MX24, a leader in innovative media broadcasting, is thrilled to announce its new partnership with Innova DDB Ghana, a frontrunner in marketing and advertising, to launch a ground breaking TV show series, Marketing Mavericks. This series is set to air quarterly, starting Tuesday 25th June at 5pm, 2024, exclusively on MX24. Viewers will be able to watch the show on television and also stream online on both Innova DDB Ghana and MX24’s Facebook, X-space, YouTube platforms as well as MX24’s new 24/7 Internet Protocol TV platform.

Marketing Mavericks debuted in 2023 as Innova DDB Ghana’s flagship thought leadership program. The series features interactive panel discussions led by industry experts, covering a wide range of marketing communication topics. These discussions are designed to ignite engaging conversations both online and offline, delving into key industry matters, highlighting best practices, and exploring evolving trends within the marketing communications space.

Under the agreement signed between both parties, Innova DDB Ghana will handle the production and content creation, including the development of the moderator’s script guide and the selection of panelists. The show will broadcast from MX24’s furnished studio space, equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and equipment to ensure a high-quality production.

Antoine Mensah, Head of Operations at MX24, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration: “We are excited to partner with Innova DDB Ghana on Marketing Mavericks. This series not only aligns with our commitment to provide dynamic and educational content but also enhances our portfolio of innovative programming.”

Dr. Kenneth Hammond-Aryee, Chief Operating Officer of Innova DDB Ghana, added, “This partnership with MX24 is a significant milestone for Marketing Mavericks. By harnessing the power of this platform, we are committed to driving meaningful conversations, fostering innovation, and pushing the boundaries of marketing communications with creative excellence. Our goal is to inspire and empower our audience with actionable insights and bold ideas that will shape the future of our industry.”

Marketing Mavericks will offer sponsorship opportunities, allowing businesses to feature their brand-related adverts during the show. This collaboration is expected to create a significant impact on the marketing communication and media landscape in Ghana.

The show will air four times a year, with each episode offering fresh insights into the marketing communication industry. For more information on Marketing Mavericks and other programming, please visit [MX24’s website] and follow @mx24gh on social media.

MultiChoice Ghana Limited wishes to remind all broadcasters and the general public that SuperSport International has the exclusive Pay TV broadcast rights to broadcast UEFA European Football Championship matches (informally referred to as “Euros 2024”) on DStv and GOtv platforms across Sub-Saharan Africa.

No person, media station or event organizer without accreditation from the rights owner is permitted to undertake a public screening, live or delayed broadcast or re-broadcast on any free to air, pay TV channel or social media platform, or carryout radio commentary of these matches. 

Any violation of the foregoing will be met with exemplary civil and criminal sanctions available under the law.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Alex Okyere

Managing Director, 

MultiChoice Ghana.

Following an arrest, investigations are under way into the “thousands of individuals connected to the Waka TV pirate network”.

MultiChoice Group and its technology security subsidiary Irdeto have succeeded in nailing a pirate internet streaming service with the help of Western Cape police investigators.

In a statement on Wednesday, MultiChoice described the dismantling of the pirate steaming operation, called Waka TV, as “a significant victory in the fight against internet streaming piracy”.

The broadcaster said it was involved in a “meticulously planned raid” on 31 May, which led to the arrest of a “key suspect involved in one of the most extensive pirate operations in Africa”.

“This operation represents a major milestone in our relentless commitment to protecting MultiChoice Group’s content and the integrity of our broadcasting services,” it said.

It added that Irdeto made a “substantial investment” to investigate and identify the main suspect involved in the piracy network.

“The suspect, who is believed to have managed several pirate customers and resellers, was detained,” it said, adding that Waka TV “illegally distributed live TV channels, including several DStv channels, movies and series. The disruption caused by this raid is a significant blow to the illegal streaming industry in Africa.

“MultiChoice is working actively with the police as investigations continue into the thousands of individuals connected to the Waka TV pirate network. Resellers supporting the pirate operation are also under investigation. This collaborative effort aims to dismantle the entire network and bring all perpetrators to justice.”

More arrests imminent

It said the arrested suspect – it did not name the individual – appeared in court on 3 June and is facing charges of fraud and contravention of sections 2 to 8 of the Cybercrime Act. “Additional charges are being considered in consultation with the senior public prosecutor.”

The broadcaster said the Western Cape cybercrime unit will thoroughly analyse all the equipment seized during the raid. “This comprehensive analysis is expected to provide additional insights into the extent of the pirate network, and more arrests are imminent,” it said.

“MultiChoice Group would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the cybercrime unit and the Western Cape provincial commercial crime investigation unit for their outstanding support and professionalism throughout this operation. Their efforts have been crucial in achieving this significant breakthrough.”  — © 2024 NewsCentral Media

Harnessing the power of possibility to help Africa claim its space in the global broadcasting industry is the subject of Yes To Impossible: The Nolo Letele Story, a documentary about the life of former MultiChoice Group Executive Chairperson Nolo Letele. 

Coming to DStv from 13 June at 7pm on Akwaaba Magic (DStv Channel 150), the documentary shows how growing up in an era where the spirit of independence was sweeping across Africa shaped Letele’s vision for the continent to have its own voice and how he worked tirelessly to realise that vision. 

To speak of the growth of the African broadcast media industry is to speak of the result of Nolo’s endeavours, passion for African storytelling and relentless commitment to excellence.

After studying electronic engineering at the University of Southampton, and later becoming a chartered engineer, Nolo Letele applied for jobs in South Africa – only to find there were hardly any jobs for a black electronics graduate back in 1974. He ended up working for Lesotho National Broadcasting Service, a small radio station and subsequently played a major role in starting the first TV station in Lesotho in conjunction with M-Net in 1988. 

Having established his credentials, he was then asked to join M-Net in 1990 he describes it as “being thrown in the deep end” by then-Naspers CEO Koos Bekker to help build DStv into the juggernaut it is today. In spite of South Africa’s image during those apartheid years, Letele succeeded in pioneering MultiChoice’s expansion into the rest of Africa, and in 1995 went on to serve in Ghana as West African regional general manager. He returned home when he was appointed chief executive of MultiChoice South Africa a few years later. 

In 1999, he was appointed as MultiChoice Group chief executive until 2010, when he was appointed executive chair of the MultiChoice South Africa Holdings board, a position he held for 11 years. He became a non-executive director of MultiChoice Group Limited after the company was spun out of Naspers and listed independently on the JSE.

Letele received several awards during his tenure at MultiChoice, including a Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize for Media Development in Africa; the Naspers Phil Weber Award; and the Black Business Executive Circle Chairman’s Award.

“I’m proud to have helped connect Africa to the world and give the continent a voice,” says Letele. “MultiChoice’s reach is unparalleled in Africa and it has given the people of Africa the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own languages. We have grown industries, created jobs and contributed meaningfully to economic growth across the continent – it’s something I hold very dear as the realization of a vision I had over 35 years ago when I joined a small Pay-TV business in South Africa”.

Yes To Impossible: The Nolo Letele Story premieres on 13 June at 21:00 on Akwaaba Magic (DStv Channel 150), with repeats across all channels in the following days and will also be available on DStv Catch Up, DStv Stream and Showmax. 

For more information, visit the Akwaaba Magic Website and join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook with #YesToTheImpossible.

The eight-episode second season of HBO Original drama series House of the Dragon debuts in the US on Sunday 16 June – and will be available on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) Express from the US at 3am on Monday 17 June and make its prime-time premiere at 9pm on the same day. The series will also be available on Showmax. 

Viewers can get ready for the dragons to soar as the official trailer for the brand-new season has been released.

Logline: Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen.
Season two returning cast: Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
Season two new cast: Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.
Season two credits: Co-Creator/Executive Producer, George R.R. Martin; Co-Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer, Ryan Condal; Executive Producers Sara Hess, Alan Taylor, Melissa Bernstein, Kevin de la Noy, Loni Peristere, Vince Gerardis. Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood.”