CARTE BLANCHE

In South Africa, we’re best known for producing Carte Blanche, M-Net’s flagship actuality programme. Carte Blanche has developed a high degree of credibility in South African television journalism and has been awarded more than 200 local and international awards for quality stories that have made a difference. In August 2008, to commemorate 20 years on air, Carte Blanche launched the Making a Difference Campaign.

As the name suggests, Carte Blanche covers a variety of subjects and prides itself on the diversity and depth of its stories. Stories range from investigations into abuse of the vulnerable, to the inspiring determination of South African sports personalities, both abled and disabled. Carte Blanche is also known to go undercover in tracking and arresting high-profile criminals or taking the time to explore the edges of existence.

30 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY

In April 2024, we celebrated Freedom Day with the broadcast of 30 Years of Democracy, a special 90-minute documentary which tells the story of South African and her people. Thirty years after the country’s first free and fair democratic election in 1994, the Carte Blanche team travelled across South Africa, meeting people from all walks of life, sharing their realities, hearing their dreams and listening intently to their hopes for the future. 30 Years of Democracy sought to understand how South Africans have experienced the last 30 years living in the country, how it has shaped their identity and whether they believe their hopes and needs will be realised in the future. 

ORIGINAL SIN: MY SON THE KILLER

In this acclaimed true-crime documentary feature, we follow Thea Pretorius, the mother of Gerhard Jansen van Vuuren – the man who murdered his 25-year-old girlfriend, Andrea Venter in 2011. The horrific incident took place in front of neighbours, security guards and CCTV cameras. Two years later, Gerhard would flee South Africa shortly before his trial, going on to avoid capture for seven years. Co-produced by Showmax, UK-based Rogan Productions and Electric Shadow Company, and in association with Brazil’s Red Earth and Combined Artists, this series highlights the plight of so many South African women.

STRANGERS YOU KNOW

Strangers You Know is a hard-hitting crime documentary mini-series. Each episode takes you to the heart of a brutal incident that gripped the nation. This docuseries brings insight on various headline-grabbing crimes committed in South Africa – from the people involved in investigating the case to the families left behind.

OSCAR PISTORIUS TRIAL

In March 2014 we launched the Oscar Pistorius Trial – A Carte Blanche Channel. The coverage was a watershed moment in the advancement of open justice in South Africa. Led by esteemed channel Executive Director George Mazarakis, the Oscar Pistorius Trial – A Carte Blanche Channel combined state-of-the-art technology and vastly qualified experts to deliver, not just to its audiences but to the global media fraternity, an unprecedented view of the courtroom proceedings. The channel featured round-the-clock coverage of the trial as well as hours of exclusive documentaries, profiles, and in-depth expert analysis.

DESMOND TUTU TRIBUTE CHANNEL

MultiChoice and M-Net celebrated the extraordinary life and legacy of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu with a special Carte Blanche pop-up channel on DStv. Called A Carte Blanche Special: Tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the tribute was available on channel 199 on all DStv packages across sub-Saharan Africa from Sunday 26 December 2021 until the Archbishop’s burial on 1 January 2022.

FIFA WORLD CUP SA FINAL DRAW SHOW

During 2010, Combined Artists produced the FIFA World Cup South Africa Final Draw Show for an estimated audience of 200 million. We also did the Preliminary Draw and the Confederation Cup Draw.