by Thinus Ferreira
In MultiChoice's plan as it shifts focus to acquiring and retaining more mid and lower-tiered DStv subscribers, the satellite pay-TV service and M-Net are adding Magic Showcase and Cine Magic as two new lower-tiered channels although MultiChoice will try to prevent more complaints about DStv repeats by locking the channels of these new repeat-filled channels away to just these filtered-down cheaper bouquets.
MultiChoice is also taking away the Novela Magic channel on 27 November from DStv subscribers in South Africa, although Novela Magic will remain available to DStv subscribers in the rest of Africa.
MultiChoice is adding the Magic Showcase and CineMagic TV channels, packaged by M-Net, specifically for DStv EasyView subscribers who pay R29 per month, although MultiChoice is also locking out higher-tiered DStv subscribers from accessing CineMagic as a film channel and Magic Showcase as a general entertainment channel, in order to minimise the ongoing barrage of complaints about DStv repeats.
MultiChoice doesn't want DStv subscribers above DStv EasyView to stumble onto the repackaged content of Magic Showcase or CineMagic and be confronted with content they've already seen, which leads to DStv subscriber complaints about rebroadcasts and repeats.
Like traditional pay-TV services elsewhere in the world, MultiChoice windows content, with series filtering down from more expensive DStv packages, over time, through to lower-tiered packages, although pay-TV subscribers who pay less, have to wait much longer before they also eventually see the bulk of the content.
To prop up its lower-tiered bouquets since it's becoming more important for MultiChoice to focus on and retain mid- and lower-tiered subscribers, MultiChoice is expanding downward access to both more third-party channels - for instance BET and Comedy Central - as well as M-Net packaged channels, to broaden the appeal of lower-tiered packages.
Magic Showcase will start on DStv on Monday 31 October and is an 18-hour TV channel repeating MultiChoice and M-Net's locally-produced content for lower-tiered DStv subscribers who haven't seen it before or had access to it before.
Content will be in various languages with hardcoded subtitles for content not in English, with old shows funnelled from across various higher-tiered M-Net channels like M-Net (DStv 101) and Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) to build the Magic Showcase schedule like Being Bonang, Our Perfect Wedding and Legacy.
CineMagic is a 12-hour movie channel that is starting on DStv on Monday 14 November and will be inaccessible to higher-tiered DStv subscribers above DStv EasyView bouquets.
CineMagic will show "the best in locally-made African films as well as international
independent titles. CineMagic is a
celebration of storytelling and the common narrative threads that bind us from
all parts of the world," according to M-Net.
CineMagic will be in various languages with hardcoded subtitles for films not
in English. Of course all of the films will be "new" to DStv EasyView subscribers but old to DStv subscribers who have been paying more for higher-tiered packages.
Magic Showcase and CineMagic will be just for DStv EasyView subscribers in South Africa, and will reside on the DStv Access and DStv Lite bouquets in Southern Africa.
"As MultiChoice we are committed
to giving our subscribers on varying packages the best content there is to
offer," says Nomsa Philiso, MultiChoice CEO for general entertainment.
"We are proud to grow the EasyView content slate, allowing our
subscribers on this package to enjoy award-winning and top-tier local shows and
movies from across the continent. It's all about giving our audience the best
value for their money, and we are committed to continuously increasing what
each DStv package has on show."
Jan du Plessis, director of M-Net channels, says "The addition of two new M-Net channels to the EasyView package
only further enhances the subscriber viewing experience".
"We've used the M-Net
model in conceptualising and branding the channels – the look and feel are
inspired by the 'mother brand', Novela Magic. We trust that viewers will be
pleased with the channels and their offerings once they go live."
