There are indications of a rise in the production of Igbo
language movies, as pay TV company, DStv, has dedicated a
channel to this genre.
This is one of the latest in the offerings of the channel, and
possible justification for a recent upward review of its tarrifs.
Following the debut of Nollywood English productions on the
Africa Magic channel, offerings of local language started with
Yoruba movies, then Hausa movies.
The company said the new addition is in line with its ongoing
development strategy, as the new channel is designed to
showcase the rich Igbo culture of Nigeria.
The Igbo channel which brings to eight the total number of
Africa Magic channels, is expected to go on air at 19:00 CAT
on April 2, on on DStv channel 159.
“Igbo language entertainment content has always played a
prominent role in the Nigerian film and television industry and
we are glad to offer a platform where this rich content can be
showcased to the rest of Africa and the world,” said M-Net
Director (West Africa), Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu. According to her,
“Popular Igbo language content like Living in Bondage, Nneka
the Pretty Serpent and many others set the trend for the
modern Nigerian film and television industry, or Nollywood as
it’s called; it is thus only fitting that such content should be
given a platform where it is easily accessible by audiences
around the continent. With the launch of Africa Magic Igbo, we
have once again proven our commitment to providing content
made for Africa by Africans.”
For Managing Director, Multichoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe,
“For over 20 years, Multichoice has played an active role in
the development of the African film and television industry.
The Africa Magic channels, which sit on our Dstv and GOtv
platforms, continue to display the best of African
entertainment content to the world. With the launch of Africa
Magic Igbo, we have once again provided a platform for
African talent to shine and our viewers can definitely expect to
see the best of Igbo culture and talent on display.”
The first Africa Magic channel was launched in 2003 and more
than 10 years later, the brand has expanded to include content
dedicated to world class African entertainment programming
ranging from drama series, music, magazine and reality
shows, and movies.
“All the Africa Magic channels are renowned for their exciting
content which celebrates African entertainment and Africa
Magic Igbo will be no different. The channel will appeal to
audiences in and outside Nigeria, as the Igbo language is also
spoken in a number of other African countries like Equatorial
Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon. Africa
Magic Igbo will also undoubtedly be popular with audiences
across the continent as shown by the widespread success of
the popular Igbo language movies of the 1990s, and our
viewers can expect to see the best from renowned and
exciting Igbo talent like Okey Bakassi, Chiwetalu Agu and Dede
One Day amongst many others,” added Mba-Uzoukwu.