Struggling Econet puts its shuttered and debt-riddled Econet Media and Kwesé up for sale in 29 countries including its 20%-stake in South Africa's new free-to-air Kwesé Free TV licensed venture.

Zimbabwe's struggling Econet Wireless Ltd. - that has seen its ambitious pay-TV business Kwesé TV implode under a mountain of debt with services ranging from its abruptly shuttered Kwesé Play streaming service to TV channels like Kwesé Play Free Sports go dark - has put up a "for sale" sign for Econet Media for all of its businesses across Southern Africa and Dubai.

Interestingly this includes its 20%-stake in Kwesé Free TV, the free-to-air, commercial TV station that got a licence from South Africa's broadcasting regulator earlier this year to start a new bouquet of freely available TV channels in South Africa.

It's not clear how the sale and proposed sale of Econet's stake in Kwesé Free TV will affect its TV licence, with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) that has done nothing so far to investigate and re-interrogate the granted licence given the changing conditions of ownership under which the original licence was granted.

Bloomberg reported on Friday that Econet is now offering up its Econet Media unit, housing the damaged Kwesé brands, for sale.

Ernst & Young Ltd. ran a full-page newspaper advertisement, saying that it will oversee offers for all or part of the company's shareholdings in 29 businesses in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mauritius, Ghana, Kenya and Dubai.

It remains to be seen whether companies and rivals operating in South Africa, ranging from the MultiChoice Group, M-Net, and Netflix, to China's StarTimes, telecom operators like Vodacom and MTN or other players might be interested in any of the severely reputation-damaged Econet Media debt-mess.

The shutdown of the embattled Econet's business ventures keeps rippling as it abruptly shuttered its whole Econet Media division which included Kwesé iflix as latest victim.

The debt-laden Econet that has not paid retrenched staffers their severance money and told them it doesn't know when it will be able to, has seen its Kwese TV pay-TV division abruptly shut down and placed into liquidation, its TV channels like Kwesé Free Sports abruptly go dark and off air without warning, and its Kwesé Play streaming service and Roku-device terminated.

Now Econet,owned by the Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, has been forced to shut down its entire Econet Media subsidiary where Joseph Hundah has been Econet Media CEO and that racked up more than $130 million in debt in content costs including expensive sports rights and other services.

Econet has said nothing about its alleged bad management, rapid and aggressive expansion plans and cash splurges, bad and often non-existent customer care and foolish content acquisition strategies that were all self-inflicted damage that led to Econet Media's downfall and implosion.

Econet said in July that its beleaguered pay-TV and TV business struggled to compete with China's StarTimes and MultiChoice's DStv.

Meanwhile several current and former South African workers of Econet who are enduring living hell but who were once "promised heaven" if they join Kwesé TV, showed TVwithThinus correspondence of them not having been paid their severance packages after being retrenched and Econet executives telling them that there isn't money and that they can't give answers as to when they will be paid.

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."

America's struggling sports brand ESPN returning to South Africa and Africa after 6 years as Disney rebrands the Fox Networks Group's Fox Sports channels after 5 years on StarSat and Cell C black to ESPN on 30 August.

America's struggling sports channel brand ESPN from Disney is returning to South Africa and Africa that it dumped 6 years ago, through a corporate rebranding order under which the Fox Sport channels from the Fox Networks Group will be changed to Disney's ESPN.

As part of the ongoing international restructuring of its combined channel portfolios following The Walt Disney's takeover of 21st Century Fox, Fox Sports (StarSat 244 / Cell C black 401) and Fox Sports 2 (StarSat 245 / Cell C black 402) will flip to ESPN and ESPN2 from 30 August 2019 as part of Disney's backdoor rebranding and channels consolidation alignment.

China's StarTimes running its satellite pay-TV service as StarSat in South Africa added Fox Sports and Fox Sports 2 in August 2014, with Cell C that added the Fox Sports channels as linear TV channels to it subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service when it launched in December 2017.

Now Fox's Fox Sports brand is getting culled after a 5-year presence in the South African and sub-Saharan Africa territory and replaced by ESPN.

Disney and ESPN dumped South Africa and Africa 6 years ago in July 2013 when ESPN and ESPN Classic when Disney abruptly pulled the channels from MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service leaving DStv subscribers angry and upset.

In mid-May 2012 Disney pre-warned that it would cut ESPN internationally as a result of the growing cost of acquiring live sports rights and that ESPN can't afford, or isn't willing to pay what it takes to broadcast sports internationally.

Bob Iger, the Walt Disney chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) told investors "that the opportunities for ESPN is limited internationally" and that "ESPN's international business has never been particularly large, nor has it been a huge priority for the company".

Now Disney is bringing ESPN back by flipping the Fox Sports lid to ESPN since it owns 21st Century Fox, which owns Fox Sports.

ESPN will add some new sports while the Fox Sports-now-ESPN channels will continue to show content from the English Football League Championship, Dutch Eredivisie, Scottish Premiership, Turkish Super Lig, Belgian Pro League, Major League Soccer (MLS), Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Frank Rutten, who was the executive vice president for sports at Fox Networks Group and now oversees the rebranded ESPN for Europe and Africa, in a supplied statement says "Rebranding as ESPN is a natural transition following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company".

"The ESPN brand is synonymous with sports, is one of the most valuable brands in the world and has an established global reach."

Christine Service, senior vice president and country manager at The Walt Disney Company Africa, says "We are excited to grow our broadcast offering under the new ESPN banner, with our existing programming and intellectual property forming part of the plans for the future. We look forward to developing both channels in the months and years ahead."

Disney and ESPN have said nothing about why it wants to be back in Africa after it wanted out 6 years ago, or how the "new" ESPN will try to be better.

The ESPN brand was hugely damaged because of its ugly exit in mid-2013 with DStv subscribers saying they will never support, watch or trust it again.

Half-hearted brand marketing attempts in Africa by ESPN in conjunction with Econet's Kwesé TV that is now being liquidated but that sub-licensed some ESPN content rights for South Africa and Africa, have failed the past two years.

Embattled Econet announces it will be shutting down its struggling Kwesé TV entirely on Monday 5 August 2019 after owing R1.9 billion to third-party content providers.

The embattled Econet Media has announced that it is shutting down its struggling Kwesé TV entirely on Monday 5 August 2019 after owing more than $130 million (R1.9 billion) in external liabilities to third-party TV content providers and international content suppliers.

The implosion and complete shutdown of Kwesé TV under a barrage of debt explains why its Kwesé Free Sports channel carried on eMedia Investments' Openview free-to-air satellite TV service abruptly went off the air on Sunday a week ago.

Econet Media CEO Joseph Hundah was also forced to abruptly shutter its Kwese Play video streaming service that was housed under its Kwesé TV division.

With Kwesé Play being liquidated, customers in South Africa and across Southern Africa are left with useless Roku streaming devices that will never work again and having paid for a service they're suddenly no longer getting.

The shocking Kwesé TV shutdown is also raising serious questions about the "Kwesé Free TV" TV station that Econet and Kwesé TV wanted to start in South Africa after being granted a commercial free-to-air TV licence by the broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) with Econet Media that holds a 20% stake in this venture.

"How will they broadcast when they have no staff or broadcasting facilities?" South African Kwesé TV staffers are asking who told TVwithThinus that Kwesé TV's South African office in Bryanston, Johannesburg in shutting down.

Econet said in July that its beleaguered pay-TV and TV business struggled to compete with China's StarTimes and MultiChoice's DStv.

Meanwhile current and former South African workers of Econet who are enduring living hell but who were once "promised heaven" if they join Kwesé TV, alleges that they have not been paid, are not getting paid, and are demanding answers about their future and what's going on after a process of retrenchments started as the TV empire of the Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa continues to crumble and implode.

In a statement Econet now says its Kwesé TV's pay-TV service is completely shutting down on 5 August 2019.

"We regret to announce the discontinuation of the Kwesé TV satellite service with effect from 5 August 2019," says Douglas Mboweni, group CEO.

"The service was offered to our customers by our sister company Econet Media. We regret to end this service, which thousands had embraced and welcomed into their homes and offices as a viable, alternative source of news, sport and entertainment."

"The third-party content providers, on whose content we rely, require payment in foreign currency. With the prevailing economic conditions in Zimbabwe, and the current business operating environment – characterized by an acute shortage of foreign currency – sustaining Kwesé and the Kwesé satellite service service was no longer viable."

"Once again we apologise for ending this service and take this opportunity to thank our customers for their valued support," says Douglas Mboweni.


ALSO READ: Living hell after Kwesé implosion: Massive problems, fear, secrecy, non-payment and scared staffers at Econet Kwesé TV in South Africa where workers were once "promised heaven".

LIVING HELL AFTER KWESE IMPLOSION: MASSIVE PROBLEMS, FEAR, SECRECY, NON-PAYMENT AND SCARED STAFFERS AT ECONET'S KWESE TV IN SOUTH AFRICA WHERE WORKERS WERE ONCE 'PROMISED HEAVEN'.

Angry, scared and fearful current and former South African staffers of Econet's imploding Kwesé TV who feel that they have remained silent for long enough, are speaking out about the management disaster, non-payments and non-communication that's been unfolding behind-the-scenes of the Bryanston-based pay-TV operation.

Current and former South African workers who are enduring living hell but who were once "promised heaven" if they join Kwesé, alleges that they have not been paid, are not getting paid, and are demanding answers about their future and what's going on.

Econet didn't respond to media enquiries this week, as the fortunes of the TV empire of the Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa's Econet Group continues to crumble and implode.

On Thursday this week Econet Media finally admitted to the public and its customers that its struggling video streaming service Kwesé Play is done and that the Roku Kwesé Play devices are now worthless with service that won't be restored.

Econet said Kwesé Play is being liquidated. Econet also told staffers that a process of voluntary retrenchments is taking place across the business.

While Kwesé Play customers in Zimbabwe can get a refund, there is no word on where it leaves South African Kwesé Play subscribers stuck with a service and the customised media players that no longer work.

Econet's Kwesé was placed under administration at the beginning of July 2019 with the African pay-TV operator's Kwesé Play streaming service that abruptly shut down and stopped working although Econet at the time lied and said that it's only temporary.

Econet said that its beleaguered pay-TV business struggled to compete with China's StarTimes and MultiChoice's DStv.

On Sunday Econet's Kwesé Free Sports channel abruptly cut out and has been off-air without explanation as to why ever since. Econet Media CEO Joseph Hundah simply cited unexplained "unforeseen technical difficulties".

eMedia Investments' e.tv on Friday announced its decision to dump and remove the Kwesé Free Sports channel from its Openview free-to-air satellite TV service on Friday after 5 days of the black-on-air disaster.

The sports channel that Econet can no longer keep on the air was also supposed to be an alternative to MultiChoice's SuperSport pay-TV operation, and the cornerstone of Econet's "Kwesé Free TV" - the new free-to-air commercial TV station that recently got licensed to start broadcasting in South Africa.

It's not clear and Econet is staying silent, about how its growing financial troubles will affect South its Kwesé Free TV licence that it got from the broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) with Econet Media that holds a 20% stake in the venture.

Rank-and-file current and former South African Kwesé staffers are scared and angry.

After Econet started voluntary retrenchments, all Kwesé staffers were informed that August was the notice month, insiders told TVwithThinus.

"With Kwesé Play being liquidated, and the Kwesé Free Sports channel abruptly off the air, the South African Bryanston office is basically shut down," said one staffer. "This is the pay-TV company that South Africa's broadcasting regulator, Icasa, awarded a free-to-air commercial TV licence to."

"They have now even failed to pay employees retrenchment packages after in April promising a brighter future after so-called realignment," says a staffer.

Kwesé staffers say Econet "did not even tell staff about the Kwesé Play liquidation until we saw the press statement".

"Salaries are late and they have been for the past year."

Kwesé staffers are demanding answers, want to know what's going on, who is running Econet's business in South Africa, what's happening with severance packages - and the future. "How will they broadcast when they have no staff or broadcasting facilities?"

Fearful South African staffers who say Econet isn't communicating with them about the future of Kwesé as a TV and pay-TV operation, nor their future as workers, are alleging that the company "wants to file for liquidation so that they do not have to pay workers voluntary retrenchment packages".

Another staffer, someone who was already let go, says: "Kwesé is keeping things secret. As employees who were retrenched in June we still haven't received our retrenchment package and nothing is being communicated to us as to when these payments will be made".

"When Econet Media announced the retrenchment of workers, they told us that we shouldn't worry about late payments happening because they have the numbers of how many people will be retrenched and they already have the money set aside," explains one former staffers who was let go.

A retrenched staffers says "Econet and Kwesé have blocked out emails, they don't take phone calls and their HR phones don't go through. They promised us heaven when they employed us. Econet chairman Strive Masiyiwa needs to pay us for our loyalty and hard work we had put in".


ALSO READ: Embattled Econet announces it will be shutting down its struggling Kwesé TV entirely on Monday 5 August 2019 after owing R1.9 billion to third-party content providers.

Econet Media's Kwesé iflix plans to roll out more original African programming on its streaming service, starts with Kenya-set drama series, Nganya, to be followed by Tanzania telenovela and Nigerian docu-series.

With Econet Media shuttering its Kwesé TV satellite pay-TV service to focus on its iflix over-the-top (OTT) streaming service, iflix, is planning to roll out more original content for the service.

Kwesé iflix says its working on a programming slate of new localised, scripted drama series, raw docu-series, as well as pan-regional alternative news and live coverage in Africa.

Kwesé iflix has premiered its first Kwesé iflix Original series in Kenya, Nganya. This 13-episode series, produced by Kenya's Assignments Studios production company, is a gritty Swahili drama centred around the matatu business in Nairobi's Eastlands. 

"In a criminal underworld teeming with shady characters, our hapless matatu team soon find themselves tangled in a web of corruption and deceit," says Kwesé iflix. 

Four episodes of Nganya can be watched weekly for free, with Kwesé iflix users with VIP passes who can watch all 13 episodes immediately.

The Nganya Kenyan cast includes Maina wa Ndung’u, Mbeki Mwalimu, Isaac Kiarie, Peter Oruka, Jerry Mokua, Mwaura Bilal, Tim King’oo and Nice Githinji.

"We are thrilled to be launching Nganya on Kwesé iflix and offering viewers a different way of consuming local content, one that complements both traditional and current viewing habits, expanding opportunities for the Kenyan film industry to grow," says Jeremy K. Muli, Assignment Studios CEO.

Following the launch of Nganya, Kwesé iflix says it will release its Tanzanian telenovela, Nyavu, in December.

Kwesé iflix describes Nyavu as "a captivating love story filled with drama, deceit and traditions".

In Nigeria, Kwesé iflix will be launching a docu-series which will be released in early-2019. Kwesé iflix says it has also greenlit a number of projects to support content localisation and "homegrown talent".

"Our new original content offering underlines Kwesé iflix’s ambition to lead an entertainment revolution in the markets we serve in Africa," says Mayur Patel, Kwesé iflix CEO, in a statement.

"Deeply relevant, action-packed and with a local antagonists, our original slate pushes the limits. We are thrilled to work with local top tier industry players to offer our users some of the region's top entertainment franchises."

"We want to grow and establish Kwesé iflix as the new home for the region's most talented producers and actors."

Kwesé iflix is currently available in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia and Zimbabwe with operations expanding to Rwanda, Botswana, Lesotho and Malawi.