White is the new black: MultiChoice's next DStv Explora Ultra will be white and likely voice-controlled

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice decided to leak a first look of its next DStv Explora Ultra decoder which will be white - a first-ever in this colour - together with a brand new form factor for its top-end decoder that is another radical departure from previous versions.

The 4th generation DStv Explora Ultra also has a completely redesigned remote control, likely AI voice-controlled, similar to what overseas pay-TV operators have been offering their subscribers the past few years.

Taking its design cues from Sky in the United Kingdom's "Sky Q box" decoder, the new DStv Explora Ultra box doesn't have a market release date yet although it will be rolled out to consumers within months.

MultiChoice included the first look at its latest DStv Explora Ultra decoder in its 2024/2025 half-year financial results documentation for investors. MultiChoice declined to comment on various questions TVwithThinus asked last week about this to-be-released decoder.

The new DStv Explora Ulta decoder unveiling is similar to June 2020 when MultiChoice showed investors in its financial presentation that it was going to add both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as third-party streaming apps to its DStv Explora Ultra, after which it later did so.

The next generation DStv Explora Ultra decoder will be the latest hardware release from MultiChoice and takes the place of the much-hyped DStv Glass - a customised version of Comcast's Sky Glass for South Africa that MultiChoice planned to release here but scuppered because of its worsening financial position.

Initially, Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO in September 2022 announced that DStv Glass - a proprietary smart TV set with a built-in DStv decoder - would launch in South Africa in 2023. 

In May 2023 this was suddenly pushed out by two years.

In June this year Tim Jacobs, MultiChoice chief financial officer (CFO), told me that DStv Glass is dead - one of the victims of the financially stretched pay-TV operator's drastic cost-cutting measures coming as MultiChoice awaits an aggressive buy-out by France's Vivendi SE's Canal+ to help it fight against Netflix's streaming proliferation in Africa.

The latest DStv Explora Ultra decoder is inscribed with a Norman window design on top, a brand design flourish that MultiChoice adopted two years ago. 

The Norman window, in grey, also appears on the right of the decoder front-face and inside it, the word "DStv". 

The words "Ultra decoder" appear on the decoder front-face on the left.

The DStv Explora Ultra does away with the black plastic grate design in exchange for a smooth white plastic surface, a grey bottom-third base, and a thin grey trim around the top border. 

The decoder's form factor is a rectangle with rounded corners, very similar to the Sky Q box. 

Sky has what it calls a Sky Q Booster box, an extender to help with a better and amplified Wifi signal in the home. The new DStv Explora Ultra looks 90% similar to this white box. 

Sky New Zealand's latest new decoder box is now also white and also looks similar - and now also has a white remote control.

The new DStv Explora Ultra is the first white DStv decoder line ever from MultiChoice. 

MultiChoice's previous DStv decoders were black, its first PVR decoder line was metallic silver, and it also made one very rare, golden decoder. 

This 24-carat gold-plated M-Net decoder was made in 1993 to celebrate M-Net's millionth decoder and is part of MultiChoice's corporate museum.

Remote control with voice control

The new DStv Explora Ultra remote control represents a somewhat shocking and eye-popping departure from the "half-banana oval" black shape shipped with DStv decoders up until now, with the next generation remote control switching to white.

The new white remote control has a reduced number of buttons.

The white remote control is very much similar to the design of the Sky Q remote control - even having a dedicated blue button directly underneath the grey circle omni-directional arrows and "Enter" button.

On the Sky Q remote control this blue button is pressed to activate voice control AI and to give voice commands to the decoder like "Find Sky News", "Go to movies", "Tune to channel [channel number]", "What should I watch?",  "Open my recordings", "Take me to Catch Up" and multiple others.

Since MultiChoice and Comcast's Sky are Showmax 2.0 IT partners and worked on DStv Glass until its rollout was abruptly canned, it's clear that MultiChoice decided to go the Sky Q route with its next top-line decoder and remote control design.

While Sky Q has the functionality of pressing the "Q" button on the front-face of the decoder to find a lost remote control that will then beep for30 seconds, it doesn't look like this functionality will be included with the new DStv Explora Ultra that doesn't have a pressable button on the front-face.

Like the existing DStv Explora Ultra (its latest version in this range is 3B), the newest version will allow the recording of hundreds of hours of TV, give access to live linear and on-demand library content, as well as access to other video streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.

In its latest half-year financial results MultiChoice said that DStv decoder sales increased 46%.

The Expanse creators developing The Captive's War sci-fi series for Amazon Prime Video under their new Expanding Universe content banner

by Thinus Ferreira

The team behind The Expanse science fiction series on Amazon Prime Video is developing a new science fiction series with Amazon MGM Studios based on The Captive's War book trilogy in which prisoners in a galaxy of civilisations destroy the totalitarian society from within.

The new multiplatform content company, Expanding Universe, has a development deal in place at Amazon MGM Studios and is developing The Captive's War into a TV series.

The first book in The Captive's War trilogy, The Mercy of the Gods, was launched in August.

Expanding Universe is led by showrunner Naren Shankar, director Breck Eisner and novelists and screenwriters Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck who publish under the pen name James S.A. Corey.

The Captive’s War is set in a distant future of galactic empires and alien civilisations. 

It is inspired by the Bible book of Daniel and follows a group of prisoners "who rise from the ashes of catastrophe to destroy their conqueror's society from within. It is an epic tale about the transformative power of individuality in a totalitarian world". 

The Captive’s War is executive produced by Naren Shankar, who also serves as writer and showrunner; Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who will also write; as well as Breck Eisner, who will also direct. 

The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios. 

"Expanding Universe is focused on developing sci-fi narratives with sweeping world-building and elevated storylines, geared toward multi-platform expressions in filmed entertainment, gaming, and publishing. The Captive’s War is a perfect launchpad for our model," says Breck Eisner.

Naren Shankar says "On The Expanse we built a deep, immersive universe filled with great characters and intense, emotional stories - on a budget that wasn't insane. And now we're bringing that expertise to new storytelling universes and platforms".

Ty Franck says "The Expanse was originally created to be a video game, then it became an RPG, then a novel, then a show and then a couple of video games. In a way, it was a roadmap for how Expanding Universe is developing projects now."

Daniel Abraham says "Our track record has already attracted some exciting material: original features, adaptations by other novelists' work, and even legacy IPs, which would be a blast to reimagine in a modern context. In success, we have the opportunity to bring a new generation of science fiction to the screen."

4-episode documentary Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story coming to Amazon Prime Video on 5 December

by Thinus Ferreira

A 4-episode documentary series, Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story will be released on Amazon Prime Video on 5 December, looking beneath the veneer of the neon-hued world of Lisa Frank Inc. - a brand that defined girlhood for a generation only to seemingly disappear overnight.

"Behind the rainbows and psychedelic illustrations, Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story unravels a nostalgia-soaked, stranger-than-fiction tale that takes us into the hidden world that has been lurking at the heart of the company for decades," Amazon Prime Video says.

Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story features never-before-seen footage and over 20 interviews with Lisa Frank Inc. insiders, enthusiasts, and journalists.

The series is produced by Maxine Productions, a part of Sony Pictures Television. Executive producers for Maxine Productions are Mary Robertson and Lisa Kalikow. Arianna LaPenne is director and co-executive producer.

Class-action lawsuit against Netflix over botched 'unwatchable' Jake Paul and Mike Tyson live-stream fight

by Thinus Ferreira

Netflix has been taken to court in a class-action lawsuit over the video streaming service's "unwatchable" and botched live-stream fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson that the streamer claims over 60 million users tried to watch on Sunday morning.

Ronald "Blue" Denton of Florida in the United States, has filed a lawsuit, according to media in the United States, seeking unspecified monetary damages and class-action status on behalf of all Netflix users who were affected by the streamer's botched live-stream.

According to Ronald Denton, Netflix was "woefully ill-prepared" to do the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight.

Thousands of people worldwide, including South Africa, complained that they couldn't watch it and joked about Netflix's buffering and live-stream implosion which was also marred by other technical mistakes and problems.

According to the lawsuit "60 million Americans were hyped to see 'Iron' Mike Tyson, 'The Baddest Man on the Planet' versus YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul. What they saw was The Baddest Streaming on the Planet".

"Netflix customers experienced massive streaming issues and should have known better because it’s happened before," the lawsuit states.

It is in reference to April 2023 when Netflix did its first major live event which was a Love Is Blind reunion live-stream which suffered massive delays due to various technical problems.

It only became available on Netflix 19 hours later as a recording.

According to the lawsuit, "there were over 100 000 people complaining online with boxing fans, along with the average American who wanted to see a legend in what would most likely be his last fight, but faced with legendary problems, including: no access, streaming glitches and buffering issues".

"Instead of providing the programming its viewers pay for every month, Netflix was completely unprepared and unable to fix the issues."

Many South Africans complained about Netflix's crashed stream.

Anele Mdoda told Netflix South Africa "I'm sending you okes my subscription money in phases next month. Going to buffer it across the month".

Peter Ndoro said "Unbelievable! Netflix sets up this big fight Tyson Paul and doesn't prepare for the huge online demand and now we are struggling to see it.What a mess!! Netflix, stick to movies!"

ALSO READ: 'Unwatchable': Down and out Netflix crashes - Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight live stream attempt marred with buffering, sound and technical problems

Wie word ’n miljoenêr? finally gets R1 million winner as George flower farmer Herman Bosman (47) answers all 15 questions correctly: 'Now I can always boast I was kykNET's first winner'

by Thinus Ferreira

The Afrikaans version of Sony Pictures' Who wants to be a Millionaire? finally produced a R1 million winner when the George flower farmer Herman Bosman (47) on Wednesday night became the first South African to answer 15 questions correctly to go home with the big prize in the 4th episode of Wie word ’n miljoenêr? on kykNET (DStv 144).

He used his final lifeline – a call to his mother Vida Bosman (75) – who helped him with the correct answer in the 12th episode of the show's fourth season on Wednesday night.

The question he had to answer was "Which relic, preserved in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, remained intact after the 2019 fire?" with his mom who told him it's "the crown of thorns".

Herman Bosman is a flower farmer in George with his partner Anthony Rau and became the first Afrikaans winner of Wie word ’n miljoenêr?.

Herman Bosman is a nuclear engineer who studied chemical engineering at the University of Pretoria and completed his PhD at the University of Michigan in the United States.

Herman Bosman says it was the first time he entered for Wie word ’n miljoenêr? after his dad told him about the show.

"I decided to give it a shot at the last minute just before entries closed because a little extra cash is always welcome."

"I had to answer a few general knowledge questions. I must have done well because the production team contacted me within a few days for an online video interview, where I answered more general knowledge questions. After that, they informed me I'd be a contestant on episode 12, the penultimate episode of the season."

Herman Bosman says he has loved general knowledge and quiz competitions since school.

"During holidays, I'd take my Trivial Pursuit cards to my uncle and aunt's farm in Morgenzon and read through them. I was on my high school's quiz team at Richards Bay High, which won the interschool quiz competition in Zululand around 1993."

"In Grade 11, I entered a quiz show for schools on Afrikaans radio (the predecessor of RSG). My mom even drove me to the SABC studios in Durban one afternoon after school to participate. I was eliminated in the first round, but at least the guy who beat me went on to win the entire competition."

"I still remember one of the questions – guessing the name of a famous person based on clues. The answer was Johnny Clegg, but I was just a second too slow on the buzzer. Even 30 years later, I'm still a little bitter about it."

Herman Bosman says in the weeks leading up to the show, he watched a lot of documentaries to sharpen his general knowledge.

"I was nervous about my knowledge of sports, so I focused on that as well. Since it was an Olympic year, I brushed up on South Africa’s history at the Games – and sure enough, I got a question about it on the show."

He says he was conservative with his lifelines, saving his "Phone a Friend" for the final question.

"I included my mom as one of my Phone a Friend contacts, and I had a feeling this was the kind of thing she would know."

"I was also prepared to walk away with R500 000 rather than make a wild guess. But when she said she remembered something about a crown, I was certain she's right."

Herman Bosman says a question about the name of the helicopter on Mars almost stumped him.

"All four options sounded similar. I used my 50/50 lifeline and, thankfully, was able to choose correctly between the two remaining answers."

He says his love for reading comes from his mom.

"She never came back from the library with just one book – it was always a whole stack. And she remembers everything: books, music, names, dates. After the show, I realised this was a real family effort. My dad encouraged me to apply, and my mom helped with the million rand question."

Herman Bosman says "The million rand is, of course, incredible, but honestly, the best part was getting all the questions right".

"I'm very competitive with these kinds of contests, and now I can always boast that I was kykNET's first million rand winner". 

He says the money will go into their farm and flower business.

"We have more plans than we have money for. So, we'll need to think carefully about where to start. But the farm bakkie has already been bought shortly after the recording of the show, and so far, it's driving like a dream!"

National Geographic commissions new shows about planets, Pompeii with Tom Hiddleston, Princess Diana and finding the real Nemo

by Thinus Ferreira

National Geographic (DStv 181) has commissioned a series exploring the legacy of Pompeii with Tom Hiddleston, finding the real Nemo clown fish, exploring the planets and has cancelled Life Below Zero, The Incredible Dr Pol and Dr Oakley Yukon Vet.

"These new unscripted series epitomise everything National Geographic stands for - bold, captivating storytelling rooted in world-class research and expertise," says Tom McDonald, executive vice president of global unscripted and factual content, at National Geographic.

"Whether it's the cutting-edge innovation of The Real Finding Nemo, the storytelling panache of Surviving Pompeii, the sweeping ambition of Meet the Planets, or the unparalleled access in Diana: One Day in Paris, National Geographic is building on its reputation as the home of the most distinctive factual series from the very best storytellers in the world."

National Geographic describes The Real Finding Nemo as "an intimate and entertaining journey through the thrilling underwater world of charming characters where life is filled with epic drama and relatable life situations".

"Inspired by Pixar's smash hit film, this series will immerse viewers in the intricate dynamics of life on the reef and beyond as the underwater citizens engage in friendship, deception, romance, and resilience."

"From Freeborne Media along with the world's best underwater cinematographers, our ocean characters will transport viewers into the world below with themes that are relevant to sea creatures and human creatures alike. Dive into a clownfish's epic quest, the unpredictable danger-filled 'drop-off', and experience the everyday jobs that keep Reef City alive like any thriving metropolis in the human world."

The Real Finding Nemo is produced by Freeborne Media with James Honeyborne as executive producer.

Tom Hiddleston brings his passion for ancient history to life in Surviving Pompeii, produced by Plimsoll Productions.

Tom Hiddleston leads a groundbreaking historical exploration "that immerses audiences in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD and the hauntingly preserved Roman city it left behind".

National Geographic describes the series as "a creatively ambitious meld of documentary and drama on a journey into the past that is still echoed in the present".

"Tom Hiddleston, who studied Classics at Cambridge University and is a dedicated enthusiast of ancient history, embarks on a detective-like quest, breathing life back into the lost voices of Pompeii's people."

Each episode uncovers real stories hidden for centuries, revealing the everyday life of 2000 years ago.

"Through richly emotional narratives, Tom Hiddleston unveils a remarkably modern city and brings to light the lives of ordinary Romans - not just the elite - showing how their resilience and choices still echo in our world today."

For Plimsoll Productions, Grant Mansfield, Alan Eyres, Helen Flint and Tom Barbor-Might are executive producers. 

Meet the Planets is produced by Maximum Effort and BBC Studios Science Unit, with Andrew Cohen as executive producer at BBC Studios Science Unit. 

It is an astronomy series that "brings the galaxy's most famous family to life, with the sun as the matriarch, surrounded by her unruly planetary children".

Diana: One Day in Paris from 72 Films is a three-part documentary series exploring the tragic death of Princess Diana on the 30th anniversary of that fateful paparazzi car chase through a Parisian motorway tunnel. 

Produced by the team behind 9/11: One Day in America and JFK: One Day in America, the series will use the One Day In...  franchise's trademark present-tense approach that bypasses conspiracy theories in favour of factual accuracy. 

National Geographic says it will "uncover new insights using rare archives and interviews with witnesses who have never spoken publicly. This landmark series will look at the 24 hours before and after Diana's death in forensic detail and follow the story through to her funeral one week later when the world mourned the passing of an icon".

Comcast to announce it's getting rid of its NBCUniversal pay-TV channels carried by internationals like MultiChoice's DStv

by Thinus Ferreira

The Wall Street Journal reports that Comcast on Wednesday will announce it is dumping its set of NBCUniversal pay-TV channels like E!, MSNBC, CNBC, Universal TV, Studio Universal, DreamWorks and others with many carried by international pay-TV providers like MultiChoice's DStv across Africa.

According to the newspaper, Comcast is set to announce several leadership changes as it spin-off these legacy pay-TV channels which used to be the golden goose for companies but are now being discarded in favour of streaming.

Comcast's coming announcement is another visible signal - and admission - of traditional linear television's decline in the streaming age.

Comcast will retain its NBC broadcast network but dump its set of NBCUniversal pay-TV channels, which are still profitable for now but are no longer seen as having any future growth value or being an asset to Comcast's balance sheet. 

Once highly sought-after during the rise of pay-TV, these channels are now all in decline as the number of pay-TV subscribers continues to fall.

Mark Lazarus, NBCUniversal Media Group CEO will apparently be the CEO of the new company.

Comcast bought 51% of NBCUniversal in 2011 and two years later the whole of it in 2013 in a buyout.

Comcast jettisoning its legacy linear pay-TV channels has big implications for MultiChoice which not only carries several of these linear pay-TV channels, but is also buying and sharing its content as part of a joint venture in its Showmax 2.0 video streaming service.

It's not yet clear how NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-to-Consumer, distributing channel like E!, Universal TV, Studio Universal and Telemundo, will realign. 

Possible branding and name changes - or channel closures - for channels like Universal TV and Studio Universal - might also be in the future since they will no longer be a part of NBCUniversal, in the same way "Fox" was eventually removed from everything, from studios to channel names, after Disney bought over Fox.

The content offering across NBCUniversal's pay-TV channels has weakened considerably over the past few years as NBCUniversal has cut back on budgets for keeping programming line-ups of these traditional pay-TV channels strong - redirecting money and budgets to making content for streaming and for instance its Peacock streamer.

The effect of weaker pay-TV channels has an impact on traditional pay-TV services like MultiChoice, with DStv subscribers noticing the decline of the value on these channels with less original content, less good content, more repeats and more zombified TV channels that have less to watch that what they had to offer years before.

On 31 October during Comcast's third quarter investors' call, Mike Cavanaugh, Comcast president, said "There are a lot of questions to which we don't have answers, so we want to do the work".

"I think the idea of playing some offense when you combine the balance sheet strength that we have, the assets we have, and the management team we have, there may be some smart things to do, and we want to study that."

"We are now exploring whether creating a new well-capitalised company, owned by our shareholders and comprised of our strong portfolio of cable networks, would position them to take advantage of opportunities in the changing media landscape and create value for our shareholders."

"We are not ready to talk about any specifics yet, but we’ll be back to you as and when we reach firm conclusions."

UPDATE Wednesday 20 November 2024 3pm: It's official.

Comcast announced that it is getting rid of its NBCUniversal pay-TV channel portfolio getting bundled into a new spin-off company, for now called SpinCo.

"As a standalone company with these outstanding assets, we will be better positioned to serve our audiences and drive shareholder returns in this incredibly dynamic media environment across news, sports and entertainment," Comcast says in a statement.

"When you look at our assets, talented management team and balance sheet strength, we are able to set these businesses up for future growth," says Brian Roberts, Comcast chairman in the statement.

"With significant financial resources from day one, SpinCo will be ideally positioned for success and highly attractive to investors, content creators, distributors and potential partners."

Streamer unveils global programming for 2025 at Netflix International Showcase including French Love Is Blind, more Physical 100 and Shah Rukh Khan series from India

by Thinus Ferreira

Netflix held its first ever Netflix International Showcase in Los Angeles for its non-English global content, announcing a raft of new international content coming in 2025 and that its next live-streamed event would be two American NFL games on Christmas Day, including Beyonce's halftime show during the Houston vs Baltimore game.

"Many people assume that the easiest way to program for such a huge audience is to make global hits that everyone can enjoy. Once in a rare while, that’s the goal, but mostly it’s not," Bela Bajaria, Netflix chief content officer, told the media.

Netflix is doing another localised version of Love Is Blind, Love is Blind: France which will be released in 2025 and be Netflix's 11th version of the show.

Reality series Physical 100 has been renewed for a third season, entitled Physical 100: Asia, and will now have contestants from across Asia.

India's Shah Rukh Khan is doing an as-yet-untitled series for Netflix set inside Bollywood, produced by his Red Chillies Entertainment.

"Set against the backdrop of the film industry, this multi-genre project promises an audacious, unabashed, entertaining ride through the adventures of a charming, ambitious outsider navigating the glitzy yet tricky world of Bollywood," is Netflix's description of this series.

"This series blends a high-stakes narrative with self-aware humour, featuring blockbuster cameos and larger-than-life characters for an unforgettable, tongue-in-cheek take on Indian cinema."

In Italy Netflix produced The Leopard, One Hundreds Years of Solitude (pictured) in Colombia, Senna in Brazil, as well as The Last Samurai Standing in Japan.

From Spain comes El Refugio Atómico and Alcatraz (docuseries), with the second season of Squid Game from South Korea that will be released on Netflix on 26 December.

Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight from France is a limited animated family series. Atrapados is a limited crime drama series from Argentina and Celda 211 from Mexico tells the story of a human rights attorney who gets trapped in prison during a riot.

Germany's The Empress gets a second season.

Asian series on Netflix that have been renewed for further seasons include Japan's Alice in Borderland for a third season, India's Delhi Crime getting a third season, Kuwait's The Exchange getting a second season, as well as India's Heeramandi and Rana Naidu both getting second seasons.

OPINION. Is DStv dying? Another D holds the clue

by Thinus Ferreira

Is DStv dying? As millions of consumers cut the cord and say they will no longer pay for "so much more", what is happening to MultiChoice isn't unique within the entertainment sphere. Another "D" - Disney - made many of the same mistakes in America that DStv could - and should - actually learn from.

South Africa doesn't have a Disney World. But we have DStv. 

Like "the Happiest Place on Earth", paying for a DStv subscription (and before that for M-Net) was - especially if you were a kid, a student, or a rugby or football fanatic - similar to a golden ticket to a Willy Wonka world of absolute wonder. 

Expensive but TV bliss. Expensive but worth it.

Now, millions of TV households are cancelling DStv - not just in South Africa but across Africa.

Like Disney, DStv offered escapism at a price - a price millions of people were willing to pay monthly to escape, for a while, daily or nightly or over weekends, to get away from your life; to live in a happy, dream-like place.

Whether that place was a rugby or football field, with The Girls Next Door inside the Playboy Mansion, with the Kardashians in Calabasas or dragons in Westeros, you watched and kept coming back, and kept paying more to watch some more, again and again. 

Until the dream had to end because it became unaffordable. 

And because a cheaper entertainment park a bit further down the road called Netflix came along, offering fewer dreams, fewer rides but was a fine trade-off in terms of price if you kept telling your brain you don't really "need" to see the next real housewives fight or Man U play, or Sibongile and the Dlaminis.

MultiChoice is bleeding DStv subscribers in a big way and its latest half-year results make DStv look like we're in America and DStv is DirecTV, Dish, Charter's Spectrum or Comcast's Xfinity where traditional pay-TV is truly in a death-spiral. 

There, the phenomena of cord-cutting - subscribers ending their decades-long relationship with traditional pay-TV companies in their millions every quarter - constantly accelerates.

It's something MultiChoice has mostly remained immune to in South Africa and in the rest of Africa. Until now.

So what happened to DStv? 

Just take a look at Disney in America - and specifically what it did to its theme parks, its theme park experience, pricing, technology, and the implicit experience promise that it broke.

Disney price hikes, coupled with inflation simply made a visit to Disney World for a family ... unaffordable. 

DStv price hikes - now up to two or even three within a year in some African countries have similarly forced even ardent, loyal subscribers to decide that they just can't afford it anymore.

Especially DStv Premium - that Castle of Content that always held so much programming promise - simply became too expensive the last few years while not offering enough value for the price. 

It's not that Disney or DStv are expensive - they've always been - but it is that the rapid rise in price was so rapid over the past few years, combined with almost-as-good alternatives like Netflix which popped up, that caused millions of consumers to stop paying for something they've used to see as a must-have luxury.

Then what you got, got cut. 

Try and talk to an actual human at DStv and see if that's possible when you have an issue or a problem. See how long that takes. 

Experience how absolutely awful DStv's chat function is to try and solve something - or again to get some human in the chat box who doesn't respond and doesn't understand and actively causes much more frustration than real assistance.

Remember when you could connect to DStv as a Family with multiple concurrent streams in your own home because you ... paid for DStv? 

Remember when new devices like the DStv Explora rolled out and were subsidised, TV channels on DStv switched to high-definition so you could see sport better, and great TV channels were constantly added.

Now there's only one channel allowed to be streamed, DStv Glass symbolic of innovation - got canned, while 4K remains a laughable pipedream despite promises. 

Meanwhile, DStv decoders in capability fell far behind what those in the USA and UK are capable of, with MultiChoice nowadays - especially this year - much more likely to axe linear TV channels than add anything really good, great or worthwhile.

The DStv magazine guide got killed off - even removed from hotel rooms - and was replaced by hotels with a remote control that has a Netflix button. 

MultiChoice gave up its entire presence in hotels - where a lot of people are for vacation - to "Netflix and chill". Guess what hotel guests press and watch now.

As DStv subscribers became even more price-conscious there really is only so far you can push a customer before they quit on you entirely. Customers feel priced out on something that once looked shiny and desirable but that turned to a perception of being too costly, for too little, for too much trouble.

Through bad and thoughtless management, who made bad and wrong decisions, Disney made the park experience worse. 

Similarly, DStv - where it's 100% about what you literally see - made the what-you-see for what-you-pay experience worse, "less worthy" and reduced. 

At the same time, customers also got given more alternatives. That lead to the calculation of: "If this road, that used to be the only road, is no longer so nice, let me try one of the other roads".

Since DStv subscribers are asked for feedback - which DStv apparently ignores - and with Canal+'s hungry lion eyes on the horizon, MultiChoice bosses will have to sit and be honest with themselves and ask: What has really happened to the DStv Customer Experience?

Why was what DStv Premium once offered been so diluted that customers no longer feel it's worth it, and how long before that feeling fully filters through to all the other consumer layers? 

Why did DStv, with the advent of apps and connected TVs and remote controls with YouTube buttons, give up so much real estate in people's living rooms without a fight and through unforced errors? 

How can DStv actively work to try to get back into people's everyday sit-and-relax environment and be their view-choice partner?

DStv has a pull problem. It's one largely self-created (with a little side-quest help from Netflix). 

As ordinary South Africans continue to pull back from DStv (and on the rest of the continent) they still watch TV. They still want to be entertained. They will still pay for TV. There are just fewer of them - by the millions - choosing to now do that with DStv. 

That's a massive perception problem for MultiChoice.

Disney realised you can't keep charging people more and more, cause overcrowding, not manage long queues, force people to pay for every single thing that used to be free, take away rides and stuff they used to get, and cause and add stress to customers who actually paid for an experience where they actually want to get away from stress for a few hours.

DStv subscribers no longer want to pay more and more for "so much more", for awful customer service, be forced to pay for every single thing, get TV channels and stuff taken away that used to exist and used to be free, and end up with more stress when they've paid for the expectation of just wanting to watch some good TV to get rid of stress. 

Is it any wonder that DStv subscribers, in their millions - and like what happened with the other D - are saying, "it used to be good, but no thanks. No more"?

Ask any family that stopped going to Disney, and and family that cancelled DStv, why. 

Their answers are the same: Too expensive now. No longer worth it. No longer what it used to be. 

Those responses should serve as the guiding light to try and repair what once was, but got lost in the ride.

South African rugby continues to drive TV ratings

by Thinus Ferreira   

South African rugby continues to drive TV ratings.

According to Nielsen Sports South Africa, TV viewing of rugby matches - especially the Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) is increasing, despite an overall decline in MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV subscriptions.

Nielsen Sports SA ratings data shows that from late 2023 to mid-2024, URC broadcast hours surged by 220 hours. 

According to Nielsen, 13% of all secondary broadcasts - repeats and highlights - were tiered down to other DStv subscription packages below DStv Premium like DStv Compact, Dstv Compact Plus, DStv Access and DStv Family subscribers.

Increased viewership numbers reflect growth in both a core rugby market and in segments with a growing interest in the sport – specifically the URC, Nielsen says.

Nwabisa Sauls, Nielsen Sports SA commercial manager, says "Our latest data shows the rapidly growing enthusiasm for rugby in South Africa and the vital role South African teams play in driving this trend".

"The rise in both viewership and stadium attendance - up 3% overall according to the URC - is testament to the enduring appeal of the South African teams' prominence on the global rugby stage and its ability to captivate a broad and diverse audience."

With overall URC consumption up by an impressive 19% and a rise of 6% in the total unique audience for the URC, additional broadcast hours and strategic scheduling from DStv were winning factors for fans, says Nielsen SA.

The 153 live URC broadcasts drew 1.19 million unique viewers, and secondary broadcasts added 96 782 new viewers with 31% of this audience who watched on the SuperSport Variety 4 (DStv 209).

Nielsen Sports SA says this shows the effectiveness of a strategic secondary broadcast schedule in boosting viewership.

"South African sports fans are increasingly captivated by local rugby teams. The increase in audience over the previous year, as reflected in Nielsen Sports SA data, can also be attributed to secondary broadcasts playing a significant role in connecting with a broader audience," the ratings tabulator says.

Minnie Dlamini fronts Rapid Blue's reality dating adaptation Love Never Dies SA releasing 29 November on Netflix; third season of Urban Brew's Young, Famous & Africa releasing 17 January 2025.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African version of reality dating series Love Never Dies will be released on 29 November with Minnie Dlamini as the host, while the streamer announced that a third season of its conflict-and-conspicuous-consumption reality series Young, Famous & African will be released on 17 January 2025.

Love Never Dies: South Africa is based on Netflix's 2021 reality series from Spain which is now being adapted internationally for other markets, with the South African version which was produced by Rapid Blue and executives produced by  Adi de Lancey and Ziyanda Ngcaba.

In a programming press release from the video streamer sent to South African media about these two unscripted reality shows, Eclipse Communications notes that Love Never Dies: SA will be released on Netflix on 29 November, with another episode on 6 December, followed by a reunion episode on 8 December.

Love Never Dies: South Africa was filmed in Knysna, where M-Net filmed Temptation Island: South Africa for Showmax, with "six couples will put their love lives to the test by facing an eye-scanning lie detector designed to uncover the truth".

The show's description reads that the couple's "Commitment is further challenged by facing temptation from attractive singles. Lies unravel, hidden truths come to light, and emotions run high as bonds are pushed to breaking points. Beyond emotional stakes, a substantial cash prize of up to R1 million awaits the most truthful couple".

Netflix will release a third season of Young, Famous & African on 17 January 2025, produced by Urban Brew Studios and Apop Media, with Jwalane Letaba as showrunner.

Young, Famous & African was created by Peace Hyde and Martin Asare Amankwa, with Adelaide Joshua-Hill, Martin Asare-Amankwa and Peace Hyde as co-executive producers and Wesley Makgamatha as director.

The third season cast includes Khanyi Mbau, Luis Munana, Annie Macaulay-Idibia, Diamond Platnumz, Swanky Jerry, Kefilwe Mabote, Shakib Lutaaya, Kayleigh Schwark, Zari Hassan, Ini Edo and Nadia Nakai.

The third season of Young, Famous & African will have 8 episodes with Netflix SA that says it will "deliver more jaw-dropping drama, grander parties and explosive exchanges".

"Old friends reconnect, and new faces join the Young, Famous & African family, bringing more epic ups and downs than ever before. From make-ups to dramatic breakups, all set in the lap of luxury, the season delivers baddies, babies, and everything in between."

Nigeria's federal court dismisses country's controversial fine of BBC News Africa's banditry documentary

by Thinus Ferreira

Nigeria's Federal High Court in Lagos has set aside the N5 million fines the country's controversial National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) slapped on Trust Television Network, MultiChoice's DStv, TStv and StarTimes Nigeria which all aired the BBC News Africa documentary "Bandit warlords of Zamfara" in the BBC Africa Eye programme in 2022.

The draconian NBC slapped Trust Television Network, as well as several other broadcasters in Nigeria with hefty fines for broadcasting a documentary from BBC News Africa on its BBC Africa Eye documentary programme, entitled "Bandit warlords of Zamfara" in 2022.

Besides Trust Television Network, the NBC fined MultiChoice and BBC News Africa airing the documentary on DStv, TelCom Satellite Limited running the now-defunct TStv, and NTA StarTimes Limited running StarTimes Nigeria which all showed the documentary. 

The NBC wrongly claimed that news and documentaries about crime and banditry in Nigeria, broadcast on television, "undermined national security and contravened the Nigerian broadcasting code".

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) took the NBC to court and filed a lawsuit against NBC as well as the Nigerian president and the country's caustic and clueless former information minister, Lai Mohammed.

The organisations wanted the court to declare "that the imposition of fines on the media houses is unlawful and amounts to a breach of legality, necessity, proportionality principles".

Justice Nicholas Oweibo ruled that the overreaching NBC lacks the legal power and authority to impose fines unlawfully and unilaterally on broadcasters or suspensions, or withdrawals of licences "or any form of punishment whatsoever on independent media houses for promoting access to diverse information on issues of public importance".

"A declaration is, hereby made that the provisions of the National Broadcasting Commission Act and the Nigerian Broadcasting Code which are arbitrarily being used by the defendants to sanction, harass, intimidate and restrict the independent media houses are inconsistent and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution," he ruled. 

ALSO READ: Nigeria fines MultiChoice, StarTimes and TStv over R200 000 for airing BBC Africa Eye investigative documentary on Nigerian gangs.

Celebrity MasterChef South Africa edition coming to SABC3

by Thinus Ferreira

Another season of Celebrity MasterChef South Africa will follow the end of the 5th season of the Primedia Studios produced food competition series on SABC3, with South African celebrities who will compete from Saturday 30 November at 20:30.

It will be only the second Celebrity MasterChef SA edition yet on South African television.

This new Celebrity MasterChef SA season comes after the first one which was screened in 2015 between the third and fourth seasons on M-Net - and follows a decade after this first celebrity version which was won by Chris Forrest.

Some of the contestants in the next Celebrity MasterChef South Africa include Expresso morning show presenter Graeme Richards, Siv Ngesi, and singer Holly Rey who will battle it out behind their kitchenette stations to whip up food creations using ingredients from the Pick n Pay pantry. 

The celebrity contestants, using the same purpose-built MasterChef SA set constructed across the two-studio space at Atlantic Studios in Montague Gardens in Cape Town, will compete to win money for various charities.

To amortise the cost of the set and space, the Celebrity MasterChef South Africa season done as a localised version of the Banijay format, was filmed a few months ago already, directly after production of the fifth season ended. 

This is similar to how the first Celebrity MasterChef SA season was filmed at the time in conjunction with the third season.

Celebrity MasterChef SA will be followed by a new 6th season of MasterChef SA on SABC3, again with South African home cooks.

The revived MasterChef SA will conclude its fifth season this coming Saturday night on SABC3 when either Bridget Mangwandi (20, a consumer science student from Bloemfontein and the youngest contestant this season), Chanel Brink (34, an online foodie content creator from Johannesburg) or Nabila Shamshum (23, a school secretary from Johannesburg) will walk away as the winner.