Melanie Gia Ramjee
With exclusive access to high-end music, great concerts, documentaries and never-seen archived interviews, the global music streaming platform QWEST TV will officially be DStv channel 330.
Music lovers will now be able to access QWEST TV via the DStv bouquet (channel 330) as well as on the Showmax platform. The Channel will be included in all the DStv packages in 44 countries across the continent.
Available exclusively to DStv customers, the channels offering includes:
- Exclusive concerts from legendary artists as well as Rising Stars from across the globe
- Premium music documentaries
- Archived artist footage
- Unreleased interviews with music icons including Erykah Badu, Questlove, Salif Keita, Gregory Porter, Marcus Miller, Seun Kuti, Kamasi Washington and Fatoumata Diawara
Founded in 2017 by musical genius, the legendary Quincy Jones, alongside TV and music producer and programmer Reza Ackbaraly, Qwest TV plans to bring genre-agnostic musical content to the African continent.
“We are elated to be part of Multichoice family and to launch Qwest TV to the African market. We are expanding our mission to offer high end music to everyone. Africa is a land of traditions and music, and we’re very happy to build such a great partnership on this gorgeous continent !“ says CEO Reza Ackbaraly.
“I’m so proud to announce that Qwest TV is now available on Multichoice, Africa’s leading entertainment network. This means that my friends in South Africa, and forty-three more African territories, will have access to great, genre-defying music, 24/7. From African legends proudly proclaiming their heritage to jazz, classical, electronic and amazing deep-dive music documentaries, Africa is the source of music’s heartbeat and the cradle of modern music. I’m looking forward to celebrating diverse sounds with y’all!” explains Quincy Jones, Qwest TV co-founder and music producer.
With the core focus of expanding the content offering for viewers with quality entertainment, Georginah Machiridza, Executive Head for General Entertainment Channels at MultiChoice Group harps on the importance of such partnerships.
“What is key to us is that, whilst our audiences are driven by an appetite for homegrown content, we also complement it with the best in international content. To this end, we work with a selection of partners to ensure a comprehensive one stop shop for our customers. Our partnership with QWEST TV is one we are thrilled about, and we cannot wait for our DStv customers to experience it,” says Machiridza.
QWEST TV will air on DStv channel 330 from 20 January 2023, for more information visit dstv.com.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THE READERS
About Qwest TV
Qwest TV is a celebration of unique talents, traditions, and rhythms. With more than a thousand music-related experiences on offer, the premium video hub strives to be the world’s home for jazz, soul, funk, classical, and music from around the world. Qwest TV’s services include three premium linear television channels (in 7 languages with worldwide rights), Ad-supported Video On Demand (in 7 languages with worldwide rights) and a Subscription Video on Demand Platform (available globally, in 3 languages), and a Pay-TV for Africa on DStv (channel 330).
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 21.8m households across 50 countries on the African continent. Its track record of more than 35 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 sports 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 more than 50 years’ expertise in software security, Irdeto’s software security solutions and cyber services protect over 6bn devices and applications for some of the world’s best brands.
About NATIVE YARD
Building and maintaining healthy thriving brands and exhibitions is our primary focus at Native Yard, a 360 through the line media and activation agency.
Native also offer in depth management, marketing and communications strategic capabilities that are tailored to meet your specific business needs; and provide solutions that are quantifiable in terms of sales, market share, brand value and every other concrete measure. They also help our clients follow up with their prospects . Currently owns 50% of DISCOP (www.discop.com) markets and 100% of Joburg Film Festival (www.joburgfilmfestival.co.za).
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Melanie Gia Ramjee is an executive at Tutone Communications. She’s on Melanie@tutonecommunications.com