by Thinus Ferreira
SABC1 has lost another televised awards show with the South African Music Awards (SAMAs) that is switching to M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel and changing to a 5-night, 5-episode broadcast in a new permutation because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
After having been on the South African public broadcaster's SABC1 channel for 22 years, the Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA) is switching the 26th SAMAs to Mzansi Magic and Vodacom's MyMuze video streaming app.
Under the theme of "ForThaKultcha", the 26th SAMAs will be broadcast from 3 to 7 August at 21:30 on Mzansi Magic as 30-minute nightly episodes with a 45-minute episode on 7 August.
The "red carpet" is moved to Twitter. The 26th SAMAs will have two hosts who will still be announced, along with performers and panellists.
"We look forward to the 26th SAMAs virtual experience. Our teams are hard at work to deliver a show that we will all be proud of given the current state the world is in," says Nhlanhla Sibisi, RISA CEO, in a statement.
Nomsa Philiso, the director of local entertainment channels at M-Net, in the statement says that "The South African Music Awards have always been a platform where talented Mzansi artists have been recognised for their excellence".
"As a channel that has a track record of showcasing local talent across several platforms, we are very proud to be partnering up with the 26th SAMAs to give our viewers front row seats to this virtual showpiece".
