BBC-Branded Channels to Launch in Africa

LONDON, June 10: BBC
Worldwide Channels will launch a suite of branded thematic channels in Africa,
available through MultiChoice’s DStv platform beginning September 1.

The new thematic
channels—BBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle and
CBeebies—will replace and build on the success of the existing channels
BBC Food and BBC Prime.

Darren Childs, the managing director of BBC Worldwide Channels, said: “Today’s
announcement builds on BBC Worldwide channel’s long-term relationship with
MultiChoice. In asking us to provide more channels for the platform is
testimony to the BBC brand and the quality of our content.”

MultiChoice Group’s CEO,
Nolo Letele, added: “MultiChoice welcomes the additions of the four new BBC
channels, we believe it will contribute to our ongoing commitment of ensuring
our customers receive high-quality channels from a variety of different
genres.”

Dean
Possenniskie, the general manager and senior VP for EMEA, at BBC Worldwide
Channels, noted: “Africa has always been of great importance to us, and we are
now making a significant investment as we launch four dedicated channel feeds
for Africa. This new deal with MultiChoice confirms our commitment to the
territory, and allows us to deliver a greater range of contemporary,
award-winning programming across all four channel genres to loyal BBC viewers
in addition to attracting new ones.”

Possenniskie told World
Screen Newsflash: “We decided that
we could create a really complementary portfolio of channels from the preschool
channel CBeebies through to the Lifestyle and Entertainment and Knowledge. It
gives viewers access to BBC programming across a broad range of genres. And
certainly MultiChoice thought that bringing such a strong offering of channels
and programming and the BBC brand would send a really clear message to their
subscribers that they are making a new investment in new high-quality content.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski