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".

Hannelie Bekker out as managing director of FOX International Channel Africa in South Africa after 5 months.

You're reading it here first.

I can reveal that in a shock move Hannelie Bekker is out at FOX International Channels Africa (FIC Africa) where she was the new managing director for 5 months.

FOX International Channels Africa is completely quiet about the shocking exit of Hannelie Bekker, with no announcement, statement or notification about the highly respected TV executive whose last day at FIC Africa's office in Johannesburg, according to sources, was last Tuesday at the end of March.

Hannelie Bekker, a highly experienced, highly skilled and extremely talented TV executive was appointed as the new managing director of FOX International Channels Africa (FIC) in November 2014 and replaced Alessandro Tucci.

 Hannelie Bekker's appointment at the end of 2014 for which she relocated from Kenya back to South Africa, signaled a massive upscaling and appointment coup for FIC Africa and its regionalised pay-TV business in South African and the rest of the African continent.

At Sony Television's upfront on Wednesday afternoon in Johannesburg the primary topic of conversation under journalists, ad executives, media buyers and TV executives was Hannelie Bekker's sudden exit and the silence from FOX International Channels Africa about it.

There's been no word from FIC Africa and FIC Africa marketing executive Khosi Khanyile about Hannelie Bekker, nor whether who will replace her in the position of managing director - if anybody.

Just a month ago, on 10 February, FIC Africa had a hugely successful FOX upfront and press day to showcase the premium upcoming shows secured for the FOX and FOX Crime TV channels.

Hannelie Bekker took South African TV critics through a smooth and pitch-presentation of FOX's upcoming programming with sizzle reels and took questions from the press afterwards in a wide-ranging Q&A session.

Hannelie Bekker's sudden and unexpected exit after just 5 months - and FIC Africa's silence to communicate the top executive change and the reasons for it - is odd and surprising given FIC Africa's commitment to the press regarding programming information and corporate changes.

Hannelie Bekker leaving is a huge loss for FIC Africa, not just due to the TV executive's real experience, skill and TV industry standing, but also for the perceived cache her appointment signaled about FIC Africa to South Africa's pay-TV business industry.

Whoever is appointed next as FIC Africa managing director - if anyone - it's unlikely that FIC International will be able to find someone locally with the years of TV experience, pay-TV acumen and vast list of established business contacts and professional relationships Hannelie Bekker instantly brought to FIC Africa.

FOX'S NEW EMPIRE BUILDING IN AFRICA: There's a whole new FOX in the hen house ... and its M-Net that's most vulnerable.

Serena and Venus are the best of friends. Sisters even. But there's one scenario under which they become relentless competitors: when they're opponents on the very same tennis court.

Up until now best of friends for nearly close to 3 decades, the tight relationship between South Africa's M-Net and FOX is dramatically shifting and changing from friend to one of being more foe due to a dramatic leveling of the playing field - one which will have seismic implications for South African viewers and pay-TV subscribers.

In short, this is what is happening and you'll see it if you look closely: FOX which never had in South Africa a TV channel like FOX, or a pay-TV platform it had a share in like Australia's FOXTEL, had a distribution channel - one through which it was too happy (as was M-Net) to sign output deals and licensing rights agreements with M-Net to show FOX programming.

It was win-win. M-Net got great content to show and FOX had great content it couldn't show but had available to give.

Then FIC brought FOX to South Africa on MultiChoice's DStv, and on On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media South Africa's StarSat (previously TopTV). 

Still it was no problem. Just like when Netflix will launch in South Africa and won't have certain content because it already gave that away under existing territory licensing rights agreements - those exclusive programming rights were still neatly sewn up by M-Net, meaning a truncated FOX channel, and still a greatly packaged M-Net. 

Everyone remained the best of friends.

Now those agreements and complex to-and-fro programming and content contracts and studio output pick-ups are lapsing and FOX, in essence through deals with itself, is grabbing and keeping its world-class, buzz worthy shows for its own TV channel(s). 

The result? Several high-quality, big buzz, ratings grabbing American TV shows which absolutely, 100%, would have been seen on M-Net (DStv 101) are now going to be seen exclusively on FOX.

There's no way that M-Net would not have wanted Empire or can ever say that a show like that doesn't matter or that it it's perfect for its own schedule. Its loss and FOX' acquisition of it is a trend which is only going to accelerate.

It's Venus versus Serena.

Fox International Channels (FIC) is on an Empire building mission globally - as well as in South Africa and across the African continent. 

Add to that global expansion plan a very specific sidenote lending further colour to FOX's ambitions in South Africa and the rest of the continent: Hannelie Bekker is back. 

The woman who programmed SABC3 - the closest thing South African public television ever had during its high tide a decade ago to a type of an M-Net, is now the new managing director of FOX International Channels Africa (FIC Africa).

This extremely adept, clever and accomplished TV content and programming executive is definitely going to relish the opportunity to bring better programming to FIC's channels like FOX. 

She's going to be able to help shape FOX in the future as a worthy competitor to M-Net - something which she couldn't do at SABC3 with limited resources, money, and stricter limits on foreign entertainment content.

The impact of FIC's ramped up scope and presence will soon be most keenly observed by pay-TV viewers watching specifically M-Net and specifically FOX through DStv and StarSat, as well as M-Net's remaining analogue subscribers. 

FIC is today unifying its global FOX channel - seen in 126 countries and reaching 244 million households - making it the largest entertainment channel rebrand or repositioning in the world. 

Make no mistake about it: FOX wants to dominate and is starting by uniting its brand globally with the same look everywhere you see it.

FIC wants to increase ratings and reach, and ratings only grow when people and more people are watching. People of course tune in for content and FIC is now starting to keep the good stuff for itself.

That's good news for FOX; not so good news for those who used to acquire and got FOX shows.

"This power to bring the best first is the definition of the FOX brand," says Hernan Lopez, the president and CEO of FOX International Channels.

Besides that "little" show that could, The Walking Dead on FOX (a TV drama which would have been on M-Net if ever there were one), FOX's biggest hits outside the United States include American Horror Story (seen in South Africa on M-Net Edge) and The Simpsons (M-Net and VUZU AMP).

You can literally see what used to be hairline fractures in terms of where you used to see what content, widening and shifting before your eyes.

So what's next for FOX? 

There's the vampire drama The Strain starting on FOX on 9 February at 20:30. Then there's the year's biggest new high-buzz drama Empire with Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson starting on 4 March at 21:00 on FOX.

The new comedy Fresh Off the Boat starts on 12 March at 20:10 and You're the Worst at 21:00. And don't forget M. Night Shyamalan supernatural new buzzy drama Wayward Pines starting on 14 May at 21:25. All of it on FOX.

Tyrant, a drama that offers an intriguing mix of family dynamics and Middle East politics will start on FOX in June. 

Backstrom, yet another new detective drama will start on 5 March at 21:20 on FOX Crime - for the very first time giving that FIC channel a must-watch reason to tune to. The procedural drama Legends with Sean Bean will also start in June.

Each and every one of these TV shows could have been, should have been M-Net shows.

"The acquisition of this large number of first-run series is a milestone for FOX and FOX Crime Africa," says Hannelie Bekker.

"Each of these shows comes with excellent credentials and offers fresh and bold entertainment. A few of them  - The Strain, Tyrant, You're the Worst and Legends - have already been renewed for further seasons," says Hannelie Bekker.

And it will soon increase. "This is part of a three year volume deal, meaning more new shows for the next three years from Twentieth Century Fox that will include four drama series and two comedies".

What does it means for South African pay-TV subscribers? 

M-Net analogue subscribers: It means that M-Net analogue subscribers are starting to lose out. 

With only one M-Net analogue channel these pay-TV subscribers they can't watch Empire, The Strain and Wayward Pines - shows that pay-TV subscribers are going to be talking about, and stars they are going to be reading about in magazines and see in popular culture.

DStv subscribers: Level and unchanged. For now. It means that DStv Premium subscribers who get the M-Net (DStv 101) and M-Net Edge (DStv 102) channels are remaining somewhat equal. 

The specific M-Net packaged channels are starting to lose a programming feeder (although M-Net did treat that Glee badly), but they will still be able to get the content on FOX and now FOX Crime further up the channel numbers. 

On a individual brand level though it is bad for M-Net. FOX is not going to "take over" or overshadow M-Net, but FOX is starting to damage M-Net.

M-Net used to be the only game in town for premium entertainment content - its name was and is basically synonymous with getting the best TV content, first. Now there's a rival. A rival quickly getting on a more and more equal footing and being available through MultiChoice.

It means that in terms of competition, FOX is now leading the charge when it comes to the strongest possible challenger as another general entertainment pay-TV channel for what used to be exclusively M-Net's domain. 

StarSat subscribers: It means that StarSat subscribers are the biggest gainers in all of this. 

FOX, also available on StarSat is fast becoming a premium TV channel, and will now bring StarSat subscribers a lot of content that's actually truly "M-Net level" content. 

FOX Crime is also available on StarSat, which means further beefed up content through that specific channel for StarSat subscribers thanks to FIC, although the signal quality - video and audio - remain awful together with signal blackouts which StarSat is doing nothing about.

BREAKING. Hannelie Bekker appointed as the new managing director of FOX International Channels Africa in Johannesburg.

The highly experienced, highly skilled and extremely talented TV executive Hannelie Bekker has been appointment as the managing director of FOX International Channels Africa (FIC).

The appointment of Hannelie Bekker signals a major upscaling in TV executive power for FIC Africa and is a major loss for the Wananchi group and Wananchi Programming Limited running the Zuku satellite pay-TV service in East Africa where she was the managing director.

FIC Africa tells TV with Thinus that Hannelie Bekker replaces Alessandro Tucci as FIC Africa managing director who has returned to Italy citing personal family reasons and left at the end of October, and that the appointment starts from today, the day of the announcement.

At Zuku TV Hannelie Bekker, previously an accomplished and respected TV executive at the SABC, the past few years very successfully created and rolled out several self-compiled TV channels, credited with putting Zuku TV on the map.

Hannelie Bekker has extensive knowledge of the African and South Africa TV and film industry with strong relationships with African broadcasters, international content distributors and international channel owners.

She will now be bringing that to FIC Africa which runs TV channels ranging from FOX, FOX Crime, FOX Movies, FX, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic Gold, FOX Sports, FOX Sports 2 and Baby TV across MultiChoice's DStv, On Digital Media and StarTimes South Africa's StarSat and other pay-TV operators across Africa.

Hannelie Bekker is moving back to South Africa and will be based in Johannesburg and FIC Africa's office where she will be reporting to Adam Theiler, the executive president for Southern Europe and Africa.

"Hannelie will be an extraordinary asset to FIC and will lead and extend our operation throughout Africa which is a key market with a mature business operation and strong brand and affiliate distribution," says Adam Theiler.

"Hannelie's experience and track record in senior roles at numerous TV production companies throughout Africa not only make her the best possible person to manage FIC Africa, but also a prominent figure within Africa's TV industry who can help FIC to consolidate its objectives in the region."

Richard Alden the new group CEO of Wananchi, and Zuku's self-compiled TV channels become available outside of East Africa for the first time.

Richard Alden has been appointed as the new group CEO of Wananchi, the operator of the ZUKU pay-TV platform in East Africa.

Zuku's TV channels are now also available outside of East Africa for the first time in a deal with the Seychelles-based pay-TV operator Intelvision.

Zuku's Zuku Life, all four Zuku Movies channels and Zuku Swahili Movies are now available outside of East Africa for the first time since the beginning of November.

"We're very pleased that out channels will be travelling outside of the borders of East Africa for the first time and we hope that viewers in the Seychelles will be entertained by the programming we are offering," says Hannelie Bekker, the managing director of Wananchi programming.

Meanwhile Richard Alden has moved up to group CEO position; he has been the group's chief operating officer (COO) and has taken over from Richard Bell.