Not so long ago we had very few viewing choices on TV and consequently had to stomach the numerous repeats that were screened. Today the opposite is true: a lot of content is available with time now being the scarce commodity.
So brace yourself as yet another TV channel is upon us. EbonyLife TV joins the DStv family on channel 165 and it promises to bring exciting content.
“It’s what we call a ‘global black channel’. It’s the first international black channel in Africa. We go out in all of Africa and we were in 44 pan-African countries and now we are in just over 50,” said Sandra Amadio, the head of entertainment for the channel.
EbonyLife TV may only be coming to us now, but it has been a long time coming. Amadio said that the growth was imminent and with time the channel would grow even more.
“We recently launched in the southern countries so we are a sub-Saharan Pan-African TV channel. The reason we call it ‘global black’ is because the continent is vast and it has its own differences and yet there is a connection. There is an Afro-politan consciousness. There is also a connection across the continent on a class level, so if there is anyone who is Afropolitan they will connect to this,” explained Amadio.
As the name suggests, the content on this channel will focus on the lifestyles of the black target market in Africa.
“It’s a channel that really tells the African story by Africans. So it’s not somebody telling our story on our behalf. Also, what would set the channel apart from others coming from Nigeria or other parts is the quality. The production value is good and we have already produced about a 1 000 hours of content and it’s completely home grown,” she said.
With the headquarters of EbonyLife TV in Nigeria, Amadio said this explained why most of the content on the channel is from that country.
“Everything for now is being produced out of Nigeria and we also have connections across the continent. These include South Africa, Kenya and Ghana and they all help out with content so there is a pan-African level to the content. The best way to sum up EbonyLife TV is that it is an African version of E! Entertainment,” she said.
To meet the standards of E! Entertainment, Amadio mentions the kind of shows we should expect from the channel.
“It’s an entertainment channel so we will have entertainment magazines, reality shows and anything that has to do with African entertainers. We also have talk shows and dramas, meaning we have something for everyone, but it is a youth-driven channel. We cater for the 18 to 34 age group.”
The founder of the channel, Mo Abudu, has extensive experience in television and is known for her talk show, Moments With Mo.
“Moments With Mo was the first syndicated Pan-African talk show. It was the first to be shown across the continent. Abudu started the channel because she felt there was a need to retaliate against the negative image of Africa shown to the world. We want to show another side to Africa. Obviously there is Ebola and corruption among other things, but the news tends only to show that and we tend to think of ourselves in that way. Yet once you start sowing positive seeds, you change people’s perceptions of themselves and the media’s perception of the continent.”