Lekker man, lekker – DStv-channel kykNET celebrates 25 years of broadcasting
The DStv-channel kykNET recently celebrated 25 years of broadcasting. Similarly to Africa Magic, the kykNET channels have played an important role in providing a platform for authentic and hyper-localised storytelling and fostering a deep connection with viewers through diverse and compelling content.
kykNET launched in 1999 with just one hour of original programming per weeknight, supplemented by licensed content.
Over the years, kykNET has grown into a dynamic cluster of general entertainment channels that continues to offer viewers a rich tapestry of content that speaks to the heart of Afrikaans culture.
Since launching, DStv has expanded to broadcast content and channels in nearly 50 languages spoken across Africa, but kykNET was the small channel with a big heart that started the move beyond English and international TV shows and quickly became a mainstay on DStv.
It breathed new life into a local Afrikaans television industry that had stagnated under the state broadcaster, offering an increasingly broad variety of programming.
Drama series – the backbone of many TV channels and the incubator for stories, talent and skill – received a huge boost when kykNET’s first original series, Song vir Katryn (starring Valiant Swart and Therese Benade), aired in 2003.
From iconic South African television titles such as Liriekeraai; Kwêla; Die Casper Rasper Show; Alie Barber; Song vir Katryn; Villa Rosa; Jukebox; Binnelanders; Boer Soek ‘n Vrou – and now on to Suidooster, Nêrens Noord-Kaap; Die Brug and Diepe Waters.
Since then, the variety of genres has grown exponentially to encompass lifestyle; current affairs; news; sports; reality series; comedy; soaps and telenovelas and provided invaluable opportunities for new voices to find their audience on the channel.
In 2010, the channel produced its first feature film, Die Ongelooflike Avonture van Hanna Hoekom, starring legends like Anna-Mart van der Merwe and Gys de Villiers alongside fresh faces like Crystal-Donna Roberts and Anneke Weidemann.
The shift from TV channel to cultural driver was accelerated by the introduction of the Silwerskerm Film Festival to showcase the work of first-time filmmakers next to that of industry stalwarts.
To date, the festival and kykNET have been instrumental in producing over 300 short and feature films, as well as documentaries, which joined the festival line-up in 2023.
The Fiësta Awards, introduced to recognise talent at local arts festivals and sponsorships at major cultural festivals, has bridged the gap between the performing arts and television, which has broadened the scope of opportunities for writers, actors and directors.
This ecosystem of film, performing arts and television has not only spawned successful shows including Nêrens Noord-Kaap and Magda Louw but also introduced talents such as Jaco Bouwer (Spinners, Die Spreeus), Amy Jephta (Barakat, Devil’s Peak) and Christiaan Olwagen (Koek, Recipes for Love and Murder, Kanarie),
As new trends emerged, kykNET evolved into a brand with a host of spin-off channels, like music channel MK, which ran from 2005 to 2013 and defined what modern Afrikaans music could be, introducing the world to a host of edgy new superstars – both in terms of presenters and performers!
kykNET NOU!, another music-focused channel which continues to entertain audiences, began in 2013.
The same year also saw the arrival of variety channel kykNET&kie for DStv subscribers outside the Premium package and fliekNET has been showcasing the best Afrikaans feature films, short films and documentaries during the holiday season since 2014.
Content produced for and by the channel has also found a home on streaming service Showmax, with Afrikaans content a popular genre on the platform.
Drawing new viewers who want to enjoy content in their language, wherever they are, kykNET shows are helping fuel DStv and Showmax’s streaming success, especially as the demand for niche and localised content shows strong growth.
In the last year alone, the channel produced an impressive 126 original content titles and scored its first International Emmy nomination for its adaptation of smash hit international reality series, The Bridge – produced here as Die Brug – with the winners set to be announced in New York on 25 November 2024.
One small channel has come a long way in the last 25 years.
Visit MultiChoice.com to learn more.
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