With over six years of experience at the helm of some of M-Net’s biggest channel brands, M-Net’s newly-appointed director, Gideon Khobane is geared up for the increasing demands on Africa’s leading pay-TV service provider.
Having spent over six years running M-Net’s Africa Magic channels in neighbouring African countries, and more recently as M-Net’s research and business intelligence director, Gideon Khobane is no stranger to the rigorous M-Net environment, but he believes that his strategic and analytical expertise will give him the edge needed to drive M-Net’s premium brands forward.
Khobane, begins his journey as M-Net’s new director of the M-Net, M-Net Edge and the newly-rebranded M-Net City (formerly M-Net Series Zone) cluster. He feels that his considerable understanding of local audiences and markets will assist him in providing African viewers with the best available international content, alongside locally-produced shows, which he hopes will instil a sense of African pride amongst viewers.
Khobane’s new role will include management, overall content acquisition, scheduling and content marketing, while ensuring that the two M-Net premium brands, M-Net and M-Net Edge, remain the most loved and talked about channels on DStv Premium; with a view to the newly-launched M-Net City becoming one of the most-watched channels on the DStv Compact package. Khobane is currently considering strategies for greater audience engagement through the introduction of new local formats and adaptations of popular international productions.
He feels excited about his new role, stating that he has a formidable team and support structures at his disposal, enabling him to achieve his strategic objectives, whilst adding that there’s no doubt that the new challenge will push him beyond his comfort zone.
A background in research gave Khobane a broader view of how audiences consume content and he hopes to now apply those insights, as viewership patterns increasingly shift toward non-linear viewing, enabling him to create content in line with consumer wants, needs and lifestyle choices. “My research and content marketing background gives me a deep awareness of what sort of content has worked with M-Net audiences in the past, and how the team and I can convert those insights into higher viewership results today,’ he states.
Khobane explains that the increasingly-fragmenting TV landscape is the biggest challenge and opportunity for his new portfolio, “Market competition is always increasing, meaning more options for our viewers, so we can’t rest. Our aim is to always remain the top entertainment choice for our audience, and our offerings need to be innovative to constantly keep us top of mind.’
M-Net’s CEO for South Africa, Yolisa Phahle commented on Khobane’s appointment, “Gideon replaces Victor Eckard who successfully launched M-Net Edge, Express from the US, and has been instrumental in the success of Catch Up and Catch Up Plus, and has now been asked to head up the content division at DStv Digital Media. M-Net and the M-Net Series channels will continue to drive growth for the company and I can think of no more suitably qualified individual than Gideon Khobane to take these channels forward. Gideon has played a critical role in the increasing success of the Africa Magic brand and more recently has driven M-Net’s strategy in South Africa.’
Khobane lists working in neighbouring African countries and finishing his master’s degree at WITS Business School, with M-Net’s backing, as some of his career highlights thus far, “The experience showed me the immense beauty and diversity of our continent, giving me a great appreciation for the many cultures we have.’
Gideon affirms that his overarching goal is to turn his brands into the most talked about channels in Africa, in so doing, leaving a lasting impact with M-Net viewers.
