New star-studded 13th season of Talakani Sesame on SABC2 from 6 June will help kids and parents to understand and talk about different feelings.

by Thinus Ferreira

The new star-studded 13th season of Takalani Sesame which will start on SABC2 on 6 June with new episodes on weekdays at 15:30 will feature guest appearances by Sho Madjozi, Prev Reddy, Holly and Mimi Rey, Farieda Metsileng, David Kau, the Goliath brothers and others, and help parents and kids to understand and talk about different feelings.

The new 13th season of Takalani Sesame will focus on helping people understand "big feelings" ranging from sadness and frustration, to recognising when you're scared and angry and what to do about it.

Takalani Sesame episodes are available in English on Mondays, isiZulu on Tuesdays, Sesotho on Wednesdays, isiNdebele on Thursdays and Afrikaans on Fridays.

Innocent Nkata, managing director of Sesame Workshop South Africa managing director, says the focus of the 13th season of Takalani Sesame is on helping children and parents recognise emotions and how to process them - especially when something feels overwhelming.

"The season's lessons will help children identify and name big feelings and provide strategies to manage these emotions."

"Big feelings can be difficult for young children to handle or overcome and that's why in the brand-new 13th season of Takalani Sesame, our beloved Muppets are focusing on what to do when your emotions feel like they're about to burst out of your body."

"The season's lessons will help children identify and name Big Feelings and provide strategies to manage these emotions, skills that are critical in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic."

"Kids learn best when they're playing and having fun. That's why Elmo, Zuzu, Moshe, Zikwe, Kami and animated friends like Basma, Jad and Grover come up with games and songs that let children explore different emotions and how to deal with them."

"This could be like feeling left out when someone else is chosen to play a game first or feeling frustrated if you don't get something right the first time, and the Takalani Sesame friends learn techniques to help them cope with big feelings, like belly breathing, counting to five or drawing it out."

Mari Payne, Sesame Workshop South Africa director of education and outreach, says "Recent developments have proved to us the importance of building resilience and overcoming trauma by developing critical social-emotional skills".

"By helping children build social-emotional skills, we're giving them the tools they need to thrive both in school and in life."

Danie Swart, SABC head of education, says "SABC2 and SABC Education have been long-standing champions of edutainment as part of our drive to entertain and inform our viewers and we are so happy to see a diverse contingent of South African celebrities joining a well-loved, proudly local show".

The SABC launches SABC Education as a new TV channel, will debut 4 May 2020 on YouTube and on DTT.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African public broadcaster as part of its digital terrestrial television (DTT) offering will launch a new TV channel, SABC Education, on 4 May that will initially be available for streaming on YouTube and be available for free through DTT decoders.

SABC Education is the first new TV channel that the broadcaster is launching besides its SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 channels set, as well as its SABC News (DStv 404) and SABC Encore (DStv 156) channels carried on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service.

The SABC is far behind on rolling out new TV channels as part of its DTT offering, citing a lack of funds for the mandated switch from analogue to digital television broadcasting in South Africa.

SABC Education will carry educational programming from the department of education, archived shows from the SABC library, as well as educational programmes seen and available on SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3.

The SABC says that other platforms for SABC Education will hopefully be added later. SABC Education will be a linear DTT TV channel, with additional educational programming that will be streamed on digital platforms.

The digital streaming of the channel will be carried using the SABC Education portal, SABC Education Virtual Academy (SEVA), social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and other SABC channel websites.  

Madoda Mxakwe, SABC CEO, says in a statement that "The launch of the channel is timely, as the nation requires these interventions to fill gaps that have been created by Covid-19 related adjustments. In particular, this initiative will ensure that education and learning continues outside the traditional classroom environment".

"The introduction of the SABC Education channel is in line with our education strategy which has been in the pipeline for some time."

Coronavirus: SABC continuing with active productions and pre-recording some live shows to stock up; postponing upcoming TV programming that require a live in-studio audience and performances.

by Thinus Ferreira

As the Covid-19 novel coronavirus pandemic rapidly spreads globally and in South Africa the country's public broadcaster says it is continuing with all of its active TV productions and soaps for now but is preparing to pre-record some shows that are usually broadcast live to stock up if needed and is postponing some future shows that would require live in-studio audiences and performances.

The South African public broadcaster told TVwithThinus in response to a media enquiry that it is implementing safeguard protocols given the existence of the coronavirus in South Africa after president Cyril Ramaphosa's declaration of a state of national disaster in the country on Sunday evening.

The SABC has several locally-produced shows on air - especially weekday soaps produced by independent production companies each with a cast and crew complement of over 100 people working long hours on tight-knit studios - which are not shutting down because of Covid-19.

In the United States and the United Kingdom soaps and multiple other scripted drama series seen on the BBC and American broadcast networks and pay-TV channels have shuttered for the time being.

The SABC tells TVwithThinus that it is continuing with current productions but postponing upcoming shows that would have started filming in April and planned to incorporate performances or making use of in-studio audiences.

"At present the organisation is not aware of any of our active productions that have experienced any Covid-19 cases, thus there is no shutdown of the active productions," says Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson.

"It must be noted however that the SABC has a few programmes that should have gone into production in the next month - some requiring live studio audiences and performances. All these have been postponed."

"SABC's live content productions are preparing to pre-package and pre-record content in case the production has to stop, thus affecting the long-running soaps."

Mmoni Seapolelo says that "the SABC is encouraging production companies to implement measures as set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with regards to cleanliness. If a production is cancelled and a product cannot be delivered for transmission the relevant TV channel will make scheduling plans and seek replacements".

"The SABC has not reached this point as yet, however plans are being put in place should such an event occur. The SABC has also cancelled its SABC Education outreach activities which were due to take place in the next 5 weeks."

The free-to-air commercial broadcaster e.tv, as well as all of the major pay-TV channels - M-Net (DStv 101), 1Magic (DStv 103), Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) and kykNET (DStv 144) were all asked which of their respective local shows and soaps have possibly ceased production or are postponed and which are continuing.

Already filming of the second season of the Afrikaans talent search reality show Maak My Famous with Emo Adams on kykNET requiring an in-studio audience in Cape Town has been postponed, indicating that pay-TV shows will likely take the same approach as the SABC.

e.tv said it would respond on Wednesday while the various M-Net channels referred the individual media enquiries to MultiChoice. MultiChoice didn't answer the specific questions and responded with a statement on Tuesday evening.

Joe Heshu, MultiChoice group executive for corporate affairs, told TVwithThinus that "We are in touch with all our production houses and consult with them on their assessment of individual productions. We encourage all production companies to take every precaution to protect both cast and crew as we all grapple with the pandemic. We have noted how production has been impacted in other market and are assessing the impact on ours". 

The SABC downsizes its unfunded digital TV dream for DTT from 18 to these 9 TV channels.

The cash-strapped SABC has now further downsized its lofty and over-promised TV channels offering for South Africa's long-stalled switch to digital television, with the South African public broadcaster that is toning down its envisioned TV channels collection from 18 to just a possible 9.

In September 2011 SABC executives and the SABC board told parliament that the SABC's offering for digital terrestrial television (DTT) will consist of 18 TV channels: 17 TV channels (including SABC1, SABC2, SABC3) and one interactive video service channel, as well as 18 SABC radio stations plus Channel Africa.

For DTT the SABC also promised parliament multiple times in the past that new services like closed captioning (on-screen subtitles) in multiple languages that can be accessed by the set top box's remote control, multiple language soundtracks with up to 4 different audio tracks per programme for certain shows, audio description to provide contextual information in programmes, as well as some interactive applications.

After a decade of working towards DTT, out of the SABC's envisioned DTT plans, only SABC News (DStv 404) and SABC Encore (DStv 156) have so far materialised, both carried on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform as part of an exclusive channels carriage contract with Naspers' pay-TV arm.

On Tuesday the SABC told parliament that the broadcaster that is hovering on the brink of financial collapse, has now downscaled its proposed DTT channels offering to just 9 TV channels.

These envisioned additional new channels don't have any funding yet and won't materialise without cash that will have to come from somewhere and that the SABC hasn't currently budgeted for.

The SABC now wants its DTT channels offering to be SABC1, SABC2, SABC3, SABC News, a SABC Parliamentary channel, SABC Education, SABC Health, SABC Sport and SABC History.

"For the SABC Parliamentary channel our intention isn't to have it as just a feed but we are going to make sure that it has presenters and it is interactive and actually deals with the issues of the day. So the only cost that we anticipate seeing there might be on-air talent," said Nomsa Philiso, the group executive for SABC television.

"For the SABC Education channel we're looking for partnerships and in this instance the conversations have already started with a funder, however we still need to start a conversation with the department of education."

"Similarly, with the SABC Health channel we want to be able to partner with corporate and we are in the process of trying to find out how that can be done," said Nomsa Philiso.

"From a SABC Sport channel point of view this can only be done in the form of a partnership as well."

"Depending on which DTT channel launches first in terms of how we're going to phase this - because if we have SABC Sport as a high definition (HD) channel we may not be able to have the 9th channel but if we have it as a standard definition (SD) channel we may then be able to do another channel - so we are anticipating that we will have a 9th channel which is going to be the SABC History channel."

"SABC History is a channel that will give us the opportunity to really contribute in terms of what are South Africans, who are we and what is our history."


SABC's DTT dream has no funds
Nomsa Philiso said "this dream here is currently unfunded but we do believe that corporate South Africa will rise up and really partner with us in terms of the channels that we would like to see on the digital platform".

A single linear TV channel requires 8 760 hours of content per year.

The SABC's reworked DTT offering plan has now dumped plans for the envisioned regionalised channels SABC4 catering to the north of the country and SABC5 that would have catered for audiences in the south.

The SABC has also quietly shelved its plan announced in April 2016 for 3 language based DTT TV channels - a channel for Afrikaans viewers, a Sotho channel catering for Sesotho, Setswana and Sepedi languages; and a Nguni focused channel catering to Zulu, Xhosa, Siswati and Ndebele viewers.


SABC 'revitalizing' sliding SABC2, SABC3 as e.tv readies OpenNews
The SABC that is under pressure to maintain its TV audience share, told parliament that the existing SABC2 and SABC3 channels have seen their audiences and share continue to slide the past year but that SABC2 - that has gone through 6 big schedule changes since 2014 - is looking at revitalizing some prime time shows that is showing audience erosion to lure viewers back.

The SABC is also yet again repositioning SABC3 this year, this time in the "premium space" and will focus on reality, drama, emotainment magazine shows and talk shows for the "mobile audience" that is perceived to be DStv viewers but who would watch SABC3.

Meanwhile the SABC's free-to-air rival e.tv is forging ahead with its DTT plans, with eMedia Investments' rebranded direct-to-home (DTH) and free-to-air satellite TV service Openview launching its new 2-hour block of Afrikaans content on its eExtra channel on 1 October.

This will include the new daily half hour Afrikaans TV news bulletin Nuusdag that will also launch on 1 October and that will be available to DStv and StarSat subscribers since the eExtra channel is carried on both of these platforms.

Meanwhile OpenNews as a new DTT free-to-air TV news channel and e.tv's own in-house rival to eNCA (DStv 403) supplied to MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform is set to launch on 1 November on the Openview platform.

The SABC launches the SABC Education Virtual Academy as a self-help, e-learning system to help matric learners.

The SABC's SABC Education division has launched the SABC Education Virtual Academy (SEVA) as a self-help, e-learning system.

The SEVA at www.seva.co.za, has been designed to help matric learners with their studies and equip them with skills to work independently.

The SABC says SEVA will provide access to video lessons, flash cards, notes and online assignments on five critical learning areas:  Mathematics, Accounting, English, Physical and Life Sciences for free.

"It was important to create a platform like SEVA because we wanted learners to have easier access to our educational content," says Danie Swart, the head of SABC Education.

Learners will be required to register on www.seva.co.za, using a smartphone, tablet or computer in order to access the learner support material.

Teen variety show Hectic Nine-9 on SABC2 turns 10; will celebrate its decade-old anniversary with a new set and past presenters' reunion.

SABC2's youth variety programming block Hectic Nine-9 will celebrate its 10th anniversary today at 16:00 and reveal a new Cape Town set where the show is filmed by Okuhle Media, and include a reunion of current and former presenters.

"Hectic Nine-9 is, and always has been, for, by and about the viewers," says Noleen Nagel, Hectic Nine-9 producer.

"Hectic Nine-9 has, for years, been a place where South Africa's youth come together, and for the past 10 years, the show has produced content that has cemented its place as SABC2's flagship tween and teen program," says Zandil Nkosi, SABC Children commissioning editor.

"The birthday celebrations are SABC2's gift to the South African youth for continuing to tune into Hn9 and for making the show the success that it is today."

Hectic Nine-9 will unveil a new set today, completely rebuilt for the show's 10th anniversary. The show's audience will include Hectic Nine-9 friends and fans, with a old presenters' reunion included, as well as live performances from local South African artists.

The Hectic Nine-9 presenters Laurian Nortje and Ayanda Makuzeni, both of whom have been presenters since the first episode in 2007 say "viewers grew up with the show and are still loyal fans 10 years later. It’s an enormous privilege to be able to welcome some of them as VIP guests".

SABC's education division joins the Tuluntulu app to provide educational programming as a new channel on the Africa app.

The SABC's education division has joined the Tuluntulu app to bring SABC Education content to mobile phones and tablets across Africa.

SABC Education will provide educational programming to Tuluntulu through the SABC Education channel on the app. The SABC also provides some children's programming through the SABC Children channel on the Tuluntulu app.

The Tuluntulu app which can be downloaded from the Google Play and iOS Apple stores are free, and uses about 50MB of data per hour when used.

The Tuluntulu app already has streaming streaming TV channels like Al Jazeera which is also on MultiChoice's DStv and On Digital Media's StarSat, as well as Infinity Media's South African TV news channel ANN7 (DStv 405) on DStv.

South Africa is one of the most popular countries where Tuluntula has been downloaded as an app, together with Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The app has been downloaded over 222 000 times already in 154 countries.

"To remain competitive, it is imperative that we share our television content with mobile users," says Eric Muragana, the web and new media manager at SABC Education.

"Our partnership with Tuluntulu, one of the fastest growing content apps in Africa is very important for learning," says Eric Muragana.

"Tuluntulu is delighted to partner with SABC Education in this new venture," says Pierre van der Hoven, Tuluntulu CEO and founder.

"We believe this new mobile channel will have a significant positive impact in education across Africa".

One Day Leader back on SABC1 for a 4th season; after 3rd season's scandal contestants may no longer have family members working for the SABC.

One Day Leader will be back on SABC1 for a 4th season with people who can enter now for the youth leadership show run by the SABC Education division.

One Day Leader found its credibility dented and its reputation tarnished last year as viewers wondered exactly what kind of leaders the SABC's One Day Leader show is actually producing.

The third season of One Day Leader became embroiled in a scandal when dishonest contestant Jabulani Sibiya was dumped just before the finale over dishonesty and lying.

The brouhaha followed after the discovery that his sister actually worked for the SABC - as a brand manager for SABC2 - and allegations of possible favouritism.

Now SABC Education and SABC1 have announced that entries for the fourth season of One Day Leader are open.

People who want to enter the 4th season of One Day Leader must be between 18 and 25, be South African, already matriculated (meaning the SABC's own chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng would not be eligible), must be involved in a community project of some kind and have a portfolio of work to show.

Contestants must be able to communicate well in English (since studios debates are in English), must be willing to live in Johannesburg for a period of three months and - to avoid another scandal like the third season - not have any family members working for the SABC.

People can enter and find the entry form at onedayleader.co.za or call 011 326 0276 and the colsing date is 1 November.

EXCLUSIVE. SABC dumping dishonest contestant Jabulani Sibiya from reality show One Day Leader after lying about SABC family ties.

You're reading it here first. 

I can reveal that the SABC is dumping the reality show contestant Jabulani Sibiya from the third season of One Day Leader on SABC1 for being dishonest and lying.

Meanwhile questions have also been raised about alleged possible favouritism by an SABC on-air manager for the contestant - while the contestant's sister also happens to work at the SABC - as a brand manager.

As the third season of One Day Leader approached the finals, concern had been growing about Jabulani Sibiya, with insiders who struggled to understand why he was allowed to be on the SABC show as a contestant if he is the brother of Nomfundo Sibiya, brand manager of SABC2.

Eyebrows were also raised further recently when it appeared as if Jabulani Sibiya was allegedly getting "support" from people like Fortuna Masina - the on-air manager of SABC2 - in for instance tweets.

"This gives him an advantage over other contestants who are just as good," said one insider.

Now the SABC and Mountain Top Productions have decided to dump Jabulani Sibiya from One Day Leader for being dishonest, and for not telling the production company and keeping secret that he had a relative and family ties at the public broadcaster.

TV with Thinus can disclose that the production company Mountain Top Productions had a conversation with Jabulani Sibiya "and he confirmed his relation to Nomfundo Sibaya as his sister," the SABC tells me.

"In the production company's first meeting with the contestants, the production house did ask them if they have family at Mountain Top or at the SABC, and they all said no. So as far as the production knew, he didn't have a relative at the SABC."

"Also there's a clause in the contract that states declaration of relatives which Jabulani Sibiya signed."

"Upon our investigation and receipt of all the facts and documentation on the contract we as SABC1 have taken an executive decision to disqualify the contestant from the competition," the broadcaster tells TV with Thinus.

"This is due to to the above facts and the unfortunate reality of the contestant not being truthful in the required declarations."

Regarding Fortune Masina's tweets the SABC tells me that "upon viewing of the tweets he sent, we have concluded that the twee sent did not in any way give advantage to the contestant as the person in question did not in any way have influence over the judges' decision of the finalists' outcome".

The SABC says it has "dealt with this internally".

Jabulani Sibiya who attended Parktown Boys High School is studying towards a degree in marketing management at the University of Johannesburg and was mayor in 2010 and 2011 of the Johannesburg junior council according to the bio SABC Education issued for the disqualified One Day Leader contestant.

In a Facebook post Jabulani Sibiya wrote that it is "with a broken heart I must still be accountable" and that "this is not the end of me".

BREAKING. SABC botches 2013 matric results by SMS, blames SMS service provider and cellphone companies for lack of service delivery.

The SABC has botched it own touted service of sending 2013 matrics their results by SMS, with the SABC now blaming the SMS service provider and even going so far as alluding that it might be users' own cellphone operators who might be to blame for not getting the promised SMS.

The SABC promised users who signed up for the service that they would be getting the matric results by SMS.

After complaints from irate people telling the broadcaster that they haven't received anything, or very late, the SABC is now blaming the SMS service provider for the service delivery mess.

"SABC Education apologises for delays but the SMS service provider has assured everyone that they are sending the SMSes as fast as they can," says the SABC.

"There have been a large number of people registering for SMSes and there might also be delays with individual cellular service providers," says the SABC.

The broadcaster says SMSes were sent from 06:00 on Tuesday morning and that SMSes will continue to be sent until 18:00 on Tuesday evening.

SABC Education website's 'account suspended'; SABC admits 'problems with the technical hosting' that is getting attention.

The SABC Education website at www.sabceducation.co.za/ has been greeting visitors with ''account suspended'' for a while now, with industry insiders who've been wondering what is going on.

The SABC notes that the broadcaster has been experiencing problems, but tells TV with Thinus the site will be up again soon.

''The SABC Education site is hoted outside the country by NetOps,'' says the SABC. ''We did have some problems with the technical hosting environment. We have just been informed that the site has been activated. It may take some time for us to see this in South Africa since dns propagation has to happen,'' says the broadcaster.

''We have requested our service provider for digital media including the website to speed-up the process with NetOps. We are told that the dns propagation is currently updating.''

BREAKING. SABC working on brand-new SABC Entertainment and SABC Education channels.

You're reading it here first.

For the first time the SABC is officially stating that it's working on brand-new digital TV channels, SABC Entertainment, SABC Sport and SABC Education.

The SABC that started its trial service with its own digital set top boxes (STB's) this year for the switch-over to digital terrestrial television (DTT) in South Africa from next year, says in its latest financial year report that the trial currently comprises 7 SABC TV channels.

These 7 SABC TV channels include digital broadcasting versions of SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 (exactly the same ones that viewers are currently seeing, - but with added digital content of course like an electronic programme guide (EPG) - and other enhanced features), but also 3 trial channels: SABC Entertainment, SABC Sport and SABC Education.
(E.tv also has 2 trial channels as part of the mix but these 2 channels don't form a part of the 7).

The SABC is using 1 755 STB's in its DTT trial run pilot project.

Click on READ MORE below for more brand-new information on the new SABC Entertainment and SABC Education channels that I've found out.