MultiChoice Group, operating under Canal+, officially retired its staple 12-year-old Africa Magic Family channel on Thursday, November 5, 2026, replacing it with a revamped entertainment outlet named Africa Magic+.
​The transition took effect precisely at 6:00 AM West Africa Time (WAT) across DStv platforms. The strategic overhaul aims to consolidate pay-TV packages, broaden local entertainment access, and adapt to shifting African broadcast dynamics.
​Launched over a decade ago, Africa Magic Family built a massive footprint across the continent by airing family-oriented Nollywood dramas, long-running sitcoms such as The Johnsons, movies, and cultural flagship programming.
​MultiChoice confirmed the channel closure in an official social media broadcast statement:
​”One chapter closes, but the story is far from over. Africa Magic Family is officially closed; there’s so much more coming your way. Expect more variety on Africa Magic+ more stories, more drama, more variety.”
​The replacement channel, Africa Magic+, represents a significant evolution in programming scope. Rather than focusing strictly on traditional family dramas, the new station expands into a broader mix of Nollywood titles, local movies, telenovelas, and premium drama series.
The network is also integrating dedicated youth and educational programming, including children’s animation and series such as Woza Matrics, alongside live regional sporting events and dedicated football coverage directly within the main channel lineup.
​The channel rollout follows a major corporate briefing held in Lagos, Nigeria, on Tuesday, October 28, 2026, where MultiChoice leadership outlined a continent-wide overhaul of its package tiers.
​Speaking at the Lagos event, Kemi Omotosho, Chief Executive Officer at MultiChoice Nigeria, explained the motivation behind restructuring the network’s offerings:
​”The fact on the table is we haven’t launched new products in a long time. What we’re here to tell you is that we’re overhauling the entire strategy of the business. We’re solving for simplicity. We think we have too many packs today. We’re solving for better value for money for our customers, and we’re giving our customers choice.”
​As part of the wider alignment reported by broadcast journalist Thinus Ferreira, Africa Magic+ has been repositioned into entry-level tiers such as the newly introduced DStv Starter package, which carries a monthly price tag of R99 in South Africa.
​This repositioning mirrors similar moves executed across other African markets, including the recent replacement of Mzansi Wethu with Wethu+ in South Africa. The structural realignment allows budget-conscious subscribers direct access to core African content without requiring higher-tier subscriptions.
Existing DStv subscribers were migrated automatically during the system updates on November 5, and MultiChoice has encouraged viewers to review their subscriber portal to confirm updated channel numbers and package assignments based on their location.
