The TV world is changing. Whether it’s mergers, brand splits, or evolutions, 2026 has completely redefined the way the television industry operates, and leading the pack is Canal+. Now, as part of their ongoing commitment to enhance customers’ viewing experience and deliver content that resonates deeply with local audiences, Canal+, alongside Trace and MultiChoice, recently rebranded TRACE AFRICA to TRACE NGOMA this December and had a media launch to celebrate the major change.
TRACE NGOMA: A Channel That Speaks Fluent South African
Reflecting the meaning of “Ngoma” – drumbeat, celebration, unity and heritage – the rebrand strengthens Trace’s connection with South African audiences by offering content that mirrors their sound, their languages and their lived experiences.
“During our 23 years building African music, we soon realised that ‘pan-African’ can sometimes mean ‘for everyone and no one in particular,'” explains Olivier Laouchez, CEO & Founder Trace Group Africa adding that you celebrate the continent by going deep into its diversity, not by flattening it, which explains why the brand has 16 different hyperlocal TV channels in Africa. Now, in a continent of 54 countries with rich identities, South Africa stands out as a nation with one of the most distinct, vibrant, and self-confident music cultures on the continent.
“Amapiano, Afrobeats, Kwaito, Gqom aren’t just genres, they are social movements. South African audiences deserve a channel that speaks their language, celebrates their artists, and reflects their culture back to them with pride. TRACE NGOMA is not a retreat from pan-Africanism – it is pan-Africanism done right.”
Now, deeply rooted in the heartbeat of South Africa, TRACE NGOMA celebrates the rhythms, voices, and stories that define the nation’s cultural identity. The channel showcases homegrown sounds – from amapiano and Afro-pop to maskandi, hip-hop, gqom, lemkompo and urban gospel – bringing viewers closer to the artists, languages and cultural movements shaping today’s music landscape.
Authentically African
Having launched on the 18th of December 2025, at 15h00 CAT on DStv Channel 326, Laouchez adds that TRACE NGOMA is a great example of ‘hyper-localisation at scale.’ Neville Ngobeni, Head of TV for Trace Urban and Trace Africa, adds that the rebrand means a more hyper-focused approach to the South African music and cultural landscape, with content designed to appeal to and attract more South African viewers.
“The term ‘Africa’ made it seem like we were exclusively African when most of the content we saw was from SADC. As such, we needed to be more direct, not just in our offerings but also in our core identity – just like we are with the other channels within the group that are hyperlocal, like TRACE MZIKI or TRACE NAIJA.”
TRACE is not new to the African continent, nor is it new to catering to a specific African audience – for instance, TRACE Kitoko has become almost the backbone of the Congolese music industry, launching many stars.
“The DRC and South Africa are both African giants, but their music cultures are almost polar opposites in character,” shares Laouchez.
“In the DRC, music is a religion. It is deeply communal, rooted in dance and live performance, with a lineage that stretches back generations – music is almost spiritual in its social function. In South Africa, music is fiercely contemporary and entrepreneurial. Amapiano didn’t just happen – it was built by young producers in townships who understood branding, social media, and global markets before the industry did. That’s why TRACE NGOMA is curated with them and with the creators who make South African music – for people who live it. That line is not marketing copy. It is the editorial policy.”
Yet, how important is this authenticity when it comes to balancing numbers?
“I refuse the idea that these are in tension,” combats Laouchez,
“The most commercial thing you can do in Africa today is to be authentic. Look at what Amapiano has done globally – it didn’t succeed because someone tried to make it ‘marketable.’ It succeeded because it was unapologetically South African. Our job at TRACE is not to manufacture culture – it is to amplify what already exists and give creators the platform, the tools, and the validation to build sustainable careers.”
A Commitment to Local Music Culture
From Gqom to Amapiano to Afropop to classic Kwaito, South Africa has an abundance of genres, so how can one ensure consumers enjoy every flavour?
“With our current hyper-local strategy, TRACE NGOMA, we’ve created more dedicated slots for different sounds,” shares Ngobeni, adding that shows like Maskandi Only and Limpopo Fela open up new avenues for two of the fastest-growing genres in the country, while still staying true to the TRACE Afro-Urban identity.
“We’ve also introduced daily slots for artists we believe are about to break, as well as an ‘Undiscovered’ segment dedicated to talent that wouldn’t typically make it onto playlists-but who we believe could become the next big stars at any moment. Ultimately, the goal is to showcase South Africa to South Africans, and to the broader SADC region.”
Granted, TRACE NGOMA is working to showcase emerging new talents, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve forgotten about the legends that built the way.
“TRACE has always been a home for legacy artists, and TRACE NGOMA will honour that,” assures Laouchez, “The channel has four acts — The Roots, The Birth, The Future, The Celebration. That architecture is deliberate. You can’t understand where South African music is going without knowing where it came from.”
Local Shows, Local Talent, Local Legacies
While you may think of TRACE NGOMA as just a TV channel, the truth is that it’s more of a talent funnel. As explained by Laouchez, through the TRACE+ super-app, any young creator in South Africa can post their content, build a following, and get discovered by our AI-assisted editorial team, “The best content gets amplified onto the channel -that’s what we call the Creator Ecosystem,” says Laouchez.
Yet, there’s more.
Through TRACE Academia, available directly on TRACE+, young people will be able to access over 400 e-learning courses on music production, creative entrepreneurship, and digital skills.
“We’re not just playing their videos — we’re building their careers. TRACE NEXT, our soon-to-be-launched talent search competition running across TRACE NGOMA and TRACE+, is the clearest expression of that mission: from the street to the stage.”
With the shutdown of MTV, the question ‘Is music TV dead’ continues to float around, but for the team at TRACE, the answer is a simple one: “Music TV and TV are not dead; bad TV will die.”
“What we are building with CANAL+, Multichoice and Bytedance is a hybrid ecosystem where television becomes the validator and amplifier of digital culture, not its competitor,” reveals Laouchez, adding that a young artist will go viral on TRACE+ and get millions of views, then later appear on TRACE NGOMA and suddenly they’re legitimate – they’re a star,
“The TV is now the global stage that gives sustainable careers to creators who started on their phones. That’s a model no pure-play streaming service can replicate, because they don’t have what we have: 23 years of cultural credibility and a pan-African and global TV network supported by CANAL+ that is now a global TV leader.”
TRACE NGOMA is available to watch on DStv Channel 326 and will feature a broad selection of locally curated shows, including:
- Amapiano plz
- Maskandi Vibes
- Ke Hip Hop Dawg!
- Lekompo Fela
- Top 10 Afropop
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