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I'm told that Bloomberg Television is set to return to MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform as its own stand-alone TV channel less than three weeks after Bloomberg Television was ended on DStv and folded into the newly relaunched Business Day TV with daily programming blocks on that channel.
According to various sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity since none want to negatively impact ongoing dealings between various parties, Bloomberg Television (DStv 411) will return on Monday as its own stand-alone TV channel to DStv's channel line-up.
According to sources who spoke to TV with Thinus Bloomberg Television will no longer be shown as programming blocks on BDFM's Business Day TV (DStv 412) as it has been the past three weeks.
The backtracking and restoration of Bloomberg Television follows negative reaction the past three weeks since the announcement and the sudden disappearance of the global business news channel.
The loss of Bloomberg Television on DStv angered the South African's business community who were very vocal in their displeasure about the change and the disappearance of Bloomberg Television as a separate TV channel. MultiChoice ended Bloomberg Television as its own TV channel as part of a process of "reallocating capacity" on the DStv platform according to sources.
Business leaders, viewers and day traders said they like Business Day Television as a local business TV channel and its offering but need and want the ongoing availability of ongoing, international business news on television with the global reach like Bloomberg Television.
Displeased viewers and business said that competitor CNBC Africa's (DStv 410) business news scope is too limited to get a constant global business view and that they require the ongoing global financial markets news Bloomberg provided to South African viewers on television.
"South African business decision makers and leaders have come to rely on Bloomberg Television for trusted, accurate and up-to-date international business and financial news," said Malcolm Fried, the managing editor for Bloomberg Television Europe, the Middle East and Africa last month when Bloomberg Television was ended as its own TV channel on DStv.
I asked MultiChoice who says that the satellite pay-TV provider will "reinstate Bloomberg as a 24-hour channel on DStv channel 411 from Monday 15 July".
MultiChoice says "following feedback from DStv customers – that they prefer to have local and international business news on separate channels – the decision to include Bloomberg content on Business Day TV was reviewed."
"DStv customers told us that they need to have a
24-hour international business news channel and a separate local business news
channel. We are pleased that we are able to accommodate this need," says Collins Khumalo, CEO for MultiChoice South Africa.
"We
stepped in to keep Bloomberg on air over South Africa," says Vernon Matzopoulos, Business Day TV head.
"Now that they are
back with their own channel, Business Day TV viewers can look forward to an
uninterrupted schedule of the best of local business news, markets and
investment programmes."
"DStv Premium
customers will now benefit again from our extensive coverage of leading
business, economic and market-moving stories, says Malcolm Fried.
