MultiChoice's 5 day MultiChoice Content Showcase is currently taking place at the Outrigger Mauritius Resort & Spa in Mauritius (one journalist from Uganda calls it a "hedonistic content bash").
MultiChoice didn't tell South African press and TV critics about it or that it's happening. And surprise, surprise, South African press are not there although the bulk of the channel seen are the same, and the news and announcements shared there relevant and applicable to South Africa as well.
For day 1 and day 2 news and stories check here with links to further articles.
For day 3 news and stories check here with links to further articles.
Friday 4 September
Morning
The morning kicked off with The Walt Disney Company doing the day's first presentation. Deirdre King, head of marketing at The Walt Disney Company Africa spoke.
I asked both Disney on Thursday and Disney's South African PR company Taryn Fritz PR, to please help me and send me whatever information is announced, presented or issued to press on Friday. By Friday (after I asked again twice) ... nothing.
Deirdre King tells the press that more content from Africa will be coming to Disney soon (besides of course the I Love Violetta companion show).
A whole season of the popular pre-school animation series Doc McStuffins on Disney Junior (DStv 309) has been translated into Swahili although Disney has no date for when it will be broadcast on DStv.
A new Facebook page for Disney Junior will be launching on 1 October for viewers, parents and kids in South Africa and the rest of Africa.
Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) in the photo above, presented next.
VIMN Africa issued information at the same time as it was released during the panel discussion which included TV executives like Evert van der Veer (head of comedy for Africa), Tasania Parsadh (the senior channel manager of Nickelodeon in Africa) and Tim Horwood (VIMN Africa creative director and channel director for MTV Base).
Read more about VIMN Africa's presentation at the MultiChoice Content Showcase here. It's for channels like MTV, Comedy Central, MTV Base, BET, Nickelodeon, NickToons, Nick Jr. and includes a comprehensive summary of programming updates, announcements and renewals.
VIMN Africa says Viacom isn't about just the business of creating television but about creating experiences. Nice.
SuperSport was next with Alvin Naicker (head of production), SuperSport presenter Carol Tshabalala, Graeme Murray (SuperSport general manager for Southern Africa) and Anthony Baffoe (FIFA and CAF general co-ordinator) appearing.
SuperSport announced it will have at least 6 SuperSport channels covering the 2016 Olympic Games on DStv. SuperSport will cover "every event where an African stands a chance of winning a medal".
SuperSport says it has helped to lay the foundation across Africa in football club licensing, the upskilling of administrators and for setting basic standards at Africa's stadiums.
SuperSport will be starting a dedicated new Zambian football magazine show soon, to profile the Zambian football league.
Alvin Naicker said SuperSport created a Broadcast Manual for football leagues to educate them about how sport broadcasting works, and its impact on fixtures, and the timing of when games should best be played.
"We don’t just pay money for rights and walk away, sending in a couple of cameras to film a sporting event."
SuperSport said it's the biggest contributor in Africa when it comes to investment in continental sport.
[Here is one article about SuperSport's presentation and here is another one.]
The holiday kids channel that MultiChoice is adding for the December holidays is apparently HOOLEE, from Turner Broadcasting Systems Africa (TBS Africa) which will be running from December 2015 and in January 2016.
Sweet nothing from Turner's PR people at Burson-Marsteller in South Africa about any of the Turner news and presentations or HOOLEE, or about Pierre Branco, Turner Broadcasting System's new general manager, talking about CNN International (DStv 401) and Turner's TV news brand in Africa.
The afternoon belonged to BBC Worldwide doing a baking exercise with the press in lieu of The Great South African Bake Off starting soon on BBC Lifestyle. Keep in mind that South African journalists are not actually there. (Although its not BBC Worldwide's "fault".)
BBC Worldwide helped tremendously and issued information regarding BBC Lifestyle at the same time as The Great Bake Off activation on the island happened.
The Great South African Bake Off will start on 6 October at 20:00 for 12 hour long episodes on BBC Lifestyle.
The 5th series of The Great British Bake Off will start in December on BBC Lifestyle for 10 episodes.
Mary Berry Cooks will start on BBC Lifestyle on 15 September at 20:00 for 6 half hour episodes, and Jamie's Comfort Food will start on 11 November at 20:00 for 6 hour long episodes.
Lorraine Pascale: How to be a Better Cook will start on BBC Lifestyle on 6 November at 20:00 for 6 hour long episodes.
Evening
Satirical news show Zambezi News performs. Another story about Zambezi News and M-Net's Zambezi magic channel here.
M-Net has the American cast of the TV drama series From Dusk Til Dawn on M-Net Edge (DStv 102) (a channel of course seen in South Africa on DStv) in Mauritius for a press conference and panel discussion on Saturday morning. The second season just started on M-Net Edge.
Actors Zane Holtz and D.J. Cotrona showed up on Friday night already at M-Net's evening of dance and comedy as part of the presentation by M-Net's Zambezi Magic and Maisha Magic East channels.
Like Pawn Stars South Africa, on History getting a second season, A+E Networks openings its first African office this week in Johannesburg, Top Actor SA on BET getting a second season, and several other programming involved in actual announcements at the MultiChoice Content Showcase, the huge irony is that its often South African content driving the announcements even in Mauritius when MultiChoice and channels want to show they're going "local" and investing in Africa.
