by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice plans to do a lot more movie pop-up TV channels this year like a Fast & the Furious channel and will be making these pop-up channels available to more DStv subscribers on lower-tiered bouquets as well, including an AfroCinema channel that will run for 10 days next month as a festival of African film to celebrate Africa Day.
MultiChoice held another virtual MultiChoice Media Showcase day for the press, regionalised for various African countries, during which the pay-TV operator revealed more about its upcoming content slate, sports coverage, technology changes and some upcoming changes to its business and hotels packages.
Separately M-Net Movies revealed that it will be running the AfroCinema channel as a DStv pop-up channel from 21 to 30 May this year as a festival of African film, with the timing chosen to align to Africa Day on 25 May.
M-Net wasn't able to share more information in response to a media enquiry and said that the schedule for AfroCinema is still being compiled.
In the virtual MultiChoice Media Showcase presentation, Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's head of content and third-party channels, took the media through the latest line-up of international content that DStv and GOtv will be rolling out in the upcoming months.
"The past year came with many challenges, and in a time of physical distance where the world felt a little bit smaller for everyone, it was a privilege to make things a little brighter by bringing the world's best content home," Aletta said.
"In some ways it has reignited our passion - not only as a broadcaster that connects people and stories, but as a curator of an unsurpassed viewing experience. No matter where you are or what you're in to, as Africa's most-loved storyteller, we're lighting up the screens with serious star-power and entertainment that shines above the rest."
According to Aletta Alberts, DStv subscribers can watch The Equalizer with Queen Latifah, The Rookie, Station 19, and Grey's Anatomy, as well as a crossover coming up between FBI and FBI: Most Wanted.
"And then there's the exciting medical night with The Good Doctor and New Amsterdam. We're also bringing the funny in a big way. There's new seasons of A Black Lady Sketch Show, Black Tax, Grown-ish, Bob Hearts Abishola, and loads of stand-up specials with the biggest local and international names in comedy."
ZEE World has the new Jodha & Akbar, a period drama based on India's greatest love story.
"In June, The Good Son tells the tale of a man facing enemies from his own family in true Bollywood-style, and the tvNovelas channel dishes up love and betrayal with Along Came Love in May, and When I Fall In Love in June," Aletta Alberts said.
The Korean drama channel tvN has K-stars in drama series like 100 Days My Prince and Melting Me Softly both starting in April.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians are wrapping up their final season on E!, along with Total Bellas, The Buzz on the new HONEY channel with Anele Mdoda, The Graham Norton Show on BBC Brit, and coverage of red carpet events and award shows like the 2021 BET Awards in June.
In reality TV viewers can also watch new seasons of The Real Housewives of Dallas and The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Pastors Wives, Married to Medicine, and America's first black bachelor in The Bachelor. There's also new seasons of Botched and Outdaughtered, with a new season of Top Gear on BBC Brit.
On National Geographic the docu-drama anthology series Genius: Aretha is coming up.
In kids entertainment DStv has more Miraculous World: New York, Raven's Home, Side Hustle, Paw Patrol, Ben 10 and Teen Titans Go! lined up.
"We have movies galore," said Aletta Alberts, "whether you're looking for something with a bit of a kick like Ava, big titles for little ones like The Trolls: World Tour with the biggest hitters in Hollywood like Doctor Sleep, Capone, Just Mercy and Military Wives".
"This year we're doing pop-up channels like never before, with more of them but also more accessibility to DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact and even DStv Family subscribers," said Aletta Alberts, as the presentation showed that The Fast & the Furious films will be one of these M-Net Movies pop-up channels during 2021.
