TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 16 September 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:  

■ The Crown on Netflix will show Princess Diana's heartbreaking battle with bulimia.
Could set up a clash between Netflix and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and their multi-million contract with the video streamer.

■ Donald Trump announces that he's getting weekly showtime on Fox News (StarSat 261) as bewildered Fox News hosts say it's fake news.

■ American anchor Jim Cramer on CNBC (DStv 410) calls Nancy Pelosi "Crazy Nancy" on TV ... in her face.
- Meanwhile CNN (DStv 401) is getting sued.


■ Nigerian filmmakers are risking jail with their lesbian film Ike.
Nigeria's Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) is monitoring and trying to prevent producer Pamela Adie and director Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim from screening and releasing their Yoruba-language film in the West African country.


■ South Park tackling the Covid-19 virus with its first hourlong episode.

■ I'm not interested. Bye," is all he has to say about it: Idols judge Somizi Mhlongo accused of stealing the Dinner with Somizi show idea on 1Magic (DStv 103) from Hastings Moeng (subscription required).
Producer says he send concept to Somizi in July 2014, and met with him and Dinner with Somizi executive producer Legend Manqele in 2016 to discuss putting the show together. Somizi's comment on the report is "I'm not interested. Bye."

■ Netflix's Ratched is wretched viewing; drama has no story to tell with incoherent characterisation and limited vision.

■ WWE trying to see if it can host WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown seen on SuperSport at outdoor venues in order to get people back to attend wrestling matches again.

■ Zambia praises China's StarTimes for funding its public broadcasting switch from analogue to digital terrestrial television broadcasting.

■ The shocking departure of Anna Faris from Mom seen on M-Net (DStv 101) is a nightmare for the comedy series.

■ John Cena shows off his shocking physical change before his TV return as the new host of Wipeout.

■ Ellen DeGeneres: From sweetheart to degenerate - a timeline.
- Is this the perfect time for Drew Barrymore to launch her own TV talk show?

■ 250 000 people less are paying their BBC TV licence fee in the United Kingdom as younger viewers flee to streaming services.

■ Jerry Harris from Netflix's Cheer under FBI investigation for soliciting sex from boys.

■ How reality TV shows find and cast the "right" people - a director explains.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 15 September 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:  

■ Netflix CEO Reed Hastings says marriage counceling revealed that he was a "systemic liar".

- Netflix vice president told him that he was unempathetic and don't encourage criticism.

- Netflix's secret to corporate success?: The "Keeper Test" to ensure a star in every position.
- "We want to be better than Disney at family animation."
- Wants to add someone from Africa to the Netflix board which Netflix doesn't have currently.
- Says Netflix subscribers "don't really care" whether its content is original.

- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix projects could top the viewership charts, says Reed Hastings.


■ How the cancellation of Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E! (DStv 124) hints at the demise of traditional pay-TV.
- Family looking for a lucrative video streaming deal.

■ Netflix launches its first global marketing campaign, known as "One Story Away".
Wants to make Netflix more than just the place where a viewer goes to binge-watch.

■ An appearance on Rachel Maddow on MSNBC (StarSat 263) is very good for American book sales.
MSNBC and Rachel Maddow refused to talk to Associated Press, but literary agent says she helps make books "number one".

■ Snack with caution: A new study finds that watching TV while eating makes you become unaware that you're actually full.

■ Why "Cancel Netflix" is trending.
- Netflix won't cancel Cuties in the United States but might have to internationally.


■ Netflix doesn't have TV commercials but that doesn't mean that it won't have ads in future.
- Netflix takes the crown for spending on film and television.
- Netflix argues for free speech in court fight with Indian businessmen.


■ After she's been let go from Primedia's EWN at 702, Gia Nicolaides joins eNCA (DStv 403).

■ M-Net West Africa is filming Enakhe as a new series in Nigeria for DStv's Africa Magic Showcase channel.

■ The bloated SABC has spent almost R3 million on catering as the struggling and overstaffed South African public broadcaster forges ahead with getting rid of hundreds of workers.

■ M-Net (DStv 101) picks up Race for the Cure documentary.

■ Coronavirus corruption: South African government offers Leanne Manas of SABC2's Morning Live tenders for personal protection equipment.

■ America's pornography industry headed for a major Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.

Aunt Flori Schrikker, other half of the Bonteheuwel TV show cooking duo Flori en Koelsoem se Kosse has died. She was 67.

by Thinus Ferreira

Florence Schrikker known as Flori, the other half of the famous Cape Town TV cooking show duo in Flori en Koelsoem se Kosse on VIA (DStv 147) has died on Saturday 12 September 2020 just 5 months after her friend Koelsoem Kamalie died in mid-April 2020. Florence Schrikker was 67.

Florence Schrikker died on Saturday afternoon in the Netcare N1 City hospital in Cape Town after her condition deteriorated, following complications after a dubble heart bypass operation that she underwent in early-August.

Flori Schrikker who suffered from Type 2 diabetes and who lost a limb in an amputation in 2011 because of the disease, is survived by her husband of 47 years Alfonso Schrikker known as Uncle Foni, 4 children and 10 grandchildren.

Angus McKenzie,Ward 50 Bonteheuwel councillor in Cape Town, in a statement said that "As a community we are conforted by the fact that they they will be serving the heavens with some of the best cuisines".

"Aunty Flori's passing is a huge shock to the community and in our sadness, we want to thank her family for sharing her, her talents, and her love with each and every one of us."

VIA was approached for comment about the death of Flori Schrikker on Monday. At the time of publication VIA didn't have any comment.

Together with Koelsoem Kamalie, Flori Schrikker co-hosted their own cooking show, Flori en Koelsoem se Kosse on VIA that was produced by Leroux Botha and Nina Swart from Afrokaans, over two seasons in 2016 and 2017.

They first rose to fame when the two shared their fascinating recipes and stories during the afternoon on Tjailatyd on the SABC's Afrikaans radio station RSG.

In 2017 their show won an ATKV Mediaveertjie-award for best magazine show and was based on their cookbook Kook Saam Kaaps that was released in April 2016 by LAPA Uitgewers.

Their second cookbook about desserts entitled Soettand was released in 2017.

Netflix South Africa now offers R39 mobile-only plan as a test in the country, undercutting MultiChoice's Showmax and its R49 mobile-only plan.

by Thinus Ferreira

As a consumer test Netflix is rolling out a new R39 Netflix mobile-only plan in South Africa that is much cheaper than its cheapest R99 per month subscription fee and that the subscription video-on-demand service (SVOD) says will only last if enough South African viewers respond to it.

The Netflix Mobile plan at R39 per month in South Africa is now undercutting MultiChoice's Showmax video streaming service, with Showmax Mobile that costs R49 per month.

In mid-2019 Netflix announced that it would roll out and test a "mobile device only" plan that launched in Indian in the third quarter of last year. The mobile only Netflix plan is priced significantly lower that Netflix's existing 3-tier plan structure but also limits users to streaming on mobile devices and with other imposed limitations like video quality as well.

South Africa - like India and African countries like Egypt where Netflix also tested its "mobile only" plan- is part of places where Netflix wants to test how many more users it could potentially sign up to use and sample its video service in markets where the penetration of mobile devices are high but data costs are still expensive and the availability of broadband internet is limited.

Netflix's R39 per month mobile-only plan limits the video stream to 480p and one viewing stream on a mobile device or tablet. Netflix's other three plans, Netflix Basic (R99), Netflix Standard (R139) and Netflix Premium (169) offer more options.

The streaming service has had the same 3 plans for over 5 years and Netflix says that in that time its membership base "has changed enormously - and mobile usage has increased significantly".

Netflix tells TVwithThinus that in keeping this mobile audience and people's device usage in mind, it is experimenting with new plans across the African continent - excluding Egypt where it was already tested - to give potential subscribers more choice.

Netflix however cautions that if it sees that users are not valuing these new plans that it won't be rolling it out more widely.

A Netflix spokesperson says that "We’ve had the same three plans for several years now and this test offer reflects significant usage of and preference for mobile in South Africa.  We’ll only roll this out longer term if people value the increased flexibility".

SABC on the brink as South Africa's public broadcaster warns that it could collapse, urges need to 'reinvent' and creation of a redesigned SABC - report.

South Africa's struggling public broadcaster that is mired in financial problems despite another billion rand government bailout is facing possible collapse the City Press newspaper reported on Sunday.

The overstaffed and bloated SABC wants to get rid of thousands of workers and told parliament two months ago that the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic in South Africa has caused a predicted shortfall in revenue of at least R1.7 billion for its current financial year.

The SABC also told parliament last month that it needs and has applied for additional government funding relief to help make up for the revenue shortfall because of Covid-19.

South Africa's governing ANC political party and its current disgraced minister of communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, are against retrenchments at the struggling SABC and doesn't want the public broadcaster to lower its salary bill as its single biggest expense.

As the biggest cost driver at the SABC, a whopping 41% of the struggling broadcaster's expenditure goes to just paying salaries. Shockingly, the SABC only spends 22% on actual content.

"It is time for a collaborative approach by all stakeholders to deal with the huge cost base that threatens the the viability of the SABC," the broadcaster says.

According to documents from the SABC's board and executives, the public broadcasters is imploring that "We must collectively ensure that the SABC does not collapse under our watch".

According to City Press, the SABC held a virtual meeting with trade unions Bemawu and CWU on Friday "about measures to prevent a collapse".

The SABC describes its latest financial battle amidst Covid-19 in the document as "the most critical for the future and sustainability of this 84-year old institution" given "the dwindling advertising revenues in the industry and the SABC".

The SABC says it has looked at the role of MultiChoice and eMedia Investments that runs e.tv and the Openview satellite platform, online video streaming services like Showmax and Netflix, and evolving consumer behaviour and that the SABC will have to reinvent itself.

"Against this backdrop the SABC must reposition itself and get ready for the future with customer-centred business models. A target operating model provides an ideal framework for this."

"The proposed target operating model will give birth to a redesigned SABC that is modern, agile and is future-focused"," the SABC says.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 10 September 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:  

■ E! cancelled Keeping Up with the Kardashians after family's pay increase demands although ratings kept going down.
Wanted at least $40 million per season but E! couldn't keep paying the Kardashians the same or even more money for half as many viewers.
- Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E! (DStv 124) couldn't keep up with itself - why the reality show got cancelled.
- Kardashians: The reality TV family who reinvented fame.
- How Keeping Up with the Kardashians changed everything from beauty to celebrity.


■ Ellen DeGeneres was a terrible person in her mansion to household staff: Allegedly took pleasure in firing staffers, ran it military-style boot camp, tormented workers over misplaced salt shakers, would leave passive aggressive notes about what's wrong, would lay traps, says ex-staffer.


■ South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) calls for investigation after EFF political party harassed reporter Nobesuthu Hejana TWICE.

■ Netflix subscribers upset over its 4K streaming quality.

■ Netflix CEO Reed Hastings: "Netflix isn't a media company or a technology company. It is an ..."
- Says Netflix bundling isn't an option (subscription required).
- Why Netflix will never have commercials.

■ Pearlena Igbokwe the new boss of NBCUniversal's global TV studio operations.

■ Netflix shocker: Bela Bajaria taking over to lead it's global TV operations with Cindy Holland exiting.

■ How MultiChoice's Showmax decides if and when a series will be acquired and placed on the video streaming platform.

■ Fox News style TV channel planned for the United Kingdom will only broadcasting during prime time, will have a comedy show.

■ Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death grips Indian with frenzied TV coverage.
- India's TV news serves up celebrity death coverage to distract from the country's Covid-19 disaster.

■ Disney will move allof the content of its linear Disney channels to its Disney+ video streaming service in the United Kingdom when it ends its linear channels there.

■ Will The Walking Dead seen on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) end like the comics did?

■ The hunt for new TV in 2020 brings a last gasp of new shows - and perhaps a shift in old habits.

■ Ukonwa Ojo the new chief marketing officer for Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studios.

■ Streaming television can eventually replace pay-TV.

■ Black Mirror predicted what reality TV audiences would look like during the Covid-19 pandemic.

■ After 18 years off-air, the godfather of reality TV has revived his passion project.

WarnerMedia and StarTimes sign channel carriage deal for TNT coming to sub-Saharan Africa and StarSat in South Africa.

by Thinus Ferreira

WarnerMedia and China's StarTimes pay-TV operator has signed a channel carriage agreement to add its TNT film channel to its StarTimes service in sub-Saharan Africa branded as StarSat in South Africa.

TNT is already carried on the DStv platform of the South African based MultiChoice on channel 137 along with some other WarnerMedia channels like Cartoon Network, Boomerang and CNN International.

Several WarnerMedia channels are also already carried on StarTimes elsewhere in Africa like Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Boing, WarnerTV, CNN International and TCM Cinéma.

WarnerMedia is already distributing Toonami on StarTimes in English-speaking Africa, including StarSat in South Africa.

TNT will go live on StarTimes and StarSat on Tuesday 15 September in 10 African countries, including Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and South Africa.

TNT will be available on StarTimes' Smart Bouquet on channel 186.

It will be pop, pop, pop on DStv from December 2020 with 3 new M-Net Movies pop-up film channels including James Bond.

by Thinus Ferreira

They gotta be strong and they gotta be fast and they gotta be fresh from the fight, and now you only need to hold out for a hero until December. That's when MultiChoice will launch three thematic M-Net Movies pop-up channels on DStv in succession until February 2021 all about heroes.

TVwithThinus can reveal that in December 2020 MultiChoice and M-Net will start with a Male action heroes M-Net Movies pop-up channel on DStv, with the exact channel name that is still to be announced.

The pop-up channel will be jam-packed with films featuring male action hero stars.

"Then we move on to females because female action heroes are also taking over the world," says Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's head of content strategy and third-party channels.

This Female action heroes M-Net Movies channel name is also still to be revealed.

"In February 2021 we bring back the Bond, the lovely James Bond, and we know that's not going to leave you shaken ... but stirred," says Aletta Alberts.

February's James Bond pop-up channel of which the channel name is still to be revealed, will be the second time that MultiChoice and M-Net is running a James Bond pop-up channel on DStv.

It previously did so three years ago in February 2017 when MultiChoice showed every 007 James Bond film of Ian Fleming's suave British super spy for DStv Premium subscribers.

While the three M-Net Movies pop-up channels will again only be accessible for higher-tiered DStv subscribers it will be the first time that lower-tiered DStv subscribers will be able to get access to it through the new "Add Movies" bundle that the Randburg-based pay-TV operator just launched.

For R99 per month lower-tiered DStv subscribers can add 3 M-Net Movies channels that can be added to any of its lower-tiered DStv bouquets. With this, DStv subscribers get the repackaged M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104), M-Net Movies 2 (DStv 106), and also the now-permanent Afrikaans fliekNET (DStv 149) channel.

However, when MultiChoice and M-Net now do M-Net Movies pop-up channels, these channels when they run on DStv, will now be made accessible as part of the Add Movies bundle, for free. 

That means that DStv subscribers who add the Add Movies bundle during December, January or February will actually get not get just the 3 movie channels on that add-on package, but also that month's M-Net Movies hero pop-up channel on DStv that will be included for free.

The Walking Dead seen on FOX cancelled, will end with an extended season 11 in 2022 as more spinoffs are planned.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125  /StarSat 131) has been cancelled after 11 seasons with the AMC-produced zombie drama series that will end with an extended season.

The Walking Dead will end with an 11th season that will play out over an extended 24-episode season, with 12 episodes set to be broadcast in 2021, and the final 12 episodes in 2022.

The 11th season of The Walking Dead was supposed to broadcast this year but was delayed because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic that shut down film and television production globally.

Besides the end of The Walking Dead, AMC will also produce another two Walking Dead spinoff series - one revolving around Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) that will debut in 2023; as well as an anthology zombie-series currently entitled Tales of The Walking Dead, bringing the number of new spinoffs to 4 series.

Meanwhile the 10th season of The Walking Dead will start on 4 October, followed by 6 bonus episodes before the 11th season's first half starts later in 2021.

"It’s been 10 years 'gone bye', what lies ahead are 2 more to come and stories to tell beyond that" says Scott M. Gimple, former The Walking Dead showrunner and chief content officer of the franchise, in a statement.

"What’s clear is that this show has been about the living, made by a passionate cast, team of writer/producers, producers, and crew, bringing to life the vision put forth by Robert Kirkman in his brilliant comic - and supported by the best fans in the world."

"We have a lot of thrilling story left to tell on The Walking Dead and then, this end will be a beginning of more Walking Dead - brand new stories and characters, familiar faces and places, new voices, and new mythologies."

"This will be a grand finale that will lead to new premieres. Evolution is upon us. The Walking Dead lives."

Angela Kang, The Walking Dead showrunner, says "I look forward to digging in with our brilliant writers, producers, directors, cast and crew to bring this epic final chapter of Robert Kirkman’s story to life for our fans over the next two years."

"The Walking Dead flagship series has been my creative home for a decade and so it’s bittersweet to bring it to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol."

"Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride has been a highlight of my career and I'm thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together."

Ed Carroll, chief operating officer at AMC Networks, says "The Walking Dead made television history, and is one of those rare creative works that has given life to an entire content universe that is still in the early stages of growing and entertaining both new and established fans".

"We can’t wait to bring viewers this expanded final season of The Walking Dead over the next two years, and launch the fourth series in the history of the franchise, focused on the beloved Daryl and Carol characters, with the incredibly talented Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Angela Kang and Scott M. Gimple."

"There really is so much 'walking' ahead, in a number of very exciting directions, for this extraordinary creative universe we call The Walking Dead."

The 6th season of the spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead will start in October.

The other spinoff series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, following the "first generation" to grow up during the zombie apocalypse, will start on the dame day in the United States. A South African TV channel and date for The Walking Dead: World Beyond has not yet been announced.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 9 September 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:  

■ "Is this the best you can do for R900?"
DStv Premium subscribers continue to complain about the lack of value and quality content as BBC Studios' BBC First channel is also ripped away and subscribers say they have had enough of "junk viewing".

■ Another reader angry about the axing of ITV Choice and now BBC First, says DStv hasn't bothered to reply while having to pay R1000 monthly to watch repeats.
"What led MultiChoice to the belief thatno-one watched BBC First on channel 119?" asks the reader that wants to move from DStv to Netflix.


■ The disturbing photos from Ghana's trash-bad imitation TV version of M-Net and MultiChoice's Big Brother Naija.
Horrific production values as the so-called Biggy 237 trash show is marred by technical problems; contestant housemates sleeping in dirty, unkept room on student matrasses on the floor; organisers lied about the show being part of MultiChoice Ghana.


■ New BBC director-general Tim Davie against a switch to subscription.

■ New BBC boss Tim Davie to crack down on BBC staff posting their personal views on social media.
- Won't hesitate to shut down BBC TV channels if they no longer offer enough value.
- Says BBC has reached end of linear TV expansion.
- "There is still too much bureaucracy."

■ Star Wars actor John Boyega slams Disney and says he was pushed to the side.

■ How Netflix reinvented entertainment as well as corporate culture.

■ Covid-19 has wiped out 2020's new TV schedule in the United States.

■ Hollywood is filled with fear and loathing over the new stranglehold over cinema of video streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

■ Andrew Lloyd Webber warns that the arts is "at the point of no return".

■ Away on Netflix is another mission-to-Mars TV drama that doesn't achieve liftoff.

■ Reporters from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Australian Financial Review flee China after media crackdown.


■ "Shame on you Unilever! Shame on you TRESemmé!"
eNCA (DStv 403) continues its slide into activism and blended in-news commentary, blurring the line between just reporting the facts in TV news bulletins and giving personal opinion.
- EFF political party harasses eNCA reporter Nobusuthu Hejana.
- EFF political party harasses eNCA reporter AGAIN.


■ South Africa's auditor-general (AG) questions the SABC's R63 million contract with 5 international news agencies - BBC, Reuters, Feature Stories, Associated Press (AP), and AFP awarded in 2017.

■ Ellen DeGeneres will address the behind-the-scenes scandal at her talk show on the air when the new 18th season starts.

■ Global pirate viewing will start on 30 October when the second season of Star Wars' The Mandalorian is released on Disney+ that hasn't yet launched or announced any launch date for Disney's video streaming service in South Africa or Africa.


■ What the end of Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E! (DStv 124) says about the changing TV industry in America.
- The internet today would not be what it is without the Kardashian influence.
- The influencer/creator culture we have today would not exist without Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Hills and The Simple Life.


■ "Very bad form": Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pull out of a fundraiser linked to a video streaming rival to Netlifx after they had already said yes but are now producers for Netflix (subscription required).

- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's "money panic" played amajor role in their decision to sign a production deal with Netflix.
- Netflix viewers cancel their subscriptions after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce their Netflix production deal.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E! cancelled after 14 years.

by Thinus Ferreira

After 14 years and 20 seasons Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E! (DStv 124) has been cancelled with the famous Kardashian clan of Calabasas in California who has decided to end their reality show in 2021.

"After what will be 14 years, 20 seasons, hundreds of episodes and several spin-off shows, we've decided as a family to end this very special journey," says Kris Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian West, Khloé Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Scott Disick in a statement.

"We are beyond grateful to all of you who've watched us for all of these years - through the good times, the bad times, the happiness, the tears, and the many relationships and children. We'll forever cherish the wonderful memories and countless people we've met along the way."

Keeping Up with the Kardashians, produced by Bunim-Murray Productions and executive produced by Ryan Seacrest, started in 2007 with its 19th season that will start later this month on E!, followed by a final 20th season in 2021.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians became the channel's flagship reality TV show, leading to spin-offs like Kourtney and Kim Take Miami, Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Khloé & Lamar, Kourtney and Khloé Take the Hamptons, Dash Dolls, Rob & Chyna, I am Cait, Life of Kylie, Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian and Flip It Like Disick.

On her Instagram account on social media Kim Kardashian wrote: "To our amazing fans, It is with heavy hearts that we’ve made the difficult decision as a family to say goodbye to Keeping Up with the Kardashians".

"After what will be 14 years, 20 seasons, hundreds of episodes and numerous spin-off shows, we are beyond grateful to all of you who’ve watched us for all of these years – through the good times, the bad times, the happiness, the tears, and the many relationships and children. We’ll forever cherish the wonderful memories and countless people we’ve met along the way.

"Thank you to the thousands of individuals and businesses that have been a part of this experience and, most importantly, a very special thank you to Ryan Seacrest for believing in us, E! for being our partner, and our production team at Bunim/Murray, who’ve spent countless hours documenting our lives."

"Our last season will air early next year in 2021."

"Without Keeping Up with The Kardashians, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who has watched and supported me and my family these past 14 incredible years. This show made us who we are and I will be forever in debt to everyone who played a role in shaping our careers and changing our lives forever."

"With Love and Gratitude, Kim"

E! in its own statement says "E! has been the home and extended family to the Kardashian-Jenners for what will be 14 years, featuring the lives of this empowering family".

"Along with all of you, we have enjoyed following the intimate moments the family so bravely shared by letting us into their daily lives. While it has been an absolute privilege and we will miss them wholeheartedly, we respect the family’s decision to live their lives without our cameras."

"It is not our final goodbye yet, we are excited to have the new season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians launching on September 17 with the final season airing in 2021."

"We thank the entire extended family and our production partners, Bunim Murray and Ryan Seacrest Productions for embarking on this global phenomenon together."

Last month E! cancelled its longrunning E! News, with NBCUniversal that signalled that it's moving its focus away from producing expensive programming for most of its traditional linear pay-TV channels and strongly pivoting towards a video streaming content strategy along with the other major Hollywood players.

Prolific South African actor David Clatworthy loses his battle against cancer. He was 60.

by Thinus Ferreira

The prolific South African actor David Geoffrey Clatworthy has died after he lost his battle with cancer. He was 60.

The actor whose numerous roles spanned television, more than 100 radio dramas, theatre and internationally released film and series like Neill Blomkamp's District 9 and the first season of Netflix's The Crown, had throat cancer and he passed away on Tuesday.

He was married to Wilmien Rossouw and they had two children and later he was in a relationship with Michelle Botha and they had a son together..

He currently worked as a director at kykNET's weekday Afrikaans soap Getroud met Rugby where he previously appeared in the on-air role of Gerald Richter.

Michelle Nortje, Getroud met Rugby publicist, tells TVwithThinus that "David was at Getroud met Rugby until June. The last few episodes that he worked as director will be broadcast towards the end of September. His passing comes as a big loss for the entire Getroud family and we all will miss his calm presence and humanity".

David Clatworthy studied speech and drama at the University of Cape Town between 1980 and 1983, after which numerous roles followed.

He appeared in The King and I, Life Is a Pitch, Macbeth, Revamp (musical), The Boys Next Door, Beyond Therapy, Homeland, Toering, Koning, Going Up, Isidingo, Zero Tolerance, Hard Copy, Meester, Iemand Om Lief Te Hê, Scoop Schoombie, Die Laksman, Carpe Diem, Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, The Lab, 7de Laan and Justice For All.

Other on-screen appearances included Bloedbroers, Erfsondes, Fallen, Generations, High Rollers, Konsternasie Oppie Stasie, Mzansi Magic's Mshika-shika, On the Couch, Roer Jou Voete, Safe as Hauser's, e.tv's Scandal!, Soul Buddyz, The Mating Game, The Wild, Charlie Jade, Wild at Heart and Those Who Can't.

His voice was heard in over 100 radio dramas.

He appeared in films like 2018's Mia and the White Lion, Harry's Game, Young Ones, Everyman's Taxi, Lunar Cop, Verraaiers, Platteland, and 2011's Winnie Mandela.

He was also in Mrs Mandela, White Lion, Hitchhiker, Merlin: The Return, The One That Got Away, Cry The Beloved Country and Return to Justice.

David Clatworthy won the Fleur Du Cap Award for best supporting actor for his role as Jamie in Long Day’s Journey Into Night and for his role as Eddie in Greek.

He was also nominated for a Fleur Du Cap Award in 1989 and the Dalro award in 1989. David has also appeared in over 100 radio dramas.

MultiChoice South Africa CEO Mark Rayner resigns after almost 14 years with the pay-TV operator.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice South Africa CEO Mark Rayner has resigned after almost 14 years with the pay-TV operator.

"It is with great regret that today we announced the departure of Mark Rayner from MultiChoice, effective 30 November 2020," says MultiChoice in a statement.

"Having been part of the MultiChoice family for the past 14 years leading in various parts of the group, Mark Rayner has now decided to further his journey outside the group. Over the years Mark has been a key part of driving growth, championing product innovation and pushing customer focus," says MultiChoice.

"We wish him well in the future. An announcement on Mark’s successor will be made in the near future."

MultiChoice didn't announce any temporary acting MultiChoice SA CEO.

Mark Rayner joined MultiChoice in March 2007 as DStv Mobile chief financial officer (CFO) after which he became CEO of DStv Mobile, progressed to chief operating officer (COO) of MultiChoice South Africa and became MultiChoice South Africa CEO in May 2016.

The exit of the highly-respected Mark Rayner, a chartered accountant who joined the Randburg-based pay-TV operator, comes just under 2 months since the abrupt resignation of Niclas Ekdahl in mid-June as MultiChoiceConnected Video CEO.

Going dark on DStv: Disney's FOX Life and Disney XD the next TV channels leaving MultiChoice's pay-TV service at the end of September 2020.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Disney-run TV channels FOX Life (DStv 126 / StarSat 133) after 4 years and Disney XD (DStv 304) after 9 years are both ending on MultiChoice's DStv at the end of September when DStv subscribers will lose another two TV channels on the pay-TV service.

FOX Life will also exit the StarTimes pay-TV service operating under the StarSat brand in South Africa. StarSat told TVwithThinus that "due to FOX's channel strategy change, FOX will soon cease production of FOX Life" and that "FOX Life will be taken offline on 30 September 2020".

The channels' termination is most likely because of Disney's ongoing global corporate brand realignment efforts after acquiring 21st Century Fox, as well as Disney's big new emphasis to prioritise and shift its focus to its own video streaming endeavours.

With less than a month to go before DStv subscribers lose access to FOX Life and Disney XD MultiChoice has not issued any statement to its customers yet. MultiChoice hasn't responded with any statement or provided answers to questions posed by TVwithThinus about FOX Life and Disney XD by the time of publishing this report.

However, in a note to DStv subscribers who also asked about it, MultiChoice - without giving specifics - said that "as of 30 September Disney XD and FOX Life will stop airing on the DStv platform. The change is as a result of an ongoing review of channels by content providers and platform partners".


UPDATE Monday 7 September 2020 12:22: MultiChoice in a statement to TVwithThinus says that the "MultiChoice Group confirms that as of 30 September 2020 at 23:59 Disney XD (channel 304) and Fox Life (channel 126) will stop airing on the DStv platform".

"The change is as a result of ongoing review of channels by content providers and platform partners."

"Favourite Disney XD content will migrate to the Disney Channel (channel 303). Retained programming will include live-action, animation and key franchise series, movies and stunts." Current shows like Phineas and Ferb, DuckTales, Big City Greens, Supa Strikas, Disney 11, Lab Rats, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Gravity Falls and Big Hero 6 will continue, as well as a host of new series which will be announced in the coming months."

MultiChoice says that it "and its content providers and partners continue to review their channels and viewer consumption to ensure the freshest and best-available content from around the globe. This process sometimes results in the termination of channels, but it also ensures the best possible experience for its customers."

Publicity executives at The Walt Disney Company Africa respectively responsible for communication about the Disney XD and FOX Life channels and who were also asked, didn't respond to individual media enquiries about the termination of FOX Life and Disney XD at the time of publication of this report on Monday.


UPDATE Monday 7 September 2020, 12:00: "We can now now confirm that the Disney XD and Fox Life channels will close at midnight on Wednesday 30 September," The Walt Disney Company Africa told TVwithThinus on Monday afternoon in a statement.

"As the television landscape and viewer consumption evolves, we continue to develop and review our products and services - including with our platform partners - to ensure we are offering the best possible experience for consumers."

"Whilst Disney XD will no longer air, some of the channels most popular and iconic animated and live action series will be brought to Disney Channel, expanding the channel’s programming offer to viewers. 

"Whilst Fox Life will no longer air, we are excited to continue to entertain DStv viewers with world-class series and programming from Fox Channel. We are excited to continue to bring our viewers popular and iconic programming from our extensive media networks channels."

In late-August when TVwithThinus asked Disney Africa if Disney XD is shutting down and why content that was on Disney XD is being moved over and duplicated on The Disney Channel (DStv 303), Jared Stokes, senior communications manager at Disney Africa, said that "we are currently going through some schedule and programming changes as per our ongoing review of our channel offering".

He said that Disney will share more details in coming weeks.

Disney XD meanwhile has continued to move over and duplicate existing Disney XD specific shows on The Disney Channel, effectively rendering Disney XD redundant. Disney XD has also not shown any noteworthy new content.

The demise of Disney XD that launched in May 2011 on MultiChoice in South Africa with shows like Phineas & Ferb after the channel started in 2009 globally and that MultiChoice and Disney at its South African launch on DStv called "a phenomenal success", leaves The Disney Channel and Disney Junior (DStv 309) as its two remaining linear Disney TV channels for children available on DStv.

FOX Life started on DStv and StarSat in September 2016 with Fox Networks Group Africa and DStv that at the time promised hundreds of hours of "fresh new programming for the schedule, focused on localised storytelling, created specifically for African viewers". Very little of that came to pass.

In October 2017 FOX Africa did a "refresh" for FOX Life with a new on-air look and more promises of new and localised content.

The past few months FOX Life has been on virtual life-support with a schedule that suddenly became stacked with reruns and old content.

DStv and StarSat subscribers noticed, complained, and it led them to speculate that FOX Life is on its way out given the lack of attention and the stacking of rerun content on the channel.

In addition, very little to no new international of locally-produced series were made or appeared on FOX Life recently, despite FOX channel executives once promising an ongoing slate of exciting new South American and Turkish telenovelas.

The termination of FOX Life comes 19 months after Disney's billion dollars takeover of 21st Century Fox that included the Fox Networks Group.

At MultiChoice's 2020 DStv Showcase media event in August the pay-TV operator's executives made no announcement to the media that Disney XD and FOX Life will be ending a month later on DStv.

Interestingly, it is shaping up to be a record year over the past year for TV channels going dark on DStv, with the past year that has seen the loss of channels ranging from A+E Networks UK's Crime+Investigation channel to SundanceTV, ITV Choice, SABC Encore and Fashion One to BBC First on DStv, as well as a reduction to fewer M-Net Movies channels.


The likely reasons
Two different reasons are likely driving the shuttering of the FOX Life and Disney XD channels.

Firstly, Disney wants to phase out and get rid of  the "Fox" name everywhere it is used. Disney has been busy and slowly ramping up its strategic global makeover of the legacy-acquired "Fox" brands that have become part of the bigger Disney brand. 

Last month Disney Television Studios rebranded its acquired 20th Century Fox as 20th Television, and Fox 21 TV Studios that is becoming Touchstone Television.

Before that the FOX Sports channels were rebranded as Disney's ESPN channels, effectively returning ESPN to Africa not because ESPN really wanted to return to Africa but because of a corporate takeover change. ESPN dumped Africa and got out of the continent 6 years ago in July 2013.

Regarding the full-on Supa Strikas kick to the curb of Disney XD, it has become very clear that Disney is basically done with putting the amount of energy and focus behind its legacy linear international Disney pay-TV channels as it had done for decades.

Shifting its own importance away from its Disney TV channels, Disney has dramatically realigned its focus the past year towards video streaming and particularly its own Disney+ subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) endeavours like Disney+.

Disney however hasn't yet made any announcement about when it will make Disney+ available in South Africa or Africa.

Over the past few months Disney has abruptly ended carriage agreements of its linear Disney pay-TV channels in big and comparable markets like the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand all because of video streaming.

It's very likely that the decision to end Disney XD in the South African and African markets are as a result of this bigger corporate sea change around Disney's TV channels.

Actress Thandeka Mdeliswa known as Khanya in SABC1's iKani shot and killed at her family home. She was 34.

by Thinus Ferreira

The iKani actress Thandeka Mdeliswa has died after she was shot and killed at her family home in Evander, Mpumalanga. She was 34.

Thandeka Mdeliswa was most known for her role of Khanya in SABC1's iKani drama series of 2018 which was her first TV role as a lead character as part of the main cast.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS) Thandeka Mdeliswa died on Saturday 2 days after she was shot on Thursday when two men came to her family home and started a violent argument with her brother.

Thandeka Mdeliswa tried to intervene after which shots were fired and she was killed. The police is looking for the alleged killer who shot her.

The Mdeliswa family in a statement on Sunday said that "it is with great sorrow that we inform you of the passing of our dearest daughter".

"She was shot in Evander, Mpumalanga, on Thursday 3 September. She was immediately rushed to the Evander hospital, stabilised and then airlifted to Witbank after which she was transferred to Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria as her condition was critical but stable."

"She passed on the morning of of 5 September, Saturday. She was a young, talented and inspirational actress which her family and community were looking forward to see flourish. We had a lot of expectations from her."

"The brutality which was inflicted on our daughter has left us deeply hurt. This is another incident of violence against women (gender-based violence) which our country has to fight against. We believe that justice will be served."

The SABC in a statement on Sunday afternoon said that "The SABC is saddened by the untimely passing ofThandeka Mdeliswa".

"The SABC is even more disturbed that her death came as a result of gunshot wounds in an apparent gender-based violence incident. The South African television industry has indeed been robbed of a young, talented and promising life, violently and senselessly taken away from our society in her prime."

Thandeka Mdeliswa studied acting at Brumilda's Acting Academy and appeared in an episode of eKasi: Our Stories on e.tv in 2013, and later played another character of the same series.

In 2014 she made a guest appearance in the SABC1 docu-drama series Ngempela and followed it up with a role in Mzansi Magic's (DStv 161) made-for-TV movie, The Contract in 2015.

She also had a guest appearance in Generations: The Legacy on SABC1 in 2016. In 2018 she appeared in Imoto Kokufa, another made-for-TV movie on Mzansi Magic.

SABC2's Muvhango cast and crew again unpaid as producer Word of Mouth Pictures blames the SABC for failure to pay the production company on time.

by Thinus Ferreira

At the end of August the cast and crew of SABC2's Venda weekday drama series Muvhango - many with families and small and hungry children to feed - once again went unpaid, with the producer, Word of Mouth Pictures that directly blamed the SABC over its failure to pay the production company on time.

In December 2019 production on SABC2's most-watched TV show and South Africa's 4th most-watched TV series abruptly shut down after the SABC failed to pay the cast and crew after 2 months.

Several insiders told TVwithThinus earlier this week that Muvhango is on a 2-week production break but that they were collectively planning to strike if production were to resume since they have yet again not been paid.

A source this week said that "the production has not paid us and they're not saying anything to the cast and crew", and a source said that "people are planning to down tools when we come back because this is honestly unfair".

Another insider said: "How do I tell my hungry, small child that I work for SABC2's biggest show but there's no money to eat or to buy food? Muvhango isn't paying us, saying the SABC didn't pay them".

In an internal memo that Fortune Sithole, CEO at Word of Mouth Pictures, send to staffers on Wednesday and that TVwithThinus has seen, Fortune Sithole said that the production company "extend our apologies for the late communication regarding the payment of salaries".

"Unfortunately our client (SABC) did not pay us for invoices that were due for payment on 31 August 2020 as expected. We have since been in communication with them to resolve the matter and they have promised to do an emergency payment".

"At this stage we are unable to give a definitive timeline, however all salaries will be paid in real-time once payment is received," Fortune Sithole wrote.

On Friday afternoon at 16:10 the SABC in response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus said that the SABC has now paid Muvhango again on Friday.

"The SABC can confirm that  payment to Word of Mouth production was effected today," said Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson.

"The corporation has been using relevant channels to communicate with the production house to address this matter and is not in a position to divulge further details on this process, in the public domain."

TVwithThinus asked the SABC earlier why Muvhango wasn't paid when it was supposed to, and asked again after the public broadcaster's response, if it can please say why Word of Mouth was only paid on Friday and why the production company was not paid when it was supposed to.

The SABC didn't respond to the specific question by the time of publication of this report.


ALSO READ: Production shuts down on SABC2's Muvhango after crew and cast goes unpaid by the SABC for 2 months.

Failure in its back-up power system knocked multiple SABC radio stations off air after Eskom loadshedding on Thursday night.

by Thinus Ferreira

A failure in the SABC's back-up power system and a power surge knocked multiple radio stations of the South African public broadcaster off the air for over an hour on Thursday night.

Thursday night's SABC radio stations blackout occured when Eskom loadshedding kicked in in Johannesburg, after which the SABC's back-up power system failed to work properly.

Presenters, crew and listeners of several SABC radio stations were shocked and confused on Thursday night over the unexplained SABC radio broadcast blackout that led to dead air on Metro FM, 5FM, Radio 2000, SAfm, RSG and the SABC's Channel Africa radio station.

In response to a media enquiry, Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson, told TVwithThinus on Friday that "The SABC can confirm that at 20:20 last night, there was a disruption of broadcast services to our Johannesburg-based radio stations, due to a surge of our back up power systems caused by load shedding".

"The services were restored at approximately 21:30. The affected radio stations included Metro FM, 5FM, Radio 2000, SAfm and RSG, as well as Channel Africa. The SABC apologises for any inconvenience this may have caused."

eMedia Investments to launch Openview Plus as streaming service, Openview Connect as a new broadband internet service.

by Thinus Ferreira

Seven years since it launched as a free-to-air service, e.tv now plans to extend its Openview satellite-TV service and to launch Openview Plus in October this year as a video streaming service in South Africa, as well Openview Connect within a few months as a new internet broadband service for consumers.

Openview Plus will carry eMedia's Openview channels and content as a direct-to-consumer offering funneled through the internet, and will very likely be available as a bundled-offer together with Openview Connect that eMedia plans to launch as a new broadband connection service.

No specific launch date for Openview Plus is known, nor pricing, but eMedia Investments wants to expand and augment its existing Openview satellite-TV footprint as soon as possible into the streaming service arena where it will compete with the likes of MultiChoice's Showmax, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Vodacom's Video Play and some smaller services like VIU that are all available in South Africa.

After launching Openview in 2013, eMedia and e.tv now want to get into and carve out a space in the still small but rapidly growing video streaming consumer market in South Africa, before the already overcrowded market becomes even more congested with offerings.

Several others international streamers like ViacomCBS Networks' Paramount+, Disney's Disney+, and WarnerMedia's HBO Max are not yet available in South Africa but are likely to launch and join the OTT fold in time.

While South Africa's public broadcaster hasn't launched an OTT service for the SABC but likely will in future similar to the BBC's iPlayer, MultiChoice just launched Showmax Pro as an upsell-offering that bundles Showmax with SuperSport content, and plans to offer streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on its new DStv Explora Ultra decoder.

Khalik Sherrif, eMedia Investments CEO, says in his CEO report in the latest 2020 eMedia Holdings annual report that "by October 2020 the group will launch its own over-the-top (OTT) offering called Openview Plus".

According to Khalik Sherrif, "Work on this offering is happening in earnest as this report is published".

The Openview satellite-TV service that is now available in 2 million TV households across Southern Africa carries self-packaged channels besides e.tv like eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra, eToonz, eReality, eRewind and eAfrica with channel carriage agreements for some of channels that are also available on the platforms of pay-TV operators like DStv and StarSat as the South African branded affiliate of China's StarTimes.

Some e.tv content are also licensed to the VIU streaming service which will become a direct rival for Openview Plus, and it's not clear how launching Openview Plus might affect that content availability, with eMedia that might elect to keep its premium locally-produced soaps and series for itself.

It's also not clear whether Openview Plus will be a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) model where users will have to pay to watch, or if it will go the advertiser-funded "freemium" route of NBCUniversal's just-launched Peacock streaming service in America where consumers have to watch a number of adverts per hour.

About its plans to launch Openview Connect as a new broadband internet service - a utility service that will help to carry and funnel its Openview Plus as a content service - Khalik Sherrif says it will expand eMedia's technology offering and target South African households that don't have internet fibre connections yet.

"Openview Connect will be an advancement in the technology-based offerings of the group. Openview Connect is set to launch in the next few months," says Khalik Sherrif. "The target market
for this offering is homes in South Africa that have no access to fibre as yet."

On Monday TVwithThinus asked eMedia in a media enquiry to please shed some more light on Openview Plus, what it is and will entail, confirmation of the October launch date, whether it will duplicate and mirror the existing satellite-TV Openview, and what it might offer additionally.

eMedia's marketing and publicity executives didn't respond with any answers.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 3 September 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ Must-see cheap production values: Doctor in an Indian medical drama series uses Scotch Brite scrubs as "defibrilators".

■ South Africa's hyped but disappointing Blood and Water on Netflix doesn't really reflect South African life.
Compared to the much better done better Grassroots on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) that is much more nuanced.

■ Islamaphobic? Joy Reid on MSNBC (StarSat 263) has no apology over her "The way Muslims act" comment that sparked outrage, says her comments were misconstrued.

■ China's propaganda channel CGTN (DStv 409 / StarSat 266) has scrubbed its website and removed anything to do with its anchor Cheng Lei detained in China, and deleted videos and references to her on its social media.

■ In America advertisers now want to cancel their campaign out of fear that the upcoming 2020 TV season will be disastrous for ratings given the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

■ The most toxic behind-the-scenes on-set stories of Netflix's cancelled The Patriot Act.

■ A new low for Indian television news.
- And in Australia: When television news is bad news.

■ Can satellite pay-TV survive in the video streaming centric world?

■ The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime Video will travel the world again after Covid.

■ The 10 most expensive to produce Netflix Original series and how much they cost.

■ Tanzania's shocking crackdown on media continues as Clouds TV becomes the latest TV channel to get banned.

■ How watching TV may relate to depression.

■ With new Wan Luo TV channel it's the first time people in northern Uganda will have a national TV broadcast inthe Luo dialect.

■ Scandal: Kerry Washington would have abandoned the Scandal series if Fitz was ...

■ An Indian journalist's shocking letter about working for Republic TV.

2020 DStv Showcase: The most important announcements and revelations from this year's MultiChoice media event.

by Thinus Ferreira

With nothing left untouched 'cause of 'Crona, even MultiChoice's annual DStv Showcase was different and done differenly this year, with the 2020 DStv Showcase that was moved up from the usual end-of-the-year in-person media gathering, and done from a studio as a remote broadcast but again filled with jam--packed technology and content announcements.

MultiChoice switched up its usual DStv Showcase - mostly held in its auditoriums and cinema venue inside its MultiChoice City building in Randburg to across the street and Studio 6 inside the SuperSport studios.

Instead of SuperSport anchor Neil Andrews as the compère as in previous years, MultiChoice used Maps Maponyane as the host and a variety of presenters to front individual segments that were a combination of pre-taped promos and sizzle reels, Zoom interviews and in-studio interviews.

For the first time ever MultiChoice broadcast the DStv Showcase on television, opening up DStv channel 196 as an events channel for the 2-hour broadcast on the DStv decoders of selected media to watch it from home.

It did limit the interaction with press who couldn't ask questions or follow-up questions after sessions with media who had to email in written questions to an email address and with some that were answered at the end.

Here are the main must-know news and interesting titbits:

1. No mention of Netflix (or Amazon Prime Video or Disney+)
The media expected that MultiChoice would announce licensing deals with at least Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to carry their apps as over-the-top (OTT) services, folded in to its new carousel shopfront on its new range of DStv decoders.

In its latest financial year results MultiChoice said it would add at least two next to its own Showmax and JOOX and in its presentation revealed that it was Netflix and Amazon Prime Video before redoing and reissuing it.

At its 2020 DStv Showcase MultiChoice said nothing about Netflix or any other global streaming services, very likely because South Africa's Competition Commission has started an investigation into MultiChoice's plan which likely pushed the announcement back.


2. Go Pro
MultiChoice finally launched Showmax Pro and Showmax Pro Mobile in South Africa, a spiffier version of its existing Showmax subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service with added bells and whistles in the forms of linear TV news channels and sport content included.

Showmax Pro costs R449 and Showmax Pro Mobile costs R225 per month.

Showmax Pro is now basically a cheaper "streaming DStv", offering a catalogue of entertainment content, combined with TV news and much of the sport offering from SuperSport.


3. Ultra and Streama
MultiChoice unveiled two new decoder versions that it will launch to market before the end of the year but gave neither launch dates nor retail prices.

The DStv Explora Ultra that will cost more than the DStv Explora 3A is the latest DStv Explora model. It has the capacity to, and in time will carry services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video that will sit next to MultiChoice's existing services like DStv, DStv Catch Up and Showmax on the box.

Similar to the DStv Explora 3A, the DStv Explora Ultra has a recording capacity of 110 hours, will be able to pause live TV for 2 hours, have access to DStv BoxOffice, DStv Catch Up, provide an 8-day TV guide, have parental control and have interactive apps of SuperSport, News24 and weather.

The DStv Explora Ultra comes with a new "home page" with recommendations that showcase content from across DStv, Showmax, BoxOffice and selected streaming apps.

The new DStv Explora Ultra remote control also allows quick access to streaming apps and the set-top box comes with built-in WiFi.

The DStv Explora Ultra supports 4K and Dolby Atmos (where available and when connected to the correct equipment) although MultiChoice doesn't plan on launching any 4K-resolution TV channels anytime soon. 

The DStv Streama looks like a gaming console and works without a satellite dish and its associated cabling and all that is needed is a reliable home internet connection, a DStv Streama device and a TV set.

The DStv Streama offers an array of sport, entertainment, news and kids' content. The DStv Streama comes with apps like Showmax and YouTube and users will be able to "seamlessly switch between applications to view the content of your choice".

4. New third-party channels - including K-drama

DStv is getting 5 new TV channels, ranging from Mexican telenovelas and a Canadian kids channel to Turkish telenovelas and even South Korean or so-called "K"-dramas. 

MultiChoice will add tlnovelas on DStv channel 133 that "will run from 14 to 30 September. tlnovelas will broadcast an array of English-dubbed Mexican telenovelas from Latin America’s second-largest producer, Televisa.

ZooMoo that will launch on 1 October 2020 as a pop-up channel on DStv and run on channel 314 until 31 March 2021 is a Canadian kids’ channel that delivers a unique mix of live action combined with animation and puppets. 

KIX (pronounced "kicks") that MultiChoice already previously announced is coming to DStv on channel 114 from 1 October 2020 at 19:00 and is described as "the ultimate destination for action movies in Africa".

KIX will be available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, and DStv Compact subscribers in South Africa as well as across sub-Saharan Africa. The channel will offer DStv subscribers "a high octane blend of martial arts, action and thriller movies from the East and West, all presented in English".

The Turkish telenovela channel Timeless Drama Channel, SPI/FilmBox's premium Turkish drama channel, will start on DStv in November 2020 on DStv channel 123 with "high-quality, glossy telenovelas and costume dramas".

tvN that will start in November 2020 on DStv channel 134 will have South Korean dramas or so-called "K-drama".

tvN is from the Oscar-winning producers of Parasite, featuring shows produced by some of the biggest players in the Korean drama industry and serving up "glossy, powerful content".


5. DStv Rewards for couch potatoes

MultiChoice announced that it will launch a new star-tiered DStv Rewards loyalty programme in South Africa in September that will essentially reward loyal DStv subscribers for watching more TV.

The level that a DStv subscriber is pegged at and the type of rewards that they will qualify for will be determined by the DStv package a subscriber is on, for how long the person has been a subscriber (tenure), as well as product usage. For all of this a DStv subscriber gets awarded stars.

With DStv Rewards subscribers will qualify for upgrades, DStv subscription fee discounts, "free" DStv BoxOffice movie digital tokens, Uber Eats digital discount vouchers, birthday rewards, service vouchers, Showmax discounts, additional DStv channel access, exclusive experiences and "personal challenges".

6. Add M-Net Movies

MultiChoice has created a new M-Net Add Movies add-on package of R99 per month that has 3 M-Net Movies channels that can be added to any of its lower-tiered DStv bouquets.

The M-Net Movies Add Movies package will consist out of the channels: M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104), M-Net Movies 2 (DStv 106), and the Afrikaans fliekNET (DStv 149) channel.

DStv Premium subscribers automatically get access to these movie channels but DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family, DStv Access, DStv EasyView and DStv Indian subscribers will now be able to add the M-Net Movies Add Movies package for R99 per month to their DStv subscription fee.

7. DStv dishless

MultiChoice revealed more about its so-called "DStv dishless" service that it will be launching. 

Although the expectation was that it would be cheaper, DStv Streaming will cost exactly the same for every bouquet as traditional DStv, and a subscriber will have to pay for data in addition as well.

MultiChoice didn't announce when its DStv dishless version will become available for sale and sign-up.

MultiChoice said that the DStv app and its DStv dishless service will bring the same DStv content and channels as the existing service, that users can then watch through "any screen of their choice - via Smart TV, browser, mobile phone or gaming console with a consistent high-speed data connection".

MultiChoice said that "DStv residential packages are all available, with the full set of live channels and Catch Up shows. Streaming customers will be able to watch their favourite shows on Catch Up on four devices, with a maximum of two concurrent streams".

MultiChoice said that DStv will soon be partnering with telecommunications and internet service providers to offer bundled data packages in order to give DStv subscribers, using DStv streaming access, uncapped data along with whichever DStv streaming bouquet they are subscribed to.

8. Shorter Afrikaans series

M-Net's Afrikaans channels division kykNET will be producing a series of shorter dramas and move away from the 13-episode format for scripted content. 

9. Arendsvlei adds another day

kykNET's Afrikaans telenovela Arendsvlei produced by Penguin Films in Cape Town will extend from 3 to 4 episodes per week when the 3th season kicks off on kykNET & kie (DStv 145) on 28 September. The first on 1 October. Unannounced changes are also coming to kykNET's Cape Town done talk show Tussen Ons.

10. Still seeking Shaka

M-Net is still working on bringing the drama series Shaka Ilembe to screen and said that the series has officially entered pre-production. Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO of general entertainment and connected video, said it took Game of Thrones 10 years to make it to television.

The DStv Showcase played a "concept trailer" for Shaka Ilembe that it made in 2019 and reiterated that it's still looking for the lead to play Shaka. The series will be done in Zulu.

11. Blood Psalms

After its announcement of its new Canal+ co-production drama series Blood Psalms, M-Net revealed some further details of the Showmax Original series.

Filming has begin on the 10-episode series produced by Layla Swart and Jahmil X.T Qubeka's Yellowbone Entertainment in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng but MultiChoice and M-Net are keeing the specific locations a secret "to allow the crew to complete this massive production within the agreed timelines without any disruption from members of the public".

12. Siya and the sun

MultiChoice revealed more about Chasing the Sun, the 5-part SuperSport-produced documentary made in collaboration with the Springboks that will tell the behind-the-scenes story of their parth to the 2019 World Cup rugby win. 

Chasing the Sun will be broadcast on M-Net on Sunday 4 October at 18:00 and end on 1 November.

It will also be available on DStv Catch Up, SuperSport and Showmax. Gideon Khobane, SuperSport CEO, said that SuperSport is learning and will probably start to make more local sport documentaries similar to what ESPN and others have been doing.


13. Lifestyle and more TV channels for Africa

MultiChoice and M-Net are working on, and will roll out new localised entertainment channels in specific African countries like Ghana, Ethiopa and Mozambique over the coming months and into 2021, as well as a general lifestyle channel inspired by an African ethos for the continent.

Like Mzansi Magic in South Africa, Zambesi Magic in Zambia and Pearl Magic in Uganda, M-Net will launch a new general entertainment channel in Ghana but hasn't decided on a name yet. It will carry M-Net Original productions including Ghana telenovela, Ghana reality shows and Ghana comedy as a flagship channel for DStv subscribers there.

MultiChoice is also working on a general entertainment channel for Ethiopia where M-Net is already working on its first telenovela that will be in the Amharic language.

MultiChoice and M-Net will also launch an African lifestyle channel for the continent like Discovery's HGTV and BBC Lifestyle. "Now it's time to showcase to ourselves, the best of our fashion, the best of our cooking, and the best of the way in which we live," said Yolisa Phahle.

I Know that I'm shamelessly emotionally, visually and viscerally manipulated everytime @DStv, @MNet or @SuperSportTV make and show a super-cut sizzle reel of slo-mo scenes with evocative music. And yet, like the latest #DStvShowcase one, I fall for it. Every Single time.: pic.twitter.com/TecCsyC9cQ

— TVwithThinus (@TVwithThinus) August 20, 2020

14. Everybody wants to rule the world

Getting gooseflesh has always been the name of the game with MultiChoice, M-Net and SuperSport's sizzle reels and the 2020 DStv Showcase once again had one.

You know you're being shamelessly emotionally manipulated by it but like a fantasy visit to Disneyland, you want to live and experience it because of how it makes you feel.

To showcase it's internationally acquired content across DStv, Showmax and M-Net, the DStv Showmcase played an amazing sizzle reel using "Everybody wants to rule the world" from Tears for Fears.

New upcoming shows and new seasons of existing shows included in the stuuuuuningly evocative sizzle reel include FBI: Most Wanted; Love, Victor; Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, His Dark Materials, I May Destroy You, The Undoing, The Third Day, Bad Boys for Life, Alex Rider, Britannia, Beat Bobby Flay, Say Yes to the Dress, This is Fate, Mom, Scooby-Doo, The March of the Polar Bears, Chicago Fire, Grammy Salute to Legends, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, NCIS, Siren, Mrs. America, Lovecraft Country, The Handmaid's Tale, Fargo, The Good Lord Bird, I Still Believe, A Suitable Boy, Hightown, Reckoning, The Good Doctor, Devils, and The Titan Games.

The sizzle reel also included Our Girl, Small Axe, Belgravia, Strictly Come Dancing, Jamie: Keep Cooking and Carry On, Semi-Detached, The Mallorca Files, The Graham Norton Show, Race Across the World, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Intelligence, Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back, Almost Paradise, The Gentlemen, The Rhythm Section, Alaska The Last Frontier, Family Affairs, Gangs of London, Killing Eve, Henry Danger, Katy Keene, Love Life, Mixed-ish, Bull, Genius: Aretha, Street Outlaws, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Top Gear, Dolittle, Gold Rush: White Water, Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, 9-1-1 Lone Star, and several films.