The Box: Possible MultiChoice Buyout; Media Conglomerate Now At Odds With South African Government
Multichoice
Africa: Vivendi’s Canal+ in France offered to acquire MultiChoice and the South African media conglomerate is on board. Multichoice created an independent board to oversee the takeover offer, and the board recommended R125 per share to the pay-TV operator’s shareholders. However, the two companies are hitting many bumps in the road on the way to an official agreement. South Africa’s Electronic Communications Act (ECA), overseen by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) prohibits foreign entities from holding more than 20% of the voting rights of a South African broadcaster. The possible takeover deal of MultiChoice will be subjected to several regulations – including South Africa’s Takeover Regulation Panel and the Competition Tribunal, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and the Financial Surveillance Department. MultiChoice and Canal+ are now hinting that they are working together to find a way around South Africa’s strict regulations on foreign media control. Max Gebhardt from FTI Consulting and a former editor of the Financial Mail is now involved in the buyout. He said this takeover helps "companies seize opportunities and mitigate risk during both transformational and disruptive moments.”
MultiChoice is in a second money-making venture, with the company now adding “Watch from Start” functionality to its DStv Stream app, making it possible for subscribers to begin watching content that has already started. “Watch from Start” is available on Sky’s smart TV known as Sky Glass, which works with an internet connection. Therefore, there is no requirement for a mounted satellite disk. MultiChoice is on track to launch a localized version of Sky Glass, rebranded as DStv Glass, by the end of this year in South Africa. Like with traditional DStv decoders where subscribers can drag back the cursor in the buffer bar to go back to the beginning or another point in the timeline, “Watch from Start” allows users to restart any live event by clicking a button. The feature is currently available in South Africa and the rest of Africa on iOS, Android mobile, web, Hisense, tvOS, and most Samsung TVs. MultiChoice says it will be rolling out on more platforms soon. Daniel Courtenay, DStv Stream executive head, says "These are just the first in a list of innovative improvements on our road map for the year.”
Former M-Net content executive Kaye Ann Williams has reunited with her former M-Net boss Jan du Plessis at Primedia Studios. Williams recently worked at Amazon MGM Studios and was part of Amazon’s unsparing layoff of its entire South African and African development team. Williams has been appointed as Vice President for Content at Primedia Studios. This position allows her to develop and oversee the growing slate of South African co-productions and format series. Primedia has an impressive slate of co-productions and reality shows such as Deal or No Deal SA, Wheel of Fortune SA, MasterChef SA, The Masked Singer SA, SA’s Got Talent, and more. Williams was the head of M-Net’s local productions and independent film and was at M-Net in Randburg for seven years before she joined Amazon MGM Studios. After just two years, Amazon Studios in America decided to drastically cut spending. As a result, the company dramatically downsized its staff and many series were canceled. With Primedia Studios described as “the new M-Net,” Jan du Plessis and Kaye Ann Williams are expected to build out a grand slate of shows with both new and well-known South African production companies and producers.
Like a Dragon - Amazon Prime
Asia: Prime Video is set to release Like a Dragon, a live-action series adaptation of the SEGA game franchise Yakuza Like a Dragon. The six-part crime-suspense-action series will be directed by Take Masaharu and Takimoto Kengo. It will star Takeuchi Ryoma as the lead character, Kiryu Kazuma. It will be uploaded to Prime Video in two batches of three episodes on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1. 2024, with subtitled and dubbed versions in over 30 languages. Like a Dragon will be set in two time periods, 1995 and 2005, and follows the life of a Yakuza warrior who has a strong sense of justice, duty, and fearlessness. The Yakuza game series was released in 2005 by SEGA and was focused on the lives of passionate gangsters and those who live in a fictional entertainment district, Kamurochō.
Disney+ has announced the Korean spy thriller Tempest for its 2025 slate. The series will be available on Disney+ worldwide and on Hulu in the United States. Tempest is set in modern-day Korea and follows Munju, a diplomat and former ambassador to the United States, as well as Sanho, an international special agent. Together, they set out to uncover the truth behind an attack that threatens the future stability of the Korean peninsula. Tempest stars A-listers Gianna Jun (also known as Jun Ji-hyun) as Seo Munju and Gang Dongwon as Sanho. Gang Dongwon is also an executive producer for the series. Tempest is directed by Kim Heewon and co-directed by Heo Myunghaeng.
Filmmaker and actor Anurag Kashyap and Gulshan Devaiah will headline the Disney+ Hotstar Indian Series Bad Cop, the fiction series debut for Fremantle India. Fremantle is known for reality shows such as India’s Got Talent and Indian Idol. The series, adapted from RTL’s German show Bad Cop: Kriminell Gut, is directed by Aditya Datt. Devaiah plays Karan, a fierce police officer trying to chase down Kazbe (Kashyap), a deadly villain.
The new Korean drama series Seoul Brothers starring Kim Dong Wook and Park Se Wan has confirmed its premiere plans. The comedy-crime-drama series focuses on a witty leader (Kim Dong Wook) of a violent crime unit who takes the group to the extreme and wreaks havoc. Seoul Busters will premiere in September 2024 on Disney+.
Million Dollar Island - Neom production lab
Middle East: Talpa Studios, the company founded by John de Mol (creator of The Voice and Big Brother), has recommissioned its hit reality show Million Dollar Island for new seasons in the Middle East and Netherlands. It is produced at Saudi Arabia’s innovative Neom production lab. Neom, the northwestern Saudi Arabian region on the Red Sea where a futuristic city is being built, is aiming to become a major film and TV production hub. The announcement follows Talpa’s recent launch of a Bulgarian edition of the same series. In Million Dollar Island, 30 contestants “face the ultimate test of endurance as they navigate the harsh and breathtaking challenges of desert life,” according to a statement.
