SABC3 is adding Bold episodes to the channel's programming line-up starting Saturday 10 October at 12:00.
SABC3 will be showing an omnibus, every Saturday from 10 October, between 12:00 and 14:00 of the week's episodes that was flighted during the week on SABC1.
The channel says viewership research indicated that the soapie's aspirational (read: wealthy) values fits better with SABC3's channel ethos, which is the only public commercial broadcasting channel of the SABC3.
Does this mean Bold will relocate to SABC3 permanently in future?
Well, yes and no.
The chance is very good that SABC1 will now lose(read: give away/exchange) The Bold and the Beautiful in the future, but moving the repeats to SABC3 is just the first step in a two step approach.
The SABC's latest soap swop (read SABC1 and SABC3 working in conjunction with each other) can be left as is, after just implementing this new repeat channel hopping strategy (which would already be a success).
Should SABC1 and SABC3 go all the way and move Bold over entirely (which would be a double success, it would even more be a win-win, situation, so I don't see why they won't do that in future. And here's why.
SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 already found success with migrating Days of Our Lives which used to be on SABC1. Days moved from SABC1 to SABC3, with the repeats going out daily on SABC2.
Days of Our Lives is now the NUMBER ONE show for SABC3, an incredible success, given that the show also has an afternoon timeslot when less viewers are available.
The show is not only pulling in the most viewers for SABC3 on a daily basis, in any given week, for 5 days a week, it's also doing so during the later afternoons.
By moving Bold's repeats to SABC3, it would leave precious morning programming open on SABC1 that SABC1 will DEFINITELY fill with local programming that the channel is preparing as we speak for the World Cup next year.
SABC1's mandate is LOCAL PROGRAMMING and should SABC1 in fact be able to move Bold's main broadcasting during primetime to SABC3 at some future date, it will open even more precious broadcasting timeslot real estate for 2010 LOCAL PROGRAMMING which SABC1 is definitely looking for and would be grateful to have.
