By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde.
Canal+, the new owner of MultiChoice, plans to export South African-made content to international markets through its global distribution arm, StudioCanal.
This move aims to capitalize on the growing demand for African content worldwide.
David Mignot, CEO of Canal+ Africa, said, “StudioCanal is everywhere…they are the biggest seller of European content worldwide. So they are very open and already organised to sell.”
Only top-tier productions will be considered for international distribution, with Shaka Ilembe and Spinners being prime examples.
Shaka Ilembe is an historical drama series that tells the story of King Shaka’s life, drawing 3.6 million viewers in its premiere week and becoming the most awarded series at the South African Film and Television Awards.
It rates 8.9/10 on IMDb, 96% on Google Reviews.
Spinners is a drama series about a teenager escaping gang life through extreme motorsports, which made history as the first African series in competition at Canneseries.
StudioCanal’s extensive network will help MultiChoice’s content reach a broader audience. It will also leverage South Africa’s cost-effective production capabilities and skilled filmmakers to create high-quality content at competitive prices.
International streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have shown interest in African stories, funding and producing local content.
Showmax 2.0 competes directly with global streaming giants, while Canal+ aims to carve out a niche in the international market.
Approximately €200 million (R4.05 billion) was invested annually in movies and series.
