THE MARKET IS CHANGING: WHAT THE NEW DSTV AND CANAL+ ERA MEANS FOR ZAMBIAN CONTENT PRODUCERS

The television and film business is entering another major period of change, and for African content producers, the message is becoming increasingly clear: it is no longer enough to simply make good content. You must understand the market that will buy it.

A recent report by Daily Investor examining the future of DStv and SuperSport in South Africa highlights how Canal+’s investment in MultiChoice could reshape the way content is produced, acquired, packaged and distributed across the continent. The discussion, based on comments by former Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko during the Investec Minds podcast, points towards a future driven increasingly by audience data, local content, changing viewing habits and smarter content packaging.

For Zambia's producers, this should not be viewed simply as a South African story.

It is a warning, an opportunity and a call to change how we think about content.

THE CONTENT BUSINESS IS CHANGING

Audiences are no longer consuming television in the same way they did ten or even five years ago.

Smartphones, affordable internet, social media, streaming platforms and digital distribution have created an environment where audiences can watch almost anything, anywhere and at any time.

According to the discussion reported by Daily Investor, the amount of video content people consume is expected to continue increasing as devices become smarter and connectivity improves. At the same time, short form content is becoming an increasingly important part of the entertainment landscape, existing alongside traditional movies and television series.

This creates a major challenge for traditional broadcasters.

They have to understand what audiences actually want to watch, rather than simply deciding what audiences should watch.

That distinction is extremely important for producers.

THE BUYER IS CHANGING

For decades, many producers have approached broadcasters with a simple proposition:

"We have made a programme. Would you like to buy it?"

That approach is becoming increasingly difficult.

The modern content buyer is asking much more.

Who is the audience?

How many people are likely to watch it?

Where will they watch it?

What makes the programme commercially attractive?

Can it work in more than one territory?

Can it be repackaged for different platforms?

Can it generate additional digital content?

Can the characters, story or intellectual property be developed into other formats?

Can the programme attract advertisers and sponsors?

Can it travel beyond the market in which it was produced?

These are not necessarily questions being asked because broadcasters do not appreciate creativity.

They are being asked because content is now competing in an extremely crowded marketplace.

CANAL+ AND MULTICHOICE: A SIGNAL TO PRODUCERS

The Canal+ and MultiChoice relationship is therefore worth watching closely.

The discussion around the future of DStv and SuperSport suggests that data and analytics will play an increasingly important role in understanding audiences and determining how content and sports are acquired, packaged and priced. Maseko also pointed to differences in viewing behaviour between regions, demonstrating that audiences are not necessarily homogeneous even within the same country.

For producers, this means that the era of producing content without understanding the audience is coming under increasing pressure.

The buyer wants to know what the market says.

Producers therefore need to learn how to speak the language of the buyer.

Not only the language of creativity, but also the language of audience, data, commercial value, positioning, distribution and return on investment.

ZAMBIAN PRODUCERS MUST REPACKAGE THEIR THINKING

This is where the opportunity for Zambia becomes very interesting.

Zambia has stories.

We have actors.

We have writers.

We have directors.

We have cinematographers.

We have producers.

We have locations.

We have culture.

We have music.

We have history.

What we now need is to become much better at packaging these assets for the market.

A producer should not only ask:

"What story do I want to tell?"

The producer must also ask:

"Who is going to watch this story, why will they watch it, and who is likely to pay for it?"

That does not mean abandoning creativity.

It means making creativity commercially intelligent.

DON'T JUST PITCH A SERIES, PITCH A PROPERTY

For example, instead of developing a television series as a standalone production, producers should begin thinking of their projects as content properties.

A strong series could have:

, A television format, Short form digital content, Social media extensions, Behind the scenes content, Character driven promotional material, International distribution potential, Sponsorship opportunities, Merchandising opportunities where appropriate, Spin off possibilities, Future seasons, Adaptation opportunities

This changes the conversation.

You are no longer simply selling a programme.

You are presenting an intellectual property with multiple commercial possibilities.

LOCAL STORIES, BIGGER AUDIENCES

There is also an important lesson in the way Canal+ and MultiChoice are looking at audiences across different territories.

African stories do not necessarily have to remain trapped within national borders.

A Zambian story can be Zambian in its identity while still being African and international in its appeal.

This is something our producers must increasingly consider.

Instead of asking whether a story will work only in Zambia, ask whether its emotional themes can connect with audiences in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Namibia, Zimbabwe or elsewhere.

Love, ambition, betrayal, family, crime, politics, business, friendship, survival and identity are universal themes.

Our stories can be local, but their emotions can be global.

THE RISE OF SHORT FORM SHOULD NOT SCARE PRODUCERS

Another important issue raised in the report is the growing importance of short form content.

This should not be interpreted as the death of television series or feature films.

Rather, it means producers need to understand that audiences now consume stories in multiple ways.

A producer making a 50 minute television episode should also be thinking about how that story can be promoted through 30 second, 60 second and three minute digital pieces.

A film can have a trailer, character videos, interviews, behind the scenes material and social media storytelling.

The production therefore becomes an ecosystem rather than a single piece of content.

CONTENT BUYERS ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND ZAMBIA

The responsibility, however, does not rest entirely with producers.

Content buyers also have a role to play.

Broadcasters such as DStv and platforms operating under the broader Canal+ ecosystem need to continue understanding the individual creative markets across Africa.

Zambia is not South Africa.

Zambia is not Nigeria.

Zambia is not Kenya.

Each market has its own audiences, cultures, languages, production realities and stories.

Audience data should therefore not simply be used to determine what content is commercially successful elsewhere. It should also help buyers identify opportunities for local

Zambian content that can grow audiences and develop local production ecosystems.

This is particularly important because commissioning local content does more than fill a programming schedule.

It creates jobs for writers, directors, actors, producers, cinematographers, editors, sound engineers, production designers, costume designers and many other professionals.

It develops companies.

It creates intellectual property.

It keeps money within the creative economy.

And it gives audiences stories that reflect their own experiences.

PRODUCERS MUST START THINKING LIKE BUSINESSES

One of the biggest changes Zambia's creative sector needs is a shift from seeing film and television purely as artistic projects to seeing them as creative businesses.

A producer needs to understand budgets.

Contracts.

Rights.

Distribution.

Marketing.

Audience research.

Revenue models.

Partnerships.

Sponsorship.

Intellectual property.

International markets.

And, increasingly, data.

A brilliant film that nobody knows how to distribute is still a difficult business proposition.

A brilliant television series that is poorly packaged for a buyer may never receive a commissioning opportunity.

The story is only one part of the product.

The way that story is packaged, positioned and presented can determine whether it reaches an audience.

THIS IS WHERE NAMA HAS A ROLE TO PLAY

For the National Association of Media Arts, NAMA, this changing environment reinforces the importance of professional development within the industry.

Our producers need to understand not only how to produce, but how to pitch, package, negotiate, distribute and commercialise content.

We must develop producers who can sit across the table from DStv, Canal+, Netflix, broadcasters, investors, advertisers and international partners and confidently explain not only why their story is good, but why it makes business sense.

That is the producer of the future.

ZAMBIA SHOULD NOT WAIT FOR THE MARKET TO CHANGE

The transformation taking place within the international television and streaming business should encourage Zambian producers to start preparing now.

The question is not whether the market will change.

It already is changing.

The question is whether our producers will change with it.

We should be developing content that is creatively strong, professionally packaged, commercially viable and capable of travelling across borders.

We should be collecting audience insights.

We should be building stronger production companies.

We should be developing intellectual property.

We should be creating content for television, streaming and digital platforms.

And we should be having serious conversations with content buyers about what Zambia can produce and what audiences in Zambia want to watch.

The future will not belong simply to those who can make the best content.

It will increasingly belong to those who understand the audience, the platform and the business behind the content.

For Zambia, this is an opportunity.

We have the stories. Now we must learn how to package them for the world.

Source: Daily Investor, "End of an era for DStv and SuperSport in South Africa", 6 September 2026.

Morgan MbuloPresident, National Association of Media Arts, NAMAMedia Consultant

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