by Thinus Ferreira
SABC+ is creating a Metro FM Music Awards pop-up channel on the public broadcaster's video streaming service which will show highlights from the previous seven award shows, special library programming around it, and end with live streaming of this year's pre-party, black carpet arrivals, main awards show and afterparty.
The 17th Metro FM Music Awards will be taking place on 6 May in the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga where winners will be announced across 18 categories.
This year saw the revival of the radio station's awards since it last took place in 2017 in Durban under a cloud of suspicion over its credibility, following numerous corruption allegations of being rigged due to payola, "buying" of awards and collusion in the judging process.
SABC+ will now run a Metro FM Music Awards pop-up channel for a month, from 29 April until 28 May, as the streaming service's second pop-up channel initiative following SABC Festive which ran as a holiday entertainment pop-up channel during December 2022.
The Metro FM Music Awards pop-up channel will show selected highlights from the previous seven Metro FM Award ceremonies between 2010 and 2017 between 29 April and 5 May between 20:00 and 22:00 at night.
SABC1 programming over the years that tied into the awards show - like episodes of Selimathunzi (1 - 4 May, 8 - 11 May, 18:00), The Get-Together Music Specials (29 April - 5 May, 7 - 14 May, 20:00), Live Amp and The Real Goboza Show - will also get a rerun on the channel.
The Metro FM Music Awards pop-up channel will then live stream the 17th Metro FM Music Awards pre-awards press conference on 4 May at 10:00.
On 5 May the pop-up channel will live stream 2023's Metro FM Music Awards Pre-Party from 18:00.
Besides being broadcast live on SABC1 on 6 May, SABC+ will live stream the Black carpet arrivals from 18:00 for two hours, followed by the 2023 Metro FM Music Awards from 20:00 until 22:00. That will be followed by a live stream on the pop-up channel of the award show's official After-party at 22:00.
Lerato Kganyago and Katlego Maboe have been announced as the two main hosts for this year's revived music awards ceremony.
