Africa Magic Yoruba launches; a 24-hour Yoruba channel on DSTV

Africa Magic Yoruba and Africa Magic Hausa launched today Monday 1st March 2010. However, this blog post would focus on the journey of how the Yoruba channel came to be.

Africa Magic
Africa Magic

There is no doubt that the country Nigeria is a very important market for Multichoice. Being Africa’s largest population and home to Nollywood, it not only offers most of the movies on Africa Magic, but also offers a ready consumer market for the direct-to-home digital satellite TV service called DStv.

Africa Magic had grown from a channel that only broadcasts for a few hours daily in 2005 to the 24-hour channels available today, in four favours:

  1. Africa Magic – mainly broadcasts Nollywood movies and some general entertainment programmes, mostly Nigerian.
  2. Africa Magis Plus – attempts to cater for East Africa, by offering movies & general entertainment from East African countries as well as from Ghana.
  3. Africa Magic Hausa – movies and general entertainment in Hausa language.
  4. Africa Magic Yoruba – movies and general entertainment in Yoruba language.

The two factors that must have brought about Africa Magic Yoruba would be demand and competition.

The Demand

Screening Yoruba movies has been a popular move for Multichoice, especially in Nigeria. Yoruba movies are screened on Africa Magic on weekends with at least two Yoruba movies screened on Saturdays and Sundays.

Multichoice soon started screening Yoruba movies on another of its channels Magic World, daily. Perhaps due to more demand, the pay TV provider has now created an entire channel focused on Yoruba programming.

The Competition

Competition exists for Multichoice, in Nigeria. HiTV and DaarSat are the leading competition. Both are indigenous Nigerian services focused on the Nigerian populace. In a bid to better meet the needs of their audience, both HiTV and DaarSat offer Yoruba channels.

HiTV offers Amuludun TV. From hitv.com.ng:

Nigeria’s first satellite 24hours Yoruba Language general entertainment channel. Giving you a blend of the very best of Yoruba movies, music, talkshows and lots more!

DaarSat on the other hand, offers Faaji Television, a Yoruba lifestyle channel.

With the competition offering dedicated Yoruba programming channels respectively, it is only natural that Multichoice being the market leader is under pressure to do same.

In addition to the multiple of Yoruba programming, what makes the idea of a 24/7 Yoruba channel even more feasible is that Yoruba language is the native tongue of the approximately 60 million Yoruba people in West Africa. It is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo.

Africa Magic Hausa and Africa Magic Yoruba are available on channels 117 and 118 respectively.

Previous articleSupport Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, the Snow Leopard
Next articleIs the Internet constraining how we develop as individuals?
Oluniyi D. Ajao
Oluniyi D. Ajao is an Internet Entrepreneur and Tech Enthusiast based in South Africa. Follow him on twitter @niyyie for more tech updates.

44 Comments

  1. We are very much enjoying Africa Magic Move.We are interesting to see the move of THINGS FALL APART of the Author CHINUA ACHEBE acted by PETER ODOCHIE as OGBUEF OKONKWO.PLEASE SHOW US.

  2. Good day!
    pls can u tell me when you will show the issue of that film of yesterday in evening: “” war without end “” thanks

    if it’s possible send me the whole tv program

  3. pls am using dstv mobile but no africamagic yoruba pls kindly include it for me am a typical yoruba boy and i really like yorubamovie or if nt kindly be showing 2 yoruba movie for us everyday on dstv mobile. thanks

  4. Dear Afria Magic,
    I am excited to send this message of mine to you. We’ll like to confirm if you’ll be interested in Yoruba series entertainment programme title THE DEPTH OF YORUBA TRADITION which means IJINLE ASA YORUBA in Yoruba Language. This will be 52episodes for 4 quarter. This entails studio work, documentary and travelling across to where Yoruba descendants are.
    Kindly reply to tell us your interest and the mode of your ontent payment.

    Ade

  5. pls i luv africa magic but i av head on hw NN24 treats their workers pls kindly pay dem their salary
    its 2 bad pls…..u are a big station wit a grate leaders….

  6. Thanks for been there always,we are enjoying u. Infact this D.S tv as touched so many lives. Expecially my life. It makes me know d the things i don’t know before. It enlighten me the more. Thanks.

  7. This designed Dstv program is enthusiasm indeed. I really love it and always go for it, despite the challenges we’re facing at this part africa on electricity. Yet I don’t joke with your programs. Thanks for your passion for viewers, keep it up.

  8. Yoruba culture is being celebrates all over the globe but it’s a pity that most of our lnstitution of learning did not take it serious expecially private one which is not ldeal. We should always remember that English is not our Language.

  9. I want to know when and what time the gospel programme of Brotherhood of the cross and Star is showing and how to listen through the internet.

    Thank you

    Regards, Myself

  10. Pls, kindly employ me as a yoruba presenter because i studied yoruba language and literature, and i have served my fatherland with a commendation letter from NYSC.

  11. Hello to you my dear people of d whole world, Afrimagic is d most wonderful global tv.channel so far! So, i’ll like to ur the controllers of Afrimag. to pls. Intro duce another 24hrs proverbs & there meanings channel ‘coz some of we yoruba y outh of nowadays did’nt know proverbs interpretations at all ‘nd dis is somehow bad. Thanks so much. Àsá yorùbá kò ní parun o (àmín). Òmò yorùbá ni mí o óyá swergger .’ALALABI’ 4rm. Modákéké, in Nigeria.

  12. Can i pay for morethan one month?
    is it possible for me to be watching your programs in laptop? Thks that is the question i have for you.

  13. There is this Yoruba Gospel Music, ” The Light & King of Peace” i would want to advertise on Africa-Magic Yoruba.

    Kindly advise how to go about it.

  14. I allways gbagun yoruba programme on dis channel. keep it up…YORUBA DUN GAN NIO. YORUBA GBAYI, YORUBA N DAGBA…KONI SI NI REYIN MO…

  15. pls am using z digital satellite receiver none using card,pls in which way i may be able to watch yoruba movies channels like africa magic & live international premier league thanks

  16. pls,try to improve on the movies shown on africa magic yoruba.the movies shown are too old and its frequently repeated.we need new movies.its my favorite station but has become boring of recent.thank you for your usual co-operation.would be waiting for improvements.

  17. Please African Magic Yoruba should please try and interprete English to Yoruba better because most of their interpretations are wrong.

    Thank you

  18. Hello, how can i get to Africa Magic office. I have a film I want to submit for broadcast or showing. Please, guide me on the procedure and how to locate the office to bring it to. please, write me in my email address. Thanks

  19. I love africamagic,please i we like to commend u guy u’re doing a great job,Hitv can never be compared to u. Pls dstv repeat too much in yoruba and even all d channel. Pls make amend. Thanks

  20. Kilode to je pe Lati bi Odun mejoseyin kosi ere to wonse to ati so ajowo abawa ma gbe ere ori tage tuntun ke owo to ansan le Fu na awo tunwo ti poju.

  21. You say African magic Yoruba is for movies in indigenous yoruba language but that is not so most of the times….should their movies be aired if they speak English even more than the Yoruba….what’s na the point of tuning to Africa magic yoruba?

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.