Mzansi Magic invested R18 million in the local television industry during the channel's first year on air and is currently investing much, much more.
This according to Mzansi Magic Channel Head Lebone Maema who confirmed the figures at a press conference last week. Speaking to reporters at the
launch of the channel's new flagship telenovela
iNkaba, Maema revealed that the channel has substantially increased it's investment for the current fiscal year.
"In our first 12 months on air we invested over R18 million into local productions," Maema told TVSA. "Our budget for the next fiscal, the fiscal that we're in, increased significantly. Much, much more's been invested to produce Inkaba."
iNkaba has the biggest budget of any show produced by the channel since it's
launch in July 2010. While the channel wouldn't give details on the cost of the production, Maema told us that the channel has invested in the series with a specific vision for the future: "We're hoping that with the success of this show we'll be able to produce more and more telenovelas."
iNkaba debuted on Mzansi Magic on Monday night at 20h30 for a 208 episode run. The series will come to a definite end on Thursday, 14 March 2013 and has been written in such a way that it could land a second season of new storylines.