African music TV channel planned

A music television channel for Africa is to be launched next month by MTV - known as MTV base.

The 24-hour English language channel will feature African stars from across the continent as well as western acts.

It plans a weekly documentary series on emerging African musicians and promises to employ a continent-wide network of talent scouts.

It will be shown on the Multichoice satellite network from 22 February.

Multichoice say they reach about 1.3m households across the continent.

MTV's Brent Hansen said he hoped the company's 100th channel to be launched across the world would "provide a unique cultural meeting point for young people in Africa, using the common language of music to connect music fans from different backgrounds and cultures".

A major part of MTV base's agenda is a commitment to encouraging and developing grassroots African music talent, it says.