The HISTORY® Channel Africa, a division of Hearst Networks Africa, is a premiere channel for historical storytelling. The channel’s slate of original international programming features some of the biggest Hollywood stars. This includes the documentary series such as Great Escapes with Morgan Freeman, Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan, History’s Greatest Mysteries narrated by Laurence Fishburne and The UnXplained hosted by fan-favourite William Shatner.

The HISTORY® Channel Africa has also worked with local big names to share African stories that matter. Seasoned journalist John Robbie was the host of two local documentary shows Great African Mysteries and Great African Escapes. Other well-known South Africans that have worked with the channel include human rights lawyer George Bizos and football legend Lucas Radebe – who was the face of the History of Football pop-up channel on DStv. In the build-up to the 2018 FIFA World cup, the HISTORY Channel Africa launched a dedicated 24/7 14-day pop-up channel, History of Football. Then, in marking 100 years since the end of WWII, the channel also staged another dedicated pop-up channel on DStv, 100 Years of War. 

The channel increasingly has a local voice through the inclusion of top-quality local content – in the form of both documentaries and short-form pieces. The HISTORY® Channel Africa documentary special Your People My People took four South Africans on a quest to trace their ancestry and was nominated for a South African Film and Television Award. Another local documentary, The History of Football in Africa, explored the origins of the beautiful game on the African continent. In 2023, the channel produced two documentaries aimed at recognising and recording South African stories of historical significance. Great African Mysteries with John Robbie explored three of the biggest mysteries in South Africa, while Great African Escapes with John Robbie investigated some of the most daring escapes in local history. 

Also in 2023, the channel also produced My History Moments, a poignant short-form series, in which notable South Africans shared pivotal moments from their lives that have historical significance. Some of the well-known South Africans who shared their moments with the channel - from groundbreaking events to personal triumphs - included global business speaker Vusi Thembekwayo, economist Dawie Roodt, broadcasters, David O’ Sullivan and Malcom Gooding, singer and songwriter, Yvonne Chaka Chaka as well as artist and poet Professor Pitika Ntuli.

You can find the HISTORY® Channel Africa on DStv 186, on YouTube and on social media.