Mzansi Life & Style showcases the best that South Africa has to offer in terms of entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, culture, cuisine, travel, beauty and celebrity news. Subscribe to my website by adding your email address in the "follow" button below.
Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waves to fans before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on December 11, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and sports fans across Africa are in for a festive feast with the best American sports set to broadcast live across the continent on ESPN (DStv 218, Starsat 248) and ESPN2 (DStv 219, Starsat 249)on Christmas Day, with additional treats in store for Boxing Day.
After the family festivities ends and bellies are full on 25 December, NBA basketball kicks off with a live game between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers at 19:00 (CAT) followed by the Dallas Mavericks vs the Los Angeles Lakers at 21:30. The action from the world’s top basketball league continues when the Boston Celtics take on the Milwaukee Bucks at midnight. These basketball games will air on ESPN.
With just a few weeks to go before the prestigious Joburg Film Festival takes place in Sandton, the JFF Youth and Audience Development programme continues in the Ekurhuleni and Tshwane regions this month.
Following the successful programmes in Sedibeng and the Westrand last month, the next series of workshops has now been announced with the Ekurhuleni edition set to take place at the Rhoo Hlatswayo Art Centre on 19-20 November, followed by the Tshwane programme confirmed to take place on the 26-27 November at the Women’s Living Heritage Museum.
Developed to prioritise growth and upskilling of young upcoming local filmmakers in underdeveloped areas within the province, the JFF Youth and Audience Development programme is an integral pillar of the festival. For the past few years, this event has provided life changing experiences for emerging film talent, with over 200 aspiring local young creatives / filmmakers attending the programme thus far.
I recently attended the ESPN Sports Fest which showcased what one can look forward to on the Disney owned channel this summer.
The mainly American sports channel, ESPN, also has an African component highlighting some African Sports content.
I got to play some American Football and pretend I was an NBA player by shooting some hoops on the mini basketball court. Others in attendance tried their hand at shadow boxing, at the media event.
Kyle de Klerk, Director of Sports Commercial and Business at The Walt Disney Company, addressed the audience and showcased what locals can look forward to in a short promo video – as can be seen in my TikTok & Instagram video below.
TCL, one of the dominant players in the global TV industry and a leading consumer electronics brand, launched its latest line of Google LED TVs in a glittering event held at the Galleria Sandton. Adding to an already impressive range of televisions, TCL unveiled the feature packed C835, C735, C635, P735 and P635 products, with the brand quickly making headway into the South African market.
Global Outlook
Globally, TCL is now the No.2 ranked LCD TV brand and holds the top positions in many key markets. It also ranks as the No.1 Android TV brand in the world and its smart TVs rank in the top five in more than 20 countries and regions by sales volume, growing by over 52% YoY in European and over 38% in emerging markets respectively. It is also the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked LCD TV Brand in the US and France respectively in terms of Sales Volume in 2021.
With the brand growing at rapid pace globally, TCL announced its worldwide partnership with the Brazil football team, revealing their four football brand ambassadors – English midfielder Phil Foden, rising superstar and Spanish international Pedri, Brazilian winger Rodrygo and famed French defender Raphaël Varane to symbolize and reflect their brand motto – Inspire Greatness.
Cinematographer Tom Fitz stands semi-submerged in the ocean waters of Biscayne National Park, filming the bird life and the surrounding mangrove coastline landscape. (photo credit: National Geographic/Phoebe Fitz)
Do you want to feast your eyes on some of the best programming and content that is due to arrive on screen this summer? I was one of 50 selected media to join a live stream today, to showcase National Geographic’s new slate of programmes in the coming weeks. As a surprise, we were honoured to have none other than Bear Grylls, as a special guest, who answered questions about his National Geographic show called “Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge.”
TheWalt Disney Company Africa announced the upcoming content slate for both National Geographic and National Geographic Wild for Spring/Summer 2022, with channels that now broadcast in high-definition. With a promise to ignite the explorer in all of us, and with a 133-year legacy, viewers across the continent will also be able to immerse themselves in the very latest and ground-breaking storytelling in stunning high definition for the very first time, taking them further than ever before.
Featuring the best and brightest scientists, explorers, photographers and filmmakers in the world, the coming months’ content highlights offer something for everyone, as several new natural history series, feature documentaries, and programming stunts, will showcase the wonder of the natural world, take them on exhilarating adventures and illuminate historical figures who epitomize the strength and triumphs of humankind.
Mzansi Life & Style by Mishkah Roman-Cassiem 