by Thinus Ferreira
M-Net (DStv 101) has cancelled Legacy with its local telenovela produced by Tshedza Pictures that will end after two seasons and with M-Net saying that DStv subscribers no longer want to watch long-running telenovelas.
In stark contrast, M-Net just renewed The River for another DStv Premium channel, 1 Magic (DStv 103) for a 5th season.
In other news Nomsa Philiso has also been promoted to MultiChoice programming boss, replacing Nkateko Mabaso.
M-Net says the DStv Premium channel will be "exploring new
avenues to entertain its loyal viewers in order to cater to their new and
evolving desire for limited series".
New episodes of Legacy will continue to be on M-Net until September 2022 with episodes that will be produced until mid-February 2022.
"Our
viewership surveys guide us to adapt our content to the evolving needs of our
customers. Whilst Legacy is a popular show, M-Net (DStv 101) customers have
indicated that they now want more limited series rather than long-running
telenovelas, says Nomsa Philiso who has been upped into a new position as MultiChoice Group executive head for programming.
Until now Nomsa Philiso has been M-Net director of local entertainment channels with MultiChoice that made no announcement about her promotion.
"The success of our local strategy depends on how well we tune into
what our customers would like to see on their screens," says Nomsa Philiso.
Nomsa Philiso says that M-Net and Tshedza Pictures will be "managing the impact" of the cancellation of Legacy on the show's cast and crew.
"We would like to thank our loyal viewers on M-Net (DStv 101) and Showmax and assure them that we have exciting plans for our content for 2022. We will share more news on our local content offering in due course."
Phathu Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon, co-owners of Tshedza Productions, in a joint statement say that "Working
with M-Net (DStv 101) has always been a dream for us as a company, and we
thank the channel for their incredible support and encouragement in bringing
Legacy to life".
"All our writers, crew members and actors have poured their
hearts and souls into this project. We applaud MultiChoice Group for continuing
to support local content and look forward to working on other exciting projects
in future."
