MultiChoice and M-Net's unsustainable Afrikaans film channel fliekNET goes back to being a DStv pop-up channel from mid-July 2022.

by Thinus Ferreira

With not enough content and new Afrikaans films to keep it going as a permanent movie channel, MultiChoice and M-Net's Afrikaans film channel fliekNET (DStv 149) will go back to being a DStv pop-up channel from mid-July 2022.

fliekNET that started out as a DStv pop-up channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service will cease to be an ongoing DStv from midnight on 15 July, a year and 10 months after it changed to being a permanent DStv channel in September 2020.

fliekNET was originally launched as a holiday film DStv pop-up channel in 2014, that would "pop up" in years after that as a kykNET channel brand extension, before it morphed into a permanent DStv addition in mid-2020.

New Afrikaans films will now premiere on kykNET (DStv 144) on Sundays at 20:00.

kykNET says new Afrikaans films and 50-minute short films will continue to be made and shown on kykNET and that the channel has a new Saturday night movie timeslot at 20:00. kykNET is also developing new 90-minute films which will be shown from 2023 on the channel.

MultiChoice isn't saying why it's taking fliekNET away as a permanent DStv channel and says "channel and content offerings are reviewed regularly in terms of viewing trends and consumer needs. This market research may lead to channel additions or terminations".

MultiChoice says the pay-TV operator "remains committed to the local feature film industry and is proud of the successes of and international recognition received by films such as Barakat, Indemnity and Gaia in recent months".

The SABC's latest schedule shuffle from 6 February: SABC2's 7de Laan to 18:00, Sesotho news to 20:00, a new Afrikaans timeslot at 19:00; SABC1's Uzalo goes 5 days.

Timeslot-fatigued SABC viewers are in for yet another new round of programme shuffling from February - most notably on SABC2 - that will see Afrikaans soap 7de Laan shunted to 18:00, the Sotho news to 20:00, and the introduction of a new stripped, , hour long, 4-day a week Afrikaans timeslot at 19:00 in an attempt to try and lure back viewers.

The South African public broadcaster will announce yet another dramatic round of show changes to its channels like SABC1 and SABC2 soon.

The new changes will follow the latest temporary disruption of it channels' programming line-ups due to AFCON 2017 soccer tournament coverage,what the SABC calls its "transversal strategy".

The new SABC TV line-up will mark the SABC's 3rd big TV schedules change in a year, not counting the temporary AFCON 2017 schedule disruption.

The SABC's ongoing scheduling changes continue to worry the South African TV and advertising industry, concerned about the erratic nature and ongoing scheduling instability at the public broadcaster that impacts its viewership and ratings, and ultimately its ad income - a big source of the broadcaster's revenue.

After every SABC schedule change viewers struggle to find where shows have moved to. In the past year several shows on SABC2 and SABC3 have showed ongoing monthly viewership drop-offs after certain programmes were moved to timeslot where it struggles to maintain audiences as viewers fled.

The SABC announced dramatic schedule changes to SABC1, SABC2 and SABC2 in February, only to announce schedule changes again just four months later in June. AFCON 2017 is currently upending the SABC's schedules with the broadcaster that is set to announce yet another round of schedule changes that will come into effect from 6 February.

After moving the timeslot of the stalwart Afrikaans soap 7de Laan on SABC2 for the first time ever in its 15 year history in July 2016 from 18:30 to 19:00, the SABC is set to move 7de Laan again after just 7 months to 18:00 from Monday 6 February after the conclusion of AFCON 2017.


An even tougher time finding viewers?
The ratings-battered weekday soap will likely have an ever tougher time finding viewers on SABC2 in the early prime time slot when a lot of its audience - commuting working-class viewers are not home yet.

The fictional Hillside set 7de Laan will now be competing with the Cape Town based Afrikaans soap Suidooster on kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET&kie (DStv 145).

The Danie Odendaal Productions that also publicly announced the 18:00 timeslot move from February to viewers says the change is "unfortunately outside of our control. The SABC is making these changes".

The SABC will also move its daily Setswana/Sesotho TV news bulletin from 6 February from 18:00 to 20:00 daily.

The Sesotho news on SABC2 will now compete directly with Generations on SABC1 at 20:00, programmes that fight for part of the same audience on the public broadcaster and with many viewers who would like to watch both.

The Sesotho news bulletin that was moved, suffered a viewership drop since its move to the 18:00 timeslot the past few months and completely dropped out of SABC2's top 20 most watched shows since November 2016 - the very timeslot 7de Laan is now going to be moved to.


New Afrikaans timeslot block
In addition to the 7de Laan and Sesotho news changes, a new stripped, hour long Afrikaans timeslot is set to be introduced on SABC2 from Monday 6 February at 19:00.

This new timeslot block will run from Monday to Thursday as SABC2 tries to court and lure back Afrikaans viewers.

Trying to create better ongoing scheduling flow and to get viewers to stay tuned in for longer instead of flipping the channel's hotch-potch "language mosaic programming", SABC2 channel head Gerhard Pretorius and scheduling executive Thulisile Nhlapo is essentially creating a 2-hour Afrikaans TV block from 6 February that will effectively stretch from 18:00 to 20:00.

SABC2's latest February schedule from 6 February will start with 7de Laan at 18:00, Afrikaans news at 18:30, and then shows at 19:00 like Vetkoekpaleis and Kliphard (Monday), Fees van die Ongenooides (Tuesday), Geure van die Vallei and Authentiek (Wednesday), and Beter Assie Bure (Thursday).

The Afrikaans entertainment magazine show Pasella will start again on 22 February, now on a Wednesday at 19:30.

Zandile Nkonyeni, SABC TV head publicist, didn't respond to a media enquiry on Thursday morning seeking comment about the changes and was asked why SABC2 decided to move 7de Laan, the Sesotho news and introduce the Afrikaans block at 19:00.

She was asked if SABC2 doesn't consider the 7de Laan timeslot to be too early and why the Sesotho TV news bulletin is made to compete against Generations on SABC1 for an audience, but didn't respond at the time of publication.

As previously reported in December 2016 already, the SABC will also extend the SABC1 prime time soap Uzalo's run from the week starting 6 February from 4 to 5 days per week, adding a Friday episode of the soap in the same timeslot of 20:30 from the start of its third season.

SABC1 publicist Philip Mabitsela didn't respond to a media enquiry on Thursday morning seeking comment about the KwaMashu set soap from Stained Glass Productions being extended to 5 days a week.

e.tv debuts first-ever Afrikaans music magazine show, Musiek Musiek, to lure viewers over after the SABC makes Afrikaans less accessible.

e.tv will debut the free-to-air channel's first-ever Afrikaans music magazine show, Musiek Musiek, on Wednesday 10 September at 20:00, ready to lure Afrikaans and other viewers after the SABC made several Afrikaans language TV programmes less accessible by moving it from SABC2 to SABC3 which has a much smaller national footprint.

Musiek Musiek with presenters Eagan Williamson and Tina Meissenheimer will broadcast on e.tv from 10 September at 20:00.

Besides other Afrikaans programming, the SABC moved the Afrikaans magazine show Pasella from Wednesdays at 19:30 permanently from 14 July to the smaller SABC3 where millions fewer analogue viewers can see it.

Now those Afrikaans viewers can watch Musiek Musiek on e.tv on Wednesday in roughly the same timeslot.

Musiek Musiek as e.tv's first ever Afrikaans music magazine show and produced by Media World, will explore the Afrikaans music world with interviews with the hottest Afrikaans singers and artists, looking at how music videos are made, as well as a Golden Oldies segment playing classic Afrikaans music videos.

e.tv says the channel is proud to launch its very first Afrikaans music magazine show on the chanel.

"This is all part of an ongoing effort to ensure that we service our diverse audience base and ensure that we remain the entertainment destination of choice for all South Africans," says Monde Twala, e.tv's managing director.

"There is something for everyone in Musiek Musiek right from the golden oldies to the latest and cutting edge youth music," says Monde Twala.

It's the 22-year old Tina Meissenheimer's first TV presenting work, who will talk with in-studio guests as singers share their knowledge and experiences of the music industry and the stories that led to their success.

Eagan Williamson who've appeared on kykNET's Glitterati and Tonge Los will share gossip and news from the Afrikaans music scene, music industry news, latest song and album releases and attend live events.

"I am ecstatic," says Tina Meissenheimer. "Having Musiek Musiek on e.tv is also super exciting".

"I am honoured to be a part of such an amazing new project for e.tv, especially since it is their first Afrikaans show," says Eagan Williamson. "I honestly believe that all South Africans will enjoy the show tremendously and that the Afrikaans music industry would welcome Musiek Musiek into their homes and hearts".