The Eighties Among FremantleMedia International’s Sales to Kwesé TV

LONDON: Econet Media’s Kwesé TV in Africa has secured pay-TV and catch-up rights for a handful of titles from FremantleMedia International, including the docuseries The Eighties from Tom Hanks.

In addition to The Eighties, Kwesé TV picked up The Sixties and The Seventies, all three of which are executive produced for CNN U.S. by Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog. In preparation for the launch of its pay-TV offering, Kwesé TV also signed on for the documentary series The Traffickers, which investigates the global black market, and Family Feud, a hit game show hosted by Steve Harvey.

The programs have been licensed for broadcast on Kwesé channels in the African market. The initial set of Kwesé channels will cover key programming genres and are being tailored to a young, urban and evolving African market.

“We are excited to be bringing Africans premium content from all over the world and this deal is one of many that Kwesé has managed to secure,” said Joseph Hundah, CEO of Econet Media. “We are committed to entertainment excellence while giving our audiences extensive choice in programming and this is the first step toward delivering unparalleled viewing options.”

Anahita Kheder, the senior VP for the Middle East, Africa and Southeastern Europe at FremantleMedia International, said, “We’re pleased to be partnering with Econet Media and its Kwesé launch. The mix of titles acquired by the new pay-TV service have been hits around the world and we’re confident that they will prove popular with the African market too.”