Since its arrival on the continent in 2005, MTV Base has graced the African continent with entertaining content and edutainment ranging from hit songs to fun TV shows, thought-provoking series, impact-led initiatives, and exciting competitions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year!

With two different feeds catering to South Africa and the rest of Africa, the network has invested heavily in ensuring that African music and culture retain their pride of place and achieves increased global visibility.

Seamlessly transitioning from one channel to a series of on-air and off-air platforms that have greatly influenced Africa’s youth culture, MTV Base has positioned itself as more than just a content house for regular urban music and authentically African storytelling.

Throwing it way back to when Nigerian artiste – TuFace Idibia’s hit song, “African Queen,” made irresistible waves in Nigeria’s then developing music industry, by being the very first music video ever to air on MTV Base Africa, achieving a record-breaking 1.3 million views on the first screening!

Through a combination of grit, tenacity, and determination, the channel’s influence in Africa has continued to intensify.

MTV Base, through the annual Base Day celebration, will continue to spotlight the impact of its innovations and promotion of African culture.

Through the effectiveness of its offline platforms like the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs), much of Africa’s music talents have risen from a place of national relevance to a place of international prominence, with artists like Davido, Wizkid, Yemi Alade, and many others regularly sharing award stages and collaborating with their global counterparts – a feat many would have termed ‘dreamy’ back in 2005.

The MAMAs are not the only way MTV Base showcases African talent. Through scheduled broadcasts like MVP, Official Naija Top 10, Word on the Street, Base Real Talk, 100% Naija, Down South, and East Side, the platform has carefully cultivated artists’ career opportunities and spotlight through live interviews, talk shows like Behind The Story, entertainment news, and more.

MTV base continues to showcase the beauty of African culture through initiatives that support the development of young creatives for the industry.

One of such initiatives was the upskilling and training provided to music videographers to improve their visual and production quality to international standards.

MTV Base also has a team of visionaries, creatives and fan-favourite trendsetters who advance the African culture through the channel.

These individuals, dubbed the “Culture Squad”, have paved the way for African talents to showcase their distinct originality on a bigger stage by highlighting how they are influencing cultural shifts, setting trends and leading the conversation through an inclusive, yet diverse content portfolio.

Through the network’s popular coming-of-age series “MTV Shuga” which follows the lives of young friends as they navigate sexual health, relationships, family issues, and more recently, mental health, MTV Base has served as a voice for the expression of important issues that affect many young people today.

The channel has provided a safe space to have striking conversations which would otherwise be termed “abominable” within the African societal context.

The show has educated African youths on issues ranging from HIV, safe sex and teen pregnancy in an entertaining way.

It also touches on maternal and child health, family planning, gender-based violence, and women empowerment.

Notwithstanding its educational drive, MTV Base has provided an avenue for young, talented actors to blossom – creating stars like Olumide Oworu, Jemima Osunde, Rahama Sadau, Adebukola Oladipupo, to name a few. Even Nigeria’s vocal queen, Tiwa Savage, cut her acting teeth by appearing in the MTV Shuga series.

It’s been almost two decades of providing incredible support and elevation for Africa’s music industry and culture.

Here’s to continuing to provide upcoming African artists the chance to showcase their talents to the world.

Though there are still several grounds to break and numerous opportunities to uncover, MTV Base doesn’t seem like it will be slowing down anytime soon.

For this immovable network, “showcasing a reimagined Africa to the world” is more than just a mission statement; it’s a lifetime goal and heartbeat of the organization.