Veteran Nollywood actress, Joke Sylva, has said Africa Magic heralded a paradigm shift in the entertainment industry when it launched in Nigeria in 2003.
The actress in an interview with The Guardian Newspaper, said the platform raised the bar through huge investment in equipment and technology for movie production, which spurred the development and growth of talents in the industry.
According to her, the popular series, Tinsel, upped the ante for storytelling and production standard in Nollywood.
“There was a comment I sent to Mr Odugbemi recently where I said Tinsel was almost like envisioning into the future of Nollywood, because when Tinsel started, there were very few studios that were running at the level of the story that Tinsel was telling. Now, there are many more and it was kind of envisioning the future for Nollywood,” she said.
On talent development, she said the platform keeps churning out talents in front and behind the camera. “In growing talents, some people have become big time moguls of production. You’ll find people who started their lives on a programmme on Africa Magic and then they become big-time entertainers.
“People like Femi Odugbemi, we have seen a lot of his works; there’s Tinsel, there’s Battleground. It’s amazing that he has become one of the moguls of production for television. Some provide technical support for production and even in front of the camera too you’ll see a whole line of performers who have grown out of Africa Magic,” Sylva said.
As part of its 20th anniversary gifts to customers, Africa Magic has premiered more original series. Currently running across Africa Magic channels are intriguing storylines such as Slum King, Masquerades of Aniedo, Chronicles, Love and Light, among others. To ensure more customers have access to new content, the premium Africa Magic channel, Showcase, is now open to GOtv Supa+ and DStv Compact customers, till November 30.
