MultiChoice Replaces Africa Magic Family With Africa Magic+
The 12-year-old Nollywood and African drama channel has been discontinued and moved to the DStv Starter package.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Television
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MultiChoice and M-Net discontinued Africa Magic Family, which had broadcast Nollywood movies, Nigerian drama series, and other African entertainment programmes for 12 years. The channel was replaced by Africa Magic+ on November 5, 2026, as part of a wider restructuring of DStv's television offerings.
Why it matters
The change alters which DStv package subscribers need to access African entertainment content, moving Africa Magic+ into the lower-cost Starter tier. It reflects a broader reshuffling of DStv's channel lineup that also saw Mzansi Wethu replaced in September 2026.
The restructuring is documented through MultiChoice's own channel and package changes, with the Starter package priced at R99 monthly in South Africa. Whether equivalent pricing applies in Nigeria and other markets has not been confirmed.
The players
MultiChoice
MultiChoice is a South African pay-television company that operates the DStv satellite service across Africa.
M-Net
M-Net is a South African pay-television channel operator and a subsidiary of MultiChoice that produces and broadcasts the Africa Magic channel family.
The details
Africa Magic Family, which carried Nollywood films and Nigerian dramas, was discontinued and replaced by Africa Magic+, which has been placed in the newly introduced DStv Starter package. The same restructuring saw Mzansi Wethu replaced by Wethu+ in South Africa, which combines programming previously spread across Mzansi Wethu, Mzansi Bioskop, and Mzansi Magic Music and includes live Premier Soccer League matches on DStv Channel 163.
Timeline
September 2026: MultiChoice replaced Mzansi Wethu with Wethu+ in South Africa.
November 5, 2026: Africa Magic Family discontinuation took effect.
Market Landscape
The reshuffle positions MultiChoice's African-language and African-content channels within its tiered DStv bundles, a strategy that steers budget subscribers toward cheaper packages. It comes as the operator consolidates overlapping channel brands across its South African and pan-African lineup.
Subscribers who watched Africa Magic Family will need to find Africa Magic+ in the DStv Starter package, which costs R99 monthly in South Africa. Viewers in Nigeria and other markets should check their own DStv package listings, as the stub does not confirm the same arrangement applies there.
The takeaway
If you watch African drama or Nollywood films on DStv, check your current package to confirm which channel now carries the content before your subscription renews. Package placement can change without a change to the channel itself.
Further reading
For more on how pay-TV lineups are changing across the continent, see the Television section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Legit.ng - Nigeria news..
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