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Vanguard Newspaper 1st January 2019

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PAGE 44— SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 1, 2019<br />

...as Multichoice unveils content <strong>of</strong>ferings <strong>for</strong> 2020<br />

The latest MultiChoice Media Show<br />

case reviewed the company’s activities<br />

in the outgoing year and <strong>of</strong>fers glimpses<br />

into 2020.<br />

The head <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong> the MultiChoice Group<br />

in Sandton, Johannesburg, on 21 November,<br />

hosted a large group <strong>of</strong> television executives,<br />

celebrities and journalists from across the African<br />

continent.<br />

The occasion was the video entertainment<br />

company’s annual Media Showcase, an event<br />

that provided more than a sneak peek into<br />

what its subscribers should expect in the coming<br />

year as well as a review <strong>of</strong> its <strong>of</strong>ferings in<br />

the outgoing year.<br />

Yolisa Phahle, Chief Executive Officer <strong>of</strong> the<br />

group’s General Entertainment arm, told the<br />

gathering that the outgoing year has been<br />

marked by numerous accomplishments since<br />

MultiChoice was listed an independent media<br />

company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange<br />

(JSE) in February 2019.<br />

She described the JSE listing as “an important<br />

milestone in our exciting journey <strong>of</strong><br />

growth”.<br />

Phahle explained that the company noticed<br />

that the interest <strong>of</strong> its 18.9 million continentwide<br />

subscriber base on its DStv and GOtv<br />

plat<strong>for</strong>ms is more tuned towards general entertainment<br />

and sporting content.<br />

According to her, the production <strong>of</strong> local<br />

reality television programmes continues to<br />

gain traction across the continent, as evidenced<br />

by the 240 million votes received in the just<br />

concluded fourth edition <strong>of</strong> the Big Brother<br />

Naija.<br />

She revealed that the reality shows are tailored<br />

towards the culture <strong>of</strong> the specific countries<br />

where they are produced.<br />

“We are committed to bringing you the best<br />

local and international content, anywhere,<br />

anytime and in a sustainable way”, she said.<br />

“We are rooted in the countries in which our<br />

customers live and, at our last media showcase,<br />

we committed to launching some local<br />

<strong>for</strong>mats in other regions and I am happy to<br />

say we have done just that. Date My Family,<br />

Botswana and Our Perfect Wedding are two<br />

new shows, which have really spoken to audiences<br />

in those countries”.<br />

Phahle also disclosed that following the successful<br />

launch <strong>of</strong> Trackers, its first international<br />

co-production drama, which has “broken all<br />

records” and increased “(DStv) Catch-Up and<br />

The quest to satisfy consumers’ demand<br />

<strong>for</strong> improved service delivery,<br />

af<strong>for</strong>dability and quality content may<br />

have moved Multichoice Nigeria to <strong>of</strong>fer its<br />

subscribers across its Digital Satellite<br />

Television (DSTv) and Gotv plat<strong>for</strong>ms five new<br />

packages from December 1, 2019.<br />

The new packages, Dstv Confam, Dstv Yanga<br />

and DStv Padi, while on the Gotv plat<strong>for</strong>m<br />

are Gotv Jolly and Jinja, all at p<strong>rice</strong> range <strong>of</strong><br />

N4, 500 and N1, 800 <strong>for</strong> the Dstv packages,<br />

and Gotv <strong>for</strong> N2, 400 and N1, 600 are<br />

responses to consumers’ demand.<br />

The Chief Executive Officer <strong>of</strong> Multichoice<br />

Nigeria, John Ugbe said the new introduction<br />

will see subscribers to the plat<strong>for</strong>ms have more<br />

options to choose from.<br />

“These new packages are exclusively created<br />

<strong>for</strong> the Nigerian market and upgraded with<br />

new channels, fresh content and Naija centric<br />

names that contribute to a more enhanced<br />

viewing experience.”<br />

In addition he stated: The GOtv max<br />

package will be revamped to include more<br />

channels, thus <strong>of</strong>fering more value at an<br />

af<strong>for</strong>dable p<strong>rice</strong>.<br />

He went on, “We are constantly driven to<br />

ensure that customers are satisfied with the<br />

overall quality <strong>of</strong> our services.”<br />

”With improved package options<br />

available to our valued customers, they can<br />

choose a subscription plan that best fits their<br />

needs and budget. We remain committed to<br />

give millions <strong>of</strong> television viewers in Nigeria<br />

the opportunity to enjoy world class<br />

entertainment. The new packages come<br />

loaded with the recently-launched channels –<br />

Da Vinci, TNT Africa and Real Time – as well<br />

as other top local, sports, movies and general<br />

entertainment channels.”<br />

“For the new DStv packages, DStv Confam<br />

is a brand-new package designed <strong>for</strong> the whole<br />

family with over 120 channels. It is the home<br />

<strong>for</strong> BET, Da Vinci Learning, TNT Africa and<br />

more, and the subscription p<strong>rice</strong> is N4, 500<br />

monthly. DStv Yanga has over 94 channels.<br />

He stated further, “The brand new GOtv<br />

Jolli <strong>of</strong>fers 68 plus channels <strong>for</strong> family<br />

entertainment from top Naija and<br />

international channels. Subscribers will get<br />

to enjoy exciting Naija drama, reality shows,<br />

news and kid’s shows on brand new channels<br />

such as ROK2, CBS Reality, Fox, TNT Africa,<br />

and Davinci Learning.<br />

GOtv Jinja provides 47+ exciting local and<br />

international channels, with entertaining<br />

ShowMax numbers”, MultiChoice teamed<br />

up with international producers, Mannequin<br />

Pictures, to co-produce Rogue.<br />

The new production, will air on ShowMax,<br />

MultiChoice’s online video-on-demand service,<br />

from next year.<br />

“This movie combines the expertise <strong>of</strong> Hollywood<br />

talent and our local talent, elevating<br />

local production content in Africa, using African<br />

stories and African backdrops to bind global<br />

audiences which can only be a good<br />

thing,” she said.<br />

She announced that the locally-produced<br />

drama, The River, was nominated <strong>for</strong> Emmy<br />

Award, while MultiChoice won an award at<br />

the Seoul International Drama Awards in<br />

Korea <strong>for</strong> The Herd.<br />

Among the new channels launched, according<br />

to Phahle, are Newzroom Afrika, a channel<br />

<strong>for</strong> African news; and Hell Magic, a channel<br />

exclusive to Ugandan subscribers.<br />

At the event, live activation <strong>of</strong> three new channels<br />

was announced.<br />

They are CuriosityStream, which will deliver<br />

a world <strong>of</strong> factual entertainment in one<br />

place; CBS Justice, which will air true crime<br />

documentaries; and EuroNews, which will<br />

add a European flavour to the already extensive<br />

portfolio <strong>of</strong> news channels on <strong>of</strong>fer.<br />

As the year 2020 approaches, Gideon<br />

Khobane, Chief Executive Officer <strong>of</strong> Super-<br />

Sport, MultiChoice’s sport broadcaster, said<br />

subscribers on DStv and GOtv plat<strong>for</strong>ms<br />

should expect live broadcast <strong>of</strong> numerous top<br />

sport events, including the tennis showdown<br />

between two <strong>of</strong> the greatest players in the sport,<br />

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.<br />

Dubbed “The Match in Africa”, the match<br />

between the two legends will hold in the South<br />

African city <strong>of</strong> Cape Town on 7 February, 2020.<br />

Also to be broadcast is the Tokyo 2020 Olympics,<br />

scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9<br />

August, 2020. According to Khobane, five dedicated<br />

SuperSport channels will broadcast the<br />

quadrennial sporting spectacle.<br />

Speaking on the importance <strong>of</strong> innovation<br />

and its technological plat<strong>for</strong>ms, Phahle said<br />

MultiChoice will continue to drive user engagement<br />

and provide compelling content on<br />

its technological plat<strong>for</strong>ms, DStv Now, Showmax<br />

and BoxOffice in the coming year.<br />

According to her, innovation remains a key<br />

driver <strong>of</strong> the business, the reason the company<br />

has made a commitment to the continuous<br />

update <strong>of</strong> its plat<strong>for</strong>ms to ensure the provision<br />

<strong>of</strong> top-tier service to subscribers.<br />

Phahle noted that the introduction <strong>of</strong> Show-<br />

Max is already yielding positive results and<br />

expressed confidence that the trend would<br />

continue.<br />

“This year (with) Showmax, we were also<br />

able to have exclusive content, which per<strong>for</strong>med<br />

incredibly in Nigeria and overall, we<br />

have seen significant growth in the use <strong>of</strong> our<br />

OTT (Over the Top) plat<strong>for</strong>ms. Almost 50 per<br />

cent increase <strong>of</strong> our user base year-on-year,<br />

which means more people are going there<br />

and the good news is that they are spending<br />

longer and going there more frequently,” she<br />

said.<br />

Candice Fangueiro, Head <strong>of</strong> Content,<br />

ShowMax, disclosed that new kiddies' programmes<br />

will be launched on the plat<strong>for</strong>m<br />

soon.<br />

"We are shaking things up. We have new,<br />

first, bigger, better, local and international<br />

movies. We have exciting Show Mini on our<br />

ShowMax kid session; we are raising a digi-<br />

What BBN’s 240 million votes mean<br />

tal generation. We have our kid pr<strong>of</strong>ile launching<br />

soon; a lot <strong>of</strong> fantastic shows <strong>for</strong> the kids<br />

coming up soon. We have a content line-up<br />

that nobody else can replicate," she said.<br />

Fangueiro also announced that the productions<br />

from the MultiChoice Talent Factory<br />

Academies in West, East and Southern Africa,<br />

a 12-month fully funded programme initiated<br />

to create a pipeline <strong>of</strong> skilled and talented<br />

movie pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, will be aired on<br />

ShowMax.<br />

Earlier in the year, noted Phahle, MultiChoice<br />

introduced the DStv app, GOtv<br />

app and DStv Self Service plat<strong>for</strong>m on<br />

WhatsApp. These, she said, were introduced<br />

to bring about improvement in<br />

customer service by helping subscribers<br />

to resolve basic challenges.<br />

“Ultimately, it is about improving our<br />

customers’ viewing experiences by <strong>of</strong>fering<br />

value <strong>for</strong> money, understanding customer<br />

preferences, delivering high-quality<br />

entertainment and sports content and<br />

tailoring plat<strong>for</strong>ms <strong>for</strong> diverse audiences.<br />

This also means we need to stay ahead<br />

<strong>of</strong> technology, ensuring that our customers<br />

get access to their favourite shows,<br />

anytime and anywhere,” she said.<br />

From left: Wanghi Mba-Uzoukwu, Regional Director, M-Net West Africa;<br />

Timothy Okwaro, Director, Channels East and Southern Africa, Mnet; Nkateko<br />

Mabaso, Group General Manager, M-Net South Africa, and Yolinda Phahle,<br />

CEO, General Entertainment, at the MultiChoice Group Media Showcase<br />

held in Johannesburg, South Africa<br />

... Why we’re <strong>of</strong>fering five new packages to subscribers<br />

channels such as with Fox Life and Real Time;<br />

educative kid’s channels like PBS Kids, local<br />

drama on Africa Magic Epic and lots more”.<br />

Assuring subscribers, Ugbe said:<br />

“MultiChoice will give customers with active<br />

subscriptions on DStv Access, DStv Family,<br />

GOtv Plus and GOtv Value a glimpse <strong>of</strong> the<br />

exiting entertainment lined up on these<br />

exciting new packages with a two-week<br />

Alibaba, George-David hold 2019 ‘market square’ edition on Dec. 21<br />

enowned philanthropist, Dr. Yolanda N.<br />

RGeorge-David, aka Aunt Landa and<br />

renowned comedian, Alibaba have fixed this<br />

year’s edition <strong>of</strong> Aunt Landa Market Square<br />

tagged the H.O.P.E “Hold On Pain Ends” <strong>for</strong><br />

December 21, 2019 at Festac, Lagos.<br />

The Aunt Landa's Market Square is a free<br />

Market Square where the needy gets everything<br />

absolutely free will feature different exciting<br />

activities including comedy, gospel music,<br />

games, dance, food, drinks, as well as doctors to<br />

attend to those in need <strong>of</strong> medical attention at<br />

the Aunt Landa Market Square clinic.<br />

"We are delighted about this year's Market<br />

Square as it promises to put a smile on the faces<br />

<strong>of</strong> the needy family and remind them to Hold<br />

On because Pain Ends.<br />

According to recent report, Nigeria currently<br />

have about 90millon people living in extreme<br />

poverty which means roughly half <strong>of</strong> the Nigeria<br />

population are living on less than N700 a day.<br />

The root <strong>of</strong> poverty lies in the deprivation <strong>of</strong><br />

people’s access to basic necessities such as food,<br />

healthcare and sanitation, education and assets".<br />

"At Aunt Landa Bethel Foundation... We can't<br />

fold our arms and pray <strong>for</strong> a miracle and because<br />

LOVE is an Action Word, in our own little way<br />

we are constantly contributing our quota by<br />

creating an avenues where the less privileged<br />

can gain access to basic supplies such as food,<br />

clothing, shoes and other items free <strong>of</strong> charge.<br />

This we believe will go a long way in putting a<br />

smile on their faces this Yuletide season," says<br />

Dr. Yolanda N. George-David.<br />

Over the years, thousands <strong>of</strong> women and their<br />

families in need have hugely benefitted from the<br />

Only Market Square in the world where the<br />

needy get to buy food, clothes, medicine and<br />

almost every other thing they need to survive <strong>for</strong><br />

Free using the "Aunt Landa Love Currency”<br />

(Zero Naira wrapped in God's love) to purchase<br />

all items . With this currency, dignity has been<br />

infused into charity as people can be strategic<br />

about their needs and be responsible on what<br />

they spend their aunt Landa love currency on.<br />

preview from 1-15 December at no extra cost.”<br />

When Sunday Vanguard spoke to some<br />

subscribers, a rental agent, Aberdeen Ukoh <strong>of</strong><br />

Strive Agents said: “Multichoice is always<br />

thinking ahead <strong>of</strong> competition, may be because<br />

it has been in operation <strong>for</strong> years that may be<br />

an edge over competition.”<br />

A subscriber, Sunday Agbaja <strong>of</strong> Techhub<br />

Nigeria, who is also a satellite installation<br />

In addition, the needy are also empowered with<br />

the necessary skills required to commence a<br />

small scale business <strong>for</strong> themselves and basic<br />

tools such as sewing machines, grinding<br />

machines, and other business equipment are<br />

being given out. Children also are not left out as<br />

they benefit from the Aunt Landa scholarship<br />

study grants.<br />

Other major highlights <strong>of</strong> the Aunt Landa<br />

Market Square will be the graduation ceremony<br />

<strong>of</strong> students from the Aunt Landa Tertiary<br />

Academy.<br />

Speaking on this, the King <strong>of</strong> Comedy, Alibaba,<br />

Vice-Chancellor <strong>of</strong> the Aunt Landa Free Tertiary<br />

Academy, explained that in the last training cycle,<br />

over 1, 000 Nigerians who needed second<br />

chances have taken various vocational training<br />

courses <strong>for</strong> free.<br />

"Every Graduating Student has a Story; Widows,<br />

Single-Mothers, Unemployed Graduates, Ex-<br />

Prostitutes, Ex-Prisoners, Survivors with<br />

Engineer said: The improved content depends<br />

on the broadband width at which the<br />

operator’s signal is coming in from, that will<br />

tell the quality <strong>of</strong> the High Definition (HD)<br />

signals they are receiving, that is why<br />

Multichoice is hammering on quality content<br />

because they know what they are <strong>of</strong>fering<br />

Nigerians.”<br />

Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse in the<br />

history and a collection <strong>of</strong> very determined<br />

survivors. I am proud <strong>of</strong> them that in spite where<br />

they were when they met me, they chose to fight<br />

and rewrite their stories" says Alibaba.<br />

The Aunt Landa Free Tertiary Academy is aimed<br />

at improving the basic living standards <strong>of</strong><br />

individuals by equipping them with the necessary<br />

skills needed to start up something on their own.<br />

The previous market square tagged<br />

‘Intervention Edition’, which took place in 2018<br />

witnessed a massive crowd with thousands <strong>of</strong><br />

beneficiaries and attendance from some <strong>of</strong> the<br />

Foundation’s ambassadors, Ufuoma<br />

McDermott popular on-air personalities like<br />

Lolo 1, Cheche Smith, comedienne Lepacious<br />

Bose, Seyilaw, Ace Gospel Ministers Efe Nathan,<br />

Laolu Gbenjo and a host <strong>of</strong> other A-list<br />

celebrities. It is expected that this edition will<br />

witness more known personalities passionate<br />

to help.<br />

From left:Team member, iStore Nigeria, Precious Aludo; Team Member, iStore<br />

Nigeria, Kolapo Arogundade; Team Member, iStore Nigeria, Dami Adediwura;<br />

Country Manager, iStore Nigeria, Sachin Verma, Operation Manager, iStore<br />

Nigeria, Kolapo Agunloye and Team Member, iStore Nigeria, Williams Ogoke<br />

at the launch <strong>of</strong> iPhone 11 series in Lagos, recently.

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