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by Thinus Ferreira
Netflix South Africa and kykNET are the two biggest nominee drivers of 2024's 18th South African Television and Film Awards with the red letter streamer earning 59 nominations and the blue K grabbing 58 nominations.
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) released the nominations for the 18th SAFTAs last week. The awards ceremony was originally scheduled for September.
I've reliably learnt that the 18th SAFTAs has been pushed out by a month because the date clashed with MultiChoice's upcoming DStv Delicious Festival 2024 set for 21 and 22 September and that the NFVF and MultiChoice decided not to put on duelling events competing for public interest at the same time.
The 18th SAFTAs has now moved its technical and craft awards to 25 October which will be shown on YouTube, with the main awards which will be broadcast on 26 October on SABC3 and Mzansi Magic (DStv 161).
While Netflix SA got the most nods, M-Net as a Randburg-based content hub - not the TV channel - got the most nominations.
If the nominations of programmes shown on SuperSport like Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story, nominations from M-Net (DStv 101) content like the second season of its Lioness drama series and Carte Blanche, as well as nominations for M-Net produced TV channels like 1Magic, Mzansi Magic and Mzansi Wethu are added to kykNET's tally, the M-Net division surpasses Netflix with the most nominations this year.
The staggering over-performance of kykNET content - and specifically Afrikaans TV content within the overall number of SAFTAs nominations - become even more impressive when the nominations of Showmax Originals in Afrikaans like Trompoppie and Dam are added.
Media24's VIA lifestyle channel on DStv also have a few nominations (3) for TV shows, further adding to the bulk of Afrikaans nominations at this year's SAFTAs.
Streamer-wise MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax has 38 nominations, with its Cape Town-filmed Canal+ co-production Spinners largely shut out and snubbed with only three nominations. Spinners also wasn't eligible to enter the Best TV drama category since the lead production company is French.
Disney+ managed one nomination for its Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire animation series, with Amazon Studios that earlier this year decided to abruptly stop further production of any local South African and African continent that grabbed 11 nominations.
The South African public broadcaster got 39 nominations for the content across its channels - including for Primedia Studios' The Masked Singer on SABC3.
The SABC likely could have added to its tally but Word of Mouth Pictures producing Muvhango and Danie Odendaal Productions that produced the cancelled 7de Laan, are two of the production companies that again snubbed the NFVF and didn't enter for the awards.
eMedia's e.tv grabbed 17 nominations, with Cape Town TV (CTV) which was the only community TV channel to get a nod with its single nomination for The Heart of Cape Town in the category for best achievement in sound in a documentary.
