TAKING on the responsibility of steering the M-Net ship is a mammoth undertaking. After all, M-Net, M-Net Edge and M-Net City (formerly known as M-Net Series Zone) are not just popular and pioneering channels, they are high maintenance too, from a marketing and content perspective.
But that is an area in which Gideon Khobane, 38, (pictured) flourishes. He took over the reins of M-Net Channel Director from Victor Eckard, who has now moved to MultiChoice, at the beginning of this month.
And, when Tonight dropped by his office, his calm demeanour indicated he had a firm handle on things.
It’s obvious Khobane is thriving with his new challenge – and he wants to make his mark by using his knowledge of marketing and research to take the channels forward.
Before delving into his strategy, though, he fills me in on his longstanding relationship with M-Net and how it has equipped him for his post.
“I started at M-Net as a brand manager for the Africa Magic channels, promoting M-Net 101 in (East and West) Africa. Primarily, my job was to create an appetite for the content in order to sell DStv premium sub-scriptions. We also did an Idols in East Africa, a Big Brother, some comedies, some dramas.
“Over time, we saw the audience were not watching M-Net 101. Their first channel is Africa Magic, obviously because the content resonated more with them. So we decided to rebrand the Africa Magic channels and put all our local productions on those channels and made M-Net purely international entertainment channels.”
After the rebranding excercise in 2012, it was decided to have the head office of Africa Magic located in Lagos last year.
So Khobane was then appointed as M-Net’s research and business intelligence director, where he gained a better insight into his previous portfolio.
He laughs: “I was now checking if what people were doing was working or not. It gave me a good overview of the entire M-Net business, whether here, in Kenya, Nigeria or Zambia. I understood every segment, regardless of whether it was on compact or premium, of what viewers liked and didn’t like. And when Victor decided to go and work for MultiChoice to head a new department because he is brave like that, I took over.”
Thankfully, all of his previous experience helps him in his new portfolio.
With M-Net Edge becoming a firm favourite and Express from the US gaining traction too, Khobane is looking at maximising that edge they have with viewers. And, with M-Net City, the objective is to shed the negative perception of it being a “repeat channel”.
He adds: “Research has shown that viewing patterns have time-shifted. Before, we would, say, watch a show at 8pm on M-Net. Is that working? No, because people are not watching at 8pm. They are recording it and watching it later or on weekends. Some are watching it on their computer.
“Maybe our business model should be changed. Yes, it is a paradigm and economic shift. These are very important discussions to be had. If you keep doing things the same way, then the brand stagnates. If you go too fast and the brand fails, it’s going to be my fault.
“It’s a tricky line, though.”
Aside from local content being a huge propellant for M-Net at the moment with lots of hype built around Power Couple, especially from a family-friendly viewing perspective, there are exciting new acquisitions on the cards like David Duchovny’s Aquarius on M-Net Edge.
The director, who has an admirable sense of confidence and savvy, adds: “At the end of the day, all content has to be marketed. I have a very strong marketing background and business experience and an understanding of the audience and what they want. Knowing what drives your viewership makes it easier to market content to them. And I have a great and passionate team, which helps.”