Nigeria's ROK Studios expands its channel bouquet by adding ROK2 as a Nollywood channel and ROK3 as a Ghanaian TV and movies channel to MultiChoice's DStv and GOtv platforms across Africa.

ROK Studios and MultiChoice launched two further ROK TV channels - ROK2 and ROK3 - on DStv and GOtv today across Africa, excluding South Africa where the prime ROK channel is carried, that will broadcast Nollywood and African music content in addition to Ghanaian movies and TV series.

Based in Lagos, Nigeria, ROK Studios launched the ROK TV channel in November 2016. ROK says the addition of ROK2 and ROK3 "will result in the growth of the studio’s linear TV programming as it continues to build a pan-African TV audience".

ROK says with the two new, additional channels, that its content production will double and that ROK Studios will continue to "invest in scriptwriting, production and new talent".

ROK2 will broadcast traditional village, tribal, and "palace regal" Nollywood movies and TV series 24 hours per day and launches with titles including King of Kings, The Heiress, Throne of Revenge and Mark of the Gods.

ROK2 will be available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact and DStv Family subscribers, as well as on MultiChoice's DTT pay-service, GOtv Max.

ROK3 will broadcast a selection of Ghanaian movies and TV series, in both English and Twi, during the day and will play West African music from 23:00 overnight.

ROK3 launches with titles including Black & White, Stalemate, Banks Chronicles, Agya Fakye Me, Ama Pooley, Born Again, Coach Krakye and Ye Obi Dea Yie. 

ROK3 will be available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family and DStv Access subscribers and on GOtv Max and GOtv Plus.

"Great storytelling is at the core of everything ROK does - so today, we are really delighted to be launching two new TV channels on DStv and GOtv," says Mary Njoku, ROK CEO in a statement.

"Everything we do as a film studio, we throw passion and intensity behind, to ensure beautiful, thrilling and ultimately, entertaining African stories are brought to life alongside ever improving production standards."

"What we achieved with ROK has resonated with audiences around the continent, which has allowed us to build on our success and bring even more brilliant Nollywood and Ghanaian stories, direct to our loyal fans on DStv."

MultiChoice in the same statement says "Our aim is to find content that resonates with our customers and more and more, we have realized that our customers love homegrown stories and watching local talent and adding these two channels speaks to just that. Providing a platform to our African storytellers and celebrating local talent and productions is part of our DNA and what we aim to deliver to our customers for years to come."

MultiChoice adding Nigeria's ROK channel from ROK Studios to DStv from 1 November across Africa, excluding South Africa.

The Nigerian ROK channel from ROK Studios will launching on MultiChoice's DStv on 1 November across sub-Saharan Africa with original Nollywood series and films.

ROK will be available on DStv channel 168 in 52 countries and in Southern Africa, but excluding South Africa.

ROK will launch with ROK Studios' exclusively-produced content, including Festac Town, Banks Chronicles and Bloodline. 

ROK Studios was launched in 2013 and has a production house based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Nigerian cinema, known colloquially as Nollywood, is the second largest film industry in the world, in terms of production output and in its short history ROK Studios has become a prolific prducer of original content, creating a Nollywood catalogue of 12 TV series and over 150 movies.

ROK is programmed, produced and developed in-house by ROK's Lagos-based team and is headed up by Mary Njoku, an award-winning Nollywood actress and film producer.

"Joining the DStv family is the next step in ROK's evolution as Nollywood's leading film production house and brand," says Mary Njoku.

"What lies beneath every ROK production, the ROK brand, be it movies or TV series, is our fanatical love of African storytelling; we want to relate amazing African stories that our fans can recognise, be swept away by and be entertained with."

"We work with Nigeria's most exceptional talent, in front of and behind the camera, and we continue to push the boundaries in terms of production values. This has given us the edge, in our short history, and has helped us build a fanbase around the world."

"ROK on DStv allows us to bring ROK to every corner of the continent and connect viewers with content they love".

John Ugbe, MultiChoice Nigeria managing director, says in a statement "one of the cornerstones of our customer promise is to deliver content that our customers love and enjoy, and that is why we're excited to introduce ROK which will boost DStv's local content offering and showcase even more African stories made in Africa, for us Africans".