Kagiso Media's loss-making Indian channel, Glow TV, abruptly shutting down on DStv, StarSat and OpenView HD on 30 June due to bad South African economy.

In a shocking move, Kagiso Media is abruptly shutting down its loss-making Glow TV channel for Indian viewers with Glow TV that will be snuffed out on midnight 30 June after failing to lure enough viewers and becoming a financially viable operation.

Glow TV says it is shutting down over the sharp fall of South Africa's rand and the negative impact it has on rising programming costs, as well as the bad South African economic climate that negatively impacted Glow TV.

Kagiso Media and Urban Brew Studios will not replace Glow TV with a new TV channel. 

Glow TV was Kagiso Media's first attempt at a free-to-air TV channel which it called "the logical next step for Kagiso Media". 

Glow TV that catered to Indian viewers and launched with big fanfare in 2013 will go dark on MultiChoice's DStv channel 167, Platco Digital's OpenView HD (OVHD) channel 108, and On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media SA's StarSat channel 570.

Some Glow TV programming was also made available on PCCW Global's streaming service ONTAPtv.com in the form of a Glow TV package.

The unexpected shuttering of Glow TV after two and a half years comes just a few months after Times Media's struggling VIDI video-on demand (VOD) streaming service was closed down, both failed ventures belonging to Tiso Blackstar.

Glow TV broadcasting eastern-inspired Indian soaps and dramas, was packaged and supplied by Urban Brew Studios, also responsible for the [ED], Dumisa and One Gospel channels on DStv.

Urban Brew Studios says Glow TV, a collaboration between Kagiso Media and Nolava Television, is shutting down because of the bad economic climate in South Africa and the higher cost of programming. 

The closure comes after a big schedule shake-up that was introduced in August 2015 but didn't yield a big enough bump in viewers, including offering different audio tracks, a prime time soap block, and children's programming on afternoons.

Last month Glow TV suddenly stopped broadcasting new episodes of its flagship soap Saras. Glow TV suddenly began rebroadcasting Saras from the first episode with no explanation to its viewers why, which is now obvious - it won't be wasting more money on new content for a channel closing down.

"Glow TV viewers have been supportive, loyal and dedicated," said Trish Taylor, Urban Brew Studios CEO, in a statement. "They are the ones most affected by our decision".

There's nothing from Naz Khan, who used to be Glow TV's channel manager. 

Also nothing about what will be happening to local content like the Pick n Pay sponsored, advertiser funded show Food for Living and whether that's getting repurposed to Urban Brew's other channels like [ED].

Glow TV says the channel "would like to thank its valued viewers, advertisers and the satellite platforms for their support since its inception".

Glow TV launched in October 2013, was added a a year later in October 2014 to MultiChoice's DStv and added to StarSat in January this year.

Mark Harris, Kagiso Media group CEO says shutting down the loss-making Glow TV is in the best interest of the group.

"We are in the business of making great television but we also have to make sure that the business models associated with channels and programming work for the broader group".

"We will continue to produce and supply our viewers and media partners with the best content and formats available," says Omar Essack, Kagiso Media deputy group CEO.

Editor's note: It's shocking and bad for Glow TV viewers losing their channel, and sad that Kagiso Media is dumping Glow TV.

It's content definitely had an audience, and a potentially even bigger audience.

Looking back, one thing I remember is that Glow TV was also one of those TV channels that never bothered to invite TV critics to its media launch event, or to even tell the relevant media beforehand, or even afterwards that it actually launched. 

After that, Glow TV never regularly bothered, or knew how, to properly keep media and TV critics informed of its programming. I never met anybody from Glow TV in over two and a half years of the channel's existence even once; never got a call once.

One has to wonder if Glow TV would have, could have, performed better or could have had a higher awareness under viewers if it actually made more effort and communicated better and more, and more regularly, about its actual programming.

If viewers and the media - for instance TV critics who write and talk and whose job it is to inform people about it - don't know about your channel and what's on it, where does a TV channel think its ratings and awareness and viewership is going to come from?

Everybody wants to launch a TV channel these days; few sustain it. And even fewer bother to actually involve the press, know the right relevant media, and use them to help create ongoing awareness.

You never bothered to get us to really care. Goodbye, Glow.

Kagiso Tiso Holdings' Kagiso Media invests undisclosed amount in Ghana's TV and radio in partnership with Sabido Investments.

Kagiso Tiso Holdings (KTH), through its media subsidiary Kagiso Media is investing in Ghana to grow a direct radio and TV presence in that African country similar to what Kagiso Media has in South Africa.

Kagiso Media is investing an undisclosed amount of money and has acquired 37% of Global Media Alliance Broadcasting Company (GMABC), a broadcasting company in Ghana.

GMABC runs four radio stations in Ghana (Happy FM, YFM Kumasi, YFM Accra and YFM Takoradi) as well as the free-to-air terrestrial television channel e.tv Ghana, which was launched in 2009 as the result of a partnership between GMA and Sabido Investments that owns e.tv in South Africa.

"We are looking forward to operating in Ghana and using this as a base to expand our reach into other West African territories. It also offers us an opportunity to use our  content production capability across more distribution platforms," says Mark Harris, CEO of Kagiso Media.

Kagiso Media's investment in Ghana will be followed by a similar investment in Kenya.

Kagiso Media acquires 100% ownership of South African production company Urban Brew Studios.

Kagiso Media has acquired 100% ownership of Urban Brew Studios, one of South Africa's independent production houses.

Urban Brew Studios is one of the largest production studios in South Africa, which supplies content and channels for the broadcast and entertainment industry.

Urban Brew Studios currently runs four channels on DStv: 1 Gospel (DStv 331), Dumisa (DStv 340), ED (DStv 190), and the community TV channel 1KZN (DStv 261).

Urban Brew also has production capacity in Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria and Cameroon.

The production company produces a range of shows for the SABC like Friends Like These, YO.TV, Live Amp, RGB, and Khumbul'ekhaya; as well as for e.tv like the upcoming new telenovela Gold Diggers and the current Mahadi – Lobola; as well as the telenovela Zabalaza for M-Net's Mzanzi Magic (DStv 161) pay-TV channel.

"Urban Brew Studios is recognised for its creative capability and talent in developing content and channels for both local and international markets by using its knowledge of local African languages and culture to develop content suitable to these markets," says Mark Harris, the CEO of Kagiso Media.

Mark Harris says the acquisition of Urban Brew Studios is in line with its holding company's, Kagiso Tiso Holdings, strategies of majority ownership in strategic assets and expansion into Africa.

Nazarene Khan appointed new TV channel manager responsible for Glow and [ED] TV channels on DStv and OpenView HD.

Nazarene Khan has been appointed to the position of TV channel manager at Kagiso Media and will henceforth be responsible for the Glow (DStv 167 / OVHD 108) and [ED] (DStv 190) TV channels on MultiChoice's DStv and Platco Digital's OpenView HD.

Nazarene Khan played a key role according to Kagiso Media in the conceptualisation, creation and start-up of Glow and has been the marketing manager of Glow since it launched in July 2013.

"Nazarene Khan will define each channel's target market, positioning, proposition, programming mix and on-air look and feel," says Kagiso media. She will also monitor audience reception of channels.

"Naz, brings with her experience from years working within the media landscape and we look forward to the collaboration within the group as well as the strengthening of current brands," says Mark Harris, Kagiso Media group CEO.

Glow TV on OpenView HD a new Indian TV channel from Kagiso Media, will try to reach South Africa's 1,3 million Indian viewers.

While Saffron TV from the Times Media group on MultiChoice's DStv couldn't cut it and closed down at the end of August, Glow TV has now started on Platco Digital's OpenView HD (OVHD) free-to-air satellite TV platform in South Africa targeting Indian viewers.

Glow TV will try to reach and cater to South Africa's growing Indian population of 1,3 million people.

Glow TV is a partnership between Kagiso Media and Nolava Television. Glow TV broadcasts programming sourced from India, Brazil and the United States and plans to introduce South African TV content on the channel from March 2014 which will be produced by Kagiso Media majority-owned subsidiary, Urban Brew Studios.

"Our primary target market is the South African Indian audience between the ages of 20 and 45 years," says Yusuf Nabee, Glow TV channel head. "We believe that our content has great crossover appeal and will attract audiences across the South African market."

Glow TV broadcasts show such as The Kumars at No 42, and Koffee with Karan, a talk show with celebrity guests and a cooking show with chef Sanjeev Kapoor.

"We will look at content in all languages - our main criteria are compelling entertainment and high production values. Glow is a cleverly tailored offering that brings comedy, drama, movies, reality, food and game shows, in one easy-to-access, free-to-air offering," says Yusuf Nabee.

English subtitles will be provided where programming is broadcast in other languages.

"We've created very successful African language television channels for our partners, but this is the first time we're making an investment in creating our own channel," says Mark Harris, Kagiso Media CEO.

Urban Brew Studios currently packages the DUmisa and One Gospel TV channels for MultiChoice's DStv and manages the community TV channels; Soweto TV, Bay TV and 1KZN on behalf of the communities which hold the licenses.