The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | MultiChoice Uganda, the home of great Pay-TV entertainment, has kickstarted a drive to bring local shows closer to their viewers.
According to officials, this initiative is in line with a commitment to bringing premium local content to every television room in the country,
MultiChoice Uganda recently decided to open its premium local content channel Pearl Magic Prime (PMP) and make it available and accessible to more DStv and GOtv customers, starting from the bouquets DStv Access and GOtv Plus and up.
This was in addition to the merging of two of its mass market local content channels, Pearl Magic and Pearl Magic Loko, into Pearl Magic, building synergies in programming to meet customer viewing choices.
In a bid to enrich the desire for relatable local programming among everyday Ugandans, MultiChoice will traverse the country with the mission of spreading the message about the importance of supporting people who tell authentic Ugandan stories – our Ugandan filmmakers, and the ecosystem they operate in including actors/actresses, make-up artists, costume designers, set designers, sound and video editing professionals among others.
Brian Mulondo, the Local Content Marketing Manager, MultiChoice Uganda, spoke about the strides that have been made in drastically improving the quality of local content as the key ingredient in the revival of the local film sector in Uganda.
“As MultiChoice, we are pleased with the following that our array of local content has gained. This speaks volumes about the quality of shows coming off the conveyor belt. We are at these market activations to show our gratitude to our customers for their support of shows like Sanyu, DamaLie, JDC and Urban Life, Kampala Crème among others. We are also here to assure them that there is more on the way this year including new shows and continuing seasons of shows like Kampala Crème and DamaLie.
“What we aim to achieve with these activations in markets across the country is an opportunity to interact with our customers and find out what they think we are doing right and what we can improve on. Since we are in the business of offering quality, feedback from our consumers is very important in helping us formulate strategies to develop entertaining concepts that will keep our customers enjoying that they pay for — entertainment.” Mulondo said.
Rinaldi Jamugisa, the PR and Communications Manager at MultiChoice Uganda, highlighted the impact that MultiChoice has had in breathing new life into how local stories are being told in Uganda.
“We are proud of how far the local film industry has come in representing elements about Uganda to viewers both within the country and across Africa. A lot of effort, hard work, and dedication go on behind the scenes to ensure that our viewers enjoy the quality of programming that has cemented our place as Africa’s most-loved storyteller. It is for this reason that we take opportunities to interact with our customers at every opportunity, as they are the reason why we go to such lengths,” Jamugisa emphasized.
“As we celebrate local content efforts and contribution by all players, we are utilizing this opportunity to educate customers about the importance of supporting the film, sports and content creation sectors, including local content by paying for the content they watch as opposed to pirating it,” Jamugisa Added.
He explained, “Filmmakers undertake several costs in order to create, produce and bring their stories to life; from filming gear to locations, to talent (actors/actresses), to wardrobe, transport among other things, and when viewers pirate this content, they in effect are “stealing” the content while denying the filmmakers the opportunity to earn from their craft, recover their investment and look after their families and livelihood.”
“Simply put, Piracy is theft – it is like someone walking into a shop, packing some clothes or going to a restaurant eating their food or a petrol station and fueling your car and then intentionally leaving without paying for any of it,” Jamugisa concluded.
Recently, MultiChoice Uganda announced that it would be closing the curtains on one of its main shows, Sanyu, bringing its four-year run to an end to pave the way for a new show to take its place – Crossroads.
With the reality hit show Kampala Crème currently on a break, a new cooking show, Mum vs Wife, is delivering on MultiChoice’s promise of offering a wide range of content to suit their diverse audiences’ needs.
This show, hosted by the popular Robina Mulerwa Mbabazi known as Bina Baibe pits Ugandan husbands’ mothers against their wives in a battle to determine who cooks better.
Re-runs of the first season of Kampala Crème, JDC and DamaLie are currently airing in anticipation of their second season returns.
All these entertaining shows and more can be accessed on Pearl Magic Prime on Channel 148 on DStv and Channel 303 on GOtv, and Pearl Magic on Channel 161 on DStv and Channel 301 on GOtv. Tune in to catch all your favourite shows and content.
