World Screen

SAN FRANCISCO: SmartVOD by Vonetize has launched the first-ever OTT Hollywood premium service in Africa, branded Aflix by SmartVOD. The new offering has more than 2,000 hours of content at launch, including new releases from Hollywood studios, TV series, kids' content, sports, lifestyle, nature and science, music, Bollywood, telenovelas and …

LONDON: TRACE has hired Victor Bannerman-Chedid as chief operating officer for the company's African business. In his new post, Bannerman-Chedid will supervise all operational functions for TRACE's African businesses. He is expected to assist with the company's continued efforts to increase its operations across the continent. Bannerman-Chedid previously served as …

JOHANNESBURG: Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa has reached a deal with MultiChoice in South Africa to expand the reach of MTV to subscribers of the DStv Extra and Compact packages. The channel, which has previously been available only on DStv Premium, will now be part of the DStv Extra …

LAGOS: The African Internet TV platform iROKOtv.com is adding to its extensive Nollywood catalogue with the addition of Hollywood, Bollywood, telenovela and Korean programming. The service, which is available throughout English-speaking Africa, already has more than 10,000 hours of Nollywood content. Launched in December 2011, iROKOtv.com offers unlimited, commercial-free viewing …

LOS ANGELES: DISCOP Africa is to honor Ivory Coast at the upcoming Johannesburg-set event, taking place November 5 to 7. Basic Lead, organizers of DISCOP Africa, selected Ivory Coast as Guest Country as it is set to play a key role in the development of TV content production and distribution …

BUENOS AIRES: A local adaptation of Telefe’s novela Forever Julia has been launched in the Middle East, under the name Seerat Hob (Story of Love). The Arabic version, which debuted June 29, is broadcast daily in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates exclusively by OSN HD Yahala. Future …

LONDON: TRACE Toca is a brand-new music channel from TRACE that launched on MultiChoice’s digital satellite TV service DStv in Angola and Mozambique. The channel is offered in Portuguese ("Toca" means "play music" in Portuguese). It is dedicated to afro-lusophone music and culture, featuring the latest hits in kizomba, kuduro, …

JOHANNESBURG: TRACE Sport Stars, a channel dedicated to celebrity athletes, is set to be made available across Africa through additional MultiChoice TV packages. The network will broadcast through MultiChoice's DStv Extra, Compact and Family packages. Previously, TRACE Sport Stars could only be found on the DStv Premium package. The channel will …

LONDON: Pay-TV revenues in Sub-Saharan Africa are forecast to reach $6.22 billion in 2020, up from $3.54 billion in 2014 and $1.92 billion in 2010, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. The fourth edition of the Digital TV Sub-Saharan Africa report asserts that South Africa and Nigeria …

JOHANNESBURG: FOX International Channels (FIC) continues to increase the distribution of its channel brands in Africa, recently placing eight networks on the new Nigerian pay-TV platform African Cable TV (ACTV). The partnership between the two companies increases FIC’s reach in Africa to more than 17.3 million subscribers with up to …