Africa News Network 7, or ANN7 will start on MultiChoice's DStv channel 405 as I've already reported, on 21 August, the new TV news channel from Infinity Media announced today.
ANN7 which embarked on a massive recruitment drive for staff - including technical crew as well as on-air talent as TV with Thinus reported in June, has already attracted some top level on-air talent such as Chantal Rutter Dros from M-Net's Carte Blanche investigative news magazine show who will be a primetime news anchor on ANN7.
It means that a massive TV news tsunami is heading South African viewers' way - but only for those who can pay. South Africa's TV news wars for eyeballs will intensify as the existing and well-regarded eNCA (DStv 403) in one month gets more competition from the addition of both SABC News (DStv 404) and ANN 7 (DStv 405).
All three South African TV news channels are however only viewable on DStv, leaving On Digital Media's TopTV out in the cold, as well as ordinary SABC license fee paying viewers on free-to-air who don't have access to subscription television.
While Chantal Rutter Dros will be the anchor of ANN7 Headlines and ANN7 Prime, she will be joined by another former M-Netter such as Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon who will be the presenter of Vuka Africa.
They are two of the over 150 people now attached to the ANN7 news channel which will make its debut on Wednesday 21 August from what ANN7 calls "the most technologically advanced news channel in South Africa".
ANN7 boasts that it will have "the latest newsroom automation systems, cutting edge electronic news gathering technology and a network of sharp, young journalists and experienced editors who will give a fresh perspective to the TV viewers of the country".
ANN7's 21 August launch comes shortly after the SABC relaunched their attempt at a 24-hour TV news channel following the failure of SABC News International in 2010 when SABC News (DStv 404) started last week.
SABC News, eNCA (DStv 403) and now ANN7 means that South Africa's TV news channels have jumped in one month from one to three.
ANN7 will bring South African viewers news and politics, sports, business and entertainment news.
The ANN7's website at www.ann7.com quietly went live a few weeks ago as the news team started a testing dry-run for the upcoming launch. The ANN7 website will try to lure viewers in online, similar to the eNCA's website at www.enca.com.
Other TV talent who will be seen on ANN7 from the news channel's headquarters in Midrand include Arthur Mafokate who will be the presenter of a new weekly flagship ANN7 sports programme entitled Hola Weekend and Jimmy Manyi who will be doing a weekly hard talk show Straight Talk similar to the BBC World News' HARDtalk and the eNCA's Justice Factor.
"I am looking forward to presenting viewers with a channel that is unique in its profile and choice of programmes," says Nazeem Howa, the director at Infinity Media which is launching ANN7 to the tune of millions of rands, in a press statement.
"We look forward to welcoming ANN7 onto our DStv platform," says Collins Khumalo, MultiChoice South Africa CEO in the statement.
ANN7 will be available from 21 August on DStv Premium, DStv Compact, DStv Extra, DStv Family and DStv Access.
