Indeed, not even a year into its existence, Vuzu was voted the fourth coolest television channel in the country in the
Sunday Times Generation Next Survey, which was revealed at the end of May.
“We’re thrilled with the impact Vuzu has had in the space of a year,” says Yolisa Phahle, M-Net’s Channel Director: Special Interests. “From the beginning we aimed to create a youth channel that combined South African and international programming. We also focused on being able to operate in the digital space to allow for interaction between viewers and the channel. Vuzu’s managed to do that and has become a TV lifestyle brand that represents an audience who are proud of their past, and optimistic about the future of the South African entertainment industry, both at home and abroad.”
Over the past year, Vuzu has been home to a superb selection of programmes – from the controversial
Vixens; the defiantly Afro-centric and cutting edge
CreamCartel; and the contemporary classic,
South Park, to the thoroughly 21
st century drama,
Vampire Diaries - channel 123 has proved itself to be a serious contender for all-time favourite youth channel in the very near future. Also proving a hit with viewers have been shows like
Gossip Girl;
I Want To Work For Diddy; and
Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew.
A key driver has also been
V Entertainment – a 30-minute slice of gossip from around the world; across the continent; and throughout South Africa. The not-to-be missed, interactive show is presented by Siyabonga Ngwekazi and Nonhle Thema - whose star has risen dramatically since Vuzu’s launch: Nonhle is now the International Face and spokesperson for Dark and Lovely and is preparing for an assault on Hollywood through a very special reality show that will be revealed in detail in due course and will be shown on Vuzu, naturally!
As Vuzu heads into its second year, there are many new seasons of regular favourites to look forward to, like
CreamCartel and
Vixens, amongst others. Viewers can also look out for several international smash hits coming to Vuzu soon, including
Pretty Little Liars;
Life Unexpected; and
Hellcats.
The channel is also home to some hot new animation series, including
The Cleveland Show and
Futurama. The acclaimed
The Cleveland Show was created by Seth MacFarlane; Mike Henry; and Richard Appel as a spin-off from
Family Guy, which was also created by MacFarlane.
Futurama, meanwhile, is a science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening of
The Simpsons fame.
Keeping up with all things Vuzu is easy with
www.vuzu.tv. The online platform features news; show info; and schedules, and gives users a chance to register; comment; and interact. Full episodes of homegrown Vuzu content – like V Entertainment – are also available to view along with shorter, hot clips of shows. Vuzu.tv is home to several web series like One Small Seed and Khaba, making it a compelling stop-off in the digital space.