Got a drama series concept sitting in your notes app, half-developed and waiting for the right moment? This might be it.
FAME Week Africa and MultiChoice Group, a CANAL+ company, have opened a dedicated commissioning call for African producers with original drama series in development. Announced on 12 August 2026, the Premium Drama Call for Projects is separate from FAME Week Africa’s usual Project Pitch Platform. It’s a direct line to MultiChoice Group, CANAL+ and StudioCanal’s commissioning panel, built around a specific editorial brief rather than an open pitch.
What they’re looking for
MultiChoice wants contemporary, high-concept drama that’s commercially appealing and action-driven, rooted in authentic African stories but built to travel. According to the release, projects should explore universal themes, lean into aspirational storytelling, and connect audiences across two or more African territories. Language isn’t a barrier: concepts can be developed in any African language, English or French, provided they hold onto cultural authenticity.
On scale, they’re picturing series of roughly 8 to 12 episodes at 50 minutes each, though the final count depends on the concept. The brief is clear that ambition matters more than budget size. They’re not asking for projects that need heavy international co-production financing to get off the ground.
What you get if you’re selected
This isn’t a submit-and-wait-forever process. Every submission gets reviewed by the FAME Week Africa team, and a shortlist of producers is invited to pitch directly to the MultiChoice Group, CANAL+ and StudioCanal commissioning panel. That’s a real seat in front of the people who greenlight content, not a feedback email months later.
Already pitched to the Project Pitch Platform? Submit again.
Martin Hiller, Portfolio Director of FAME Week Africa, was specific on this: producers who’ve already submitted to the MIP Africa Project Pitch Platform are encouraged to resubmit the same project here if it fits the brief. This is a separate opportunity with its own panel, not a duplicate of what you’ve already done.
What to submit
Two things:
- A creative treatment (PDF)
- An estimated production budget
The treatment itself needs to cover:
- Series overview
- Logline
- Synopsis
- World of the story
- Style and tone references
- Character overviews
Your chances, honestly
MultiChoice hasn’t published applicant numbers or an acceptance rate, so treat this as competitive by nature rather than a guaranteed slot. What improves your odds is fit: the brief is unusually specific about tone (commercially appealing, action-driven), scale (8 to 12 episodes, cross-territory reach) and budget realism (no reliance on large-scale international financing). A strong concept that doesn’t match that brief is less likely to move forward than a decent concept that does. Read the criteria twice before you write your treatment, not after.
Where and when
Submissions are open now and close on 18 September 2026. You can submit your project through the FAME Week Africa submission form.
Shortlisted producers will get to pitch as part of FAME Week Africa, running from 28 to 30 October 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC2), the continent’s B2B gathering for broadcasters, streamers, producers, distributors and investors.
If your series has been sitting half-finished, this is the deadline to finish it against.
