WHO KNEW? Brand de Villiers in as new MultiChoice Africa CEO and Tim Jacobs out as yet another 'pale male' heads up Naspers' Africa pay-TV division.

It wasn't publicly announced when it happened from January 2017, nor was there any stepping down, goodbye statement, but Brand de Villiers has taken over as new MultiChoice Africa CEO following the quiet exit of Tim Jacobs at the end of 2016 at Naspers' pay-TV division for Africa.

The replacement raises questions about MultiChoice Africa's top management transformation - or perceived lack of it - as yet another white male executive in a succession of "pale males" has taken over the number one executive position to look after MultiChoice's sprawling Africa pay-TV business division.

Eben Greyling was MultiChoice Africa CEO, followed by Collins Khumalo for a little bit who decided to "take a break". 

Nico Meyer who then started as MultiChoice Africa CEO in February 2012, left in April 2015 "for personal reasons". He was replaced in turn by Tim Jacobs who left just over a year and a half later in December 2016 "for family reasons".

In all that time - spanning almost a decade - MultiChoice Africa doesn't seem to have adequately nurtured, prepared and corporately laddered up internally, new executive management talent in whom it has enough confidence to fill the MultiChoice Africa CEO role within a black economic empowerment (BEE) perspective.

Now Brand de Villiers is the new boss of MultiChoice Africa since January 2017.

Brand de Villiers of course defected from the Premier League Soccer where he was PSL CEO in late 2015 to become MultiChoice's new general manager for strategy and special projects.

MultiChoice Africa says Tim Jacobs stepped down from the position as MultiChoice Africa CEO in January for family reasons as he decided to re-locate back to South Africa from Dubai.

Brand de Villiers has been running the operations of MultiChoice Africa for just over a year.

MultiChoice Africa in a statement says "MultiChoice Africa is delighted to announce the appointment of Brand de Villiers as CEO based in Dubai."

"He joined the business in November 2015 as strategy and special projects director and has been a driving force in enabling the business to respond to dynamic and complex environment in 49 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa."

"Brand de Villiers is a chartered accountant having held positions as CEO of the PSL and the Marc Group who own Sail, EXP as well as shareholdings in rugby teams such as the Blue Bulls and Western Province."

BREAKING. Collins Khumalo quits as MultiChoice South Africa CEO; DStv Online and DStv Mobile to merge into a new single unit.

Collins Khumalo has quit as MultiChoice South Africa CEO, as the South African satellite pay TV platform is merging its DStv Online and DStv Mobile business units.

MultiChoice in a statement issued Friday morning says "Collins Khumalo has decided to take "time out" after 17 years with the group".

MultiChoice South Africa will now report directly to Imtiaz Patel, the group CEO of MultiChoice South Africa.

"We thank Collins Khumalo for his sterling service to the group and wish him well into the future," says Imtiaz Patel in the statement.

DStv Online and DStv Mobile are merging with John Kotsaftis, currently the CE of DStv Online as the new head but MultiChoice has not announced what this new unit will be called.

Mark Rayner, currently the head of DStv Mobile is moved to the position of chief operating officer (COO) of MultiChoice South Africa, reporting to Imtiaz Patel.

Calvo Mawela has been appointed to head up the stakeholder and regulatory affairs division for the MultiChoice South Africa group and will also report directly to Imtiaz Patel.

MultiChoice CEO Collins Khumalo: 'Welcome back to South Africa and Africa, Oprah!'

"Over 4,5 million DStv subscribers in South Africa and over 2 million DStv subscribers across the continent will be able to tune in to the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) programming block on Thursdays as well as on Sundays on TLC Entertainment," said Collins Khumalo (below), CEO of MultiChoice South Africa.

"To Oprah, welcome back to South Africa and to Africa," said Collins Khumalo who spoke at the exclusive VIP reception and the official launch event of TLC Entertainment and OWN on DStv held Monday afternoon in Johannesburg.

"TLC has been a real success for us internationally, including here in South Africa," said Kasia Kieli (above), the managing director and president of Discovery Networks for the Central& Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) region at the launch event.

"We're looking forward to the new TLC Entertainment with an Oprah Winfrey OWN programming block on it. Some of Oprah Winfrey's shows were seen on TLC already, such as the interview with Lance Armstrong, an incredible documentary about Oprah's school here, and there's more of that going to be shown on a regular basis," said Kasia Kieli.

"I also want to thank our partners at DStv to make it possible for us. It's really wonderful for us to take this partnership to a next level."

"Im really excited," said Oprah Winfrey. "I have a deep love for your country and from the very beginning of our launch in the United States of the Oprah Winfrey Network I was saying to my partner David Zaslav: 'I think people really like me in South Africa."

"Everywhere I go I still run into people who say: 'We miss your show, we miss your show.' And now I say that now on Thursdays and on Sundays you can see me again," said Oprah Winfrey.

"I'm really thrilled. This is the way we should have done it in the United States. OWN should have started with a few shows that we really, really, really powerfully believed in and then have built from there," said Oprah Winfrey.

"So we are learning from all the challenges that we've had, that the way to build the audience and to grow the audience is to start small, but strong, with programming that you believe in. So Oprah's Next Chapter and the documentary about my girls' school in South Africa really represents the heart of OWN."

Oprah, MultiChoice and Discovery executives, and the press, toast the start of TLC Entertainment and OWN on DStv in South Africa.

On Monday afternoon I attended the VIP reception for Oprah Winfrey at Summer Place in Hyde Park where MultiChoice, Discovery Networks International and Oprah Winfrey officially launched the new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) programming block on the new TLC Entertainment (DStv 172) channel on DStv.

In attendance were Oprah Winfrey, as well as the top-tier executives from both MultiChoice and Discovery Network International for the region, a small group of selected journalists and editors from across South Africa, as well as a few selected ad sales clients, all buzzing about meeting the media mogul.

Eben Greyling, CEO of pay-TV platforms at Naspers; Imtiaz Patel, group CEO of MultiChoice South Africa; Collins Khumalo, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa; Aletta Alberts, general manager of content at MultiChoice South Africa, and several other content and marketing executives from MultiChoice were on hand to personally meet and listen to Oprah Winfrey.

From Discovery Networks International (DNI) in Europe jetted in a phalanx of executives to the exclusive TLC and OWN launch event such as Kasia Kieli, the president and managing director for Discovery Networks International's Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (CEEMEA) region.

I also spoke to Lee Hobbs, the channel director for emerging business for Discovery Networks CEEMEA and James Gibbons, the senior vice president and country manager for emerging business for Discovery Networks CEEMEA, who stayed until late with MultiChoice executives and clearly had a great time at the event.

I also had some time to catch up with the doyenne of South African women's magazines, Jane Raphaely, the editor-in-chief of O The Oprah Magazine SA and the chairperson of Associated Media Publishing; and I chatted to the always awesome Samantha Page, the editor of O The Oprah Magazine SA.

Discovery asked journalists not to take any photos during the event. The food and drink throughout was top class and guests were welcomed with champagne.

Oprah Winfrey made the rounds after the official speeches when everyone went outside during the wonderful Johannesburg sunny afternoon and she talked with Discovery and MultiChoice executives.

Last year in June I bought the large and beautiful $50 high gloss coffee table book, The Oprah Winfrey Show - Reflections on an American Legacy, since books about television and TV shows is what I absolutely love to collect.

I was there before as a journalist several years ago when Oprah Winfrey was in South Africa previously to give her first O Magazine inspirational talk in Johannesburg.

I also saw her again when she was in Somerset West, and again at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens event, but when I got the TLC Entertainment OWN DStv invitation - and since I bought the book last year - I thought I would take it with me and ask if she would please maybe sign it.

"Ooh, good one!" said Oprah Winfrey when I took it out of my bag and handed her the pen. She wrote this on one of the book's golden inside pages:

Several TV journalism winners in the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2013.

There were several TV reporters across Africa who won in the series of tightly contested categories in the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2013 which took place in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday evening - with television stories ranging from public toilets in Ghana, to that of an orphaned Sierra Leone girl who is now a ballerina dancer in South Africa.

The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2013 was presented by Isha Sesay of CNN International (DStv 401) for her 5th consecutive time, as well as Macfarlane Moleli who left eNCA (DStv 403) earlier this year for Khaya FM.

Unlike eNCA and e.tv in the past, the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2013 will this year be broadcast on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) on 24 October at 21:30 (58 mins.) and on M-Net (DStv 101) on 29 October at 09:30 (24 mins.).

"The media is a central part of any nation," said Collins Khumalo, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa, who encouraged journalist across Africa to keep telling their stories.

Nico Meyer, the CEO of MultiChoice Africa told journalists that "without your hard work and perseverance, the development of the media across Africa would not be possible."

"One of my biggest concerns over the years has been the safety and security of our people," said Parisa Khosravi, who was appointed last month as senior vice president of global relations at CNN International and the 24-hour TV news channel's new global brand ambassador."

"I'm deeply in awe of those who risk their own safety to bring important news to their audiences by giving voice to the voiceless and shedding light on oppression and injustice."

"In my new expanded role as the first ever global ambassador for CNN I have further opportunity to uphold our founder Ted Turner's vision to ensure that our global village has a better understanding of itself," she said.

"We look forward to bringing our award-winning programming to your homes with the help of MultiChoice for many years to come. These awards are one of the ways we help promote the highest form of journalistic standards and press freedom around the world," said Parisa Khosravi.

South Africa's Nicola de Chaud won for her TV story for Carte Blanche on M-Net in the Culture Awards category about Michaela de Prince, a Sierra Leone war orphan who is now a ballerina dancer in South Africa.

Mauritius' Axcel Micael Chenney won for a French Teleplus story in the French general news category about a fallen hero involving drugs, politics, sports and money.

Mozambique's Selma Onocencia won in the Portuguese general news category for a TV story for Rede de Comunicacao Miramar about animal cruelty.

Kenya's Roseline Wangui Wanyiri won in the category for Best Television Feature. Her story which was broadcast on NTV was about "beads women", young women sexually exploited when they're taken by men as "temporary wives".

Ghana's Gifty Andoh Appiah won for her TV story in the Best Television News Bulletin category which was broadcast on Joy News Channel in Ghana over the shocking condition of public toilets in that country.

TV journalists commended for their work include Susan Comrie and Joy Summers for Carte Blanche in South Africa; Robyn Kriel and Orto Sori of eSat and eNCA in Kenya; Judy Jeptum Kosgei and Mauritius Odour of Citizen TV in Kenya; and Amon Ngabo of the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation in Uganda.


ALSO READ: Multi-faceted journalism needed from Africa's journalists who need to keep the bigger picture in mind, says the continent's media experts.

MultiChoice opens a second MultiChoice customer service centre in Durban in the centre of the city.

MultiChoice South Africa has opened a second customer service centre in Durban.

The second customer service centre of MultiChoice is in the centre of the city, located in the Old Standard Bank building in Anton Lembede Street. MultiChoice's first customer service centre is in Umhlanga.

The second MultiChoice customer service centre has 38 counters where DStv subscribers can do account payments and enquiries as well as get technical DStv decoder problems fixed and repaired.

"The addition of this service centre is an important milestone in our expansion plans, making us more accessible to our customers," says Collins Khumalo, the CEO for MultiChoice South Africa.

BREAKING. MultiChoice adds Telemundo, the South American telenovela TV channel to DStv from 12 August.

MultiChoice is adding Telemundo (DStv 118), South America's telenovela TV channel to the DStv bouquet from Monday 12 August following a carriage agreement between MultiChoice and Universal Networks International (UNI).

The telenovela channel has not previously been available outside of Latin America as a satellite pay-TV channel but will now be shown in Africa. Telemundo is a channel division under NBCUniversal International Television.

Telemundo will show Spanish language telenovelas such as Aurora, Precious Rose, My Heart Beats for Lola and Behind Closed Doors only, but will be dubbed into English for South Africa and Southern Africa on DStv, and will be dubbed into Portuguese on DStv in Mozambique and Angola.

South American telenovelas made its entry into the South African TV market two years ago when the FOX channel launched on On Digital Media's (ODM) TopTV platform. FOX has since gained carriage on DStv as well. SABC2 also has a weekday South American telenovela slot which recently got extended to include an omnibus airing over weekends.

The purely telenovela Telemundo channel - soap serialised TV drama but will a limited number of episodes usually running a year or two years and capped by a definite end - is MultiChoice's first foray into such a specific channel in this genre since the Soap Channel on DStv was tried and ended. MultiChoice when it ended the Soap channel a few years after it was launched in August 1997, said viewers suffered viewing fatigued and struggled to keep up with multiple soaps running with multiple new episodes per week.

The Telemundo channel on DStv will only show telenovelas and none of the other programming shown on Telemundo across South American countries. Telemundo will be available on the DStv Premium, DStv Compact, DStv Access and DStv Family bouquets.

"We are particularly excited to bring Telemundo to Africa," says Colin McLeod, the managing director for emerging markets for UNI. "We believe we can help to drive multi-channel television to an even broader market - for those who traditionally only want to watch free TV, Telemundo will give them a great reason to want DStv."

MultiChoice says DStv subscribers will for the first time be able to enjoy "the best telenovelas available worldwide in English". "Our customers are already enjoying the entertainment on offer on the 5 Universal Networls International channels available on DStv. Telemundo is a great addition which further strengthens our partnership with Universal Networks International," says Collins Khumalo, the CEO of MultiChoice South Africa.

BREAKING. Business Day TV replaces Summit TV on MultiChoice's DStv; Bloomberg Television content blocks added to the schedule.

The business television channel Summit TV (DStv 412) on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform relaunched as Business Day TV this morning at 08:00 as was reported earlier in the year would happen, with  Bloomberg Television (DStv 411) which will end as a separate TV channel on DStv in South Africa at the end of June and programming from that channel which will now be folded into Business Day Television in the form of programming blocks on the realigned and rebranded TV channel.

Business Day TV is operated by the media group DBFM which also publishes the Business Day newspaper and is also responsible for The Home Channel (DStv 182) and Ignition (DStv 265) through the Africa Business Channel division.

The rebranded Business Day TV and Bloomberg Television content collaboration is the biggest change for Summit TV since the channel launched on MultiChoice in 2000. Summit TV is available to 6 million viewers in 9 countries.

Bloomberg Television will remain available as its own TV channel in the rest of Africa outside South Africa and can be watched online and that channel's most important programming blocks will be kept on television in daily stripped broadcasting strands on Business Day TV.

The newly conceived business channel - an amalgam of the resources of Bloomberg Television, Summit TV and BDFM - kicked off with a televised business breakfast briefing with Pravin Gordhan, the minister of finance.

The breakfast briefing broadcast on Business Day TV moderated by Guy Johnson of Bloomberg Television - with no women included in the staged presentation and the only real black seen that of the men's business suits - in presentation was interestingly similar in style to the now-controversial breakfast briefings held by The New Age newspaper in conjunction with the SABC. (That newspaper group is starting its own 24-hour television news operation, Africa News Network 7 (ANN7), as a new channel on DStv later in the year.)

"We are truly excited about Business Day TV becoming an extended platform for the strong, independent editorial content we already produce in Business Day," says Peter Bruce, the publisher and editor-in-chief of BDFM in a statement announcing the TV channel's rebrand and Bloomberg Television content fold-in.

"With a daily selection of original Bloomberg Television programming, interviews and reports on the newly branded Business Day TV channel, viewers will now benefit from our extensive coverage of the global markets and economies in addition to leading domestic insight from the BDFM group," says Malcolm Fried, the managing editor for Bloomberg Television in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the same statement.

Business Day TV which replaces Summit TV promises beefed up financial news coverage with "international and financial news" in the form of Bloomberg Television, with live market coverage and analysis from Europe and the United States for 10 hours a day, in addition to coverage of local markets and news being done by Business Day and the staff of Business Day TV.

Summit TV which didn't run for the extended number of hours as CNBC Africa (DStv 410) did, will now become a more direct competitor in the form of Business Day TV.

"We are proud to be hosting this channel on DStv and believe it will complement and enhance our business news offering on our platform," says Collins Khumalo, the CEO of MultiChoice South Africa.


ALSO READ: The Business Day TV breakfast launch broadcast on DStv is mostly white men sitting in white chairs on a white stage.

FOX Crime set to start on DStv in South Africa on 19 July in SD on channel 126 for DStv Premium subscribers.

The new FOX Crime TV channel which TV with Thinus reported at the beginning of the month will be starting on MultiChoice's DStv platform in July now has a starting date of 19 July at 19:00 and a channel number of 126.

I've reported previously that the addition of FOX Crime will bring the total number to 7 of Fox TV channels which will be available in South Africa from July after Fox International Channels Africa (FIC Africa) and MultiChoice have entered into a carriage agreement for FOX Crime which is already seen in Mozambique and Angola.

FIC Africa already runs FX (TopTV 110), Fox Retro (TopTV 181), National Geographic Channel (DStv 181), Nat Geo Wild (DStv 182), BabyTV (TopTV 257) and FOX (TopTV 180 / DStv 125) in South Africa.

The carriage agreement between FIC Africa and MultiChoice to run FOX Crime in South Africa gives FIC Africa the opportunity to do niche programming and to focus on specific target audiences.

Since FOX Crime will contain a lot of library titles but also first-run exclusive content for the territory with new American drama series such as The Bridge, FOX Crime will only be for DStv Premium subscribers. FOX Crime will be broadcast as a standard definition (SD) channel.

FOX Crime will compete in an expansive genre set with existing channels focusing on crime and forensic crime solving storytelling such as Crime & Investigation Network (DStv 170), ID: Investigation Discovery (TopTV 303 / DStv 171), CBS Reality (DStv 132) and Universal Channel (DStv 117) on DStv, and Top Crime (TopTV 303) and Fox Retro (TopTV 110) on TopTV.

Shows on FOX Crime will include The Bridge which will roll-out episodes 2 days in South Africa after the American broadcasting date, the Law & Order series, Criminal Minds, Blue Bloods and 70s and 80s library titles such as CHiPS currently on SABC3, Magnum P.I. coming to SABC3 and Streets of San Francisco.

Interestingly FOX Crime will also prop up the schedule with blended factual content between the fiction with shows such as 48 Hours, the Arrest and Trial show which was a factual add-on show to Law & Order as well as a documentary strand specifically created for Africa entitled "Case Files Africa" which will cover "infamous crime stories from across the continent".

"We're extremely excited to launch in Africa, one of the most successful Fox channel brands worldwide. With the addition of FOX Crime, we're refashioning the meaning of fully-fledged schedules across our Fox channels," says Alessandro Tucci, FOX senior vice president and general manager for Africa.

"The amount of quality programming that is being premiered, continued and revived will definitely place FOX Crime in a good position on the platform. The channel's unique proposition of both drama and factual programming places it as the go-to-channel for all things crime," says Alessandro Tucci.

"There's something for every individual crime story fan and that will surely keep what is one of the most successful genres captivating for the audiences we are targeting," he says.

"FOX Crime has been very successful internationally and we expect that it will keep crime and investigation lovers in South Africa entertained," says Collins Khumalo, the CEO of MultiChoice South Africa.

"The channel is a great compliment to our other local channels dedicated to the crime genre. It includes some of the best crime and investigation programmes on offer. We are delighted to be adding this channel onto the DStv platform," says Collins Khumalo.

BREAKING. True Movies 1 channel added to DStv from 19 June to the DStv Premium bouquet as a standard definition channel.

True Movies 1, a movie channel which has been available on MultiChoice's DStv platform and other platforms elsewhere in Africa is now being added to DStv in South Africa from Wednesday 19 June on channel 138 for DStv Premium subscribers as a standard definition (SD) channel.

The film channel from Moving Movies Ltd. which was launched in April 2005 in the United Kingdom will show "moving and emotional true movies" with Hollywood names such as Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie and Helena Bonham Carter in lead roles.

True Movies 1 is a freely available TV channel in the United Kingdom and shows dramatic films, a lot of which are made-for-TV movies. A sister channel, True Movies 2 was launched in 2006 which focuses on movies based on real-life dramas.

"We wanted to give our DStv Premium customers a movie channel like no other - True Movies 1 is a perfect compliment to the almost 15 movie channels available to our DStv Premium customers on DStv," says Collins Khumalo, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa in a statement announcing the channel addition.

MultiChoice says True Movies 1 will show weekly movie premieres, revealing royal documentaries, Hollywood films and author-based dramas.

TOLDJA. MultiChoice renames its DStv Lite bouquet to DStv Access; adds two new TV channels, Mzansi Wethu and M-Net Movies Zone.

What I was told turns out to have been accurate: MultiChoice is announcing what I wrote about yesterday, that the DStv Lite bouquet is changing its name to DStv Access and that it will come with two new TV channels, Mzansi Wethu and M-Net Movies Zone on channel 139 which will start on 7 May as sources told me.

"From 7 May the DStv Lite package will be renamed DStv Access and two new channels will be added, which will enhance the overall value of this R99 package," says MultiChoice in a just-released statement.

"The two new channels, M-Net Movies Zone and Mzansi Wehtu will give DStv Access customers movies without ad breaks for the first time, as well as more South African local content.

M-Net also released a statement today confirming the news about the two new TV channels and providing more information on these channels after the pay-TV broadcaster, just like MultiChoice, wasn't willing to talk about it when I made specific media enquiries about it earlier this week.

"We are committed to bring great and relevant entertainment on our different packages to our customers," says Collins Khumalo, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa in the MultiChoice statement.

"For the first time, customers on our lower packages will  also be able to watch not only movies without ad breaks but also great local content that reflects South Africa today."

BREAKING. MultiChoice adds kykNET Musiek, Mzansi Music, Blackbelt TV as new channels and adding the community TV stations BayTV, 1KZN and Dumisa.

Exactly as I said would happen on 13 November, MultiChoice is adding the new channel kykNET Musiek (DStv 146) to DStv. DStv is also adding Mzansi Music (DStv 321), Blackbelt TV (DStv 129) as a martial arts channel and the community television stations BayTV (DStv 260), 1KZN (DStv 261) and Dumisa (DStv 340).

These will all be channels for DStv Premium and DStv Compact subscribers and will become available on 13 November at 10:00. In Addition Nat Geo Wild (DStv 182) will now also be made available on the DSTv Compact bouquet.

"We are excited with these new additions," says Collins Khumalo, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa in a statement. "We believe they will add more value to our packages and give our customers more variety in entertainment."

"The addition of the three community television stations and the two additional music channels aims to provide our customers with a rich diversity of local content and forms part of our ongoing support of the development of the local television industry."

A bit more on e.tv and MultiChoice's new e Africa syndicated TV channel for the rest of the continent.

Yesterday I told you RIGHT HERE about the new e Africa (DStv 144) channel that started broadcasting in 46 countries in Africa outside of South Africa and is basically a syndicated Pan-African version of South Africa's e.tv channel. Now I have more.

''We have witnessed the growth and popularity of channels made in Africa for Africa over the last few years, and we have responded by substantially increasing our investment in supporting these channels in Africa,'' says Collins Khumalo, president of MultiChoice Africa in a press statement that I obtained today. ''I believe that e.tv's Africa addition to DStv will add even more value to our subscribers.''

e.tv Africa will be available on the DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family and DStv Access bouquets that MultiChoice has available in the rest of Africa. e Africa is broadcasting for 24 hours a day.