
<p>As Africa’s leading entertainment company, MultiChoice delivers Direct To Home (DTH), Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and online video entertainment services through its entertainment platforms – DStv, GOtv, Showmax and DStv Now – to approximately 20 million subscribers across 50 countries in Africa.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="806" height="600" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Multichoice-logo-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-417481" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Multichoice-logo-1.png 806w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Multichoice-logo-1-300x223.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Multichoice-logo-1-121x90.png 121w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Multichoice-logo-1-768x572.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 806px) 100vw, 806px" /><figcaption>MultiChoice</figcaption></figure>



<p>The depth and breadth of this offering is why the company needs its data and analytics to be agile, future-proof and scalable. For MultiChoice, this meant one thing: a benchmark project to deploy Microsoft’s Azure <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/synapse-analytics/#overview">Synapse</a> technology – bringing together data integration, enterprise data warehousing, and big data analytics – to give the Group deeper insights, faster, to better serve millions of viewers.</p>



<p><strong>Aspiring to extraordinary analytics capabilities &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>The initiative – codenamed ‘Vibranium’ after the fictional Wakanda metal with extraordinary abilities to absorb, store, manipulate and release large amounts of kinetic energy – sought to achieve the same power from data across the MultiChoice Group. The Group, already mature in its data analytics strategy, was challenged in that it had numerous data and analytics teams working throughout the company’s &nbsp;businesses across Africa.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These teams had been relying on disparate data environments, many of them on-premise. “We needed an agile and scalable, cloud-based single source of truth, with full governance and compliance that would not limit or slow the work of our autonomous analytics teams,” says Jeandre Du Toit, Lead for Modern Data Architecture at MultiChoice Group.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The company partnered with Microsoft to implement aspects of its enterprise data strategy across the Group, including data management, modern data architecture, BI and advanced analytics, and more modern ways of working. </p>



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<p>MultiChoice introduced DataOps with continuous integration and delivery, as well as a more agile approach in which solutions were delivered in slivers for immediate value, then expanded for incremental value.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“We also wanted to adopt cloud in order to take advantage of new features and new technologies being made available, while also ensuring that we could easily scale, consume and adopt. Because we already had a trusted relationship with Microsoft and in-house Microsoft skills sets that the Group could leverage, we turned to Microsoft,” says du Toit.</p>



<p><strong>Getting deeper insights, faster</strong></p>



<p>The ideal solution for MultiChoice’s needs was Azure Synapse Analytics. Delivering insights up to 14 times faster than other cloud providers, the solution addressed the MultiChoice Group’s top priorities: getting deeper insights, faster.</p>



<p>Adoption was accelerated by using Microsoft Consulting Services, and MultiChoice had direct access to international Microsoft engineers for guidance and collaboration to ensure a well-architected design and framework. The new principles and systems required some upskilling in partnership with Microsoft, but the Group’s data analysts report that they are excited about the new tools at their disposal to deliver on MultiChoice’s requirements.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Vibranium is also among the first projects in the world to be privy to information about new Synapse features still in development, and is therefore able to develop its architecture with a view to utilising those features in future as technologies and demands change.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>A single version of the truth</strong></p>



<p>Teams can now also tap into additional information they previously did not have access to, or didn’t know was available, through integrated data stored in a single place and acting as a single version of the truth.</p>



<p>“We are becoming an analytics-driven organisation that understands why treating our data as an asset in a digital world is critical and considers insights an imperative to continuously adapt in a world where change has become a constant,” says Debra Goosen, Analytics Innovation Lead at MultiChoice. “As a large-scale transformation programme, Vibranium is the vehicle that has been set up to achieve these objectives and enables us to continuously evolve.”</p>



<p>The project is also building synergies in the company, with data and analytics teams building on each-other’s work and developing far richer solutions for the organisation. In addition, standardised principles and governance are now applied across the group to ensure data is managed appropriately.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The MultiChoice Group views the large-scale project as transformative in nature, delivering both a modern data platform and a more modern way of work, which will enable it to be more competitive and deliver more personal, relevant engagement and services for its viewers.</p>



<p>“The deeper insights we’re gaining allows us to push our strategy to the next level. We’re a lot more agile and we are starting to see an increase in the cadence of our deliveries,” says du Toit.</p>



<p>To find out what benefits Azure Synapse Analytics can bring to your business, visit <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/synapse-analytics/">Azure Synapse Analytics | Microsoft Azure</a></p>


Multichoice logo (1)

Making Africa’s leading entertainment company’s data and analytics agile, scalable and future-proof


<p>Africa’s largest financial institution, Standard Bank, is on a mission: to find ways to set itself apart so that the bank can meet its customer needs in today’s complex, ever-changing world. Operating in more than 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and globally, the Bank aims to show customers that <em>It Can Be.</em></p>



<p>This means that it needs the right tools, resources and platforms to enable the innovation, resilience and efficiencies required to empower its customers. For Standard Bank, that means using <a href="https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/">Microsoft’s Power BI</a> platform to harness data insights and predictive and prescriptive analytics through AI and machine learning. This allows the bank to better serve customers through more accurate targeting and service delivery.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="389" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Standard-Bank_30-Baker-Street_Interior_2-1-820x389.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-417477" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Standard-Bank_30-Baker-Street_Interior_2-1-820x389.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Standard-Bank_30-Baker-Street_Interior_2-1-300x142.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Standard-Bank_30-Baker-Street_Interior_2-1-160x76.jpg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Standard-Bank_30-Baker-Street_Interior_2-1-768x364.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Standard-Bank_30-Baker-Street_Interior_2-1-1536x728.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Standard-Bank_30-Baker-Street_Interior_2-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Standard Bank Baker Street</figcaption></figure>



<p>In 2017, the organisation moved from a traditional centralised business intelligence team to a self-service BI model because its value-added capabilities allowed more accurate and effective targeting and serving of customers. “Power BI helps make citizen data scientists out of anyone who wishes to be one,” says Ziyaad Valli, Lead Analytics Engineer on the BI Data Visualization team at Standard Bank.</p>



<p>By 2020, adoption of the company’s self-service BI was such a success that Standard Bank’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software">Microsoft Teams</a>&nbsp;channel for Power BI included more than 3,000 members.</p>



<p>The bank’s data visualization team was using a descriptive analytics model to evaluate what had already happened. But Valli wanted to explore the predictive (what might happen) and prescriptive (what are the possibilities) paths to add to the toolsets for internal teams. As a result, the data visualization team collaborated with the bank’s Insurance Business group to use AI and automated machine learning to predict and accurately target customers.</p>



<p><strong>Using data to tell a more accurate story</strong></p>



<p>In July 2020, Standard Bank Insurance launched a funeral cover product – insurance to cover funeral expenses – that sold well: customers were queuing at branches and phoning the bank’s call centres. Mohammed Tootla, Manager of Data Visualization for the Insurance Business group at Standard Bank, decided they needed more from their data. </p>



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<p>“We started looking at alternatives to tell a better story with our data,” says Tootla. “We wanted to explore machine learning, but we had no data scientists on our team.”</p>



<p>Tootla then contacted Valli, explaining that his team wanted to move forward with predictive and prescriptive analytics. Valli’s and Tootla’s teams began collaborating in Power BI. They aggregated and analysed sales for the funeral cover across multiple dimensions, discovering a surprising insight that aligned with feedback from business leads: millennial customers were creating higher demand than any other generation.</p>



<p>The other key learning was that sales were happening on a particular day of the week. According to marketing and industry standards, most sales are expected to happen on Wednesdays and Thursdays. However, data showed that funeral cover sales were happening on Fridays.</p>



<p>“We were able to uncover these patterns and key insights solely because of the AI analytics capabilities within Power BI,” says Tootla.</p>



<p>Understanding these trends in the data allowed Standard Bank to make proactive adjustments to target the right audience and prepare for sales accordingly.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Better serving customers and mitigating customer cancellations</strong></p>



<p>Next, Valli and Tootla delved into the forecasting models to compare what sales might look like if factors remained unchanged, with “what-if” parameters – adjusted policies forecast – such as: what happens if South Africa returns to a hard lockdown because of COVID-19 and movement is restricted?</p>



<p>They created hindcast data models for four time periods to compare predictions to actual results and presented them to business leads, who determined the hindcasts accurately stayed within the upper and lower thresholds of the actual numbers.</p>



<p>Because of the forecasting model, the leads now use predictive and prescriptive insights to more properly staff employees in branches and call centres to better serve customers.</p>



<p>Tootla’s team also had another objective: to analyse the high churn rate in his group’s short-term insurance book. The previous report already utilised descriptive analytics models, but these only offered insights as to why a customer had cancelled insurance in the past. They didn’t indicate what might happen in the future.</p>



<p>Valli and Tootla built a binary classification model using the automated machine learning (AutoML) feature in Power BI, which quickly yielded value in affecting the bank’s bottom line.</p>



<p>Using the churn model, 88,000 customers were evaluated—40,000 active and 48,000 previously cancelled. The churn model predicted the risk of losing approximately 8,000 active customers and broke down the 8,000 customers by segment, policy persistency, age, province, and income, so the insurance group could target them when running retention campaigns.</p>



<p>“We were highly impressed with the fast turnaround time with which the Power BI AutoML led to outputs,” says Tootla. “A data scientist would come in and might not produce a report for months. We produced the first binary classification model within three weeks.”</p>



<p><strong>Uniting datasets and adding value</strong></p>



<p>Valli and Tootla agree that the project is still in its infancy. Tootla envisions expanding the forecasting and churn models to the full Standard Bank insurance product line. Beyond that, he foresees uniting the sales, cancellations, and retentions datasets.</p>



<p>“We’d like to bring in customer demographic information and build an all-in-one dataset model we can use as an input into our customer lifetime value model,” he says.</p>



<p>The collaboration and outcomes have altered how Valli contemplates data by assessing any new features broadly and contemplating how they can add value to any business unit his team supports. He says AI analytics is about helping the bank extract value and demonstrating the robust capabilities of the Power BI tools.</p>



<p>“This is only the start. We&#8217;re going to be doing a lot more going forward and we’re all really excited about that,” says Valli.</p>



<p>To find out what value Power BI can add to your business, visit <a href="https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/">https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/</a>.</p>


Standard Bank_30 Baker Street_Interior_2 (1)

Standard Bank shows ‘it can be’ by using AI and analytics to improve customer service

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<p>Multichoice reported a 288 per cent jump in its headline earnings per share for the year ended March. This is from the prior comparable period. Africa’s biggest pay-TV group’s performance was buoyed by growth in South Africa and lower losses in the rest Africa.MultiChoice CEO, Calvo Mawela joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Multichoice reports 288% jump in FY HEPS

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<p>Multichoice has exceeded the 20 million subscriber milestone for the first time. The group continued its strategic focus of investing in local content and produced 1 870 additional hours.  MultiChoice CEO, Calvo Mawela joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Multichoice exceeds 20 million subscribers

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<p>In an unexpected move, MultiChoice announced a partnership deal with Netflix and Amazon, in June. Aiming to be a one-stop shop, MultiChoice plans to offer the streaming services of its competitors through its new decoder. Some have expressed concern about the pay-TV group warding off competition. Duncan McLeod, Founder &#038; Editor of TechCentral joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Here’s what to expect from MultiChoice’s partnership with Netflix & Amazon

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<p>On the side-lines of the 7th Africa Magic Viewers&#8217; Choice Awards,  MultiChoice Nigeria CEO, John Ugbe says there’s a lot more attention in Africa’s movie Industry as both local and foreign investors are beginning to sink money into the industry. He joins CNBC Africa’s Debbie Movoria for more&#8230;.</p>


Multichoice CEO on what’s attracting investors to Africa’s movie industry

MultiChoice Nigeria CEO on what’s attracting investors to Africa’s movie industry

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<p>On the side-lines of the 7th Africa Magic Viewers&#8217; Choice Awards, MultiChoice CEO, John Ugbe says there’s a lot more attention in Africa’s movie industry as both local and foreign investors are beginning to invest in the industry. He joins CNBC Africa’s Debbie Movoria for more.</p>


MultiChoice CEO John Ugbe on why more investors are turning to Africa’s movie industry

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<p>Alexander Forbes is reporting a 1 per cent drop in headline earnings per share, down to 44 cents for the year ended 31 March 2019. The final dividend for the year came in at 30 cents per share. Dawie de Villiers, Group CEO, Alexander Forbes joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Alexander Forbes sees decline in FY earnings

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<p>Since its separate listing from Napsers, television broadcasting group Multichoice reports continued subscriber growth for their annual performance ended March of this year. 1.6 million subscribers were added, indicating 12 per cent year-on-year growth. Subscription revenue is up 7per cent to R41.2 billion. MultiChoice CEO, Calvo Mawela joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


MultiChoice CEO: Where the additional 1.6 million subscribers are coming from

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<p>ICASA has been anxious that MultiChoice group is using its dominant position in the market to limit competition in the streaming market. MultiChoice has submitted that streaming services such as Netflix pose a significant threat to its operations in South Africa and are therefore calling on ICASA to regulate international streaming services. For more CNBC Africa is joined by Botlenyana Mokhele, a Councillor at ICASA</p>


MultiChoice, Netflix issue: ICASA speaks out

By Alessandro Jedlowski, Collaborateur scientifique FNRS, Université Libre de Bruxelles <p><p>
<figure>
    <img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251277/original/file-20181218-27770-1npki3n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" alt="File 20181218 27770 1npki3n.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1" />
      <figcaption>
        Nigerian actress, Genevieve Nnaji in her film, ‘Lionheart’.
        <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Netflix</span></span>
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<span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alessandro-jedlowski-596235">Alessandro Jedlowski</a>, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-libre-de-bruxelles-1220">Université Libre de Bruxelles</a></em></span>

<p>Global streaming service Netflix set its eyes a few years ago on Nigeria’s film industry, better known as Nollywood. Distribution of Nigerian movies on Netflix <a href="https://www.telesurenglish.net/analysis/From-Nigeria-to-Netflix-African-Cinema-Goes-Global-20150421-0024.html">started</a> around 2015. At the time the American giant bought the rights of blockbusters such as Kunle Afolayan’s <em>October 1st</em>, Biyi Bandele’s <em>Fifty</em> and several others, after they had already been distributed in Nigerian cinemas. </p>

<p>During the Toronto International Film Festival 2018, Netflix <a href="https://variety.com/2018/film/news/toronto-netflix-nigerian-comedy-movie-lionheart-1202932393/">announced</a> the acquisition of worldwide exclusive distribution rights for Nollywood star Genevieve Nnaji’s debut film as director, the comedy <a href="https://www.tiff.net/films/lionheart/"><em>Lionheart</em></a>. The film marked the first Netflix original film from Nigeria. Many saw this as the beginning of a new era in the relationship between one of the world largest streaming platforms and Africa’s most prolific film industry.</p>

<p>But, is this actually true? Is Netflix going to transform Nollywood? And how significant will its impact on the Nigerian film industry be?</p>

<h2>Difficult questions</h2>

<p>These are not easy questions to answer. Nollywood’s economy and modes of production are unlike those of most other film industries. Over the past 20 years Nigerian films have circulated mostly on videotapes and Video Compact Discs (VCDs). </p>

<p>This distribution system made the industry widely popular across Africa and its diaspora. But it prevented Nollywood from consolidating its economy and raising the quality of film production. Piracy dramatically eroded distribution revenues and producers had trouble monetising the distribution of their films. Nollywood prioritised straight-to-video distribution because cinema theatres had almost disappeared in the country (as in most other parts of Africa) as a result of the catastrophic economic crisis that affected Nigeria in the 1980s. </p>

<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props='{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bne4BX6ggIo"}'></div></p>

<p>New multiplexes have emerged since the beginning of the 2000s. However, today there are only about 150 <a href="https://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/cover/nigerian-cinema-still-a-long-walk-to-maturity/">widescreens</a> for a population of almost two hundred million people. The cinemas that exist are often too expensive for most of the population that used to buy and watch Nollywood films when they were distributed on tapes.</p>

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            <figcaption><span class="caption">The trailer from ‘Lionheart’.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Within this context, many in the industry thought that streaming could be the best solution to the industry’s problems with distribution. However, a closer look to the history of what has been labelled the “Nigerian Netflix” (iROKO.tv, the leading streaming platform for Nigerian contents) shows that the reality is more complicated. </p>

<p>When the company decided to move its headquarters from Manhattan to Lagos it encountered <a href="https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article-abstract/116/465/671/3859165">countless difficulties</a>. They were mainly connected to the costs of infrastructure development in Nigeria and to the hostility of local distributors who <a href="https://books.google.fr/books/about/Nollywood_Central.html?id=a2cmDAAAQBAJ&amp;redir_esc=y">controlled</a> Nollywood’s economy since its creation.</p>

<h2>Weak Internet</h2>

<p>Internet connection in Nigeria is still too weak and expensive to guarantee easy access to streaming platforms. As a result, Nollywood content distributed by iROKO.tv and Netflix circulates mostly in the diaspora. Netflix is aware of this problem and is <a href="https://qz.com/africa/811003/a-new-netflix-server-in-nigeria-will-deliver-faster-streaming-and-content-to-its-african-users/">investing</a> in infrastructures to secure a better connection for its Nigerian audiences. </p>

<p>But larger investments seem to be necessary to produce a significant impact on audiences’ behaviour. Accessing Nollywood films via piracy or local screening venues will continue to be, at least in my view, the key strategy adopted by the largest percentage of Nigerian viewers.</p>

<p>Netflix could have better chances in penetrating the country’s elite market, as richer people in Nigeria and across Africa have easier access to reliable power supply and internet. </p>

<p>This might be the reason why MultiChoice, the South African telecommunication giant controlling much of Nollywood distribution across Africa through its Africa Magic channels, has <a href="https://qz.com/africa/1326834/naspers-multichoice-wants-netflix-regulated-as-dstv-loses-subscribers/">reacted nervously</a> to Netflix’s increased interest in African markets. MultiChoice wants Netflix to be more closely regulated.</p>

<p>These two aren’t the only telecommunication “superpowers” in the field. France’s Canal Plus and the Chinese StarTimes have also made a few investments in Nollywood over the past few years. The competition among all these actors will probably have a positive impact for viewers across Nigeria and the continent. It could bring lower subscription fees for streaming and TV content packages. </p>

<p>There are also likely to be new investments in content production and infrastructures. And there’s larger continental and global exposure for Nollywood films in the offing.</p>

<h2>Foreign investments</h2>

<p>It remains to be seen how good these developments will be for Nollywood producers. Until now, foreign investments in Nollywood have mostly translated into “more of the same” content. Working conditions for crews and actors have remained the same – basically, low budgets and quick shooting schedules. </p>

<p>In fact, big investors seem to be mainly interested in Nollywood’s already established popularity with African audiences. Making Nollywood more palatable for international audiences doesn’t seem to feature. </p>

<p>This means that in most cases they are not ready to invest bigger money in production budgets. Rather, they invest in better structuring distribution networks to extract as much profit as possible from the Nigerian industry. </p>

<p>And most African audiences are indeed happy with how Nollywood is, even if they tend to complain regularly about the low quality and the repetition of film contents and aesthetics. The fact that Nollywood as it is keeps on attracting audiences makes investors reluctant to change the scale of their production budgets.</p>

<p>There are a few bigger productions, with higher production standards, that have emerged over the past few years in Nollywood. But they have hardly been the result of investments made by foreign firms like Netflix, Canal Plus or MultiChoice.</p>

<p>Nigerian producers are those who are mostly concerned about raising the quality of Nollywood films. They want to give better content to their audiences and reach global screens. In most cases, the people investing money in these kinds of projects have been independent producers or groups of investors related to the new business of multiplexes in Nigeria. </p>

<p>In my view, the question is: will these people benefit from Netflix, so as to continue investing in higher quality content? Or will Netflix and other international companies end up taking over the industry to make it only a bit more of the same?<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108832/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" /></p>

<p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alessandro-jedlowski-596235">Alessandro Jedlowski</a>, Collaborateur scientifique FNRS, <em><a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-libre-de-bruxelles-1220">Université Libre de Bruxelles</a></em></span></p>

<p>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-netflixs-involvement-in-nigerias-massive-film-industry-really-means-108832">original article</a>.</p>

Is Netflix’s Nollywood dream failing?

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<p>Bongi Shangase, CEO of Shangase Brands spoke to CNBC Africa’s Fifi Peters to share her entrepreneurial journey on the sidelines of the Durban Business Fair as well the need to embrace change and technology to stay competitive.</p>


Bongi Shangase of Shangase Brands shares her entrepreneurial journey

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<p>Naspers share price was trading over two percent lower this morning after it revealed it will list its Video Entertainment business separately on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and unbundle shares in this business to its shareholders by the first half of next year.  The new company will be named MultiChoice Group and consist of MultiChoice South Africa, MultiChoice Africa, Showmax Africa, and Irdeto . Phuthuma Nathi shareholders will receive an additional 5 per cent stake in MultiChoice South Africa prior to the unbundling, to increase MultiChoice Group’s broad based black economic empowerment shareholding. Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk on decision to unbundle MultiChoice

<p>Naspers Media Release</p>
<p>Naspers to separately list and unbundle its Video Entertainment business as MultiChoice Group on the JSE Creates an empowered, standalone Africa-wide entertainment business<br />
Unlocks value for Naspers shareholders Increases Phuthuma Nathi shareholding in MultiChoice South Africa by 25%.</p>
<p>Naspers today announced its intention to list its Video Entertainment business separately on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and simultaneously to unbundle the shares in this business to its shareholders. The new company will be named MultiChoice Group and will include MultiChoice South Africa, MultiChoice Africa, Showmax Africa, and Irdeto.</p>
<p>Commenting on the transaction, Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk said: “This marks a significant step for the Naspers Group as we continue our evolution into a global consumer internet company. Listing MultiChoice Group via an unbundling aims to unlock value for Naspers shareholders and at the same time create an empowered, top 40 JSE-listed African entertainment company.”</p>
<p>The transaction is expected to create further value for Phuthuma Nathi (PN) broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) shareholders who have participated in one of the most successful BBBEE schemes in South Africa, already creating around ZAR12 billion in value for BBBEE shareholders. In recognition of PN’s support over the years, and to underline its commitment to transformation in South Africa, Naspers intends to allocate – for no consideration – an additional 5% stake in MultiChoice South Africa to PN shareholders, prior to the unbundling, to increase MultiChoice Group’s BBBEE shareholding. This means that the PN shareholders’ interest in MCSA and its dividend flows is expected to increase by 25%.</p>
<p>The additional 5% stake in MultiChoice South Africa to PN shareholders is designed to reinforce MultiChoice Group’s commitment to broad-based black economic empowerment, increase PN’s upside in future value creation, and ensure continued compliance with regulatory requirements post unbundling.</p>
<p>Further, post-listing and subject to obtaining the necessary PN board and shareholder approvals, it is the ambition of MultiChoice Group to enable 25% of the PN shareholders’ original shareholding (i.e. before the allocation of the additional 5%) to be exchanged for MultiChoice Group shares that will be freely tradeable, thereby unlocking incremental value for PN shareholders.</p>
<p>Video Entertainment CEO Imtiaz Patel said: “Listing and unbundling MultiChoice Group is intended to create a leading entertainment business listed on the JSE that is profitable and cash generative. We offer an unmatched selection of local and original content, as well as a world-class sports offering. Our leadership team is diverse, experienced and well-positioned to take the company forward. I am particularly pleased that this transaction will further enhance the value for Phuthuma Nathi shareholders.”</p>
<p>Naspers’ Video Entertainment business is one of the fastest growing pay-TV operators globally and its multi-platform business entertains 13.5 million households across Africa. In the last financial year, the business added 1.5 million subscribers, and generated revenue of ZAR47.1 billion and trading profit of ZAR6.1 billion. It employs more than 9,000 people in Africa and indirectly creates economic prosperity for over 20,000 more who are employed by its various partners and suppliers across the continent.</p>
<p>MultiChoice Group is expected to be unbundled with limited leverage, providing it with the necessary financial flexibility to pursue growth opportunities in African video entertainment. Africa is one of the fastest-growing continents by both GDP and population, its middle-class is rapidly expanding and the penetration of video entertainment is still relatively low. The business is also positioning itself for the future by offering online streaming services, including Showmax and DStv Now.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, Patel said: “There are significant growth opportunities for MultiChoice Group in Africa. The combination of MultiChoice’s reach, Showmax and DStv Now’s cutting-edge internet television service, alongside Irdeto’s 360 security suite will provide a unique offering.” van Dijk concluded: “The Video Entertainment business is an African success story. This unbundling and listing is expected to deliver value to the South African economy as well as to Naspers and Phuthuma Nathi shareholders. Naspers will continue to invest in South Africa through our interests in ecommerce businesses such as Takealot, Mr D Food, PayU, OLX, Property24, and AutoTrader SA, among others.”</p>
<p>Naspers will retain its primary listing on the JSE as well as its interests in Media24. MultiChoice Group is anticipated to list on the JSE and simultaneously unbundle in the first half of 2019, subject to the approval of the requisite regulatory authorities.</p>
<p>For more information, and to watch an interview with Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk and Video<br />
Entertainment CEO Imtiaz Patel on today’s announcement please visit:<br />
http://enhancingaccess.com/</p>


Naspers to unbundle Multichoice

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<p>Joining CNBC Africa for a look at the local markets is Nesan Nair, Senior Portfolio Manager, Sasfin Securities.</p>


Why Naspers’ Multichoice’s unbundling doesn’t address the Tencent discount

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<p>Managing Director of Multichoice Nigeria John Ugbe says funding, structure, and skills remain the biggest challenges in the African movie industry. CNBC Africa caught up with him from the red carpet of this year&#8217;s edition of the Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards in Lagos.</p>


Funding still the biggest stumbling block to Africa’s movie industry – Multichoice Nigeria MD

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<p>Africa is to have a new 24 hour news channel. A 50 per cent female owned consortium calling itself Newzroom Afrika has won a bid to run the channel on Multichoice against 110 bidders. The bid was led by former gospel singer Thokozani Nkosi and SABC newsreader Thabile Ngwato. It will be backed by a team of news veterans led by former SABC editor-in-chief and South African National Editor’s Forum head Joe Thoele. The bid winners say that they will prioritize former employees from the defunct 24 hours news channel ANN7 that closed its doors this month. Forbes Africa Journalist Melitta Ngalonkulu was at the briefing and joins CNBC Africa for more.</p>


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Alexander Forbes sees decline in FY earnings

MultiChoice CEO: Where the additional 1.6 million subscribers are coming from

MultiChoice, Netflix issue: ICASA speaks out

Is Netflix’s Nollywood dream failing?

Bongi Shangase of Shangase Brands shares her entrepreneurial journey

Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk on decision to unbundle MultiChoice

Naspers to unbundle Multichoice

Why Naspers’ Multichoice’s unbundling doesn’t address the Tencent discount

Funding still the biggest stumbling block to Africa’s movie industry – Multichoice Nigeria MD

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MultiChoice

Making Africa’s leading entertainment company’s data and analytics agile, scalable and future-proof

Standard Bank shows ‘it can be’ by using AI and analytics to improve customer service

Multichoice reports 288% jump in FY HEPS

Multichoice exceeds 20 million subscribers

Here’s what to expect from MultiChoice’s partnership with Netflix & Amazon

MultiChoice Nigeria CEO on what’s attracting investors to Africa’s movie industry

MultiChoice CEO John Ugbe on why more investors are turning to Africa’s movie industry

Alexander Forbes sees decline in FY earnings

MultiChoice CEO: Where the additional 1.6 million subscribers are coming from

MultiChoice, Netflix issue: ICASA speaks out

Is Netflix’s Nollywood dream failing?

Bongi Shangase of Shangase Brands shares her entrepreneurial journey

Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk on decision to unbundle MultiChoice

Naspers to unbundle Multichoice

Why Naspers’ Multichoice’s unbundling doesn’t address the Tencent discount

Funding still the biggest stumbling block to Africa’s movie industry – Multichoice Nigeria MD

New TV station to replace ANN7 on DSTV channel 405 revealed

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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