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M-NET’S POWERFUL NEW EAST AFRICAN CHANNEL NOW AVAILABLE ON DStv IN UGANDA
The colours, the patterns and the undeniable artistry of East Africa’s beautiful fabrics have always told a unique story of their own – one of imagination, expression and creativity. Taking its inspiration from this most authentic of sources, a few days ago M-Net revealed the brand new logo for its customised East African TV channel Maisha Magic (DStv channel 161). Tonight (Wednesday September 3) the powerful Maisha Magic channel and its standout statement logo took pride of place as guests converged at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel in Kampala to welcome the newest addition to the MultiChoice family of channels.
“Today is a phenomenal day for M-Net. It is hugely pleasing to see our company’s long investment into talent and skills development in East Africa transform into an entire channel, one which offers our audiences another relevant, entertainment choice. Of course, our viewers and our content partners are the heroes of this moment because it is their passion for their beloved home, this incredible part of Africa, which drove this channels’ creation and will drive its success. And just like the fabrics of East Africa which were so much our inspiration in creating the channel branding, Maisha Magic will weave its own stories, creating its own strength, its own unique canvas, with its own personality.”
These were the words of M-Net East Africa Regional Director Michael Ndetei who spoke at the event which was attended by special Guest of Honour Executive Director, Uganda Communications Commission Eng Godfrey Mutabazi,Chairman Multichoice Uganda Steven Musoke as well as film and TV industry stakeholders.
Addressing the guests, Eng Mutabazi, emphasised that as the country draws closer to achieving Uganda’s digital migration process with the switch off of the analogue television broadcast signal for a smooth transition to digital broadcasting, the importance and relevance of investing in the creative and production industries cannot be overstated.
“As the régulator we are keen and aware of our role in creating an enabling environment for the industry to thrive by puting in place incentives , plus the legal and policy framework needed to regulate the industry effectively”, he added.
Mr. Charles Hamya, General Manager Multichoice Uganda, confirmed that M-Net has been building steadily on its investment in the East African market, “Maisha Magic is a channel we are very excited about and have been planning to launch for quite a while as part of our commitment towards promoting the development of quality programming across the continent. The programming will be specifically dedicated to showcasing the best East Africa has to offer in terms of film production, music videos, series and entertainment – a fantastic avenue for us as Ugandans to tell our story across the region’ he stated.
Available 24/7 to DStv Premium, Compact Plus and Compact subscribers, Maisha Magic was created very specifically to meet East African tastes, and as such includes a wealth of East African programming, along with telenovelas from Latin America as well as other carefully selected commissioned and acquired content.
Highlights on Maisha Magic in September include –
· Lifestyle: Maisha Magic also now becomes home to Mashariki Mix, where Sarah Hassan and Nick Mutuma explore the worlds of fashion, food and fun, in two versions of the show – one Swahili, the other English. And as the show’s tagline says, ‘If it’s happening in East Africa, then it’s happening on Mashariki Mix.”
· Drama: Another major highlight for Maisha Magic is a second screening of the prime time drama Kona, a sensational show that pits an up and coming boxer against a series of unexpected competitors, inside and outside the ring. For viewers who missed Kona the first time round, it’s a must-watch odyssey into the concepts of family, faith and fight. The show propelled Brenda Wairimu, Nini Wacera and Lwanda Jawar to continental fame and, alongside a talented cast, the trio shine.
With a huge variety of genres, programs, stars and stories Maisha Magic has definitely announced its arrival onto the Kenyan film and TV landscape in style. Now, all that’s left to say is – DStv channel 161, go! Fans of the channel can also engage with Maisha Magic on Facebook and Twitter.
MNET launches New East African Channel on DStv
MultiChoice Uganda celebrated the Launch of a new East African Channel “Maisha Magic”, the East African focused TV brand revealed by M-Net, Will be specifically tailored to meet local DStv subscriber viewing needs. The channel will be screened 24/7 to DStv Premium, Compact Plus and Compact subscribers on channel 161.
Speaking at the Launch Charles Hamya the General Manager MultChioce Uganda said the programming on Maisha Magic will be specifically dedicated to showcasing the best East Africa has to offer in terms of film production, music videos, series and entertainment, we are confident the new channel will be a hit given the amount of raw talent available across the region, richness and diversity in cultures which are the basic ingredients required for very exciting television.
To shed more light on the new channel that is yet to become home to many Ugandan movies, Mr. Michael Ndetei, M-Net East Africa Regional Director, said “M-Net has been building steadily on its investment in the East African Market, and whilst the Africa Magic brand has come to represent a powerful philosophy about pan-African cohesion, we recognized that there was great potential for a customized East African television brand, as such M-Net put in place a detailed project a few years ago to carefully build its technical, staffing and content capacity to bring Maisha Magic to life”. He went on to say “we have always believed that East African talent, and East African stories are as vital and as compelling as those found elsewhere in Africa. This is a fact proven by the success of East African content at the first two Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards”.
“Maisha Magic will highlight our very own local content from all East African regions and all daily highlight programs from Big Brother Africa 9, including the live Sunday eviction shows” Mr. Ndetei added. He thanked the East African filmmakers and producers for their strong support and corporation towards the realization of the new East African channel Maisha Magic.
Commissioning the new East African Channel, The Executive Director Uganda Communications Commission Mr. Mr Godfrey Mutabazicommended MultiChoice Uganda for their commitment and corporation towards boosting local content on both their platforms DStv and GOtv. Such content not only enriches our population with information and knowledge relevant to them but also grows our film industry and gives a platform to discover and exhibit our local talents. He congratulated MultiChoice on achieving this tremendous milestone and thanked them for taking a keen interest in investing in the local sector which lesson he encouraged the rest of the business community to partake.
Among the interesting programs to catch on Maisha Magic will be, sitcoms, telenovelas, reality, drama and music. Highlighting our very own Comedy Club Uganda hosted by Ann Kansiime; the dramas Rush and The Tendo Sisters.
