FOX Africa kicked off the new year with its Fox Networks Africa Showcase. The event was held at the 54 on Bath hotel in Johannesburg, where celebrity guests and media were treated to a preview screening of the pilot show Legion, along with a peek at its 2017 line up. FOX channels are promising viewers an award winning line-up landing on the continent this year.
The event kicked off with general manager at FOX Networks Group Africa, Gary Alfonso sharing the groups hopes and goals for 2017. Alfonso, who joined the group as general manager in August last year says he has been hooked on the industry since he was a child. “I knew I was hooked on this industry when I was 12-years-old, after I started a radio station in a tree house in the small town of Clocolan,” says Alfonso. Joking about the small town in the Free State being one that few have heard of, this did not deter him from learning a fundamental lesson as a young entrepreneur. “I learned something about audiences very quickly,” he explains. “I changed my channel to speak at different times of the day to different people passing in the street,” Alfonso says nothing has changed for him since 1975 as far as trying to curate excellent content for the right audiences. Alfonso briefly touched on the network’s video-on-demand content, while the group is keeping this info under wraps, he did infer that there will be 3 000 hours of premium content available through their platform.
Following the launch of FOX Life in October 2016, Alfonso predicts further reach and growth in the coming months. FOX Networks Group Africa includes the FOX channel (channel 125 on DStv), FOX Life (Channel 126), National Geographic (Channel 181) and Nat Geo Wild (Channel 182) which Alfonso says is now available across DStv’s Premium, Extra, and Compact ranges. Alfonso says this means that FOX Africa’s contact is now within the reach of the LSM five to seven groups, and across the pay TV spectrum. Furthermore the group now has a presence on the StarSat platform through the likes of Nat Geo Wild and its FOX channels.
Having contracts with the West African Football Union to broadcast local matches, and the World Boxing Association to host African championship boxing, the group is moving into the sports field.
Alfonos highlighted the success of popular shows with Empire being renewed for a fourth season and The Simpsons now in its 28th season. He adds that the international success of Mars saw it being the most PVR’d show in history and the second most watched show on Nat Geo. He spoke of the success of Africa’s very own Savage Kingdom among the many international hits.
FOX Networks Group SA director of sales and marketing, Khosi Khanyile then introduced the content and show highlights coming to screens this year. Notably the local shows on Nat Geo Wild, including that in March Big Cat Month takes place in South Africa, with shows Battle for the Pride, Soul of the Cat, Ultimate Rivals: Cat vs. Dog, Storm Cats, and Return of the Lion all featuring, amongst African adventure shows depicting the continents incredible wildlife.
Notably, guests at the event heard that along with an international line-up there is reason to believe that there is strong global interest and demand in and for locally produced content.
