Angry MultiChoice execs sidelined by Canal+ frustrated and fearful for the(ir) future after decision-making moved to Paris - report

by Thinus Ferreira

Frustrated MultiChoice executives, sitting in Randburg in Johannesburg and who used to have final approval on decisions, say they're fearful about the future and their futures, after new owner Canal+ swooped in and moved the final decision-making function to Canal+'s own executives in Paris.

In a new report by Africa Intelligence, MultiChoice executives are quoted as saying they're frustrated and angry about having been sidelined in the decision-making process regarding content and other decisions since Canal+ acquired MultiChoice in September 2025.

According to the report, several MultiChoice executives who used to be in the loop, explained that they were not even so much as consulted recently before the publication of Canal+'s financial results for 2025 that now includes MultiChoice.

Angry MultiChoice executives are blaming Maxime Saada, Canal+ CEO, and David Mignot, Canal+ Africa managing director, for the way that things inside MultiChoice have deteriorated and broken down.

Meanwhile discontent under MultiChoice executives are growing, as well as producers and content creators, with MultiChoice staff telling producers that projects, budgets and approvals are all delayed and stacking up at Canal+ headquarters in Paris where Canal+ either can't or won't make decisions and do final sign-offs.

According to Africa Intelligence, the new Canal+ Africa management structure includes the former MultiChoice CEO, Calvo Mawela who has been kept on as Canal+ Africa president; Hennie Visser as director of Africa operations, and Byron du Plessis who was MultiChoice SA CEO, as a regional manager.

Aziz Diallo now oversees French-speaking Africa, Kemi Omotosho is now responsible for Nigeria, Retief Tromp is looking after English-speaking countries outside of South Africa, while Glauco Ferreira is overseeing the Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa.

Fuming MultiChoice and SuperSport executives say their hands are tied and they can no longer make decisions, are isolated and have no final say with anything anymore, and have to send decisions to Paris and then wait approval from there.

 Not only are these executives frustrated, they're also wondering about their futures within what used to be MultiChoice or Canal+ Africa going forward.

Canal+ is shuttering MultiChoice's loss-making streamer Showmax by 30 April, and while neither staff involved with Showmax, or within MultiChoice can he retrenched, Canal+ is now going to offer voluntary severance packages to try and get rid of workers who might want out.

According to the agreement Canal+ signed with South Africa's Competition Commission, no MultiChoice workers can be retrenched for a period of three years. 

What is however happening, is that people who work for service providers and production companies making local content for DStv channels like M-Net, kykNET, Mzansi Magic and Africa Magic are losing jobs.

This is because the volume of content that MultiChoice used to commission for these channels are decreasing due to Canal+'s cost-cutting, and because of the end of Showmax as a separate platform.

REVIEW. MultiChoice and M-Net's absolutely awful, violence and gun-filled 11th Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards embarrasses and shames the continent's film biz

by Thinus Ferreira

Horrific is a strong word to use but that - together with unprofessional, an amateurish mess, and a gun and violence-drenched disaster - is exactly what MultiChoice and M-Net's disgusting and extremely off-putting 11th Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards on DStv was on Saturday night.

Similar to previous years, the mistake-riddled and shoddily run and made live awards show from the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos, Nigeria was a spectacular shocker in "let's play awards show" TV mimickry.

With the embarrassing display, MultiChoice and M-Net shamelessly shamed the continent's film and TV industry with what can only be called utter television trash.

It's difficult to fathom why MultiChoice and M-Net continue to televise disastrous and degrading awards show garbage like the AMVCAs when it is abundantly clear that the pay-TV company has neither the willingness, nor capacity and skill to even remotely do this as an awards show, or to broadcast it properly live across Africa on DStv.

Saturday night's 11th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards was a breathless, disgusting, unsalvageable television disaster, with MultiChoice and M-Net shrugging along as if nothing's wrong, the standard is adequate, and everything's fine. 

It's not by a longshot.

From mistake after mistake, and from egregious error to error, MultiChoice Nigeria's 11th AMVCA was a shocking TV travesty. 

Low-class crap like this doesn't belong on television and MultiChoice and M-Net should be extremely ashamed and embarrassed about staging an inept production like this and broadcasting something looking like - and being done in the way of the 11th AMVCAs - of Saturday night.

This type of trash makes Africa's television and film look like incompetent also-trys.

Purportedly an awards show there to showcase the best and prestigious skills and competencies of the continent's film fraternity, MultiChoice and M-Net once again staged the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards in such horrific fashion on DStv that it turned itself and what it is showcasing, into a decrepit laughing-stock. 

Shame on MultiChoice.

Is this "fine" because "oh, it's 'just' Africa" and "we don't know better, don't care, can't do better and nobody will see it"? 

Is this okay because "oh, it's just the best of what we're capable of, don't judge us for being inferior and not being able to maintain or have or reach basic or higher standards?"

Is that the mentality? Is that the approach? I refuse to accept that.

Why is MultiChoice Nigeria CEO John Ugbe, Busola Tejumola, MultiChoice's head of content and channels for West Africa, Victor Sanchez Aghahowa, head of production for West Africa, and Segilola Aboaba-Olunaike, senior manager for production in West Africa, all seemingly fine with this failure-grade production, or if they're not, unable to fix it?

The shockingly shoddy production values of MultiChoice and M-Net's 11th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards reeked of blustering incompetence as a TV trainwreck that just kept slamming forward from disaster to disaster, to disaster, with no semblance of professionalism.

A while into Saturday's 11th AMVCA trashcast, came the realisation: Someone decided to turn the 11th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards into a blood-soaked, nasty, downright disgusting violence, gun, murder and physical assault-filled show.

It's as if somebody decided to scan through all of the content nominated, culling the worst of the worst to then show throughout the night: Every single gunshot, murder, gender-violence scene, stabbing, blood-letting-spattering and torture scene available.

This got served up for DStv subscribers tuning in to a supposedly "dignified" and "stylish" awards show. The cognitive celluloid dissonance on tasteless display was shocking.

Once again: MultiChoice either didn't know and didn't care.

Or MultiChoice and M-Net were aware and okay'ed this, or were aware and were impotent to change anything.

For whatever reason, MultiChoice and M-Net chose a film awards show to subject DStv viewers - with only a wholly inadequate 13-age restriction - to a never-ending barrage over three hours of gruesome scenes of people getting stabbed, women strangled, people thrown from balconies, tortured in terrifying ways, shot and blood exploding from their bodies.

This made MultiChoice and M-Net's 11th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards the most violent, vile and disgusting one yet. And someone did that deliberately. These clips were chosen.

The result? Turning the 11th AMVCAs into a B-grade snuff movie and making Africa's film biz output look like low-class killer content.

These are just a few examples of what MultiChoice and M-Net showed DStv subscribers during the 11th AMVCAs - it's by no means exhaustive. 

I thought I'd go and count the AMVCA guns, knives and killings depicted - obviously a new record - in everything from hostage situations to murders and revenge killings - but it quickly became too much. There was one electric chainsaw.

 

How exactly does picking and showing lurid and disgusting scenes of violence, guns, shootings, stabbings, murder, strangling, physical assault and gender-violence against women "showcase" the best work from nominees and filmmakers?

Why the seemingly absolute obsession with showing every conceivable gun clip and characters constantly being threatened and being terrified? Is that the style, atmosphere and "image" MultiChoice and M-Net want to imbue the 11th AMVCAs with as an awards show?

For DStv subscribers to look away? For DStv subscribers to switch off or to tune away to another channel?

Is clipping violence for insertion into an awards show the best that can possibly be done, production-wise, to show "drama" or that work supposedly has "artistic" merit?

The vast majority of these clips and scenes didn't even fit with the nominee categories - so why the avalanche of inappropriate violent trash ripped from work to run as category nominee playouts?

How does an ordinary DStv subscriber - paying for this - watch three hours of this Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards trash and not be traumatised by it and the amateurish fail-after-fail knock-on presentation?

Once again it's very clear that nobody photenically briefed category presenters or sent them voicenotes on how to properly pronounce nominees and winners' names beforehand. 

Several presenters on stage looked embarrassed reading names that they clearly suspected they're mangling, and many botched names. Some indicated they didn't want to read the names. Even the voice-over announcer mangled names.

Speaking of him - a sarcastic IK Osakioduwa didn't hide his disdain from the in-auditorium audience nor his co-host David Oke this year as part of his off-putting shtick.

Meanwhile, the camera once again panned over empty seats, showed people milling about and the production was once again unable to do basic spell-checks or quality control on even the very few "wosrds" put on screen.

Clearwater was responsible for the graphics and insert creation.

Marred by sound problems throughout three hours (as usual), including stage mic and handheld mic mistakes and sound desk mute button errors, someone also had the terrible idea to add a mechanical parrot that squawked winners off stage.

The 11th AMVCAs suffered from the usual bad lighting design, a bad-looking stage with what looked like a badly done black tarp-backdrop, while the presentation of entire categories were botched and one had to be done over, while people struggled to read, together with obvious autocue and other mistakes and errors.

Incredibly, sponsors like Martell, Heineken, Indomie, Nivea, MTN and other companies that attached their names to this mediocre spectacle also either don't care, or don't ever watch and see how bad their brands look alongside shoddy content.

The credit roll of MultiChoice and M-Net's 11th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards lists Ikechi Nwauzor as event manager, Evi Odafe-Ejumedia as project manager, Boluwatife Awoyemi as sound engineer, Warren Bleksley as TV director, Tamara Downing as producer, Segilola Aboaba-Olunaike as production team lead, with Darren Hayward as showrunner.

MultiChoice and M-Net should stop doing the AMVCAs as an award show and as a live award show on DStv if it can't or isn't willing to do it right. 

This TV trash damages their brands and damages the image of what Africa's vibrant (and much better) television and film industry really is.

Africa Magic adds slate of 5 new Nigerian shows for early 2025 including fantasy warrior series and school hostage drama

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and M-Net have unveiled a new slate of Nigerian programming for its set of Africa Magic channels on DStv with 5 new shows that will premiere and fill the schedule between the start of 2025 and March including a school hostage drama and a fantasy warrior series.

Uriri which has already started on 30 December is billed by M-Net as a fantasy drama series. 

The 39-episode series chronicles the story of "a legendary warrior" Ogaga who must "confront his destiny and darkness while being haunted by the source of his strength" after his path crosses with a young woman named Serome.

Uriri on Africa Magic Showcase, from Mondays to Wednesdays, stars Seun Ajayi, Frank Konwea, Osarehia Oronsaye and Bobby Ekpe with Xavier Ighorodje as showrunner and executive producer.

The new series PTA follows the life of a teacher, Kennedy, and how a series of unfortunate events led him to take the drastic decision of holding those at his school's parent-teacher meeting hostage.

The 25-episode PTA on Africa Magic Showcase on Thursdays and Fridays is directed by Reuben Reng and stars Levi Chikere, Segun Arinze, Eric Obinna, Dorin Oyesanya and Jsmile Uhuru.

Something called Inu Jin is on Africa Magic Yoruba with episodes on Saturdays and Sundays. No information from MultiChoice.

A new series called Obi Di Omim is on Africa Magic Igbo. Also no information from MultiChoice about it.

Busola Tejumola, MultiChoice's head of content and channels for West Africa, in a press release, says "Every year, we're constantly shown our commitment to delivering the best of African storytelling to your screens, and this year's no different".

"With our latest offerings, we look forward to having you at the edge of your seat with these immersive stories."

MultiChoice Nigeria doing season 9 of Big Brother Naija from 28 July with housemates competing in pairs as M-Net cuts prize money to N100 million.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice Nigeria and M-Net are bringing back Big Brother Naija for a 9th season from 28 July in which contestants called housemates will enter in pairs but MultiChoice Nigeria is reducing the prize money which will go to one winner from N120 million to N100 million (R1.1 million).

Season 9 of Big Brother Naija will run on MultiChoice's DStv for 71 days from 28 July until 6 October and have its debut on all MultiChoice's Africa Magic channels on DStv, after Nigerians had to audition in pairs.

Although housemates will enter Big Brother Naija in pairs, only one person will eventually be the winner. Ebuka Obi-Uchendu will return as the Big Brother Naija host.

The N100 million is N20 million (R223 000) less than the N120 million (R1.3 million) prize money for Big Brother Naija's 8th season in 2023 and with the plunging foreign currency value and rampant inflation in Nigeria, the N100 million is also worth much less than what N100 million could buy just a year ago in the West African country. 

Busola Tejumola, MultiChoice's head of content and West Africa channels, on Tuesday spoke at a media conference in Lagos, Nigeria where she said "The challenging aspect of the show will be that the housemates will be going into the house in pairs and doing some of the house challenges in pairs".

"Everyone curious about the theme should watch out for the premiere on Sunday 28 July. The show holds lots of fun, vibes, emotion, drama, dynamics, and intriguing twists. This innovative format promises to deliver fresh dynamics and unforgettable entertainment."

"We will not be having the head of the house challenge as usual, there will be lots of twists from Big Brother. The pool party and the Saturday night party will be held and the show will air 24 hours."

"After 71 days of game playing, on 6 October a grand total of N100 million worth of cash and a brand new SUV will be won. Our grand prize this year is worth N100 million."

Busola Tejumola failed to explain why MultiChoice Africa reduced the Big Brother Naija prize money amount which is also worth less in buying power this year.

While Big Brother Naija will be broadcast and again be seen on DStv across Africa with an audience wider than just Nigeria, MultiChoice Nigeria didn't bother to alert media elsewhere in Africa and failed to send out any press release or communication on Tuesday to the press in other countries besides Nigeria.

MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax will once again do The Buzz as an additional content add-on with Toke Makinwa who is set to return as the host of this recap show that will talk about highlights from the reality show.

MultiChoice Nigeria announced a reunion episode for the 8th season of Big Brother Naija that was set for 24 June but MultiChoice Nigeria and M-Net unexpectedly cancelled it and refused to provide any reason.

M-Net's Africa Magic adds slate of 6 new titles to DStv for 2024.

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net Africa has added a slate of 6 new series to its linear Africa Magic channels on MultiChoice's DStv for early 2024 including shows sets inside a superstore,

"The new shows will take viewers on an emotional rollercoaster as they get immersed in the lives of the characters, their relationships and their different journeys," says Busola Tejumola, MultiChoice Nigeria's executive head of content and West Africa channels, in a statement.

"We are excited to be premiering Hook, Line and Sinkah, Theory of Breakfast, Manfriend, Unscripted, Siblings Game Show, and Checkout across our Africa Magic channels at the start of a new year, cementing our position as Africa's most loved storytellers."

"We can't wait for our dedicated customers to see the new shows because they will be entertained by the stellar cast and excellent storytelling."

The Theory of Breakfast started on 1 January with new episodes on Mondays and Tuesdays on Africa Magic Showcase as a romantic drama with several interwoven love stories. The show follows two friends who have secretly been in love with each other. Unusual events preceding one of their weddings cause stowed-away love to bloom between them amidst a heart-wrenching series of heartbreaks. 

Checkout that also started on 1 January with new episodes on weekdays on Africa Magic Urban is a comedy drama series set inside a large superstore, Treatz. 

The store owner's divorced sister, Margaret, handles the day-to-day operations. Every episode brings humorous scenarios and conflict between the staff and customers where staff must handle everything from shoppers who don't have enough money at the counter to shoplifters who get caught stealing ridiculous things.

Hook, Line and Sinkah started on 3 January on Wednesdays on Africa Magic Showcase and follows three young half-brothers – Ugo, Sodiq and Kenny Jacobson. 

Despite their father's legendary philandering activities, he doesn't hold any of them in high regard. To help them become more "manly", he orders them to live together in one of his properties and work in his company.

Manfriend that started on 5 January on Fridays on Africa Magic Showcase is a chaotic family drama set in the heart of a bustling city where the King family navigates a whirlwind of emotions, secrets, and aspirations amidst planning their mother's grand 50th birthday bash. 

Doosuur King, the dependable middle daughter, takes the lead in organising the event. She employs her sisters' help, but they are too absorbed in their conflicts to contribute to the party arrangements. 

Unscripted takes on the form of a popular reality TV show's reunion and started on 3 January on Africa Magic Showcase, with viewers who have to choose sides since only one person can be the ultimate reality star. The show stars Bobby Ekpe, Wumi Tuase, Obehi Aburime, Ajayi Akorede (aka The Korexx), Debby Felix, Eby Eno, Nonso Bassey, Austine Onuoha, Martha Ehinome, Shalewa Ashafa, and others.

The Siblings Challenge show on Africa Magic Family since 6 January has new episodes on Saturdays and Sundays.

MultiChoice's next Big Brother in Africa on DStv will be an all-stars face off in January 2023 between former housemates of Big Brother Mzansi and Big Brother Naija.

by Thinus Ferreira  

The next iteration of the African version of Big Brother will be a new spinoff edition which will be an "all-stars" match-up between Big Brother Naija and Big Brother Mzansi, filled with winners from previous seasons of both shows from Nigeria and South Africa and broadcast on DStv across Africa in early 2023.

After seven seasons of Big Brother Naija in Nigeria and five seasons of Big Brother Mzansi - the first two of which were titled Big Brother SA - MultiChoice and M-Net are working on bringing the former contestants of both countries' versions together in one show with the working title of Big Brother Face-Off.

It's still unclear whether the camera-house-filled reality competition show done according to the Banijay-format will be using the Johannesburg complex in South Africa or the Lagos-based studio in Nigeria.

Big Brother Face Off will run from 15 January 2023 to 2 April 2023 for 11 weeks.

MultiChoice plans to broadcast Big Brother Face-Off in early 2023, once again as a 24-hour pop-up Big Brother channel on DStv across Africa, with highlight shows on M-Net's Africa Magic and Mzansi Magic TV channels, and additional content on its streaming service Showmax.

"In 2023 we'll be starting the year off with a bang, which will be the giants of Africa coming together on the Big Brother version of South Africa against Nigeria," says Nomsa Philiso, MultiChoice's head of programming.

"This has been an incredible, incredible feat for us because we know how well Big Brother Mzansi does, we know how well Big Brother Naija does, but we just felt that it was time to bring the two together. We're excited about that and we just think that it's going to be amazing." 

Big Brother Face Off follows the just-concluded season of another localised Banijay-format reality competition on M-Net, with production company Afrokaans which brought back castaways from previous seasons of Survivor South Africa to compete again in the 9th season that was entitled Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts.

Possible Big Brother Face Off contestants from Nigeria could include Katung Aduwak as season 1 winner, Michael Efe Ejeba as season 2 winner, Miracle Igbokwe as season 3 winner, Mercy Eke as season 4 winner, Olamilekan "Laycon" Agbeleshe as season 5 winner, Hazel Oyeye "Whitemoney" Onou as season 6 winner, and whoever wins the current season 7 of Big Brother Naija: Level Up when the latest season concludes next month with a live finale on 2 October.

Possible Big Brother Face-Off contestants from South Africa could include Ferdinand Rabie as season 1 winner of Big Brother SA, Richard Cawood as season 2 winner of Big Brother SA, Mandla Hlatshwayo who won Big Brother Mzansi: Secrets in 2014, Ace Khumalo and Ntombi Tshabalala from Big Brother Mzansi: Double Trouble, and Mphowabadimo who walked out of the house as the winner of Big Brother Mzansi: Beke Le Beke in April this year.

Besides the Nigerian and South African versions, M-Net also produced nine seasons of Big Brother Africa between 2003 and 2014 for DStv subscribers, with 10 additional winners during that decade, although it's not clear whether these 10 people are also under potential consideration to be invited back for Big Brother Face Off. 

ALSO READ: MultiChoice powers ahead with localised content including slum-set Kenya drama Pepeta, a funeral reality series in Ghana, Crime & Justice spinoff for Nigeria and a Nollywood psychothriller miniseries.

MultiChoice windowing the first episode of Showmax's The Real Housewives of Lagos on M-Net's linear Africa Magic channels on Saturday night.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and M-Net are once again levering its set of linear TV channels on DStv to try and drive sampling and subscriber uptake for its video streaming service Showmax, with the pay-TV service that will window the first episode of The Real Housewives of Lagos on Saturday night on its Africa Magic channels.

The Real Housewives of Lagos, produced by Livespot 360 in association with Universal Studio Group and distributed by NBCUniversal Formats, will be broadcast on Saturday night on MultiChoice's Africa Magic Showcase (DStv 151) and Africa Magic Urban (DStv DStv 153) channels on DStv at 22:00 (South African time) and 21:00 (West African time).

The Real Housewives of Lagos is executive produced by Deola Art Alade and Dare Art Alade, with Hadizat Ibrahim as series producer and with directors Portia Hlubi and Awal Abdulfatai.

he Real Housewives of Lagos stars a set of so-called "Nigerian housewives" Carolyna Hutchings, Laura Ikeji, Chioma Ikokwu, Toyin Lawani-Adebayo, Iyabo Ojo and Mariam Timmer flaunting their wealth and conspicuous consumption, cussing, doing snarky put-downs of other women and fighting with one another, similar to the American franchise.

With the launch of The Walt Disney Company's Disney+ streamer coming in May in South Africa, and with other global streamers like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Apple TV+ already active in South Africa and across the African continent, the pressure is ever-increasing on MultiChoice to drive subscriber uptake for Showmax.

The 6th season of MultiChoice and M-Net West Africa's Big Brother Naija to start with a double-show launch on 24 July after it will run 72 days, drops SMS voting so the rest of Africa can vote.

by Thinus Ferreira

The 6th season of Big Brother Naija will start on Saturday 24 July but in a change will see a double launch event with two launch-show programmes - one on Saturday night and another on Sunday night 25 July after which it will run for 10 weeks and 72 days until the winner announcement finale on 3 October.

With Idols Extra currently running on DStv channel 198 in South Africa, the Big Brother Naija channel that will run on DStv channel 198 in Nigeria, will be placed on some other DStv channel, in South Africa - something that neither MultiChoice, MultiChoice Africa nor its Duma Collective PR agency could bother to specify before the publishing of this report, even after being asked about it specifically in a media enquiry in Monday.

Big Brother Naija highlight programmes will run on some or other of the various Africa Magic channels that MultiChoice and M-Net also couldn't bother to specify for the different markets where the reality series will be seen. 

In Nigeria, the Big Brother Naija launch will be simulcast according to MultiChoice Nigeria on M-Net's channels of "Africa Magic Showcase, Africa Magic Urban and Africa Magic Family".

MultiChoice in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa doesn't offer M-Net's Africa Magic Showcase channel, with no indication of whether it's meant to be the Africa Magic Epic elsewhere outside of Nigeria.

Big Brother Naija will be accessible to subscribers of DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family and DStv Access, as well as GOtv Max and GOtv Plus subscribers.

As reported earlier, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu will be back as the host for the 6th season of Big Brother Naija.

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch on Showmax.

Frustratingly, MultiChoice Nigeria held a press briefing on Monday to announce the launch date of Big Brother Naija with MultiChoice that excluded media from the rest of the continent from following virtually, although the 6th season will again be shown across MultiChoice's pan-African satellite pay-TV network in various other countries.

Except for Nigeria, MultiChoice didn't make any plan to give media across Africa access to the press conference with Martin Mabutho, MultiChoice Nigeria customer officer, and Bisola Tejumola, MultiChoice head of content for West Africa, and there was no prior media advisory or notification that any announcement would be made today.

MultiChoice only issued a basic press release on Monday afternoon, and only after media enquiries had to be made. 

MultiChoice also said nothing about the possibility of Big Brother Naija content being made available again for the 6th season on its video streaming service Showmax that during the 5th season carried customised additional content around the reality show.

MultiChoice and M-Net are also doing away with SMS voting for the 6th season of Big Brother Nigeria in order to make it possible for viewers in countries outside of Nigeria to vote, although MultiChoice didn't make information or details about that available, other than a generic press release noting that SMS votes have been canned.

All voting will be on the Big Brother Naija website and mobile site as well as on the My DStv and My GOtv apps.

The 6th season of Big Brother Naija will run for 10 weeks and across 72 days and end on 3 October 2021 with the winner getting N90 million (R3.17 million), with the selected housemates who have already been quarantined before they are to enter the Big Brother Naija camera-filled house over the weekend.

"With each season of Big Brother Naija we task ourselves on delivering great content that will take the excitement a notch higher and meet the entertainment needs of our customers. For this sixth season, we are pulling all the stops to give our customers a show like never seen before from Nigeria with end-to-end production best practices under global health and safety standards," says John Ugbe, MultiChoice Nigeria CEO in a press statement.

Given the danger of Covid-19 and the dramatic surge in the Delta-variant in South Africa, Nigeria and across the African continent, MultiChoice Nigeria says that DStv subscribers can be assured that "global best practices, precautions and preventive measures will be followed throughout the show".

"To find out more about this and other information on the sixth season, visit www.africamagic.tv/bigbrothernaija ," says MultiChoice in its press release, although the website contains absolutely no information about the show's Covid-19 safety production protocols or "more about this".

UPDATE Monday 19 July 2021 - 16:16: The Duma Collective PR agency tells TVwithThinus that the Big Brother Naija 24-hour channel will be placed on and run on MultiChoice's DStv channel 197 in South Africa. 

SMS voting has been removed from Big Brother Naija in order to make it "completely free and more inclusive for fans outside Nigeria".

ALSO READ: Ebuka Obi-Uchendu back as host of the 6th season of M-Net West Africa's Big Brother Naija.

Coronavirus: Nigeria warns that the thousands of MultiChoice and M-Net guests at their 7th AMVCA have very likely been exposed to Covid-19.

by Thinus Ferreira

In an announcement that sent shockwaves through MultiChoice, M-Net and the African continent's TV and film industry, the office of the Lagos state's ministry of health in Nigeria warned that the 7th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards could have exposed the thousands of guests who attended to the Covid-19 virus since someone who had tested positive attended the awards show.

A year after not holding its pan-African awards show in 2019, MultiChoice decided to forge ahead in 2020 with the 7th AMVCAs that took place on 14 March at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria on the same night as MultiChoice and M-Net's 2020 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards took place for South Africa in Johannesburg at the TicketPro Dome.

MultiChoice pressed ahead with the 7th AMVCAs in Nigeria despite Covid-19 cases that had already tested positive in Nigeria, as well as with the 2020 DStv MVCAs in South Africa where no cases were positive yet although the government and companies cautioned people to limit movement and large-scale social interaction and gatherings.

The Lagos State ministry of health has now warned that "all participants at the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards held on 14 March at Eko Hotels may have come in contact with one of the confirmed cases in Lagos and are most likely to have been exposed to the Covid-19 infection".

The large awards show with attendees from West, East and Southern Africa was filled with TV and film executives from across Africa including MultiChoice Nigeria CEO John Ugbe, as well as filmmakers, on-screen stars and behind-the-scenes crew, media and including multiple MultiChoice and M-Net staffers and executives from across the African continent who all returned to their home countries on the Sunday morning.

The health ministry urged all attendees of the 7th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards to "observe strict self-isolation, to call Nigeria's toll-free coronavirus-helpline if they notice symptoms and to practice self-distancing.

The MultiChoice Group's Africa division didn't immediately respond on Wednesday morning to a media enquiry asking for comment and what it's doing now for M-Net and MultiChoice staffers - those who attended and those who came into contact with them upon their return, as well as regarding guests who attended.

When comment is received it will be added here.

UPDATE Thursday 26 March 2020 16:54 -  Reatile Tekateka, the head of corporate affairs at MultiChoice Africa, says that MultiChoice has no comment.

M-Net scraps 2 of its award shows for 2019 - although one of them will make a comeback in 2020.

M-Net has quietly scrapped two of its televised award shows for 2019 with neither the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards on Africa Magic, nor the DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards on Mzansi Magic, that will take place this year.

According to insiders the problem is finding sponsors to help carry some of the huge production costs associated with mounting the TV awards, the same issue that in 2016 led to the demise of both Viacom Africa's MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) and MultiChoice and CNN International's African Journalist Awards which took place the last time in that year.

M-Net West Africa started the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in 2013 that was broadcast annually across sub-Saharan Africa on MultiChoice's DStv, mostly during March, to promote and recognise African TV and film productions from across West, East and Southern Africa.

The 6th Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards however only took place in September 2018 in Lagos, Nigeria  - several months later than previous years.

For the 6th edition of this award show, the viewers' votes which were steadily reduced every year, accounted for only 25% of the winners, with Africa's viewers who by that time only had a say about who wins in 7 out of the 27 categories.

M-Net in South Africa started the DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards in August 2017 and held it for a second time in November 2018, to promote and recognise South Africa's entertainment industry.


One of them back in 2020
According to MultiChoice Africa, although the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards isn't taking place in 2019 this award show might return in future.

According to MultiChoice the AMVCAs requires huge funding to make happen, as well as an alignment between the production, competition and commercial teams, as well as staging it in Nigeria where there are limited venues capable of a production of this scale.

According to M-Net, although the DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards isn't taking place in 2019, this awards show is not cancelled.

"We are still in deliberations at the moment and cannot say much without final approvals. Everything else regarding the awards will be communicated in due time," Mzansi Magic told TVwithThinus in response to a media enquiry.

M-Net said that the DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards will be taking place sometime in 2020 for a third time, although a specific time-frame is unclear.

Nigerian scriptwriter, Osang Abang, dead at 30; wrote for several of M-Net's hit series on Africa Magic from BattleGround to Tinsel.

A Nigerian scriptwriter, Osang Abang, who wrote for several of the hit series on M-Net's Africa Magic channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, has died. He was 30.

Osang Abang, who was the head writer of the series BattleGround on Africa Magic.

He died on Thursday night.

The cause of death has not been confirmed but was apparently due to a motor car or bus accident that happened because of either him heading to Big Brother Naija auditions, or because of other people heading to auditions for the reality show that crashed into him.

Osang Abang was also a co-writer for the long-running Nigerian soap Tinsel and joined M-Net in West Africa in 2013 as a scriptwriter working on content and storyline development at the soap.

Osang Abang's TV writing credits also included Ajoche, E.V.E., Forbidden, Hush, Hustle, and Jemeji.

"All you ever see are the actors but in truth, it takes a small village to put up any type of production; for one the size and scale of Tinsel it takes 2," wrote Tinsel actress Iretiola Doyle, mourning Osang Abang.

"Osang Abang was one of the names at the top left-hand corner of many scripts, not just for this particular show, but several other major M-Net productions. I met him only once or twice but he was one of ours. It takes a sad, sudden incident like this to bring it home."

BattleGround actress Meg Otanwa wrote that "Osang was one of our best writers" and that "last time we spoke, he wanted us to discuss some ideas over lunch".

"He was head writer on BattleGround and writer on most of your favourite Africa Magic TV shows. He was one of the very best and was such a beautiful human being. He didn't even get to watch BattleGround till the end."

Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi wrote: "You could have been an actor but you chose to be a writer" and that "we discussed that story idea but you didn’t get to pen it. Thank you for so many dramatic twists in all the Africa Magic TV shows (Tinsel, Hush, BattleGround and more)."

MultiChoice said "The DStv family joins the Nigerian creative community to mourn the super talented Osang Abang whose shocking passing away has left us shattered. May his good soul rest in peace".

REVIEW. The bad - but better - rumpled red carpet broadcast of the 6th 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards pre-show still filled with blunders, a clueless Helen Paul, and many production mistakes.

The still badly done, visibly rumpled, red carpet pre-show of the 6th 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards broadcast on Africa Magic on Saturday evening was again filled with blunders, awkwardly bad production values, and a clueless Helen Paul thinking its funny to be unprepared - although the red carpet production showed improvement in significant ways.

As in previous years, M-Net West Africa and the organisers of the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards still visibly found it too difficult to roll out a flat red carpet at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos from where Saturday's awards show ceremony again took place.

A ruffled red carpet showed up several times during the 3-hour pre-show broadcast on the Africa Magic channels on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service, adding to the once-again amateur-looking coverage that this year had Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Sika Osei as the main red carpet hosts.

Both were markedly better than the presenters used in previous years, although Sika Osei seemed mostly unprepared to do actual interviews and often veered off into what's obvious her "safe space" where she just rambles with stream of consciousness monologues.

Sika Osei tends to spout mindless drivel she seems to have learnt by rote through watching too much E! without actually thinking, and that ended up damaging the pre-show like at 35 minutes in with her "The red carpet is really hotting up!" although by that time only 3 short interviews took place and the camera showed them standing in the totally empty hotel foyer.

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu was the best thing about the 6th 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards red carpet show, allowing guests to talk, coming across as patiently self-assured and confident, humorous and warm even when he had visible ear-piece trouble and kept going.

The organisers once again brought back the wholly-inadequate Helen Paul. She stood next to the doing-what-he-can under the circumstances, cohort Uti Nwachukwu as the second tier presenters.

Helen Paul, dressed in a feathered aquamarine swirl more appropriate on a sea cruise cabaret director, once again seemed clueless in her costume more appropriate for a character in a kiddies pantomime, and again inflicted the biggest damage on this year's red carpet pre-show.

Helen Paul kept asking inappropriate questions, trying to "funnily sexualising" interviews and showing absolutely no sign of having studied up on any background on the nominees or having heard of the #MeToo movement.

Helen Paul - often cackling at the camera to try and disguise her ineptitude - awkwardly kept asking people about kissing and even egged on two people to kiss in front of her (they started but didn't).

She caused embarrassing moments like asking a former child star - now clearly a young man - nothing about his actual role but inane, irrelevant stuff like: "What school do you go to?" only for him to mutedly respond: "I'm at university".

Helen Paul point-blank asked nominee Folarin "Falz" Falana: "Do you think you will win?"
(He didn't really know what to say.)

Saturday's red carpet coverage immediately started off with sound problems and audio mistakes when a crossing went wrong and with some that kept happening throughout the coverage - although from the outset Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Sika Osei did their best and just kept talking over problems.

Lonre Ojoawa was the red carpet show director, with Busola Komolare, Anu Somatun and Uche Ifeanyi-Ogwu as red carpet segment producers.

None of the red carpet presenters really seemed to know what to ask anybody who wasn't actually Nigerian and the coverage was saturated with a naija-centric approach and references that casual Africa Magic viewers from East and Southern African might not be familiar with, understand or know.

When someone's cellphone literally rang during an interview, Sika Osei asked: "Who's calling?" It didn't seem as if people were asked to switch their phones off or to silent, and M-Net apparently didn't have any publicists, assistant or producer on hand to take and hold people's phones and handbags off-camera for the minutes during which they do interviews.

Camerawork and sound were both subpar with a lot of sound mistakes. When a few of the people interviewed were asked to "twirl" or turn around, the camera, instead of moving down and up, would stay focused on portrait mode, completely detached from what it was supposed to do/show.

When Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, channel director for Africa Magic channels and M-Net West Africa director, did her red carpet interview, once again as in the past, the presenter didn't seem prepped about what to specifically ask, or as if there was any direction into his earpiece as to what to actually do.

Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, was asked about her clothes and what she's wearing.

With it the pre-show and M-Net once again missed a golden opportunity to actually ask relevant stuff and work in proper promotion like "Can you talk about the MultiChoice Talent Factory?", "What are the new shows that M-Net are excited about?" (Eve!) or "Why is M-Net proud about the AMVCAs?"

There were red carpet production improvements. The pre-show did away with the gay fashionista commentary corner where in previous years the show would flash to so-called style experts to break down the sartorial choices but done in a bad way.

Also gone was the "360" roto-camera trash-attempt that never worked properly previously and attempted to give a "360 degrees" look of outfits.

The last half hour when the most important and other guests arrived was once again disappointingly a missable pre-taped highlights package of the 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards cocktail nominee party - basically a these-are-the-sponsors infomercial show, although Africa Magic kept saying it's a "live" broadcast.

The former AMVCA red carpet co-host Eku Edewor awkwardly dartled from sponsor to sponsor, spinning a wheel to win cash at Airtel, taking selfies, and getting a pack of washing powder from Sunlight displaying their cleaning products ... in baskets.

Showing Sunlight soap in baskets, people drinking water from the water sponsor and IK Osakioduwa asking a married woman if she wants another man just before the start of the official awards show made the 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards look a bit downmarket trashy.

Kenya manages to make a stronger showing in the winners list at the 6th 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards, grabbing 5 awards, including Best movie for 18 Hours.

M-Net and MultiChoice's supposed pan-African 6th 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards on Saturday night remained a decidedly Nigerian-focused affair with the bulk of the category winners from Nigeria and West Africa although Kenya very deservedly cooped the Best Overall Movie category for 2017's 18 Hours from Phoebe Ruguru.

The 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards was once again done as a live broadcast ceremony on M-Net's array of Africa Magic channels on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform throughout sub-Saharan Africa from the Eko Hotel and Suites on Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria.

It once again had production mistakes and problems, including a red carpet pre-show with bad production values and a returning and still clueless and unprepared Helen Paul, although both broadcasts showed less problems than in the past.

Minnie Dlamini Jones from South Africa returned as the co-host next to the sexist IK Osakioduwa who was also back again with his tiring one-track "lusting after women" schtick that roiled viewers.

Supposed to represent West, East and Southern Africa somewhat "equally", the 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards, produced by M-Net West Africa and always originating from Lagos, Nigeria remains top-heavy with Nigerian category nominees and therefore winners.

East Africa managed to make a better showing on Saturday evening, with 4 Kenyans who managed to win 5 awards for Mark Maina as Best Picture Editor (18 Hours), Phoebe Ruguru winning Best Overall Movie (18 Hours) and Best Movie award in East Africa (18 Hours), Dennis Wanjohi Maina for Best Documentary (The Flesh Business) and Nyce Wanjeri as Best Actress in a comedy and TV series.

Although called "viewers' choice" African viewers can only vote for 7 out of the 27 categories Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards.

In one of the several odd moments from this year's awards ceremony - that also included an out-of-place operatic number with a live orchestra - the former Big Brother Naija contestant, Bisola Aiyeola who couldn't stop screaming on stage, won the Trail Blazer Award.

Here's the complete list of 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards winners:

Best Sound Editor
Tatu – Kolade Morakinyo and Pius Fatoke

Best Picture Editor
18 Hours – Mark Maina

Best Lighting Designer Movie/TV Series
Tatu – Akpe Ododoru, Tunde Akinniyi

Best Cinematography Movies/TV series
Okafor’s Law – Yinka Edward

Best Costume/Designer Movie or TV Series
The Bridge – Ngozi Obasi and James Bessinone

Best Short Film/Online Video
Penance – Micheal Ama Psalmist’ Akinrogunde

Best Documentary
The Flesh Business – Dennis Wanjohi

Best Make Up Artist Movie/TV Series
Tatu – Thelma Ozy Smith, Hakeem Effect Onilogbo

Best Art Director
Lotanna – Tunji Afolayan

Best Soundtrack Movies/TV Series
Tatu – Evelle

Best Indigenous Language Movie or TV Series – Swahili
Super Modo – Sarika Hemi Lhakani

Best Indigenous Language Movie or TV Series – Hausa
Mansoor – Ali Nuhu

Best Indigenous Language Movies or TV Series – Yoruba
Etiko Onigedu – Femi Adebayo

Best Indigenous Language Movies or TV Series – Igbo
Bound – Lilian Afegbai

Best TV/Drama/Comedy series
This Is It – Dolapo Adeleke

Best Movie East Africa
18 Hours – Phoebe Ruguru

Best Movie West Africa
Isoken – Jade Osiberu

Best Movie Southern Africa
The Road to Sunrise – Shemu Joyah

Trail Blazer Award
Bisola Aiyeola

Industry Merit Award
Tunde Kelani

Best Writer Movie/TV Series
Alter Ego – Patrick Nnamani/Koye O/Moses Inwang

Best Supporting Actress
Lydia Forson – Isoken

Best Supporting Actor
Falz – New Money

Best Actress in a comedy and TV series
Nyce Wanueri – Auntie Boss

Best Actor in a comedy
Odunlade Adekola – A Million Baby

Best Actress in a Drama/TV Series
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde – Alter Ego

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Adjetey Anang  – Keteke

Best Director
Jade Osiberu – Isoken

Best Overall Movie
18 Hours – Phoebe Ruguru

Will M-Net and MultiChoice's mistake-filled Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards sink or swim this Saturday in Lagos for the 6th time around on Africa Magic? The live broadcast will once again tell.

Will the mistake-filled Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards done by M-Net on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV service sink or swim the 6th time round in 2018 when the pan-African awards show is broadcast live this coming Saturday on Africa Magic?

Viewers and TV critics are waiting with baited breath as to whether M-Net and MultiChoice Africa will be able to clamp down on the always-ridiculed awardcast and its odd red carpet pre-show when the 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards will get televised across Africa this Saturday on the various Africa Magic channels.

The 3-hour broadcast of the 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards red carpet pre-show that had dubious production values the previous 5 years and always create unintentionally hilarious mistakes, will start at 17:00 on Africa Magic Epic (DStv 152), Africa Magic Urban (DStv 153) and Africa Magic Family (DStv 154) this Saturday.

This will be followed by the 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards live awards show ceremony at 20:00 until 23:00 (theoretically if there's no run-over as in the past) on the same Africa Magic channels.

As previously reported, the award show is called the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards although the "viewers' choice" part has actually once again been cut down further and reduced this year from 16 to just 7 categories.

Viewers now only get to actually choose 7 out of the 27 winners of the supposed pan-African TV and film competition that continues to be basically heavily Nigerian-filled with a sprinkling of participation from East and Southern Africa included.

The in-show experience of the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards , once again taking place at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria, is different from the actual telecast - the actual broadcast has a lot more self-evident and obvious mistakes, with the ballroom audience only seeing the most obvious like the opening of wrong envelopes, wrong clips being played or awkward on-stage incidents and banter.

IK Osakioduwa and Minnie Dlamini will both be back as hosts of the 2018 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards - the 3rd stint for both.

"We are delighted to once again celebrate outstanding achievements in the African film and television industry on the platform of the AMVCAs," says Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, Africa Magic channel director.

"As always, we promise a night filled with exciting and stellar performances led by some of Africa's biggest names in the music industry."

"Our viewers at home will not miss a moment of the event as they tune in to all Africa Magic channels on Saturday 1 September to see who wins the coveted AMVCA titles."