M-Net's new local entertainment channel, Mzansi Magic - available to MultiChoice subscribers on DStv Select, Compact and Premium - launches on Monday and the channel has lined up three new South African entertainment shows.
All three shows will launch next week on the channel, which is dedicated to purely local content, with an emphaisis on producing local productions and inspiring talent.
The channel will feature talk and magazine shows, dramas and movies, with many of them already in production. It can be found on DStv Channel 107.
Redi
The first new show is simply titled "Redi" - a talk show hosted by journalist
Redi Direko, which she describes as follows:
"We will be looking at the journeys of transformation that South Africans are making in their daily lives, whether it be towards sexual liberation, financial prosperity, artistic expression, recovering from abuse/trauma or plain bad/good luck.
"It's the life-changing stuff that we all encounter in our everyday lives, but approached in the lightest way possible," Direko explains.
Redi premieres on Mzansi Magic on Tuesday 13 July, at 19h30. New episodes air weekly.
Top Ten at 10: My Life In MusicThe second local show making its debut next week is a music show produced in association with Gauteng radio station Kaya FM and hosted by Thabo "T-Bose" Mokwele, called "Top Ten at 10: My Life In Music".
Ths show is about getting under the skins of well known celebrities as well as politicos, musicians, actors, businesspeople and more.
Filmed entirely at the Kaya FM radio studio and also broadcast on the station, the weekly show sees the likes of Julius Malema talking about the 10 songs that have provided the soundtrack to their life so far.
Life stories will be told through Top Ten at 10: My Life In Music – also, viewers and listeners will get an unexpected glimpse into the personal lives of famous people.
The guest on the first show will be none other than Malema himself.
Here's how T-Bose explains the show: "Our radio show has always celebrated South Africa and its talents and when the opportunity presented itself to stretch that brand we welcomed it with open arms.
"Top Ten at 10 is but a window into what we can deliver as a show and it's a grand opportunity that will not only mirror what South Africa represents but start a few constructive conversations," he said.
The show premieres on Wednesday 14 July, at 22h00.
HeadlineThe final show is called Headline. Hosted by
Kuli Roberts the show has only one subject: the celebrities and wannabe schlebs who take up vast amounts of space in the country's media.
Headline offers "an intimate and close-up look at the lives of celebrities" and viewers can carry on the discussion after the show through Kuli's Facebook and Twitter pages.
Episode 1 of Headline sees her heading to a private, but high-profile birthday bash, starring in her own photo shoot and getting up-close-and-personal with Sal Masekela.
Kuli herself seemed pretty excited by it: "I'm nervous and at the same time excited to be part of the Mzansi Magic family. I deserve to be alone as there is so much hotness to see and hear. Enjoy the ride, sexy."
The channel itself says Kuli will be "walking the fine line between humorous gossip and tactless trash, the way only Kuli can do".
Let's hope so. You can catch Headline weekly from Thursday 15 July, at 19h30.
Remember to check out the new Mzansi Magic channel (DStv 107), from Monday 12 July.