Fox Africa boss Evert van der Veer repositioned to take charge of combined portfolio of Fox Networks Group Africa and Disney's channels in Africa as Fox-Disney restructuring continues.

The Walt Disney Company has repositioned the Fox Africa boss, Evert van der Veer, who will now look after all of the combined Fox and Disney channels available in South Africa and across sub-Sahara Africa, in a new overall TV channels supervision role from the adjacent two-doors Fox-Disney Africa head office in Illovo, Johannesburg.

The job elevation - with no specific title yet attached - comes a year and three months after Evert van der Veer was appointed as Fox Networks Group Africa general manager in May 2018.

In this role Evert van der Veer was looking the Fox Networks Group's pay-TV channels in South Africa and across Africa like FOX, FOX Life, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, FOX Sports, and Baby TV available on pay-TV platforms like MultiChoice's DStv, StarTimes SA's StarSat, Cell C's black SVOD service and others, as well as the non-linear services like FOX+ and National Geographic+.

With Disney's ongoing international management restructuring following its takeover of 21st Century Fox, Evert van der Veer has now added oversight of the three Disney TV channels from The Walt Disney Company's recently restructured direct-to-consumer and international division: The Disney Channel (DStv 303), Disney XD (DStv 304) and Disney Junior (DStv 309) available on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service.

Evert van der Veer is now heading up the "media networks" segment of The Walt Disney Company Africa, responsible for the combined TV channels collection - those that were part of the Fox Networks Group business as well as the three Disney channels.

Evert van der Veer now reports to Christine Service, who remains The Walk Disney Company Africa's senior vice president and country manager.

Disney Africa was asked but couldn't tell TVwithThinus what Evert van der Veer job title is now and said the company's South African office will share more precise details later when it can.

Asked about the existence of Fox Networks Group Africa (FNG Africa) and whether it continues as a "stand-alone" business, Disney said that the Fox Africa office "is very much still in operation" and that the Fox Networks Group Africa business is now part of the wider Walt Disney Company Africa business.

IN IMAGES. Fun at FOX - 10 photos of the press screening of the second season premiere of the drama series, Deep State, at the FOX Africa headquarters in Johannesburg.

Besides old Palpy, the people working at FOX Networks Group Africa's headquarters are also greeted every day when they walk in at work by a Stormtrooper (it's amazing!).

This was also the case for the media covering television, when journalists and TV critics on Wednesday visited the swanky FOX Africa head office in Illovo, Johannesburg for the advance press screening of the second season of the spy drama series Deep State.

FNG Africa on Wednesday held a press screening for the second season of Deep State at its Johannesburg headquarters, the place from where FOX Africa looks after its myriad brands, channels and content available across the African continent ranging from Deep State to National Geographic, and from Empire and FOX Life to FOX Sports, The Simpsons and a lot more.

The second season of Deep State will start on Wednesday 15 May at 20:45 on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) with the gripping espionage drama telling a new story(and a backstory filling in some great character context to the first season).

Filmed entirely in South Africa (Cape Town, doubling as Washington D.C. and some other locales), Morocco and London, the story picks up after something happens to three US special forces in Mali.

The United States is supposedly there to support the Malians in their fight against terrorism, however, all is not as it seems.

As the story progresses, viewers will realise that their activity is underpinned by the so-called "deep state" and forms part of a cover for the new "gold rush" - the goal to beat China in the race for Africa's natural resources.

The second season of Deep State is all about the first dirty war for clean energy.

Here are some photos of the Deep State media day press screening on Wednesday.

Africa's Chinese pay-TV operator StarTimes adds on-demand Fox+ Series to its StarTimes ON app in Africa and South Africa; StarSat and Fox Africa silent about the video-on-demand extension.

Africa's Chinese pay-TV operator StarTimes has added video-on-demand Fox+ Series content from the Fox Networks Group (FNG) to its StarTimes ON app in Africa and in South Africa, with StarSat and Fox Networks Group Africa (FNG Africa) that have remained silent about the VOD content deal and extension.

Since Friday 22 March, FOX+ is available as a separate section on StarTimes' StarTimes ON app in sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa with a range of drama and comedy series from FOX that are available to stream through the StarTimes ON app.

FOX+ is already available on the Cell C black subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service in South Africa, but not on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

For more than a week before the inclusion of FOX+ on the StarTimes ON app, TVwithThinus asked On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes South Africa's StarSat for information and comment multiple times, but StarSat's publicist Luyanda Cele didn't respond with anything.

TVwithThinus also asked Fox Networks Group Africa for comment but FNG Africa didn't respond with anything.

Now StarTimes has added FOX+ since yesterday, where users can stream some current and library TV series ranging from The Walking Dead and Empire to 24, The X-Files, Outcast, Bones, American Dad, Modern Family, Ghosted, Chance, Star and Family Guy.

StarTimes will add more series ranging from Legion, Prison Break, Homeland, Atlanta, American Horror Story, Wayward Pines, Da Vinci's Demons, Futurama, The Americans, Sleepy Hollow, Bob's Burger, Scream Queens, Rosewood, Baskets, 24 Legacy, Son of Zorn and The Gifted to StarTimes ON in April, May and June.

"We are very happy to bring Fox+ Series to our users and I'm sure that fans of American television series will fully enjoy themselves with StarTimes ON," says Ariel Wang, StarTimes ON operation director, in a one-sentence quote in a statement issued in some other African countries.

Evert van der Veer appointed as new Fox Networks Group Africa general manager; the role of Vasilis Iliopoulos expanded to senior vice president for FNG Africa.

The Fox Networks Group (FNG), a unit of 21st Century Fox, is restructuring its executive management team for Africa with Evert van der Veer (pictured) appointed as the next new Fox Networks Group Africa general manager based in Johannesburg, and with Vasilis Iliopoulos, the FNG Greece general manager, expanding his role to become senior vice president for FNG Africa.

Both roles begin with immediate effect.

Evert van der Veer replaces Gary Alfonso who exited at the end of March.

Evert van der Veer joins FNG Africa from the emerging markets focused subscription video-on-demand service (SVOD) iflix where he was the head of content for Africa and the Middle East. 

Before that Evert van der Veer was the head of Comedy Central Africa as vice president, at Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) in Johannesburg, where he also helped with the creation of BET Africa in 2015 and this channel's programming and acquisition strategy.

In his expanded role, Vasilis Iliopoulos (pictured right) will focus on the accelerated expansion of FOX Sports and local content production in Africa, linear and non-linear branded entertainment and National Geographic Partners across key markets in East, West and Southern Africa.

Vasilis Iliopoulos who joined the Fox Networks Group in 2011 has been instrumental in the development and launch of FNG Africa’s West African Football Tournament and FOX Sports Africa Boxing initiatives.

"I'm delighted to announce the appointment of both Vasilis Iliopoulos and Evert van der Veer," says Adam Theiler, the executive vice president of Europe and Africa.

"Vasilis is a leader in the truest sense of the word and enjoys the respect and admiration of team members and clients alike in every market he has tackled. Evert is a consummate media professional, who is a fixture in the Johannesburg media scene, and a content expert committed to the future of media across the African continent. I have no doubt that both Vasilis and Evert will prove instrumental in our continued expansion into sub-Saharan Africa."

Fox Networks Group Africa operates pay-TV channels in South Africa and across Africa like FOX, FOX Life, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, FOX Sports, and Baby TV available on pay-TV platforms like MultiChoice's DStv, StarTimes SA's StarSat, Cell C's black SVOD service, Kwesé TV and others, and runs the non-linear service FOX+ and National Geographic+.

Fox Networks Group's new spy drama thriller, Deep State, with Mark Strong, will start on FOX in South Africa and Africa on 11 April a week after the United Kingdom.

Fox Networks Group's first scripted drama series for the United Kingdom and Africa, the spy thriller, Deep State will start on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) on 11 April at 21:00, with the Deep State trailer that remains blocked for Africa and South African viewers although the show has been specifically made for South Africa and Africa as well, as part of the pan-regional territory that Deep State has been commissioned and made for.

Deep State will start on 5 April in the United Kingdom, with actor Mark Strong, known from the Kingsman films, plays Max Easton in Fox Networks Group Europe & Africa's first regional scripted series commission for the Europe and Africa territory.

Deep State is produced by Red Arrow's Endor Productions with 8 hour-long episodes with the story that is set in Britain, the United States, Iran, Lebanon and France.

Fox Networks Group Content Distribution hold the exclusive global distribution rights for the series, working in partnership with FNG Europe & Africa. 

Max is an ex-spy whose past comes back to haunt him as he returns to the field to avenge the death of his estranged son Harry (Joe Dempsie). Max soon discovers there is much more at stake, as he finds himself at the heart of a covert intelligence war and immersed in a widespread conspiracy to profit from the spread of chaos in the Middle East.

Max enters into a very dangerous game, as powerful corporations show that they're willing to do anything to preserve their reputation and bury their secrets.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Deep State to our schedules in April. As FNG’s first regionally scripted commission, Deep State is built on our Hollywood heritage and we’re so proud of what we’ve created alongside the talented team at Endor Productions,” says Jeff Lord, the senior vice president for content development at Fox Networks Group Europe & Africa in a statement.

Kwesé TV adds FOX, FOX Life, National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD in new 4 channel carriage deal with FOX Networks Group.

The satellite pay-TV platform Kwesé TV, in a new carriage deal with FOX Networks Group, has added 4 TV channels to its pay-TV platform: FOX (141), FOX Life, National Geographic (435) and Nat Geo WILD (436).

Neither Kwesé TV, run by Econet Media, not FOX Networks Group Africa (FNG Africa) issued any statement to the press, but told Kwesé TV subscribers on social media that "now you can catch great shows like Empire and Atlanta or watch your favourite channels like FOX Life and National Geographic right here on Kwesé TV!"

The 4 channels are available on Kwesé TV since 20 December.

Kwesé TV's satellite pay-TV service is currently available in Ghana, Zambia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda with Econet Media that plans to roll out Kwesé TV across the continent.

In South Africa a very truncated Kwesé TV service is available as the Kwesé Play streaming service offered through the Kwesé Play Roku set-top box (STB).

The STB and Kwesé Play is however severely limited in what it offers since Kwesé TV's pay-TV channels available through its traditional satellite pay-TV service elsewhere in Africa are all blocked on the device for South Africa.

The 4 channels on Kwesé TV are also part of a bigger FOX channels portfolio that was added to the new South African subscription video-on-demand service, Cell C black, in November.

BREAKING. Gary Alfonso the (3rd) new Africa boss for FOX Networks Group, appointed as general manager; Khosi Khanyile upped to marketing director.

Will it be third time lucky? Gary Alfonso has been appointed the new boss of FOX Africa's business in South Africa - FOX's 3rd boss in 3 years.

Both previous FOX bosses in South Africa, Hannelie Bekker and Ratna Siriah, respectively lasted only 5 months and 4 months and left without a word from FOX.

It means that Gary Alfonso, a former CNBC Africa (DStv 410) and BusinessDayTV (DStv 412) executive, will break the record if he manages to make it to January 2017 in his new position.

Gary Alfonso who has more than 3 decades of TV broadcasting experience, joins FOX from the Nigerian broadcaster Gotel Communications, where he was the chief operating officer (COO).

It was quite an embarrassment for FOX Africa and the FOX Networks Group (previously FOX International Channels until January 2016) in June when FOX and MultiChoice teamed up for an Empire and DStv media blitz for stars Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard to South Africa and had no local top executive.

Gobsmacked TV critics and media suddenly had to hear from Adam Theiler, the executive vice president for FOX Networks Group for Europe and Africa at the official Empire and DStv press conference who flew in for the occasion since Ratna Siriah dropped FOX after just 4 months and went back to Zee Entertainment.

Now, after a FOX Africa management vacuum of 5 months with no permanent head, Gary Alfonso is taking over as general manager of FOX Networks Group's restructured African business that includes the various FOX supplied TV channels and National Geographic Partners.

Gary Alfonso will report to Adam Theiler.

The FOX Networks Group runs channels like FOX, National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild on MultiChoice's DStv; FX, Nat Geo Gold, BabyTV and Fox Sports on StarTimes Media SA and On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat; and FOX Crime on both operators that's reportedly soon going to be replaced with the FOX Life channel.

FOX Networks Group has meanwhile promoted Nami Patel in London from vice president for business development in Europe and Africa, to chief financial officer (CFO) based in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile the FOX Networks Group's South African based marketing manager Khosi Khanyile has been promoted to director of sales and marketing.

"Our genre defining brands are market leaders in Africa, delivering year on year growth over the past three years," says Adam Theiler in a statement announcing the appointment of Gary Alfonso.

"Gary Alfonso's 29 years of leading industry experience will continue to drive our success, evolving our businesses to meet the changing media landscape as we bring the best in entertainment, factual and sports programming to audiences across the continent".

In the statement Gary Alfonso says: "Working with the highly talented team in the FNG Africa office, I look forward to helping the business increase its regional footprint, in a challenging and dynamic media environment".