CJ ENM HK announced the launch of Korean entertainment channel tvN Africa (CH 134) on DStv from Monday, 1 March 2021, with a feed customized specially for African audiences. This marks the first foray for Korea’s #1 entertainment brand into the continent.
tvN is a South Korean global general entertainment network established in 2006. Recognized as the No.1 Content Creator group loved by all ages with novel entertainment shows and well-made dramas, tvN has been Korea’s leading general entertainment channel, as well as in the United States and Asia. In 2009, tvN Asia was launched and became one of the first Entertainment Brands to venture out of Korea, giving the genre a regional platform. Today, tvN Asia is in nine Asian Countries (outside Korea) reaching out to more than 20 Million households and Subscribers.
DStv entertainment platforms – DStv, GOtv, Showmax and the DStv App – are a hub for approximately 20 million subscribers across the African continent, and starting 01 March, DStv subscribers across 14 key markets in Africa will have access to tvN.
DStv customers will be able to experience the Best Korean Entertainment and world-famous Korean stars, specially curated and packaged in one channel. The customisation is critical to satisfy fans and attract new audiences. Similar to tvN Asia, the channel will be presented in Korean and include programs with English subtitles and a dedicated drama slot dubbed in English. There will be fresh hourly programming every weekday from 18:45 Central African Time (CAT)
Commenting on the launch, Michael Jung, Managing Director of CJ ENM Hong Kong, said, “It is evident Hallyu fever is on the rise in Africa. We are very thrilled to partner with MultiChoice, the leading pay-TV provider in Africa, to be the first Korean entertainment Brand to launch on DStv. We will do our best to bring all the premium Korean entertainment to the fans.”
“We’re thrilled to have a channel with such a unique content offering join our platforms,” says Yolisa Phahle Multichoice Group CEO of General Entertainment and Connected Video. “DStv is always looking for ways to provide value for our customers and tvN will do just that by giving African viewers a chance to explore South Korean lifestyle through entertainment. Through the quality of its rich stories the new pop-up channel broadens the already extensive range of viewing options we have on DStv for a variety of audiences.”
Here’s some of what viewers can look forward to on the new channel:
Love is in the air for all K-drama fans every Monday to Wednesday 18:45 (CAT) starting with Another Miss Oh, a romantic series about two women who not only share the same name Oh Hae-young, but they also share a destiny with the same man, Park Do-kyung, who can see the future.
On Thursday and Friday, tvN Africa offers DStv viewers K-POP Hour with an exciting slew of Korean Music Variety programs including the ultimate survival variety program I-LAND(Every Thursday, at 18:30 CAT), led by Bang Si-hyuk, BTS’ producer and founder of Big Hit Entertainment, hosted by actor Namkoong Min, together with Rain and Zico as producers. The show follows the creation process of the next-generation K-pop boy group. Fans of NCT should not miss NCT World 2.0 (Every Friday, 18:45 CAT), the first reality series starring all 23 members of NCT (including their new additions Shotaro and Sungchan) as it showcases each member’s talents and charms, as well as the group’s perfect chemistry as they clear missions to travel through time and space.
Continue the night with Cheese In A Trap (Every Monday – Friday, 20:00 CAT), a romantic series adopted from the popular webtoon of the same name starring Park Hae-jin, Kim Go-eun, Seo Kang-joon, and Nam Joo-hyuk. Look out for Super Junior’s Choi Si-won as a son of a wealthy family who has never bothered to make any specific life goals until he meets Baek Joon (Kang So-ra) in Revolutionary Love coming up after that in March.
Every weekday night at 21:15 (CAT), subscribers can look forward to a dedicated Korean drama slot dubbed in English starting with Encounter, an “opposite-attracts” story that follows the complicated romance between a free-spirited ordinary man (Park Bo-gum) who seems to have nothing and the wealthy CEO (Song Hye-kyo) of a hotel who seems to have everything but is unhappy with her life. Tale of the Nine Tailed, a romance fantasy drama that tells the story of a fearless producer (Jo Bo-ah) determined to hunt down a nine-tailed fox (Lee Dong-wook) who goes after evils that disrupt the order of the human world. The show will premiere in March after Encounter.
End your evening with some action. Signal (Every Monday – Friday 22:30 CAT), a crime thriller featuring Kim Hye-soo, Lee Je-hoon and Choi Jin-woon. The series connects a criminal profiler from present-day 2015 to a detective from 1989 via a mysterious walkie talkie to tackle crime and injustice. Coming up after Signal is a gripping and highly addictive crime melodrama, Watcher starring Han Suk-kyu, Seo Kang-joon, Kim Hyun-joo.
tvN Africa is on Channel 134 and available to DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact customers. Viewers on the move can live-stream the channel on the DStv App.