GOtv Subscribers Enjoy Stadium Experience As FIFA World Cup Kicks Off In Russia (Photos)

Last night, GOtv subscribers were relishing the official 2018 FIFA World Cup opening match in style, as they were treated to unmatched front-row viewing of the opening match pitting the host nation Russia against Saudi Arabia at 6pm. Russia humiliated their Asian opponents by thrashing them 5-0 in a one-sided match staged at an 81,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

GOtv subscribers had a full Russian experience at the Panari Hotel along Mombasa Road in Nairobi, where they had a chance to watch the game live from Moscow in the absolute Russian temperatures. They also experienced a range of activities including Russian food, drinks and entertainment in the full GOtv promise of ‘Bringing Russia Home’. Over 200 subscribers took part in several activities including the traditional football face painting of country flags and a number of indoor football games associated with the tournament.

GOtv Kenya General Manager Simon Kariithi said, “Football has a way of bringing people together around shared passions. That is why GOtv remains committed towards ensuring our subscribers access the very best football leagues and tournaments from across the globe at the most affordable price. The World Cup is therefore no exception. GOtv Customers will not miss a minute because GOtv has brought Russia home!"

Kariithi said all GOtv customers will have a chance to get the World Cup experience, with all 64 games available to GOtv Max and GOtv Plus customers at no extra cost. GOtv Max customers will experience Russia live on SuperSport Select 4 with full matches, full highlights, build-ups, interviews, analysis and magazine shows. GOtv Plus customers can watch the live games and shows on Select 1 and Select 2. All build ups to the World Cup will be available on Select 1 and Select 4. GOtv Value customers will also enjoy 56 games while GOtv Lite customers will enjoy a select number of games available on FTA channels.

He said this exciting football bonanza is guaranteed to keep GOtv customers glued to their screens for the month long viewing experience.

More pictures from the live event below:

Region's Biggest Cake Festival Is With Us!

This Saturday, June 16, you have a chance to change someone’s life for the better, as the annual Cake Festival gets underway. The fest, arguably the biggest cake fest in the region, is an all year series of events that culminates to an annual event that treats the public to different cakes and desserts that are available in the market.

This year’s festival, which is the ninth edition will be held at the Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters on Lang’ata Road in Nairobi from 9am to 6pm. It seeks to offers a unique opportunity for industry gurus, home based traders, as well as start-ups to open up their service and products to thousands of visitors (up to 5000), and to establish links in the industry under one forum.

The Cake Festival is open to amateur bakers, home based bakers, hobbyists, professional bakers, cake artists and pastry chefs and other stakeholders from hospitality, wedding business, dessert to beverage and kitchen equipment industries all while raising money for a worthy cause. The festival is the perfect place to reach and interact with a significant segment of the public, retail or foodservice buyers and decision makers and give your clients and potential clients an opportunity to a one on one experience with your products and services.

The Cake Festival is a fundraising event organised by the Edumed Trust, a Kenyan trust founded in 1996 with the objective of educating bright needy students. The trust has supported over 363 students, with over 200 past beneficiaries presently in Kenyan public universities and three on full scholarships in universities in Czech Republic, United States of America and China.

Advance tickets are selling at Sh800 for adults and Sh500 for children, Sh1,200 for adults at the gate and Sh700 for children. So, make sure you don’t miss this edition, which promises to offer a lot of fun, while raising money for a good cause!

Maisha Magic East’s Varshita! Cast Meets Fans (Photos)

In line with providing its viewers with the best local entertainment, Maisha Magic East recently organised an exclusive meet-and-greet for fans of its popular show, Varshita!

The comedy show led by lead actor Eve D’souza (Varshita) and Maqbul Mohammend (Donnovan) has grown to become one of the most popular shows on the channel, appealing to viewers of all ages. The Varshita! meet-and-greet event, held at Garden City in Nairobi, attracted children and adults alike who were excited to meet the actors.

Speaking at the event, Head of Channel Maisha Magic East Margaret Mathore assured the viewers and fans of Varshita! of the unrelenting commitment by the channel to continue to serve up the best local content.

She said, “Maisha Magic East has grown to become a popular local content channels across East Africa because of the support of our viewers. Varshita! adds a rich comedy menu into the channel’s offering and has grown to be loved by the young, old and the different cultures represented in our country. It is also a great experience to make our offering tangible for our subscribers as we strive as we improve our customer experiences and engagement. This cast meet-and-greet is just one of the ways we strive to use the power of entertainment to inspire and enrich the lives of our viewers.”

The family event saw over 400 viewers and fans of Varshita! spend an afternoon with the full cast members including the lead actors Eve D’Souza (Varshita), Maqbul Mohammed (Donnovan), Vaishali Morjaria (Mrs Bhatt), Vikash Pattni (Mr Bhatt), Juna Vidyarthi (Manish), Geeta Vidyarthi (Mrs Singh), Mukami Njiru (Mrs Wangombe), Frank Kimami (Mr Wangombe), Kieran Popo (Bobo), Dennis Musyoka (Mutinda), Angella Nancie (Wahu), Shirleen Kiura (May) and Sanaipei Tande (Eva).

Over 100 children who were in attendance had their faces painted and took part in outdoor games. All guests got a chance to take pictures with their favourite cast members and have them autographed.

Varshita! is a comedy show that airs exclusively on Maisha Magic East. It brings to fore the challenges of inter-racial marriages, coupled by the traditional and cultural clashes that exist between an Indian and African family that find themselves in a situation that proves difficult to untangle. The Bhatt’s, an Indian family and the Wangombe’s discover that their children Varshita and Donnovan have been secretly dating for 10 years even as the Bhatt family has been planning a traditional wedding for their daughter to another Indian family.

The situations the couple and their families find themselves in make for a crazy but usually hilarious comedy that depicts a crazy, pathetic and tragic relationship of two lovers who find themselves in an unexplainable love affair. Varshita! airs on Maisha Magic East every Saturday at 7.30pm on DStv (Channel 158) and GOtv (Channel 4).

More photos from the event below:

MultiChoice Announces Major Pan-African Initiative For Film & Television Industry

MultiChoice Africa, the continent’s leading video entertainment services provider, has announced a bold new Pan-African Corporate Social Investment Initiative - the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) – This Film Academy is aimed at igniting and growing Africa’s creative industries into vibrant, economic centres.

“The African development story has long been defined by investment in many industries on the continent, leaving our creative industries to fend for themselves on the fringes of economic development for far too long. As a result, the film and television industries have not developed at the same rate as other industries on the continent, and not for a lack of talent, passion or imagination,” says MultiChoice Kenya Managing Director, Eric Odipo.

“We are abundantly blessed in these areas, however, the space given for this expression has at best been limited and at worst, been relegated to the fringes of the mainstream economy, leaving in its wake, unfulfilled dreams, unexplored talent and stories that are yet to be shared. As an African business, MultiChoice, together with our valued partners and stakeholders across the continent, have collaborated to make a positive socio-economic impact in the communities in which we live and work through the MultiChoice Talent Factory initiative.”

For over two decades, MultiChoice has been committed to investing in the development of original African programming and showcasing it on the DStv and GOtv platforms across 49 sub-Saharan African countries. The launch of MTF forms part of the company’s new strategy of furthering this investment through *creating shared value by using its core business resources, people, skills and networks to affect a positive change in society that yields benefits for the business and society.

 The MTF initiative will deliver three touchpoints that launch throughout the year, the MTF academies, Masterclasses and the MTF Portal. The first to launch is the MTF Academy, a 12-month educational programme aimed at furnishing 60 deserving, young, talented people who want to work and innovate in film and television production.

The MTF Academy students will be provided with skillsets to develop their talent, connect with industry professionals and tell authentic African stories through a comprehensive curriculum comprising theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in cinematography, editing, audio production and storytelling. The programme will take place at three regional MTF Academies based in Kenya for East Africa, Nigeria for Western Africa and Zambia for Southern African countries and will be overseen by acclaimed local film & TV industry experts, Academy Directors: Ms Njoki Muhoho in the Eastern Hub; Mr Femi Odugbemi in the Western Hub and Mr Berry Lwando in the Southern Hub.

The East Africa inaugural Academy Director had this to say: “Film making knowledge and skills that translate into enhanced livelihood is what our youth in the creative industry desire. The Multichoice Talent Factory is the response to this cry. MTF is a 12 month long film making bootcamp where the student takes an experiential and practical journey that results into a highly competent graduate who is a passionate, employable and entrepreneurial film maker.  My role is to be a catalyst to this process.”

During the course of the programme, MTF Academy students will produce television and film content that will be aired on our local M-Net channels across the MultiChoice platform including Africa Magic, Maisha Magic East, Maisha Magic Bongo, Zambezi Magic, M-Net and SuperSport to reach African audiences on the DStv and GOtv platforms. Upon graduation from the MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy, the MTF student will leave the Academy with the knowledge and skills to contribute professionally to the film and television industry.

Call for entry opens

MultiChoice is calling all aspiring young film & TV creatives to apply for the MTF Academy from today, 30 May 2018, on www.multichoicetalentfactory.com. The Call for Entry will close on 05 July 2018. The 60 post-school MTF students (20 for each region) – will be selected from *13 African countries where MultiChoice operates -will have an exciting opportunity to hone their television and film production skills in the company of industry experts during the year-long programme that will begin on 01 October 2018.

More photos from the launch event below:

One Day Left As Fans Nominate Their Favourites For 13th Groove Awards

Nominations for Groove Awards have been causing ripples of excitement amongst fans as they logged to the Groove website www.grooveawards.co.ke to nominate their favourite artistes and songs for the much anticipated 13th edition of Groove Awards with Safaricom.

With one more day to go, in a first in the history for Groove where the public was invited to participate in the nomination process, artistes are urging fans to nominate them in respective categories. Nominations officially close at midnight of May 31, 2018 and a full list of nominees will be made available on June 6, 2018 at the Groove Nomination Night.

The nomination process and the award categories were this year refreshed to give greater ownership and participation to music fans across the country. Voting will be open to the public from midnight of June 6, 2018 until midnight of  June 23, 2018. This will be followed by the high profile red carpet 13th Annual Groove Awards Gala on  June 24, 2018 where winners will be revealed.

The categories are as below:

•          Artiste of the Year
•          Teens Choice Song of the Year
•          Breakthrough Artiste of the Year
•          Hip-Hop Song of the Year
•          Reggae/Ragga Song of the Year
•          Praise & Worship Song of the Year
•          Collabo of the Year
•          Music Video of the Year
•          Dance Style/Song
•          Media Personality
•          HypeMan / MC of the Year
•          Breakthrough DJ /VJ of the Year
•          Eastern Counties Song of the Year
•          Western Counties Song of the Year
•          Rift Counties Song of the Year
•          Nyanza Counties Song of the Year
•          Central Counties Song of the Year
•          Coastal Counties Song of the Year

Groove Awards With Safaricom 2018 Nominations Officially Open

Nominations are now open for the 13th edition of Groove Awards with Safaricom through the Groove website www.grooveawards.co.ke that will see the public participate in the nomination process for the first time.

Both the nomination process and award categories have been refreshed to give greater ownership and participation to music fans across the country. The 2018 awards categories have been revamped to take into consideration industry research and insights, better reflect the changing landscape of the local Gospel industry as well as take cognisance of global music trends.

By logging on to the website, between May 24 and 3, 2018, fans will have the opportunity to directly nominate their favourite songs and artistes. A full list of nominees will be made available on June 6, 2018, at the Groove Nomination Night. Voting will then be open to the public until midnight on the  June 23, 2018, and will be followed by the high profile red carpet 13th Annual Groove Awards gala on June 24, 2018.

This year, awards will be handed out in the areas of artistry, songwriting, dance, production and media. The categories are as below:

·         Artiste of the Year
·         Teens Choice Song of the Year
·         Breakthrough Artiste of the Year
·         Hip-Hop Song of the Year
·         Reggae/Ragga Song of the Year
·         Praise & Worship Song of the Year
·         Collabo of the Year
·         Music Video of the Year
·         Dance Style/Song
·         Media Personality
·         HypeMan / MC of the Year
·         Breakthrough DJ /VJ of the Year
·         Eastern Counties Song of the Year:
·         Western Counties Song of the Year:
·         Rift Counties Song of the Year:
·         Nyanza Counties Song of the Year:
·         Central Counties Song of the Year:
·         Coastal Counties Song of the Year:

Groove Awards' Engine Revs Up With 'Groove Camp'

Groove Awards is undoubtedly the most prestigious awards ceremony in the region. The event's 13th edition sponsored by Safaricom is officially here and the organisers are putting all stops to ensure that this season is equally unforgettable. The Awards have indeed set precedence of excellence and transparency over the years in how the process and the ceremony has been executed receiving accolades all round.

Driven by its main purpose of shaping culture through positive content and entertainment, Groove has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people and thousands of gospel artistes and industry stakeholders over the years.

This season kicks off with Groove Camp that will be held on Wednesday May 23, bringing together various artistes from across the country, church leaders as well as Gospel industry stakeholders. Groove Camp has been one of the most important arms of the Groove process where artistes spend time in mentorship, praise and worship sessions as well as bonding in outdoor gaming activities.

The road to Groove Awards which will this year take place on Sunday, June 24, breaking the tradition of the Awards being held on June 1, the last couple of years is a culmination of a number of events including Nomination, Voting and Tours. The Awards date is fortunately not the only change, incredibly this year, the public will be part of the nomination process unlike previous years where they have just been involved in the voting process. This means with the Nominations opening from May 24 to 31 through the Groove website http://www.thisisgroove.com, fans will have the chance to nominate their favourite artiste in the various categories.

The most nominated artistes will then make it on the nominations list which will be unveiled in a red-carpet event and voting will open shortly after. The public will then again have a chance to vote in their favourite artiste and winners will be unveiled and feted at the Awards Gala.

Groove continues to raise a platform that helps showcase, celebrate and raise a generation of positive influencers. With its different mediums, it seeks to spread to its different stakeholder’s messages of hope and inspiration while giving them alternative sources of wholesome entertainment.

Held annually in Kenya and Rwanda, Groove Awards honour outstanding excellence in the Gospel Music Industry in the areas of music, production, song writing and media. It has so far honoured over 1,000 artistes and groups and handed out hundreds of Statuettes.