Defiance, the hot hot hot looking new upcoming science fiction drama which starts in April 2013 will be essentially a three horse race for South Africa television in terms of who will be able to get it and bring it to South African pay-TV audiences first and as quickly as episodes unspool in America.
Will M-Net get it? Although burned by the shortlived Terra Nova, to get Defiance would help M-Net to keep up its new momentum and impetus. M-Net has the ability to how it on M-Net (DStv 101) in HD or on M-Net Series (DStv 114) and will finally have science fiction show again as a worthy counter to the almost similarly-themed Falling Skies on Fox Entertainment (TopTV 180).
Will NBC Universal International place it on The Universal Channel (DStv 117), since the Syfy channel in America belong to their conglomerate anyway? The Universal Channel is now also in HD and in an advantageous position to showcase a TV drama such as this in high definition.
Acquiring Defiance would give The Universal Channel the street cred the channel wants, and will bring it into the current two horse race of M-Net and Fox getting select overseas high quality and buzzworthy TV shows for viewers very quickly. Also for The Universal Channel Defiance would be its own counter to Falling Skies, whereas Universal had to make do with more lower rent science fiction shows such as Haven and Alphas.
Of course Fox International Channels Africa could also potentially, possibly get Defiance. For FIC Africa Defiance could be a great companion piece to the existing Falling Skies and The Walking Dead, and further cement and establish its flagship channel Fox Entertainment and FX on On Digital Media's TopTV platform as the go-to place for quality hot science fiction drama.
Defiance is a bit of Alien Nation crossed with Revolution, sprinkled with Falling Skies and a touch of the video game Mass Effect (yes I've played all 3 Mass Effect's. Hours of my life. Gone.) Defiance is the new name of the town of what was once St. Louis where now what remains of human culture and society and technology is integrated with alien culture and society and technology.
The show is set about 30 years into our future where a race of aliens known as Votans have come to Earth, have different but on par techonology to us. We didn't want these immigrants to stay, they attacked and landed anyway, and some of their technology has started to transform the Earth. After a bitter equal war most of the Earth's civilization and humanity and the Votans have been wiped out. Those who remain, on both sides, start to work together to survive. Imagine Dr Quinn and Terra Nova with a future setting.
Defiance looks very cool, as does the special effects. The show starts in America in 2013, and because it ties into the global release of a video game as well as other things, whichever South African broadcaster or channel do acquire the rights or get the show, they'll have to get it for close to April 2013 as well, or run the risk of looking stale and old. (What happens in the global mass player online game for instance will affect the narrative of the TV show for instance in a new immersive entertainment kind of event tried for the first time.)
