Former M-Net and Econet's Kwesé TV exec Pierre Cloete jumps to BBC Studios as new commercial director for the set of BBC channels in South Africa and Africa.

Pierre Cloete, a former M-Net boss at MultiChoice and Econet's Kwesé TV former Kwesé Sports boss has jumped to BBC Studios where he has been appointed as the new commercial director for the set of BBC channels that BBC Studios runs in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa, known as its "branded services".

"Branded services" is how BBC Studios describes its portfolio of BBC branded channels - BBC Brit, BBC Lifestyle, BBC First, BBC Earth, CBeebies, and BBC World News which it supplies to MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service in South Africa and Africa, with BBC World News that's also available on China's StarTimes's elsewhere in Africa and its StarSat in South Africa, eMedia Investment's Openview and the Cell C black video streaming service. 

Pierre Cloete's role and responsibility in the role of commercial director for branded services for sub-Saharan Africa will be around delivering on the revenues, profit and growth for the set of BBC branded channels across sub-Saharan Africa, and working with existing partners and exploring new business development opportunities.

His appointment comes after BBC Studios's restructuring of its Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMA) region that has left South Africa and Africa without any hands-on in-country boss and that saw the abrupt exit of BBC Africa boss Joel Churcher in July 2019 after 5 years.

Continuing to be based in Johannesburg, South Africa and reporting into BBC Africa's advertising boss Louise La Grange, who is the senior vice president of branded services commercial, Pierre Cloete will start on 1 September 2019.

 Pierre Cloete is jumping ship from the struggling Econet's imploding Kwese TV pay-TV operation in Zimbabwe and South Africa where he most recently was Kwesé Sports acting CEO and the head of Kwesé Sports Digital Content.

Before this Pierre Cloete was at Ericsson South Africa for 2 years as head of TV and media, and before that worked for 8 years at M-Net.

Before joining MultiChoice in the SuperSport division, Pierre Cloete started his TV industry career with the Johannesburg-based production company Rapid Blue, which has ironically grown to become BBC Studios Africa's preferred production partner on current and upcoming series ranging from Come Dine with Me South Africa to First Dates South Africa.

"The appointment of a commercial director for Sub-Saharan Africa signals our ongoing commitment to the market and a continued local presence on the ground," says Louise La Grange in a supplied statement on Monday.

"Pierre has a proven track record in the African television industry and I am confident that his experience and local knowledge will put BBC Studios in the best position to achieve our ambitions for growth."

Pierre Cloete in a supplied quote says "I am delighted to join BBC Studios as commercial director for Branded Services across sub-Saharan Africa".

"The quality of the BBC channels and its content is first class, and it is an honour to join the BBC Studios team."

"Africa is filled with amazing people that enjoy great stories and love quality content. The potential is ever increasing in Africa as more stories are being told and consumed and I look forward to adding value to the BBC Studios team."

South Africa loses the BBC Studios Africa boss, Joel Churcher, after 5 years; no plan for a new on-the-ground exec as part of broader BBC Studios CEMA region 'manage from afar' shake-up.

South Africa is losing the accomplished and well-liked BBC Studios Africa boss, Joel Churcher, who is returning to the United Kingdom after half a decade in Johannesburg, with the change coming as part of a broader top executive reorganisation at BBC Studios for the region that South Africa and Africa forms part of.

It doesn't appear as if BBC Studios top brass in London have plans to appoint a new BBC Studios Africa boss to replace him.

Joel Churcher moved to South Africa in early-2014 in the newly created role as vice president and general manager for Africa at BBC Worldwide as the BBC's commercial division was then known, to oversee strategy and business development across all BBC businesses in the region.

It included live events and the daily management of the BBC branded channels portfolio on platforms like MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service.

Joel Churcher's appointment and placing him on-the-ground in "I had a farm in Africa"-style, signalled BBC Studios' growing importance it placed of South Africa and the African continent as an earmarked growth region for television, its BBC content and pay-TV.

The jovial, always in-the-know and ever-effervescent executive quickly endeared himself to the South African crowd of programmers, ad buyers and media.

During his South African based tenure Joel Churcher oversaw several localised BBC brand expansions, twice-annual BBC programming upfronts for ad execs and the media that grew to best in biz and dethroned Discovery; as well as growing the raft of localised South African and Africa BBC-commissioned programming across its channels portfolio.

He also oversaw several BBC channel reintegrations and its programming and brand alignments for the region, as well as ever-evolving channel brand changes of the BBC's channels set.

As a artful public speaker Joel Churcher ranked one number and towered head and should over his TV executive peers within South Africa's television broadcasting industry and knew exactly how to deftly corral a crowd.

Often over the past 5 years he jumped in to serve as moderator and interviewer of local and international talent, executives and producers himself at BBC-led events for the public, the media and the broader TV biz. 

On Thursday BBC Studios confirmed to TVwithThinus that Joel Churcher is relocating back to the United Kingdom.

"After 5 years in South Africa, Joel Churcher is returning to the UK when his current visa expires this month to seek out a fresh challenge."

"Our commitment to our office in Johannesburg and the local team remains as strong as ever. BBC Studio’s commercial partner relationships in South Africa will continue to be managed from the local team in Johannesburg alongside newly-created senior vice president positions in London, combining local knowledge and insight with greater access to central expertise."

"Joel leaves a great legacy in our local Johannesburg office and team and we wish him all the best with his future endeavours."

Time will tell whether not having a hyper-local regional BBC boss based in South Africa for the country and Africa will be beneficial or start to be detrimental to the BBC's business in this region as it returns to a "manage from afar" set up for South Africa with no on-the-ground country manager.

BBC Studios says it's moving from a general management structure based around four sub-regions – Africa, Poland, Middle East and Mediterranean, and Central & Eastern Europe - "to a focus on specialist lines of business" for the CEMA region as a whole. 

Grant Welland, BBC Studios’ executive vice president for CEMA, announced a senior team shuffle for its BBC branded services network and content sales and formats business, saying that "In a rapidly changing market, the combination of a senior management team who are experts in their field, and well-connected teams based in local markets will give us the focus, consistency and effectiveness that we need to evolve and grow our presence in the CEMA market".

Louise La Grange now takes up the role of senior vice president for branded services - commercial. 

She was previously director for strategy and business development, global markets at BBC Studios. In this new role, Louise will have primary commercial accountability for BBC Studios’ branded services across Africa and Central & Eastern Europe.

Salim Mukaddam has been appointed as senior vice president content and format sales.

Formerly general manager and vice president of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) at BBC Studios, Salim is now responsible for growing the value of the BBC's distribution business.

Cecilia Beacon becomes responsible for editorial and marketing decisions across BBC Studios’ branded services network in CEMA in the role of senior vice president for programming and marketing.

BBC STUDIOS AFRICA SUMMER UPFRONT 2018: The BBC Lifestyle channel on DStv gets a gold-tone makeover; adds reality dating series, Farmer Wants a Wife Australia.

The BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) channel from BBC Studios Africa has undergone an on-screen makeover from today, 20 November, introducing a new gold tone logo and meshed, pastel-coloured food and lifestyle objects for its on-air ident look.

BBC Lifestyle that remains the number one international lifestyle channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, is getting spruced up with a preview of the new on-air look that was unveiled to the press and TV critics, advertisers and TV executives as well as producers who attended the BBC Studios Africa's Summer Upfront 2018 event held last month at Summer Place in Hyde Park, Johannesburg.

BBC Studios Africa says the new BBC Lifestyle look is "chic and contemporary" and features a fresh set of palates, designs and objects based around BBC Lifestyle's aspirational and entertaining lifestyle content.

With the BBC Lifestyle on-air makeover the channel will roll out a new season of Give it a Year with presenter Karren Brady.

BBC Lifestyle is also adding the Australian version of The Farmer Wants a Wife Australia.

The 9th season that was broadcast in 2016 in Australia will start on Sunday 2 December at 20:00, and is similar to the Afrikaans version, Boer Soek 'n Vrou on kykNET (DStv 144).

At the BBC Africa Summer Upfront advertisers and the media "ooh"-ed and "aah"-ed when the BBC played a sizzle reel of the season, an early indication that DStv subscribers will likely find the show as compelling and watch-worthy.

Farmer Wants a Wife Australia has led to 8 marriages so far and sheds light on how it can be for farmers living in the "Aussie outback" as rural guys are looking for love.

"In this ever competitive world of TV, our BBC channels continue to deliver strong audience growth as our programming line up showcases the very best creativity the United Kingdom has to offer, alongside hugely successful local formats and international stars," says Joel Churcher, the vice president and general manager for BBC Studios Africa.




ALSO READ: BBC STUDIOS AFRICA SUMMER UPFRONT 2018: In photos.

IN PHOTOS. The South African media launch of BBC Studios' amazing new natural history animal series, Dynasties, and IMAX press screening.

On Thursday afternoon BBC Studios Africa held a press day in South Africa for its new, upcoming natural history documentary series, Dynasties, starting on Sunday on BBC Earth (DStv 184) at 16:00.

The Dynasties media launch included a roundtable interview session on Thursday afternoon with one of the producer/directors, Rose Thomas, and a press screening at the IMAX cinema at the Mall of Africa in Midrand, Johannesburg, on Thursday evening.

The afternoon kicked off with a press gaggle doing a Q&A with Rose Thomas, who jetted to South Africa and who was the director and producer of the first of the five episodes of Dynasties, entitled "Chimpanzee", and that was filmed in south-east Senegal in West Africa.

The poor Rose is clearly adept at working with animals and being comfortable among them in close proximity in their natural habitat. She diplomatically fielded questions from the diverse media, ranging from climate change to "what do you love about the series?".

Besides the press and celebrities, BBC Africa executives, viewers and fans (several with kids!) showed up for the big-screen press preview of the first episode, that - of course - turned out to be very emotional.

The BBC gave guests drinks and popcorn in Dynasties branded containers, and there were additional lovely snacks with paper straws and paper cups, as well as champagne.

Too dark to photograph (except for one photo) - but lovely, inventive, playful and perfectly scene and theme setting - is how the BBC transformed that dark walk-in corridor leading into the IMAX cinema.

The hallway before you get to your seat was filled plants and an abundance of foliage, little lights and speakers pumping out jungle noises.

Everybody grabbed their snacks and then walked down this Dynasties "jungle tunnel" that felt similar as when you're going through or walking down the queue of an animal theme park "ride" to get to your seat. It was very well done.

I literally and shamelessly walked down this "jungle path" with popcorn, Coca-Cola and a glass of champagne, going to TV safari.

(Keep in mind that the IMAX didn't shut down. It remained a working, commercial space. Afterwards staffers and workers jumped to clean the cinema interior very quickly as guests left, with throngs of people already lined up outside and waiting to enter for their paid-for movie.)

After the screening of the first episode, Joel Churcher, vice-president and general manager of BBC Studios for Africa, talked to Rose Thomas and asked her some questions, as she also took several questions from the extremely interested in-cinema audience with the help of roving mics.

The first episode of Dynasties with Sir David Attenborough as narrator will be on BBC Earth but also be shown on the same time on MultiChoice's DStv on BBC Brit (DStv 120) and BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) this Sunday at 16:00.

ALSO READ: 5 animals fight for survival in BBC Studios' 'cinematic, unpredictable and compelling' new natural history series Dynasties starting Sunday on BBC Earth.

ALSO READ: 'Sir David Attenborough said he though we were mad': Here are 5 things about BBC Studios' beautiful new natural history series, Dynasties, you want to know. 

ALSO READ: INTERVIEW. 'We had an idea of what might happen. What actually did happen ... ' Rose Thomas, producer and director of the Dynasties chimpanzee episode, talks about her experience making the new BBC Studios 'Game of Thrones'-like natural history series. 

ALSO READ: TV REVIEW. Dynasties on BBC Earth with Sir David Attenborough is agonising, haunting - and painfully beautiful.

ALSO READ: The producer answers your burning questions about what you saw in in the first episode of BBC Earth’s Dynasties, and what happened to David the chimpanzee.

5 animals fight for survival in BBC Studios' 'cinematic, unpredictable and compelling' new natural history series Dynasties starting Sunday on BBC Earth.

BBC Studios' "cinematic, unpredictable and compelling" new natural history series Dynasties starts Sunday on BBC Earth (DStv 184) at 16:00, offering an arresting glimpse into the lives of 5 different animals - a chimpanzee, penguin, lion, painted wolf and a tiger - each locked in a dramatic fight for survival.

Made by the world renowned and multi-award winning BBC Studios Natural History Unit and narrated by Sir David Attenborough, this cinematic and emotionally charged series is a new kind of natural history event that follows five of the most celebrated and endangered animals on the planet.

Dynasties will take viewers to the frontline of the animal world and show what it really takes to survive, thrive and truly be the greatest of their kind.

"Dynasties follows the lives of animals in detail, each fighting for survival and the future of their lineage. These are some of the most dramatic scenes you'll ever see," said Joel Churcher, vice-president and general manager of BBC Studios for Africa.

Joel Churcher spoke on Wednesday evening before the BBC Studios press screening in South Africa of the first episode that took place at the Imax cinema at the Mall of Africa in Midrand, Johannesburg, and where the media, members of the public, advertisers and other guests audibly gasped in surprise and shock at some of the unexpected, emotional and surprising scenes captured in vivid detail in the new documentary series.



"For each episode of Dynasties, the BBC crew spent hundreds of days in iconic locations, home to each of the animals. We join these animals at a critical moment in their lives," said Joel Churcher.

"The first episode follows a chimpanzee leader, David, battling for his position and his live on the each of the Sahara in the Kedougou regions in south-east Senegal in West Africa."

"The series then follows a thousand Emperor penguins gathering on the frozen wastes of the Antarctic in the coldest and cruelest place on Earth; and a powerful lioness in the Kenyan Maasai Mara abandoned by her male protectors leading a family against the greatest dangers of the African savannah."

"On the floodplains of Mana Pools National Park in Northern Zimbabwe there's a feud between a mother and daughter painted wolf threatening the future of one of the last great families of their kind, and in jungles of Bandhavgarh, India there's a tigress attempting to raise a family under the every-growing pressures of rivals and humanity."

"The first episode following David - not named after Sir David Attenborough - and his troop and is a really powerful story."

"It took 309 days to film and started at 04:00 in the morning every day and wrapped up at 19:00 in scorching 40 degrees and the film crew having to walk 24 km every day. The film technique of Dynasties is cinematic, unpredictable and compelling," said Joel Churcher.

"We're so excited about Dynasties that we're not just showing it on BBC Earth (DStv 184) at 16:00 this coming Sunday but also on BBC Brit (DStv 120) and BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) to ensure that all DStv subscribers can watch it at the same time. And you can watch it on DStv Catch Up, and for those of you with a connected Explora you can watch it on DStv Catch Up Plus."

Rosie Thomas, the producer and director of the first chimpanzee episode was also in attendance on Wednesday evening.

"Filming the chimpanzees for over 300 days out in a remote corner of Senegal, was an experience of a life time," said Rosie Thomas.

"It was tough going, with long days on foot and high heats, but the group took us on an incredible journey of power struggles, friendships and politics, all shot against one of the most unusual landscapes I have ever seen chimps in."

"We worked with a fantastic team of local Senegalese experts, without whom we never would have been able to capture the epic story of David and his group."

ALSO READ: IN PHOTOS. The South African media launch of BBC Studios' amazing new natural history animal series, Dynasties, and IMAX press screening. 

ALSO READ: 'Sir David Attenborough said he though we were mad': Here are 5 things about BBC Studios' beautiful new natural history series, Dynasties, you want to know. 

ALSO READ: INTERVIEW. 'We had an idea of what might happen. What actually did happen ... ' Rose Thomas, producer and director of the Dynasties chimpanzee episode, talks about her experience making the new BBC Studios 'Game of Thrones'-like natural history series. 
ALSO READ: TV REVIEW. Dynasties on BBC Earth with Sir David Attenborough is agonising, haunting - and painfully beautiful.
ALSO READ: The producer answers your burning questions about what you saw in in the first episode of BBC Earth’s Dynasties, and what happened to David the chimpanzee.

BBC STUDIOS AFRICA SUMMER UPFRONT 2018: In photos.

BBC Studios Africa held its Summer Upfront 2018 event on Wednesday at Summer Place in Hyde Park, Johannesburg.

At the event that was attended by the press and TV critics, advertisers, TV executives and producers, BBC Studios Africa showed and took guests through its BBC First, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Brit, BBC Earth, CBeebies, and BBC World News channels.

BBC Studios Africa showed promo sizzle reels for each and talked through changes, as well as unveiling upcoming and new programming.

In attendance and speaking to guests were Joel Churcher, the vice president and general manager for BBC Studios Africa; Shireez Latief, senior marketing manager at BBC Studios Africa; and Sarah-Jane Harling, advertising director for BBC Studios Africa.

The BBC Studios Africa Summer Upfront 2018 event started with arrival cocktails including garden animals (the theme was in keeping with the upcoming new and amazing-looking natural history series Dynasties on BBC Earth), followed by the upfront presentation, and concluding with food and drinks afterwards as guests mingled.

It was interesting to note that BBC Studios Africa has done away with serving plastic straws, similar to M-Net's media event for the My Kitchen Rules South Africa second season finale pre-drinks and afterparty recently, as well as FOX International Networks Africa's upfront that gave guests metal straws.

The presentation of the BBC Studios Africa Summer Upfront 2018 took place on a very well-done and cleverly recreated version of the set of The Graham Norton Show.

Here is the BBC Studios Africa Summer Upfront 2018 in photos: