e.tv dumps local telenovela Broken Vows, moves Days of Our Lives to new 6pm timeslot from Monday 15 January.

e.tv is dumping Broken Vows with the local telenovela that is being moved off of its prime time schedule from this coming Monday and to its eExtra satellite channel, with the weekday soap Days of Our Lives that is being moved half an hour later to 18:00.

e.tv's patience is up with Broken Vows, produced by Clive Morris Productions, that's struggled in the ratings since it launched in April 2017 in the plum 20:00 timeslot and that was moved to 18:30 just 4 months ago amidst faltering viewership.

Now e.tv programming bosses want to start 2018 with a clean slate not featuring the local telenovela as soon as possible with e.tv's early prime time programming that is pegged to its new schedule to start at the top of the hour.

It means that e.tv viewers won't see the conclusion of Broken Vows in prime time with the show that is being shipped off to the eExtra channel (DStv 195 / OpenView HD 105) from Monday 15 January at 18:00.

e.tv will however broadcast an omnibus of the week's Broken Vows episodes on Saturday mornings at 11:20 and says the channel is still accomodating its viewers without satellite TV in this way, to be able to see Broken Vows.

Broken Vows didn't do well in the viewership but it also didn't get a lot of press exposure during the past 9 months.

e.tv publicity did Broken Vows no favours, signaling to the media that the show is apparently not that important when it neither bothered to tell a large part of the press covering television beforehand about the show's launch event in April 2017, nor invited media to it, and didn't issue any transcripts or press materials about the launch afterwards.

TV critics took their cue from this that e.tv isn't interested in exposure for Broken Vows. 

As part of the schedule changes coming on Monday e.tv is also moving its American weekday soap Days of Our Lives half an hour later to 18:00 from Monday 15 January, with talker The Steve Harvey Show moved half an hour later from 16:30 to 17:00.

The channel is also adding Judge Judy to its schedule from Monday in the 16:30 timeslot.

e.tv's successful local soaps Rhythm City and Scandal! are kept in their 19:00 and 19:30 timeslots, followed by eNews with Sally Burdett at 20:00, and the local drama series Easy Money on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:30.

e.tv continues to court viewers with premium American dramas with Shades of Blue with Jennifer Lopez starting on Monday at 20:30, followed by the debut of the 3rd season of Chicago PD on Tuesday 16 January at 20:30 and with The Blacklist returning for a second season on Wednesday 17 January at 20:30.

The crime drama Power will start on Wednesday 17 January at 20:30 with Omari Hardwick as James St.Patrick, the owner of a New York nightclub who is also involved in drug smuggling and trying to balance his two different lives.

About the latest e.tv schedule change the channel's Marlon Davids, managing director of e.tv says "over the last 20 years e.tv's constant innovation has made the channel a firm favourite in the free-to-air television landscape".

"Our new programming line-up demonstrates our commitment to meeting the needs of our audiences. They can look forward to more of the highest quality local programming, alongside world-renowned international content this year."

Asked by TVwithThinus why e.tv is moving Broken Vows off of the e.tv prime time schedule not letting it run its course and making it impossible for free-to-air viewers to see its conclusion in prime time where they started watching it, e.tv says that its channels business "is invested in its multichannel offering as a whole and hopes to draw Broken Vows audiences to the growing needs of the eExtra channel for dedicated local content".

e.tv says "the revamp is aligned to a bigger business strategy as we see upward momentum of the OpenView HD platform."

e.tv doing a timeslot-switcheroo for telenovela Broken Vows and eNews Direct as shows get each other's timeslots of 18:30 and 20:00 from 4 September.

To try and lift ratings e.tv will switch the timeslots of its telenovela Broken Vows and its prime time TV news bulletin eNews Direct from Monday 4 September although the apparently odd move will see both half hour shows face even stiffer competition that might drag viewership lower.

As part of the red letter channel's acquisition of Days of Our Lives and take-over of the Sony and Corday production from the SABC's SABC3, e.tv is doing a major retooling of its prime-time schedule from September with Days' placement at 17:30.

While music show Club 808 on Fridays is strangely shipped off to the earlier 16:30 timeslot from Friday 8 September when its target audience won't be home to watch it, e.tv is also switching around Broken Vows and eNews Direct - both struggling in the ratings - by giving them the other show's timeslot.

e.tv hasn't made any announcements yet, but from Monday 4 September the telenovela Broken Vows produced by Clive Morris Productions will move from 20:00 to 18:30 where it will have to compete head-to-head with the 6th season of SABC1's hugely successful Skeem Saam youth drama.

From 4 September the eNews Direct at 18:30 will be moved to 20:00 opposite SABC1's super-soap Generations - The Legacy.

Skeem Saam and Generations command a ratings share of respectively 61% and 68.2%. It means that during their timeslots, more than two-thirds of all South African TV sets that are turned on, are tuned to these shows.

What it means it that it will likely be very difficult for e.tv's Broken Vows and for eNews Direct in their switcheroo-timeslots to find a sizeable enough audience, although they haven't been doing well where they've been scheduled currently either.

Two and a half years ago in January 2015 e.tv promised "a regeneration of 8pm" - a play of words on SABC1's Generations with e.tv's introduction of a local telenovela during this timeslot on weekday, but that strategy hasn't worked and now the channel is reversing course.

Days of Our Lives is now going to serve as the lead-in to an e.tv superblock of soap, with Broken Vows at 18:30, Rhythm City at 19:00 and Scandal at 19:30.

It remains to be seen whether e.tv viewers can stay put for a marathon 2 and a half hours of soap television during early prime time as working class families with dueling priorities rush home, battle to bath and to put food on the table in time for dinner.

RATINGS APRIL 2017: On SABC1 Skeem Saam pops, while SABC3's second batch of local shows flops.

The struggling SABC continued to lose TV viewers in April as SABC2 and SABC3 again shed viewers and audience share in the past month while SABC3's debut of a second batch of local shows all flopped like the first batch in 2016.

While e.tv's new April launched telenovela Broken Vows is a ratings dud at 20:00 opposite power house Generations, SABC1's Skeem Saam is proving to be South African television's most valuable player, topping 7 million viewers for the first time in April after it steadily gained more than one million viewers since the start of the year.

While SABC1's managed to up its audience share in April, SABC2 and SABC3 are down as South Africa's TV ratings continue to flash red for the public broadcaster, indicative of the worsening financial and management crisis the SABC finds itself in.

SABC1

It a show that gets little coverage and is under-reported but there is a SABC TV success story: Skeem Saam is SABC1's most valuable player when it comes to ratings, having grown its audience by over 1 million viewers in just four months - an astonishing feat.

From 5.97 million viewers in December 2016, Skeem Saam has robustly grown its viewership to 7.02 million viewers in April 2017, crossing the 7 million mark for the first time ever.

The show continues to track as the third highest rated show monthly on SABC1 and also the third most watched show on all of South African television.

In April, one episode of Generations The Legacy, on 18 April, lured 109 361 more viewers than Uzalo, making Generations the most watched show on SABC1 for the first time in 2017 with 8.92 million viewers, compared to Uzalo's 8.81 million viewers - the show that usually holds the top "most watched" spot.

April saw rating surges for both the Xhosa and Zulu TV news bulletins on SABC1, growing from 4.18 and 4.32 million to 4.61 and 4.57 million viewers respectively.

Other SABC1 shows that managed to add viewers include Friends Like These from 2.9 to 3.58 million viewers, Ngempela from 2.76 to 3.24 million viewers, Nyan Nyan from 3.09 to 4.12 million viewers, and Mokapelo from 2.64 to 3.09 million viewers.


SABC2

Like a glacier, the ongoing worrying trend is continuing of SABC2's overall viewership and audience slide. In April SABC2's numbers receded further, although its top show, Muvhango edged up from 6.24 million to 6.42 million viewers.

Also up on SABC2 is local telenovela Keeping Score from 2.58 to 2.62 million viewers, Afrikaans soap 7de Laan from a disastrous 2.05 to 2.31 million viewers, the Afrikaans news from a low of 1.34 to 1.37 million viewers, the Venda TV news bulletin from a low 928 145 to 1.01 million viewers, and sitcom Skwizas from 1.34 to 1.43 million viewers.

Down is Bones of my Bones from 2.41 to 2.22 million viewers, with the Sotho and Setswana TV news bulletin continuing to bleed viewers in its 20:00 timeslot, down from 1.21 to 1.01 million viewers.

The perennial Afrikaans music competition show, Noot vir Noot is a shocking shadow of its past since its misguided move from Friday to Thursday nights.

Noot vir Noot has shed over half of its former viewership. Ratings have slumped to barely 1.07 million viewers for its highest rated episode on 20 April, compared to the average of over 2.2 million viewers it used to get in previous seasons.

In fact, the umpteenth old rebroadcast of Afrikaans sitcom Vetkoekpaleis that has no production cost overheads for the SABC lures more viewers than Noot vir Noot, with the library title luring 1.28 million viewers to SABC2 in the same 19:00 timeslot on Mondays, compared to Noot vir Noot on Thursdays.


SABC3

The disastrous ratings destruction continues for SABC3 that saw a further sad slide in viewership and audience share in April. SABC3's entire second batch of local shows introduced in the month, except one, are flops.

While "the stage is yours" at SABC3, the channel shockingly continues to bleed viewers, advertisers and cash on local shows viewers don't want to watch - everything on the channel except local soap Isidingo in first place in April with 1.3 million viewers is now languishing with less than a million viewers.

SABC3 introduced a second barrage of local shows in April with big fanfare but they're nowhere in the ratings except for the Friday comedy Soap on a Rope that managed to lure a measly 469 102 viewers.

While costing the SABC money, other new local shows are ratings wash-outs, from The Hostess with Lorna Maseko, Driving in Heels, Dinner Date SA, Tyres and Braaiers and Uyanda: It's On, to Thula's Vine, Is That a Fact? and The Good Life.

The SABC's flagship TV news, its English bulletin at 18:00 on SABC3 fell further in April from 756 753 to just 638 978 viewers.

Moved an hour later and now broadcast live for its new third season is paying dividends for local talker Real Talk with Anele with Anele Mdoda and produced by Cheeky Media, that for the first time became a ratings grabber with a still low, but there, 530 259 viewers.

Things are also working out for the advertiser-funded production (AFP) Tropika Island of Treasure of which the 7th season moved from SABC1 to SABC3 and is now the 12th most watched show on the channel with 520 885 viewers.

SABC3 viewers still show up for international fare.

In April they watched movies like One in the Chamber (832 168), Blue Caprice (659 568), Nora Roberts' Tribute (609 043), Northern Lights (564 854), Nora Roberts' High Noon (563 833), All is Lost (563 337), Midnight Bayou (547 868) and Fallen Not Forgotten (516 652).

SABC3 viewers also stuck around for the new season of Survivor: San Juan Del Sur (470 434) that started, and The Bold and the Beautiful (469 814) weakened by yet another SABC timeslot move.

Bollywood films Deiva Thirumagal (498 021) and Ek Deewana Tha (484 900) rounded out SABC3's April list of top 20 most watched programmes.


e.tv

Topping e.tv's most watched shows in April were Scandal! (4.58 million) and Rhythm City (3.22 million) both stable although slight off from March highs, followed by WWE Wrestling Raw ticking up from 2.55 to 2.79 million viewers.

Up against the SABC1 Generations juggernaut, e.tv's newly launched in April telenovela Broken Vows was nowhere in the ratings and failed to make the list of e.tv's 20 most watched shows during the month.


DStv
On pay-TV Our Perfect Wedding on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) remained steady at 1.57 million viewers in April as the most watched show, followed by soaps Isibaya and Igazi with 1.25 million viewers respectively, and Date My Family in 4th place with 1.15 million viewers.

Continuing the M-Net packaged channel's total viewership dominance in April, Mzansi Magic also grabbed the 5th to 10th places of most watched shows on pay-TV with Saints and Sinners (902 888), The Queen (842 348), Lockdown (730 344), Isithembiso (729 360) and Isikizi (652 754).

Besides Mzansi Magic, soccer matches broadcast on SuperSport 3 and SuperSport 4 did the rest of the heavy lifting for DStv in April with the Absa Premiership, Uefa Champions League, Premier League, La Liga and Nedbank Cup bringing the boys to the yard and grabbing 13 places on DStv's list of 30 most watched programmes.

BROKEN SYSTEM. Why I care as little about the Broken Vows telenovela from Clive Morris Productions as e.tv's publicity division ... if you even care to know.

If you're looking for coverage here of e.tv's new telenovela Broken Vows ... sorry. You won't find any.

And to spare you the driftwood of this lament following after this sentence - unless you want the gory details - is that once again e.tv hasn't done itself any favours in promoting Broken Vows in its inexplicably bad publicity strategy.

For the second time in months (after it also employed the same playbook page for Hustle in latter 2016), e.tv did a press screening of a new local show, but only for Johannesburg media.

In the apparent isolated and bubble-world of e.tv's reality, it seems that e.tv broadcasts just in Jozi as if it's a community TV channel like Soweto TV.

As it's non-sensical geographic discrimination continues, e.tv could again not bother to tell journalists covering television nationally - but not living in Johannesburg - that there would be a screening for its latest local TV show, or make a basic arrangement for press based elsewhere in South Africa to see it too (like for instance at e.tv's office in Cape Town and Durban).

e.tv apparently doesn't believe - and please excuse the passive aggressive schmaltz - that Broken Vows from Clive Morris Productions needs more exposure or publicity, which is fine. It will now be ignored.

With more TV channels and shows on South African television that what one can reasonably get to, and with a lot of places doing a lot of PR effort to try and get the word out, this TV critic, for one - and I know there's others - won't give Broken Vows that couldn't be bothered to get itself as much media attention as it could have, any.

When e.tv held a media screening for Broken Vows late last week, e.tv's publicity department - where publicist leave without saying goodbye and people actually star in their own shows on rival pay-TV channels - didn't care that the media that it supposedly foster or presumably want to foster relationships with, won't be able to see it.

I can't help but feel that it's part of a bigger laissez-faire attitude at e.tv. More than a week ago I asked e.tv's publicity department for publicity images of Broken Vows. I was then told someone would help. By this past Friday, a week later, still nothing.

Hilariously, sadly, after Thursday evening's press screening where the Broken Vows cast, production executives and e.tv execs were also present, there was one story from the Johannesburg media who attended. One.

That one story didn't even report on any of the comments of Clive Morris or e.tv who all spoke, or who else said what, or how the show actually is that media were shown.

Neither has e.tv yet bothered to issue any press release or statement about who said what at the actual Broken Vows press screening, or to give out talking points or comments about the show. And it's clear there won't be.

Media who actual care and who are interested in the TV of it - instead of some smarmy Johannesburg media who attended the screening at the Four Seasons Westcliff Hotel for the glitz and the liquor but as usual did nothing - were also not able to capture and report what was said themselves.

But hey, this strategy obviously somehow works for e.tv and the broadcaster's publicity division.

Late on Friday afternoon, at 4pm, e.tv send me a link to watch Broken Vows after I asked early on Friday morning if media and TV critics elsewhere in South Africa were also given an opportunity to see the Clive Morris Production show beforehand.

When e.tv showed me the wonderful courtesy of sending me a link at 4pm on a Friday afternoon, I decided that I'm not spending my time and giving my effort to watch an e.tv show over my weekend in my personal time when e.tv showed just how little it actually cared to bring Broken Vows under longtime media's attention.

Not one of the almost dozen journalists and TV critics covering television in South Africa and not living in Johannesburg even knew that e.tv had a Broken Vows press screening when I reached out to ask them if they perhaps knew anything.

While M-Net issues press releases during episodes of The Voice SA, Mzansi Magic does so for Idols during and immediately after episodes, e.tv does absolutely nothing for shows like Ultimate Braai Master and others.

e.tv only issues press releases for SA's Got Talent days after there's been a winner for instance, and barely does anything for eNCA programming (you have to discover for yourself there's an African round-up show again on the channel for instance, if you happen to bother to search yourself).

Whatever the reason, this type of "day late dollar short" strategy clearly works for e.tv, since it continues.

Who it doesn't work so well, is for the media covering e.tv, where the red letter channel is one of more than 123 channels available to South Africa's 19.1 million TV households and its combined 44.1 million TV viewers.

I will continue to cover Broken Vows from a news perspective, for if or when it makes news, ratings news, or otherwise lands on my radar because of something happening with, or around, the production.

What I won't be doing is actually watch Broken Vows, tune in for it, or make any effort to try and follow it when there's so many other shows demanding my attention. Forgive me for not being able or willing to tell you as the reader if it's any good and if you should be watching it.

e.tv couldn't be bothered, and neither therefore can I.

Like a Victorian bobby on the beat at a horrific crime scene, waving off actually interested passers-by, e.tv has made it patently clear that Broken Vows doesn't want or deserve any attention from the media people like me: "Move along, move along. Nothing to see here."