StarSat axes Afrikaans channels MYtv and OnseTV after 13 years, says it failed to penetrate Afrikaans pay-TV market with enough scale.

by Thinus Ferreira

StarTimes Media has decided to axe its set of Afrikaans TV channels on its StarSat satellite pay-TV service after 13 years, with MYtv - previously branded as ASTV - and OnseTV which has been running for the past five years, both getting terminated at the end of the month and with the Christian channel InPasTV already off air.

StarSat told TVwithThinus in response to a media query that its "Afrikaans-speaking subscriber base is minuscule - less than 2% - the vast majority of our customers (95% or more) use indigenous African language, primarily Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Pedi, Shangaan) as preferred medium of communication".

StarSat says MYtv and OnseTV were on a fixed-term basis contract, expiring at the end of September

"From a strategic perspective in order for StarSat to develop competitive edge in an increasingly crowded media and entertainment space, we are compelled to re-position the business as preferred destination for TV entertainment options in South Africa in indigenous languages not adequately catered for by mainstream competitors."

"Local content production for linear TV is costly and this cost is rising each year. In order to manage cost in a hyper-competitive, unregulated pay-TV environment, we have had to steadily shift our procurement focus away from 3rd party content provision, to a more internally focused content production capability."

"In this regard, we focus are developing strategic capability in areas of; content adaption, dubbing, sub-titling supported by innovative low-cost commissioning of unique programme formats that appeal to the vast majority of indigenous African language StarSat viewers."

StarSat says "In recent time, we have witnessed the launch of several new Afrikaans channels by linear operators and new streaming initiatives. The Afrikaans market has become a highly contested one, supported by cost-intensive investment by the more 'resourced' media players in South Africa".

"Starsat has attempted to pre-emptively challenge such competitor actions with launch of MyTV and OnseTV, and despite best effort our challenge to penetrate the Afrikaans market at scale has not proven very successful."

"We have thus opted to re-align our focus to niche African language groups as first priority. This does not preclude the future possibility of re-entry into Afrikaans community, but for now we have to prioritize deployment of scarce resources to cater for the culturally specific entertainment need of majority of our customer base." 

MYtv, run from Rustenburg, launched as ASTV 13 years ago and was heralded as a competitor for M-Net's set of kykNET channels on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform. ASTV was added to StarSat, then known as TopTV, in October 2009. 

Due to TopTV and StarSat's much smaller subscriber base and limited programming schedule comprising mostly advertiser-funded shows, ASTV and MYtv never gained the cultural prominence or audience scale that kykNET achieved.

The OnseTV channel was added to StarSat in September 2017, aimed at South Africa's Afrikaans-speaking coloured audience, with ASTV which was also available for a few years on eMedia's Openview free-to-air satellite TV service before that contract was terminated.

MYtv says it got no reason for the upcoming termination of its TV channels on StarSat from StarTimes Media SA.

"We say goodbye to StarSat with a heavy heart, but we are thankful for the 13 years we've had to broadcast there," says Jaco Ferreira, managing director. "We'll forever be thankful for the time we had to spend with the StarSat team."

Simon Witbooi appointed as channel head of Afrikaans community channel OnseTV on StarSat.

Simon Witbooi also known as Hemelbesem has been appointed as channel head of the Afrikaans community channel OnseTV that recently launched on StarTimes Media SA and On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat satellite pay-TV platform.

Simon Witbooi, an artist, musician and poet who has also been a presenter on SABC2's Afrikaans magazine show Pasella, doesn't have any discernible broadcast management experience.

OnseTV launched on StarSat on channel 462 on 29 September.

"The management of OnseTV is very pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Witbooi to the position of channel head for OnseTV effective from November this year," says Jaco Ferreira, OnseTV CEO in a statement.

OnseTV says Simon Witbooi "posesses highly developed skill and understanding of digital content application in both the linear broadcasting as well as IP environments".

Little is known about OnseTV.

Neither StarSat nor OnseTV bothered to share with media any content plans or programming-specific line-ups or any programmatic publicity material.

DAILY TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 3 October 2017.

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

■ How the SABC's Bessie Tugwana allegedly tried to bulldoze in her "friend" over a senior producer.
The SABC's latest acting COO is the last of two appointments by Hlaudi Motsoeneng. Bessie Tugwana allegedly tried to get rid of Nompumelelo Phasha in favour of her "friend" Marcia Mahlalela.
Bessie Tugwana were warned that what she is doing will lead to irregular expenditure at the SABC.


■ Wendy Williams' husband Kevin Hunter has been having an affair with a young massage therapist. Allegedly.
Cheated on Wendy Williams in 2001 and has been living with "Sharina" for years with his mistress living just 9 miles down the road. Brave Wendy flashes an engagement ring to try and prove the love is strong, making sure the left hand is easily visible. She tells her Wendy Williams Show audience on BET (DStv 129)  "You can believe what you want,", says in a statement "there is not 'there' there".
- Rival talk show The Talk trashes in fake-seriously reporting the breathlessness as the audience goes "ooh, aah" - watch.


■ Still with talk, and the failing Megyn Kelly in her new talk show asks Jane Fonda about her plastic surgery - the rest of the interview is a wash-out.
"You really want to talk about that now?" is Jane Fonda's curt reply.

■ End of the TV remote control?
New TV technology changes the channel using body gestures.

■ Siesta Key episode order upped from 10 to 18.
First season of the new MTV reality show increased, will start on MTV (DStv 130) in South Africa and Africa in November.

■ Jason Isaacs talks about his new role as Captain Gabriel Lorca of the USS Discovery in Star Trek: Discovery.
"I deliberately concentrated on not giving a f- ".
And in another interview he says "you don't want to be asking about things that get revealed during the show".
And in another interview "I'm dealing with idiots left, right and centre".

- Executive producer Akiva Goldsman, who directed the 3rd episode talk about Star Trek: Discovery's bigger story and then there's the bastardisation of string theory but with space spores.
 - And Star Trek The Next Generation has just turned 30 years old.

■ Piers Morgan interviews Mariah Carey, sprawled out on a couch in front of a Christmas tree, about the Las Vegas gun massacre.
Because Mimi isn't used enough insightful analyses as an expert on America's gun violence.


■ Hilariously misguided and uninformed Nigerians are mocking DStv as TStv launches.
Clueless that new pay-TV operator TStv isn't an improvement.
- Idiotic Nigerians don't realise the cost doesn't include installation - the "secret" terms and conditions of TStv that consumers are not aware of. Although some Nigerians are catching on, are cautious and are realising the true facts.
- MultiChoice Nigeria is giving GOtv subscribers in Nigeria one month free subscription in October as part of the new GOtv Max bouquet launch.
- Even more idiotic is Nigeria's minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed uttering trash statements at the launch event like "TStv will totally redefine the televison industry in Nigeria". It won't.
- At least Lai Mohammed admits a massive problem Nigeria has with its TV industry at the TStv launch event: The lack of a proper TV audience ratings system in Nigeria that is damaging and holding back Nigeria's TV biz.
- Images from the TStv launch event. Of course no press release or basic press statement but at least the satellite dishes come with potted plants.


■ MultiChoice Namibia held a TV content workshop
for Namibian content producers to explain how to pitch content to TV channels for their shows to appear on DStv. VIA (DStv 147) says it's willing to put Namibian content on the channel. People’s Weather (DStv 180) says it's willing to create a "Namibian block" on its channel.

■ OnseTV on StarSat doesn't have a channel head yet after its launch last week.
Or very clear answers to a lot of questions.

■ "Mulder and Scully are swapping places."
Some teasies about the second season of the revived The X-Files that will be broadcast in 2018.

OnseTV launching as first TV channel for South Africa's coloured community on StarSat, comes from creators of ASTV.

OnseTV will launch as a brand-new TV channel on Friday as the first Afrikaans TV channel catering specifically to South Africa's coloured community.

OnseTV is set to launch on Friday 29 September on the StarSat satellite pay-TV service of the Chinese StarTimes Media SA and On Digital Media, on channel 462.

OnseTV will compete with Afrikaans TV channels on MultiChoice's DStv platform like the M-Net packaged kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET & Kie (DStv 145) carrying programming like the soap Suidooster and dramas like Sara se Geheim, as well as channel's like Media24's VIA (DStv 147) and the SABC's SABC2.

OnseTV comes from, and will be run, by the husband-and-wife team of Jaco and Hilda Ferreira who started the Afrikaans TV channel ASTV.

ASTV was quietly rebranded to MYtv in March this year. MYtv is now just available on StarSat after it was dumped from Platco Digital's OpenView HD platform in mid-October last year but is now spawning a sister-channel.

While OnseTV will be predominantly broadcasting in Afrikaans from Friday, the channel will also include English - what OnseTV calls "marginal language deviation from the staple language of Afrikaans".

OnseTV says the channel will portray the interests and cultural aspirations of South Africa's coloured community and is specifically targeting the TV content gap present in South Africa's broadcasting environment when it comes to this population demographic.

"Working with a wide range of people in the industry and indeed our community, it has long been clear to us that there is no focused TV channel that caters for entertainment and the educational needs of our largest South African, Afrikaans speaking community, our coloured Afrikaans community," says OnseTV.

"The socio-cultural depth of this demographic is varied and extensive and worthy of celebration and embrace," with OnseTV that says the channel's plans to "capture the spirit and drive and reflect it on the small screen" of this community.

OnseTV says "all groups within the coloured community [will] now have a voice. Something that they never had before. OnseTV is a home for the coloured community to fully live out their culture and language, thus bridging cultural gaps."

"Onse TV is a channel by the people, for the people that opens up a whole new world of opportunities, job creation and involvement with the channel for people who have never had these opportunities before".

Debbie Wu, acting CEO of StarSat says OnseTV "will go a long way to celebrating the rich heritage of South African 'people of colour' through the vibrant medium of Afrikaans language".

"We are proud to be associated with OnseTV as it will add great entertainment value and diversity to an already stunning line-up of channels on StarSat's platform."

It's not yet known whether OnseTV will broadcast for 24 hours per day, 12, or 6, or what the repeat block structure of the line-up is.

Neither OnseTV nor StarSat has released any channel schedule, programming highlights and synopses, or content preview to the media ahead of the channel's planned launch in two days time; neither is it known whether there will be a media launch for the channel as is customary in the local TV industry.

The Facebook page of OnseTV does reveal some programming clues as to the channel's upcoming content.

Snoek & Patat will be a lifestyle food show and Dink Jy Jy Kan Sing? looks like a karaoke-type music show.

In the weekly show Kom Roer Met Tannie, Tannie Koeksister goes to the shop, buys ingredients for her guests she's visiting and then cooks for them while telling stories - with Fatima also dropping by for a visit.

Onse Boeke is a show about books and reading and interviewing writers, with OnseTV that will also be broadcasting the ATKV Rieldanskompetisie.

Op die Beat met Reemay is an exercise show that will start on 2 October and run on weekday mornings at 07:00. Music videos will be show in a daily slot branded as "Anibrand".