Another former MultiChoicer is now at Netflix with Efosa Aiyevbomwan heading up Netflix PR and publicity for sub-Saharan Africa.

by Thinus Ferreira

Yet another former MultiChoice staffer who worked in communication and publicity there has found greener pastures at Netflix, with Efosa Aiyevbomwan who is now the public relations and publicity manager for Netflix in sub-Saharan Africa.

Efosa Aiyevbomwan from Nigeria, together with Marang Setshwaelo from South Africa as Netflix Originals publicity director for sub-Saharan Africa, now oversees the publicity initiatives for Netflix content in Africa and in South Africa.

Netflix has been and is currently using the Eclipse Communications and DNA Brand Architects PR companies for various publicity initiatives around new content, or when there are eventing attempts to try and create buzz around certain shows and films like Bridgerton or Silverton Siege.  

Efosa Aiyevbomwan, who previously also worked at MultiChoice, is the latest staffer from the pan-African pay-TV service to join the red N in the Netherlands in Amsterdam.

Efosa Aiyevbomwan's appointment follows after the former MultiChoice communications manager Sbu Mpungose also jumped from MultiChoice South Africa to Netflix earlier this year. 

Francois Rank also abruptly and quietly exited MultiChoice earlier this year after just 9 months at the pay-TV operator as MultiChoice senior manager for corporate communications without any goodbye and MultiChoice not saying a word to the media about either of their departures or alerting that they're gone.  

Before joining Netflix as new PR boss for Africa Efosa Aiyevbomwan was chief marketing officer at Appzone in Lagos, Nigeria for a year, and before that headed up communications at Uber in West Africa.

He was at MultiChoice Nigeria and M-Net West Africa for 4 years since mid-June 2014 heading up public relations and talent first for M-Net West Africa and its Africa Magic channels on MultiChoice's DStv in Nigeria, before adding and becoming DStv Nigeria's PR manager in September 2017 to his responsibilities.

M-Net and MultiChoice's Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards not scrapped, says M-Net; 6th AMVCAs moved to latter part of 2018 to unclutter the event television schedule because of Big Brother Naija and the FIFA World Cup.

M-Net and MultiChoice's Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards has not been cancelled as the trashy Nigerian press erroneously reported, with M-Net telling TVwithThinus that the annual pan-African award show celebrating the continent's film and television as well as its producers and stars is going ahead and has deliberately been moved to the latter part of this year to unclutter the event television schedule.

The Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards has been taking place for the past 5 years during March in Lagos, Nigeria.

The lack of a call for entries, and the absence of a broadcasting date of the live awards show for the 6th Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards for 2018, led to Nigerian media doing erroneous trash-reporting about the AMVCA's alleged demise.

Part of the breathless so-called Nigerian "reporting" was that M-Net and MultiChoice scrapped the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards due to "a lack of funds".

Not so.

"As you are aware, the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards typically happen in March every year," Efosa Aiyevbomwan, Africa Magic's head of publicity tells me in response to a media enquiry.

"However, given the highly anticipated return of Big Brother Naija this January and the FIFA World Cup in June, both of which would clash with the planning, execution and broadcast of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards, a decision has been taken to move the awards to the latter part of 2018."

"We will communicate exact timelines in due course," says Efosa Aiyevbomwan.

M-Net's successful Mzansi Magic Viewers Choice Awards for South Africa that was launched last year and that took place in August 2017 will likely return, as will the Royalty Soapie Awards set for 17 March after a two year absence.

Also hopefully coming back this year after they were both scrapped for 2017 and didn't take place - but not definitely confirmed yet - are Viacom International Media Networks Africa's (VIMN Africa) MTV Africa Music Awards and Turner Broadcasting and MultiChoice's CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards.