If I may begin with a special word of welcome to our special guests,

• members of the media – thank you for taking time out of your busy deadline driven environment to spend this week with us,
• our celebrities – without your talent, inspiring the lives of Africans would not be possible
• representatives from the different local and international channels – I call you our partners in crimeJ;
• and our MultiChoice Africa colleagues

Bonsoir, Mesdames et Messieurs. For all our non-French speaking guests it simply means Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

Firstly, I would like to convey my sincere gratitude and appreciation to our partners:

• From BBC: BBC Lifestyle and BBC Entertainment,
• From Turner: CNN, Cartoon Network and Boomerang,
• From NBC Universal: Telemundo
• From Viacom: Comedy Central, MTV Base and Nickelodeon
• From A + E: History Channel and Crime and Investigation,
• From M-Net: Africa Magic
• Ebony Life TV
• Channel O, and finally
• SuperSport

Thank you for coming on board because without you, this Content Showcase would not have been possible.

You may have asked yourself why you are here… well if you still have not figured it out, let me take you out of your misery.

We are here to showcase the best of our local and international content that MultiChoice Africa has to offer through our exciting brands DStv and GOtv.

Ever wondered what the world would be without satellite technology or even TV? Before the birth of modern multimedia, our ancestors were all but cut off from vivid graphics and virtual reality. Never mind access to news and great stories.

I was stunned last week when my sonasked me, “Dad, did you know that more light comes out of your fridge when you open the door than there was in the whole of an eighteenth-century house in one evening.” I must be honest, the thought alone frightened me! I guess that’s what they mean when they talk about being born at the right time.

But isn’t it amazing how often we take having being born into the age of technology for granted? I often wonder what life would be like without television and that thought also frightens me.

It is the same thought, however, that makes me proud to be part of a company that has pioneered Pay TV on the continent.

Our story began in 1986 when M-Net was founded as one of the first subscription television services outside of the United States. Later MultiChoice was incorporated to provide subscriber management services for pay television bouquets.

Today, MultiChoice Africa is proud to be the leading multi-channel, multi-platform pay-TV service provider in Africa, delivering great television to viewers in 50 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and its adjacent Indian Ocean islands.

We faced many hurdles, as a new company and we needed to build and develop credibility not only with the market in which we were offering services, but also with international channel suppliers and satellite companies. 20 years ago many called us crazy!

However, against all odds, we soldered on as we believed that the people of Africa deserved only the best dynamic technology platforms and a range of bouquets built around compelling news, premium movies, and documentaries as well as sports channels. Our mission has always been to be at the cutting edge of new technology that enables our subscribers to enjoy the very best home television experience.

Above all, we are a pan Africa company that believes in uniting as Africans to address the social and economic needs facing our continent.

As MultiChoice Africa we have a pivotal role to play in both the economic and social transformation of our continent and corporate social investment provides the ideal vehicle through which to bring about meaningful change and upliftment to our people.

It is with this in mind that we are aiming to be part of the making of this unfolding critical time in Africa’s history through various initiatives that promise to unearth Africa’s potential. We aim to be part of creating a paradigm shift amongst Africans thereby being a catalyst for change as we believe there is so much more to celebrate in and about our continent.

We strongly believe that the quest for good corporate citizenship starts with an acceptance of responsibility, not only from citizens of Africa but to the broader African community and corporates. As such we have invested in various corporate social investment (CSI) projects namely;

• The MultiChoice Resource Centre programme, which was launched in 2004. The initiative uses MultiChoice’s digital satellite technology platform to support and enhance the learning and teaching experience;

• The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Awards which, since 2005, encourage and recognise excellence in journalism throughout Africa.

• And most recently, we introduced the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards, through which we enable young people to become passionate about and to be exposed to science and technology concepts.

In order to ensure that our initiatives have a sustainable impact, we continuously improve their efficiency through ongoing support and monitoring.

We would not be able to meet these challenges without the ongoing commitment of our partners and in country colleagues, whose relentless drive, compassion and enthusiasm are nothing but remarkable. There is still so much more to be done to ensure that we leave a lasting legacy for our children…

Being at the cutting edge of technologyis part of our DNA and is used to make information and entertainment easily accessible and adaptive

to the changing needs of our subscribers.

We also constantly innovate on content and in 2013, we saw the launch of fantastic new channels on the DStv platform.

The launch of GOtv, which is a low cost digital television service using the latest generation Digital Video Broadcast standard has been hugely exciting to us. This launch represents one of the most advanced digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcast system and infrastructure established in Africa to date and leapfrogs the outdated T1systems which were utilised by first movers in the Digital Migration and puts Africa at the forefront of technology in the digital migration process.

MultiChoice Africa remains committed to the digital migration process in Africa and will continue to work closely with governments and all stakeholders to ensure that this is a seamless platform, ensuring great family entertainment at affordable prices.

As an innovative company we are constantly introducing new technology to ensure that our subscribers have access to the best information and entertainment anytime, anywhere, on any devise. Take our latest innovation, the Explora, which significantly changes the way you can experience and control your TV. By the way, I hope you’ve all remembered to set your recordings before you left home, you know the World Cup, your favourite series, oh and how can I forget, the movies… in that order (Chuckle).

Just as we continuously work to innovate and grow our business excellence, we apply the same level of commitment to using our expertise and infrastructure to drive development across the continent. Over the years we have invested billions into brand new state-of-the- art SuperSport and M-Net studios to catapult the local film industry into showcasing local talent and programmes. This contribution has been unmatched by any other operator in Africa.

Remaining on the cutting edge of technological developments is an on-going challenge for us. Many of our viewers are not aware of the vast machinery that delivers DStv and GOtv and rightfully so – our business is providing top quality entertainment while yours is to enjoy the experience.

We are committed to using every technology available to us to enhance that experience, and developments on the horizon hold the promise of exciting changes. Putting new technology to good use is a challenge we relish.

Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy the experience this week – as you are ONLY THE BEST!