DStv Media Sales Execs Wine and Dine Nigeria's Ad Buyers at Glitzy 10th Sales Event to Assuage Fears: 'Our Digital Tech Stack in Nigeria is Ahead of Most European Markets Within Canal+'

by Thinus Ferreira

At its glitzy 10th DStv Media Sales Industry Event at The Royal Box on Lagos' Victoria Island in Nigeria, Canal+'s DStv Media Sales executives from the West African nation and for the continent tried to assuage the fears of advertisers that the Canal+ takeover will lead to disruption.

At the swanky lifestyle space, Canal+'s DStv Media Sales execs met ad buyers, agency leaders and market strategists on Thursday evening to tell them that everything will be okay.

In attendance were Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee (group CEO of DStv Media Sales and CEO of Canal+ Advertising), Shamiel Sallie (senior vice president for digital advertising at Canal+), Kemi Omotosho (MultiChoice Nigeria CEO), and Doris Ohanugo (senior vice president of DStv Media Sales in Nigeria).

"The coming together of MultiChoice and Canal+ gives us an opportunity to be Africa's biggest stage for your brand," Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee said.

"It is about giving advertisers access to premium audiences at scale in premium video environments. Whether headquartered in Lagos, Cape Town, Nairobi, or Abidjan, Nigeria remains a fundamental anchor of who we represent."

The advertising arm of the pay-TV operator is investing in AI-enabled scheduling, digital automation, cross-platform ad management and other tracking and measurement tools, with Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee promising ad buyers on DStv "Access to richer content and shared tech expertise that allows us to build our digital muscles and deliver true value, because advertising and technology now move hand in hand".

Kemi Omotosho, MultiChoice Nigeria CEO, tried to talk up Nigeria's struggling economy with advertisers, although the struggling West African nation's economy remains stuck in a never-ending microeconomic struggle for households who can't get through the month due to a a very high cost-of-living crisis.

"The stats are telling us that this economy is going in the right direction, and there is no better time to invest in your business than right now," Kemi Omotosho claimed.

"We know viewer habits have changed; consumers spend more time on their personal devices than ever before. Our promise is to maintain our local flavour while offering world-class content at scale."

"Nigeria is changing, and so are we," she said.

Shamiel Sallie noted that "Our digital tech stack in Nigeria is ahead of most European markets within Canal+. My single ask to advertisers tonight is simple: lock in your budgets early to secure the biggest moments, premier positions, and maximum return on ad spend".

Amidst Growing Concerns and Lacking R120 Million in Funding SABC Says It Will Cover South Africa's Local Elections in November as Best it Can

by Thinus Ferreira

Amidst growing concerns about the South African public broadcaster's ability to comprehensive and effectively cover the country's upcoming local general elections on 4 November, Nomsa Chabeli, SABC CEO, says the broadcaster will do the best it can.

The select committee on economic development and trade in South Africa's parliament put out a statement on the parliamentary website, citing "lack of funding will result in the SABC not being able to cover the elections, committee hears".

According to the committee, Nomsa Chabeli said that the public broadcaster "is now planning coverage within its affordability" and maintains that the SABC can cover the elections set for 4 November properly.

"The ability to afford the deployment is still there should the funding become available, but sitting here nearly three weeks before the start, we realise that the window is fast closing. But for us it is important to reinforce commitment to ensuring that we provide credible, impartial access to election coverage which is supported by these realistic plans."

The SABC asked National Treasury for R120 million in funding to do election coverage and got nothing from the South African government.

Nomsa Chabeli, a few months ago, warned that even if the SABC were to get the money, due to logistics and acquisition timeframes, the SABC would now no longer have enough time to spend the money to beef up the broadcaster's election coverage.

With the SABC not able to fully do what it is supposed to in terms of the breadth of local election coverage, which requires more granular coverage than for the general election, it means that more viewers might drift to commercial rivals like eMedia's eNCA (DStv 403) and Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405).

The problem is that these commercial  TV news channels don't have the ability to cover the local elections very comprehensively either, and also that they have commercial interest: Coverage that is too far, too difficult or not deemed "worthy" won't get airtime and they don't have a mandate of "must cover" and can leave something if it's deemed too costly.

eMedia's eNCA is also going through a retrenchment process, letting go of staffers at the news channel that is impacting its news gathering scope.

CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. Another Durban FilmMart Came and Went. And So, Away In the Wind, What Was Said and Discussed There

by Thinus Ferreira

Another (postponed!) Durban FilmMart (DFM) has come and gone, but a really serious question that needs to be asked is where the actual coverage is from this film market - what was said there, happened there and discussed - from within South Africa.

The 17th Durban FilmMart, traditionally and historically held in July, was this year moved to October due to a funding crunch, combined with sudden structural shifts in major financial partnerships.

But the 17th Durban FilmMart, considered the number one film market in South Africa and the broader African continent, did take place. 

It just wasn't covered comprehensively and incisively by the actual media and film trade press in South Africa.

It's a really big problem and a serious concern that everybody does lip service about how they want South Africa's film and TV industry to grow, but how does that happen without actual reporting and coverage of it - so that those working in it, can read or see or hear what's happening, changing, challenges, and opportunities?

When this year's Durban FilmMart wrapped its 17th edition earlier this week, the atmosphere inside the Southern Sun Elangeni in Durban was apparently "electric".

With over a thousand film professionals who gathered, prizes awarded and millions of rands in development funding promised to be distributed, you'd think there would be reams of articles and stories.

Yet, if you do a Google search or pick up a local newspaper, scroll through major South African news sites, or turn on the evening television news, you would barely know it happened.

While the glitz of the Joburg Film Festival and its JBX industry programme in Johannesburg, or the blue carpet of the kykNET Silwerskermfees film festival in Cape Town capture headlines and attention, the same can't be said for the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) or the DFM.

This lack of comprehensive coverage is sadly not just a missed PR opportunity. It points to something broader, more systemic, and some type of blind spot or inability of the DFM and DIFF to get the same type of media buy-in or the same type of South African media to these weeklong events as the JFF, MultiChoice for the Silwerskermfees, or even MIP Africa/Fame Week is able to galvanise.

Not knowing what is really happening at the DFM and DIFF due to a lack of broad South African reporting and in whatever local trade press exists, damages South Africa's film and creative industry. 

The Durban FilmMart is primarily a business-to-business platform. 

It is a space where filmmakers pitch unmade scripts to international co-producers, legal experts debate copyright laws in the wake of AI, and distributors negotiate broadcast rights. 

It is an environment of intense panel discussions, legalities, and financial structuring. 

Because it lacks the immediate visual shorthand of a celebrity on a red carpet, mainstream South African editors routinely dismiss it as "too niche" or "too dry" for the general public. But covering it is still important because that gives oxygen to the entire industry.

Local reporting gives an opportunity for film professionals who are not there and those who can't attend a window into what the trends are, who said what, what is happening, and what opportunities and networking exist.

Bizarrely, the Durban FilmMart would proudly on banners display "in association with MultiChoice", with one of MultiChoice's PR companies that put out a press release entitled "MultiChoice puts the SA creative industry first at Durban FilmMart 2026".

What else was there? Nothing. 

Renee Jacobs, head of content, was there and headlined a panel discussion on the support and funding of local content in South Africa. Tebogo Matlawa, Canal+'s head of scripted content, was there and spoke. Willington Ngwepe, MultiChoice CEO was also there.

But what did they actually say? We don't know. No interviews were pitched. There were no transcripts or recordings or press releases. Which begs the question: How are South Africa's film biz who are not in Durban supposed to know or find out or hear?

What did the KwaZulu-Natal Film and Tourism Authority (KZNTA) actually say about unlocking opportunities for youth-led film and TV business? What did Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT) speak about?

How does South Africa and Africa's film biz truly build their audiences? What did the South African Guild of Actors (SAGA) share this week speaking about performers as co-creators? What progress has the Save SA Film & TV Jobs Coalition made so far?

You were either there and heard it personally in one of these panel session, or not at all, since there's nowhere that film industry professionals can get any comprehensive coverage from within South Africa about all that happened there. And it's a loss. For yet another year.

I also found it personally ironic that one of the category prizes at the 2026 DFM Awards was again the so-called "Talents Press Award" presented by CIFF and FIPRESCI. 

This year its flights 5 nights' accommodation and accreditation for the Cairo International Film Festival 2026 for the winner who must be an "emerging African film critic or journalist".

All good and well. Now please - anyone - point to the prize or award, anywhere in South Africa, for actual existing film critics or journalists to also enter and win access to film festivals and markets.

It's all fine and very laudable to help new entrants who are covering the TV and film trade, but how are existing practitioners who are covering, or trying to cover, the biz supported? 

What are the strategies and plans and support by film markets and film festivals to get the actual existing press and trade journalists to their physical festivals and markets and events to cover it - something that's win-win for all concerned?

Most certainly support and lift up the new. 

But what happens to all yesterday's "new" who become establishment media? It's great that early-career African and South African critics, bloggers, and journalists are supported to help tell the stories of the film industry. But what after that?

The theme of this year's DFM was "Shifting Worlds: Turning Towards Ourselves." It was a call for African and South African filmmakers to look inward, leverage local talent, and build sustainable internal ecosystems.

Although few, the dedicated South African journalists and press and platforms who would cover the DFM and DIFF, as they do other similar markets and festivals, surely do exist. 

Somehow, ways need to be found to practically and functionally integrate them more for coverage to blossom. 

Possibly the DFM and DIFF can take a page from the JFF, JBX, Silwerskermfees festival and others who do it more effectively, and somehow put more effort and new strategies into place, to reach out, to work with local South African media to broaden their coverage by turning effort "towards ourselves" as South Africa.

ALSO READ: 'Difficult Decision' as 2026's 17th Durban FilmMart is Postponed to October Amidst Significant Funding Crisis

International Preschool Channel JimJam on DStv the Next to Get Dumped by Canal+'s MultiChoice after 13 Years

by Thinus Ferreira

The international preschool TV channel JimJam provided by AMC Networks International (AMCNI) is the next linear TV channel that Canal+'s MultiChoice will lose on its DStv service.

JimJam is being yanked from DStv after 13 years on 11 November with no explanation given to DStv's customers as to what the specific reasons are.

JimJam was added to DStv in November 2013 and is notably the very last remaining TV channel distributed by AMC Networks International that still remained on DStv.

TVwithThinus asked Canal+ and MultiChoice in a media query what the reasons are why JimJam is ending on DStv.

MultiChoice confirmed that JimJam will end on 11 November and said the TV channel is going away "as DStv continues to review and refine its channel line-up" but declined to give any reasons.

Sthembiso Semenya, MultiChoice spokesperson, said "DStv continues to invest in preschool children's entertainment including PlayRoom, which brings together local and international programming for young viewers".

"Families can also enjoy preschool entertainment on Cartoonito, CBeebies and DreamWorks, depending on their package. Visit the DStv TV Guide to explore what’s available for your family."

Canal+ has been busy with aggressive corporate cost-cutting since it took control of MultiChoice in late 2026.

2027's 9th Joburg Film Festival Unveils Theme as 'Visual Horizons: What the World Sees'

by Thinus Ferreira

The 9th Joburg Film Festival (JFF) that will run from 9 to 14 March 2027 has unveiled its theme for next year as "Visual Horizons: What the World Sees".

According to the film festival, its theme for next year "Looks outwards: towards different lives, cultures, experiences and ways of seeing".

"It asks what becomes possible when cinema takes us beyond what we know, and how encountering another perspective can shift our understanding of the world around us".

The JFF organisers say the festival's focus next year "turns to the encounters cinema makes possible, the questions it leaves us with, and new perspectives".

Taryn Joffe, JFF festival manager, says "The starting point is always the film and the particular world a filmmaker opens up for audiences".

"Visual Horizons is about entering that world with curiosity and being open to what it might change in us."

"It also invites us to consider cinema's wider cultural influences and the diverse visual languages that inform it. This spirit of discovery and openness to new perspectives will guide the 2027 programme and the conversations around it."

The 9th Joburg Film Festival's visual identity uses the work of the Johannesburg-born visual artist and muralist Blessing Ntsikelelo Blaai, whose artwork Décor: Homeless (2026) has been selected as the festival's hero artwork.

Selected from Blessing Ntsikelelo Blaai's recent solo exhibition Surrogate Emotions, Décor: Homeless experiments with colourful planes and layered spaces, with each frame offering a different point of view. 

Its shifting perspectives, texture and bold use of colour form the foundation of JFF’s visual identity for 2027.

His contemporary practice combines geometric abstraction and faceless figures to explore urban spaces, human connection, memory and trauma.

The theme inspires the film festival programme holistically, with the JFF says that it will help to connect "what audiences experience on screen with the conversations, encounters and creative exchanges beyond it".

The JFF's initiative for emerging filmmakers, Young Voices, will have "The Next Vision" as its theme for 2027.

JBX, the festival's industry programme, will once again foster engagements with filmmakers about the business and craft of film, as well as the latest industry trends.

Tim Mangwedi, JFF founder and executive director, says "JFF has grown through the connections it creates between filmmakers, audiences and the city of Johannesburg, and we are very excited about the upcoming ninth edition".

"With each edition, we want to create more opportunities for African stories to take centre stage at the festival and reach audiences beyond it. The city gives that exchange a home, bringing African cinema into conversation with films from around the world."

SHOCKER. Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria Out at Netflix

by Thinus Ferreira

In a big Netflix shocker, the video streaming service's chief content officer Bela Bajaria is out and getting replaced by Peter Rice, the former Disney and Fox executive.

Bela Bajaria was at Netflix for a decade since 2016, and became chief content officer in 2023.

Bela Bajaria's exit from Netflix comes as the streamer is getting rid of 1 000 staffers worldwide, roughly 6% of its workforce and Netflix's largest retrenchment ever as growth slows.

"I want to thank Bela for a decade of dedication, innovation, creativity and leadership," says Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO, in an internal memo sent to Netflix staffers.

"She led enormous changes at Netflix. She helped broaden our content offering to include the large-scale expansion of unscripted programming and the launches of live events and sports, in addition to crafting and running a world-class, global slate of films and series."

"Bela has built and shaped a truly global content organisation, hiring brilliant people and empowering them to make good decisions. I am incredibly grateful to her for everything she's done to help Netflix entertain the world."

"I know this is a big change in a year that has already had its share. But I also see an opportunity to take our slate to the next level, especially in UCAN [United States and Canada] where we have an outsize impact in creating big, buzzy hits that our members love and drive conversation around the world."

"Peter is one of the most effective at-scale operators in the entertainment industry."

"His business acumen is sharp, his talent relationships are exceptionally strong, and his experience across TV and film is deep and broad. He understands what makes stories resonate, and he's spent his career helping talent do the best work of their lives."

"I'm excited to welcome him to Netflix as chief content officer as we continue to scale and deliver members more of the stories they love."

"I've gotten to know Peter personally over the years, and I’ve always been impressed by his straightforward approach, the depth of his relationships and his exceptional creative and business instincts."

"Talent should have the best experiences of their life here, and Peter and I both believe that Netflix can and should be the home of the best storytellers in the world."

"It's been an eventful series of days here, and I realise we've asked you to absorb a lot of news and a lot of information. But we all know change is what we do at Netflix."

"Greg and I will host a companywide town hall on Wednesday, 21 October. I want everyone to hear how we're thinking about the strategy and our execution amid this week's changes, and to have a chance to ask questions. It will be informal and mostly Q&A, so please bring your questions about this week's changes and anything else on your mind."

Peter Rice was the chairman of Walt Disney Television and chairman of general entertainment for The Walt Disney Company until he was fired in June 2022.

Peter Rice says "Netflix has fundamentally changed the way stories are made, shared and experienced around the world".

"They've shown again and again that they're willing to take chances on distinctive voices and fresh ideas, and I'm excited to work with the team to help bring even more great stories to members everywhere."

ALSO READ: Netflix Axing 1000 staff in Largest Job Cuts to Date as Streamer's Growth Slows

The AI Bot that Deleted an Entire Upcoming New Season of a TV Show

by Thinus Ferreira

"Gud hjälpe mig" is Swedish and translates to " God help me. It's what the Swedish producers of the The Challenge Sverige probably said after an AI bot got loose inside its production server and destroyed and deleted the entire, edited upcoming second season of the reality show.

Just weeks before the The Challenge Sverige is set to premiere on 22 November, an AI got loose in its production server and destroyed the entire upcoming show.

The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reports that hundreds of staffers at the Mastiff production company will now have to redo the second season of The Challenge Sverige, which has now abruptly been postponed to 2027 on the TV4 channel. Because of AI.

Luckily the raw footage exists, so producers and editors all have to restart from there.

A TV4 publicist told the newspaper that "What we have received from the production is that there has been a technical failure that has caused material that has been cut to disappear and that we therefore have to re-cut it again. And that we therefore need to postpone the premiere to 2027."

NFVF Puts Out a Tender to Find Out More About the SA Film Body's Stakeholders - is Media Even a Thought?

by Thinus Ferreira

South Africa's struggling and beleaguered government-funded film body, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has put out a tender for someone - anyone - to help it know who its stakeholders actually are and what they're thinking about the NFVF.

And you have to wonder: Does the NFVF even remotely see The Media in South Africa as one of its so-called stakeholders, given the shocking and embarrassing way the NFVF has been dismissive towards the media covering it and its activities, and hasn't had any real relationships with the media in years.

In a new tender, the boardless NFVF whose entire council got fired last month, and just got its 8th CEO in 3 years, is looking for a company to give it a "review" of who its stakeholders are, and what they're thinking and require from the NFVF.

This is information the NFVF should already have. It is information the NFVF should be able to collect and research and tabulate itself, in-house. 

It's another prime example that the NFVF is floundering forward, having no real idea who the film body's stakeholders are, how to serve them, what their needs are.

As far as the media go, the NFVF's "stakeholder management" is deplorable - and has been for years - in my opinion.

For years the NFVF has done nothing to actually really engage with the media and trade journalists covering South Africa's TV and film industry, and by implication with the NFVF. 

Things the NFVF used to do media-wise shamelessly got dropped and disappeared (SAFTAs nominees announcement media event, anyone? Yes, the examples are legion).

I'd bet there's nobody inside the NFVF left who can even mention 5 journalists or publications in South Africa covering the NFVF, and who would be able to identify them from a physical line-up and give their basic platform or publication deadlines, interests and target markets.

How do you even have a media strategy to try and get coverage, if you don't even know what (and who?) the media are about?

Because nobody inside the NFVF is able to pick up a phone and, uhm, actually call people and talk to them, in a new NFVF tender, the film organisation is now looking for a "service provider" that it wants to "review, assess and evaluate the NFVF's relationship with, and impact on, its categories of stakeholders".

The NFVF says it needs the stakeholder review to be compiled for it because it wants to assess their relevance, and "understand the objectives, interests, expectations, involvement, and the varying needs of its different stakeholders".

The NFVF purportedly wants to "ensure the right people receive the right information and participate, at the right time, in the right way" and wants to "proactively manage the pace and extent of change that each stakeholder must be informed about".

It also wants to "maximise the potential for successful communication, collaboration and empowerment of the stakeholders".

Then the NFVF want "Based on its assessment, to provide recommendations to the NFVF in respect of its stakeholder engagement strategy".

A last note regarding "the media" (if the NFVF even considers "the media" a stakeholder): The NFVF hasn't had a PR company or dedicated publicist or media liaison office for years. 

The NFVF's communication and media liaison on something like the SAFTAs has been excruciatingly bad to non-existent for years. While it had at times, the NFVF hasn't employed an external PR agency to deal and interact with the media in years.

One of the proposed outcomes is supposedly to "Review stakeholder engagement strategy in order to effectively engage stakeholders". 

Hopefully, whoever does this "review" of the NFVF stakeholders and this stakeholder survey, will eventually flag the massive problem the NFVF has with the media as stakeholders, how the NFVF's relationship has deteriorated to basically nothing with the media, and just how damaging it is for the NFVF, and everything that it tries to accomplish.

ALSO READ: NFVF Council Dissolved with Immediate Effect for a 2nd Time in 2 Years as Fired Board Members are Slammed Over 'Loss of Confidence' to Provide Governance for SA's Rudderless Film Agency

ALSO READ: Shadrack Bokaba Parachutes into NFVF CEO chair as 8th Person in the Position in 3 Years at SA's Rudderless and Boardless Film Agency

Zimbabwe's ZBC Made a Shaka iLembe Knock-off - and Then Nyami Nyami Failed to Start its Broadcast Without Any Explanation

by Thinus Ferreira

There's absolutely no explanation from Zimbabwe's ZBC, that made a historical drama series that looks like a knock-off of South Africa's Shaka iLembe, and which ZBC then suddenly failed to start the broadcast of as it promised on 4 October with no explanation for its abrupt no-show.

Following two seasons of The Bomb Shelter Film Company's high-quality Shaka iLembe historical drama series on M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) in South Africa, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) surprised by announcing Nyami Nyami, produced by the Savanna Trust.

When the first trailer was released in April, jaws dropped: Not just because it immediately drew comparisons as a historical fantasy Zimbabwean drama series that seems to emulate Shaka iLembe, but for what instantly looked like high production values.

Nyami Nyami's cinematic looks more akin to premium television and far removed from the third-rate programming that the ZBC is known for.

Nyami Nyami, directed by Joe Njagu, Charles Munganasa and Daniel Maposa, is described as a "mythological fantasy drama" rather than a strict historical drama, which Shaka iLembe is.

While it is set in a tribal, traditional environment that gives it a historical aesthetic, its core premise is built entirely around BaTonga folklore and mythology.

The plot revolves around Nyami Nyami, the legendary, serpent-like Zambezi River God. 

The series brings to life the spiritual beliefs of the Tonga people, exploring themes of community, conflict, and the powerful river deity, and was filmed in Binga and at the Victoria Falls.

The story and screenplay were developed by the acclaimed Zimbabwean playwright and author Raisedon Baya, with the cast including Eddie Sandifolo, David Mungombe, Brenda Muleya and Lawrence Munkuli.

Scripting and concept development took place in early 2025, with principal photography and active on-location filming beginning in mid to late 2025. 

Like with Shaka iLembe, the filmmakers worked closely with BaTonga elders to ensure that the preservation of oral histories, traditional garb, and language accents remained as authentic as possible.

Filming on Nyami Nyami wrapped in early 2026, followed by post-production.

While the exact budget for Nyami Nyami is not known, it is definitely one of the most financially ambitious projects in modern Zimbabwean television history. 

The drama series is a primary beneficiary of the Zimbabwean government's newly initiated $10 million local content production fund, which was started by the country's ministry of information to try and improve the ZBC's drama slate.

Nyami Nyami was supposed to start on Sunday 4 October on ZBC - in a TV timeslot that screams "prestige television". Only, it didn't.

On the morning of 4 October - the exact same day Nyami Nyami was scheduled to premiere at 21:00, ZBC suddenly announced that the show wouldn't start without giving any explanation - and nothing since.

"ZBC TV wishes to advise its valued viewers and stakeholders that the premiere of the much-anticipated new drama series Nyami Nyami on ZBC TV, which was scheduled for this Sunday, 4 October at 21:00, has been rescheduled to a later date to be advised. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused," the broadcaster said.

After the production team had spent months building massive hype, cancelling the broadcast literally hours before the premiere didn't just leave viewers frustrated and deflated - it damaged ZBC's reputation and whatever trust remained, further.

With nothing said since, the amateurish management within the broadcaster around the show's planned broadcast continues to grow.

Announcing a delay on the exact day of release usually implies that something went wrong very late in the process, rather than a planned strategic shift.

For Zimbabwe's state broadcaster, which is trying to prove that it can compete with higher regional broadcasters like South Africa's SABC and M-Net, the last-minute pull of Nyami Nyami raises fresh doubts about ZBC's operational reliability.