DFM and MTN One TV Opens Application for its Pitch Session

The Durban FilmMart (DFM) and MTN One TV have launched The MTN One TV Closed Pitch at DFM 2026. This is an opportunity for established African producers and production companies to pitch bold, authentic and commercially viable African film and television projects to MTN One TV. The MTN Group introduced the MTN One TV in line with its MTN’s Ambition 2030 strategy to bring “together local storytelling, live channels, international programming, and market-specific viewing options tailored to how customers across the continent access and pay for digital entertainment.” The MTN One TV, is a new entertainment platform designed to make digital video content more accessible, relevant, and flexible for customers across African markets. 

For its pitch session at the 2026 DFM, it’s seeking stories that are locally rooted, universally resonant, and created for youth and mass-market audiences across its key African markets. The platform is looking for original, fresh, and local stories with the potential to resonate across markets,  relevant to contemporary African audiences, suitable for youth and mass-market audiences, and, importantly, capable of engaging digitally connected and mobile-first viewers. For applying producers, the primary audience that pitch submissions must target are youth aged 18–34 and mass-market consumers, with a particular focus on audiences in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia, while retaining broader Pan-African appeal.

MTN One TV encourages pitch submissions to explore universal themes including family, ambition, identity and resilience. Suggested genres include but are not limited to drama, reality, comedy, action, thriller, romance and/or animation. Producers and production companies are encouraged to be flexible in their thinking and pitch. Limited series are expected to be 6–8 episodes with 45–60 mins, scripted Series should be 13 episodes with 45–60 mins runtime, unscripted Series can be 13 episodes with 45–60 mins runtime each. For micro-drama, 30 episodes are expected with a runtime of 2 mins per episode. Feature films can vary between 60–90 mins

To be eligible, producers must submit their pitches through registered production companies, be  citizens,  legal permanent residents, or possess  valid work permits authorising them to work in South Africa, be willing to provide, and verify, to MTN One TV and allow MTN One TV to transfer, process and/or store their personal information including. They must also possess a minimum of seven years’ professional industry experience, with demonstrable track record relevant to the genre and/or format being submitted and demonstrate production management and budgeting capability appropriate to the scale of the proposed project. 

In order to for each submission to qualify for review, it must include the following elements: project title, format and genre, logline, synopsis, pitch deck, pilot script and/or relevant episode script, episode breakdown or series outline, where applicable, estimated production budget, indicative production schedule, and other relevant details to be found on the website. Successful projects will be judged on the originality and audience appeal of the story, market fit, the production team experience, production cost, and potential cultural impact. After submission, a limited number of pitch submissions will be selected to participate in the Durban FilmMart × MTN One TV Pitch Session 2026. Shortlisted Participants must be available to pitch their submissions in person at the 2026 Durban FilmMart in Cape Town.

The deadline for application is 28th September, 2026 and interested filmmakers can apply here.