TV shows: Local is still lekker for viewers in Africa

According to The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC), households consuming linear TV declined by 12.5% over the past four years.

The Market Reach Foundation suggests that one in five South Africans is streaming content.

Roughly 6.3 million South Africans have Netflix and 3.6 million have Showmax.

These results are sourced from a sample of eight million interviewees – 55% male and 45% female. At least 55% of respondents reside in metropolitan areas, while 30% and 15% live in urban and rural areas.

African content excels

South Africans are obsessed with stories – especially local narratives – and this is the reason why MultiChoice has invested so aggressively in the development of home-grown series.

According to its FY24 results: “MultiChoice is by far the largest producer of original content on the African continent.

The group again produced over 6 500 hours of local content and its local content library now has more than 84 000 hours of content, a 12% increase YOY.”

It boasted how the highlight of its year was Shaka Ilembe, which launched on Mzansi Magic in June to become Africa’s biggest TV series.

Filmed entirely on location in South Africa, it was created through the skills and contributions of over 8 000 people.

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The premiere episode attracted over four million viewers and was the top-performing show with an audience share of over 45% in its time slot.

Lemogang Tsipa became a household name, much like the “OG Shaka” portrayed by the late Henry Cele.

South African audiences tend to become so immersed in the series they are consuming, they emotionally connect with the character as if they are a real person, or their real name. I’ve seen this with Hlubi Mboya, when we were working on a campaign in the Western Cape a few years ago. People would mob her to greet Nandipha – her Isidingo character.

Similarly, I’ve seen memes where a high-profile legal battle is ensuing and tweeps will tweet that the side – either prosecution or defence – taking an L should enlist the services of “Sandra Steyn”, Shannon Esra’s local, pop culture, legal eagle, alter ego.

Story-first, is the key to stickiness with an audience. In the age of constant content stimuli, and doom-scrolling attention seeking being sought by Reels and TikTok influencers and content creators, advertising that shows up as a slogan and logo construct is doomed to fail.

The warning signs are there. Most advertising doesn’t work. Cannes International Festival of Creativity – the Oscars of advertising – was already town crying in 2022 that 85% of ads fail to reach the “attention threshold” that is needed to make an enduring impact from a brand-building perspective.

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Branded content must therefore undergo a metamorphosis into branded series. The ad truly must become the entertainment.

I hope to prove this theory with our latest collaboration with Idea Candy and director Richard Finn Gregory from Picture Cult.

I’m so insanely proud for you to see the premiere of Outside Lane on M-Net at 8pm on DStv channel 101 tomorrow night.

Instead of proposing a TV commercial comprising summer tropes and inflated unicorn floaties to represent crystal clear splash-scenes for iconic pool care brand, HTH, we have created a four-part documentary series about the next generation of South African Olympic swimmers and their trials and tribulations – a matter of weeks after their Parisian exploits.

The brand is woven into the story, sans editorial interference. Crystal clear, blue pools are the authentic backdrops to this narrative and the brand is drip-fed to the audience via traditional tactics of bumper ads, commercials and L-boards throughout the series; all for additional reinforcement, as we head towards spring and our first dip of the season.

Gone are the days of spending millions on a brand asset that will drown into obscurity within a matter of days or hours – depending on how much media budget is forced down our throats like audience foie gras – advertisers should be like Maximus in Gladiator’s Colosseum: “Are you not entertained?”

• Sharman is chief creative officer and cofounder of Retroviral