If statistics from the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa are anything to go by, it is clear that South African audiences love Indian dramas.
Since its launch in 2018, South Africans have taken to the many drama series on Star Life like a concord flight across the North Atlantic Ocean.
With an average daily viewership of more than150 thousand viewers and a monthly reach of more than 5.5 million audiences, Star Life has firmly established itself among the top 10 TV channels in the South African market and the number one channel among dubbed telenovela offerings, with more than half of the market share.
All the channels shows have made a distinct place for themselves in the hearts and minds of viewers.
The channel has delivered many hits, among them “The Evil Eye”, which tells the story of a wicked witch who was a servant of the mother goddesses Kali and Durga.
However, as a devil, she was cursed by gods and taken as a prisoner into the human world.
The supernatural drama clearly caught the fancy of viewers, as evident from the social media buzz it made.
The recently launched “A Magical Love Story”, a fantasy drama, broke into the 400 000 viewership club on its first episode that aired last month and within three weeks, more than 600 South Africans were hooked.
“We are growing rapidly by building strong emotional bonds with our audiences through our stories like ’My Identity’ and ’Strange Love’ that bring progressive and inspirational characters in compelling dramas and are leading performers with a consistent viewership of 300 000,” said the channel.
This month, the channel launched two new dramas – “The Frontliners”, a medical drama that navigates through the ups and downs of the lives of doctors at the Sanjivani Hospital and which is a tribute to front-line workers and the Covid-19 warriors who have tirelessly worked over the past year, and another story of a curious and imaginative child “Mariam Khan – Reporting Live”.
“When we entered South Africa, we had a clear vision of bringing Star’s rich library of the very best family dramas, reality shows, and blockbuster Bollywood movies adapted in neutral African English, exclusively for the South African market,” said the channel.
“We are truly delighted with the overwhelming response that the channel has received in this short span of time.
“This success story only energises us to deliver better, continue to push our creative boundaries and stay committed to delivering our brand promise of bringing engaging programming that appeals to broader audiences in South Africa.”
Star Life is be available on DStv 167, GOtv 23, Openview 110.