MultiChoice Kenya takes financial TV channels CNBC Africa and Bloomberg away from DStv Compact subscribers.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice Kenya has taken away the business news TV channels CNBC Africa (DStv 410) and Bloomberg (DStv 411) from DStv Compact subscribers as part of what the pay-TV operator calls a "refresh" of the DStv Compact package in the East African country.

MultiChoice gave no explanation for removing CNBC Africa and Bloomberg from DStv Compact. Since December the two news channels are now only available on the DStv Compact Plus and DStv Premium packages in Kenya.

"As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance our customers' television viewing experience and delight them with content that resonates with them, MultiChoice did a content refresh to its DStv and GOtv offerings on 13 November 2019," MultiChoice says in a statement.

Bloomberg in ugly disciplinary fight with its own journalist Sam Mkokeli as case is at CCMA; journalist slams Bloomberg for its 'lily-white leadership structure and culture in Africa'.

Bloomberg (DStv 411 / StarSat 264) is involved in an ugly fight with its own journalist Sam Mkokeli who is embroiled in a disciplinary case that has turned nasty and is currently being heard at the CCMA, with Sam Mkokeli who has slammed Bloomberg for its "lily-white leadership structure and culture in Africa".

Besides working for Bloomberg, Sam Mkokeli is also the chairperson of the media freedom sub-committee at the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF).

The nasty relationship breakdown between Bloomberg and Sam Mkokeli began in 2018 when Bloomberg started a disciplinary case against the journalist, claiming that he had allegedly breached Bloomberg's policy for social media posts.

Sam Mkokeli is represented by Clifford Levin, who attended a CCMA arbitration on Thursday in Johannesburg with Gabrielle Phillips as Bloomberg's human resources partner repping the business news outlet.

On 13 December 2018 Sam Mkokeli allegedly breached Bloomberg's social media post policy when he tweeted the words "Here's the walk" with a photo of Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams who was eventually announced as South Africa's 11th minister of communications in 11 years.

Bloomberg gave Sam Mkokeli a disciplinary warning because Bloomberg alleges that the journalist broke the news about Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams' appointment on Twitter where consumers get it for free and before Bloomberg clients who pay for such news.

"The fact is that our Bloomberg clients didn't have access to this information as quickly as it could have been," according to Gabrielle Phillips.

Sam Mkokeli got another Bloomberg disciplinary note a day after the first after he posted a comment on 10 December 2018 with an article from Eyewitness News (EWN) on Facebook with the headline "ANC's Pule Mabe accused of sexual harassment by his PA".

Sam Mkokeli added the comment "Thixo ka Fransman!" which in English is ""God of Fransman" and refers to the ANC member Marius Fransman who was embroiled in sexual assault charges from the National Prosecuting Authority that were later withdrawn.

Bloomberg accused SamMkokeli of expressing a "subjective opinion", something that isn't allowed under Bloomberg's social media post policy.

Sam Mkokeli on social media slammed Bloomberg this week asking Bloomberg publicly "How come you have a lily-white leadership structure and culture in Africa?"

On Wednesday Sam Mkokeli also alleges that Bloomberg decided to "created all manner of charges against me, disciplinary hearing after disciplinary hearing. I am surprised they never charged me for the shape of my nose or the length of my hair. That's Bloomberg for you.".

It's a simple crime. How come you have a lily white leadership structure and culture in Africa? @business got fired for that.

— Sam Mkokeli (@msmkokeli) September 25, 2019

They then created all manner of charges against me, DC after DC. I am surprised they never charged me for the shape of my noise or the length of my hair. That's @Bloomberg for you

— Sam Mkokeli (@msmkokeli) September 25, 2019

Bloomberg and Twitter teams up to create a 24-hour streaming news channel.

Twitter and Bloomberg are teaming up to create a 24-hour streaming news channel that will have reports from Bloomberg Television's various news bureaux, as well as vetted user-generated content.

In South Africa Bloomberg Television is available on MultiChoice's DStv, as well On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media South Africa's StarSat satellite pay-TV platforms.

Bloomberg's Twitter news channel will have some exclusive content on this online business news channel different from its Bloomberg Television channel.

"Today's global news consumer wants and needs more than what's currently available," says Justin Smith, CEO of Bloomberg Media, in a statement.
 
"With this new network, we are setting out to reinvent the digital breaking news experience."

Bloomberg's Twitter channel will launch later this year.

Abysmal CNBC Africa on DStv once again shows how completely irrelevant, out of touch and ridiculously hopeless it has become as a TV channel.

On Wednesday evening and all through the night the abysmal CNBC Africa (DStv 410) embarrassingly showed just how irrelevant, out of touch and unimportant the ABN TV channel has become as a place to find actual business news the past few years for South African viewers on DStv.

On Wednesday when the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shut down due to an unexplained glitch for almost 4 hours, the big news lured this TV critic momentarily back to that vast wasteland in the upper 400's on MultiChoice's DStv platform where CNBC Africa - which turned 8 years old in June - once did actual news and had some relevance.

I wanted to see how CNBC Africa would handle the shut down of the world's largest stock exchange, whether CNBC Africa would explain what the impact would be for South Africa and Africa, or whether CNBC Africa at the very least would switch its channel feed away from dreary pre-planned and pre-recorded panel shows to its CNBC Europe or CNBC's original American feed.

CNBC Africa did nothing.

As in completely ignored the news - as well as the further slide of China's stock exchange where several South African behemoths like Naspers for instance has exposure.

Now, its nothing new.

CNBC Africa long ago lost most of its credibility, and as one of the least watched news channels on DStv it had long ago sold the little silver ware it had in terms of actual news cache in favour of an unending litany of advertiser-funded productions.

CNBC Africa remains stock-ed with sponsor-driven drivel, branded content gone awry and inane and stale talking heads programming - all apparently done to appease and get corporate sponsors, instead of trying to do serious, incisive and relevant business news coverage.

It's money CNBC Africa is interested in - but seemingly more advertiser's money than giving viewers real news about money.

Like SABC News, it was fascinating to watch CNBC Africa stick with stale and pre-recorded, irrelevant programming like talking about private education investment opportunities and books while Bloomberg (DStv 411), CNN International (DStv 401) and other news channels did minute-by-minute coverage of the NYSE shut-down and its eventual re-opening.

CNBC Africa with its banal "business" coverage once again affirmed how its no longer - if it ever was - a platform where you're actually going to get news or breaking news and insight about big business events shaping Africa and the world as it happens.

It was ironic that CNN International would reference CNBC and say on CNN International that CNBC "just reported" that the NYSE would re-open soon for 45 minutes at the end of the business day.

How agonising must it be that another news brand references you, but that you can't even care about bringing it to your own viewers yourself.

CNBC Africa and its executives and programmers couldn't bother to switch its own channel feed to CNBC to give and bring its viewers that news directly.

Bloomberg did great coverage and CNN International did excellent coverage, while CNBC Africa limped along, out of touch with the news of the moment for more than 3 and a half hours.

Is it any wonder that CNBC Africa is the least watched news channel on DStv in South Africa, with an audience share of basically 0%, even below the 1% of BusinessDay TV?

What is the justification of this mostly marketing filled TV "news" channel on DStv where news coverage comes across as long corporate and company infomercials?

CNBC Africa wants viewers (presumably) - but doesn't care to communicate about its coverage and upcoming programming to the press, doesn't care to break into its planned programming with relevant breaking news coverage, and has a schedule filled with basically irrelevant trash.

Where is the news CNBC Africa? Why exist just to put talking heads on TV so you can plaster a Discovery logo ad in the corner?

If the shutdown of the world's biggest stock market isn't "enough" to get you to cover actual news for South African and African viewers, I doubt that anything will, unless of course its beautifully sponsored Nelson Mandela life legacy programming you managed to do the day after his death.

It's inexplicable that CNBC Africa which has the resources and channel feeds of CNBC Europe and CNBC in New York to draw upon, appears too lazy, uninformed and unwilling to switch to actual news when there's big news.

When even a TV channel like Sky News (DStv 402) ends up doing more coverage about actual business news and a business event than CNBC Africa, you should know that you've lost your reason for being and existence.

CNBC Africa has (sadly) taught viewers that they won't find actual real-time news and insight there, and viewers won't tune to that DStv channel for it, or have it as a top-of-mind "appointment television" place to check when there's breaking business news. And it's a shame.

From what it started as to how it looks now (complete with badly done, amateurly draped black curtain thingie to hide whatever in the background during cross-overs to the awful looking Kenyan "studio"), CNBC Africa looks to me like nothing more than a shrill advertisers platform, courting their money above anything else.

Like Clicks' in-store radio but with video or the Edgars Club magazine, if I wanted to see uninterrupted custom-targeted content disguised as nauseating news-o-tainment, by all means tune to CNBC Africa.

Watch CNBC Africa and see how long you can stand it before you want to poke your eyes out from sheer agony.

CNBC Africa has none of the sense of news urgency, the professional on-air appearance or incisive reporting of CNBC in America - things which would have gone a long way to make this sad channel at least appear more in touch,  although it might still lack actual substance.

Last year when I asked a pay-TV insider at MultiChoice what TV channels might be added in 2015 and how many more TV channels MultiChoice might be adding in the new year, the surprising retort was: "Isn't it perhaps time that MultiChoice starts taking channels away?"

Here's the thing for me: If DStv cuts CNBC Africa it wouldn't be a loss to me. I won't miss it and I doubt there would be the outcry like when Bloomberg was removed - and quickly brought back.

CNBC Africa is like when you page through Vanity Fair or Vogue: Way too many full page ads; far too little actual editorial content and articles.

The only way CNBC Africa can possibly improve is to actually do news and to cover business and to let people and viewers know about it. Or it should seriously just get out of the biz. Literally.

Adam Freeman appointed as the first managing director of Bloomberg Media for the EMEA region.

Adam Freeman has been appointed as the first managing director of Bloomberg Media for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

Adam Freeman will be responsible for leading Bloomberg's multi-platform media operation in this region across television for Bloomberg Television, as well as live events, the internet, digital video and print.

He will be responsible for ensuring that Bloomberg's consumer media content, distribution and licensing deals are tailored to serve each individual market.

Adam Freeman will be based at Bloomberg's European headquarters in London.

BREAKING. Bloomberg Television set to return to MultiChoice's DStv as its own stand-alone TV channel from Monday.

You're reading it here first. 

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.

Programming note: Bloomberg's new daily Bloomberg West show looking at how technology is impacting global business.

There's a new weekday show on Bloomberg (DStv 411) that started this week, Bloomberg West that I want to tell you about.

Bloomberg West, Mondays to Fridays at 01:00 South African time, is presented by Emily Chang and Cory Johnson from Bloomberg's brand-new San Francisco studio. The hour long Bloomberg West that focuses on technology and technology issues, interviews and profiles the personalities, companies and trends transforming the global economy.

''This is not a gadget show, this is not a show where we're going to show you gee-whiz cool startups," Cory Johnson said to the San Francisco Chronicle. ''This is a show on how technology is impacting business."

An entertaining, ''elegant'' and intelligent new news magazine show Monocle on TV coming to Bloomberg Television.

What surely looks like a simply great new, entertaining and intelligent television addition is Monocle on TV that will start on Saturday, 18 December at 14:00 on Bloomberg Television (DStv 411).

I just heard back from Bloomberg Television in Britain who confirmed to me that the new magazine show will indeed be available and broadcast in South Africa as well, since South African DStv subscribers are getting the Europe/UK Bloomberg Television feed. (The show will be broadcast on Bloomberg's American feed as well.)

Monocle on TV that will be produced in London. It will be a new hourlong, weekly TV news magazine on Bloomberg Television that Tyler Brule, founder of the high society culture magazine Monocle told New York Magazine, will hopefully ''be a return to more elegant television'' and ''gentle, good, informative viewing''. Tyler Brule as well as various Monocle editors will be the presenters.

A Bloomberg spokesperson tells me Monocle on TV will have a repeat slot on a Saturday evening, as well as on a Sunday.

Bloomberg to build and move to new European headquarters in London designed by Norman Foaster.

Since Friday I've been working on a very nice Bloomberg Television (DStv 411) story which I hope to bring for you soon (I tried for yesterday and again today, but sources . . . sources . . . Sometimes with international sources it takes longer because the world is still actually a big place). Anyway, quite co-incidentally another story about Bloomberg Television out today.

The international business news channel will be building a new European headquarters on a site near the bank of England (and its existing headquarters in Finsbury Square since 1987) which it hopes to move into by 2015. The Financial Times was first to report the news. Bloomberg's new office will be designed by Norman Foaster.