MultiChoice and M-Net doing M-Net Movies Action HQ as the next DStv pop-up channel for 2 weeks from 17 March.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and M-Net are running another DStv pop-up channel, with M-Net Movies Action HQ which will have action films running for two weeks from 17 March.

The DStv pop-up channel M-Net Movies Action HQ will run from 17 March to 2 April on DStv channel 111, with films about "the big bosses of action".

M-Net Movies Action HQ will include films with Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Keanu Reeves, The Fast and the Furious franchise, Matt Damon, Unchartered with Tom Holland and Mark Walhberg, among others.

No communication from MultiChoice or M-Net about M-Net Movies Action HQ yet to the media, although the Randburg-based pay-TV operator told DStv subscribers about the upcoming pop-up channel. 

UPDATE Friday 10 March 2023 12:21 - M-Net publicist Lucky Mangela has now sent a press release. M-Net says that M-Net Movies Action HQ will be available to DStv Premium.

The channel will also be accessible as part of the "Add Movies" package for R99, for DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family and DStv Access subscribers from 17 March 2023 until 2 April 2023. The movies will also be on DStv Catch Up until 2 May 2023. 

Some of the films on M-Net Movies Action HQ will include Top Gun Maverick, John Wick Chapter 2, Taken with Liam Neeson, Unchartered, and Die Hard.

M-Net and MultiChoice to run M-Net Movies AfroCinema as a DStv pop-up channel for 10 days in May 2022 for a second consecutive year; will include films from Ivory Coast, Angola, Malawi and several other African countries.

by Thinus Ferreira

For a second year in a row, M-Net and MultiChoice are again running an M-Net Movies AfroCinema channel as a DStv pop-up channel from 20 May that will showcase films from various African countries, including South Africa.

The M-Net Movies AfroCinema channel that first ran as a DStv pop-up channel in May 2021 to celebrate Africa Day on 25 May, will again run in May this year for 10 days from Friday 20 May until Sunday 29 May on DStv channel 198. 

The M-Net Movies AfroCinema channel will be available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family and DStv Access subscribers.

The channel will showcase films from countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi and the Ivory Coast.

This year's AfroCinema DStv pop-up channel will have a movie line-up featuring award-winning movies that have been sourced from Africa's top film festivals for discerning cinema lovers as part of a curated movie experience.

Films on the channel include:

Salute (Namibia)

This 2018 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) nominee tells the story of a man sentenced to three life sentences, leaving his pregnant girlfriend behind in the outside world.

Katutura (Namibia)

A group of people live in a township where they navigate a life of crime, drugs, struggle and – despite it all – love and hope.

In the Name of Love (Uganda)

When an unemployed university graduate gives in to the pressure to marry his lover, he finds himself in limbo to provide for his woman. Can the couple survive the pressure?

Stain (Uganda)

After her husband is injured during a domestic incident, a woman is forced to take over as family breadwinner in this award-winning movie.

Sixteen Rounds (Uganda)

This short film is about an army man and his wife’s messy, complicated relationship that is plagued by infidelity.

I Am Not a Witch (Zambia)

This BAFTA Award-winning film is about a little girl who is accused of being a witch and sentenced to a camp of elderly witches.

Payback (Zambia)

A man pursues the ultimate act of revenge when he finds out his cousin’s friend is about to marry the woman who jilted him.

Maria Kristu: The Buumba Story (Zambia)

In her quest to create a better world for herself and other women, a young woman goes against the norms and doctrines of the church. 

Fatsani: A Tale of Survival (Malawi)

Malawi's official entry to the 2022 Oscars, this drama is about a young girl forced to sell bananas in the street for survival after her school is shut down.

Nairobi Half Life (Kenya)

This award-winning flick about an aspiring actor trying to follow his dreams of becoming successful in a big city was Kenya's official submission to the 2013 Oscars.

Subira (Kenya)

This drama tells the story of a young girl in Lamu who struggles to live out her dream of swimming in the ocean, something which is against local customs.

Air Conditioner (Angola)

A security guard and a domestic worker are tasked with retrieving their boss's air conditioner after the devices mysteriously start falling and killing people across Luanda in this critically-acclaimed film.

Knuckle City (South Africa)

This critically lauded and award-winning film tells a story of resilience, violence and survival, set against the gritty backdrop of the Eastern Cape boxing scene.

This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection (South Africa)

Anchored by an arresting performance from the late Mary Twala, the award-winning film is about grief, land, ownership and resettlement.

Sons of the Sea (South Africa)

A drama about escaping hopeless circumstances, this movie tells the story of two brothers who find a dead body and bags of abalone. Will the loot bring them closer to a brighter future, or spell their end?

Nights of the Kings (Ivory Coast)

The  multi-award-winning film that was Ivory Coast’s official entry to the 2021 Oscars, this fantasy-drama follows a young man sent to a notorious Ivorian prison in the middle of the forest.

Elevator Baby (Nigeria)

A wealthy young man and an underprivileged woman are trapped in an elevator as she goes into labour.

Nimbe (Nigeria)

Nimbe is a story addressing the issues associated with drug abuse and some of the causes.

Skin  (Nigeria)

In this documentary film, Nollywood star Beverly Naya explores Nigeria’s relationship with and perception of beauty, colour and complexion.

MultiChoice and M-Net Movies add Lethal Legends and Hollywood's Sexiest as 2 new DStv pop-up channels from 24 September.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and M-Net M are adding two new M-Net Movies pop-up channels from 24 September to DStv: M-Net Movies Lethal Legends and M-Net Movies Hollywood's Sexiest.

M-Net Movies Hollywood's Sexiest will run on DStv channel 111 from 24 September for DStv Premium subscribers, daily from 16:00 until after midnight and will end on Sunday 10 October.

The M-Net Movies Hollywood's Sexiest pop-up channel's inventory will be available on DStv Catch Up until Wednesday 10 November.

According to M-Net Movies, the Hollywood's Sexiest pop-up channel is dedicated to the talented movie stars who mesmerise with their amazing physique and stunning looks and will show films led by the most attractive actors and actresses who have achieved fame in Hollywood - both past and present.

Films will include movies starring Hollywood greats from Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise to Channing Tatum and Ryan Gosling, from Halle Berry and Julia Roberts to Nicole Kidman and Sharon Stone. 

Popular titles include Basic Instinct, Fifty Shades trilogy, Magic Mike XXL, Titanic, and After We Collided.

The Lethal Legends pop-up channel will celebrate the greatest action stars of the '80s and '90s and will run from 24 September on DStv channel 113 for DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus and DStv Compact subscribers until 3 October. 

The movie collection will be available on Catch Up until Wednesday 3 November.

The action-packed channel will show blockbusters from Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, and Michael Dudikoff as legendary martial arts performers known for their no-nonsense personality, which has helped them carve out a name for themselves in the action genre, particularly in South Africa, where they are referred to as "starring", a term that means "action hero".

Films on the Lethal Legends pop-up channel will be scheduled according to one of the themes of Martial Arts, Cops, Spies, and Agents; Soldiers on a Mission, and Revenge, at 18:00 to 20:00.

Films on the channel include Bloodsport, Hard to Kill, Death Warrant, Invasion USA, and Platoon Leader.

As time runs out M-Net will now stop at Sunday’s 2021 Oscars train station to broadcast the 93rd Academy Awards on MultiChoice's DStv for Africa.

by Thinus Ferreira

For the first time in decades M-Net risked not having the Oscars televised on DStv this year but the pay-TV operator that struggled to conclude and sign a broadcasting rights agreement for the 93rd Academy Awards will likely announce on Friday that it will show the awards show and its pre-show, both done from the train station in Los Angeles, this year.

By Friday morning Sunday night's 93rd Academy Awards, taking place from both the Dolby Theatre but primarily from Los Angeles' Union Station train station this year, was still conspicuously absent from MultiChoice's DStv electronic programme guide (EPG).

There's also been no promotion or marketing of the Oscars on any M-Net channel or other platforms to help drive viewership on the last day of the working week to the weekend's award show, with South Africa's My Last Octopus that is a nominee in the Best Documentary Feature category. 

M-Net issued no press release like it did annually in previous years that it had acquired the Oscars, or broadcasting times, raising suspicions that M-Net failed to secure the Oscars for broadcast in South Africa and across the rest of the African continent for the first time in decades.

Neither MultiChoice nor M-Net offered any immediate official comment early on Friday morning in response to media enquiries but insiders told TVwithThinus that M-Net will have the Oscars but technically is still waiting for the broadcasting rights deal to be signed.

According to the contract, M-Net will only be able to do promos for the Oscars from Friday after around 11:00 with the DStv EPG that will only be adjusted later. 

With the official Oscars ceremony taking place on Sunday 25 April at 20:00 in the United States with Steven Soderbergh as Oscars producer, M-Net will show the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony live from America at 02:00 South African time on Monday morning 26 April on M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104) as a simulcast.

Steven Soderbergh is going to try and use Union Station to bring a cinematic experience to this year's Oscars, filming it like a movie and not a TV show, at 24 frames per second, with panoramic widescreen cinema shots.

Also included in M-Net's Oscars deal, according to sources, is this year's special 90-minute official pre-show, also done from the train station. 

This pre-show special, entitled Oscars: Into the Spotlight will have Ariana DeBose and the comedian Lil Rel Howery as the presenters and will start at 00:30 SAST on M-Net Movies as a live broadcast.

Oscars: Into the Spotlight will highlight the nominees' journey to this year's awards show, give viewers around the world an inside look at the upcoming awards.

It will also bring the Oscars' music to viewers for the first time ahead of the show with Celeste, H.E.R., Leslie Odom Jr., Laura Pausini, Daniel Pemberton, Molly Sandén and Diane Warren who will all be performing the 5 nominated original songs nominated this year in their entirety during this special.

M-Net plans to show the 93rd Academy Awards during primetime on Monday 26 April at around 22:30 on its M-Net (DStv 101) channel, with proper ad breaks.

E! (DStv 124) will also have 2021 Oscars red carpet coverage starting on Sunday 25 April at 23:00 with Giuliana Rancic and coverage continuing until 02:00 on Monday morning.

Official comment from M-Net and MultiChoice will be added here if received.

UPDATE Friday 23April 2021 15:29 - MultiChoice's PR company Atmosphere finally issued a statement to all media, confirming that M-Net will show the Oscars as I reported earlier today - however MultiChoice says it will be shown live at 03:00 on Monday morning.

The Oscars starts at 20:00 EST in the United States on Sunday night, which is 02:00 South African time on Monday morning. No word on how MultiChoice and M-Net derived at the time of 03:00 or whether it will be showing the Oscars one hour delayed.

UPDATE Friday 23April 2021 15:47 - MultiChoice's PR company Atmosphere is responding to a media enquiry about the time confusion and says the time has been corrected to 02:00 on Monday morning for the 93rd Academy Awards.

At this time the Oscars still don't appear on the schedules and MultiChoice's DStv EPG for either the M-Net (DStv 101) or the M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104) channels. 

ALSO READ: 2021’s Oscars at a train station? 4 big ways in which the 93rd Academy Awards will be very different this year.

MultiChoice Showcase 2021: More pop-up channels this year from AfroCinema to Fast & Furious that will be made available to more DStv subscribers.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice plans to do a lot more movie pop-up TV channels this year like a Fast & the Furious channel and will be making these pop-up channels available to more DStv subscribers on lower-tiered bouquets as well, including an AfroCinema channel that will run for 10 days next month as a festival of African film to celebrate Africa Day. 

MultiChoice held another virtual MultiChoice Media Showcase day for the press, regionalised for various African countries, during which the pay-TV operator revealed more about its upcoming content slate, sports coverage, technology changes and some upcoming changes to its business and hotels packages.

Separately M-Net Movies revealed that it will be running the AfroCinema channel as a DStv pop-up channel from 21 to 30 May this year as a festival of African film, with the timing chosen to align to Africa Day on 25 May. 

M-Net wasn't able to share more information in response to a media enquiry and said that the schedule for AfroCinema is still being compiled.

In the virtual MultiChoice Media Showcase presentation, Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's head of content and third-party channels, took the media through the latest line-up of international content that DStv and GOtv will be rolling out in the upcoming months.

"The past year came with many challenges, and in a time of physical distance where the world felt a little bit smaller for everyone, it was a privilege to make things a little brighter by bringing the world's best content home," Aletta said.

"In some ways it has reignited our passion  - not only as a broadcaster that connects people and stories, but as a curator of an unsurpassed viewing experience. No matter where you are or what you're in to, as Africa's most-loved storyteller, we're lighting up the screens with serious star-power and entertainment that shines above the rest."

According to Aletta Alberts, DStv subscribers can watch The Equalizer with Queen Latifah, The Rookie, Station 19, and Grey's Anatomy, as well as a crossover coming up between FBI and FBI: Most Wanted.

"And then there's the exciting medical night with The Good Doctor and New Amsterdam. We're also bringing the funny in a big way. There's new seasons of  A Black Lady Sketch Show, Black Tax, Grown-ish, Bob Hearts Abishola, and loads of stand-up specials with the biggest local and international names in comedy."

ZEE World has the new Jodha & Akbar, a period drama based on India's greatest love story.

"In June, The Good Son tells the tale of a man facing enemies from his own family in true Bollywood-style, and the tvNovelas channel dishes up love and betrayal with Along Came Love in May, and When I Fall In Love in June," Aletta Alberts said.

The Korean drama channel tvN has K-stars in drama series like 100 Days My Prince and Melting Me Softly both starting in April. 

Keeping Up with the Kardashians are wrapping up their final season on E!, along with Total Bellas, The Buzz on the new HONEY channel with Anele Mdoda, The Graham Norton Show on BBC Brit, and coverage of red carpet events and award shows like the 2021 BET Awards in June.

In reality TV viewers can also watch new seasons of The Real Housewives of Dallas and The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Pastors Wives, Married to Medicine, and America's first black bachelor in The Bachelor. There's also new seasons of Botched and Outdaughtered, with a new season of Top Gear on BBC Brit. 

On National Geographic the docu-drama anthology series Genius: Aretha is coming up.

In kids entertainment DStv has more Miraculous World: New York, Raven's Home, Side Hustle, Paw Patrol, Ben 10 and Teen Titans Go! lined up.

"We have movies galore," said Aletta Alberts, "whether you're looking for something with a bit of a kick like Ava, big titles for little ones like The Trolls: World Tour with the biggest hitters in Hollywood like Doctor Sleep, Capone, Just Mercy and Military Wives".

"This year we're doing pop-up channels like never before, with more of them but also more accessibility to DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact and even DStv Family subscribers," said Aletta Alberts, as the presentation showed that The Fast & the Furious films will be one of these M-Net Movies pop-up channels during 2021.

SEMIOTICS. Why can't MultiChoice and M-Net slot its 007 James Bond pop-up channel on DStv channel number 007?

by Thinus Ferreira

Is it possible for MultiChoice and M-Net to theoretically allocate its 007 James Bond channel to the channel number of 007 on DStv? 

Imagine for a moment that MultiChoice was able to place its 007 James Bond DStv pop-up channel, that it just revived for a third time on its pay-TV platform, on the channel number of 007 on DStv.

If the 007 James Bond channel were available on DStv channel number 007, it would have been an example of mnemonics, or what we call a mnemonic device - a tool to help people remember something and/or to make it stand out.

What would be cooler to remember or to do that to keep in mind that to watch James Bond films, you need to press "0", "0", "7" on your DStv remote control (or what would essentially amount to "7")? 

Not to go too deep into the field of semiotics, but 007 as the channel number and "sign" of such a channel would work in terms of brand, it would work in terms of channel number memory short-hand, and it would work in terms of coolness factor. But is it even possible?

Two weeks ago, a few days before M-Net's 007 James Bond pop-up channel started, I suddenly thought about the MultiChoice channel numbering nomenclature and process.

I decided to ask MultiChoice, through its PR company Aprio, in light of the 007 pop-up channel, if it would ever be possible to have a channel on "channel number" 007 for instance - as well as more broadly a series of questions, for context, around how its channel numbering works and what is possible and not when it comes to DStv channel number allocation.

The M-Net Movies 009 James Bond pop-up channel on DStv then started on 22 January, and has now come and gone and ended on 31 January. Unfortunately MultiChoice didn't bother to - or for whatever reason couldn't - answer any of the questions TVwithThinus asked during the duration that the channel was on DStv.

How did MultiChoice's channel numbering convention for instance start and come about? M-Net as DStv's most important channel, of course, occupies the prime spot of 101, but why for instance did MultiChoice start numbering from 101 and not 100, or not 10, or 001?

MultiChoice didn't respond. 

Would it theoretically be possible to place a TV channel on the DStv decoder on a channel number like 010, or is it that Mayan and Mesopotamian zero at the beginning that causes machine blindness and makes a computer unable to read it as a placeholder "number"?

Or is it possible to do, but because of purely consumer psychology behaviour it's not so advisable? Do consumers struggle to start a remote control numerical input with anything like zero's? Again, MultiChoice could possible have shed some light but didn't bother to answer while the 007 channel was running.  

Interestingly, some overseas pay-TV operators do make use of -digit channel numbers, for instance "82", there are occurences of a 1-digit channel number, and some even use a 4-digit channel number code, for instance "1002".

Would it theoretically be possible for there to exist on MultiChoice's DStv channel number system a 1-, 2-, and 4-digit DStv channel codes, and if yes, why have these channel number "ranges" never been used? Could it ever be used?

Again, nothing from MultiChoice with a response that was zero. 

Anyway, these are answers that would be interesting and insightful to know for highly interested readers who are really into knowing more about television, as well as that group of pay-TV viewers who are extremely engaged with a brand like DStv subscribers - and of course you, reading this article right now.

Zero is never nothing, and maybe one day we'll find out what role this deceptively "nothing number" plays in something like a DStv decoder.

ALSO READ: M-Net Movies explains how the playout really works after the confusing schedule chronology of its 007 James Bond pop-up channel on DStv leaves viewers shaken and stirred.

ALSO READ: M-Net Movies' 007 James Bond DStv pop-up channel to run for 10 days from 22 January 2021 showing every Bond film.

M-Net Movies explains how the playout really works after the confusing schedule chronology of its 007 James Bond pop-up channel on DStv leaves viewers shaken and stirred.

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net is explaining what's going on with its somewhat confusing M-Net Movies 007 James Bond pop-up channel on DStv after M-Net said that the spy film series will be shown in chronological order - although discerning viewers discovered that it's not quite the case.

The M-Net Movies 007 James Bond pop-up channel - the third time that M-Net Movies is doing a Bond pop-up channel on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV service - runs until 31 January and is showing every 007 film ever made, as well as some related documentaries like Bond Girls are Forever and Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007.

The Bond film channel features all 7 charming actors who have played the iconic 007 role, from Pierce Brosnan to Sean Connery, Roger Moore and current Bond Daniel Craig. All of the films will also be available on DStv Catch Up until Tuesday, 28 February 2021.

When M-Net announced the channel, it said that the 007 James Bond pop-up channel would broadcast the various Bond films chronologically, starting with the first film in the series released 59 years ago, Dr. No (1962), to the latest Bond film and box office hit, Spectre (2015).

Since the channel started, DStv subscribers  - mostly highly-invested fans to whom the details matter - have been complaining that the 007 films have not really been shown in chronological order, saying that it creates confusion and that it leads to anxiety about there is shown on the channel that they might possibly have missed.

In response to a media enquiry about the issue, M-Net Movies now tells TVwithThinus that "A significant majority of the films are scheduled in chronological order".

"However, the prime-time slot is always prioritised for recent or popular films. Also, in between the titles, different TV movies, documentaries, and repeats often tend to 'disrupt' the channel's flow in order to provide variety and a better viewing experience," M-Net explains.

"Therefore, you will find that on the schedule that three or more titles may play chronologically until the order has been disrupted by the above-mentioned factors. Then the sequencing, often, proceeds to pick up the next day, airing the next three films on the chronology of yesterday."

"For instance, if you look at the schedule when the channel aired on Friday, 22 January, the following movies were played in this order before the flow was disrupted: Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, and You Only Live Twice (Diamonds are Forever was excluded)."

"Then the next day, another three (On Her Majesty'S Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die) aired chronologically, picking up from the order of the day before, before the 'disruption'".

M-Net Movies says that the pop-up channel "plays titles chronologically, without 'disruption' on Wednesday, January 27 (The Man with The Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, Never Say Never Again, and A View to A Kill)."

"Also, on Friday, 29 January, from 12:05, the majority of the Bond movies will play out chronologically, with one TV movie airing in between titles."

ALSO READ: M-Net Movies' 007 James Bond DStv pop-up channel to run for 10 days from 22 January 2021 showing every Bond film.

M-Net Movies' 007 James Bond DStv pop-up channel to run for 10 days from 22 January 2021 showing every Bond film.

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net's 007 James Bond pop-up channel will start on MultiChoice's DStv on channel 111 on 22 January and run until 31 January with the 10-day Bond-marathon that will show every 007 film ever made.

The "shaken not stirred" spy film channel will be the first of DStv's special pop-up channels for 2021 and the third time that M-Net Movies is doing a Bond pop-up channel.

The 007 James Bond DStv pop-up channel will be available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact and DStv Family subscribers. 

The channel will run from 06:00 until 22:00 for 10 days, bringing viewers tuxedos, Bond girls in bikinis, fast cars with hidden technology, exotic locations including the moon, mind-blowing spy gadgets, deadly villains and henchmen including a Goldfinger, as well as martinis - which are served shaken, not stirred of course.

M-Net says that the Bond film marathon will feature all 7 charming actors who have played the iconic 007 role, from Pierce Brosnan to Sean Connery, Roger Moore and current Bond Daniel Craig.

The various Bond films will be screened chronologically, starting with the first film in the series released 59 years ago, Dr. No (1962), to the latest Bond film and box office hit, Spectre (2015).

All of the films will also be available on DStv Catch Up until Tuesday, 28 February 2021.

It will be pop, pop, pop on DStv from December 2020 with 3 new M-Net Movies pop-up film channels including James Bond.

by Thinus Ferreira

They gotta be strong and they gotta be fast and they gotta be fresh from the fight, and now you only need to hold out for a hero until December. That's when MultiChoice will launch three thematic M-Net Movies pop-up channels on DStv in succession until February 2021 all about heroes.

TVwithThinus can reveal that in December 2020 MultiChoice and M-Net will start with a Male action heroes M-Net Movies pop-up channel on DStv, with the exact channel name that is still to be announced.

The pop-up channel will be jam-packed with films featuring male action hero stars.

"Then we move on to females because female action heroes are also taking over the world," says Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's head of content strategy and third-party channels.

This Female action heroes M-Net Movies channel name is also still to be revealed.

"In February 2021 we bring back the Bond, the lovely James Bond, and we know that's not going to leave you shaken ... but stirred," says Aletta Alberts.

February's James Bond pop-up channel of which the channel name is still to be revealed, will be the second time that MultiChoice and M-Net is running a James Bond pop-up channel on DStv.

It previously did so three years ago in February 2017 when MultiChoice showed every 007 James Bond film of Ian Fleming's suave British super spy for DStv Premium subscribers.

While the three M-Net Movies pop-up channels will again only be accessible for higher-tiered DStv subscribers it will be the first time that lower-tiered DStv subscribers will be able to get access to it through the new "Add Movies" bundle that the Randburg-based pay-TV operator just launched.

For R99 per month lower-tiered DStv subscribers can add 3 M-Net Movies channels that can be added to any of its lower-tiered DStv bouquets. With this, DStv subscribers get the repackaged M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104), M-Net Movies 2 (DStv 106), and also the now-permanent Afrikaans fliekNET (DStv 149) channel.

However, when MultiChoice and M-Net now do M-Net Movies pop-up channels, these channels when they run on DStv, will now be made accessible as part of the Add Movies bundle, for free. 

That means that DStv subscribers who add the Add Movies bundle during December, January or February will actually get not get just the 3 movie channels on that add-on package, but also that month's M-Net Movies hero pop-up channel on DStv that will be included for free.

Spring cleaning: Here are the 9 big changes coming to DStv channels from September and later this month.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service is doing some spring cleaning with multiple changes, channel additions and channel replacements, channel removals, as well as channel number changes coming into effect from today, with two more later this month.

The major changes revolve around MultiChoice and M-Net restructuring and reducing its M-Net Movies collection of channels, the SuperSport collection of channels being restructured into thematic and thematically named channels, BBC Studios' BBC First channel taken away, and the new option of a M-Net Movies add-on package being introduced.

Here are the changes:


1. Tellytrack, the South African horseracing channel, has moved from DStv channel number 239 to channel 249.


2. The BBC First channel that was available to DStv Premium subscribers has been axed from DStv as part of what MultiChoice calls "a refresh of its British entertainment line-up". Some of the British drama content that used to be on BBC First will now be placed on the BBC Brit channel.


3. Fashion One (DStv 178) that has been running outdated and old content on a loop, abruptly stopped broadcasting without warning a few days ago. MultiChoice that tried to engage the Fashion One owners has removed Fashion One with immediate effect from the DStv line-up.


4.  MultiChoice will add the tlnovelas channel as a pop-up channel on DStv channel 133 between 14 and 30 September that will broadcast an array of English-dubbed Mexican telenovelas.


5. MultiChoice will launch its new DStv Rewards loyalty programme for DStv subscribers in South Africa sometime this month but hasn't specified or announced a specific date for September yet. With DStv Rewards subscribers will earn upgrades, discounts and other vouchers depending on what bouquet and for the duration they've been subscribers.


6. M-Net and MultiChoice reduced its set of M-Net Movies channels from 6 to 4 TV channels which are also renamed to M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104), M-Net Movies 2 (DStv 106), M-Net Movies 3 (DStv 107) and M-Net Movies 4 (DStv 108). The number of films shown won't be reduced but movies are structured better to decrease the number of repeats on DStv.


7. M-Net's kykNET Afrikaans channels division is making the December holiday pop-up channel fliekNET (DStv 149) a permanent Afrikaans film channel from today. The channel will broadcast classic Afrikaans films as well as new locally-produced Afrikaans movies.


8. MultiChoice has created an "Add Movies" add-on package for DStv subscribers that costs an additional R99 per month. DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family, DStv Access, DStv EasyView, and DStv subscribers on the Indian packages can add the Add Movies add-on to their normal subscription. The Add Movies package has the M-Net Movies 1, M-Net Movies 2 and fliekNET channels and will also include possible M-Net Movies pop-up channels when DStv run them for a limited time.


9. The collection of SuperSport channels are getting names from today and channel number changes to help make it easier for DStv subscribers to know what type of content to expect on which channel.

The new SuperSport arrangement will go live at 12:00 on 1 September.

SuperSport's flagship channel, SuperSport Grandstand is now on DStv channel 201 and will carry the best of live sports content, with SuperSport Blitz on DStv channel 200 that will carry 24-hour sports news and highlights.

Channel 202 as SuperSport PSL will now carry Premier Soccer League (PSL) and other South African football, DStv channel 203 as SS Premier League will now carry English Premier League, UCL, UEL and international games, while SS LaLiga on DStv channel 204 will now carry LaLiga, UCL, UEL and international games.

SuperSport Football on DStv channel 205 will now carry soccer like Serie A, additional EPL, UCL, UEL and international games.

On SuperSport Variety 1 on DStv channel 206 SuperSport will broadcast cycling, swimming, additional golf, cricket, tennis, rugby and soccer. On SuperSport Variety 2 on DStv channel 207 SuperSport will show gymnastics, squash, sailing, hockey and additional football content.

On SuperSport Variety 3 on DStv channel 208 subscribers will find a variety of athletics, marathons, WWE wrestling, PSL and additional soccer coverage, while SuperSport Variety 4 on DStv channel 209 will showcase a variety of local sports ranging from school rugby and university sports, to netball, BNL, MDB and SRC, as well as WWE wrestling highlights.

DStv channel 210 now named SuperSport Action will showcase adrenalin sports like UFC, EFC, boxing, additional rugby and cricket, as well as cricket and motorsport, while DStv channel 211 as SuperSport Rugby is now the main channel for rugby including Springbok games, Super Rugby, the Currie Cup, test matches as well as Sevens matches.

DStv channel 212 as SuperSport Cricket will mainly house cricket coverage like the Proteas, ICC tournaments, international cricket games and IPL, while DStv channel 213 as SuperSportGolf is now where major golf tournaments reside like PGA Tour, the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour.

On DStv channel 214 is SuperSport Tennis with tennis like the Grand Slams, ATP 1000, ATP 250 and ATP 500; with motorsport like Formula 1, Formula E, Moto GP, Superbikes and Supercars on DStv channel 215 as SuperSport Motorsport.

DStv channel 236 will be the main home for WWE wrestling coverage, including WWE live events, WWE RAW, WWE SmackDown, WrestleMania and WWE SummerSlam.

MultiChoice launches a M-Net Movies add-on package with 3 channels for R99 per month for lower-tiered DStv packages.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice has created a new M-Net Movies add-on package of R99 per month that has 3 M-Net Movies channels that can be added to any of its lower-tiered DStv bouquets.

MultiChoice announced the new "Add Movies" add-on package on Wednesday during its 2020 DStv Showcase media presentation for the press.

The M-Net Movies Add Movies package will consist out of the channels: M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104), M-Net Movies 2 (DStv 106), and the Afrikaans fliekNET (DStv 149) channel.

MultiChoice and M-Net are reducing and rebranding its set of M-Net Movies channels from September. 

M-Net Movies 1 will essentially be the new M-Net Premiere channel that is a premium movie channel. M-Net Movies 2 is basically the two existing M-Net Movies Action channels that are being combined to provide "heart-pumping, explosive action films" and adventure movies.

fliekNET is an Afrikaans films pop-up channel that is becoming a permanent Afrikaans movie channel on DStv from September.

DStv Premium subscribers automatically get access to these movie channels but DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family, DStv Access, DStv EasyView and DStv Indian subscribers will now be able to add the M-Net Movies Add Movies package for R99 per month to their DStv subscription fee.

Premium exclusive pop-up channels – when done and available - will make up part of the Add Movies experience. 

Interestingly, MultiChoice says that some premium pop-up film channels, for instance the M-Net Movies pop-up channels that it regularly adds for instance during holiday periods, will automatically be added into this Add Movies bundle.

It means that while DStv subscribers who add this Add Movies package will get access to 3 movie channels, there are going to be times where they might get free, additional access to one or more further of these premium pop-up channels as well when these pop-up movie channels are run on DStv with a limited-duration theme, genre and franchise films.

MultiChoice says it's not doing away with DStv BoxOffice. "DStv BoxOffice allows our customers to rent movies straight from the cinema. The movies available for rental on BoxOffice are not yet available to pay-TV. These will come to the movie channels as soon as license agreements allow."

DStv subscribers can add Add Movies for only a month, for example over the school holidays.

MultiChoice says that if a DStv subscriber is using a DStv Explora, the movies from the Add Movies package will be included and accessible in DStv Catch Up on their decoder. 

These movies will however not at launch be available when watching through DStv Now, but this functionality will be implemented as part of ongoing additions.

MultiChoice and M-Net reducing and restructuring its M-Net Movies channels offering on DStv, makes fliekNET permanent and adding KIX as a martial arts film channel.

by Thinus Ferreira

MutiChoice and M-Net are further scaling back and reorganising the satellite pay-TV service's M-Net Movies packaged film channels, with the existing 6 M-Net Movies channels which are reduced and cut down to 4 channels on DStv from September.

According to insiders the change is partly prompted by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic and the reduction in film output from Hollywood.

MultiChoice and M-Net revamped its carousel of linear M-Net Movies channels on DStv in October 2012 when its linear film channel offering consisted out of 9 movie channels grouped according to genre.

Since then MultiChoice and M-Net restructured, consolidated and scaled back its M-Net Movies channels group to 6 channels by July 2020: M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104), M-Net Movies Smile (DStv 105), M-Net Movies Action+ (DStv 106), M-Net Movies Action (DStv 110), M-Net Movies All Stars (DStv 111) and M-Net Movies Zone (DStv 139).

Now these channels will be reduced to 4 film channels from September and renamed M-Net Movies 1, M-Net Movies 2, M-Net Movies 3 and M-Net Movies 4.

It's not yet clear when exactly the M-Net (DStv 101) movie slot on Sunday nights at 20:00 will change or will run out of new premiere films to show on a weekly basis - but it will be anytime soon.

Four months after the abrupt end and global disruption of the film production and distribution pipeline because of Covid-19, the premium pay-TV window (that follows after theatrical release, airline, SVOD and DVD release) is now also out of stock.

M-Net was asked about this in a media enquiry and didn't respond with answers.

Meanwhile, in M-Net's latest reorganisation of the M-Net Movies channels, M-Net Movies 1 will be on DStv channel 104. Content from the kid-friendly Animania festivals on M-Net Movies Smile, as well as blockbuster romcoms and gripping dramas will now be on this channel.

M-Net Movies 2 will be on DStv channel 106 - basically the two Action channel combined. It will show "an adrenaline rush with recent heart-pumping, explosive action films. The schedule will be packed with all kinds of adventures and thrills and spills at maximum velocity".

M-Net Movies 3 will be on DStv channel 107 now. The channel will be "where all the movie heroes and heroines hang out, either saving the day in adventure classics, or inhabiting the imaginary worlds of sci-fi and fantasy. Sometimes, they even tickle the funny bones in star-studded comedies, or show off their acting chops in gripping dramas".

M-Net Movies 4 will be on DStv channel 108 and will showcase "the world’s biggest blockbusters, as well as their prequels and sequels, are lined up here. While movie franchise lovers can enjoy great movies for hours on end, friends and family can join all the action and fun too".

Mark Rayner, MultiChoice South Africa CEO, in a statement, says "It’s important for us to facilitate the best possible viewing experience for our DStv customers in our ever-evolving world of entertainment".

"While the proposition of the current six movie channels – M-Net Movies Premiere, M-Net Movies Action+, M-Net Movies Action, M-Net Movies Smile, M-Net Movies Zone and M-Net Movies All Stars – made perfect sense when they launched years ago, recent comments and requests from our movie-loving DStv audiences indicated that it was time for a reboot."

Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO of general entertainment and connected video, says the pay-TV operator is trying to improve its film offering.

"In our quest to remain Africa’s most-loved storyteller, innovation and quality will always be key. Local movies will also play an increasingly important role, alongside screening handpicked Hollywood films first on all our platforms."

M-Net Premium subscribers will have access to all 4 channels while DStv Compact subscribers will get M-Net Movies 3 and M-Net Movies 4. DStv Family and DStv Access subscribers will only get the M-Net Movies 4 channel.

From September M-Net's Afrikaans language division will launch kykNET's pop-up fliekNET channel as a permanent movie channel on DStv channel 149.

fliekNET will showcase locally-produced blockbuster movies, classic favourites and a variety of Afrikaans film formats such feature films, short films, story films, made-for-TV movies and documentaries.

MultiChoice is also adding the KIX channel on an as-yet-undisclosed DStv channel number as a martial arts channel that will carry films from stars like Jet Li and Jackie Chan. The specific launch date that will be sometime in October has not yet been announced.

From time to time a M-Net Movies Pop-up channel will run on DStv channel number 111 for DStv Premium subscribers.

M-Net adds Oscars 2020 red carpet special with Anele Mdoda for 92nd Academy Awards + full broadcast coverage list for the red carpet and 'cyclone stage' ceremony.

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net (DStv 101) has added a half hour Oscars 2020 red carpet special for its prime time schedule on Monday night to intro the 92 Academy Awards with Anele Mdoda who will interview some stars as they make their way into the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

It's the second time that Anele Mdoda will do the Anele at the Oscars special that she presented last year for the first time. It's the third time in history that a South African TV reporter is doing red carpet duty at the Oscars, and the third time that South Africa will have its own red carpet Oscars TV special.

Anele at the Oscars as a recorded show will be broadcast at 21:00 on Monday night, 10 February 2020, on M-Net (DStv 101), followed by the prime time showing of the 92nd Academy Awards at 21:30.

M-Net will also broadcast the awards ceremony as a live simulcast on Monday morning at 03:00 on M-Net Movies (DStv 104). This year the Oscars will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide with MultiChoice and M-Net that have the rights for sub-Saharan Africa.

This year's Oscars stage with be a glittering "cyclone" - a Swarovski-covered stage created by Jason Sherwood.

Important to note is that NBCUniversal's E! (DStv 124) for the 5th year in a row will again not have any actual red carpet coverage during the last hour of red carpet arrivals since those rights belong to the ABC network in America that gets exclusive live red carpet access.

While E! will carry the beginning of the red carpet arrivals live, viewers will have to switch to M-Net Movies to watch the red carpet arrivals live from 23:30, as well as for the official red carpet show starting at 01:30 on Monday morning. M-Net acquired these official red carpet pre-shows as part of the Oscars broadcast package.

Here's your comprehensive TV guide on exactly how, the channels, and the times, where you can watch the show as well as the surrounding red carpet coverage:

Oscars: E!'s Insider Guide
▪ 21:00 Sunday 9 February, E! (DStv 124)
A recorded special counting down to one of Hollywood’s biggest nights spotlighting the biggest names who might make a showing this year on the red carpet.

On the Red Carpet: Oscars 2020 The Arrivals 
▪ 23:30 Sunday 9 February, M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104) LIVE

The official red carpet coverage broadcast kicks off looking at the fashion as the stars arrive and interviews with the stars.

E! Live From The Red Carpet: Oscars 2020

▪ 00:00 Monday 10 February, E! (DStv 124) LIVE

E!'s live coverage red carpet coverage of the 2020 Oscars starts. The "E! Glambot" makes a return to the Oscars to capture one-of-a-kind red carpet moments. Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic are the hosts.

E! Stream the Red Carpet: Oscars 2020

▪ 00:40 Monday 10 February, Twitter @enews

E! does a digital show covering the Oscars red carpet as part of its second screen coverage.

The Oscars Red Carpet Show
▪ 01:30 Monday 10 February, M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104) LIVE

The official red carpet pre-show with presenters Billy Porter, Tamron Hall, model Lily Aldridge and film critic Elvis Mitchell. Beginning at 02:30 when E! must cut away, Ryan Seacrest, for a second year in a row, will switch from E! to join this show as a presenter to cover the last half hour from alongside the red carpet before the ceremony starts.

Red Carpet Rundown: Oscars 2020

▪ 02:30 Monday 10 February, E! (DStv 124) LIVE

Since E! is no longer allowed alongside the actual red carpet at this time, fashion correspondents and experts analyse the looks from the stars who've already arrived for Oscar night with photos and commentary.

92nd Annual Academy Awards 

▪ 03:00 Monday 10 February, M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104) LIVE

The ceremony from inside the Dolby Theatre. The Oscars will once again be hostless this year for a second consecutive year.

Anele at the Oscars 

▪ 21:00 Monday 10 February, M-Net (DStv 101)

A pre-recorded half-hour with Anele Mdoda in Hollywood covering the glitz, glam and excitement of Hollywood's biggest night.

92nd Annual Academy Awards 

▪ 21:30 Monday 10 February, M-Net (DStv 101)

The prime-time rebroadcast of the awards show.

E! News

▪ 10:20 Tuesday 11 February, E! (DStv 124)

Lilliana Vazquez and Scott Tweedie do a special Oscars 2020 lookback episode with news and commentary about this year's ceremony and red carpet coverage. E!'s team of correspondents will do a special Oscars recap with all the insider secrets, surprises, snubs and backstage shockers, plus the biggest fashion risks and hottest after-parties.

Pop of the Morning

▪ 10:50 Tuesday 11 February, E! (DStv 124)

Lilliana Vazquez, Scott Tweedie and Victor Cruz do a special Oscars 2020 edition of the daily talk show looking back at gossip, issues and sharing their insights of this year's ceremony and red carpet.

MultiChoice opens some further channels to lower-tiered DStv subscribers, will make upcoming Nigerian love reality competition series Ultimate Love available to South African viewers.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice is opening access of 3 TV channels to lower-tiered DStv packages, adding two pop-up channels and will be making the upcoming new Nigerian love reality competition series, Ultimate Love available as a channel to South African viewers.

The Nick Jr. (DStv 307) channel from ViacomCBS International Media Networks is made available for DStv Compact Plus subscribers, while DStv Family subscribers are getting access to the National Geographic (DStv 181) channel from Fox Networks Group as well TRACE Urban (DStv 326) supplied by TRACE.

M-Net Movies is running the M-Net Movies Blackout: The Leading Men Edition (DStv 109) pop-up channel for DStv Premium subscribers between 24 January and 16 February 2020.

The channel will showcase some of Hollywood’s greatest black actors in their biggest films with over 100movies starring actors like Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy.

MultiChoice is opening the Moja Love (DStv 157) channel from SiyayaTV to DStv Access subscribers from 7 February until 6 March 2020.

MultiChoice is also making its new Big Brother Naija-type love reality show, Ultimate Love, available in South Africa. 

The Ultimate Love channel (DStv 198) will run from 9 February until 5 April 2020 in what the pay-TV operator says is a "first-of-its-kind Nigerian reality show".

Sixteen contestants - 8 men and 8 women - will be living together for 8 weeks in an isolated mansion looking for love until there is only one potential couple left who could win a traditional wedding and a home. 

According to the producers "participants will be paired based on their mutual attraction to one another and will compete to emerge as the ultimate couple of the competition".

Mark Rayner, MultiChoice South Africa CEO, says "We are continuously looking at ways that will ensure that customers across all our packages are able to access some of the great content that is available on our platform".

"Having these channels available for our customers is part of our ongoing commitment to bringing a wide variety of the best in local and international content that touches the lives of our viewers."

Haunting. Moving. Emotional. M-Net Movies Epic pop-up channel starts on DStv with 70 must-see battle films.

The M-Net Movies Epic (DStv 109) pop-up channel will launch at 13:00 today and run for 24 days until 14 April with more than 70 war and battle films for DStv subscribers.

The M-Net Movies Epic channel has been curated as a showcase of "the greatest war stories ever told and battles that shaped human history for more than two millennia", says M-Net. "You can almost smell the cordite of the trenches, or feel the earth move as a tank brigade rumbles towards enemy lines."

Films will range from harrowing and disturbing yet must-see stark reality like Saving Private Ryan and Apocalypse Now, to fantasy battle stories like Independence Day and Lord of the Rings, to heroic and moving like Braveheart and Heartbreak Ridge. 

All of them elicit an emotional cinematic response whether you watch them for the first time or settle in for a rewatch - on some level they change you and how you see and what you want for the world.

Here is the list of titles that will be shown on M-Net Movies Epic:

• The Longest Day
• Red Tails
• Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• 300
• Apocalypse Now
• Platoon
• Spartacus
• Cutthroat Island
• Kingdom Of Heaven
• 300: Rise Of An Empire
• The Deer Hunter
• Brothers In Arms
• Dunkirk
• Letters From Iwo Jima
• The Three Musketeers
• Troy
• Full Metal Jacket
• The Siege Of Firebase Gloria
• Flags Of Our Fathers
• Master & Commander: The Far Side Of The World
• Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
• Transformers
• Spartacus
• Band Of Brothers
• Empire Of The Sun
• Fury
• Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
• The Battle Of Britain
• Zero Dark Thirty
• Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End
• Das Boot (Director's Cut)
• Pearl Harbor
• The Last Samurai
• Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• Glory
• King Arthur
• The Hunt For Red October
• Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
• Transformers: The Last Knight
• War Of The Worlds
• Gone With The Wind
• U-571
• Tobruk
• Saving Private Ryan
• Battle Los Angeles
• Independence Day
• Gettysburg
• The Battle Of The Bulge
• Predator
• Edge Of Tomorrow
• Gods And Generals
• Raid On Rommel
• Starship Troopers
• War Horse
• Hobbit, The: An Unexpected Journey
• Memphis Belle
• Tora! Tora! Tora!
• Pacific Rim
• Pacific Rim: Uprising
• The Water Diviner
• Hobbit, The: The Desolation Of Smaug
• Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
• Gone With The Wind
• Lord Of The Rings, The: The Fellowship Of The Ring
• Hobbit, The: The Battle Of The Five Armies
• Transformers: Age Of Extinction
• Lord Of The Rings, The: The Return Of The King
• The Thin Red Line
• Hurt Locker, The
• Lone Survivor
• The Pacific
• Beach Red
• Enemy At The Gates
• Heartbreak Ridge
• Empire Of The Sun
• Braveheart
• Flags Of Our Father
• Rob Roy
• We Were Soldiers

2019 OSCARS - HOW, WHAT & WHERE TO WATCH. Your comprehensive TV guide to watch The 91st Academy Awards and all the various red carpet lead-up programming.

The 91st Annual Academy Awards, known as the Oscars, is taking place on Sunday in Hollywood from the Dolby Theatre and for the first time ever South African viewers will see Ryan Seacrest appear and doing pre-ceremony red carpet duty on both E! Entertainment as well as M-Net because of a fascinating broadcast contract twist.

Here's your comprehensive TV guide on exactly how, the channels, and the times, where you can watch the show as well as the surrounding red carpet coverage.

Two things are important to note - firstly, NBCUniversal's E! (DStv 124) for the 4th year in a row will again not have any actual red carpet coverage during the last hour of red carpet arrivals since those rights belong to the ABC network in America, so viewers will have to switch to M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104) for the live red carpet coverage done and simulcast from the ABC network in America.

Secondly, South Africa's Anele Mdoda is at the red carpet for a M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104) TV special that will be broadcast on Monday night. It's the second time in history that a South African TV reporter is doing red carpet duty at the Oscars, and the second time that South Africa will have its own red carpet Oscars TV special.

Here's your must-know rundown TV guide list:

On the Red Carpet: Oscars 2019 The Arrivals 
▪ Sunday 24 February 23:30 - 01:30 (LIVE) M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104)

The official red carpet coverage broadcast kicks off looking at the fashion as the stars arrive and interviews with the stars. Maria Menounos, Elaine Welteroth and Ashley Graham will interview nominees, performers and attendees as they arrive while Billy Porter will do fashion and glamour commentary.

Oscars: Live from the Red Carpet 2019 
▪ Monday 25 February 01:30 - 03:00 (LIVE) M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104)

The official red carpet coverage broadcast continues with interviews with the stars. 

Interesting to note is that E!'s Ryan Seacrest will show up from 02:30 in this broadcast on M-Net, joining the broadcast for the final half hour until the awards show starts at 03:00.

This is happening because Ryan Seacrest is the host of American Idol, showing in the United States on the ABC network, the same channel carrying the Oscars. 

ABC asked Ryan Seacrest to present and can choose who it wants to, and in this case, wants to use Ryan Seacrest since he's a talent on ABC and it will help to create buzz for the upcoming next season of American Idol.

Also note that E!, besides not having Ryan Seacrest for the last half hour, will also again not have live coverage from the red carpet for the last hour from 02:00 since ABC holds the rights as the official broadcast partner. This show will remain live from the red carpet until it switches to the awards show.

Live from the Red Carpet: The 2019 Oscars 

▪ Monday 25 February 00:00 - 02:30 (LIVE) E! (DStv 124)

While MultiChoice's electronic programme guide (EPG) is wrong and doesn't reflect the latest programming amendments of what E! will really be showing, this is what the televised coverage really will be for viewers in South Africa and across Africa:

 

E! for Africa will no longer show the usual Countdown to the Red Carpet preceding Live from the Red Carpet but will start at midnight with Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic headlining E!'s red carpet coverage and doing interviews. From 02:00  to 03:00 E! will do filler Oscar coverage not from the actual red carpet.

While Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic will cover from the red carpet The Real presenter Jeannie Mai, fashion and beauty expert Kahlana Barfield Brown, E! News style correspondent Zanna Roberts Rassi, fashion designer Christian Siriano, celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, and Very Cavallari star Kristin Cavallari will do commentary from The Roosevelt Hotel.

E! News correspondent and film expert Kristin Dos Santos and film expert Xilla Valentine will report live from Ripley's Believe It or Not! rooftop for a bird's eye view of all the action and the limo drop-off. E! News co-host Jason Kennedy and E! News correspondent Zuri Hall will also be at the Oscars red carpet.

The E! Glambot will also return to the Oscars with music video director and creative director, Cole Walliser, to capture one of a kind red carpet moments.

Red Carpet Rundown: Oscars 2019 

▪ Monday 25 February 02:00 - 03:00 E! (DStv 124)

Presented by Jeannie Mai looking at the fashion of stars who've arrived so far for the ceremony since E! isn't allowed red carpet access during the last hour before the awards show starts.

91 Annual Academy Awards 

▪ Monday 25 February 03:00 - 06:25 (LIVE) M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104)

The live simulcast of the awards show. Look out for South Africa's Trevor Noah of The Daily Show on Comedy Central and Charlize Theron who will both appear on stage during the course of the show as presenters.

M-Net will broadcast the Oscars across Africa in South Africa as well as with the following countries and territories covered by the M-Net Africa agreement: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Comoros, the Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malabo, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nambia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion Island, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, St. Helena, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zaire, Zambia, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe.

Anele at the Oscars 

▪ Monday 25 February 20:30 M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv 104)

A pre-recorded half-hour with Anele Mdoda in Hollywood covering the glitz, glam and excitement of Hollywood's biggest night.

91 Annual Academy Awards 

▪ Monday 25 February 21:00 M-Net (DStv 101)

The prime-time rebroadcast of the awards show.

Daily Pop: Oscars 2019 

▪ Tuesday 26 February 14:30 E! (DStv 124)

Presenters Carissa Culiner, Morgan Stewart and Justin Sylvester will discuss the most unforgettable moments and hottest fashion from the Oscars. The panel will be joined by Very Cavallari star Kristin Cavallari and film expert Nikki Novak.

E! News: Oscars 2019 

▪ Tuesday 26 February 19:05 E! (DStv 124)

Giuliana Rancic, Jason Kennedy and E!'s team of correspondents will do a special Oscars recap with all the insider secrets, surprises, snubs and backstage shockers, plus the biggest fashion risks and hottest after-parties.