New Canal+ Africa boss David Mignot makes first public appearance - in Namibia - for MultiChoice's flattering new presidential documentary, tells assembled African politicians it's committed to 'dignified' storytelling

Thinus Ferreira

The new Canal+ Africa boss, David Mignot, has made his first public appearance at an event - and in Namibia and not in South Africa where Canal+ Africa is now headquartered - to celebrate MultiChoice Namibia's pandering upcoming documentary about that country's new president.

David Mignot told the assembled African politicians, with some who were invited and flew to Namibia, that Canal+ Africa is committed to "truthful, dignified and locally-rooted storytelling" and that the documentary is proof of this.

David Mignot, who has not yet met South Africa's media face-to-face, flew to Namibia to speak at the premiere showing on 9 October of MultiChoice Namibia's new, flattering and bizarre political documentary Netumbo: A Leader Beyond Politics which is about Namibia's current president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.

The timing feels off since Netumbo: A Leader Beyond Politics, screened at Ster-Kinekor Grove Mall in Windhoek, is not a reflective or historical documentary but an effusive and pandering MultiChoice Namibia production about the country's fifth and current president.

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah came into office in Namibia in March this year.

The premiere screening happened after the MultiChoice Namibia and Canal+ Africa senior executives, including David Mignot, had a sit-down meeting with Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah earlier the same day last week.

The premiere screening was David Mignot first physical outing to speak publicly before the media and he mentioned specifically how Canal+ Africa is dedicated to "truthful, dignified and locally-rooted storytelling".

According to David Mignot, Netumbo: A Leader Beyond Politics will "surely inspire generations to come, and reflect on an era where Namibian voices and visions deserve to be on the world stage".

Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice Namibia made sure that several other African politicians attended the screening of the effusive political documentary, including the current Botswana president Duma Boko and a former Botswana president, as well as several Namibian politicians.

Roger Gertze, MultiChoice Namibia managing director, who also spoke at the premiere screening, said that the pay-TV operator, now owned by Canal+, feels very privileged to make a documentary about Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as Namibia's current president.

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said she liked the documentary about her. "The documentary, the way I liked it, is more about telling the history of Namibia's liberation struggle. I really like it that way because that is what we need our people to know - the current and the future generations."

Netumbo: A Leader Beyond Politics is produced by the Namibian production company Joe Vision Productions.

According to MultiChoice Namibia, Netumbo: A Leader Beyond Politics "offers an intimate and inspiring look into Her Excellency’s life through decades of public service to her historic election as Namibia’s first woman Head of State in March 2025".

Netumbo: A Leader Beyond Politics will be aired on Zambezi Magic on 29 October at 20:30.

MultiChoice Namibia grows local content slate with further series, film and documentary commissions as Ombura-project enters second phase

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice Namibia is growing its local content slate under the project's "Ombura-named umbrella with further new series, film and documentary commissions.

So far, 19 films, a lifestyle series and a documentary have been produced for DStv, GOtv and MultiChoice's streamer Showmax. 

In September 2024, MultiChoice Namibia also started and held its first MultiChoice Film Festival in Namibia to showcase new local content and to provide local filmmakers a place to meet, interact and have conversations.

The Ombura-project which is entering its second phase, is part of MultiChoice Namibia's effort to expand its slate of local content and Namibian stories.

The lifestyle coming series Op Pad Met My Potjie which was seen recently on kykNET (DStv 144) with presenter Joalette de Villiers travelling throughout Namibia, has been renewed for a second season.

Bora Box which will premiere on Channel O, is a new music request show showcasing Namibian music and artists.

Crossover Hearts is a new romantic film directed by MultiChoice Talent Factory alum Lucia Kim Hamunghete which follows a young couple from different cultures battling prejudices and family expectations.

Desert Film's The Long Road details the life of a struggling factory worker who has been abandoned by his pregnant wife and attempts to redeem himself, while Oppiplaas is a romantic drama about a city girl launching a social media business and who then reluctantly takes on a struggling farmer as a client.

The Afrikaans environmental magazine show Groen Namibië has been renewed for another season on kykNET.

Then there is also the feature film My F*k, Marelize, also produced by kykNET Films and inspired by a viral video from Namibia, which will be shown on kykNET.

Another documentary will also be produced.

"This year, we continue our commitment to hyperlocal storytelling with productions that reflect the culture, language, and realities of our audiences," says Rogert Gertze, MultiChoice Namibia managing director.

"Beyond storytelling, we are actively investing in the future of African film and television by training, funding, and supporting the next generation of local talent because when Africa tells its own stories, the world listens."

Esther Beukes, Namibian Film Commission chairperson, says "On behalf of the Namibia Film Commission, a huge thank you to MultiChoice Namibia, and this phenomenal team. Your investment in our industry isn't just about making TV, it's about making history."

ALSO READ: Inside MultiChoice's push to expand Namibia's kykNET content

ALSO READ: MultiChoice Namibia to host inaugural MultiChoice Film Festival 2024 with panel sessions and content screenings

MultiChoice in Namibia the 3rd Southern African country to hike DStv subscription fees from April after South Africa and Zambia.

MultiChoice in Namibia is the third country in Southern Africa to announce that it will hike DStv subscription fees from April for DStv subscribers, following MultiChoice Zambia where DStv subscribers will see a price increase of up to 10%, and in South Africa where MultiChoice South Africa is also increasing DStv fees from the end of the month.

Interestingly, MultiChoice Namibia will also leave the subscription fee of DStv Premium unchanged, just as in South Africa, as MultiChoice South Africa and MultiChoice Africa - as part of a new strategy - are trying to stem the drastic decline in the percentage of DStv Premium subscribers.

Customers are no longer seeing DStv Premium as providing adequate value for the price as MultiChoice's top-tier and most expensive service, with much of what used to be offered exclusively like access to Showmax, DStv Now, and TV channels that have been diluted to lower-tiered DStv packages, and with a growing number of customers abandoning DStv and turning to subscription video streaming service rivals like Netflix.

While DStv Premium subscribers won't pay more from April 2019, MultiChoice is, for instance, taking away their DStv print magazine that helped them with content discovery and knowing what programming is shown where as well as providing channel listings.

The price of DStv Premium in Namibia will remain unchanged at N$809 (R802.09) per month, while the other DStv packages in Namibia will increase from April.

"Over the past two years, we have made efforts to freeze and or decrease DStv prices and committed to holding our prices at the same level, barring any extreme factors such as the devaluation of currency or other macro-economic headwinds," says Roger Gertze, MultiChoice Namibia managing director, in a statement announcing the DStv price hike.

"Unfortunately, because of inflation – which stands at 5,40% in Namibia – and rising programming and operational costs, we have had to review our pricing so we can remain sustainable as a business and continue bringing you the quality video entertainment content you love."

DStv Compact Plus subscribers in Namibia will see an increase from N$509 to N$519 per month, while the Compact package will increase from N$399 from N$385.

DStv The Family will increase to N$265 in Namibia while DStv Access is increasing from N$120 to N$125. The cost of DStv Access in Namibia will increase from N$75 to N$90.

MultiChoice content boss Aletta Alberts talks 'Project Repeats' and why DStv subscribers can't choose their own channels: 'In future, we might try a more hybrid approach'.

MultiChoice's content boss, Aletta Alberts, in a speech in Windhoek, addressed the pan-African pay-TV operator's ongoing process of reducing the volume of repeats DStv subscribers are exposed to, and about the issue of why DStv viewers can't choose and pay for just the channels they want to, hinted at a possible change, saying that "in future, might we might try a more hybrid approach".

Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's general manager for content, spoke to the press last week Thursday at MultiChoice Namibia's country headquarters in Windhoek.

She spoke to the media about what the Naspers pay-TV giant is doing to cut down on the number of repeats DStv subscribers are seeing - an initiative under the banner of "Project Repeats".

Once again the issue was also raised about why pay-TV operators like MultiChoice can't give subscribers the option of individually choosing just the TV channels they want and paying for that, instead of bundling channels together.

Aletta Alberts hinted that there is the possibility that some changes might be coming in future in the form of a hybrid approach, according to The Namibian newspaper that attended the session.

"When you give the consumers choice, it actually comes back to the same model we use," said Aletta Alberts. "In future, we might try a more hybrid approach, but at the moment, there's a cost issue."

According to Roger Gertze, MultiChoice Namibia's general manager, repeats on DStv have been one of the leading grievances from DStv subscribers after MultiChoice Namibia did a customer feedback survey.

"We do repeats - we have to own up to it. But it's a part of the current business model," said Aletta Alberts. She explained how its impossible for a single TV channel not to do a rebroadcast of content, since a TV channel requires about 8 760 hours of content a year to fill.

No TV channel in the world that can produce that must see-it-only-once content. The enormous licensing cost of the sports content rights on the SuperSport channels for instance, must also be absorbed by more people than just the smaller audience watching that.

"Our content is bundled so it's not clear to the customer what they are paying for. Sports rights, for example, are pricey and as much as they are loved, not enough people are watching these channels," explained Aletta Alberts.

Another interesting fact is that 70% of the repeat complaints are due to movies being reshown.

"The same movie and series titles are repeated across multiple channels," said Aletta Alberts. "DStv Premium customers see all these channels, but they don't understand that we're making them for lower tiered channels as well."

Besides axing a number of channels like Discovery Networks's Animal Planet, M-Net Edge, CBS Drama, True Movies, AMC, and tiering down VUZU and doing limited-run pop-up channels, MultiChoice has ordered some channels to schedule some new content over weekends like documentaries, to do less "stacking" - meaning marathon series repeats.

MultiChoice also has a plan to introduce DStv subscribers to more programmes outside of their comfort zone so that they will sample some programming they might not have watched, and then discovery they like to see.

"In 2010 there were 210 series from the United States; in October 2017 there were 500. Every day, someone has millions of dollars they're putting into content and we are still buying every piece of content that comes out of the studios," said Aletta Alberts.

"Every year, we do more local content and try to increase it as much as we can, but it's expensive to put things in an indigenous language. However, we've got great models, and it's starting to pay off and gain momentum," Aletta Alberts explained.