South Africa, July 28 -- The hope and the need to fill the channel with local content would help develop the local production industry. What Mzansi Magic has become has transcended both hopes and dreams, evolving as it has from a fledgling local entertainment channel, into a cultural touchstone which has influenced fashion, language, trends and fashioned the narrative of an entire generation of viewers.

The original vision from a MultiChoice perspective was to establish a channel that spoke to the 'middle and mass audience' - not M-Net's premium local and international offering, but also not a channel that assumed who its audience was and what it might enjoy. The decision required intensive research, great vision and tremendous faith. Wh...