M-Net abruptly ends Coronation Street and Emmerdale on M-Net City without warning as MultiChoice's DStv subscribers lose access to these British soaps for a second time in months.

by Thinus Ferreira

DStv subscribers have abruptly had the British soap operas Coronation Street and Emmerdale ripped away from them for the second time in months after M-Net stopped broadcasting these shows on its M-Net City (DStv 115) channel in February, without any explanation or warning to MultiChoice's pay-TV customers. 

Both Emmerdale and Coronation Street that were broadcast on ITV Choice until that channel shut down in mid-2020 on DStv, suddenly ended in February on M-Net's M-Net City (DStv 115) channel on DStv without any warning to followers.

This is the second time within a year that Coronation Street and Emmerdale just stopped and disappeared for DStv subscribers.

After the end of ITV Choice, followed by the shocking shutdown of BBC Studios' BBC First channel, MultiChoice and Jan du Plessis, director of M-Net channels, announced with fanfare that British content would be picked up through ITV Studios' distribution arm and be broadcast by M-Net on its set of channels.

In July 2020 M-Net announced that it had acquired both Emmerdale and Coronation Street that would start later in 2020 on M-Net City.

In September 2020, in response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus asking what DStv subscribers will be getting in place of ITV Choice and BBC First in terms of British content after these channels were lost to subscribers, MultiChoice again reiterated this and said that "two of ITV's most-loved soaps, Emmerdale and Coronation Street, will return to M-Net City".

Less than half a year later Coronation Street and Emmerdale are abruptly over and gone.

TVwithThinus asked M-Net why Coronation Street and Emmerdale were suddenly ripped from the M-Net City schedule and why DStv subscribers got no warning.

M-Net in response to the media enquiry, says that "We also enjoyed the British line up with Coronation Street and Emmerdale, however the contracts for these series have not been renewed with us and also the seasons we licensed came to an end hence they are not playing anymore. Thank you for watching and do enjoy the other great shows we have to offer".

ALSO READ: M-Net tries to fix botched playout of The Capture on linear and MultiChoice's DStv Catch Up after errors with programme acceptance, although mistakes and subscriber complaints persist.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice acquires and moves ITV programming like Coronation Street, Emmerdale and The Chase to its M-Net channels on DStv after ending the ITV Choice channel.

MultiChoice acquires and moves ITV programming like Coronation Street, Emmerdale and The Chase to its M-Net channels on DStv after ending the ITV Choice channel.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice has acquired a raft of British programming from ITV that is has decided to allocate to two M-Net channels.

MultiChoice ended the ITV Choice channel on DStv at the end of May after 5 years following low ratings but decided to separately acquire some of the channel's choicest content from ITV Studios directly including the two British soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale that were carried on ITV Choice.

The 13th season of the game show The Chase with presenter Bradley Walsh has now been added to a 12:30 weekday slot on M-Net (DStv 101).

Emmerdale and Coronation Street will both be added to the schedule of M-Net City (DStv 115) from later this year and M-Net will show the latest episodes from both soaps.

The new 7-episode first season of the World War II drama series World on Fire that has been renewed for a second season, will either be slotted in on the M-Net or M-Net City (DStv 115) channel.

The 6th season of the Brit-reality show Love Island that was filmed in Constantia, Cape Town with presenter Laura Whitmore will be shown on M-Net from the first week in August.

"Our hand-picked selection of the best of the best British reality shows have been audience favourites for many years," says Jan du Plessis, director of M-Net channels.

"We've learnt that the viewers of our M-Net’s general entertainment channels are global citizens who enjoy a variety of stories from different countries and cultures. Adding a wider selection of British genres will not only enable us to bring more fresh content to African shores but also spice up some of our day-time schedules."

Jan du Plessis says that the M-Net channels will continue to build on its British offering in future, while also acquiring the "crème de la crème of European series". "These international productions will complement our existing first-rate schedules."

Coronavirus: ITV follows BBC and shuts down Coronation Street and Emmerdale soaps because of Covid-19 spread while all South Africa's TV soaps on DStv, e.tv and the SABC continue filming.

by Thinus Ferreira

The British soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale are also shutting down production from today in light of the fast-spreading Covid-19 pandemic although in South Africa TV production continues on all locally-produced weekday soaps seen on the SABC, e.tv and MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV service despite an industry call for them to shut down immediately.

ITV announced that it is temporarily suspending production on Coronation Street and Emmerdale, both seen in South Africa on ITV Choice (DStv 123) because of the novel coronavirus that is rapidly spreading in the United Kingdom.

The BBC already completely shut down production its soaps last week including Holby City and Casualty both seen on BBC Studios Africa's BBC First (DStv 119) channel, as well as EastEnders seen on BBC Brit (DStv 120).

"ITV has sadly taken the decision to suspend production of the soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale with effect from Monday 23 March 2020," ITV says in a statement.

"We've been doing our best to carry on filming, whilst adhering to the government’s latest health guidelines to ensure we have episodes of both soaps airing on ITV until at least the early summer."

"However, the health and well-being of the production teams, actors, crew and their families is of paramount importance to us and we now feel that the time has come to stop filming. We'd like to thank our viewers for their support and hope they continue to enjoy both soaps in the coming months."

In South Africa broadcasters and pay-TV services like MultiChoice, the SABC and e.tv have not ordered the shut down of its locally-produced shows including the flurry of weekday soaps, with the country's largest studio complexes in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban who all remain operational with large casts and crews where collectively thousands of people work on sets in front of and behind the cameras.

Unlike cinemas in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and elsewhere, both Ster-Kinekor  and Nu Metro have decided to keep their movie theatres open.


ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Stop filming and shut down TV shows right now urges South Africa's Independent Producers Organisation (IPO).