CANNES, France — The global free ad-supported streaming platform, wedotv, has announced a partnership with Germany’s ZDF Studios to launch a FAST channel focused exclusively on the acclaimed South African drama series, “Legacy.”
ZDF Studios currently represents the series worldwide, promoting it at the 2023 Mipcom.
While many companies are leveraging YouTube to expand their intellectual property (IP) before engaging streaming platforms, the newly established channel – wedotv: Legacy – takes a different approach. Initially aired in 2020 on South Africa’s M-Net, part of MultiChoice and now a Canal Plus group, this gripping series delves into a family’s inner turmoil during a power struggle, gaining substantial popularity both locally and internationally. The series is now harnessing digital channels to reach wider audiences.
M-Net’s pioneering telenovela, “Legacy,” highlights a fresh formula for success. Similar to Spain’s “The Vow” and “Sueños de Libertad,” it brings high production values to a telenovela narrative, maintaining the melodrama that is synonymous with the genre.
This success is attributed to the series’ creative team and the captivating fictional universe it inhabits. Produced by Tshedza Pictures, a leading South African production house known for the International Emmy-nominated “The River,” “Legacy” was co-created by Gwydon Beynon and Phathu Makwarela.
The story unfolds in a world of extravagant luxury centered around the Price family’s mansion, with patriarch Sebastian Price at its helm—transforming Legacy Investments into a multimillion-dollar empire. The opulent estate boasts a grand white marble structure complete with a pool and rose garden, while its women dazzle in high-fashion attire; the opening scenes feature Sebastian’s wife, Dineo Price, making a dramatic entrance in a revealing outfit.
In an intense beginning, Sebastian selects and subsequently dismisses two potential heirs within the first 15 minutes of Episode 1, setting off his own murder and sparking a fierce succession battle. His vindictive ex-wife and their unscrupulous daughter Felicity will stop at nothing to prevent Dineo from grooming their son as the next successor. “Legacy” clinched the Best Telenovela award and several others at South Africa’s 2021 SAFTA awards.
Featuring a talented and notably diverse cast from South Africa, the series stars Dawid Minnaar (“Poppie Nongena”), Sean-Marco Vorster (“Warrior”), and the late Michelle Botes (“Isidingo”), who garnered SAFTA Golden Horns for her outstanding performances.
The phenomenal, award-winning “Legacy” (104×45′) immerses viewers in the cutthroat world of investment tycoons, where boundless wealth, entrenched rivalries, and family loyalty come at a perilous cost. Beneath the glittering exterior of the Price dynasty lies a volatile realm of power, desire, and treachery. As long-hidden secrets surface, creating chaos for all involved, wedotv and ZDF Studios shared this development on Monday at Mipcom.
“When ZDF Studios approached us with the concept of a dedicated channel for ‘Legacy,’ we aimed to ensure that the essential components for a successful single IP channel were established: quality, quantity, compelling storytelling, and a history of audience engagement,” stated Philipp Rotermund, CEO of wedotv. “Legacy” possesses all these qualities. Its captivating storyline enhances viewer retention within the platform ecosystem, critical for advertisers.”
“There is significant potential in launching a channel like wedotv: ‘Legacy’—it has an existing fanbase,” remarked Florian Streit, Director of Drama at ZDF Studios. “Single IP channels resonate well because they are instantly recognizable to audiences. ‘Legacy’ is a long-running series that upholds a high standard of quality through every episode.”
