The SABC plans to launch its ''new''(as in replacement for SABC News International) 24 hour news channel on 1 April in conjunction with MultiChoice which will be contributing a once-off R10 million to the news channel to help with start-up costs and pay a further R15 million annually to have the channel on the DStv platform.
The SABC tried to launch the new 24 hour news channel on April fools' day last year, didn't make the deadline and moved it to October. The October date came and went and the planned start was moved to 2012. Now 1 April is again the new target date with the SABC which told parliament that the new news channel is seen as a key driver of the transformation and turn-around strategy of the beleaguered public broadcaster.
The SABC is planning to spend R288,9 million over the next three years on the 24 hour news channel which is to replace the failed SABC News International channel which was launched in July 2007 but ran for less than two and a half years before closing down in March 2010 despite an investment of millions of rands by the SABC. The channel will be new competition for e.tv's eNews Channel (DStv 403) which has so far been the only South African 24 hour TV news channel in the country.
The SABC is also planning to spend R732,7 million on setting up a separate SABC Sport TV channel over the next two years. Both the news channel which will launch on MultiChoice, and the eventual sport channel will become free channels as part of the SABC's digital terrestrial television (DTT) offering during the switch-over to digital broadcasting in South Africa.
The new 24 hour news channel will cost the SABC at least R80 million per year to operate. MultiChoice plans to make the new SABC news channel available in South Africa but also throughout Southern Africa, including Angola, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
As opposed to SABC News International which tried to include international news, the new 24 hour channel will have a primary emphasis on local South African news. The channel will also show documentaries, have talk shows and current affair shows as well as some magazine shows geared towards topical interests like health, government and business news.
MultiChoice has set extremely stringent targets for the SABC to provide a TV news channel to the DStv platform again. MultiChoice will keep the news channel on the DStv platform for at least 5 years if the broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) approves the channel application.
According to documents, MultiChoice will pay the SABC a once-off R10 million to help towards the start-up costs and a further R15 million every year in payment as part of the carriage agreement and contribute a further R5 million in broadcasting equipment.
In exchange MultiChoice would be able to cancel the channel with 3 months' notice if, after written notice, MultiChoice tells the SABC that aspects of the channel isn't up to standard or not meeting performance requirements over various criteria.
MultiChoice says ''MultiChoice does not comment on speculation. When we are ready to launch new channels on the DStv platform, we will make the necessary announcement." The SABC's spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago says ''the SABC's plans for a 24 hour news channel are in place'' but that the SABC will ''announce all the plans once all the approval processes are finalised. We are not going to entertain rumours that are only trying to derail us and open us op to scrutiny by our competitors''.
