Eclipse PR, the PR company in South Africa that Netflix currently uses, on Tuesday countered bubbling South African TV industry buzz that Shadow with Pallance Dladla and Amanda Du Pont - set for release on 8 March on Netflix - is bad, as questions are rumbling inside the media and biz about a perceived lack of press exposure and a lack of media buy-in for Shadow.
The company, when asked questions about Shadow, says there has been a media event for certain media, and that there will be a physical screening of some of the Shadow series but that it will happen on 7 March, only in Johannesburg, only for some other media, set for a day before the show becomes available on Netflix.
The company, when asked questions about Shadow, says there has been a media event for certain media, and that there will be a physical screening of some of the Shadow series but that it will happen on 7 March, only in Johannesburg, only for some other media, set for a day before the show becomes available on Netflix.
Media insiders are wondering why Netflix held off from making announcements about the acquisition of Shadow as an African series and why Netflix failed to do a staggered publicity roll-out, from much earlier around the Gareth Crocker directed drama series in the way Netflix does for other countries' series and acquired content.
Netflix's lack of letting media who want and need to see Shadow see the show before its debut in order to write reviews and do other reporting - as well as its scuppered plans for a planned press day - has led to several raised eyebrows about the quality of the upcoming 8-episode series, as well as questions around why Netflix South Africa hasn't and isn't doing more to let the public know about Shadow.
Some people who have seen some of Shadow, the first locally-acquired South African TV drama series on Netflix - coming to its subscribers under the auspices of Kelly Luegenbiehl, vice president for international originals for Europe, Turkey and Africa at Netflix - described it as terrible and as not good.
Full disclosure, on 14 January 2019 TVwithThinus was one of the media contacted about a media junket planned for Shadow. On 18 February when asked if there's a date yet for the press event and if there are preview episodes of Shadow for review purposes, Eclipse PR said that it looks as though it's cancelling the press event and that screeners won't be given prior to release.
Another week later, on 26 February when reaching out again and asking Netflix if the media event is definitely now cancelled, Eclipse PR confirmed that the Shadow media event won't be going ahead.
In Hollywood parlance, not making a screener or screeners available beforehand to press happens for one of two reasons.
Firstly, the studio, distributor, network or channel don't need to because press, public and consumer interest and engagement is already high, built-in or guaranteed - for instance Disney and Lucasfilm's Star Wars or HBO's Game of Thrones on M-Net (DStv 101) - or there's some internal recognition that it's bad and limiting media from seeing it, is an attempt to limit inevitable bad reviews that will just inflict further damage.
Another week later, on 26 February when reaching out again and asking Netflix if the media event is definitely now cancelled, Eclipse PR confirmed that the Shadow media event won't be going ahead.
In Hollywood parlance, not making a screener or screeners available beforehand to press happens for one of two reasons.
Firstly, the studio, distributor, network or channel don't need to because press, public and consumer interest and engagement is already high, built-in or guaranteed - for instance Disney and Lucasfilm's Star Wars or HBO's Game of Thrones on M-Net (DStv 101) - or there's some internal recognition that it's bad and limiting media from seeing it, is an attempt to limit inevitable bad reviews that will just inflict further damage.
Of course not making content available to media to preview when asked, has, the past few years, led the wider press and critics to automatically now assume that when it happens, it's indicative of how bad something is.
When DVD or digital screeners of shows are not given to the press it's now assumed that it's not done because the content is rubbish, it's produced too close to the broadcasting date, is a live broadcast, or contains a twist or spoiler that producers want to keep secret.
Eclipse PR on Tuesday said that it already "hosted a Shadow press junket for long lead outlets" and gave screeners to these media.
Eclipse PR said that for Shadow on Netflix it had "originally anticipated hosting a second junket for online platforms, but have since reviewed this approach because we had already reached online targets through our date announcement".
A media screening is being organised for 7 March, said Eclipse PR.
7 March will, of course, be the day before Shadow becomes available on Netflix, giving media, including online media, very little time to put together reviews.
Earlier this year MultiChoice's video streaming service, Showmax, for its first locally-commissioned drama series, The Girl from St. Agnes produced by Quizzical Pictures, held its media screening for the press on 25 January, a week before its official release on 31 January.
In January M-Net (DStv 101) showed press the first episode of The Voice South Africa a week and a half before its debut on 3 February.
On Tuesday evening FOX Networks Group Africa (FNG Africa) previewed it's Bafta and Oscar-winning film, Free Solo to the press a week before it will make its debut on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220 / Cell C black 262) on 4 March.
On Thursday evening BBC Studios Africa will screen the new 5th season of Come Dine with Me South Africa produced by Rapid Blue to the media, a week and a half before making its debut on BBC Brit (DStv 120) on 11 March.
Showmax also asked the media, and is giving TV critics a digital screener of its upcoming new and local stand-up comedy series, Trippin with Skhumba, before it becomes available from 28 February.
When DVD or digital screeners of shows are not given to the press it's now assumed that it's not done because the content is rubbish, it's produced too close to the broadcasting date, is a live broadcast, or contains a twist or spoiler that producers want to keep secret.
Eclipse PR on Tuesday said that it already "hosted a Shadow press junket for long lead outlets" and gave screeners to these media.
Eclipse PR said that for Shadow on Netflix it had "originally anticipated hosting a second junket for online platforms, but have since reviewed this approach because we had already reached online targets through our date announcement".
A media screening is being organised for 7 March, said Eclipse PR.
7 March will, of course, be the day before Shadow becomes available on Netflix, giving media, including online media, very little time to put together reviews.
Earlier this year MultiChoice's video streaming service, Showmax, for its first locally-commissioned drama series, The Girl from St. Agnes produced by Quizzical Pictures, held its media screening for the press on 25 January, a week before its official release on 31 January.
In January M-Net (DStv 101) showed press the first episode of The Voice South Africa a week and a half before its debut on 3 February.
On Tuesday evening FOX Networks Group Africa (FNG Africa) previewed it's Bafta and Oscar-winning film, Free Solo to the press a week before it will make its debut on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220 / Cell C black 262) on 4 March.
On Thursday evening BBC Studios Africa will screen the new 5th season of Come Dine with Me South Africa produced by Rapid Blue to the media, a week and a half before making its debut on BBC Brit (DStv 120) on 11 March.
Showmax also asked the media, and is giving TV critics a digital screener of its upcoming new and local stand-up comedy series, Trippin with Skhumba, before it becomes available from 28 February.
