BREAKING. M-Net to drastically enhance its already major Oscar coverage with two live, HD, red carpet pre shows.

Bob D'Amico/ABC

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.

''And the Oscar goes to...'' Big changes coming to the Oscars for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.

Bob D'Amico/ABC

It's back to ''And the Oscar goes to...'' instead of last year's ''And the winner is...'' - and there's several other big changes coming for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards that South African viewers will be able to watch live on Monday morning 28 February at 03:00.

In a press release the Academy says the show's producers requested that the sentence announcing category winners be changed back to the ''And the Oscar goes to...'' which has been used for over 20 years. It was replaced last year with ''And the winner is...''. Some other big changes are in store for the ceremony as well which will be shown live and later, live and in HD, and later in HD giving South African viewers a plethora of choices this year.

The producers told The Hollywood Reporter that the 83rd Annual Academy Awards with co-hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway will be abandoning the notion of ''a traditional set'' and will be using ''projections'' to transition viewers to up to 7 different environments - including an animation world - as the award show takes viewers on a trip through the history of Hollywood.

Don Mischer, producer told the trade publication that the show will be taking viewers ''to different places, different times, and it will change dramatically. The look will change from act to act.''

ALSO READ: All the channels, times and programming options to watch the Oscars this year.

Programming note: E! Entertainment's upcoming coverage plans of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on 27 February.

Fedex just delivered the programming plans of E! Entertainment's (DStv 124) upcoming red carpet coverage to me on this Saturday morning and what the channel plans to do for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards happening on 27 February.


Live from the Red Carpet: The 2011 Academy Awards will start on E! Entertainment on Sunday, 27 February at 23:00 with Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic interviewing nominees and celebrity guests from E!'s main platform next to the red carpet.

On Tuesday, 2 March at 20:00 there will be a special hour long Fashion Police: The 2011 Academy Awards with Joan Rivers doing a retrospective on the Oscar fashions.

ALSO READ: Will e.tv's Showbiz Report with Nicky Greenwall be covering the upcoming Oscars from Hollywood again?
ALSO READ: M-Net snags the 83rd Annual Academy Awards for 2011 and will show the Oscars live and in HD with multiple viewing options.
ALSO READ: M-Net snags the rights to the 2011 Bafta Awards and will show it in HD.

BREAKING. The Oscars: LIVE! HD! Plethora of choices on M-Net channels showing the 83rd Annual Academy Awards live and in HD.

You're reading it here first.

I can be first to reveal exactly how and on what channels South African TV viewers will be able to watch this year's Oscars - with several choices available to watch the 83rd Annual Academy Awards across various M-Net channels either live; in high definition (HD); live and in HD; or in HD.

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards with James Franco and Anne Hathaway as the hosts this year will go out live on M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 103) on Monday, 28 February at 03:00 (South African time) as well as live and in high definition (HD) on M-Net Movies 1 HD (DStv 175) on the same date and 03:00 starting time.

Besides these 2 live broadcasts, the 83rd Annual Academy Awards will go out later on Monday, 28 February on M-Net (DStv 101) at 21:30, and in high definition (HD) on the same date and 21:30 starting time on M-Net HD (DStv 170).