People's Planet Shutters After 16 Years as 'We Ran out of Shelf Space', Content Catalogue Remains Available for International Sales

by Thinus Ferreira

The People's Planet channel, which launched as People's Weather in 2010, has gone dark after 16 years.

People's Planet disappeared from eMedia's Openview at the end of August, after MultiChoice dropped it in March 2024. The channel's content catalogue however remains available for international distribution.

People's Planet ceased broadcasting altogether at the end of August 2026.

Stephan le Roux, People's Planet channel head, says the channel didn't shutter due to a lack of audience but because "dedicated wildlife and environmental content has no reliable home on South African and African platforms".

"Over 16 years on air, People's Planet built something rare in South African broadcasting: a loyal, committed audience for wildlife, conservation and environmental storytelling. That audience did not go away," he says.

"What was missing was platform commitment. Environmental and natural-history content in this market is treated as filler rather than as a category worth investing in, and a channel built entirely around it has nowhere to absorb that pressure."

"There is a real and committed audience in this country for stories about the natural world, and we saw it every week for 16 years."

"What there isn't, is a platform environment willing to back that content for the long term. We didn't run out of viewers or ideas. We ran out of shelf space."

According to Stephan le Roux, from 2020, roughly 95% of People's Planet's content was locally produced, something that "came at a real cost in a market where imported content is cheaper and easier to schedule".

The content catalogue of People's Weather remains available for international distribution.

City Beasts and Family in the Wild are out for international distribution with ORF-Enterprise in Austria.

Snake Season, presented by Durban snake rescuer Nick Evans, has three seasons running on Sky Germany, with season 3 having aired on EarthX and the first two seasons on Curiosity Stream. 

Monkey Helpline and Snake Season are licensed to Big Media for Eastern Europe, with the snake series dubbed into German and Russian.

"There are South African stories, told by South African filmmakers, playing to audiences across Europe and the United States," said Julie Laurenz of Film Mamba, the production house behind Apex Alley, Snake Season and Monkey Helpline. "The international market values this work. That's what makes the position at home so difficult to accept."

Stephan le Roux says "People's Planet extends its thanks to its viewers, to the production partners and independent filmmakers who built its catalogue, and to the journalists, producers and crew whose work defined it".

"While this chapter of People's Planet has come to an end, the need for a dedicated home for wildlife, conservation and environmental storytelling in South Africa has not. The audience is there. The stories are there. The talent is there. What is still needed is a platform willing to give this content the space, investment and long-term commitment it deserves."

"The need for this storytelling isn't going away. This may be the end of People's Planet in its current form, but we haven't given up on what we set out to build."

"South African wildlife and environmental stories deserve a platform and an audience at home, and we still believe there is a future for that."

eMedia's Openview Dumps People's Planet After 6 Years, Replaces it from September with In-house Packaged eXplore Channel

by Thinus Ferreira

eMedia's Openview free-to-air satellite service has decided to dump People's Planet and to replace it from 1 September 2026 with an in-house channel in the form of a self-packaged channel it calls eXplore.

e.tv gave no reason for dumping People's Planet on Openview channel 115. 

People's Planet was originally called People's Weather when it was added to Openview in November 2020. The channel rebranded in mid-2024 to People's Planet.

Two years ago with the rebrand, People's Planet CEO Stephan le Roux said People's Planet decided to "partner exclusively with Openview, owned by the eMedia group as it is a rapidly growing platform that shares the vision for sustainability and growth, making it the perfect partner to help us reach and inspire a broader audience".

Now, by September 2026 there's not a word from People's Planet or Openview about what failed in its "exclusive partnership" as People's Planet is replaced by eXplore.

According to e.tv "eXplore will replace People's Planet and offer a broader mix of real-world stories based on the premise that our everyday world is stranger than we imagine".

"The programming moves between the natural world, life-or-death stories of survival and the darker side of human behaviour. Viewers can expect wildlife and conservation titles alongside documentaries, real-life mysteries and true-crime investigations."

e.tv notes that "Adding eXplore reflects Openview’s continued focus on bringing greater variety to viewers. The launch-day evening line-up begins with wildlife and conservation titles before moving into true crime and investigations of real events."

"It includes Cheetah Diaries at 18:00, Chameleons of the World at 18:25, Kalahari Meerkats at 19:20, Endangered with Michaela Strachan at 19:45, Evil Unmasked: The Station Strangler at 20:10 and A Mother's Madness at 21:00."

People's Planet channel adds 4-episode Journey of Firsts as Soweto influencer Arthur Magadze explores Cape wine culture

by Thinus Ferreira

The People's Planet (Openview 115) channel has added a new 4-episode series, A Journey of Firsts: From Soweto to Stellies, with the Soweto influencer Mpho (Arthur) Magadze, known as Soweto Hippie, exploring the wine culture of the Cape.

A Journey of Firsts: from Soweto to Stellies, that started 25 November, was produced by Chen Swan and Walla Films for Delheim Estate in Stellenbosch.

It follows Arthur Magadze's one-week experience on a South African wine estate as he spends time immersing himself in the wine and wine-farm activities on Delheim Estate in Stellenbosch, while also taking in the broader Cape lifestyle.

The informative and entertaining series of four half-hour episodes focuses on his immersion into the Cape’s wine culture and its people, the natural beauty of one of South Africa’s leading estates, and the magical processes behind ripening grapes and making wine.

"Making this series saw me flying in an aeroplane for the first time and a first visit to the Cape, a cool place I had dreamed of seeing for as long as I can remember,” says Arthur.

"Stellie's side is too different from Joho. The guys from Delheim put me on – I was there to sip. It was so great to learn more about wine culture, not just the consumption side. I learned so much! The best was to learn that nobody is wrong – I could enjoy wine the way I experience it."

"I will never take another bottle of wine for granted after experiencing what it takes to make one, and I have been sharing my experiences and stories with my community and friends ever since returning to Soweto. This one is definitely for the books. Now I will put people on about wine making and culture."

"Each day I learnt something new about vineyards and winemaking, as well as the different types of wines made on the farm. All these new names became my homies Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Rosé."

A Journey of Firsts was filmed at the start of Delheim’s 2025 harvest season and Arthur was taken under the wings of Delheim directors Victor Sperling and Nora Thiel - the estate’s second-generation custodians - as well as the Delheim team.

From selecting harvest-ready grapes to discovering the intricacies of cellar work, the secrets of wine tasting, and enthralling stories from Delheim’s pioneering wine history, the series provides a compelling behind-the-scenes view of life on a leading Cape wine farm beneath Stellenbosch’s majestic Simonsberg.

"What I'm saying is, once A Journey of Firsts rolls, pour a glass of Delheim wine, kick back and check out the Soweto Hippie doing wine. You’ll love this journey as much as I did."

People's Planet adds Girl About Town with Amila Skepe exploring Eastern Cape and Nelson Mandela Bay

by Thinus Ferreira

The People's Planet (Openview 115) channel has added a new show, Girl About Town, with Amila Skepe, exploring the Eastern Cape in South Africa and tourism, nature, animals and wildlife conversation in this province and the Nelson Mandela Bay area.

Girl About Town is shown on People's Planet on Mondays at 11:00, 13:30 and 19:00.

Girl About Town explores the various challenges faced by these industries and profiles the people and organisations who try to make a positive impact, says Pauline Cordell, director at the Gqeberha-based production company Media Seven.

"Viewers will enjoy interviews with some familiar Nelson Mandela Bay and Eastern Cape locals making a difference in their fields. Each episode explores different aspects of tourism and conservation, highlighting the dedicated work being done."

"Amila experiences the nature, conservation, tourism and animal world, getting a glimpse of those making a difference in their industries."

Amila Skepe is a journalist and radio presenter from Motherwell. Episodes include profiling Sharon Jessop, a passionate conservationist who runs to raise awareness about rhinos and poaching.

Other Girl About Town episodes include a visit to the Simbonga Game Reserve and Sanctuary as she visits Lauren and Keegan Smith to witness the daily care of rescued lions. 

In another episode Amila Skepe explores the tourism industry in Nelson Mandela Bay followed by an episode with behaviourist Rita van Zyl to explore the world of positive reinforcement dog training.