MultiChoice: SABC News 24-hour channel will eventually expand beyond Southern Africa and will become available in the rest of Africa.

The SABC's new second version of a 24-hour news channel, SABC News (DStv 404), which was launched on Thursday and replace SABC News International on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform will eventually expand and be seen in the rest of Africa, says MultiChoice.

"At the moment it is seen in Southern Africa. So it goes beyond the borders of South Africa," Imtiaz Patel, the group CEO of MultiChoice South Africa said on the SABC News channel on Thursday evening, talking about the reach of the new news channel.

"Obviously we have plans for the news channel when we complete out discussions, for it to go into the rest of Africa," said Imtiaz Patel. "At the moment it covers Southern Africa."

"There is a need for the positive stories. About the fantastic things which are happening in this country to be told. And I think little of that really is told. I think the SABC News will bring that kind of element," said Imtiaz Patel.

Imtiaz Patel, MultiChoice's CEO watches the SABC's morning breakfast show Morning Live every day.

Who knew? MultiChoice's CEO Imtiaz Patel has a favourite morning show on television and it's not Expresso, Sunrise or Morning News Today but SABC2's Morning Live.

SABC2's Morning Live is being simulcast on the SABC's new 24-hour TV news channel, SABC News on DStv 404 which is replacing the previous SABC News International, with Morning Live shown at the same time on SABC2 and the SABC News channel.

MultiChoice is giving the SABC more than half a billion rand over the next few years to run the SABC news channel.

Interviewed on the new SABC News TV channel, Imtiaz Patel said "I watch Morning Live almost every single morning, even though I'm working, in the background. It has a special resonance," he said.

"The SABC has a special resonance. We think it [the channel] will bring something really unique and something really special to our audiences."

"For our viewers it brings diversity; it brings an alternate viewpoint. We can then compare how are particular stories by one TV channel and another and I think that will be very interesting," said Imtiaz Patel.