Sassy and provocative African-made dramas could potentially be the key to one of the world’s biggest streaming markets, and one new show is proving the point.
In Yongins, set in a fictional boarding school in South Africa, a teacher tells new students, “Lights go out at 8 o’clock. No sex is allowed here.”
But viewers are learning that rules are meant to be broken. The Showmax series, which releases weekly episodes on the South African-based subscription streaming service, is a wild ride filled with fun, danger, sex and violence.
“I think this drama is engaging, relatable, authentic, fun, funny and fresh, but with a fresh South African feel,” Kealeboga Masango, who plays the role of Head Girl in the drama, told BBC told.
And that’s what matters. Showmakers hope its African-ness will set it apart, and it is the basis of Showmax’s ambitious business plan.
“We’re really digging into the different cultures of South Africa. It’s so beautiful to see not only black bodies on screen, but South African bodies on screen,” said director Youngins. Themba Mfebe told the BBC.
“So I feel like my neighbor’s kid or my sister’s kid. I feel like I know these people. And for the most part, they speak the South African language. ”
With 70% of sub-Saharan Africans under the age of 30, Showmax, which also offers documentaries and Premier League football, hopes to increase its market share in Africa’s subscription video-on-demand space .
Other global streaming giants such as Amazon Prime are reducing investment in Africa and cutting jobs there amid restructuring to focus on European markets.
But Showmax, owned by MultiChoice Group, one of the continent’s largest pay-TV operators, is doing the opposite by ramping up production with 21 new, original African shows recently released.
The company’s chief executive officer, Mark Jury, said the parent company’s goal is to invest millions of dollars in new creations and expand to 50 million consumers across the African continent by 2028. , said, “Our goal is to become the number one streaming platform in Africa.” . ”
Rival streamer Netflix is also steadily expanding its presence in Africa’s video streaming market. Between 2016 and 2022, the company invested $175m (£139m) in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.
In 2020, the company also signed a lucrative multi-title deal with Ebony Life, a Nigerian production company founded by acclaimed producer Mo Abudu, to produce several original Netflix series and films.
The company’s recently acquired revenge thriller Black Book became the first Nigerian film to soar to No. 3 on Netflix’s global movie chart, and was watched by more than 20 million people in its first week last year.
Netflix says it has created approximately 12,000 jobs on the continent and plans to continue investing in the local creative economy and supporting more African storytellers.
Shola Sanni, Director of Sub-Saharan Africa Policy at Netflix, said: “We are still in the early stages of our investment journey in many ways, and we are poised to make an even bigger impact if we maintain our current momentum. Knowing this makes me doubly excited.” He said.
However, streaming technology may face challenges in the African market.
“There aren’t many flat-rate plans, and one movie can consume a lot of data,” explains Ivan Biljan of European video streaming company UniqCast.
He told the BBC that a lack of affordable and reliable broadband access and internet piracy were also major obstacles for companies wanting to sell video-on-demand.
But he’s optimistic. “Africa has a lot of things that other markets like Europe and America don’t have, so I think the future is bright for Africa.
“Over the next few years, we will add 400 million to 500 million young, tech-savvy customers who will become new potential users and subscribers.”
MultiChoice’s Showmax wants to take advantage of this by using new streaming technology in partnership with NBCUniversal and Sky, as well as mobile operator MTN South Africa, to make its streaming services more accessible with data bundle offers. thinking about.
Showmax has announced the launch of more than 1,300 hours of original programming over the next 12 months, representing a 150% increase in production year-over-year.
Among the most anticipated new series is “Red Ink,” produced with Bom Productions, the same company behind the Oscar-nominated film “Mandela.”
There is also a 10-part crime series called Catch Me a Killer, starring Game of Thrones actress Charlotte Hope and about South Africa’s first serial killer profiler.
To enable this production boost, MultiChoice supports a 12-month program that develops up-and-coming talent in African television and film through hands-on experience in the industry.
“When I started, that was my first year,” Mphebe says of his 2018 training.
“Even though I was a camera assistant, I learned from different departments. I also met a lot of people I still work with across the industry.”
This African-centric approach to storytelling seems to be resonating with local audiences.
Nine of the top 10 most streamed Showmax titles in Ghana in 2022 were all produced in Africa. In Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, the majority of the top 10 most streamed titles were also African.
Showmax, which has operated in 44 sub-Saharan countries for the past nine years and currently produces original series for its three core markets of South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, will launch its first series from Ethiopia and Tanzania later this year. We are planning to release an original series.
Lebohan Lefatsoana, the actor who plays Yongin’s character Tumelo, sums up his love for the high school drama as follows: “Africans have always been keen to tell authentic stories that audiences can relate to.
“Africans are beautiful storytellers. If anything, we are born storytellers,” he told the BBC.
The performer sings along to the official 2010 World Cup hit by Shakira and South African group Freshly Ground, insisting: “It’s Africa time. Tsamina mina eh, waka waka eh.”
