Nomsa Philiso, CEO of General Entertainment at MultiChoice Group, highlighted a significant increase in the global broadcast of African films and TV series during her opening speech at MIPAfrica. Philiso expressed optimism for Africa’s film industry, drawing parallels to the successful global exposure of Afrobeats, Amapiano, and African music.
Philiso cited several accomplishments for African content in the past year, including Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story winning the Audience Award at Tribeca, Two Sides being nominated for Best Sports Documentary at the iEmmys, and Catch Me A Killer becoming the first South African series in competition at Series Mania and winning a British Production Designer’s Guild award. Additionally, Spinners made history as the first African series at Canneseries and was awarded Best Foreign Series at Shanghai’s Magnolia Awards.
Philiso highlighted MultiChoice’s efforts to bring African stories to a global audience through partnerships with distributors like Abacus, AMC, Fremantle, StudioCanal, and The Exchange. She also mentioned the success of Reyka, which garnered International Emmy nominations and was sold to over 150 territories, including BritBox North America, CANAL+, Channel4 (UK), HBO LatAm, and Sky Italia.
Furthermore, Philiso emphasised MultiChoice’s commitment to producing content for its core African audience, stating the significance of presenting content in local languages. She noted the popularity of local shows on Showmax, with 9 out of 10 most-watched shows being local productions.
MultiChoice’s impact as Africa’s largest content producer was emphasised, with a presence in 50 of Africa’s 54 countries and storytelling in 45 languages. Notable recent achievements included Shaka iLembe, the most Googled TV series in South Africa, and Big Brother Naija, which received 1.8 billion votes. Philiso also celebrated the success of East African content, with Showmax Originals Pepeta and The Real Housewives of Nairobi receiving accolades at the 2024 Kalasha Awards.
Overall, Philiso’s remarks underscored the growing influence of African content in the global entertainment industry and MultiChoice’s significant role in driving this trend.
