, citing the success of Mzansi Magic’s reality show Abandoned, which follows orphaned children as they search for family members later in life.
