MultiChoice's Showmax kept Allan Sperling's exit as its head of content secret - who is now surfacing as Warner Bros Discovery's Nordics programming boss

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice's Showmax streamer, struggling with an embarrassing and constant exit of top execs over the last few years, has also kept the exit of Allan Sperling, its executive head of content, a secret - with Sperling now surfacing after 7 months as Warner Bros. Discovery's group vice president of programming, networks and streaming for the Nordics.

Allan Sperling who had oversight of Showmax content production until the end of April, will now oversee programming and operations for Warner Bros Discovery's channel portfolio in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

He will also lead the development of local Nordic productions for WBD's video streaming service Max.

Showmax that continues to struggle with a highly embarrassing revolving door of top executives didn't announce Allan Sperling's exit to South Africa's film and TV industry when he left at the end of April 2024. 

In August, TVwithThinus reported that M-Net and kykNET's Nicola van Niekerk was upped as Showmax acting content boss while continuing in her role as M-Net's head of premium content and co-productions.

Even in August Showmax didn't want to say that Nicola van Niekerk taking on acting content boss duties for Showmax was due to Allan Sperling exit.

MultiChoice continues to struggle with constant instability on Showmax top executive level which is now once again losing its CEO as well just months after the relaunch of the so-called ""Showmax 2.0" with Comcast's NBCUniversal.

MultiChoice South Africa CEO and Showmax CEO Marc Jury has resigned and will exit his Showmax CEO role in four months' time by the end of March 2025.

Marc Jury was forced to take over as interim Showmax CEO besides his MultiChoice SA CEO responsibilities just a year and two months ago after the abrupt departure of Yolisa Phahle as Showmax CEO in September 2023.

Just a month later in October 2023 Barry Dubovsky was out as Showmax chief operating officer (COO), with Joe Heshu quickly moved into the role as a stop-gap measure.

In August 2022 MultiChoice lost Candice Fangueiro as Showmax content boss who decided to jump to Amazon Studios and Amazon Prime Video in August 2022 to head up the creation and development of local content there although that initiative crashed and burned after less than two years.

MultiChoice and SHowmax also kept the exit of John Kotsaftis a secret to the industry and the media when the founder and first Showmax CEO left at the end of 2017. 

Over all of the Showmax executive exits hangs the aggressive buyout attempt by Vivendi SE's Canal+ in France that wants to take over MultiChoice.

The erratic Showmax turnstile leadership at this point must definitely not just be a massive point of concern for MultiChoice and partner Comcast but also for Canal+ which will very likely bring and make for yet another round of executive changes within Showmax if its buyout is approved in 2025. 

MultiChoice and eMedia secretly settle TV feud over channel carriage and sports sublicensing showing

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and eMedia have secretly settled their long-running TV feud regarding both the carriage of e.tv channels on DStv, as well as the blackout on Openview of SuperSport content acquired by the SABC.

While the details of the confidential settlement agreed to in September are not yet known, e.tv's additional TV channels continue to remain available on MultiChoice's DStv which means that a channel carriage extension deal was signed.

On the sports rights sublicensing issue, if the SABC were to acquire rugby or football matches from SuperSport again - and if this is also shown on the version of the SABC's TV channels carried on eMedia's Openview - that would mean that MultiChoice has entered into an amended deal with the SABC and e.tv as well.

Neither MultiChoice nor eMedia will be able or allowed to keep the details of the part of their so-called "confidential" settlement regarding the sports sublicensing matter secret.

This is because their months-long skirmish and public fight pertains to, and involves, the SABC as South Africa's public broadcaster which was dragged into the squabble, with even Gayton McKenzie, South Africa's latest minister of sports, arts and culture, who told MultiChoice, eMedia and the SABC to settle the issue or the government will become involved.

In its half-year results until the end of September, eMedia Holdings notes that "The Competition Commission's complaint against MultiChoice South Africa by eMedia for removing eMedia's four entertainment channels from the DStv bouquet as well as DStv's preclusion of the Rugby World Cup matches from the Openview platform has resulted in significant legal fees for the Group."

"The matter has, however, been satisfactorily settled by both parties in September".

Issue 1: e.tv channels to remain on DStv

The settlement means that eMedia's long-running TV fight over its TV channels on DStv has been settled exactly two and a half years after it started in March 2022.

At the time MultiChoice decided to dump the e.tv-packaged TV channels of eExtra (DStv 195), eToonz (DStv 311), eMovies (DStv 138) and eMovies Extra (DStv 140) from DStv, following the termination of a five-year channel carriage agreement that MultiChoice didn't want to renew, opting to keep only e.tv and eNCA (Dstv 403).

eMedia then took MultiChoice to the Competition Commission and accused MultiChoice of an abuse of marketplace dominance under the Competition Act. 

MultiChoice was forced to keep all of the e.tv channels it wanted to remove on DStv until the conclusion of the case.

Issue 2: Sub-licensed SuperSport rights

On the second matter the heat was really turned up in a really acrimonious fight between MultiChoice and eMedia after MultiChoice decided to resell SuperSport content to the SABC.

MultiChoice however forced the public broadcaster to black out the SuperSport content on the SABC's version of its SABC1, SABC2, SABC3 and SABC Sports channels carried on eMedia's Openview.

eMedia argued that content that is on the SABC should be available wherever the SABC's TV channels are carried and shown.

MultiChoice argued that eMedia is "free-riding" and that eMedia "wants to broadcast content to their Openview customers without paying a cent to do so".

This case also went to court after eMedia dragged MultiChoice to the Competition Commission and the Competition Tribunal.

In response to a media query MultiChoice on Tuesday told TVwithThinus "The terms of the settlement are confidential but we can confirm that the litigation between MultiChoice and eMedia Holdings has been settled amicably between the parties".

eMedia in response to a media query on Tuesday told TVwithThinus "The issues between the parties have been satisfactorily resolved by agreement, which brings to an end to the legal proceedings between MultiChoice and eMedia. We have entered into a confidential settlement agreement on the matter. We are very pleased with the outcome."

WildEarth channel returns to DStv as CEO André Crawford-Brunt makes grovelling apology for nasty MultiChoice comments

by Thinus Ferreira

WildEarth is set to return to MultiChoice's DStv from December as its interim CEO André Crawford-Brunt is apologising for nasty comments he made earlier this year when he said he's removing the TV channel.

Seven months after WildEarth was yanked from DStv at the end of April, the nature channel will return to DStv's channel 183 and all packages, although it's not yet known whether WildEarth is getting paid or how much according to the new channel carriage agreement.

Earlier this year André Crawford-Brunt, chairman and interim CEO, went on a scathing public rant against MultiChoice, slamming the Randburg-based pay-TV operator on social media and in interviews, saying WildEarth will be removed from DStv over non-payment.

This was despite the existing channel carriage agreement that WildEarth had entered into with MultiChoice in August 2020 which wasn't one where the channel would be paid. 

MultiChoice agreed to carry and give WildEarth exposure on the DStv platform where it could then leverage that viewership to get advertising and sponsorships but André Crawford-Brunt was no longer happy with the contract.

In comments André Crawford-Brunt cast aspersions on South Africa's TV ratings system, claiming that the measurement of TV viewership in South Africa and on DStv was "archaic".

He also slammed MultiChoice repeatedly and said that WildEarth was "getting binned by a big corporate because someone sitting in an ivory tower or sitting in an office in London can make a decision that this doesn't fit the short-term goals and needs of a big corporate".  

André Crawford-Brunt also told 702 that MultiChoice "has put their head in the sand" and slammed MultiChoice for "having just increased prices" and saying "people are particularly unhappy with them".

Behind the scenes, insiders told TVwithThinus in March that MultiChoice was shocked and taken aback by André Crawford-Brunt's public outburst. 

MultiChoice at the time was only willing to comment and say that it was "disappointing that WildEarth is seeking to publicly pressurise MultiChoice into providing additional commercial support".

The pay-TV operator said that it "wouldn't comment further on this matter and wishes WildEarth success in its future endeavours" when the channel went dark on DStv.

Seven months later, in response to a media query, MultiChoice confirmed to TVwithThinus that WildEarth will now be back from December on DStv.

Asked why it's returning WildEarth to the DStv channel line-up, MultiChoice says it follows after "constructive discussions" that led to MultiChoice and WildEarth reaching a new agreement to bring the channel back to DStv.

"Both companies are dedicated to delivering unique, immersive local content, allowing customers to experience African wildlife in a truly engaging way. This aligns with MultiChoice’s commitment to providing African-centred content that resonates with audiences".

MultiChoice declined to say whether it is now paying WildEarth, after it earlier offered to pay WildEarth R6 million per year which was rebuffed. 

"The contractual terms between DStv and WildEarth are confidential. Both parties reached an agreement that benefits viewers by bringing back unique, nature-focused content to DStv," MultiChoice says.

André Crawford-Brunt, striking a much more conciliatory tone, is now apologising and says "Our transition from MultiChoice was deeply emotional for everyone involved, reflecting the genuine passion and dedication we all feel toward bringing wildlife into people’s homes".

"In the heat of this change, there were moments when things were said that, in hindsight, would have been better handled privately."

"In this regard, I express regret and thank MultiChoice for the willingness to re-engage and find a way forward. Our shared vision for connecting people with nature remains, and we look forward to exploring new ways to bring this vision to life."

Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO, in a statement, says "We're pleased to have WildEarth back. Local, African-centred content has always been a focus of MultiChoice, and the unique programming on WildEarth is one of the ways we're fulfilling our priority of delivering the best and most inspiring local entertainment to our customers." 

ALSO READ: MultiChoice: GinX gone from DStv with WildEarth set to follow.

 ALSO READ: MultiChoice wishes WildEarth well away from DStv as channel will get yanked from its pay-TV service at the end of April.

Scandal! crew member Gary Megit dies in tragic accident after moving set on e.tv's Ochre Moving Pictures show

by Thinus Ferreira

Gary Megit (50), a crew member working on e.tv's Scandal! has died following a tragic accident after the team moved a section of the set.

Gary Megit, also known as "Gaz" and "Gazza", and who worked as a vision controller, was injured this past Friday while crew members helped to move a section of the Scandal! set and was taken to hospital.

The Arena Holdings-owned production company Ochre Moving Pictures confirmed to TVwithThinus that Gary Megit died in hospital on Sunday.

Gary Megit joined Ochre Moving Pictures in 2011, and previously worked as a vision controller at e.tv, eNCA, Stark Films, as well as Urban Brew Studios.

Stan Joseph, Ochre Moving Pictures CEO, says the team is devastated by the incident and Megit's passing. This is a time of immense sadness. Our deepest condolences go out to Gary's family."

"We are a very close-knit team on the show and are heartbroken by what's happened. Gary was a cherished member of the team and will remain in our hearts forever. We ask that Gary’s loved ones and the Scandal! team be given privacy and allowed to mourn with dignity during this painful time."

Joseph says the production team of Scandal! "places immense value and importance on the safety and security of its cast and crew".

"We take the safety of our cast and crew very seriously. This was an unforeseen and tragic accident."

Marc Jury resigns as MultiChoice SA and Showmax CEO, will exit April 2025, replaced by deputy CFO Byron du Plessis from December

by Thinus Ferreira

Marc Jury has resigned as MultiChoic South Africa and Showmax CEO, stepping away at a crucial point as MultiChoice is bleeding DStv subscribers, while trying to get traction for its streaming service and waiting to see whether an aggressive buyout from Vivendi SE's Canal+ in France will get the greenlight in 2025 from South African regulators.

Marc Jury will continue to work with MultiChoice for four months until the end of March next year to help with a handover with Byron du Plessis, MultiChoice deputy chief financial officer (CFO), who will take over as MultiChoice SA CEO from December.

The well-liked and respected former SuperSport CEO who became MultiChoice SA CEO a year and a half ago in April 2023 also suddenly took over responsibilities as Showmax CEO when Yolisa Phahle suddenly left in September last year.

Marc Jury jumps to pursue new opportunities in the sports business.

Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO, told MultiChoice staff in an internal memo that TVwithThinus saw, that "Marc has decided to leave MultiChoiceon 31 March 2025 to pursue opportunities in the business of sport, a field that has always been close to his heart".

"While we are sad to see him go, we are immensely proud of the legacy he leaves behind and are grateful for the contributions he has made to the business. Marc has held key leadership roles, including CEO of SuperSport and most recently, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa and Showmax."

Byron du Plessis has been with MultiChoice for 13 years.

"As MultiChoice SA CEO Byron will focus on driving growth, enhancing execution, and fostering a winning culture for the South African business and its integrated product suite," says Calvo Mawela.

"His leadership will continue to prioritise localised go-to-market strategies, further strengthening out customer-centric approach. Byron will continue to support MultiChoice CFO Tim Jacobs on key strategic projects at group level but his primary focus will be on the South African business."

"While this is a bittersweet moment for us as we bid Marc farewell, we are confident in Byron's ability to build on this legacy and take MultiChoice to even greater heights."

White is the new black: MultiChoice's next DStv Explora Ultra will be white and likely voice-controlled

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice decided to leak a first look of its next DStv Explora Ultra decoder which will be white - a first-ever in this colour - together with a brand new form factor for its top-end decoder that is another radical departure from previous versions.

The 4th generation DStv Explora Ultra also has a completely redesigned remote control, likely AI voice-controlled, similar to what overseas pay-TV operators have been offering their subscribers the past few years.

Taking its design cues from Sky in the United Kingdom's "Sky Q box" decoder, the new DStv Explora Ultra box doesn't have a market release date yet although it will be rolled out to consumers within months.

MultiChoice included the first look at its latest DStv Explora Ultra decoder in its 2024/2025 half-year financial results documentation for investors. MultiChoice declined to comment on various questions TVwithThinus asked last week about this to-be-released decoder.

The new DStv Explora Ulta decoder unveiling is similar to June 2020 when MultiChoice showed investors in its financial presentation that it was going to add both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as third-party streaming apps to its DStv Explora Ultra, after which it later did so.

The next generation DStv Explora Ultra decoder will be the latest hardware release from MultiChoice and takes the place of the much-hyped DStv Glass - a customised version of Comcast's Sky Glass for South Africa that MultiChoice planned to release here but scuppered because of its worsening financial position.

Initially, Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO in September 2022 announced that DStv Glass - a proprietary smart TV set with a built-in DStv decoder - would launch in South Africa in 2023. 

In May 2023 this was suddenly pushed out by two years.

In June this year Tim Jacobs, MultiChoice chief financial officer (CFO), told me that DStv Glass is dead - one of the victims of the financially stretched pay-TV operator's drastic cost-cutting measures coming as MultiChoice awaits an aggressive buy-out by France's Vivendi SE's Canal+ to help it fight against Netflix's streaming proliferation in Africa.

The latest DStv Explora Ultra decoder is inscribed with a Norman window design on top, a brand design flourish that MultiChoice adopted two years ago. 

The Norman window, in grey, also appears on the right of the decoder front-face and inside it, the word "DStv". 

The words "Ultra decoder" appear on the decoder front-face on the left.

The DStv Explora Ultra does away with the black plastic grate design in exchange for a smooth white plastic surface, a grey bottom-third base, and a thin grey trim around the top border. 

The decoder's form factor is a rectangle with rounded corners, very similar to the Sky Q box. 

Sky has what it calls a Sky Q Booster box, an extender to help with a better and amplified Wifi signal in the home. The new DStv Explora Ultra looks 90% similar to this white box. 

Sky New Zealand's latest new decoder box is now also white and also looks similar - and now also has a white remote control.

The new DStv Explora Ultra is the first white DStv decoder line ever from MultiChoice. 

MultiChoice's previous DStv decoders were black, its first PVR decoder line was metallic silver, and it also made one very rare, golden decoder. 

This 24-carat gold-plated M-Net decoder was made in 1993 to celebrate M-Net's millionth decoder and is part of MultiChoice's corporate museum.

Remote control with voice control

The new DStv Explora Ultra remote control represents a somewhat shocking and eye-popping departure from the "half-banana oval" black shape shipped with DStv decoders up until now, with the next generation remote control switching to white.

The new white remote control has a reduced number of buttons.

The white remote control is very much similar to the design of the Sky Q remote control - even having a dedicated blue button directly underneath the grey circle omni-directional arrows and "Enter" button.

On the Sky Q remote control this blue button is pressed to activate voice control AI and to give voice commands to the decoder like "Find Sky News", "Go to movies", "Tune to channel [channel number]", "What should I watch?",  "Open my recordings", "Take me to Catch Up" and multiple others.

Since MultiChoice and Comcast's Sky are Showmax 2.0 IT partners and worked on DStv Glass until its rollout was abruptly canned, it's clear that MultiChoice decided to go the Sky Q route with its next top-line decoder and remote control design.

While Sky Q has the functionality of pressing the "Q" button on the front-face of the decoder to find a lost remote control that will then beep for30 seconds, it doesn't look like this functionality will be included with the new DStv Explora Ultra that doesn't have a pressable button on the front-face.

Like the existing DStv Explora Ultra (its latest version in this range is 3B), the newest version will allow the recording of hundreds of hours of TV, give access to live linear and on-demand library content, as well as access to other video streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.

In its latest half-year financial results MultiChoice said that DStv decoder sales increased 46%.

The Expanse creators developing The Captive's War sci-fi series for Amazon Prime Video under their new Expanding Universe content banner

by Thinus Ferreira

The team behind The Expanse science fiction series on Amazon Prime Video is developing a new science fiction series with Amazon MGM Studios based on The Captive's War book trilogy in which prisoners in a galaxy of civilisations destroy the totalitarian society from within.

The new multiplatform content company, Expanding Universe, has a development deal in place at Amazon MGM Studios and is developing The Captive's War into a TV series.

The first book in The Captive's War trilogy, The Mercy of the Gods, was launched in August.

Expanding Universe is led by showrunner Naren Shankar, director Breck Eisner and novelists and screenwriters Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck who publish under the pen name James S.A. Corey.

The Captive’s War is set in a distant future of galactic empires and alien civilisations. 

It is inspired by the Bible book of Daniel and follows a group of prisoners "who rise from the ashes of catastrophe to destroy their conqueror's society from within. It is an epic tale about the transformative power of individuality in a totalitarian world". 

The Captive’s War is executive produced by Naren Shankar, who also serves as writer and showrunner; Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who will also write; as well as Breck Eisner, who will also direct. 

The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios. 

"Expanding Universe is focused on developing sci-fi narratives with sweeping world-building and elevated storylines, geared toward multi-platform expressions in filmed entertainment, gaming, and publishing. The Captive’s War is a perfect launchpad for our model," says Breck Eisner.

Naren Shankar says "On The Expanse we built a deep, immersive universe filled with great characters and intense, emotional stories - on a budget that wasn't insane. And now we're bringing that expertise to new storytelling universes and platforms".

Ty Franck says "The Expanse was originally created to be a video game, then it became an RPG, then a novel, then a show and then a couple of video games. In a way, it was a roadmap for how Expanding Universe is developing projects now."

Daniel Abraham says "Our track record has already attracted some exciting material: original features, adaptations by other novelists' work, and even legacy IPs, which would be a blast to reimagine in a modern context. In success, we have the opportunity to bring a new generation of science fiction to the screen."

4-episode documentary Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story coming to Amazon Prime Video on 5 December

by Thinus Ferreira

A 4-episode documentary series, Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story will be released on Amazon Prime Video on 5 December, looking beneath the veneer of the neon-hued world of Lisa Frank Inc. - a brand that defined girlhood for a generation only to seemingly disappear overnight.

"Behind the rainbows and psychedelic illustrations, Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story unravels a nostalgia-soaked, stranger-than-fiction tale that takes us into the hidden world that has been lurking at the heart of the company for decades," Amazon Prime Video says.

Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story features never-before-seen footage and over 20 interviews with Lisa Frank Inc. insiders, enthusiasts, and journalists.

The series is produced by Maxine Productions, a part of Sony Pictures Television. Executive producers for Maxine Productions are Mary Robertson and Lisa Kalikow. Arianna LaPenne is director and co-executive producer.

Class-action lawsuit against Netflix over botched 'unwatchable' Jake Paul and Mike Tyson live-stream fight

by Thinus Ferreira

Netflix has been taken to court in a class-action lawsuit over the video streaming service's "unwatchable" and botched live-stream fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson that the streamer claims over 60 million users tried to watch on Sunday morning.

Ronald "Blue" Denton of Florida in the United States, has filed a lawsuit, according to media in the United States, seeking unspecified monetary damages and class-action status on behalf of all Netflix users who were affected by the streamer's botched live-stream.

According to Ronald Denton, Netflix was "woefully ill-prepared" to do the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight.

Thousands of people worldwide, including South Africa, complained that they couldn't watch it and joked about Netflix's buffering and live-stream implosion which was also marred by other technical mistakes and problems.

According to the lawsuit "60 million Americans were hyped to see 'Iron' Mike Tyson, 'The Baddest Man on the Planet' versus YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul. What they saw was The Baddest Streaming on the Planet".

"Netflix customers experienced massive streaming issues and should have known better because it’s happened before," the lawsuit states.

It is in reference to April 2023 when Netflix did its first major live event which was a Love Is Blind reunion live-stream which suffered massive delays due to various technical problems.

It only became available on Netflix 19 hours later as a recording.

According to the lawsuit, "there were over 100 000 people complaining online with boxing fans, along with the average American who wanted to see a legend in what would most likely be his last fight, but faced with legendary problems, including: no access, streaming glitches and buffering issues".

"Instead of providing the programming its viewers pay for every month, Netflix was completely unprepared and unable to fix the issues."

Many South Africans complained about Netflix's crashed stream.

Anele Mdoda told Netflix South Africa "I'm sending you okes my subscription money in phases next month. Going to buffer it across the month".

Peter Ndoro said "Unbelievable! Netflix sets up this big fight Tyson Paul and doesn't prepare for the huge online demand and now we are struggling to see it.What a mess!! Netflix, stick to movies!"

ALSO READ: 'Unwatchable': Down and out Netflix crashes - Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight live stream attempt marred with buffering, sound and technical problems