Universal+ boss Lee Raftery on the launch of NBCUniversal's catch-up service in Africa: 'Pretty groundbreaking'.

by Thinus Ferreira

Universal+ arrived on Friday 14 October in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa in partnership with MultiChoice, bringing DStv subscribers a catch-up content hub of NBCUniversal's TV channels - something that Universal+ boss Lee Raftery describes as "pretty groundbreaking".

I sat down with Lee Raftery, managing director for the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region for NBCUniversal International Networks & direct-to-consumer, to ask him about Universal+'s origin story, to find out what success for Universal+ would look like in this territory, what the possibility is of NBCUniversal's Peacock video streaming service launching here, and to hear how he sees Universal+'s value proposition for DStv subscribers.

What is the origin story of Universal+? When did you start to work on bringing it to South Africa and why did you decide to launch it in this territory now?

Lee Raftery: We started working on Universal+ about three and a bit years ago now. 

It was essentially a bridging service between linear and streaming. Crucially what we want to do is work with our existing partners around the world and give them a really strong on-demand offer to complement linear TV channels. 

We still strongly believe in linear but we also think everybody wants on-demand and box sets as well. We started figuring out how we can construct that. We launched in Spain in January 2020 and we've been rolling out around the globe. We've done Latin America, India and we've got other announcements pending next week.

With linear television and streaming you don't want the one cannibalising the other. How do you keep both strong? How do you see it?

Lee Raftery: This took me a while to get to but I think we should all be agnostic - if people are watching our great content, I'm happy, whether that's linear or through streaming. 

I think for too long the industry tried to keep viewers either in linear or streaming. I think let the viewer decide. I very much enjoy linear television, when I get home and you don't know what you're going to watch, you switch on linear and that's great. 

Other times you go "I want to watch that specific great show, and the next episode and the next episode" and just binge through it. My view is don't fight it, let the viewer decide.

How would you describe the value proposition of Universal+? What is it that it enhances or is in addition to?

Lee Raftery: We worked with MultiChoice to really make this a great value proposition for DStv subscribers. They already have our bouquet of five great TV channels - Universal TV, Studio Universal, Telemundo, E! and now DreamWorks. 

This gives the viewer thousands of hours of on-demand content originating from those channels that they can access through their DStv Explora decoder box or the DStv app on-demand. And crucially for not a cent more, which I think is a great value message that enhances the DStv proposition.

Would it be too soon to ask, is the vision that it would remain a catch-up service for library content or would you also consider Universal+ Original content that would only reside there?

Lee Raftery: It's possible we would put original content there but primarily it would be a catch-up service with box sets and full seasons. 

Maybe in time we would put original content straight on there, we've done that in other markets. If there's a big enough audience on Universal+ then why not?

I have to ask you about Peacock which is NBCUniversal's streaming service. Are there plans to also bring Peacock to Africa or South Africa, or would Universal+ be the stand-in in this territory?

Lee Raftery: It's a complicated marketplace at the moment for everybody in the industry and viewers. At the moment Peacock has been incredibly successfully launched in the United States and doing incredibly well. 

We launched it in conjunction with Sky in the Sky markets - the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and some smaller markets that Sky covers. 

At the moment we've got no further announcements to make around Peacock but we are actively looking at opportunities around the world in a market-by-market basis, so watch this space. 

Can you talk about the partnership with MultiChoice, and might Universal+ be spun out from just being for DStv subscribers, for instance working with telecoms like Vodacom, or is Universal+ an exclusive partnership with MultiChoice?

Lee Raftery: At the moment our plans are that Universal+ is exclusively available to DStv subscribers and that will be for quite some time and we don't have any plans to broaden that yet.

What would you define success like for Universal+ in a year for now or five years or a decade from now? How would you measure its impact?

Lee Raftery: Success for Universal+ is lots of people using it and watching box sets and we've got that balance between linear and on-demand really going, that would be great for me. 

There are challenges in Africa with data costs etc. so we're not unaware of that. We'll see how this takes off but we think it's pretty groundbreaking for Africa so we have high hopes.

Lastly, what makes you happy about bringing Universal+ here?

Lee Raftery: I think the Universal brand name is an incredible and historic brand name, well over a hundred years old now and it means great entertainment to people. 

So to further bolster that brand name across Africa with a great robust service in conjunction with our partners at MultiChoice is great.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice adds NBCUniversal's on-demand service Universal+ to DStv Catch Up from 14 October.

MultiChoice adds NBCUniversal's on-demand service Universal+ to DStv Catch Up from 14 October.

by Thinus Ferreira

Universal+ will be added to MultiChoice's DStv Catch Up service from 14 October as an on-demand video streaming service not requiring additional payment and will be accessible through the DStv app or DStv Explora decoders which are connected to the internet.

Universal+ or "Universal Plus" is not Peacock - NBCUniversal's over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service taking its name from the logo of the American TV network NBC - which isn't yet available in South Africa but is run as a streamer in the United States and countries like the United Kingdom through Sky's pay-TV service.

Universal+ which is not accessible on its own and must be accessed through DStv's pay-TV platform will contain series and films from NBCUniversal International Networks' set of available TV channels on DStv in South Africa like Universal TV, E!, DreamWorks, Studio Universal and Telemundo.

Universal+ is already available through pay-TV services in Latin American countries like Brazil, Spain and India and will now make binge-watching possible for DStv subscribers across sub-Saharan Africa. NBCUniversal says the on-demand service will have "thousands of hours of compelling entertainment", including a "huge selection of full boxsets to binge, new shows and movies".

"We're thrilled to launch Universal+ with our long-standing partners DStv, giving their customers a brand-new way to enjoy a vastly expanded catalogue of our best content," says Lee Raftery, managing director for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region for NBCUniversal International Networks & direct-to-consumer, in a statement.

"From 14 October, the incredible line-up of entertainment available to DStv customers ranges from award-winning original production Celebrity Game Night – which shortly goes back into production for a fourth season – to gripping dramas and Hollywood blockbusters. And, it's all at no extra cost to a subscription."

Simon Camerer, MultiChoice South Africa chief operating officer, on the addition of Universal+ says "We are excited to bring the best of international content and the widest possible choice of great shows to satisfy all our viewers".

It's not clear why NBCUniversal is adding Universal+ for Africa now, with the company late to the video streaming party in the continent where MultiChoice's streamer Showmax, Netflix Africa, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Disney+ are making inroads in the video streaming market segment.

South Africa's public broadcaster is still to launch its SABC+ streaming service in the third quarter of 2022, with Paramount planning to roll out its Paramount+ video streaming service sometime in 2023 and with Warner Bros. Discovery which hasn't yet confirmed any launch for South Africa of its combined and to-be-renamed HBO Max and discovery+ streamers.

Smaller existing streamers like VIU, Britbox and TelkomONE are also battling for a piece of the pie in the ramping up streaming wars, with eMedia's eVOD service that launched in August 2011 which has now passed the mark of 500 000 registered users with its content carousel of movies, series, Afrikaans telenovelas and documentaries.

NBCUniversal renews South Africa's Celebrity Game Night for season 4 on E! Africa with Anele Mdoda, Ayanda Thabethe and Jason Goliath returning.

by Thinus Ferreira

NBCUniversal International Networks has renewed its South African version of celebrity game show Celebrity Game Night produced by Rapid Blue and shown on E! (DStv 124) for a 10-episode fourth season that will premiere in 2023 and with production set to start in September.

Multi-hyphenate producer-presenter Anele Mdoda returns, together with team captains Ayanda Thabethe and Jason Goliath.

In the fourth season which will once again be filmed in Johannesburg, an array of South African celebrities will once compete in a string of party games that will test their pop culture knowledge, physical skills and acting mettle.

Lee Raftery, managing director for the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region for NBCUniversal International Networks & direct-to-consumer, says "We're delighted to bring a brand-new season of our award-winning original production Celebrity Game Night, which has just been nominated for its second SAFTA, to E! Africa".

"Expect big celebrities, bigger games and most importantly the biggest laughs yet!"

The Hollywood Game Night format is distributed globally by NBCUniversal Formats, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.

The original NBC version of the series was created by actor-producer Sean Hayes and producer Todd Milliner and has since been adapted locally in Greece, French Canada, Spain, Iceland, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

MultiChoice adds DreamWorks kids channel from NBCUniversal International Networks to DStv.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice has expanded its kids entertainment offering, adding the DreamWorks channel from NBCUniversal International Networks that went dark on China's StarTimes and StarSat.

DreamWorks, from NBCUniversal, disappeared from StarTimes and StarSat on 17 February a year and a half after it was added, with StarTimes that said in response to a media query last month that DreamWorks was gone "due to production being ceased in all African countries". 

NBCUniversal International Networks then told TVwithThinus that DreamWorks is actually not "ceasing production" but switching from StarTimes to MultiChoice's DStv soon.

MultiChoice confirmed earlier this month that DreamWorks will be added to DStv.

DreamWorks that will now be running as a 24-hour channel on DStv channel 304 and with content also placed on the DStv app, offers a slate of kids entertainment ranging from series like All Hail King Julien, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, The Boss Baby: Back in Business, Dragons: Race to the Edge, Dawn of the Croods and Trolls: The Beat Goes On! to The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants.

DreamWorks also carries pre-school programming aimed at two to five-year-olds under its "DreamWorks Junior" banner, including series like Postman Pat, Dragons Rescue Riders, Raa Raa: The Noisy Lion and Noddy Toyland Detective.

"We are thrilled to be expanding our long-standing, successful partnership with MultiChoice through its DStv platform, by bringing DreamWorks' animated series and its beloved characters to households across Sub-Saharan Africa," says Lee Raftery, managing director for the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region at NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-to-Consumer, in a statement.

"DreamWorks offers the best in kids' entertainment for all the family, with a strong and engaging content slate that will captivate DStv subscribers of all ages."

NBCUniversal International Networks already supplies a collection of TV channels to MultiChoice's DStv including E! Entertainment, Sky News, Telemundo, Studio Universal, CNBC Africa (licensed to Africa Business News) and Universal TV. 

Georginah Machiridza, MultiChoice's executive head of content strategy and third party channels, says "As a business we continue to look for opportunities to expand both our local and international content offering across Africa. By adding DreamWorks, we believe we are adding more value and entertainment to our already expansive kids-entertainment portfolio".

"With DreamWorks, our customers can look forward to entertainment suitable for the whole family."

ALSO READ: DreamWorks axed on StarTimes and StarSat across Africa.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice confirms addition of NBCUniversal's DreamWorks channel, will add another movie channel later in 2022.

Here be Dragons: StarTimes adds NBCUniversal International Networks' DreamWorks animation kids channel for Africa and on StarSat in South Africa.

by Thinus Ferreira

China's StarTimes pay-TV operator in Africa has added the 24-hour DreamWorks kids animation channel from Monday 3 August to its TV channel line-up in sub-Saharan Africa as well as in South Africa where it operates under the StarSat brand on channel 301.

StarSat didn't respond to a media enquiry about the addition of DreamWorks and seeking a channel logo, a press release and more information.

NBCUniversal International Networks (NBCUIN) responded to a media enquiry.

Lee Raftery, managing director, NBCUniversal International Networks for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, says "Collaborating with StarTimes on bringing DreamWorks channel's award-winning shows and beloved characters to Sub-Saharan Africa is a key milestone for our business".

"We look forward to bringing young viewers the DreamWorks experience, with its compelling slate of adventurous and imaginative animated series, all in one family destination."

Lily Meng, head of StarTimes Media Division, says "We are excited to bring DreamWorks to Africa. This launch demonstrates our continuous commitment to providing premium content to African families. And it comes at a very timely moment, while most kids and parents are staying home."

The DreamWorks channel at launch will have various kids animation series like Dragons: Race To The Edge, All Hail King Julien, The Adventures Of Puss In Boots, as well as Dinotrux and Noddy Toyland Detective.

MultiChoice expands access of NBCUniversal International Networks' E! Entertainment channel to DStv Compact subscribers in South Africa from 14 April 2020.

by Thinus Ferreira

NBCUniversal International Networks' E! Entertainment (DStv 124) channel is getting wider carriage with MultiChoice making the channel available to DStv Compact subscribers in South Africa from Tuesday 14 April 2020.

E! is currently available to DStv Premium and DStv Compact Plus subscribers. E! is already available to DStv subscribers on DStv Compact in the rest of Africa.

"We are delighted that E! will now be available to a broader audience in Africa," says Lee Raftery, the managing director, for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region at NBCUniversal International and chief marketing officer.

"This is an exciting evolution in our partnership with DStv, and new viewers to the channel will be able to enjoy ever-popular series such as Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Botched. We remain committed to bringing African audiences local content, with brand-new episodes of the Safta-nominated Celebrity Game Night."

Thabisa Mkhwanazi, MultiChoice South Africa head of marketing, says "We’re thrilled that our Compact subscribers will now also have access to the wide range of content that the E! Entertainment channel has to offer".

"We continue to strive to bring our customers the best content available so they get the greatest viewing experience possible."

The new season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians just started on E! on Sundays at 20:00with Kourtney's recent revelation that she's no longer happy working with her sisters, while Kris gets creative to encourage a reluctant Khloe to start dating again, while Kylie undergoes a frightening medical procedure.

Meanwhile Anele Mdoda is back as the host of Celebrity Game Night from Sunday 19 April at 21:00 with team captains Jason Goliath and Ayanda Thabethe for brand-new episodes of Celebrity Game Night.

Based on the Primetime Emmy Award-winning series Hollywood Game Night, Anele Mdoda recently received a Safta nomination for Best TV Presenter for hosting the local version of this show, while the production for Celebrity Game Night is also up for an award in the category Best International Format Show.

The E! presenter Jason Kennedy takes E! viewers inside celebrity homes for in-depth interviews in the new series In The Room on Mondays at 21:00 from 11 May as he meets Kourtney Kardashian, Tom Brady and Chris Pratt to discuss their latest projects, products, passions and more.

E! also has new episodes of Botched on Mondays at 20:00 from 8 June revolving around the plastic surgeons Dr Paul Nassif and Dr Terry Dubrow, as well as the latest season of Total Bellas on Sundays at 20:00 from 10 May.

E!'s Celebrity Game Night game show starts filming this week with Anele Mdoda as presenter; Jason Goliath and Ayanda Thabethe as team captains.

Anele Mdoda will be the presenter of the 10-episode game show, Celebrity Game Night on E! (DStv 124) that will start filming this week with comedian Jason Goliath and presenter Ayanda Thabethe as "team captains".

Celebrity Game Night as a local South African version of the American game show, Hollywood Game Night, with the first 10-episode season that will start filming this week in Johannesburg, South Africa and broadcast in late-2019 on the channel.

Anele Mdoda on Sunday finished her first stint as presenter of the third season of The Voice South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101).

Celebrity Game Night is distributed by NBCUniversal International Formats and produced by Rapid Blue. In each episode, 2 teams of celebrity African guests will face off as they play party games that test their pop culture knowledge, each with their own team captain.

"I'm so excited to host Celebrity Game Night on E! and can’t wait for viewers to join the party!," says Anele Mdoda in a supplied press release quote on Tuesday. "Hanging out with Jason, Ayanda and our top celebrity guests on my sofas is going to be hilariously wild. Let the games begin".

Jason Goliath in a quote attributed to him said "Be warned – this isn’t a typical game show. Joining Celebrity Game Night as a team captain and trying to wrangle a crowd of stars with Anele and Ayanda is going to be epically entertaining. My team is going to have plenty of laughs – but more importantly, we’re also going to win".

Ayanda Thabethe said "Celebrity Game Night is going to be the hottest A-list ticket in town. If you've ever wondered how the rich and famous let their hair down and have a good time, this is the show for you."

Lee Raftery, the managing director at NBCUniversal International for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region (EMEA) and chief marketing officer, says "Anele Mdoda as host of Celebrity Game Night – with Jason Goliath and Ayanda Thabethe as team captains – is a winning combination".

"The chemistry of the three stars will resonate with participants and viewers alike, providing African viewers with a highly entertaining and high energy experience."

NBCUniversal International moves Lee Raftery to newly-created position as managing director for the Africa, Europe and Middle East region.

NBCUniversal has moved Lee Raftery to the newly-created position of managing director for the Africa, Europe and Middle East (EMEA) region, excluding the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy.

Lee Raftery has been the chief marketing and content officer and managing director for the United Kingdom and emerging markets at NBCUniversal International, and will, in addition to his new position, continue as NBCUniversal International's chief marketing officer as well.

Lee Raftery's executive change, effective from 1 July, is part of internal executive changes following the acquisition of the pay-TV company Comcast in the United States of the Sky pay-TV company in the United Kingdom in late-2018.

NBCUniversal International supplies various TV channel feeds into Africa and South Africa, carried on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service ranging from E! and Universal TV to Studio Universal and Telemundo Africa; and with channels like E! also carried on China's StarTimes outside of South Africa.

Sky's channels include Sky News on DStv, which is also in a joint channels venture with Disney for the A+E channels like History, Crime+Investigation and Lifetime also seen on DStv in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa, with some of its Sky Sports content carried on SuperSport.

Lee Raftery, based in London, reports to Kevin MacLellan, NBCUniversal's chairman of its global distribution and international division.

NBCUniversal's EMEA business and its pay-TV channels operations like Universal TV and E! will move to Sky's Osterley campus in London to work better with Sky's existing channels business.

"In his newly created role, Lee Raftery will lead the consolidation of a realigned EMEA networks' business into a single operation incorporating pay-TV channels across Europe, Middle East and Africa, excluding Sky territories United Kingdom, Germany and Italy," says NBCUniversal International in a statement.

"He will be supported by an integrated management team across three locations - London, Paris and Madrid - with a focus on building an integrated EMEA networks group."

"Moving on from a structure that featured three regional European groups, this newly combined EMEA networks' group will be significant in size and scale, comprising 17 channels feeds across NBCU's portfolio of seven brands."

"Combining our EMEA networks will maximize the growth potential of our channels and brands for years ahead," says Lee Raftery.

"The power of these great platforms, expertly overseen by a talented team across multiple locations, will continue to deliver the best quality, value and entertainment for our audiences."

Kevin MacLellan says ""I am delighted that Lee will be able to deploy his exemplary skills to the leadership of our EMEA business. With our newly aligned EMEA networks business, we are strongly positioned in a rapidly evolving pay-TV landscape to optimise our expertise, efficiencies and opportunities for future growth."

MultiChoice content boss, Aletta Alberts, on 15 years of E! from NBCUniversal International Networks on DStv: 'Africans will continue to be part of the E! story'.

Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's content boss, has congratulated NBCUniversal International Networks on the anniversary of 15 years of its E! Entertainment (DStv 124) channel being carried on the DStv satellite pay-TV service in South Africa and across Africa, saying that African viewers and talent "have always been, and will continue to be, part of the E! story".

On Thursday night NBCUniversal International Networks (NBCUIN) held a red carpet party to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the presence of the entertainment channel in South Africa and Africa.

Some of the recipients of its first-ever E! Africa Pop Culture Awards attended the very full event held at the new Alice & Fifth underground avant-garde nightclub in Johannesburg inside the Sandton Sun Hotel, along with local celebrities and TV presenters, NBCUIN and MultiChoice executives, other TV executives and producers, advertising executives and sponsors, as well as the press.

At the event NBCUniversal International Networks also gave guests a first look at its new E! Africa TV commercial as part of a new #LoveELiveE channel brand promotion marketing campaign that is being rolled out in South Africa and Nigeria.

The new campaign features a blend of E!'s Hollywood talent along with South African stars and one from Nigeria. Besides the TV commercial NBCUIN will also do billboard-sized "building wraps" in Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa, and Lagos in Nigeria for a 6-week period from mid-April.

Lee Raftery, NBCUniversal International Networks content and marketing boss for the Africa region and based in London, had a short on-stage speech Thursday night about E!'s 15th anniversary milestone in Africa.

"We're particularly proud of our local productions. We've covered red carpets, as well as our most recent production, How Do I Look? South Africa. And there's our recent announcement of our new local production set for the second half of the year, our version of the Emmy-award winning Hollywood Game Night, Celebrity Game Night."

Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's head of content strategy, said on-stage that "I can't believe it's been 15 years and what an amazing journey it's been".

"E! has always been very, very close to my heart," she said. "The first thing was The Girls from the Playboy Mansion and I thought that was the gift that kept on giving. But then, the Kardashians arrived."

"And how did we underestimate Kris Jenner and the Kardashians! I must say I saw Kendall and Kylie - I saw that show coming. When they were still little I thought: 'They're going to grow up and be fabulous and they're probably going to be the next generation."

"But what I didn't see coming was Caitlyn Jenner. Trust me, I don't think even Kris saw that coming," said Aletta Alberts.

"E! has always been a trendsetter as was the case with its reimaging from the red E! channel to the black-and-white channel and the slogan 'Pop of Culture'."

"Africans have always been, and will continue to be, part of the E! story, as we see more and more extraordinary talented people from this continent make their way to LaLa-land," said Aletta Alberts.

Minnie Dlamini, who features in the E! Africa TV commercial, told TVwithThinus on Thursday night that "What E! has done in terms of being the leaders of pop culture has truly been revolutionary. Thank you for sticking around for 15 years. Thank you for coming to Africa".

A planned NBCUI interview with Lee Raftery on Thursday didn't work out and wasn't possible.


ALSO READ: REVIEW. E!'s 15th birthday party in South Africa was fine and looked beautiful but with too many 'standing-room only' guests while TV execs hid away in their roped-off alcoves, it felt more college-years nightclub night than big celebration.
ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. As E! marks 15 years in South Africa as a TV channel on DStv, here are 15 things that E! brought into my life that I'm thankful for. 
ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. At E!'s 15th Africa anniversary party, I tried to ask ProVerb just one question - and then something happened that made me think about what's reasonable to expect from TV stars who decide to be on the red carpet. 
ALSO READ: IN IMAGES. 37 photos from inside E!'s party to celebrate 15 years of the channel from NBCUniversal International Networks in South Africa and Africa on MultiChoice's DStv.
ALSO READ: E! unveils a new E! Africa TV commercial to celebrate its presence of 15 years on the continent; 'it was like a proper film set,' says Roxy Burger.
ALSO READ: E! in Africa announces the recipients of its first-ever E! Africa Pop Culture Awards in 2019. 
ALSO READ: NBCUniversal International Networks celebrating E!'s 15th anniversary in South Africa and Africa with a celebration party and the first-ever E! Africa Pop Culture Awards.
ALSO READ: E! commissions new 10-episode show, Celebrity Game Night, produced by Rapid Blue, as its next localised African series; production starting July for broadcast in late-2019. 

E! commissions new 10-episode show, Celebrity Game Night, produced by Rapid Blue, as its next localised African series; production starting July for broadcast in late-2019.

E! Entertainment (DStv 124) has commissioned Celebrity Game Night as a local South African version of the American game show, Hollywood Game Night, with the first 10-episode season that will start production in July and be broadcast on E! in late-2019.

Celebrity Game Night, produced by Rapid Blue, is NBCUniversal International Networks' latest local production in Africa, following The Search: E! Host Africa, How Do I Look? SA and sporadic red carpet coverage at events and awards shows like the Saftas and Samas.  

E! didn't announce a host or participants for Celebrity Game Night but confirmed that it will be a local South African TV presenter who will guide African celebrities through episodes' games.

Based on the format distributed by NBCUniversal International Formats, in each episode two teams of celebrity guests face-off against each other as they play hilarious and outrageous party games that test pop culture knowledge, acting skills and nerves.

"With outstanding success as an international format, Celebrity Game Night is perfectly placed as the latest local production for E! Africa," says Lee Raftery, the managing director for the UK and emerging markets and chief marketing & content officer at NBCUniversal International.

"I'm excited to bring local nuances to this fun, high-energy series, which will feature the best of African pop culture and celebrity."

"As we celebrate 15 years of E! in Africa, in partnership with DStv, and follow on from recent success with How Do I Look? South Africa, this commission demonstrates our continued commitment to creating impactful local content which reflects the market." 

On Thursday evening in Johannesburg E! will celebrate its 15th anniversary in Africa with a special celebration party for which it also chose winners for its first-ever E! Africa Pop Culture Awards with Trevor Noah, Black Coffee and Akin Omatoso who were already announced as category winners.

NBCUniversal International Networks changing the Universal Channel to UNIVERSAL TV with a new colour palette and new on-air look.

After 8 years, NBCUniversal International Networks (NBCUIN) is again changing the brand name and look of its flagship general entertainment channel, with the Universal Channel that is changing to UNIVERSAL TV (DStv 117), including a new on-air look.

The Hallmark Channel changed to the Universal Channel in March 2010 and the purple look that was introduced in May 2013 has now given way to the word "channel" falling away and replaced by "TV".

A coral colour palette has been introduced with the logo retaining the circular globe iconography and design that's again slightly amended.

The Universal Channel look is changing globally, with UNIVERSAL TV that switched in the United Kingdom earlier this month and UNIVERSAL TV in South Africa and across Africa that is the second market to follow.

NBCUIN says the "evolved proposition" for the new-look brand will continue to "highlight that characters are at the heart of great storytelling".

"UNIVERSAL TV’s reinvigorated identity best positions our flagship brand into the future as a relevant, compelling destination for fans of character-driven programming,” says Lee Raftery, the chief marketing and content officer and managing director for the United Kingdom and emerging markets at NBCUniversal International in a provided quote about the UNIVERSAL TV rebrand.

"In making this latest investment in UNIVERSAL TV – combined with the raft of top-quality shows we have recently acquired – we're reinforcing our commitment to delivering a must-watch destination for affiliate partners and viewers, alike."

The new UNIVERSAL TV look developed in collaboration between NBCUniversal International Networks' central marketing team, and the creative agency Red Bee who established the brand positioning, brand logo and creative concept, and the brand consultant Lee Hunt.

Specialist contributions were provided by Dalton Maag (the typeface design studio), Future Deluxe directed and produced brand idents motion and Zelig Sound is responsible for music and sound design.

Universal Channel adds new female Canadian police procedural drama series, The Detail, to the African schedule from 5 June.

NBCUniversal International Networks has acquired the TV rights to the new drama series, The Detail, from Entertainment One (eOne) for South Africa and Africa with the Canadian police procedural that will start its on Tuesday, 5 June at 20:00 on the Universal Channel (DStv 117).

The Detail revolves around three talented, female homicide investigators who work on solving crimes while navigating the challenges of their personal lives and star Angela Griffin, Shenae Grimes-Beech and Wendy Crewson.

Detective Stevie Hall (Griffin) is a sharp, quick-witted interrogator who mentors the street smart detective Jacqueline "Jack" Cooper (Grimes-Beech) who has a messy personal life. Joining them is staff inspector Fiona Currie (Crewson), the homicide unit's formidable boss, who works overtime to secure justice.

"At Universal we love great characters and believe they are central to compelling entertainment," says Lee Raftery, the managing director United Kingdom and emerging markets and chief marketing and content officer at NBCUniversal International.

"We're excited for our viewers to get to know the three strong, female lead detectives from The Detail as they navigate the demands of their jobs while balancing the responsibilities of family life."

The Detail is produced by Ilana Frank of ICF Films with eOne in association with CTV.

"Angela, Shenae and Wendy perfectly capture these strong, complicated and authentically flawed characters that struggle against the obstacles that women face in their personal and professional lives every day," says Ilana Frank, executive producer, saying that The Detail depicts "topical, up-to-the-minute cases and stories seen through a distinctly and unapologetically female lens".

The Detail has a deep talent pool of female writers, directors, producers, and key consultants with Ley Lukins as executive producer and co-showrunner who is also series developer; Ilana Frank, Linda Pope, Sally Wainwright and Nicola Shindler as executive producers, Sonia Hosko as co-executive producer; Kathy Avrich Johnson as consulting producer and writers Naledi Jackson, Sandra Chwialkowska, Katrina Saville and Sarah Goodman.

Directors on The Detail include Jordan Canning and Sara St. Onge.

Lee Raftery replaces Colin McLeod at NBCUniversal International Networks; job expanded to look after NBCUIN's channels in Africa.

NBCUniversal International Networks (NBCUIN) has named Lee Raftery as the replacement for the long-serving Colin McLeod who left earlier this year, as the new executive who will be looking after NBCUniversal International Network's TV channels available across Africa.

NBCUniversal International 's chief marketing officer Lee Raftery will now be in charge of leading strategy and performance for NBCUIN channels in emerging markets that include Africa and South Africa where its channels like Universal Channel, Studio Universal, E! Entertainment and Telemundo are carried on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform across the continent.

Lee Raftery, besides being appointed as managing director, UK and emerging markets, is also adding responsibility for content to his ongoing oversight of marketing. He is also named chief marketing and content officer at NBCUIN to oversee marketing and programming strategy across the whole of NBCUniversal International Networks' group.

Lee Raftery will report jointly to Satpal Brainch, the managing director for the EMEA region, NBCUniversal International distribution & networks and Kevin MacLellan, the chairman, global distribution & international.

"Lee has done an exemplary job of building an incredibly distinctive marketing and creative culture across the company.  He has proved himself to be a strong and decisive leader and I have every confidence that he will apply his considerable skills to lead the strategic vision within the UK/EM Networks group," says Kevin MacLellan in a statement.

"I am excited to take on this unique role, which blends my marketing and creative passion with a new leadership challenge in the UK and emerging markets networks team," says Lee Raftery in the statement. "Together with this talented group, we have an exciting opportunity to build further on our outstanding portfolio of brands and content".


Update Monday 17 July 2017 17:00: 
This story was updated from the original version first published, to:

(1) change the spelling in the second mention of Kevin MacLellan from the incorrect Kevin "MacLennan";
(2) and removing the word "becoming" after "also" in the sentence "Lee Raftery is also chief marketing and content officer at NBCUIN".
(3) remove the word "partial" from the headline, and the first sentence. Other reports still state that Lee Raftery is in part replacing Colin McLeod.

BREAKING. The colour purple (it's called 'Blackberry') comes to the Universal Channel as the channel refreshes its whole look.

The Universal Channel (DStv 117), the number one international entertainment channel in South Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform is changing its look, logo and slogan from 3 May with a brand-new beautiful purple circular logo design and the new pay-off line "100% Characters".

The Universal Channel run by Universal Networks International (UNI) which also runs the successful programming polyglot of channel such as Studio Universal, E! Entertainment and Style on DStv is repositioning the brand as a TV channel where viewers will always find characters.

South Africa is one of the first countries in the world in a staggered roll-out of the brand-new Universal Channel rebranding exercise where the new look, logo and on-air imaging will be seen.

The Universal Channel brand refresh was developed in collaboration with NBCUniversal International Television's central marketing team, the award-winning creative division of Red Bee Media and the world-leading TV brand strategist Lee Hunt.

The Universal Channel is doing away with the interchangeable rainbow versions of the logo, settling for one, Blackberry coloured circular design and the channel name prominently balanced in the middle of a circle with a small "nick".

UNI says the nick gives the logo "character as well". In fact says UNI, "the nick is the piece which is going to add the characters". The process took 12 months.

The new logo, on-air imaging and idents  as well as upcoming print marketing material were shown to journalists, writers and TV critics today in Johannesburg and the new Universal Channel on-air look looks great. (If you can remember the 1980s Buck Rogers TV opening theme you will have a bit of an idea of how the new expanding concentric ring design is going to be used on air.)

"No other international TV channel has yet claimed the 'character' positioning, so we decided to use it for Universal Channel," says Colin McLeod, the managing director for emerging markets for UNI. He says the process borrowed a bit from the USA Network in America, a pay-TV channel which is part of the NBCUniversal stable where the slogan is "Characters welcome".

It was felt that slogan - although it was considered - isn't a perfect fit to apply internationally in the markets where the Universal Channel is carried, and it was amended to "100% Characters". The channel's brand refresh exercise will go into effect in South Africa on 3 May and will continue worldwide throughout 2013.

Colin McLeod told journalists today at the new Universal Channel brand reveal in Johannesburg that the channel's newly refined positioning is that of the home of character-driven entertainment.

"We've stripped away a lot of the clutter for a beautiful new look." He said UNI has a simple vision for the Universal Channel to be a TV channel which viewers "want to watch with everyone, everywhere".

Already 80% of South African viewers say that the Universal Channel "is important to me" when asked to rate the channel which is seen in 103 countries worldwide in 16 different languages.

Colin McLeod said UNI has been and is thinking "long and hard" when it comes to the content on the Universal Channel.

"We need to excite the audience; we need to keep bringing the audience back in." He said "100% Characters doesn't always mean positive and good characters" (although the Universal Channel wouldn't carry a show such as The Sopranos) but that watching the characters on the Universal Channel will always leave the viewer feeling fulfilled and feeling better.

Key shows for the Universal Channel and which will be build on, include The Mentalist, Rookie Blue, Two and a Half Men, NCIS, Psych and NCIS: Los Angeles.

"We arrived at our unique positioning because we believe that great characters are the magnets that draw viewers back to their favourite shows - week after week," says Lee Raftery, the executive vice president for marketing at NBCUniversal International Television, in the press statement.

"Universal Channel's new logo, look and '100% Characters' tagline are simple and intuitive enabling us to connect with the hearts and minds of our audiences, everywhere, and maximise the potential of this global entertainment brand."