MOONBUG ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF DEDICATED 24/7 CHANNEL FOR MULTICHOICE AFRICA
Moonbug Kids Channel to become available to DStv Subscribers
LONDON, 21 SEPTEMBER 2022 - Moonbug Entertainment, a subsidiary of Candle Media, today announced an agreement with MultiChoice, Africa’s leading entertainment company, to launch an exclusive linear preschool channel on Sub-Saharan African direct broadcast satellite service DStv. The new Moonbug Kids channel will include content from across the Moonbug portfolio of much-loved IPs.
The Moonbug Kids channel will be available to all 21.7 million DStv subscribers across 45 African countries and will air in English. All Moonbug IPs will be featured on the channel including CoComelon, Blippi, Gecko’s Garage, Morphle, Arpo and recent acquisitions such as Little Angel and Oddbods. The channel is scheduled to launch in October 2022.
Moonbug is creating the channel by applying its in-depth knowledge of children's viewing, including when and how they engage with content, to guide the scheduling of the Moonbug Kids channel. The schedule will support families with their daily routines such as mealtimes, playtime, bathtime, bedtime and more.
“This an incredibly significant deal for us and part of our wider strategy to roll out Moonbug Kids channels on pay TV platforms across EMEA and APAC. We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with market leader MultiChoice Africa and look forward to sharing our content with preschoolers across Africa.” said Nicolas Eglau, Managing Director EMEA & APAC, Moonbug Entertainment.
“This partnership is truly exciting because we took a lot of time and effort in seeking out new content for our young viewers. MultiChoice constantly reviews its channel offering to ensure we continue to bring our customers the best quality local and international content, and we believe that Moonbug Kids is exactly what our customers have been asking for.” Said Georginah Machiridza, Executive Head Content Strategy and Third Party Channels at MultiChoice Group.
For more information on Moonbug, visit www.moonbug.com.
About Moonbug Entertainment
Moonbug Entertainment is an award-winning global entertainment company behind some of the most popular kids’ titles in the world. Moonbug’s line-up includes global sensations CoComelon, Blippi, Little Baby Bum, Little Angel, My Magic Pet Morphle, Supa Strikas, Go Buster, Playtime with Twinkle, Gecko’s Garage, ARPO and many more.
Moonbug’s shows are on more than 150 platforms globally, including YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Sky UK, Super RTL, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Tencent, Youku and Roku. The company’s portfolio currently stands at 29 IPs and its content is available in 32 languages.
Moonbug is a subsidiary of Candle Media, an independent, creator-friendly home for cutting-edge, high-quality, category-defining brands and franchises. By bringing together elite talent operating at the intersection of content, community, and commerce, it helps to position leading entertainment businesses for accelerated, sustainable growth in the current market and beyond. Candle is run by its Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs, leading entertainment executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, and backed by investment capital from funds managed by Blackstone’s flagship private equity business.
About MultiChoice Group
MultiChoice Group (MCG), which listed in the Main Board of the JSE on 27 February 2019, is one of the fastest-growing video entertainment providers globally, delivering entertainment products and services to 2181m 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.
Its direct-to-home (DTH), digital terrestrial television (DTT) and over-the-top (OTT) solutions enable the business to stay relevant and aligned to changing consumer habits while capturing new markets.
Content is at the very core of the business. MCG aims to deliver quality content anywhere, anytime and on any device through a comprehensive video entertainment offering at different price points. As pioneers in African video entertainment, MCG plays an important role in making information and entertainment easily accessible to Africans.
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 sport offering (including production capabilities) and access to international content, which is all shared on the group’s platforms: DStv, GOtv, Showmax, M-Net and SuperSport. MCG has superior technology capability through the security solutions that Irdeto, its technology company, brings to the group. These solutions enable MultiChoice to protect its investment, create new offerings and combat cybercrime. With 50 years’ expertise in software security, Irdeto’s software security solutions and cyber services protect over 5bn devices and applications for some of the world’s best brands.
