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.

British video streamer BritBox expanding into Africa, is MultiChoice adding this streaming service to DStv as well?

by Thinus Ferreira

The British video streaming service BritBox has announced that it is expanding the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service into Africa without naming specific countries, instantly raising speculation that it might be added onto MultiChoice's upcoming launch of its new streaming carousel of SVOD services that will also carry Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

BritBox is a 50/50 joint venture between the United Kingdom's BBC Studios and ITV and announced on Monday that it is expanding besides the UK, Canada and the United States into Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East and Africa. It's also launching soon in Australia.

BritBox wants to expand to 25 countries worldwide and with Africa now in the mix in stands to reason that South Africa will highly likely be included as the continent's most developed TV market, as well as the best-connected when it comes to broadband internet penetration and speed.

BritBox recently announced its first slate of British Original scripted series commissions including Spitting Image (Avalon), A Spy Among Friends (Sony & ITV Studios); The Beast Must Die (New Regency Television and Scott Free), Crime (Buccaneer Media) and Magpie Murders (Eleventh Hour Films).

With MultiChoice that has overcome its fear of adding streaming services and wants to become a content super-aggregator, will roll out SVOD services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video when it launches its latest DStv Explora decoder in South Africa later this year.

The announcement of BritBox's Africa expansion makes it a strong possibility that BritBox could be housed within MultiChoice's DStv viewing environment given that DStv carries multiple existing BBC Studios channels, carried the ITV Choice channel until recently, and acquired ITV programming after the axing of ITV Choice for the M-Net (DStv 101) and M-Net City (DStv 115) channels.

"This international expansion plan will firmly establish BritBox as a global premium brand in a rapidly growing sector," says Carolyn McCall, ITV CEO in a statement.

"Offering subscribers the best and biggest collection of British content has enabled BritBox to rapidly grow in our existing countries and as streaming continues to expand worldwide this rollout will give our distinctive streaming business truly international scale."

Tim Davie, BBC Studios CEO, says "BritBox has very quickly found a place in viewers' hearts and we know there is further appetite amongst international audiences who love great British content. We are actively appraising new markets to introduce the service and are very excited about the imminent launch in Australia".

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."

The SABC says its SABC Encore channel on DStv wasn't axed over its failure to pay artists residuals but that MultiChoice in 2018 already decided to can the channel in 2020.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African public broadcaster's SABC Encore channel on MultiChoice's DStv is going dark at the end of the month but its demise doesn't have to do with the SABC's alleged failure to properly pay artists residuals and repeat fees - the satellite pay-TV service already decided to kill off SABC Encore two years ago when it pulled the plug in 2018 during the last channel carriage renewal.

MultiChoice is getting rid of ITV's ITV Choice (DStv 123), AMC Networks International's Sundance TV (DStv 108) and SABC Encore (DStv 156) at the end of May with all three channels being removed after TV Mall was also taken away at the end of April from DStv subscribers in the latest DStv bouquet content culling.

The SABC has said that performers are being paid residuals for the rebroadcast of shows from the SABC archives on the rerun channel that has been packaged with library series for and carried on MultiChoice's DStv.

Yet artists and actor organisations have been vocal and insistent that they haven't been paid or shared in any of the millions of rand that MultiChoice has been paying the SABC for SABC Encore over the past half a decade.

SABC Encore launched in mid-May 2015 on DStv with big fanfare from the SABC and a bizarre SABC Encore launch event where the then SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng ranted that "MultiChoice must pay" and that the "SABC is coming for pay-TV".

It's not yet clear whether SABC Encore will continue to run as a TV channel despite its removal from MultiChoice DStv and whether it might become a stand-alone digital terrestrial television (DTT) channel only.

MultiChoice says that its contract "with the SABC for SABC Encore will not be renewed – as agreed by both respective parties, as per their contract which included a non-renewal option."

On Tuesday night Madoda Mxakwe, SABC CEO, told parliament's portfolio committee on communications that the SABC already knew in 2018 that SABC Encore would not survive on DStv past 2020 and get axed.

The SABC is however looking to possibly continue SABC Encore as a channel on possible other platforms.

"The reason for SABC Encore being cancelled has nothing to do with royalties but it's because DStv indicated in the new agreement that we signed in 2018 that they would not extend it beyond a further 2 years which expires this year," Madoda Mxakwe said.

"We are exploring other venues in terms of continuing with that channel."

MultiChoice is axing the SABC Encore and Sundance TV film channel as well from the end of May after carriage contracts with the SABC and AMC Networks International are not renewed.

by Thinus Ferreira

At the end of this month DStv subscribers are losing the SABC Encore (DStv 156) rerun channel from the South African public broadcaster after 5 years and the Sundance TV (DStv 108) film channel from AMC Networks International after 3 years after MultiChoice decided not to renew the respective channel carriage contracts.

SABC Encore, a rerun channel programmed with old library stock from the SABC archives, was originally part of a 2-channel deal that later became hugely controversial between MultiChoice and the South African public broadcaster over alleged digital TV policy influence peddling.

The SABC agreed to launch a new SABC News (DStv 404) channel exclusively on DStv to replace the shuttered SABC News International, but with SABC Encore tacked on as a second TV channel only if the SABC in a signed contract supported MultiChoice's policy stance regarding broader digital terrestrial television (DTT) encryption in the country.

SABC Encore launched in mid-May 2015 on DStv with big fanfare from the SABC and a bizarre SABC Encore launch event where the then SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng ranted that "MultiChoice must pay" and that the "SABC is coming for pay-TV".

It's not yet clear whether SABC Encore will continue to run as a TV channel despite its removal from MultiChoice DStv and whether it might become a stand-alone digital terrestrial television (DTT) channel only.

The SABC hasn't yet responded to a media enquiry that was made on Tuesday morning but the response will be added here once received. See UPDATE below.

Sundance TV launched with fanfare in mid-May 2017 on DStv as a replacement for the removed AMC channel, but remained a niche film channel destination with low viewership.

AMCNI UK hasn't yet responded with an answer to a media enquiry that was made on Tuesday morning but the response will be added here once received. See UPDATE below.

MultiChoice was likewise asked on Tuesday morning about the channel terminations of SABC Encore and Sundance TV on its DStv platform but hasn't yet responded. See UPDATE below.

With less than a month's notice, on the DStv i-plate electronic programme guide (EPG), DStv subscribers are now told that "Dear viewer. Please note that Sundance TV will no longer be on air from 1 June 2020. You can find movies on M-Net 101, M-Net Movies channels, Catch Up and DStv Now. Thank you."

About the axing of SABC Encore the MultiChoice EPG now says "Dear viewer, please note that SABC Encore will stop airing on 31 May 2020. Thank you for watching."

MultiChoice's removal of SABC Encore and Sundance TV follows after the axing of the British entertainment channel from ITV, ITV Choice that is also going dark on DStv at the end of May after 5 years.

UPDATE Tuesday 19 May 2020 - 17:37: The SABC tells TVwithThinus that "The SABC can confirm that SABC Encore, which was launched on the DStv platform channel 156 on 11 May 2015, is coming to an end at the end of this month".

"The corporation is at this stage exploring more avenues to ensure that our audiences continue to enjoy the broadcast of SABC’s premium vintage programmes on alternative platforms."

UPDATE Tuesday 19 May 2020 - 1845: MultiChoice in a response says that "The MultiChoice Group can confirm that SABC Encore and AMC Networks' Sundance TV will no longer be available on the DStv platform from 1 June 2020".

"MultiChoice’s contract with the SABC for SABC Encore will not be renewed – as agreed by both respective parties, as per their contract which included a non-renewal option. Sundance TV will no longer be broadcast by MultiChoice as the contract between MultiChoice and the channel providers AMC Networks has come to an end."

UPDATE Wednesday 20 May 2020 - 10:09: AMC Networks International UK says "AMC Networks International UK can confirm that SundanceTV will no longer be available on the DStv platform from 1 June".

ALSO READ: The SABC says its SABC Encore channel on DStv wasn't axed over its failure to pay artists residuals but that MultiChoice in 2018 already decided to can the channel in 2020.

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).

MultiChoice gives ITV Choice the chop after 5 years; British channel removed from DStv on 4 June 2020.

by Thinus Ferreira

The British pay-TV channel ITV Choice (DStv 123) is the next channel getting axed by MultiChoice, with ITV Choice that will go dark at the end of May after 5 years.

ITV says that MultiChoice no longer wants the channel on DStv that had curated content from the United Kingdom with a focus on programming around the British royal family.

ITV Choice, a commercial general entertainment TV channel supplied by  ITV Studios Global Entertainment suddenly ceased broadcasting in August 2019 in several markets across the Middle East, Malta and Asia but continued in South Africa.

Insider sources told TVwithThinus on Tuesday that ITV Choice is getting the DStv chop with the channel that confirmed its removal from the MultiChoice line-up in response to a media enquiry.

"DStv has decided that ITV's international TV channel, ITV Choice, will no longer be carried on the DStv platform in Africa from 4 June 2020. The ITV brand will continue as a video-on-demand (VOD) service in other territories," an ITV Choice spokesperson told TVwithThinus.

MultiChoice was also asked about the decision to cancel ITV Choice on Tuesday afternoon but didn't respond to a media enquiry seeking comment.

ITV Choice that launched in May 2015 in South Africa faced an uphill battle for DStv viewership and struggled to compete against the entrenched set of longrunning and existing Brit channels from BBC Studios Africa on MultiChoice's platform that are offering a wide selection of lifestyle, natural history, general entertainment and premium drama programming.

The axing of ITV Choice comes after the acrimonious channel carriage negotiations between MultiChoice and A+E Networks UK in late-2019 that first saw MultiChoice announce that it would be dropping History, Lifetime and Crime+Investigation at the end of October 2019.

After new renegotiations and a public petition by angry DStv subscribers MultiChoice kept History and Lifetime on its satellite TV service but dropped Crime+Investigation. That was followed by the exit of former A+E Networks Africa boss Yusuf Nabee who was been replaced by Nazarene Khan.

ITV Choice brought DStv subscribers shows like Victoria, Poldark, Doc Martin, Vera and The Voice UK. ITV's catalogue content will very likely start to pop up on other TV channels in time once the shows that were packaged on ITV Choice becomes available for the territory through its global ITV Studios distribution arm.

Endeavour on ITV Choice renewed for an 8th season through 2021 with the Inspector Morse prequel crime series that could end up surpassing the original.

The British crime series Endeavour that serves as a prequel to Inspector Morse has been renewed for an 8th season through 2021 that could see it end up running longer than the original.

Production has just started on the 7th season of Endeavour in the United Kingdom, with the 6th season that was broadcast in South Africa on ITV Choice (DStv 123) in early-2019.

The 7th season of Endeavour that will be broadcast in 2020 will only have 3 episodes as opposed to the mostly four, 90-minute episodes of earlier seasons.

Since 33 film-length episodes of Inspector Morse were produced during 1987 and 2000, the 8th season of Endeavour that will be broadcast in 2021 would equal the original if it also had 3 episodes, or surpass it if it were to have 4 episodes.

Endeavour follows a young detective sergeant Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) with the 7th season that will kick off at the start of 1970. After New Year's Eve, a body is discovered in Oxford on 1 January 1970.

Women's liberation will form a major theme of the 7th season.

"In the dawn of women’s liberation, social progression and scientific growth, the 1970s begin for Oxford’s finest with the discovery of a body at the canal towpath on New Year’s Day," says ITV in a press release about the 7th season and announcing the renewal of Endeavour for an 8th season.

"With the only clue in the investigation a witness who heard whistling on the night of the crime, the team have their work cut out to uncover their culprit."

For the 7th season of Endeavour once again all episodes are written by Russell Lewis with the story that will continue after the dramatic 6th season finale that saw chief superintendent Bright (Anton Lesser) takes over command of Castle Gate after detective chief inspector Ronnie Box (Simon Harrison) was rushed to hospital and Alan Jago was shot dead.

Shaun Evans will make his directorial debut as director of the 7th season's first episode.

"Though each film can be enjoyed as a standalone, we have approached Endeavour 1970 as three panels of a triptych, or - in musical terms - a grand opera that unfolds across three acts," says Russell Lewis. "Whether it wears the mask of comedy or tragedy remains to be seen…"

Damien Timmer, executive producer, says "It's a thrill to enter a new decade and tell more tales of the not-quite-so-young now Endeavour Morse, to be transmitted half a century after they took place! Russell has some very striking stories to tell in this new set of films which we hope will baffle, unnerve and delight the show’s fans!"

Returning to the Endeavour cast are Roger Allam (detective chief inspector Fred Thursday), Anton Lesser (chief superintendent Reginald Bright), Sean Rigby (detective sergeant Jim Strange), James Bradshaw (Dr Max DeBryn), Abigail Thaw (Dorothea Frazil), Caroline O’Neill (Win Thursday) and Sara Vickers (Joan Thursday).

Filmed in and around Oxford, the new Endeavour episodes will be executive produced by Mammoth Screen’s Damien Timmer, alongside writer and creator Russell Lewis and WGBH’s Rebecca Eaton. James Levison will produce the series and ITV Studios Global Entertainment continues to distribute the series internationally.

'That show is for poor people to go on so we can humiliate them.' Former producers and guests on ITV's cancelled conflict tabloid show, The Jeremy Kyle Show, speak out how people were allegedly given cannabis and alcohol, told to get drugs, made angry before recordings and couldn't escape.

Staffers and guests who appeared on the cancelled tabloid conflict talk show The Jeremy Kyle Show on ITV in the United Kingdom are speaking out in a new TV documentary about how Jeremy allegedly smoked cannabis with them, how people on the show were riled up to be their angriest and were given alcohol, and drug users even encouraged to go get drugs before the recording of episodes.

ITV permanently cancelled The Jeremy Kyle Show last week after production was abruptly suspended earlier this month after a man who appeared on it for an upcoming episode, killed himself when he failed a lie detector test.

The Jeremy Kyle Show was seen in South Africa for a number of years, on the former TopTV's (now StarSat) Top One channel in late-2012 and 2013, and on ITV Choice (DStv 123) in 2016. It wasn't currently broadcast in South Africa.

ITV that denies everything being said in the documentary, Jeremy Kyle: TV on Trial done by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom as part of its Dispatches programme, in a statement about the cancellation of the show said that "now is the right time for the show to end".

It comes as this form of confrontational tabloid television is seeing an upsurge in South Africa on channels like Siyaya TV's Moja Love (DStv 157) on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service, with sensationalist fighting shows ranging from Rea Tsotella and Uthando Noxolo to No Excuse Pay Papgeld and Uyajola 9/9.

Dwayne Davison who appeared twice on The Jeremy Kyle Show told the documentary that that show "is for poor people to go on so we can humiliate them - it ruins lives". He explained how he was invited and locked in a room for 10 hours before going on the show.

"I think that show is for poor people to go on so we can humiliate them - it ruins lives."

This man was branded the Jeremy Kyle Show's most hated guest - he tells Dispatches how the show has affected him since. pic.twitter.com/7HfK0G2kzz

— Channel 4 Dispatches (@C4Dispatches) May 27, 2019

The Daily Mail reports how a former producer on the show said that drug users were encouraged to go get drugs before their show appearance, while other producers explained how guests were given cannabis as well as liquor.

ITV denied the allegations and said alcohol was only given to people who are going to rehab and experienced withdrawal symptoms.

Other staffers described how guests were made angrier before their appearance on the show, a process known as "talking up", saying that "you need people the people that come on the show to be in conflict when you get on, when they're on the show".

Another producer said "the guests were treated like cattle. Behind-the-scenes they created a kind of maze. It's so if the guests run off the stage it's a controlled environment. The cameraman knows where to go. The guests won't be able to find their way out because it all looks the same".

The British government has now launched an investigation into reality television in the United Kingdom following the deaths of people who have appeared on tabloid talk and reality shows there.


UPDATE Tuesday 28 May 2019 13:18 - The second sentence of this article was amended with a new third sentence to indicate and make it clear that The Jeremy Kyle Show was not currently on ITV Choice but was a programme that used to be on the ITV Choice channel in previous years.

Production suspended on ITV's tabloid confrontational talk show, The Jeremy Kyle Show, that is removed from the schedule indefinitely after participant dies.

Production has been suspended on ITV's tabloid confrontational talk show, The Jeremy Kyle Show, that has been removed from the broadcast schedule in the United Kingdom after the death last week of a participant in an upcoming episode that won't be televised.

The Jeremy Kyle Show, similar to Jerry Springer, was broadcast for a number of years on ITV's international channel, ITV Choice (DStv 123) and shows guest discussing and fighting over personal conflicts and relationship problems in front of a studio audience.

Guests take paternity tests, drug addiction and conflict are often featured, security guards are on-set to separate participants who start physical fights and topics range from "My boyfriend’s mum has chosen a paedophile over him!" to “Did my dad have sex on my mum’s grave?”

"Everyone at ITV and The Jeremy Kyle Show is shocked and saddened at the news of the death of a participant in the show a week after the recording of the episode they featured in and our thoughts are with their family and friends. ITV will not screen the episode in which they featured," ITV said in a statement on Monday.

"Given the seriousness of this event, ITV has also decided to suspend both filming and broadcasting of The Jeremy Kyle Show with immediate effect in order to give it time to conduct a review of this episode of the show."

British media reports that Steve Dymond (63) committed suicide. He took a lie-detector test in the episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show to convince his fiancee Jane Callaghan he had not cheated but they split after he failed the test.

Call the Midwife on BBC First, Vera and Endeavor on ITV Choice renewed for further seasons in the United Kingdom.

Three British drama series, Call the Midwife from the BBC seen on BBC First (DStv 119), as well as Vera and Endeavor from ITV seen on ITV Choice (DStv 123) have been renewed for further seasons in the United Kingdom.

While the 9th season of Call the Midwife is about to start production in the United Kingdom, the BBC has renewed the series for a 10th and an 11th season that will be set in the late 1960s.

The 10th and 11 seasons will each have 8 episodes, as well as the usual Christmas specials.

"Even after all these years, it still feels as though Call the Midwife has more truth to tell, more tears to cry, more life to celebrate, and more love to give," says Heidi Thomas, executive producer, creator and writer of Call the Midwife.

"We are blessed with the best cast, crew and audience a show could wish for and I could not be more excited about our future."

Meanwhile ITV has renewed the Inspector Morse prequel, Endeavor with Shaun Evans, produced by ITV Studios's Mammoth Screen, for a 7th season. Endeavor's 7th season will take place in 1970 with production that will start later this year.

The 6th season of Endeavor started in February on Wednesdays at 20:00 on ITV Choice. 

Vera with Brenda Blethyn produced by ITV Studios' Silverprint and also seen on ITV Choice, will start production in April on 4 new film-length episodes.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 10 January 2019.

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

■ "A vast wasteland": How the problems of the internet today is that of television half a century ago.

■ Australia's Channel Nine anchor Samantha Heathwood goes viral after reading the news wearing a "penis jacket".

■ MicroLED: The new technology that will change the face - and shape - of the TV set.

■ The 43 most anticipated shows of 2019.

■ In Zambia a policeman shoots another policeman in a fight over a TV set.


■ Pakistan bans any Indian TV content, claiming it would "damage our culture".
■ The showing of any intimate moments and "bed scenes" are also banned on Pakistan TV.
■ Pakistan broadcasting regulator says TV dramas are "too feminist".


■ British viewers furious that the upcoming third season of Victoria seen on ITV Choice (DStv 123) will be broadcast in the United States before it's shown on ITV in the United Kingdom.
"So it's a UK made TV show about a UK queen yet America gets it first."

■ China's StarTimes is going to have to work longer on its "1 000 Villages" project: In Zambia thieves steal StarTimes' satellite dish, TV, decoder, power generator from a health centre.

■ Nigeria gets a localised Rescue 911 type show focusing on the work of emergency management agencies.


■ Netflix finally reveals the key sequence to get to the Bandersnatch scene you might never see otherwise.
■ And the actor playing the lead character, Fionn Whitehead, reveals he is annoyed about a scene that got cut and it involves a knife and stabbing.


■ Insanity: A Japanese bikini model rubs her breasts 10 000 times to grow them on a bizarre Japanese TV show.

■ beIN Sports goes dark in Egypt on pay-TV operator, Cable Network Egypt (CNE), in a channel carriage dispute over (what else) money.

■ New wine series, It Starts With Wine, on Amazon Prime Video.

■ Jamie Lee Curtis is furious over being photo(water)bombed by Fiji water and the trashy 76th Golden Globe Awards stunt.

■ In the upcoming Star Trek Picard show, Jean-Luc's life will have been radically altered.
The Romulan Empire had been torn apart by the destruction of Romulus, consumed by a star going supernova, with Picard's life and mind radically altered by the dissolution of the Romulan Empire.

■ Sky News (DStv 402) and BBC World News (DStv 400 / StarSat 256 / Cell C black 501 / Openview 121) anchors and political reporters dump Westminster for outside interviews after abuse.
Kay Burley needs security at Westminster, racist verbal abuse hurled at Faisal Islam.

■ Bad eating habits of children linked to TV advertising according to new research.

■ 10 horror TV series coming in 2019.

ITV Choice Upfront 2018: Neale Dennett has replaced Katherine Wen as ITV Choice channel director; content showcase unveils late-2018 and upcoming 2019 programming.

ITV's ITV Choice (DStv 123) held its 2018 upfront presentation on Wednesday afternoon in Johannesburg, with Neale Dennett who has replaced Katherine Wen as channel director, unveiling the remainder of its 2018 programming highlights and 2019's upcoming shows.

The 2018 ITV Choice upfront held at The Park at the Hyde Park Corner shopping centre was for Johannesburg media and ad buyers only, but this year ITV Choice beforehand did alert and notify press nationally that it would be taking place.

ITV Choice also shared the programming booklet handed out physically at the showcase event with national media not present.

Donel Mangena (17) the British-Zimbabwean who was a contestant in The Voice UK, appeared and performed at the ITV Choice upfront.

Neale Dennett has now replaced Katherine Wen as ITV Choice channel director.

Neale Dennett who has had several roles at ITV, remains director for pay content and packages at ITV in the United Kingdom, but has added the ITV Choice channel director position.

"It is my huge privilege to have joined ITV Choice as channel director in timeto introduce the programming highlights for the remainder of the year and going into 2019," says Neale Dennett in the programming booklet.

"Over the past 12 months ITV Choice has continued to grow its presence in Africa, reaching record new audiences and increasingly delivering on our promise to bring TV viewers the very best of Big British Entertainment."

"Looking forward, we are very pleased to be building on this success with a wide range of big new and returning drama, comedy and entertainment shows."

"We will be bringing back our classic detectives Vera and Endeavour with more crimes to solve, and enabling audiences to dip back into history again with the latest seasons of Victoria and Poldark. For something a bit more light-hearted though, we're very pleased to be premiering new series Girlfriends, following the complex relationships of life-long friends Linda, Sue and Gail, and also the moving-yet-funny Cleaning Up, starring Sheridan Smith."

ITV Choice will have another season of Doc Martin with Martin Clunes, and in 2019 programming which the actor takes viewers on his own personal tour of the United States. The Voice UK and The Voice Kids will be back for new seasons in 2019.

"Following huge interest in ITV Choice live coverage of the wedding of Harry and Meghan earlier this year, we'll be taking a closer look into the lives of Prince Charles and Camilla, with a selection of royal programming, as Charles turns 70 and prepares to take over the throne," says Neale Dennett.

DRAMA
Girlfriends   September 2018
For life-long friends Linda, Sue and Gail, the years have flown by, yet their lives seem more complicated than ever. For these girlfriends, it's clear their lives have changed over the years, but true friendship remains the same, no matter how much time has passed.

Cleaning Up   First quarter 2019
Sheridan Smith can be seen in the role of an ordinary working class mum caught between two contrasting worlds - the everyday grind of suburban life and the high-risk game of insider trading.

Cheat   First quarter 2019
A psychological thriller. With two fiercely intelligent minds unwilling to back down, Cheat will keep audiences guessing from the start, exploring how far people are prepared to stand up for what they believe in, and at what cost.

Hatton Garden   To be announced, sometime 2019
This drama tells the inside story of a heist, in the vault of the Hatton Garden Safety Deposit Company in London's jewellery quarter. This ended up being the biggest burglary in the history of Britain, totalling around $200 million.

Dark Heart   November 2018
Across a stifling week during a London heat wave, William Wagstaffe, a workaholic whose personal life is as complex as his day job, investigates a string of horrifying murders in this crime thriller.

RETURNING DRAMA SERIES

Doc Martin IX   Third quarter 2019
Martin Clunes will return for this final season as the grumpy medic investigating cases.

Poldark V   Third quarter 2019
The fifth and final season of this British historical period drama will be back in the third quarter of 2019 and is set in the late 18th century and based on the novels of the same title by Winston Graham with Aidan Turner in the lead role.

Grantchester IV   First quarter 2019
The Anglican priest and former Scots Guards officer Sindey Chambers (James Norton) and the overworked detective Geordie Keating (Robson Green) forge an unlikely partnership in solving crimes.

Bancroft II   First quarter 2019
The second season of this dark thriller revolving around detective superintendent Elizabeth Bancroft, a female detective with an explosive secret.

Victoria III   First quarter 2019
The third season of this drama series recounting the history and next chapter of Queen Victoria's life.

Line of Duty V   To be announced, sometime in 2019
Set in the fictional police and anti-corruption unit, AC-12, this series is a cat-and-mouse thriller that takes a probing look into modern policing and corruption.

Vera IX   First quarter 2019
A new season of the crime series with Brenda Blethyn as the unorthodox but brilliant detective Vera Stanhope, investigating more chilling crimes.

Endeavour VI   First quarter 2019
In this British detective drama series Shaun Evans portrays the young Endeavour Morse, beginning his career as a detective constable, and later as detective sargeant, with the Oxford City Police.

Murdoch Mysteries XII   Second quarter 2019
Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century, this drama series explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), a methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative techniques to solve some of the city's most gruesome murders.

Shetland IV   To be announced, sometime in 2019
Crime writer Ann Cleeves' best-selling detective series returns for a 4th season. Set in the remote Scottish Shetland Islands, the series stars Douglas Henshall as Dr Jimmy Perez,facing a gripping new mystery.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Voice UK 2019   First quarter 2019
Jennifer Hudson, Tom Jones, will.i.am and Olly Murs will be back for another season of this singing talent reality format show.

The Voice Kids   Second quarter to fourth quarter 2019

Dancing on Ice 2019   To be announced, sometime 2019
Twelve British celebrities strap on their ice-skates and with professional partners, the novice skaters must perform challenging dance routines to win the approval of a panel of judges and the British public's vote.

Wedding Day Winners   December 2018
Happy couples. Amazing challenges. One epic wedding day. Two engaged couples, their friends and families go head-to-head in order to win prizes and the most extraordinary wedding ceremony ever.

Take Me Out XI   December 2019
Paddy McGuinness is back for the 11th season of this show in which 30 single women compete for a dream date. The single man is revealed through the "Love Lift" and has to do his best to impress the women in a series of rounds in which the man's friends or family members give revealing comments.

ROYAL SEASON

Prince Charles: The man who will be king   November 2018
With 5 years of unprecedented access to Prince Charles, this documentary follows his charity causes and shows conversations about his hopes and aspirations.

The Real Camilla   November 2018
A documentary following a year in the life of Camilla. Family, friends and the people who know her best talk about her.

Inside Balmoral   November 2018
Exploring the history of Balmoral, a 50 000 acre estate twice the size of the city of Manchester, which stretches across the Scottish Highlands. Cameras explore the impact that events behind its walls have had on the current owner, Queen Elizabeth II.

Royal Recipes II   November 2018
Mixing social history and cookery, Michael Buerk meets with chefs and food historians to celebrate some of the food served to British monarchs, from George IV to the present day.

GAME SHOWS

Britain's Brightest Family II   First quarter 2019
Anne Hegerty is the host of a brand-new quiz show in which 16 families take part in a knock-out tournament as they attempt to win the holiday of a lifetime.

Tipping Point IX   First quarter 2019
Four players take on the show's distinctive machine in a battle of skill and luck. Contestants answer a series of questions, and every time they get a correct answer, they take control of the machine.

Tipping Point Lucky Stars V   First quarter 2019

The Chase XIII   Second quarter 2019
The 13th season, presented by Bradley Walsh. Four contestants take on one of Britain's finest quiz brains in order to win cash.

The Chase Celebrity version VIII   To be announced, sometime in 2019

Catchphrase VI   Second quarter 2019
Stephen Mulhern is the presenter of the 6th season of this game show. Players compete to guess the familiar phrases hidden in animated clues. One lucky contestant will go through to the Super Catchphrase for a chance to win fifty thousand pounds.

FACTUAL

Second Chance Summer   To be announced, sometime in 2019
Set in Tuscany, 10 strangers get to fulfill their dream of starting a new life abroad in an experiment that could change their lives.

Martin Clunes: Islands of America   No date
Martin Clunes visits the diverse islands of the United States, starting at Alaska and ending in Hawaii.

Judge Rinder's Crime Stories III   To be announced, sometime in 2019
Judge Rinder is stepping out from behind the bench to take on real-life cases.

This time next Year III   
To be announced, sometime in 2019
Davina McCall is the presenter of this life-transforming programme. People from across Britain share with viewers what they pledge to change in their lives in a year's time.

Long Lost Family: What Happened Next   
September 2018
The show has reunited over 100 people with their long-lost relatives. In this show the series revisits the searches to find out what happened after the families were reunited.

CHRISTMAS SPECIALS

Cannonball Xmas Special   December 2018
Freddie Flintoff plays Father Christmas and his sack is soaking, thanks to four of the most fearsome challenges ever seen on water

Keith and Paddy Picture Show Xmas Special   December 2018
The comedy duo return for a Christmas Special in which they recreate the classic film Gremlins from 1984 with the help of their troupe of celebrity guests.

What Would Your Kid Do? Xmas Special   December 2018
With comedian Jason Manford as presenter, the show challenges parents to guess how their children will behave in a variety of classroom challenges and real-world activities.

Science fiction and the City: The year's hardest TV show, The City and the City, is coming to ITV Choice in which a detective tries to solve a murder in strange, parallel worlds.

It's English Lit. third year time for DStv Premium and DStv Compact Plus subscribers, with the year's hardest and most difficult TV show starting on ITV Choice (DStv 123) on Tuesday 17 July at 20:00: the 4-part science fiction series, The City and the City adapted from the British fantasy writer China Miéville's book.

China Miéville wrote The City and the City for his terminally-ill mother, and the BBC turned it into a miniseries earlier this year, produced by Mammoth Screen and filmed in Liverpool and Manchester, and distributed by ITV Studios.

I watched The City and the City earlier this year and the drama is definitely not the mindlessly entertaining reality singing competition TV show fare you can watch without thinking. The drama series requires real concentration and dedication from you as the viewer.

The 4-episode series asks the viewer to engage, think, observe and to constantly put all of the available puzzle pieces together just like when reading Brideshead Revisited for a third year English literature course where all of the colours, motifs, character motivations and metaphors mean something to the bigger overall story.

The City and the City where the characters speak English, is a cross between science fiction and a police procedural and is set in a grim-looking, fictional, Eastern Europe city called Besźel.

Don't get freaked out at first if, like in Star Wars with its written language Aurebesh, you can't understand or fully read the written text appearing on posters or objects in the show - it's like that on purpose.

The residents of Besźel inhabit a fantasy-type city, where everything looks rundown and is filled with industrial-type 70's technology (cars, homes, hotels) although the story is set in the present time. Somehow like the former East Germany, they've remained stuck behind the times.

Now the kicker: The City and the City gets its name from Besźel actually sharing the same physical space and time with another parallel world: the city of Ul Qoma.

Ul Qoma is  a clean and glassed skyscraper urban environment with this shiny, technology-advanced city that also has its own uniquely different, written language style.

The residents of both cities, occupying the same space and time but existing in different "dimensions" are aware of each other but are trained from birth to "block" each other out. And Besźel isn't the "bad" place and Ul Qoma the "good and nice" place - both are part of the same dystopian setting with militaristic control that has a tight grip over citizens in both places.

Citizens also can't cross or "breach" from one city to another - except in rare circumstances - although some try to do so illegally and are them hunted, captured and taken away by The Breach forever - a mysterious Big Brother type police organisation keeping a watchful eye over everything and everybody.

In The City and the City's mise-en-scène you will always see Besźel depicted in brownish, orange-yellow and amber hues, while Ul Qoma is always depicted in blue and bright red colours.

Now the story: The City and the City starts when Inspector Tyador Borlú (David Morrissey) in Besźel working for the Extreme Crime squad, is called to the scene of a murder of a young woman and starts investigating the case, together with the cussing-like-a-sailor Constable Lizbyet Corwi (Mandeep Dhillon).

Not to give too much away, but Inspector Borlú discovers that the dead girl is from Ul Qoma but visited Besźel illegally - and the reason is because she believed and was searching for ... a fabled third city - Orciny - apparently sharing the same time and space with the other two that the residents of Besźel and Ul Qoma are unaware of.

Borlú starts his murder investigation, will eventually cross over to visit Ul Qoma, will discovery conspiracies and secrets as he tries to track down the real killer or killers - and to his shock come to the realisation that he has a personal connection to the case he's investigating.

When watching The City and the City on ITV Choice you might feel initially as if you want to quit because you're instantly being immersed (and submerged) in a strange, different world where you don't understand what's going on. That is done on purpose, and if you feel overwhelmed at first, push through and keep watching, things will become clearer.

Also, there's nothing wrong with your eyesight. Throughout the 4 episodes things are sometimes blurry - that is also deliberate. When characters in one of the cities from time to time catch glimpses of the vistas, streets, people or vehicles from the other city, from the characters' point of view its always blurred out and appear along the borders of the TV screen.

Visitors and TV tourists to Besźel and Ul Qoma are strongly advised to watch the Gestapo-like orientation video to familiarise themselves about the do's and don'ts:



Here is The City and the City's teaser trailer:

ITV Choice makes embarrassing U-turn on its run-up programming to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal wedding; shows dropped, start of wedding strand pushed out to 10 May due to programming rights issues.

ITV Choice (DStv 123) has been forced to make an embarrassing U-turn on its announced "royal season" frontrunner programming leading up to the British royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, with ITV Choice yanking previously promised shows off of its schedule and pushing out the start of ITV Choice's special programming from 4 to 10 May.

ITV Choice will no longer broadcast Meghan: The First 100 Days (originally scheduled and announced for Thursday, May 10) or Harry and Meghan: In their Own Words (originally scheduled and announced for Friday, May11).

ITV Choice had to drop both shows due to ITV Choice running into "unavoidable international rights clearance issues".

ITV Choice is also pushing out its scheduled and previously announced "royal season" warm-up programming strand from Friday 4 May to Thursday 10 May.

The Meghan and Harry wedding programming on ITV Choice will now be:

• Thursday, 10 May: A Right Royal Quiz
• Friday, 11 May: A Very Royal Wedding 
• Thursday, 17 May: Invitation to a Royal Wedding
• Friday, 18 May: Harry and Meghan: A Very Modern Romance
• Saturday, 19 May: The Royal Wedding (broadcast from 10:25)
• Thursday, 24 May and Friday, 25 May: The Royal Wives of Windsor

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 11 April 2018.

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

■ Trashy TV reporter AJ Bayatpour assaults a competitor at an American football game.
And an unhinged idiot punched a TV reporter in New York


■ Ant dumped: ITV's alcoholic presenter Ant McPartlin who's back in rehab over drugs and drinking problems has been dumped from the latest season of ITV's Britain's Got Talent with Declan Donnelly who will be presenting on his own.
ITV sends Ant "all our love". It comes after the co-presenter of Saturday Night Takeaway on ITV Choice (DStv 123) was arrested last month on drunk driving charges and also vanished from that show.


■ German TV is starting to sanitise its television series by not wanting to portray the true evil of Nazi Germany.

■ Zimbabwe students at the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) are furious after their DStv is cut off, start protest action over their lack of entertainment.


■ In a leaked recording of a tense staff meeting of CNN International (DStv 401) in London, managing director Tony Maddox said he is "surprised by this, shocked and disappointed" by the results of an internal gender pay gap survey as CNN executives were confronted by female employees, including Christiane Amanpour over being paid less than men at CNN.


■ Catt Sadler who left E! for not wanting to pay her as much as much as her male co-anchor Jason Kennedy, says she should have asked E! Entertainment (DStv 124) for more money much earlie from the NBCUniversal Networks channel that's one of the places mired in a gender pay gap controversy.
She's also wrote a must-read essay for Vanity Fair over equal pay E! was asked to comment but refused.


■ FOX Networks Group's offices in West-London raided by European Commission investigators who seized documents and computers and who will remain on the premises on Wednesday and Thursday. The reason for the raid isn't clear. FNG says it iscooperating with the inspection.

■ What viewers would like to see more of in the second season of Being Bonang on 1Magic (DStv 103).

■ Let this sink in: Netflix does a Los Angeles premiere for its new TV show Lost in Space (for a TV show, not a movie) at the Cinerama Dome with the cast and full press in attendance where the show is previewed with reviews from TV critics coming out hours later. Meanwhile e.tv can't get its act together for a proper launch for its new local drama series Imbewu. How very sad.

ITV pulls Saturday Night Takeaway, seen on ITV Choice, off the air after troubled co-presenter Ant McPartlin is arrested on suspicion of driving drunk after a car crash and goes back to rehab.

The British broadcaster ITV has pulled Saturday Night Takeaway off the air and the broadcast of the remaining episodes of the show, also seen on ITV Choice (DStv 123) in South Africa and Africa, are uncertain after co-presenter Ant McPartlin was arrested on Sunday afternoon over suspicion of drinking and driving drunk in southwest London following a car crash.

The troubled Ant McPartlin (42) is heading back to rehab with his publicist saying he is taking time off "for the foreseeable future" after he failed a roadside breathalyser test.

A child passenger in one of the cars was taken to hospital for a check-up as a precaution, according to police who arrived following a collision between 3 cars that required several people to get treatment for minor injuries.

Ant McPartlin spent 2 months in rehabilitation in 2017 after admitting that he's addicted to painkillers and alcohol. In January 2018 he confirmed that he is getting divorced from his wife Lisa Armstrong after 11 years.

"Ant has decided to go back into treatment and step down from his current TV commitments. He has spoken with Dec and ITV today and asked for time off for the foreseeable future. As such, Saturday Night Takeaway will not be going ahead this Saturday," reads the statement.

There's still episodes of Saturday Night Takeaway left in the latest season, with the final episode that's supposed to be a live broadcast from the Universal Orlando Resort with 200 fans of the show flying out in a specially-chartered plane. Last year's final episode was done from Disneyworld in Florida.

ITV in its own statement says "ITV has taken a joint decision with Ant and Dec's team not to broadcast Saturday Night Takeaway this weekend".

'We will be reviewing options for the last two episodes of the series (31 March and 7 April) which would not feature Ant who is taking time off to seek treatment. We very much hope that he gets the help that he needs."

The Voice UK undergoing a format change for its 8th season set for 2019, allowing bigger groups to audition.

The 8th season of The Voice UK that will be broadcast in 2019 is undergoing a format change with the 7th season that is currently being shown on ITV Choice (DStv 123).

The 8th season in 2019 will allow for bigger groups beyond solo artists to take part during auditions, for instance duos and trios.

"We know there are many talented trios out there across the United Kingdom and we want to offer them the chance to show off their vocal harmonies on The Voice UK stage," says Katie Rawcliffe, ITV Studios' creative director.

The 8th season of The Voice UK has now entered its "Knockout" round, shown on Sundays at 18:00.

"It's going to be tense, it's going to be nerve-wracking, but most of all it's going to be hugely entertaining," says Katherine Wen, ITV Choice channel director.

Just like the SABC in South Africa, broadcaster ITV in Britain now wants payment to be carried on satellite TV platforms as its ITV1 channel could go dark on Virgin over a £80 million re-transmission payment battle.

The free-to-air TV channel ITV in Britain could start to disappear from the channel line-up of satellite pay-TV operators like Virgin and Sky in the United Kingdom in a case akin to South Africa's public broadcaster that recently said it now wants money for its TV channels being carried on pay-TV operators' platforms.

The SABC's SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 channels, as well as e.tv's primary channel are currently carried for free on MultiChoice's DStv, StarSat, and eMedia Investment's OpenView HD under so-called "must-carry regulations".

Satellite TV operators are forced to carry these channels in order to promote access and accessibility of the content to the public, while the channels enjoy the bigger viewership across bigger viewing platforms it would not otherwise have - especially in large geographical areas where there's no coverage of the channels' signals.

The SABC in November 2017 said it now wants satellite TV operators to pay for its channels, with MultiChoice that responded and said the SABC's financial problems has nothing to do with MultiChoice, slammed the SABC as "opportunistic" and said that it's the SABC that will lose out if its channels are removed from platforms like DStv.

In the United Kingdom, ITV has now started to threaten to take its ITV1 channel away from Virgin's pay-TV offering unless Virgin pays it £80 million. Virgin already pays for other channels from ITV, like ITV2, in the way that MultiChoice pays the SABC for the additional SABC channels like SABC News and SABC Encore.

ITV is the same company that supplies the ITV Choice (DStv 123) pay-TV channel to MultiChoice's DStv platform in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa, with shows like Dancing on Ice, Victoria and The Voice UK.

ITV and Virgin have been locked in a stand-off for months now after ITV got the right to now charge for operators to carry ITV1, after a change to British legislation and the introduction of a new Digital Economy Act in April 2017.

Before the change in legislation, pay-TV operators got ITV1 for free.

Virgin in a statement says it won't be paying ITV for the ITV1 channel to be on its line-up and that it doesn't see why it should, saying if ITV should remove ITV1 it will be "mutual self-destruction".

"Our customers will not pay for a service that is available for free and we see no reason why they should," says David Bouchier, chief digital entertainment officer at Virgin Media.

"The position was very clear. How ITV is funded has been the same since it was created – and to come and pick us off individually is not an appropriate way to do it. The government has also been clear that there are benefits on both sides to re-transmission, so for ITV to do something like that, I cannot see the logic, it is counter-intuitive."

"We are the second-biggest TV platform in the United Kingdom and that makes us an important partner. What is important is positive engagement, rather than this position of mutual self-destruction. I’m confident logic will prevail."

ITV in a statement says "ITV, and other public service broadcasters, should be paid fairly by pay-TV platforms that make money from our multi-billion-pound investment in original UK content. A change in the law now allows us to negotiate with Virgin for payment for our main channel, and that is what we are attempting to do."