"The eNews Channel confirms it will launch in the United Kingdom," says the news channel which will soon also be changing its name to the abbreviation of simply ENCA according to high-level insiders speaking to me on the condition of anonymity - although the new name has not yet been officially confirmed.
The eNews Channel has started test broadcasts and can now be seen in Sky in Britain.
"South Africa's first independent 24 hour news service, the eNews Channel, can now confirm it will launch on the Sky digital satellite platform in the United Kingdom. The official date is still to be confirmed but is expected to take place within weeks."
"This will give us access to over 10 million homes in the UK," says Patrick Conroy, the group head of news at e.tv in the statement. "What is really significant is that we will have access to the South African expat community. If they want news from home it is just a click away."
eNews technical staff are still conducting tests on the signal to the UK, says the head of technical operations for eNews, Rob Brown. "Once we're happy everything is running smoothly, we will give it the green light. We're getting close to finalising the test phase."
The eNews Channel will also unveil its new look when the channel launches in the UK, says the eNews Channel. "Due to our expansion we will have to rebrand our service to make it relevant to viewers abroad and here at home," says Patrick Conroy.
"It will be more of a brand tweak than an overhaul, viewers need not be concerned. It will still be the same news service with the same content. The only difference will be our appearance. eNews will not be rebranding its eNews Prime Time bulletin on e.tv or its Afrikaans language service on kykNET. Those brands will remain as is. We're only rebranding the eNews Channel," says Patrick Controy.
[ALSO READ: Exactly what TV with Thinus readers would have known already, as I've reported earlier.]
ALSO READ: Reporters on the eNews Channel abandon the word "eNews" in their end-segment sign-offs.
The eNews Channel, or the ENCA, will also be launching its new website by the end of the year with rolling online news coverage similar to CNN and Sky News. "The development of this service is progressing as scheduled and details will be released close to the launch date of this service," says the eNews Channel.
Meanwhile the SABC plans to launch its new 24 hour news channel in September on MultiChoice's DStv starting with 6 hours of new news coverage per day, looped four times over a 24 hour cycle.
