Olaoluwakitan Babatunde
With its rich culture and diversity, Africa has long been known for its intriguing and spellbinding stories but without a platform, these tales never flew beyond the lips of the storyteller. Enter Africa Magic, a channel made in Africa, for Africa by Africans. It was in 2003 that the channel which has now become home to everything entertainment on the continent first beamed to Nigeria its rich slate of content that features TV shows and drama series. The next year saw it on the airwaves of South Africa and other African countries.
Africa Magic was an instant hit for the continent. Not because it was another M-Net and MultiChoice wonder, but rather because it was celebrated for promoting the continent’s beauty and culture. What that translated into was that millions of subscribers across the continent enjoyed entertainment from other parts of Africa. Nollywood expectedly took the lead in content. In no time, Africa Magic became synonymous with Nollywood. More local filmmakers now have a place to call home and reach wider African audiences.
As the years progressed, the channel expanded its reach by creating more subset channels that reached specific demographics. Today, Africa Magic has metamorphosed into seven channels, each showcasing premium and indigenous content. In Nigeria there is Africa Magic Igbo, Africa Magic Yoruba, and Africa Magic Hausa. These three channels represent the three major Nigerian languages, thereby bringing entertainment content closer to the grassroots.
For premium shows and series, Africa Showcase is the destination; while viewers interested in content that depicts everyday life can tune in to Africa Magic Urban. For a good family time, Africa Magic Family delivers the best family entertainment that can be enjoyed by everyone. And for those who just cannot get enough of the nostalgic days of Nollywood, Africa Magic Epic is the right place to relive memories.
Besides providing content that can be viewed in many parts of the continent, Africa Magic has given birth to new stars and storytellers. Given the peculiar nature of Africa’s most popular film industry, Nollywood, the channel has given a platform for new and emerging voices to tell their stories. Take for instance the comedian Basketmouth, whose comedy series ‘Flatmates’ added a filmmaker feather to his hat while using this medium as a platform to showcase the acting skills of his counterparts.
The number of stars that the channel has produced cannot be overemphasized. From its popular reality TV show Big Brother Naija which propelled the likes of media personality Ebuka Obi-Uchendu to the spotlight to the singing competition Nigerian Idol where vocalists hone their singing talents and enjoy the walk to fame.
But beyond supporting emerging stars, Africa Magic has also helped established filmmakers like Femi Odugbemi to share their ingenuity with the rest of Africa. With productions like ‘Tinsel’, the channel’s longest-running TV series and ‘Battleground,’ a compelling drama series with unforgettable characters, Africa Magic positioned itself as an enabler of the film and TV industry, providing platforms for storytellers to gain wide recognition. From April 2022 to March 2023, Africa Magic has produced and licensed over 25,000 hours of authentic Nigerian content in English, and indigenous languages Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, broadcast to over 42 African countries.
Beyond the screen, Africa Magic understands that TV production is not a solo endeavor. Therefore, it deploys many hands to work on its productions. By doing so, the channel not only builds an ecosystem of talent and careers, but also contributes to the reduction of unemployment, particularly among the teeming youths bubbling with vigor and vivacity.
It is worth noting that Africa Magic has empowered many creatives through its different training programmes. Through the MultiChoice Talent Factory, they have stimulated an increasing interest in filmmaking in young creative ensuring a fresh crop of filmmakers and professionals across the industry value chain . Not a few of the graduates who went through the hall of learning have had their projects either licensed or produced by the channel.
To further appreciate the creative minds working tirelessly to keep viewers across Africa entertained, Africa Magic set up the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards that recognizes and rewards stars and heroes of the film industry from across the continent. Last year, the awards took a different direction by creating an eight-day immersive experience that featured talks, fashion, and cultural displays. For its ninth edition, the AMVCAs promises an unforgettable three-day extravaganza that will capture every aspect of the creative industry and celebrate the talent that ensure it endures for the future.
As the channel turns 20 this year, it is adding in Nigeria, 28 more series titles – alongside the existing shows on the roster – and 20 original Africa Magic original movies starting from April 2023. It is also investing more in indigenous films to encourage local language producers and the propagation and preservation of the cultures and rich histories for future generations. Additionally, the channel will premiere a new 130-episode series every six months as opposed to 260-episode series every year; alongside other series of 13, 26 and 52 episodes. Thereby, creating more opportunities for new producers, fresh acting talent and a continuous rotation of unique and creative points of view.
Africa Magic in this its 20th year remains committed to celebrating the incredible talents in the African film and TV industry and the amazing people who do the work in front and behind the cameras. As the premium destination for African entertainment, one can only expect nothing but more matchless programming that encourages all stakeholder to keep telling truly African authentic stories.
