by Thinus Ferreira
The Queen from Ferguson Films on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) and Lingashoni from Stained Glass TV on 1Magic (DStv 103) have both been cancelled, M-Net confirmed on Friday.
The Queen from Ferguson Films has been renewed for a 7th and final, shortened season of 125 instead of the usual 250 full season order. The Queen will be replaced by a new local South African telenovela.
The 7th and final shortened season of The Queen will start in July 2022 on Mzansi Magic and broadcast its final episode on 13 January 2023.
Lingashoni from Stained Glass TV, that starts for a second season on 21 March has also been cancelled. Lingashoni will start its second season broadcast on 21 March 2022 and end its second season with a series finale that will be broadcast on 13 January 2023.
The Queen made its debut on Mansi Magic in August 2016 and reached 1 000 episodes by AUgust 2020 including a crossover episode with the 1Magic telenovela The
River – a first for M-Net local productions and linking the two shows to exist within the same universe.
Lingashoni as the second telenovela for 1Magic made its debut in March 2021.
Similar to M-Net's kykNET division, Mzansi Magic is changing to stabilising the channel's content slate going forward and focusing on more limited series and reality series with bigger budgets and higher production values.
MultiChoice and M-Net are revising the channel strategies of Mzansi Magic and 1Magic "to keep abreast with changing audience preferences and the evolving competitor landscape".
Mzansi Magic says "The success of our local strategy depends on how well we adapt to what our viewers desire to see on screen".
"Telenovelas have been the crux of our weekday viewership and continue to be so on Mzansi Magic. A new telenovela will be introduced into the weekday 21:00-slot, replacing The Queen from January 2023."
"New content is still under development and will be announced in due course."
"While 1Magic is not traditionally known as the home of telenovelas, it houses one of our leading telenovelas, The River - a multi award-winning production that is popular with viewers. It has just been renewed for a 5th season. Our replacement for Lingashoni will be announced soon."
Shirley Adonisi, M-Net director of local entertainment channels, says "As the M-Net local entertainment channels, we would like to applaud the producers, cast and crew of The Queen and Lingashoni for their dedication to delivering riveting storylines and award-winning content in highly contested primetime slots".
"We maintain long-standing and positive relationships with Ferguson Films and Stained Glass TV, with both production houses having created other shows for our channels."
"In the case of Ferguson Films they have given us hit shows including Rockville, Igazi, The Imposter and Unmarried; while Stained Glass TV is the studio behind our shows Ifalakhe, eHostela and the massively popular The Wife."
"Our strategy is still focused on growing our local content offering. It is what drives our growth and our viewership figures and we are committed to giving our discerning audiences content that they can relate to and see themselves in".
'We look forward to the thrills of the next 12 months as both productions draw towards their respective finales."
