MultiChoice powers ahead with localised content including slum-set Kenya drama Pepeta, a funeral reality series in Ghana, Crime & Justice spinoff for Nigeria and a Nollywood psychothriller miniseries.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice is powering up its investment in pan-African TV content with the pay-TV company's M-Net and Showmax divisions producing a new funeral reality show from Ghana, a Nollywood psychothriller miniseries, a Crime & Justice spinoff crime procedural for Nigeria, as well as a slum-set Kenyan crime series about an aspiring football player for DStv subscribers.

As it faces more competition from primarily global streaming rivals like Netflix Africa, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, all rapidly expanding across the continent, MultiChoice is pouring millions into the production of localised content for its three biggest African markets - South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya - where the traditional pay-TV operator is experimenting with new formats and continuing to do more localised spinoffs of existing series for different sub-Saharan countries.

"We are increasing our investment in local content and have new shows across the board in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and our Portuguese markets to look forward to," says Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO of general entertainment and connected video.

"In Kenya, we have a new crime series called Pepeta which captures the dreams and realities of the youth in Kibera which is one of the largest slums in Africa but also known for creating top football players in Kenya."

Pepeta, which translates as "bounce" and which is produced by CJ3 Entertainment, follows the 17-year-old talented footballer Junior torn between crime and soccer, the unforgiving cop Musa, and Biki an ambitious football coach. Pepeta is loosely based on the real-life story of Harun "Rio" Wathari. 

"We also have a movie, it's called A Familiar Christmas and it's our first-ever Christmas movie for Kenya, produced by the award-winning filmmaker of our telenovela Selina."

"New content coming to Nigeria include Ditche - it is our first limited drama series," says Yolisa Phahle.

"It's a psychological thriller about a young Nollywood actress who discovers her fiancé murdered. We also have Showmax's first and exclusive Nigerian telenovela. This story is set against the backdrop of the gold-mining industry and we're launching it in the last quarter of this fiscal."

"Learning from the success of Crime & Justice in Nairobi, we're making a new series of Crime & Justice but this time it's based in Lagos where two detectives investigate cases that have been ripped from the local news headlines."

"Coming soon for Ghana is a 5-part reality show called My Perfect Funeral. It follows 5 families in Ghana as they prepare to bury their loved-ones."

ALSO READ: MultiChoice's next Big Brother in Africa on DStv will be an all-stars face off in January 2023 between former housemates of Big Brother Mzansi and Big Brother Naija.

MultiChoice and M-Net West Africa to launch lower-tiered Akwaaba Magic Abusua TV channel on 2 May on DStv and GOtv in Ghana, shows will include South Africa's Gomora dubbed with Ghanaian voices.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and M-Net West Africa will launch their new Akwaaba Magic Abusua (DStv 149) TV channel on 2 May at 16:00 for DStv subscribers and GOtv subscribers in Ghana to try and broaden the local content offering for lower-tiered subscribers, including shows like a dubbed version of South Africa's Gomora in Ghanaian voices.

Akwaaba Magic Abusua will rerun the first season of the telenovela Dede that was shown on Akwaaba Magic on weekdays, as well as series like To Have To Hold (Tuesdays, Wednesdays) and Inside Out (Thursdays) which is an adaptation of the South African series The Housekeepers.

Akwaaba Magic Abusua will also show Ghanaian-produced films.

Sanfoka on Fridays is billed as a "classic reality show that rekindles broken relationships, with Gomora from Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) in South Africa which is getting dubbed with Ghana voice actors.

Akwaaba Magic launched in March 2021 and created 500 jobs over the past year, with some of the original content on that channel now being repositioned for lower DStv subscribers and GOtv subscribers on lower packages as it's windowed down.

Kennedy Dankyi-Appah, Akwaaba Magic channel head, says "We are proud of the role that we are currently playing in the TV and entertainment sector in Ghana and will continuously study sociographic and economic factors that influence consumption in a competitive market and adjust ourselves accordingly to ensure that we are providing relevant and topical content at a great value".

Akwaaba Magic Abusua will be available to DStv Access, DStv Family, DStv Compact, DStv Compact Plus, and DStv Premium customers, as well as subscribers of GOtv Lite, GOtv Value, GOtv Plus, GOtv Max, and GOtv Supa.

BREAKING. MultiChoice Ghana loses all local free-to-air TV channels on DStv Ghana and GOtv Ghana after 'highly unusual' power trip system failure.

DStv subscribers and GOtv subscribers in Ghana lost access to all local free-to-air channels on Wednesday night and into Thursday 7 February following what MultiChoice described as a "highly unusual" system failure.

DStv Ghana told subscribers in the West African country about the missing TV channels that it was "currently experiencing a temporary loss of the uplinked Ghanaian channels on both GOtv and DStv platforms due to a major power trip on the uplink site in Accra which occurred around 22:00 on 6 February 2019."

"This has resulted in our subscribers being unable to view all free-to-air channels on their DStv and GOtv decoders."

MultiChoice said "this type of system failure is highly unusual and our engineers are at the site working to restore viewing as soon as possible. We regret any inconvenience caused our subscribers and broadcast partners".

'CHINA-LIZING'. China's rampant expansion in Africa's pay-TV industry exposed in dubious dealings through the growing StarTimes controversy in Ghana.

China's rampant expansion and aggressive investment in Africa's pay-TV industry the past decade to gobble up whatever reach and foothold it can get across the continent's nations - even in dubious government contracts damaging what little is left or exists of public broadcasting in Africa - is becoming clearer in growing scandals and controversies like the one between StarTimes and Ghana's government.

In a growing controversy in Ghana - in just one of several very similar deals that exist between StarTimes and other African countries and their digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcasting plans - the public is becoming aware of how their respective governments have "sold out" their public broadcasting systems.

In Ghana that country's broadcasters' association has slammed what is happening as "a betrayal".

This has happened through allowing direct Chinese investment in the form of joint DTT partnerships - like in Zambia - and digital TV broadcasting waivers in exchange for TV "gifts" in what is supposed to be a commercial-interest free process, system and service.

StarTimes is battling Naspers' MultiChoice in several Africa countries outside of South Africa for market share and pay-TV audience penetration and in several countries entered into dubious and secretive contracts and agreements with public and state broadcasters to supply, run or help with the switch-over to digital terrestrial television (DTT).

StarTimes under StarTimes Media SA and On Digital Media (ODM) runs StarTimes under the StarSat brand in South Africa.

Now Ghana has suddenly woken up to a growing controversey involving StarTimes, the Chinese pay-TV company of CEO Pang Xinxing who constantly indulge African leaders with foreign visits to Beijing, China, besides taking a gaggle of African journalists for "educationals" to China and that is also active in Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, the DRC, Rwanda, and a string of other African countries' DTT switch-over process.

The Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) has now sounded the alarm about StarTimes and the Chinese pay-TV operator's "10 000 villages satellite TV project" (of which 300 will be in Ghana), saying that StarTimes aggressive plan in conjunction with Ghana's government and its apparent blessing, is inconsistent with and damaging to Ghana's DTT migration process.

Besides the 300 village in Ghana, StarTimes already said it will do 300 similar satellite TV villages in Burundi, 300 villages in Guinea, 1 000 communities in South Africa, 6 000 individual households in 300 villages in Rwanda, and 5 villages in Nigeria.

This is the second time StarTimes is doing business with Ghana's government of Ghana on the same project after the initial contract signed in 2012 worth $95 million was cancelled in 2015 and given to Ghanaian owned K-Net who successfully executed the project for about $13 million less the StarTimes amount at $82 million.

Yet in July 2017, Ghana's government suddenly passed a resolution to waive tax on StarTimes in the form of a waiver on import duties, import VAT, multiple levies and inspection fees amounting to $3 million in respect of materials and equipment imported by StarTimes for TV in Ghana.

Ghana's government has said the StarTimes project is "helping our citizens to access TV information on national and international events and programmes that would educate and inform them; hence increasing their awareness and knowledge to improve their welfare".

Not so, says GIBA, warning Ghana that "the Agenda of StarTimes is not only aimed at profit or the indoctrination of Chinese culture - names, language, food, etc. - but a larger mandate to take over the control of the broadcast space in strategic African countries including Ghana, which is crucial for the China game."

"Whereas today, China does not allow foreign ownership of media and for that matter, and will not allow the African broadcast media the space to trade our African channels in their country. Why then should African states give our broadcast space in the fashion as we are experiencing at the moment?" says GIBA.

According to GIBA there has been no stakeholder consultation for the StarTimes project.

"GIBA is asking all Ghanaian patriots and rational thinkers, to join hands with the government to fashion out the means to selectively deal with the Chinese relationship for financing of other projects, separate from the current moves by the ministry of communications for the broadcasting sector."


'StarTimes deals with negatively impact broadcasting'
"We advise the government to back out of whatever deals it has entered into with StarTimes, which as earlier stated, will negatively impact broadcasting in our nation – Ghana," says GIBA.

"We sincerely ask that broadcasting should be left out of the Chinese agenda. GIBA will like to emphatically state that, it will resist all attempts by any individual or groups of individuals, who seek to set back the gains that the Ghanaian broadcast media have made over the years."

GIBA also wants to know why Ghana's government has neglected its commitment to migrate from analogue to DTT and instead support China's StarTimes and its direct-to-home (DTH) satellite initiative as a foreign private organisation "with a grant offering DTH satellite broadcasting in aid of the digital migration for Ghana?"

"It is equally curious why industry stakeholders would not be consulted over an initiative that will impact the entire industry?"

GIBA says StarTimes is allowed to grow its DTH pay-TV service in Ghana "under the pretext that it will facilitate the digital migration in that country, again through connivance with the people in authority, to push for the support of their reception equipment such as set-top boxes (STBs) and integrated digital TV sets, installed with Conditional Access (CA) modules and presenting the receiver device as the approved decoders for accessing digital broadcast contents in the country".

"To have their STBs cheaply imported into Ghana, they will have to present the satellite project as a grant to the nation in order to obtain tax waivers for the importation of their CA embedded reception devices (decoders and digital TV sets)."

"These reception devices, even if distributed as free materials, will only be aiding the businesses of the conditional access license holder."

"What new satellite service is StarTimes offering Ghana, if not to enhance their current commercial business and play on the ignorance of our law makers or by connivance of some elements in authority to populate the Ghanaian homes with their own decoder trading stocks under the pretext that, they are providing satellite broadcast services to 300 villages in Ghana?"

"We watched with great interest, the display of power but lack of technical knowledge in television transmission systems and operations, from our very own parliament of Ghana, as they rush through approvals for exemptions, dashing out our very needed taxes to the tune of over $3 million to StarTimes to build a digital satellite broadcasting infrastructure."

GIBA says "it is disturbing to have the only free-to-air (FTA) digital broadcasting platform which is the medium for the dissemination of information to the public and operations of mass media in the digital domain, to be controlled by an individual entity whose current business in the country is pay-TV broadcasting, and is already distributing licensed controlled conditional access decoders and digital television sets across the country in aid of their commercial business".

"If StarTimes is allowed to control both Ghana’s only digital television infrastructure and also the satellite space in the name of digital migration, Ghana would have virtually submitted its broadcast space to Chinese control and contents."

"Meanwhile, the nation of China is not prepared to grant even the tiniest of broadcast space of any kind to any broadcast channel from Africa into their country."

StarTimes deal dangerous to Ghana's media industry - MFWA
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) supports Ghana's independent broadcasters, saying that StarTimes's DTT plans are threatening and dangerous.

“The StarTimes affair is very dangerous for the survival of our local media industry. Let’s oppose it with full force," Sulemana Braimah, MFWA executive director wrote on Facebook. THE MFWA has urged Ghana's goverment to be transparent in its secretive deals with StarTimes controversial DTT programme in Ghana.

"We have a situation where a tax waiver is granted to a company that apparently is a competitor, because we know StarTimes is operating Max TV," Sulemana Braimah said in an interview on Ghana television, adding that "there is one thing that is clear and it is that there hasn’t been transparency".

StarTimes and StarTimes Ghana so far hasn't issued any public statement on the matter.


'China-lizing' Africa's digital TV space
Dubbed "China-lizing" Ghana's digital TV spehere, many in Ghana as well as the TV industry across Africa are now asking questions while Ghana's government and communications ministry is trying to downplay the growing scandal.

Meanwhile George Andah, Ghana's deputy communications minister, has said that the DTT agreement with StarTimes is a condition for Ghana to secure a $19 billion loan from the China EXIM bank.

George Andah in a statement said GIBA's "concern seems to be misplaced because they feel StarTimes is going to manage the platform and that it is going to be StarTimes that is going to be putting its conditional access or its middleware and that is not the case."

Ghana's communications ministry in a statement said "The ministry wishes to state emphatically that it has, in no way, committed to, and does not intend to hand over the management of the DTT infrastructure platform to any third party".

Meanwhile many in Ghana are now openly wondering why Ursula Owusu Ekuful, Ghana's communications minister is blatantly siding with StarTimes and China, vociferously defending China and StarTimes over Ghana that she is supposed to represent.

In a blistering rebuke, Ursula Owusu Ekuful slammed GIBA in radio interviews, saying Ghana's broadcasters can't dictate to Ghana's government what to do.

Asked why she failed to engage and communicate with GIBA, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, said it was because she doesn't understand what their concerns were.

In a TV interview the caustic Ursula Owusu Ekuful slammed GIBA again, saying "they are not financing this process and they cannot sit there and dictate what government does in this process".

Apparently hasn't seen GIBA's open letter, saying "I am still struggling to find out exactly what GIBA’s concerns are so we can address it".

Gifts, trips and selfies
Meanwhile StarTimes has donated heavily to the Foundation of Ghana's first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, The Rebecca Foundation, with Rebecca Akufo-Addo that visited Beijing last month to receive gifts from StarTimes and Pang Xinxing.

On her Facebook page Rebecca Akufo-Addo last month wrote "Earlier today at the StarTimes Corporation in Beijing, China I was excited to see the unveiling of the design, of a football kit to be used by Ghanaian children, in a sports exchange programme later this year."

"Last year my foundation, the Rebecca Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Licang District Experimental School, in Qingdao, to establish an exchange programme, between Ghanaian and Chinese schoolchildren beginning this year."

"I got a tour of the impressive Star Times Corporation by the Founder Mr. Pang XingXing Who through his impressive global company is supporting the children with sports kits which includes, jerseys, socks, bags and water bottles. I am most grateful for the support and look forward to an effective collaboration."

Rebecca Akufo-Addo's Rebecca Foundation in a statement now says "StarTimes has never been, at any time, a partner of the foundation, as has been suggested. The Foundation is however very grateful to StarTimes for offering football kit and to be donated through the foundation".

"StarTimes offered to provide football kits for the children because of their association with Ghana football. It is worth emphasising that neither the first lady nor the foundation has any role to play in any engagement between StarTimes and the government of Ghana, either directly or indirectly."

Sam George, a Ghana member of parliament and a member of that parliament's communications committee has warned that Ghana is at risk of flooding its media landscape with a lot of Chinese content and production as has been the case in several African countries.

"Anybody who has done marketing 101 will know that what StarTimes is doing is building market penetration. They are going into the most deprived areas where they may not have DTT access as we sit now, because we have not rolled out full DTT access, but they are trying to capture that market."

MP Alhassan Suhuyini said Ghana president Nana Akufo-Addo may be compromised when it comes to financial dealings with StarTimes.

"In the case of StarTimes, I am beginning to suspect that perhaps, the president has compromised himself in a way."

"I say so because we have all heard and read about the president’s itinerary when he went to China recently and in one of his engagements, he had a special meeting with the president of StarTimes. We have also seen donations that StarTimes has made to the wife."

"I would like to challenge the President to do something not just for his own image but for the benefit of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association. The need for the president’s intervention is also because the communications ministry has proven to be dishonest and scandal-prone," said Alhassan Suhuyini.

"The communications ministry is not being honest and that is even making matters worse."

Ghana's former communications minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamaha, has slammed Nana Akufo-Addo administration of allegedly engaging in unfair trade practices with its tax waiver for StarTimes, demanding that Ghana's government "immediately ensure mutually beneficial engagements with all stakeholders in order to recalibrate the pathway for the DTT process".

He called on Ghana's government to "publish any agreements entered into with StarTimes on the 300 villages project; and if none exists, take urgent steps to ensure appropriate regulatory oversight without providing undue advantage to StarTimes which is already an actor in Ghanaian broadcasting".

On Saturday 22 September Ghanaians were apparently "thrilled" to a Chinese culture feast and art at the forecourt of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.

StarTimes organised it.

The event dubbed "Beijing Top TV Drama & Movies Broadcasting Season in Africa" is apparently a campaign to promote cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Africa.

Guo Ziqi, StarTimes vice-president attended and said during the launch that the Chinese programming will contribute to the strengthened friendship between Ghana and China. The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E Wang Shiting also attended and said Chinese TV dramas and movies have become an important new "cultural bridge".

 In other African countries like Zambia a similar controversy and growing scandal has been brewing just like in Ghana, around StarTimes and that country's DTT switch-over process.

StarTimes Zambia for instance entered into an agreement with Zambia's government not to manage or control their DTT but to build it for them, although the loan agreement contains a clause that if the Zambia government defaults, the Chinese will manage and control the DTT system for some years.

In Rwanda, StarTimes this week said it plans to use its DTH service to "boost Sino-Rwandan cultural exchanges".

According to Jess Jing, CEO of Star Africa, StarTimes initially began using DTT but in 2014 converted to DTH satellite pay-TV. "DTT covers 85% of Rwandan territory because Rwanda has so many hills. But with satellite TV we have achieved 100% coverage," he said.

Nigerian film producer Femi Odugbemi calls for better co-operation and collaboration between Nigeria and Ghana's TV and film industries at MultiChoice's 5th Digital Dialogue Conference.

There should be bigger co-operation and collaboration between Ghana and Nigeria to not just grow the respective film and television industries in both West African countries, but to unlock bigger opportunities and to grow the economies and improve conditions and employment in the sector.

So said the Nigerian film producer Femi Odugbemi, CEO of Zuri24 Media Limited, who spoke on Wednesday at the ongoing 5th edition of the Digital Dialogue Conference taking place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) organised by MultiChoice.

MultiChoice didn't invite any South African journalists or media to the conference facilitated by the satellite pay-TV operator, and there was no advance media advisory or notification.

The Digital Dialogue Conference is centred around gaining a better understanding of the future direction of the video entertainment industry across Africa as a whole.


ALSO READ: MultiChoice entertainment boss Yolisa Phahle warns Africa's TV biz: With more choices than ever, we have to find new ways of engaging better with viewers, as shiny substitutes Netflix, Facebook and YouTube are ready to eat our lunch in an instant.


"Ghana and Nigeria should work together to grow their respective movie industries and that of the West African sub-region," said Femi Odugbemi.

"This collaboration will contribute greatly to the improvement of the two industries and our countries."

He told conference-goers that greater collaboration and co-operation between the TV and film sectors of each country - with inter-government assistance - will help to reduce unemployment, and he called for better collaboration between the two countries' movie industries to improve distribution, production and sharing of ideas  to better market their respective stories.

He said Nigeria's film biz - known as Nollywood - needs to continue to innovate and not lose focus during the seismic wave of global digital disruption that is also affecting Africa's creative sphere.

"Nollywood found its audience and its audience found it because its story telling connected to the cultural experiences of its audience," said Femi Odugbemi, and cautioned that Nigeria's film biz is set to continue its growth if it takes proper advantage of digital changes.

"Digital solutions will open up a number of possibilities across Nollywood's sub-sectors, including distribution, production, manpower and governance."

"If there has ever been an industry that created digital dialogue from the word go, it would be Nollywood," he said.

According to Femi Odugbemi filmmaking in Nigeria is gradually becoming more sophisticated because of the growing options of digital film making like virtual scene creation. Nollywood now has an average of 50 crew per film set, with 2 000 film projects in Nigeria per year and estimated 2 million people being employed within Nigeria film and TV industry.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 19 April 2018.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ TV needs fewer commercials - but the math is going to be hard.

■ Netflix: On the brink of global domination?
Now so powerful it even snubbed the Cannes Film Festival, are broadcasters around the world right to fear for their future?


■ Ghana's trash-petty TV station TV3 still can't stand that its former news anchor Nana Aba Anamoah left them.
So when she appeared on stage at the 19th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, broadcast simultaneously on TV3 and M-Net's Africa Magic Family (DStv 154) on MultiChoice's DStv, the shoddy TV3 awkwardly censored its own broadcast and did a blackout for the minute Nana Aba Anamoah appeared on stage to present an award.

■ India's ZEE has big plans for Nigerian audiences - and talks upcoming content.

■ Three people in Ghana selling illegal DStv decoders smuggled in from Nigeria, arrested following a Cyber Crime Unit raid.

■ Kwesé TV says its TV channel Kwesé Inc. will run so-called "success stories" of African entrepreneurs who have used Kwese's services.

■ Judge in Sierra Leone releases a man who sat in jail in custody for 2 years for allegedly stealing a Samsung plasma TV.

■ Britain's broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, announces 7 new investigations into Russia Today (RT) over its spy coverage).

■ The new Lost in Space reboot on Netflix looks an awful lot like a Mass Effect TV show.


■ When TV shows refuse to die and overstay their welcome: Why The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) keeps going although it only frustrates viewers - just like the long-tired Homeland on M-Net (DStv 101).

■ MUST READ: The New York Times on what it means that Amazon Studios has arrived at Culver Studios on the lot where Gone with the Wind and E.T. were made.

BBC cameraman Mark Milsome dies in Ghana on the set of the Netflix miniseries, The Forgiving Earth, during night time stunt gone wrong; production shut down.

A British cameraman, Mark Milsome (54) has died over the weekend in Ghana on the set of the Netflix miniseries, The Forgiving Earth, when a night time car stunt went horribly wrong, with production in the show that has completely shut down.

Agent Sarah Prince on Monday told the Associated Press (AP) that Mark Milsome died in Ghana when a night time stunt sequence for the thriller series The Forgiving Earth went horribly wrong.

An investigation is now underway into what happened.

The Forgiving Earth is set to be broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC, and on Netflix in the rest of the world.

Previously called Black Earth Rising, the miniseries is a thriller about the prosecution of international war crimes and the personal, legal and political turmoil it ignites. It's written by Hugo Blick as writer-director, with Drama Republic producing.

Mark Milsome started out in the 1990s as a clapper loader, working his way up the camera department to focus puller, camera operator and director of photography.

Sarah Prince said Mark Milsone "was an incredibly humble and talented man. We are all devastated by his loss".

"We have very little information at present. The production company have confirmed that an investigation is underway. It occurred on a night shoot during a stunt sequence".

"We all need answers to this dreadful tragedy".

Mark Milsome previously worked on TV series like Sherlock, Game of Thrones and Call the Midwife as well as films like Saving Private Ryan and Quantum of Solace.

In a statement the BBC says "We are deeply shocked and saddened to hear this terrible news. Mark Milsome was hugely talented and a much respected colleague. Our thoughts are with Mark's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time".

Hugo Blick and Drama Republic in a statement say "It is with huge sadness that we confirm the death of Mark Milsome, a camera operator who was working with us on the Netflix/BBC production The Forgiving Earth."

"We are all completely devastated. Mark was such a wonderful, kind and generous person. All our thoughts and condolences are with Mark’s family and his close friends at this tragic time. Giving them our support and focus is our number one priority."

The Guild of British Camera Technicians in a statement says "The GBCT Board and its membership are absolutely devastated by this tragic news".

"Mark Milsome was not only an incredibly talented camera operator, he was also one of the kindest and sweetest of human beings. He will be greatly missed. Thoughts and prayers are with Mark's family at this awful time".

Netflix in a statement says "Our deepest condolences go out to Mark’s family and friends. We were shocked to hear of this tragic loss, and our hearts go out to all those that knew him and worked alongside him."

DAILY TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 6 October 2017.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ It didn't take long for Nigerians to become skeptical over the new pay-TV bride, TStv.
Can new Nigerian pay-TV operator TStv be trusted over its brand promises? Can it provide the required high-quality content that Nigerians already get with DStv?
- In a rush to embrace TStv, Nigerians fail to ask the tough questions.
- TStv CEO Bright Echefu is apparently not the Bright Echefu embroiled in a court case for fraud.

■ TStv is engulfed in a content theft scandal just days after launch as Turner Broadcasting System warns TStv not to broadcast CNN International that is on MultiChoice DStv.
-Meanwhile beIN also warned TStv and sent a cease and desist letter - none of the advertised beIN channels are allowed on TStv. TStv says the letters are fake.
BUT Turner Broadcasting System Africa tells TVwithThinus TStv is definitely using CNN's brand illegally and has been warned in a letter to stop.

■ Meanwhile, hilariously, rumours are flying that it is MultiChoice Nigeria that is causing TStv's bad news. Could DStv possibly be "behind all the negative media TStv is getting to mar the good reception it's been getting from Nigerians?"

■ Shonda Rhimes discusses her move away from ABC to Netflix.

■ Namibian police are clueless as to how they're supposed to check for TV licences in Namibia.
Namibia now wants its police service to "compel" Namibian citizens to pay their TV licence fees. The police says they know nothing and got no "directives" from the government.

■ Zimbabwe's broadcasting regulator wants to ban Kwesé TV again.
The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) is at it again, again approaching Zimbabwe's High Court after its loss last month to try and bar Kwesé TV from operating.

■ I've never thought of this!: Why are there so many Kevins on TV?
On American TV, one name for characters reign supreme.

■ TV news reporter worked herself to death.
Poor Miwa Sado of Japan's NKH in Tokyo died from "karoshi" - death from overwork.

■ Now Ghana is going to force TV stations to broadcast 70% local content during prime time.
Where will already struggling TV channels already offering trash content find the money to produce and show so much local content that cost more to make?

MultiChoice in Kenya, Zambia, Ghana announces DStv price cuts for all DStv subscriptions from September.

MultiChoice is lowering DStv subscription prices for DStv subscribers in Zambia, Kenya, Ghana - and possibly in more African countries - for all DStv bouquets from 1 September 2017.

No price reduction has been announced for DStv in South Africa.

"This substantial price reduction across our DStv packages reinforces our commitment to ensuring that our customers receive the best possible access to great entertainment and outstanding value," says Kobus Bezuidenhout, regional director for MultiChoice Investment Holdings (MIH) West & Central Africa.


In Kenya DStv Premium will be cut by 3.42% to Sh7,900 and DStv Compact Plus by 4.15% Sh5,200.

DStv Compact is reduced to Sh3,200 and DStv Access by 9.52% to Sh950.

MultiChoice Africa said the DStv price reduction in Kenya is due to the strengthening of the Kenyan shilling against the American dollar. MultiChoice Africa's GOtv subscriptions for its digital terrestrial TV service will remain unchanged.

According to Eric Odipo, MultiChoice Kenya managing director, the MultiChoice Kenya price cut is as a result of the improving Kenya Shilling against the dollar.

"The majority of our input costs are in US dollars and we hope we will not experience any further currency devaluations or other unexpected increases in costs for the remainder of the year. It is also a way of rewarding our customers for their loyalty and support," says Eric Odipo.


In Zambia DStv Premium is reduced by 3.42% to K790, DStv Compact Plus is cut a whopping 16.04% to K450, DStv Compact is reduced by 6.54% to K300, DStv Family is going down 2.43% to K200 and DStv Access is reduced by 7.4% to K100.

According to Ngoza Kasunga, MultiChoice Zambia acting managing director, the reduction in that country isn't based on currencies like fluctiations in the value of the Kwacha, but on a value proposition.

"MultiChoice continuously reviews its packages ans price points in the dynamic market conditions with the interests of our customers at heart and with one objective in mind – to delight customers by constantly offering them more value," said Ngoza Kasunga.

"We are delivering more value to our customers by giving them access to amazing local and international content at a price they can afford."

"The business recognizes that we are living in changing economic times and wants to reward customers for their ongoing loyalty and support. In April 2016, we had a 'no price increases' or price lock on all packages in order to provide relief to our customers in the current tough economic conditions."

Ngoza Kasunga at a breakfast press briefing held on Tuesday in Lusaka, said MultiChoice Zambia "doesn't price based on what competitors are doing".

Should Zambia's Kwacha not depreciate and production costs remain the same, the new MultiChoice Zambia prices for DStv subscriptions will remain in place until MultiChoice Zambia holds its next price review in April of 2018.


In Ghana Cecil Sunka-Mills, MultiChoice Ghana general manager in a statement said MultiChoice Ghana is lowering DStv subscription fees to make DStv more affordable.

"We want to do our bit by adjusting the price of their DStv packages to make them more affordable while adding more value."

"The majority of our input costs are in US dollars and we hope we won't experience any further currency devaluations or other unexpected increases in costs for the remainder of the year."

Ghana's media regulator orders 3 TV channels to stop broadcasting pornography; says 'actual sexual intercourse shouldn't be transmitted'.

Ghana's TV regulator, the National Media Commission (NMC) has ordered three of the country's public TV channels to immediately stop broadcasting pornography, saying "actual sexual intercourse between humans should at no time be transmitted" with no exceptions.

The TV channels, XYZ TV, Thunder TV and Ice TV told the regulator they're broadcasting pornography because other TV channels that they compete with, are also doing it.

While the NMC can't fine the TV channels over showing pornography since Ghana's regulations doesn't currently make allowance for that, the NMC said it can order the stations to stop.

After complaints, the NMC said the channels' broadcasts didn't meet the NMC's broadcasting standards.

"The stations apologised and committed themselves to ensuring that there would be no more pornography on their stations," said Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, NMC chairperson in a statement.

"They however, drew the attention of the Commission to other radio and television stations which they considered to be carrying similarly offensive content."

One of the channels, Ice TV, that said it will abide by the directive, has reportedly now threatened the NMC with court action over the decision, saying they want Ghana's courts to give clarification on whether the regulator has the right to stop it from airing pornography on Ghana's free-to-air TV airwaves.

Samuel Owusu Asare, Ice TV general manager, told Ghana's radio station Citi 97.3 fm that "we will come back to seek more clarification from the court because you cannot tell us to stop showing pornographic materials and later on we'll see other TV telecasting such materials. We wouldn’t take that kindly".

Kagiso Tiso Holdings' Kagiso Media invests undisclosed amount in Ghana's TV and radio in partnership with Sabido Investments.

Kagiso Tiso Holdings (KTH), through its media subsidiary Kagiso Media is investing in Ghana to grow a direct radio and TV presence in that African country similar to what Kagiso Media has in South Africa.

Kagiso Media is investing an undisclosed amount of money and has acquired 37% of Global Media Alliance Broadcasting Company (GMABC), a broadcasting company in Ghana.

GMABC runs four radio stations in Ghana (Happy FM, YFM Kumasi, YFM Accra and YFM Takoradi) as well as the free-to-air terrestrial television channel e.tv Ghana, which was launched in 2009 as the result of a partnership between GMA and Sabido Investments that owns e.tv in South Africa.

"We are looking forward to operating in Ghana and using this as a base to expand our reach into other West African territories. It also offers us an opportunity to use our  content production capability across more distribution platforms," says Mark Harris, CEO of Kagiso Media.

Kagiso Media's investment in Ghana will be followed by a similar investment in Kenya.

MultiChoice lowering monthly DStv subscription fees ... in Ghana.

MultiChoice is lowering the monthly DStv subscription fees, but only in Ghana, due to that country's improving currency.

South African consumers buckling under a weak Rand are not getting a reduction in subscription fees.

The satellite pay-TV platform has decided to lower the monthly subscription fees for subscribers in Ghana for DStv Premium, DStv Compact, DStv Family and DStv Access from the beginning of November.

MultiChoice says that its costs are largely based on the United States Dollar and the Euro when it comes to paying for satellite capacity to transmit TV channels, as well as for paying for the TV channels and its content. 

"With the strengthening of the currency in Ghana it has enabled us to review our subscription rates and make adjustments to improve the price to our loyal subscribers," says MultiChoice Africa.

"As a pioneer in Africa's pay television service, MultiChoice Africa strives to ensure that all subscribers are exposed to the best television entertainment on offer and are always looking for innovative ways of delivering to subscribers the best total offering."

MultiChoice says several new channels recently launched on DStv like the M-Net supplied M-Net Edge and VUZU AMP, as well as Nick Toons and Nick Jr. from Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa), and shows and channels like the new season of Big Brother Africa entitled Big Brother Hotshots.

BREAKING. M-Net's Big Brother Africa dumps Ghana contestants not due to Ebola but over South Africa's controversial new visa regulations.

Scandal is swirling as M-Net's Big Brother Africa production in South Africa has dumped the Ghana contestants - not because of fears about possible Ebola as rumour mongers reported - but due to South Africa's more restrictive and highly controversial new visa regulations now directly impacting negatively on South Africa's film and TV industry.

Endemol South Africa producing the 9th season of Big Brother Africa set to start in early September and filmed in Johannesburg dumped the contestants from Ghana not over Ebola fears but over being unable to get the Ghana contestants in South Africa on time - and for them to remain long enough.

The reality voyeur show shown on M-Net channels across Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform now scrambled to find Ghana contestants already in South Africa to put in the house before the 9th season starts on 7 September.

In a statement Endemol South Africa says Ghana's contestants "have not been rejected by MultiChoice Africa or Endemol due to the Ebola scare" but that Endemol SA "had to take the necessary measures to ensure Ghana is represented in Big Brother Africa IX and does not miss out of the show".

"The production company had no option but to find alternative Ghanaian candidates to audition in South Africa, as they could not hold up the process that lead up to the show".

Apparently the Ghana contestants did apply for visas for South Africa for the final stage of auditioning but their visas were not processed in time. There were also delays with the contestants producing additional documents such as bank statements.

Then the contestants from the West African country were only given visas for a maximum stay of 30 days in South Africa. However, two of them might be the final contestants left on the 91 day reality show, meaning that they needed a visa extension or special permit.

If they do want to stay longer in South Africa - the controversial new visa regulations require that application to me made in Ghana. These extensions for a stay in South Africa can no longer be made in South Africa under the new visa regulations.

That has led to the Ghana contestants getting dumped and being replaced with Ghanaians already in South Africa.

Jungle Gold reality stars on the Discovery Channel to be tracked down and arrested for 'illegal mining; Ghana furious over negative portrayal.

The reality stars of Jungle Gold on the Discovery Channel (DStv 121) face fines, arrest and even possible imprisonment over charges of alleged brutality and illegal mining in Ghana, with the Ghanaian government which now wants to see Scott Lomu and George Wright apprehended and arrested.

The new reality show Jungle Gold started broadcasting across Africa on MultiChoice's DStv from the beginning of April with a growing scandal which has now erupted around the American TV production filmed on African soil.

After seeing the show, viewers, local media and authorities in Ghana are in uproar. The government in the West African country is livid over what it describes as "severe brutalities" perpetrated by the "illegal miners".

With controversy growing around this Discovery Networks show, the Ghanaian government now plans to track down Scott Lomu and George Wright who've been mining in Romaso in the Ashanti region in the West African country "hoping that they are still there".

According to the Ghanaian government it's illegal for foreigners to engage in the type of small scale mining Scott Lomu and George Wright are seen doing in the reality show.

Jungle Gold was renewed for a second season, and the scandal which has now erupted places a question mark behind the future of the show. Besides other alleged contravensions, according to the government a local Ghanaian is seen in Jungle Gold being strangled until he passed out.

Speaking on radio in Ghana, Ghana's minister for lands and natural resources, Inusah Fuseini said "my attention was drawn to it by many people when it was aired."

Inusah Fuseini said on a Ghana radio news programme that the government is now looking into how the Discovery Networks show came to be filmed in Ghana and that there's big concerns. "It portrays Ghana as a jungle, where no laws exists and where people can come and act with impunity, and that we don't regulate mining in the country."

"It is not what is happening in reality in Ghana," he said. "It portrays Ghana as a lawless country that you can come to and do whatever you want." Inusah Fuseini said there is a possibility that the Discovery "documentary" possibly did get the necessary approval to film the small scale mining operation.

"No foreign national is allowed by the minerals and mining law to engage in this. We seek the collaboration of all stakeholders to help us with this. People who are non-Ghanaian have no business in engaging in small scale mining and to take the opportunity to film this in activities which shows Ghana in a negative light," said Inusah Fuseni.

I've made a media enquiry to Discovery Networks International (DNI) and await a response to questions regarding Jungle Gold and the developing situation regarding the production in Ghana.

UPDATE Tuesday 14 May 17:00 - A Discovery spokesperson has come back to me with a response saying that the Jungle Gold production team has now left the area.

"Discovery was completing its second season of shooting at an unrelated mine when our cast and crew were made aware of some events and media attention which we felt put them at risk. All cast and crew members have left the area."