MultiChoice Group demonstrates its deep passion for people, the planet, and transformative solutions in its 2024 ESG Report

1 July 2024 - Johannesburg: Today, MultiChoice published its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report for the financial year ending March 2024. The Report demonstrates the company’s dedication to protecting the planet, empowering people, and offering transformative solutions that create lasting, sustainable value.

This year, MultiChoice celebrates three decades of enriching lives and transforming Africa’s entertainment industry through initiatives that have made more than an impact in the areas of sports, entrepreneurship, sustainability, employee development, and increasing capacity to tell local stories.

MultiChoice’s ESG strategies and initiatives are aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a specific focus on areas where it can make a direct contribution to positive outcomes in the communities in which it operates.??

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Key highlights in the 2024 ESG Report include:?

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Environment

The impact of climate change on Africa is a pressing concern, especially given its reliance on climate-sensitive sectors. MultiChoice recognizes this urgency and is committed to mitigating its environmental impact. The company has taken proactive steps through initiatives such as investing in renewable energy, implementing carbon footprint reduction strategies, and adopting sustainable business practices that combat climate change and safeguard the future of our planet.

MultiChoice’s environmental strategy is built on four pillars: strategic partnerships, conserving natural resources, creating solutions that enhance environmental performance, and limiting direct impact on the environment.

A standout partnership is the Earthshot Prize. As a member of this Earthshot Prize Global Alliance, MultiChoice collaborates with The Earthshot Prize to support environmental sustainability in Africa, this year, a record-breaking 400 entries were submitted from across the continent for The Earthshot Prize 2024 and the best African eco-innovators will be selected to compete for these 2024 Awards and stand a chance to win ￡1 million.

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Social

MultiChoice continues to make a meaningful impact in the communities in which it operates, and the company’s commitment extends to respecting human rights, promoting diversity, and practicing preferential procurement targeting historically disadvantaged individuals, women, and youth.

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At a glance, social initiatives included the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), the DStv Schools Netball Challenge, the Diski Challenge,?and the Here for Her campaign.

?·??????? In the past year, 102 interns participated in the MTF – a 12-month filmmaking training program, and in South Africa, MTFza interns contributed to over 30 professional productions, including hit shows like Idols, Adulting, My Brother’s Keeper, Champions, and Gen Zee.

·??????? Since 2014, 350 players have been promoted to South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) through the DStv Diski Challenge, and last year, 10 Diski Challenge graduates represented the country at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. ?

·??????? The DStv Schools Netball Challenge aims to develop young female athletes who play netball at secondary schools across South Africa. In 2023, over 2 600 high schools enthusiastically participated in the tournament, rendering it one of the most successful school sports events of the year. Throughout the tournament, more than 30,000 passionate schoolgirls engaged in weekly matches during the earlier rounds, including cluster, regional, and district playoffs.??

·??????? In 2023, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) Player Transition Programme continued its mission to support professional footballers after they retire. The Programme now has a 94% graduation rate, with a significant portion of the cohort successfully graduating in March 2024.

·??????? The Here for Her campaign made history by assembling a 120-strong all-female production crew and cast to successfully deliver the 2023 Netball World Cup, a groundbreaking achievement in the sports industry. This innovative approach included comprehensive in-house training for eight months leading up to the event, ensuring seamless execution and unparalleled quality.

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Governance

MultiChoice is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance, ethics, and integrity. These principles are fundamental in enabling the business to generate value for all stakeholders. One of the company’s biggest focuses in this area has been the fight against the unauthorised retransmission and piracy of its content which poses a significant threat to the business and the wider industry.

MultiChoice is collaborating with Partners Against Piracy (PAP) and various government departments and stakeholders across Africa to take steps to combat broadcasting piracy.

Recently, MultiChoice signed MOUs with the Uganda Ministry of ICT and National Guidance and the South African Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services.

The MOUs aim to establish a partnership for capacity building, benchmarking, and experience sharing, as well as intellectual property rights protection, training, and skills development within legal frameworks.

The MOU for MultiChoice Africa Holdings B.V (MAH) and the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance also included digitalization and enhancing the local content sector in Uganda.

Additionally, a multi-governmental workshop was confirmed for mid-2024 to review piracy policies and actions, focusing on amending cybercrime legislation. This workshop will include key departments, such as Justice and Constitutional Development, Communication and Digital Technologies, and Correctional Services, demonstrating a collective commitment to combatting piracy and protecting intellectual property rights.

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Economic impact

MultiChoice’s strategic initiatives and partnerships have resulted in the company making significant contributions to local content, giving small and medium-sized enterprises a leg up and promoting skills development – all of this has contributed to job creation and economic empowerment.

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To date, the MultiChoice Innovation Fund has supported 77 black-owned small businesses with at least 50% female-black ownership and disbursed R407m in loans, grants and business development expenses. This has created 1?400 employment opportunities.

The MultiChoice Accelerator programme on the other hand enabled 11 entrepreneurs from South Africa to secure over US$17m in investments from investors in the United Arab Emirates, demonstrating MultiChoice’s track record in supporting entrepreneurship and driving economic growth across the continent.

Last year, the Enterprise Development Fund funded four new companies, including two owned by black women. This R26.74m funding was directed towards tech-enabled sectors and created 395 jobs.

In FY24, SuperSport launched the SuperSport Learnership, welcoming 41 unemployed youth, 80% of whom are women.

MultiChoice also continued its partnership with the Youth Employment Services (YES) programme – bringing the total number of created to 1?585 since partnership started.

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To learn more about MultiChoice's development programs, socio-economic investments, and the stories of those who have benefited from this extensive support, please refer to the Group's 2024 ESG Report available at multichoice.com.

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About MultiChoice Group?

MultiChoice Group (MCG), listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), is a leading provider of entertainment and related consumer services, with an expanding ecosystem, underpinned by scalable technologies, and a track record now spanning almost 40 years.? MCG provides video entertainment products and services through its linear and streaming platforms across 50 countries on the African continent and continues to grow by producing and acquiring the best local, sport and international content and offering tiered subscription packages and aggregated streaming services to its customer base. MCG’s superior technology capabilities enable it to continue innovating around distribution, digital and payment solutions and content security to offer the best customer experience across the continent. Reaching up to 100 million individuals on a daily basis, the MultiChoice Group is using its scale and distribution to expand its platform to include sports betting and interactive entertainment, fin-tech services, household services (focused on internet connectivity and emergency response services) and ed-tech. Irdeto, MCG’s technology business, provides platform cybersecurity services which protect over 6bn devices and applications globally for some of the world’s best media and technology brands, as well as clients in the connected industries sector.?