Author : Martin Kabagambe @cinemaUg
2, Months ago
On Monday 8th February 2021, MultiChoice Uganda announced that its
local content channel Pearl Magic was expanding and was adding a new channel:
Pearl Magic Prime to its stable. The channel went live on Monday, 8 February
2021.
Timothy Okwaro who
happens to be the Channel director says, “Our mandate as a channel is to
provide our viewers with thought-provoking and entertaining content which
captures Ugandan cultural nuances, we cannot wait for audiences to experience
this new addition to our stable. We will continue to work with the established
and upcoming local producers to deliver on world-class content
whilst fulfilling our commitment in developing the entertainment industry and the economy of the region.”
Since the inception of
Pearl Magic two years ago, the channel has fast become the leading local
entertainment brand in Uganda and the launch of Pearl Magic Prime is set to
amplify the viewing experience. Pearl Magic Prime at launch featured a drama
entitled Prestige, Mama and Me, a television series that falls
within the dramedy category, Sanyu- a telenovela as well
as Story Yange, an epic docu-series that explores the humble beginnings,
meteoric rises, devastating falls, and crippling vices of the most popular
social influencers in Uganda. - DSTV.
Hassan Saleh, the
Managing Director of MultiChoice Uganda says in his words said. “Pearl
Magic Prime is set to live up to its tagline of delivering more value to the
customer like never before. We are proud of the role we are playing
in the entertainment sector in Uganda and look forward to connecting with our
audiences.”
Saleh added that the
channel will be available exclusively to DStv subscribers on DStv Compact, DStv
Compact Plus as well as DStv Premium packages. “As per our ongoing commitment
to our customers, we will continue to enhance our viewer experience by offering
more value to our customers. We are confident that Pearl Magic Prime will
connect with DStv audiences and reinforce our strategic vision to be the
leading African storyteller.”
As already mentioned below are some of the new shows and docu-series that will be airing
1. SANYU: This tells the story of an innocent, rural teenage girl that is forced to leave her family and her pursuit for education to do a maid’s job for a complex, wealthy urban family. It is here where she falls for the young son of her employer. Witness the journey of love, emotion, and drama between the privileged and underprivileged. Some of the cast members of Sanyu are Tracy
Kababiito, Timothy Lwanga, Farida Nabagereka, Blessing Naturinda, Kyeyune
Shalom, Kuddzu Isaac, Allan Katongole, Marion Asilo Dorothy, Abbey Mukiibi
Nkaaga, Housen Mushema, Elenour Nabwiso, Sharon Nalukenge, and Racheal
Nduhukire. This is set to air weekly from 8:00 pm Monday to Friday.
2. PRESTIGE: A story that narrates the ups and downs of rival ad executives of the same family. Their lust for power is fuelled by love, jealousy, grief, and hatred. The show captivates the leads to succeed, fail and pick themselves up whilst chasing their life’s purposes.
Throughout it all, audiences will remain glued to their seats as their favorite characters struggle with moral and ethical decisions that impact not only their lives but the lives of everyone around them. The show will feature actors like Alvin Emitu, Cleopatra Kyoheirwe, Evelyn Namtovu Kironde as well as Nana Kagga, and Simon Kalema – also producers of the show. And this is set to be airing weekly at 8:30 pm Monday to Friday.
3. Mama and Me: This is an epic dramedy centered around a
middle-aged teacher, whose husband steals her money to give to his concubines. After his accidental death, she is accused of murder and must use her wits to stay out of jail and to fight off in-laws who want to take her property. Mama and Me will feature actors and actresses like Debbie
Bakuseka, Nambozo Gloria Catherine, Suubi Nalwanga, and Kaylar Kirabo
Elizabeth. And this will be on every Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 Pm.
4. STORY YANGE: This is a docu-series showcasing the personal lives of the most popular faces of Uganda. The show explores their humble beginnings, meteoric rises, major setbacks, personal struggles, and crippling vices. Some of the stories we will see from this
exciting new series will include those from Dr. Martin Aliker, Alex
Mukulu, Princess Evelyn Komuntale, Judith Heard, Hon. Dr. Miria Matembe,
Captain Mike Mukula, Irene Namubiru, and Moses Matovu. It will be airing on Saturdays at 8:00 pm.
Other Contents that
will be aired are the shows that have been showing on the Pearl Magic channel
before the launch of The new channel- Pearl Magic Prime Channel
148. These shows are; Date My family, My Wedding Day, Pablo Live,
Ekibbitu, Between Us, Half London, The Honourablez.
ABOUT PEARL MAGIC
PRIME:
Pearl Magic Prime is a
channel on DStv that’s is owned by the MultiChoice Group (MCG) the parent
company of M-Net, one of the fastest-growing video entertainment providers
globally, delivering entertainment products and services to 19.5m households
across 50 countries on the African continent. Its track record of more than 30
years is reflective of a commitment to provide audiences with only the best
local, sport, and international content.
MCG’s strong
partnerships with distributors, installers, and telecommunication companies,
along with its well-established payment solutions, competitive pricing, and
choice of viewership packages continue to secure its place in the global
market, while also providing solutions unique to the African market.
MCG aims to secure
content rights in a manner that is cost-effective and reflective of the
diversity of its audiences. Its substantial portfolio includes award-winning
local content (a key differentiator in its service offering), a leading sports
offering (including production capabilities), and access to international
content, which are all shared on the group’s platforms: DStv, GOtv, Showmax,
M-Net, and SuperSport. Source DSTV.
With the launch of
this wonderful channel, there have been mixed feelings about the channel. From
the comments from some of local established and upcoming actors, some complain
that the channel and the channel producers like Nathan Magoola, Matt Bish,
Eleanor and Mathew Nabwido, Nana Kagga, Dilman Dila, and others have only given
chance to the new models (disguising as actors) and left them who have been
struggling with the industry in all ups and downs. They say, the mentioned
producers only remember them when there are low budget movies as a last resort
but forget them on groundbreaking projects like these.
Others say that
channel which has been limited to only DSTV (expensive) packages won't win in
the Ugandan audiences who are mostly of middle-income status. This may limit
the content reach of the shows.
There is also a
criticism of rebranding the already existing telenovelas into new shows as lack
originality in creating these shows. An example of this is Prestige which the
synopsis almost looks like HBO's Ambitions and Sanyu which is an adaptation of
Kenya's Selina telenovela.
While the crying
voices are there in the backgrounds for being left out, others are jubilating
of upcoming projects and making professional better quality shows.
It's evident that the
channel is for the upper-end part of the film industry and will concentrate
only on the quality content in terms of production and acting. From the already
airing shows and telenovelas, the quality seems to be to the standard.
However all said and
done, the channel is here to change the game and if well utilized, it may be
the next big thing in promoting Ugandan films and entertainment content to the
rest of Africa. This will open doors for many of the Ugandan filmmakers to the
likes of Netflix, HBO, FOX, Amazon, Apple, and many more streaming and
production entities.
We hope that the
complaining voices get involved in the future shows and films of this channel
for them to benefit or else they may miss the bread on the table waiting for
the honey to be pasted on the bread.
By Martin Kabagambe
for Cinema Ug.