by Thinus Ferreira
Viewers complained vehemently. Then over 2.4 million tuned in and kept watching when e.tv broadcast Anaconda on 15 January after the red letter channel promised that it would never do so again, ensuring that the horror-schlock film will definitely rate very high on the viewership list of January's most-watched content in South Africa.
e.tv made headlines and angered viewers when the eMedia channel announced that it would again show the 1997-film on 15 January, after it promised 8 years ago that it would never again be showing Anaconda again when it did a "final premiere" of the horror film in June 2014.
At the start of 2022 e.tv had shown Anaconda at least 19 times over the past number of years, not counting the multiple broadcasts of the film on other eMedia TV channels like eMovies, or any of the multiple same-week repeats after an initial reschedule airing, or rebroadcasts.
Similarly, the franchise's sequels like Anaconda: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid never left e.tv and remain in constant high-rotation scheduling, shown annually and multiple times in 2021 on e.tv.
e.tv didn't respond to a media query about Anaconda's return to the channel's schedule before broadcast.
After the film's broadcast on Saturday night at 20:00, Anaconda starring Ice Cube, Jon Voight and J.Lo, managed to lure over 2.4 million viewers who not only tuned to e.tv but kept watching.
This week, in an unsolicited statement following its broadcast, e.tv said "The movie is an old favourite, and even though you know that snake is about to strike, you can't stop watching".
Marlon Davids, managing director of the channels, says "Anaconda is an old-time favourite and we know our audiences are hooked on suspense. We will continue to bring the drama, suspense and thrills to viewers".
