Tanzanian artist Lameck Ditto loses song copyright infringement case against MultiChoice Tanzania - report.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Tanzanian artist Lameck Ditto has lost his copyright infringement case against MultiChoice Tanzania.

The singer claimed Sh6 billion (R41,2 million) in damages over the alleged use of his song "Nchi Yangu" in SuperSport commercials on DStv as part of the pay-TV operator's 2019 African Cup of Nationa (AFCON) marketing campaign.

Tanzania's The Citizen reports that Tanzania's High Court dismissed the case brought by Lameck Ditto whose real name is Dotto Bwakeya, who filed a case in 2020 alleging copyright infringement.

In a 10-page ruling, Judge Salma Maghimbi said the song used by MultiChoice during its 2019 AFCON commercials was not the original track owned by Lameck Ditto.

MultiChoice Tanzania increases DStv prices by up to 8.8% from July 2023 as the latest African country getting a DStv price hike.

by Thinus Ferreira

Tanzania is the latest African country getting a DStv price hike with MultiChoice Tanzania hiking DStv subscription fees from 1 July 2023 by up to ccc%.

Besides MultiChoice South Africa's DStv price increase in April this year, MultiChoice Africa also hiked prices in several other African countries during the first half of 2023 ranging from Ghana and Nigeria to Kenya and Uganda.

From July, DStv Premium in Tanzania is increasing from 155 000 TZS Tanzanian Shilling to 165 000 (R1268), a 6.4% increase.

DStv Compact Plus is increasing from 99 000 TZS to 105 000 TZS, an increase of 6%, while DStv Compact is getting hiked from 56 000 TZS to 60 000 TZS - an increase of 7.1%.

DStv Shangwe is increased by 8.8% from 34 000 to 37 000 TZS, and DStv Bomba is getting a 4.3% increase this year from 23 000 TZS to 24 000 TZS. The price of the DStv Poa bouquet will remain unchanged a 10 000 TZS.

ALSO READ: PRICE HIKE. MultiChoice Ghana hiked fees by 19% in 2023, blames country's deteriorating economy as well as currency devaluation and fuel costs.

ALSO READ: PRICE HIKE. MultiChoice Nigeria hikes DStv prices again from May 2023 by up to 22.2% with cheapest GOtv bouquet seeing biggest price hike.

ALSO READ: SHOCKER. MultiChoice Kenya does second DStv price hike of up to 10% from April 2023 just 7 months after last fee increase, angry subscribers say they're cancelling and going to streaming.

ALSO READ: Six months after its last increase MultiChoice Uganda does another DStv price hike from April 2023 up to 10.25% as outraged subscribers slam pay-TV operator for 'garbage' content that's 'repeated and super old' .

ALSO READ: MultiChoice: Here is the pay-TV company's DStv pricing from April 2023 for South Africa.

MultiChoice Tanzania slams China's StarTimes Tanzania, alleges its pay-TV rival bought up DStv decoders and dishes to make them unavailable to customers only to then destroy them.

by Thinus Ferreira

Pay-TV competition has turned nasty in Tanzania with MultiChoice alleging that rival, China's StarTimes operating as Star Media Tanzania Ltd., bought up DStv decoders and DStv branded satellite dishes only to them destroy the DStv decoders to create unavailability in the market, and then using the DStv dishes to install their own StarTimes Tanzania services.

Tanzania's The Citizen newspaper first reported that MultiChoice Tanzania has opened a police case with several individuals, "including officers and agents of StarTimes Tanzania" who have been arrested in the Katavi region of Tanzania over allegations of sabotage.

According to a statement from Hallmark Attorneys, working for MultiChoice Tanzania, people working for an on behalf of StarTimes Tanzania allegedly bought DStv decoders, DStv branded satellite dishes and DStv branded wiring to make MultiChoice's DStv decoder and installation materials unavailable or scarce in the market for consumers.

Hallmark Attorneys allege that MultiChoice Tanzania then discovered that not only were bought DStv decoders never activated but that they were deliberately destroyed, and that DStv branded equipment from LNB wires and satellite dishes to connectors were then repurposed and used to install StarTimes Tanzania services in pay-TV homes.

"The company said to benefit from such illegal conduct is Star Media Tanzania Limited under the name StarTimes Tanzania," Hallmark Attorneys says in the statement. "Various equipment acquired by the said individuals or through financing from the said individuals, for the said illegal purposes, have been seized."

David Malisa, StarTimes Tanzania marketing director, in a statement said that "the subject is in the hands of our legal department. It is being worked out, therefore preventing us from giving detailed comments". He said that StarTimes Tanzania would "later release a statement on the matter".

Tanzanian artist Menina Abdulkarim Atiki sues MultiChoice South Africa and MultiChoice Tanzania's Maisha Magic Bongo and ICU Chumba cha Umbea show for R7.2 million over alleged defamation after her husband's death.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Tanzanian artist Menina Abdulkarim Atiki is suing MultiChoice Tanzania for Sh1.12 billion (R7.26 million) for broadcasting content on M-Net East Africa's Maisha Magic Bongo (DStv 160) channel that allegedly defamed her.

Tanzania's The Citizen newspaper first reported about the court case that Judge Amir Mruma has postponed to 10 November.

Menina Abdulkarim Atiki filed the case against MultiChoice South Africa, as well as the MultiChoice Africa's MultiChoice Tanzania country division, and the ICU - Chumba cha Umbea show with presenters Maimartha Jesse, Juma Lokole and Kwisa Thompson (Kamanda Mzee Mkavu).

According to Menina Abdulkarim Atiki, she was allegedly defamed by MultiChoice and the show on DStv during the 23 July 2021 edition of ICU - Chumba cha Umbea regarding the death of her husband.

Menina Abdulkarim Atiki claims that Maimartha Jesse, Juma Lokole and Kwisa Thompson did interviews with neighbours of her late husband's aunt, insinuating that she neglected her husband before his death during his illness, and that she was allegedly an irresponsible wife.

Menina Abdulkarim Atiki alleges that MultiChoice, M-Net, the Maisha Magic Bongo channel and the ICU - Chumba cha Umbea show caused her mental suffering and emotional harm since the ICU - Chumba cha Umbea show is broadcast on DStv across several East African countries in all Kiswahili-speaking countries.

PRICE HIKE. MultiChoice Tanzania increases subscription fees by up to 4.5% from September 2021, doesn't provide any reason.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice Tanzania on Monday announced that it too will be hiking monthly subscription fees from 1 September but isn't providing its customers with any reasons.

MultiChoice Tanzania is hiking its subscription fees similar to MultiChoice Uganda, as well as MultiChoice Kenya that also announced a price hike for DStv Uganda and GOtv Uganda subscribers, and DStv Kenya and GOtv Kenya subscribers, from September 2021.

MultiChoice Ghana is also hiking prices for DStv Ghana and GOtv subscribers in the West Africa country from September by up to over 6%.

MultiChoice Tanzania is sending DStv Tanzania and GOtv Tanzania subscribers text messages by SMS to their cellphones but the pay-TV operator isn't giving any reasons for the monthly increase.

From September 2021 DStv Premium subscribers in Tanzania will see a 4.31% monthly increase from Sh139,000 (R889.90) to Sh145,000 (R928.31).

MultiChoice is hitting DStv Compact Plus subscribers with a 4.49% increase from Sh89,000 to Sh93,000, while DStv Compact subscribers will see a 4.08% increase from Sh49,000 to Sh51,000.

MultiChoice is making DStv Family subscribers paying 3.67% more from September with this bouquet increasing from Sh29,900 to Sh31,000, and with DStv Access subscribers who will be paying Sh21,000 from September.

ALSO READ: PRICE HIKE. MultiChoice Kenya increases subscription fees by up to over 8% from September 2021.

ALSO READ: PRICE HIKE. MultiChoice Uganda increases subscription fees by 6% from September 2021.

ALSO READ: PRICE HIKE. MultiChoice Ghana increases DStv Ghana and GOtv Ghana subscription fees by up to over 6% from September 2021.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 18 August 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:


■ MUST READ: August 2020 is the month that Old Hollywood finally died.
In the desperate aggressive race to transform into video streaming services as the golden rivers of money from pay-TV are drying up, get ready for a ruthless new culture, mass firings and upending everything in the brutal final scenes of "Hollywood" as we knew it.


■ Ellen DeGeneres fires 3 producers as she tries to salvage toxic talk show.
Executive producers Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman all fired.
- Infamously cruel Ellen DeGeneres tells staffers in video conference call she vows to interact more with staffers, is introverted and has "good days and bad days".

- Insiders blame Telepictures and reveal how fired producers fostered a toxic culture:
"They allow people like Ellen the ability to do that because they are such a cash cow, they are basically printing money. They know these people are terrible, but they don't care."

■ Netflix is now terrible at email marketing.

■ In Tanzania's ferocious ongoing crackdown on press freedom and the media, Star Media, MultiChoice Tanzania and Azam Digital forced to apologise for broadcasting news for 7 days straight and fined.

■ Disney looks like it's done with Hulu when it comes to international streaming plans, and will now focus on Disney+ and launching its video-on-demand services internationally under the Star brand.

■ Google enhances search for live TV programming.

■ The planned Star Trek: Strange New Worlds spinoff will be more like the original series with episodic stories.

■ In Belarus hundreds of staffers go on strike ove censorship as viewers see empty studios on-air:
"If we can’t do honest journalism, then we won’t work."

■ What actually happens when a TV episode gets pulled?


■ The big hurdles facing America's TV industry because of Covid-19 as it gets ready for the 2020 fall TV season line-up.
- The advent of scripted coronavirus TV is here after months of widespread lockdowns and scripted shows filmed Covid-19 restrictions.
- Every new and returning 2020 fall TV show premiere.


■ How we made Flash Gordon.

■ Henry Cavill's curls as Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes.

■ Traditional television is still popular with kids in Canada.

■ American TV anchors allegedly threw a banana and fruit at a basketball player who wants an apology.

■ Video streaming watching habits may already have peaked.

■ New Zealand television accidentally shows rude bits when Naked Attraction plays in the newsroom background during a report.

Former Tanzanian ambassador to South Africa, Ami Mpungwe, wants to become the majority shareholder in MultiChoice Tanzania.

Ami Mpungwe, Tanzania's former ambassador to South Africa, plans to acquire majority shareholding in MultiChoice Tanzania Limited, according to Tanzania's Fair Competition Commission (FCC).

MultiChoice Tanzania that runs DStv Tanzania and GOtv Tanzania is currently a joint venture between Ami Mpungwe as chairperson, Fabio and Marco Tramontano (represented by Franco Tramontano), and MultiChoice Africa.

Tanzania's FCC announced that Ami Mpungwe intends to acquire majority shareholding in MultiChoice Tanzania.

"The FCC is currently investigating the intended acquisitions in line with the provisions of the Fair Competition Act, 2003, No. 8 of 2003, and the Fair Competition Commission procedure rules, 2013," the FCC said in an announcement posted on the commission's website.

MultiChoice Tanzania caves under pressure from Tanzania's telecoms regulator after suspension threat, abruptly yanks all available free-to-all TV channels on DStv Tanzania from its pay-TV services.

Naspers' pay-TV arm MultiChoice on Sunday abruptly caved under pressure from the Tanzanian telecoms regulator and pulled all of the free-to-air TV channels it had been carrying on DStv Tanzania and GOtv - except for one - off its platform.

Tanzanian viewers who were watching Clouds TV, Channel Ten, TVE, Imaan TV and Star TV on DStv in the country can no longer do so.

MultiChoice's shock-move comes a week after Tanzania's telecommunications regulator warned that it plans to suspend MultiChoice Tanzania's pay-TV licence in the East African country over DStv Tanzania's refusal to drop its carriage of the free-to-air (FTA) TV channels available on DStv and GOtv.

In July Tanzania's Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) oddly also ordered the suspension of rival StarTimes Media Tanzania and it's satellite pay-TV service in the country - but for the opposite reason: saying that China's StarTimes also failed to keep to its licence.

MultiChoice initially said that it was concerned that the regulator planned to suspend its services over a case that was pending before Tanzania's Fair Competition Tribunal and that "while we remain open to constructive engagement, we are concerned that the notice has been issued even though the carriage of FTA services by pay-TV operators is currently pending before the Fair Competition Tribunal," MultiChoice Tanzania said.

MultiChoice Tanzania has now however caved under pressure and abruptly yanked all of the free-to-air TV channels it carried on DStv Tanzania, except for TBC1, without warning on Sunday.

MultiChoice Tanzania in a statement says that "in implementing the order from TCRA and the minister for works, transport and communication, MultiChoice Tanzania Ltd. has immediately suspended all of the free-to-air channels, except for TBC1, from its DStv decoders".

Naspers' MultiChoice concerned after Tanzanian regulator issues notice to suspend MultiChoice Tanzania over DStv Tanzania's refusal to drop the carriage of free-to-air TV channels.

Naspers' pay-TV arm MultiChoice on Wednesday said that it's concerned after Tanzania's telecommunications regulator said that it plans to order MultiChoice Tanzania to shut down its atellite pay-TV service in the East African country over DStv Tanzania's refusal to drop its carriage of free-to-air (FTA) TV channels on DStv and GOtv.

Last month Tanzania's Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) oddly ordered the suspension of rival StarTimes Media Tanzania and it's satellite pay-TV service in the country but for the opposite reason, saying that China's StarTimes also failed to keep to its licence.

Then the TCRA said that Star Media Tanzania Ltd., as joint venture between StarTimes and the state broadcaster Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), failed to provide free-to-air content services.

The TCRA said that "Since Star Media Tanzania has breached the law and has refused to pay the fine and refused to ensure free-to-air television channels are viewed by consumers freely the authority hereby notifies the general public that it intends to suspend all the licences issued to Star Media Tanzania Limited."

The TCRA now says that it has has ordered MultiChoice Tanzania in June to drop the carriage of free-to-air channels, but that MultiChoice in the country refused and has continued to broadcast these channels.

"In exercising its powers, the authority hereby notifies the general public that it intends to suspend all the licences issued to MultiChoice Tanzania Ltd. for failure to comply with the authority's orders and failure to adhere to the licence conditions including failure to exclude free-to-air television channels from among its subscription channels," the TCRA said in a statement.

The TCRA didn't specify any date as to when MultiChoice Tanzania's licence would be suspended.

MultiChoice Tanzania in a statement said that "While we remain open to constructive engagement, we are concerned that the notice has been issued even though the carriage of FTA services by pay-TV operators is currently pending before the Fair Competition Tribunal."

DAILY TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 20 October 2017.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:


■ France Got Talent abruptly suspended after judge accused of sexual harassment.
Judge Gilbert Rozon is abruptly gone, and the 12th season is suddenly suspended after 9 women accused him of sexual harassment.

■ Netflix and why the future of streaming video services looks like old-school TV.
The same flip side that is dragging down traditional pay-TV subscription TV providers will eventually also come for Netflix - here's why (and how).

■ German naked celebrity reality show set on a tropical island returns.
German rapper Farid Bang declined to appear saying his massive ding-dong would scare viewers.

■ Romance is dead in TV's new crop of dating shows.


■ British TV industry facing catastrophic consequences because of Brexit.
UK faces disastrous exodus of actors, directors, highly-skilled special effects technicians.
- Britain's TV bosses says harsh post-Brexit immigration rules will damage their biz.


■ Qatar hit by Egypt in a beIN sports rights fight.
beIN Sports dragged into the political fallout between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as Egypt's prosecutor-general drags beIN Media Group CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi into a commercial court case alleging "monopolistic practices" and allegedly violating Egyptian laws.
- beIN has cut off its beIN Sports channels from Nilesat, forcing subscribers of Egypt's Nilesat service to switch to the Qatar-owned Sohail service.


■ Trouble in New Zealand where Sky TV sheds 28 000 subscribers.
That's a massive - roughly 3% - drop for a year for (the/a) traditional pay-TV operator in New Zealand. Sky TV now has 824 782 subscribers in New Zealand left.

■ That thing was out of control!
MUST READ! Kate Mtsitouridze, the head of Russia's Roskino film body, is the latest woman to accuse the vile sexual predator Harvey Weinstein of shocking sexual harassment.
- Press junket in corridor outside his hotel room; wondered if she screamed, anyone would hear.

■ And yet another incident: Marisa Coughlan says predator Harvey Weinstein wanted sex in exchange for film roles.

■ MUST READ!: Lupita Nyong’o shares her shocking story of sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein and the conspiracy of silence.

■ The Weinstein Company staffers slam serial sexual predator Harvey Weinstein in open letter.
They're saying they didn't know they're working for a monster: "We are as angry and baffled as you are at how Harvey's behaviour could continue for so long".

■ BBC reporter Rajini Vaidyanathan says there was no cover up at the BBC when a married sex pest who sent her sexually explicit messages was fired within days.

■ Amazon Studios' top executives now under scrutiny after exit of alleged sexual harasser Roy Price.
Joe Lewis, head of drama and comedy development, and Conrad Riggs, head of unscripted, will likely be gone from Amazon Studios as well soon.

■ Advertising executives say they haven't personally witnessed sexual harassment on their sets.
Notice how the very bad WWD article only interviews male advertising executives.

■ MultiChoice Tanzania doing a special 2-day exhibition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of DStv Tanzania.
Will take place at the Mlimani City in Dar es Salaam and will be open to the public; pay TV-operator now has 5 regional offices throughout Tanzania.

■ Update on the SABC's editorial policy review process.
The SABC got over 200 submissions from the public by email and from the SABC's provincial offices. The SABC's Editorial Policy project team is currently consolidating the oral submissions from the provincial public hearings.

■ Nigerians are finally becoming wary of the new pay-TV operator TStv that failed to start with no decoders available.
TStv that lies about TV channels it doesn't have any carriage agreements and contracts for is seeing its "buzz deflate day by day".