They're probably not back from the end-of-the-year holiday yet, or don't watch their own channel play out on DStv, but kykNET (DStv 144) executives are apparently not bothered by their massive channel logo touching and obscuring people's faces or hanging above their heads after kykNET suddenly changed to a 16:9 aspect ratio since the beginning of 2013.
Does the sudden 16:9 aspect ratio change mean that kykNET is getting ready to become a high definition (HD) channel on DStv in 2013?
kykNET couldn't be bothered to tell the press in South Africa that the channel's aspect ratio will be changing from the beginning of this year to a 16:9 aspect ratio, so there's possibly a lot of confused viewers and subscribers of the Afrikaans language DStv channel wondering what happened and is going on. There was no press release, no short statement, neither note nor memo or any indication from the channel to me as a TV critic of anything changing.
Also someone had the daft idea of moving the blue couch and yellow star kykNET channel ident so far to the inside of the screen that it often hangs over people's heads, or even worse - touch and obscure their faces.
The kykNET channel marker is also constantly and distractingly animated - blatantly competing for the viewer's attention with what is actually on the screen and what the viewer is supposed to be looking at, which is the actual TV show. Who does this? Is this a kids channel needing to up the moving graphic amusement quotient or a general entertainment TV channel?
Professional TV executives know that a channel marker or ident is supposed to be small and inobtrusive; that it shouldn't hamper, obstruct, obscure or detract from the actual TV content and on-air programming.
Not communicating basic on-air changes happening to your TV channel or your brand to the media even if its small things which might actually have a real impact on how people perceive your product or offering and the enjoyment of that offering is one thing; slapping a big(ger) channel logo on and not making it sit (stay) in the corner comes across as unprofessional.
