MultiChoice Group, Launches Unscripted Call for entertainment projects from African Producers

The MultiChoice Group has teamed up with FAME Week Africa to launch an exclusive Unscripted Call for Projects, inviting African producers to submit bold, premium Entertainment and Reality formats.

MultiChoice Group, which is a CANAL+ company, and FAME Week Africa want premium unscripted formats directly to MultiChoice Group.

These should be projects that have the potential to travel across MultiChoice Group and CANAL+ markets.

Shortlisted producers will pitch their concepts directly to the MultiChoice Group selection panel at FAME Week Africa 2026 in Cape Town.

Submissions close on 12 October 2026.

MultiChoice Group, a CANAL+ company, in partnership with FAME Week Africa, has announced an exclusive Unscripted Call for Projects for MIP Africa 2026, giving producers the opportunity to pitch bold,

The call is looking for original Entertainment and Reality concepts for premium channels, with an immediate hook, addictive storytelling and the potential to become conversation-driving cultural events.

Concepts should feel unmistakably premium, rather than conventional free-to-air entertainment, while remaining simple to understand, commercially viable and adaptable across markets.

Projects should be capable of travelling across key CANAL+ and MultiChoice Group territories, including South Africa, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Poland and France.

MultiChoice Group is looking for projects that demonstrate enhanced production value and ambition while remaining within a commercially viable budget framework.

Concepts should not rely on large-scale financing and should be capable of being funded by one specific business unit before being scaled across additional markets.

“At CANAL+, we’re looking for premium unscripted reality concepts that surprise audiences, spark conversations and feel culturally relevant. We’re excited to hear about concepts with a bold and unique point of view, that keep audiences hooked episode after episode, and that have the ambition to scale across markets. This brief is an open invitation for creators who are ready to reimagine African entertainment and bring it to a global stage,” says Nomsa Philiso, Executive Vice President of Content for Canal+ Africa.

What is multichoice group looking for then?

At the heart of the brief is a singular creative vision: an original and ambitious concept that can be explained in one sentence and does not rely on casting alone.

Projects should have clear engagement mechanics and dynamic pacing, with tension, twists, cliffhangers and strong narrative arcs that keep audiences watching across episodes.

Premium execution is equally important. Concepts should demonstrate the potential for cinematic production values, bold artistic direction, an authentic emotional core and a distinctive, self-aware point of view.

Casting should bring together diverse, charismatic and compelling participants, with unexpected choices that move beyond clichés and overused stereotypes.

Importantly, the format needs to be scalable and cost-efficient. Producers should demonstrate a clear and repeatable structure that can travel across cultures, support multiple seasons and, where relevant, benefit from a production hub model.

Ultimately, MultiChoice Group is looking for strong IP with the potential to develop into recurring franchises across MultiChoice Group and CANAL+ markets.

Genres actively sought include dating shows with a twist, reinvented game and talent shows, social experiments with a strong point of view, and adaptations of existing IP such as games, brands, fiction or digital culture.

“One of FAME Week Africa’s greatest strengths is getting African producers in the room with decision-makers who are actively looking for content. This Call for Projects gives producers a very clear brief: bring bold unscripted ideas with a strong hook, real entertainment value and the potential to travel across markets,” says Martin Hiller, Portfolio Director of FAME Week Africa.

And what do producers need to submit?

Producers are required to submit:

A creative treatment in PDF format

An estimated production budget, including the principal cost assumptions

A proposed format and season structure, including episode duration, number of episodes and recurrence

The creative treatment should demonstrate that the project has progressed beyond simply having a good idea.

Under Creative Vision, producers should explain the concept’s hook in one sentence, what differentiates it from existing formats, how audiences should feel while watching, why the format is relevant now and the key proof points for why it will work.

Under Format Mechanics, submissions should identify the program’s core engine — whether competition, game, social experiment or another mechanism — alongside the key rules and mechanics and what will create tension, cliffhangers and twists across episodes.

Storytelling and Pace should outline the proposed season structure, demonstrate how a typical episode works and identify the main narrative arcs and potential iconic moments.

Talent and Casting should explain who will participate, why they will be compelling to watch and whether any talent is already attached.

The Editorial DNA should demonstrate why the concept belongs on MultiChoice Group’s premium channels rather than conventional free-to-air television and explain what will make its execution feel distinctive and premium.

Producers should also demonstrate a clear understanding of Audience and Impact, including the core target audience, relevant existing communities and why the programme has the potential to generate conversation both in person and across social platforms.

Finally, submissions should address Global Franchise Potential: whether the concept can sustain multiple seasons, how it can evolve while remaining recognizable, and whether it can be efficiently adapted across different countries and cultures.

From idea to the fame week Africa stage

All proposals must be submitted through FAME Week Africa and will be reviewed against the creative, editorial, audience and scalability criteria outlined in the brief.

Shortlisted producers will be invited to Cape Town to pitch their projects live at FAME Week Africa 2026, presenting directly to the MultiChoice Group selection panel and giving them the opportunity to respond to the brief in person.

The live pitch places selected producers directly in front of the team looking for these formats, creating an opportunity to present the concept, explain its creative and commercial potential and demonstrate how it could work across MultiChoice Group and CANAL+ markets.

The Call for Projects forms part of FAME Week Africa’s continued focus on connecting African producers and creators directly with broadcasters, commissioners and platforms actively looking for new content