FOX Networks Group Africa has started its own South African production unit called FOX Networks Group Original Productions Africa and while it will be producing local South African and African content for the various FNG Africa channels, it will also be producing shows for any other TV channel as a channel-agnostic production hub.
On Wednesday at FOX Networks Group Africa's FOX Upfront 2017, the experienced producer Levern Engel, FNG Africa director for productions, said that FOX Africa's new production unit will not just be making content for FOX channels but for anyone.
"FOX Networks Group decided last year that they wanted to diversify the business and they said: 'What do we do?' And they said 'We do what everybody else in the media space does: We create a production hub because we're in the business of content."
"We should have someone who conceptualise content, make content, commissioning content - that's what we should do. And that was the genesis of FNG Africa's production unit," she explained.
"The unit was only officially registered a month and a half ago and for the moment you will know us simply as FNG Original Productions Africa," said Levern Engel to applause.
"So what is our function? Our function is not only to support the FOX Networks Group Africa channels - the FOX, FOX Life and National Geographic channels."
"Does FNG Original Productions Africa support FOX and FOX Life? Of course we do. Do we support National Geographic? Yes. Do we support anybody else? Can I produce for Netflix? Yes. Can I produce for - pick a channel? The answer is yes," said Levern Engel.
"FNG Original Productions Africa is platform and channel agnostic. FNG Original Productions Africa is a production unit that is completely agnostic. It's only ambition in life is to produce quality content that comes out of Africa."
"FNG Original Productions Africa has a scripted slate, it has a non-scripted slate, but all of these productions originate from Africa - most of them will be produced in Africa. So that's the function of FNG Original Productions Africa," said Levern Engel.
