You're reading it here first.
I can exclusively break great news which is that M-Net is really upping its Oscar coverage this year for the first time and has acquired, and will imminently announce that the pay broadcaster has not only secured the usual one red carpet Oscars pre show (not E! Entertainment's coverage) that's usually not shown, but that it has - get this - TWO pre shows, which will both be shown live and in high definition (HD)!
Its not all. Besides the two Oscars preshows - the individual KABC and the AMPAS pre shows which are now absolutely a done deal (expect an announcement very soon!) M-Net has also acquired a third hiherto untaken TV special: the Oscars post show which is interviews with the winners.
(I've been begging M-Net for the official Oscar preshow for years and years usually done by the American broadcaster who shows the ceremony that year and which it has shown once or twice intermittently in the past.)
The pay broadcaster is majorly upping its coverage for Hollywood's most important award ceremony of the year. I can already reveal that this will mean that the live and high definition coverage will be starting at 01:00 instead of the usual 03:00 on Monday, 28 February, also meaning that E! Entertainment (DSTV 124) will be getting some competition for its own red carpet coverage this year.
The official Oscars preshow that should go out at 01:00 will be presented by Robin Roberts and Tim Gunn this year.
TOLDJA! UPDATE 17:00 Monday 21 February - M-Net just made it official and issued a press release with what I've told you above. M-Net has acquired the KABC as well as the official Oscar red carpet pre shows that will precede the 83rd Annual Academy Awards broadcast and will both be shown live and in HD on Monday 28 February on M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 103) and M-Net Movies 1 HD (DStv 175):
01:00 83rd Academy Awards KABC pre show (live)
02:00 83rd Academy Awards AMPAS pre show (live)
03:30 83rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony (live)
Sunday 6 March on M-Net Movies 1 and M-Net Movies 1 HD:
17:10 83rd Academy Awards ceremony repeat (a 90 minute edited version)
18:40 83rd Academy Awards KABC Post-Show with the winners
ALSO READ: A big array of choices and times - live, HD, live and HD, later, later in HD - to watch the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on M-Net channels this year.
ALSO READ: ''And the Oscar goes to...'' Big changes coming to the presentation of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards this year.
