by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice will be adding INX Prime from Wednesday 24 August 17:00 to its DStv satellite pay-TV service on DStv channel 345 as a new Islamic-infused TV channel for sub-Saharan Africa, with INX Prime - studio-headquartered in Houghton in Johannesburg - promising that it will produce and broadcast "original programming that recognises the multiple needs of Muslims on the continent".
INX Prime will carry content and shows of interest to Muslim as well as non-Muslim viewers in South Africa, as well as across sub-Saharan Africa, when it launches on DStv next week.
INX Prime told TVwithThinus on Thursday the channel will run 24 hours a day, with MultiChoice making INX Prime available to all DStv packages and all subscribers.
The INX Prime TV channel line-up is packaged with various shows which will be filmed and broadcast locally from Johannesburg, South Africa, with the INX Prime headquarters based in the leafy suburb of Houghton.
INX Prime constructed a purpose-built multi-studio facility in Houghton earlier this year from where it wants to broadcast "high-quality content that is relevant and relatable not only to all South Africans, but all Africans across the continent".
INX Prime as a TV channel has an Islamic ethos, with programming that it says will aim to be "vibrant, entertaining, informative and spiritually uplifting".
INX Prime will broadcast shows that it says will bring "both Muslims and non-Muslims of all ages together with
topics ranging from current affairs and community upliftment to cooking and
comedy".
INX Prime's flagship show will be Prime
Live, as well as The Muslim Gallery, Prime Culture, You Are Not Alone and INX Kids for younger viewers. Besides locally produced content INX Prime will also show a range of international movies and series.
Personalities joining INX Prime include Nasreen Chamdar who will be hosting Finding Halaal as an exploration of South Africa's best halaal cuisine; Anne Cabot- Alletzhauser, co-founder of the Responsible Finance Initiative (RFI); as well as presenter, actor and author of Mama I Sold You, Thaamir Moerat.
Farhad Omar, INX Prime managing director, says the creation of INX Prime is a "historic development in the media landscape in Africa".
"We will provide original programming that recognises the multiple needs of Muslims on the continent. For many years we understood that we needed to make a positive contribution to the news and information available to Muslims on the continent and what we are announcing today will help us achieve that goal."
Georginah Machiridza, MultiChoice's head of content strategy and 3rd party channels, says "as part of our commitment to showcase a
diverse content offering, we are proud to be launching INX Prime, a channel
designed to cater for our customers that are interested in programming that is
both entertaining and informative whilst rooted in the Islamic religion".
