PEU Communications switches filming of SABC1's Skeem Saam from Sasani Studios to SABC's Henley

Thinus Ferreira

Skeem Saam is no longer filmed at Sasani Studios but at the SABC's Henley studio facilities in Auckland Park as part of the South African public broadcaster's new initiative to move productions to in-house studio space in the SABC's ongoing cost-cutting measures.

From September, SABC1's Skeem Saam is filmed at the SABC and no longer at eMedia Holdings' Sasani Studios in Highlands North in Johannesburg where the show was produced for decades. 

The move is unrelated to the Skeem Saam on-set fire in February at Sasani Studios that saw two crew members injured and hospitalised.

The SABC started looking into bringing more of its productions in-house in 2024 to save costs. 

As Skeem Saam is concerned, the first phase of the transition was done and completed in November last year when Skeem Saam's post-production operations moved to the SABC.

The SABC, in its latest 2024/'25 annual report, states that Skeem Saam's full studio move from Sasani Studios to the SABC was scheduled to be completed by September 2025.

"Bringing these and other productions in-house will help the business reduce costs previously spent on third parties," the SABC notes.

PEU Communications told TVwithThinus that Skeem Saam "officially transitioned its production from Sasani Studios to the SABC in Auckland Park officially on 1 September. We are now fully operating from the SABC studio space and the move has gone smoothly, with everyone well settled in".

ALSO READ: Peu Communications resumes Skeem Saam filming after Sasani Studios fire, set damage unknown

Fire at Sasani Studios injures two crew members working on SABC1's Skeem Saam, damages sets and equipment

by Thinus Ferreira

A fire that broke out on Monday afternoon at Sasani Studios in Highlands North in Johannesburg on the set of SABC1's Skeem Saam and damaged sets and equipment, injured two crew members who were hospitalised.

Sasani Studios belong to eMedia Holdings, with Peu Communication Solutions that is the production company renting space on the lot where Skeem Saam is filmed.

Sasani Studios is also home to other shows like e.tv's Scandal! and kykNET's Diepe Waters.

The cause of Monday's fire at the SABC1 weekday soap is not yet known or when filming will resume.

"The SABC confirms that a fire occurred at Sasani Studios on the set of SABC1's flagship drama, Skeem Saam, resulting in two crew members being injured and hospitalised," says Mmoni Ngubane, SABC spokesperson.

"The fire caused some damage to sets and equipment and the full extent thereof is being assessed. To this end we are working closely with Peu Communication Solutions and Sasani Studios to evaluate the situation.

"Our thoughts are with the injured crew members and we wish them a speedy recovery."

eMedia Holdings was asked for comment and about the crew injuries with the company that responded that "this is an ongoing investigation and we cannot comment at this time".

Amalanga Awafani telenovela from Stained Glass TV to fill SABC1's former Skeem Saam timeslot from April

by Thinus Ferreira

After filling the 18:30 weekday timeslot on SABC1 with repeats that caused a ratings drop since new first-run content wasn't available a year ago, the SABC now plans to start a new telenovela, Amalanga Awafani from April.

Amalanga Awafani, loosely translated as "the days are not the same", is produced for SABC1 by Stained Glass TV, the production company also responsible for Uzalo on SABC1 as well as series on both MultiChoice's Showmax and for Netflix South Africa.

The SABC provided no basic casting, crew, or episode order information.

In a logline the SABC describes Amalanga Awafani as "about choices and desires".

"If you suddenly came into some extra millions, what would you buy? A new car, luxury fashion, high-end appliances, or the best experiences money can afford?"

According to SABC1, Amalanga Awafani "promises to be a socially relevant offering that resonates with a wide demographic, spanning rural, peri-urban, and urban audiences. The drama will unveil talent, introduce new characters, and leave viewers intrigued and on the edge of their seats".

How just 3 SABC shows lost almost 3 million viewers last week.

by Thinus Ferreira

Drastic moves between TV channels and timeslot changes saw just three locally-produced SABC programmes lose close to a combined three million viewers on Monday last week with ad buyers saying the struggling public broadcaster will pay the price when it's forced to cut advertising rates.

Last week Monday was the day the SABC implemented a drastic change: Moving shows on SABC1 later and to SABC2, removing Afrikaans shows from SABC2 and shunting the Afrikaans TV news bulletin that was at 18:30 to the much later timeslot of 20:30 on SABC3 with the channel that has much more limited transmission reach.

The SABC decided to move the youth soap Skeem Saam to a later timeslot on SABC1 at 19:30 where the show itself lost viewers. 

The SABC filled its successful 18:30 timeslot on SABC1 where Skeem Saam used to air, with a rebroadcast in early primetime of old episodes of a series called The Executives. 

This caused SABC1's 18:30 timeslot to abruptly lose over 2.1 million viewers last week Monday, plummeting to just 1.87 million viewers in the timeslot.

The second season of the Primedia Studios produced Deal or No Deal SA that was on SABC1 got shunted to SABC2 at 18:30 where the show itself lost over 1.5 million viewers last Monday.

The Afrikaans TV news bulletin was moved to SABC3 where this bulletin lost almost 75% of its viewers on Monday. The move also meant the end of the longtime Afrikaans block on SABC2 following the cancellation of the long-running 7de Laan which wasn't replaced with a new show despite promises from the SABC to do so.

On Monday evening, Skeem Saam produced by Peu Communications, which reached a high of 4.04 million viewers on SABC1 in February in its 18:30 timeslot last month plunged to 3.2 million viewers in its 19:30 timeslot up against Scandal! on e.tv.

While Skeem Saam with its 3.2 million viewers won the 19:30 timeslot over e.tv's Scandal!, Skeem Saam as a show itself lost around 840 000 viewers between 20 February and last Monday's timeslot change.

According to ratings data from the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA), Deal or No Deal SA which had a high of 1.92 million viewers on SABC1 last month on 19 February, lost a whopping 1.5 million viewers last Monday when it only managed to get 414 556 viewers on SABC2 in the 18:30 timeslot. 

It means Primedia Studios and the SABC lost a whopping 78.4% of the specific show audience that used to watch Deal or No Deal SA on SABC1 and didn't tune in for it last Monday on SABC2. Primedia Studios and the SABC share revenue from the show and will now earn less money from it on SABC2 than what it made on SABC1.

The Afrikaans TV news bulletin that reached a high of 621 215 viewers on SABC2 in February on SABC2 as one of the channel's most-watched shows, plunged to just 163 663 viewers on SABC3 last Monday night according to BRCSA viewership data.

It means that this TV news bulletin shed a massive 457 552 viewers and almost three-quarters (73.6%) of its dedicated audience which evaporated in the channel switch from SABC2 to the much smaller SABC3.

Combined, just these three TV programmes - Skeem Saam, Deal or no Deal SA and the Afrikaans TV news - lost 2.8 million SABC viewers that used to watch these three specific shows in February and on last Monday no longer did so.

Timeslot-wise the SABC gained 1.3 million viewers on SABC1 at 19:30 last Monday but lost 2.1 million viewers on SABC1 at 18:30.

Advertisers follow audiences and audiences follow - or unfollow - shows.

Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson, in response to a media query, says "The SABC would like to reiterate that the video entertainment division continuously engages on various strategies to improve the content offering and which may result in programming shifts, involving moving shows to other channels".

"The shifts are informed by detailed insights including consideration of the SABC financial sustainability. In line with our mandate, the delivery of the Afrikaans content remains a key deliverable for the SABC and will not be compromised."

"In terms of the performance of the network, the SABC's goal is to have optimal performance and experience audience growth. The change has only been in effect for a week, and we need to review at least a month to see how the changes affect the schedule."

The SABC said that at 18:30 where The Executives is running in early primetime as a rebroadcast instead of original content "the drama is currently performing at 1.4 million viewers on average".

"Skeem Saam at 19:30 has increased the slot and has achieved an average of 3.2 million viewers with the launch. SABC1 has maintained its viewership. Deal or No Deal SA on SABC2 replaced die Nuus at 18:30 and is currently performing at 400 000 on average, which means that the slot has maintained as die Nuus on SABC2 performed around the same average."

"On SABC3 at 20:30, previously occupied by a variety of content (Unfiltered, Conflict Zone, Global 3000, Focus on Europe and AFCON – SA vs Nigeria) performed at an average of 200 000 viewers is currently performing at an average of 140 000 viewers."

'SABC will lose ad money'

The SABC which is already in a financial struggle will definitely start to lose millions of rand in potential ad revenue from advertisers due to the latest show, channel and timeslot changes, a highly-experienced ad placement executive told TVwithThinus.  

The person who doesn't want to be named since they place TV commercials and buy ads across broadcasters including SABC inventory and doesn't want to damage relationships with the broadcaster, says if the SABC loses audience and ratings, it undoubtedly loses ad income.

"Ads are bought on a cost-per-point (CPP) basis. For example, let's say you pay R100 for a show with a 20 rating. That's R5 per ratings and your CPP is R5."

"The moment you start losing viewers - instead of 20, you suddenly have a 10 rating - half of the viewers. Instead of paying R5, you're effectively asked to now pay R10 per rating," the person explains.

"When the SABC loses viewers, they don't change the ad rates - they keep it the same, meaning the SABC becomes less competitive and starts to lose money since the advertiser decides to rather place the ad or buy the ad space elsewhere."

"What they then have to do the next month is to adjust the ad rate. We as advertisers still just want to pay R5 per rating. In order to try and remain competitive, the SABC is then forced to also cut the ad rate in half if they want me to keep advertising with them."

"The result is that now I'm only paying R50 for fewer viewers, instead of R100 like before, which means that the SABC gets less ad  revenue from the advertiser."

SABC1’s Skeem Saam loses 1.3 million viewers in timeslot change that SABC calls 'a massive historical audience rating'.

by Thinus Ferreira

In a shocking but not unexpected move the SABC and Skeem Saam immediately lost over 1.3 million viewers on Monday night when the youth-centric series aired in its later timeslot of 19:30 on SABC1 for the first time, plunging to just 3.2 million viewers.

From Monday the SABC made drastic changes to the schedules of its three legacy terrestrial TV channels SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3.

These include the SABC moving Skeem Saam later from 18:30 to 19:30, removing Afrikaans content from SABC2 and placing it on SABC3, cancelling the current affairs show Fokus, moving the Afrikaans TV news much later to 20:30 on SABC3, as well as moving Deal or No Deal SA from SABC1 to SABC2.

Advertisers and insiders warned the SABC last month that big changes to its schedules will chase away viewers, lead to lower ratings and in turn force the SABC to lower ad rates for 30 second TV commercials spots, which would lead to lower ad revenue for the public broadcaster. 

While Skeem Saam still had over 4.5 million viewers in January in its 18:30 timeslot on SABC1, the show plunged in the ratings race on Monday night in the move to 19:30 where the Peu Communications production fell to just 3.2 million viewers. That's an instant loss of 1.3 million viewers.

In the 19:30 timeslot on SABC1 where Deal or No Deal SA pulled 1.92 million viewers in January, the move of Skeem Saam gained the timeslot 1.2 million viewers. 

Ratings data is not yet available for the 18:30 timeslot on SABC1 although the broadcaster very likely lost viewers since the SABC that had Skeem Saam as an original production now filled the timeslot with repeat programming, stripping a rebroadcast of The Executives which always yields lower viewership than first-run episodes.of a series.

March viewership data is also not yet available for SABC2's 18:30 timeslot on Monday night or SABC3's 20:30 timeslot although that is likely also down since SABC3's broadcast footprint and transmission reach is the smallest of the three TV channels, meaning viewers were left behind in the migration of programming to smaller TV channels.

In a statement on Tuesday evening about Skeem Saam's viewership numbers on Monday night, the SABC says that Skeem Saam "achieved a massive historical audience rating of over 3.2 million viewers last night, 4 March 2024 when the popular drama debuted in the new timeslot of 19:30".

Ofentse Thinana, SABC1 channel head, says "As the public broadcaster we wanted to make sure that we align with the audiences and to give them what they have asked for".

"We are proud of the performance of the first night and are looking forward to more highlights and wins with the Skeem Saam move. Thank you to the SABC1 audiences for walking the journey with us!"

The SABC was asked and said it would respond about the viewership of the 18:30 timeslot on SABC1, its reaction to Skeem Saam losing viewers in the timeslot move and whether it expected the show to lose or gain viewers in the scheduling move.

ALSO READ: SABC holds showcase event about drastic content changes across its TV channels.

ALSO READ: 2014 is 2024: SABC plans to dump Afrikaans content from SABC2 with Fokus cancelled, Afrikaans news and other shows moved to smaller SABC3.

ALSO READ: SABC unplugs Primedia Studios' Deal or No Deal SA from SABC1 and shunts it to SABC2 for second season.

ALSO READ: SABC1 shifts Skeem Saam to 7:30pm from March to pit edgier youth drama against e.tv's Scandal!, 'something we will have to adjust to' says Peu Communications.

SABC unplugs Primedia Studios' Deal or No Deal SA from SABC1 and shunts it to SABC2 for second season.

by Thinus Ferreira

In another shocking programming move from the SABC, the public broadcaster is shifting Deal or No Deal SA to SABC2 from March which means that the local version of the game show will now have been shown on all three of the SABC's traditional terrestrial TV channels.

While the first season of Deal or No Deal SA - produced by Homebrew Films through Primedia Studios with host Katlego Maboe - aired on SABC1 with repeats on SABC3 since March 2023, the second season of the Banijay-format show from March 2024 will now suddenly be on SABC2.

Before the start of the show in 2023, the SABC was asked why a TV show specifically for SABC1 audiences would work and be shown on SABC3, with the broadcaster that responded by saying that Deal or No Deal SA and The Masked Singer SA works for both those TV channels. 

Now the SABC has decided that the show works for not just two but all three of its differently branded TV channels although each channel supposedly caters content to separate viewing audiences.

The SABC calls the Deal or No Deal SA move from SABC1 to SABC2 a "scheduling adjustment".

Deal or No Deal SA is moving into the 18:30 timeslot on SABC2 where the Afrikaans TV news bulletin was. After cancelling 7de Laan in the 18:00 timeslot on SABC2, the SABC is moving the Afrikaans TV news from the 18:30 timeslot to SABC3 and much later to 20:30.

The SABC is also cancelling the broadcaster's sole Afrikaans current affairs show Fokus and removing the remaining Afrikaans content from SABC2 besides the TV news from the channel as part of a plan to reallocate it its struggling and smaller SABC3 channel.

On SABC1, the Deal or No Deal SA gap at 19:30 is being filled with Skeem Saam moving later to this timeslot. No announcement has yet been made on what SABC1 will fill Skeem Saam's timeslot with but the preliminary schedule shows repeats at 18:30. 

"Game shows are part of the SABC2 signature offering and have always been audience drawcard," says Gerhard Pretorius, SABC channel head.

"They encourage family viewing and participation and speak to our family entertainment positioning. We are excited to continue the show's legacy of uplifting communities and giving back, and we welcome Deal or No Deal to the SABC2 family."

Jan du Plessis, Primedia Studios president, says "We are immensely proud of Deal or No Deal South Africa and how it has brought smiles and excitement to many Mzansi homes."

"Whilst the upcoming season will have all the thrilling elements that will make more viewers fall in love with the show, loyal fans are in for some delightful surprises. The mysterious banker will have some exciting new tricks up his sleeve."

'Dirty secrets bubbling to the surface': Skeem Saam on SABC1 reveals cast additions.

by Thinus Ferreira

SABC1's youth drama series Skeem Saam has unveiled new cast additions including Nyaniso Dzedze, Pholoso Mohlala, Brendan Pamhake and Themba Manganyi who have been added to the Peu Communications produced show.

The first of the actors will start to show up on-screen in Skeem Saam from today, 26 January, and over the course of the next few weeks.

"This year brings dirty secrets bubbling to the surface, budding new relationships, a fallen star, and a high-speed car chase," Peu Communications says in a press release.

From 4 March the SABC is moving Skeem Saam from its 18:30 timeslot on SABC1 to 19:30 where it will now be up against e.tv's Scandal!.

Pholoso Mohlala makes his appearance for the first time today as the character of Tsietsi. Pholoso Mohlala previously appeared in SABC3's Isidingo, SABC2's 7de Laan, in The Queen on Mzansi Magic as well as a guest appearance in About Him: A South African Love Letter.

Themba Manganyi (above) will make his appearance on 31 January as the character of Pule, while Brendan Maphake (below) will make his appearance as the character of Amukelani, called Amu, from 2 February.

According to the show Amu as a new Turfloop learner "causes a stir when he leaves the girls smitten and all the boys feeling intimidated".

Actor Nyaniso Dzedze who has appeared on-screen in Ashes to Ashes, Unmarried and e.tv's Durban Gen, will make his appearance on 12 February as the character of Nkosi.

According to the character's logline he is a "man who owns a well-established security company and is the perfect definition of 'a friend in need is a friend indeed' when he quickly comes to Lehasa's rescue".

ALSO READ: SABC1 shifts Skeem Saam to 7:30pm from March to pit edgier youth drama against e.tv's Scandal!, 'something we will have to adjust to' says Peu Communications.

SABC1 shifts Skeem Saam to 7:30pm from March to pit edgier youth drama against e.tv's Scandal!, 'something we will have to adjust to' says Peu Communications.

by Thinus Ferreira

From March SABC1 is shifting South African television's 4th most-watched show and the South African public broadcaster's third most-watched show to 19:30, pitting Skeem Saam up against e.tv's Scandal!, with the Peu Communications production saying the extremely aggressive timeslot "is something we will have to adjust to". 

In its 12th season, the long-running youth drama series which has remained a consistent ratings buoy for the SABC and SABC1 in its early primetime timeslot of 18:30, will go up against the e.tv ratings juggernaut Scandal! in the 19:30 timeslot.

With the introduction of a human trafficking storyline, Skeem Saam with its 4.64 million viewers in December in its 18:30 berth as SABC1's third most-watched show, will now compete against Scandal!, produced by Ochre Moving Pictures and its 4.82 million viewers in December on e.tv in the 19:30 timeslot.

Since there are not really more viewers available in a given timeslot, it's likely that either Skeem Saam and SABC1 are going to shed viewers defecting to e.tv, or that Scandal! and e.tv might lose viewers to SABC1 from 4 March.

The SABC says the Skeem Saam timeslot shift is "in line with SABC Video Entertainment's strategy to amplify its primetime local drama offering to its viewers from 19:30 to 21:30 with SABC1's Skeem Saam, Generations - The Legacy, Uzalo and SABC2's Muvhango".

The SABC says the public broadcaster "will host two hours of back-to-back drama on the SABC Video Entertainment platform, intentionally targeting a broader audience and ensuring the platform remains competitive".

Skeem Saam which began in 211 was created by Winnie Serite, with the show that is set in Johannesburg and Turfloop, revolving around the "ups and downs of teenagers trying to find their way through life's struggles".

Ofentse Thinane, SABC channel head, says "For years, the SABC1 audience has made a plea, requesting to change the Skeem Saam timeslot, stating that the show timeslot is too early for some as the show broadcasts during the travelling time for a lot of the viewers".

"For SABC1, we see this as an opportunity to make the channel edgier and braver and adapt to the audience's needs. The world of television is an exciting platform where we should not be afraid to adapt while upholding our responsibility to shape the youth and societal roles."

Sumaya Petersen Mogola, Peu Communications publicity manager, says "A timeslot change in our 12th season will definitely be a big change for us and it is something we will have to adjust to".

"However, we are positive that the change will give us an opportunity to expand and reach a larger audience. We have great stories lined up, and we can't wait for our viewers to tune in."

TV RATINGS April 2023: SABC1's Uzalo sheds 1.2 million viewers as e.tv loses 2.1 million viewers with new soaps and DStv's bad Big Brother Titans ends with just 340 000 viewers on Mzansi Magic.

by Thinus Ferreira

As South Africa's ongoing and debilitating electricity blackouts continue to wipe millions of TV households from the country's ratings system, Uzalo as the most-watched show in the country lost over 1.2 million viewers in April, while e.tv's two new prime-time soaps were both rating disappointments - as was M-Net's Big Brother Titans finale on Mzansi Magic.

As South Africa continues to suffer through Eskom's Stage 6 load-shedding, the Durban-produced Uzalo plunged over 1.2 million viewers in April, falling from 6.248 million viewers in March as South Africa's most-watched show in television to 5.098 million in April. 

Meanwhile, e.tv's most-watched show, Scandal! - the fourth most-watched show overall in South Africa - shed 760 036 viewers in April when it fell from 4.947 million in March to 4.187 million viewers in April.

On SABC1, Skeem Saam moved up from its third place as third most-watched show to clinch second place, surpassing Generations - The Legacy. 

Although Skeem Saam lost viewers, falling from 4.603 million to 4.328 million viewers in April, Generations lost a much bigger part of its audience, tumbling from its perennial second-place with 4.924 million to 4.194 million viewers in April.

South African TV viewers absolutely love watching the TV news in their language. The Xhosa TV news bulletin on SABC1 lured 2.39 million viewers as the most-watched TV news in the country during April, followed by the Zulu TV news bulletin on the channel with 2.23 million viewers.

Nyan Nyan was slightly down from 2.087 million to 1.84 million viewers. Primedia and Rose & Oaks' Deal or No Deal SA was also slightly down from 1.6 to 1.45 million viewers.

SABC2's Muvhango sheds 400 000 viewers

On SABC2, the Venda prime-time soap Muvhango as the channel's most-watched show shed in excess of 400 000 viewers, falling from 1.775 million to 1.366 million viewers, followed by Afrikaans soap 7de Laan that sagged from 1.109 million to 922 467 viewers in April.

Giyani eroded from 982 107 to 851 977 viewers, while the Setswana TV news bulletin was down from 776 801 to 628 976 viewers in April. The Afrikaans TV news bulletin was down from 687 421 to 663 442 viewers.

Nong Seakaladi dropped from 593 729 to 541 354 viewers, while the Mandela and De Klerk movie lured 412 173 viewers. 

Natural history docs a lure on SABC3

On SABC3 the most-watched programming in April was the film Rise of the Planet of the Apes that lured 590 918 viewers, followed by the English TV news bulletin at 18:00 with 438 732 viewers, and the local soap The Estate with 418 028 viewers at most during the month.

Viewers like watching natural history programming on S3, with Baboons: Rules of the Troop (402 646), Great Parks of Africa (383 965) and Into the Wild: Colombia (305 136) finding a receptive audience. 

The 14:30 afternoon repeat of SABC1's Deal or No Deal SA lured 272 078 viewers to SABC3.

e.tv loses viewers 

The two new prime time replacement soaps for Imbewu and Durban Gen on e.tv - Nikiwe and Smoke & Mirrors were both ratings disappointments, luring far fewer viewers with their debut on 17 April.

While Durban Gen still had 1 967 574 viewers in April in its 18:30 timeslot, Nikiwe only got 1 455 901 in the same timeslot last month. While Imbewu at its end grabbed 2 275 169 viewers in April, Smoke & Mirrors only got 1 712 591 viewers at most last month. 

Neither Nikiwe or Smoke & Mirrors are top 5 e.tv shows like Imbewu and Durban Gen were.

House of Zwide as e.tv's second most-watched show lost 400 000 viewers and fell from 4.085 million to 3.599 million viewers.

Besides the 760 000 viewers that Scandal! lost, the 400 000 lost viewers from House of Zwide and the combined hit of 1 074 251 fewer viewers with Nikiwe and Smoke & Mirrors - it means that e.tv lost over 2.1 million viewers in just a month on the red letter channel.

The Black Door was lower from 2.237 million to 1.994 million viewers, while the Gavin Hood film Tsotsi was a bright spark pulling 2.12 million viewers for e.tv on 23 April as the channel's 4th most-watched piece of programming during the month. Mama Jack lured 2.076 million viewers.

Big Brother Titans ends with little fanfare

MultiChoice saw an overall improvement during April for DStv subscriber ratings although Gomora on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) as the most-watched show was slightly down from 885 304 to 863 074 viewers.

Sizok'thola on Moja Love (DStv 157) was second-most watched on pay-TV during April and up from 589 801 to 693 271 viewers, followed by Isifiso on Mzansi Magic in third place with 662 945 viewers.

Moja Love's X-Repo increased its audience from 588 547 to 628 788 viewers, while Gqeberha: The Empire improved from 589 267 to 608 811 viewers in April. The River declined from 586 939 to 540 788 viewers. Umndeni on Moja Love lost viewers, going from 458 356 to 371 607 viewers in April. 

M-Net's Big Brother Titans reality show finale was a ratings disappointment, luring only 346 252 viewers to Mzansi Magic on Sunday 2 April in the Sunday evening 19:00 timeslot.    

ALSO READ: Little publicised Nikiwe and Smoke & Mirrors cost and lost e.tv over 1 million viewers in April in disappointing TV ratings debut.

SABC1's youth series Skeem Saam goes back to school in 2022 with a new Turfloop teens cast.

by Thinus Ferreira

SABC1's hugely successful youth drama series Skeem Saam is going back to school with a new cast, introducing a new group of high school learners who will have to navigate the confusing world of sex, social media, and adult society.

Skeem Saam, together with Uzalo and Generations, forms the hugely successful top ratings-trifecta of South Africa's public broadcaster, luring millions of viewers combined on weeknights to the SABC1 programming line-up.

With its authentic mix of zippy storylines, the Winnie-Serite-created series on weeknights at 18:30 that lures just over 5 million viewers nightly, has been following the youthful lives of a group of Turfloop residents for over a decade since 2011 with great success, with a ever-revolving cast replenished with new faces as actors aged out of their roles.

Now Skeem Saam is once again getting a next generation infusion, with another new group of Turfloop High learners who will make their appearance from this week in the show from 12 January.

The roles of Mahlatse Mahlatse (Phillip Thobejane) and Letetswe (Mahlatse Moropo) - a duo of cousins who had already appeared in Skeem Saam - are seeing their roles expanded, with actresses Mosa Nkwashu and Zizo Sobhutyu joining Skeem Saam in the roles of Lewatle and Mosebjadi respectively.

Lewatle and Mosebjadi will make their appearance in Skeem Saam on 12 January, while the late Kele Kgomo's younger brother Paxton Kgomo, portrayed by Thabiso Molokomme, will be making his menacing appearance on Monday 10 January.

Skeem Saam says that the new group of Turfloop teens "will bring life to the daily struggles that many teenagers face" who will be "exposed to external and internal struggles" in the form of "puberty, peer pressure, competition, social media influence and parental forces".

South African television ratings in 2021: The winners and losers.

by Thinus Ferreira

We again saw a lot this year, and in 2021 a lot of that was on television, with millions of South Africans watching the same thing, at the same time, where linear TV broadcasting still triumphs over streaming services that are growing but from a very small base.

Given the impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa, as well as the public unrest and looting that took place in the country, 2021's biggest TV ratings winner was undoubtedly television news.

The TV swansong of veteran anchor Noxolo Grootboom on the night of 30 March drew a huge audience of 3.82 million to SABC1 for her final SABC News isiXhosa TV news bulletin at 19:00 on South African television.

The 3 823 686 viewers who tuned in represented a 33 share, meaning that 1 out of every 3 TV sets that were switched on during the timeslot, were tuned to watch her.

Although not entertainment content, every single televised presidential address and "family meeting" of president Cyril Ramaphosa in 2021 - from Covid lockdown announcements to speaking about the public looting and unrest in South Africa and his State of the Nation address - drew millions of viewers combined for each broadcast, as viewers watched him speak live on SABC, e.tv and the three TV news channels of eNCA (DStv 403), SABC News (DStv 404), and Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405).

Such was the huge and successful ratings that if Cyril Ramaphosa's speeches were a TV show it would definitely have been renewed for another season in 2022. 

In just July for instance, president Cyril Ramaphosa's televised address to the nation to announce that South Africa is moving to an adjusted Level 3 lockdown on 25 July propelled his speech to the most-watched "show" on SABC2 for the month.

It was also the 4th most-watched on all of South African television with 5.84 million viewers (15.09 AR / 44.8 share) who tuned in.

Just a few weeks earlier, millions of viewers were once again glued to SABC2 when Cyril Ramaphosa spoke on 12 July to address the public violence with 3.7 million viewers (9.57 AR / 28.4 share), and again when he made a speech on 16 July about the looting that drew 4.17 million viewers (10.78 AR / 32.4 share).

Add another 1.7 million viewers who watched president Cyril Ramaphosa and his speech on 12 July on e.tv, and another 3.19 million who watched his speech on e.tv on 11 July.

Public unrest lifts news ratings

Anxiety and fear around Covid and public unrest in South Africa lifted TV news ratings on South African television to new records - millions of viewers tuned to television to find out what was going on.

Combined, the Zulu TV news bulletin on SABC1 in 2021 remained the single most-watched piece of TV news content on all of South African television this year and kept surging in the ratings race as it added millions of viewers.

The Zulu TV news on SABC1 climbed to an astounding 4.6 million viewers (12.11 AR / 36.4 share) viewers in July as the 5th most-watched programme on South African television for the month with the 12 July broadcast recording the most viewers.

This was followed by the Xhosa TV news bulletin on SABC1 on 13 July with 4.49 million viewers (11.62 AR / 35.2 share) as the 6th most-watched programme on TV for the month. 

In this month, the Setswana TV news bulletin on SABC2 surged on 12 July to an absolutely incredible 2.6 million viewers (6.95 AR / 19.9 share) - up from 768 544 viewers in June.

The memorial service of the amaZulu King Goodwill Zwelithini in March snagged 712 222 viewers on SABC2 in March.

And good morning to all of those early risers: Despite so many challenges behind-the-scenes at the SABC, Morning Live on SABC2 in 2021 continued to pull more viewers early in the morning - in excess of 700 000 - than a lot of other TV shows get during prime time.

Newzroom excels

The unrest of 2021 lifted the 2-year old TV news channel Newzroom Afrika to higher prominence as one of the notable TV ratings winners of the year.

Newzroom Afrika dethroned eNCA for the first time this year as the most-watched TV news channel during a national crisis event during July's unrest and looting, as it experienced a surge of pay-TV viewers on Monday 12 July and pushing it to the top of TV news ratings in that month on MultiChoice's DStv.

Having poached SABC News and eNCA talent ranging from Vaylen Kirtley to Thembekile Mrototo this year, Newzfeed with Stephen Grootes on 12 July was the 22nd most-watched and highest-rated TV news show on DStv in July - the first time that Newzroom Afrika had such a ratings victory that counts as a new highwater-mark viewership success for the channel.

This was closely followed by Newzroom Afrika's Daytime Update block between 12:00 and 15:00 on the same day that lured 470 324 (1.22 AR / 6.9 share) viewers, giving the channel a second notch and bragging rights during that month's ratings ladder.

More Moja and Uzalo

The year gave e.tv reason to smile with its new primetime soap at 19:00, House of Zwide, that replaced the cancelled Rhythm City, which is a bona fide ratings success, luring in excess of 4 million viewers monthly.

On pay-TV, the tabloid content of Moja Love (DStv 157) continued to grip lower-tiered DStv subscribers during 2021 with the channel that kept rising in the ratings race, making Moja Love the biggest pay-TV channel ratings gainer in the year.

In some months Moja Love became the most-watched content on all of DStv, pushing Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) out of the top spots with its collection of sensationalist reality shows like Ujayola 9/9, Isencane Lengane, Giants of the City, Mamazala, No Excuse Pay Papgeld and Single and Mingle.

On free TV, the SABC1-trifecta of Uzalo, Generations and Skeem Saam kept the crown as the country's most-watched shows and entertainment programming with respectively around 8 million, 6.5 million and 5 million viewers.

Props to Anaconda: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid with e.tv that broadcast it for the umpteenth time in 2021 and still bit a whopping 3.5 million viewers.

Ratings losers and disappointments

The South African public broadcaster's "problem child", SABC3, became even more of a problem in 2021 as ratings keep tanking month after month all through the year even after a disastrous rebrand to "S3" that didn't do anything to stem the loss of viewers.

Over the last 5 years, SABC3 lost over 50% of its audience and shed some more in 2021.

From 1.525 million viewers that SABC3 had in January 2016 half a decade ago - already a small percentage from the channel's heydeys in the 2000s - ongoing viewership and TV rating erosion saw its viewership plummet to as low as 625 717 viewers (excluding a once-off soccer broadcast) by October.

The success of e.tv's House of Zwide pummelled S3's new soap The Estate in the same death-zone 19:00-timeslot that has been a ratings disaster for the channel - so much so that the SABC decided on repurposing-triage by putting reruns of The Estate on SABC1 during prime time as a windowing-experiment to try and funnel viewers to SABC3.

SABC3's attempt to introduce a new late afternoon talk show this year with Unpacked with Relebogile was also a dud, sliding from an already-low 340 000 viewers to just over 300 000 by August with none of the buzz that 3Talk with Noeleen and Real Talk with Anele once had.

With little exposure and buzz, South Africa's Ugly Betty-version of uBettina Wethu was a ratings disappointment in the 19:30-timeslot on SABC1, while Die Sentrum from Penguin Films that replaced the Friday episode of 7de Laan lured far less viewers and saw SABC2 end the timeslot-replacement experiment.

The shockingly sharp decline if Idols

The year's biggest ratings-shocker was M-Net and [SIC] Entertainment's long-running Idols on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) that suddenly plunged in viewership after scandal engulfed the choreographer-socialite Somizi Mhlongo who immediately exited the 17th season after serious allegations of physical abuse.

Idols started off season 17 with 1 018 607 viewers on Mzansi Magic in July as usual, as the 4th most-watched show on all of DStv for the month.

Instead of climbing and the usual ratings increase as interest would build, Idols suddenly plunged with DStv subscribers who were no longer interested in watching following the scandal as the show plunged to 10th place on DStv's most-watched list with 693 760 viewers at most in August.

It was further downhill from there for Idols with a season-low of just 683 814 viewers in October, far-off from where Idols used to rank during the live Sunday live spectacular broadcasts. So bad was the ratings that for the first time since Idols began on South African television, Mzansi Magic axed the post-finale press conference for the winner.

Once American Idol ratings started to tank in the United States it never recovered and it will be interesting to see what Idols does viewership wise in 2022 for its 18th season.

The SABC finally responds (without answering questions) about SABC1's latest wrong Generations content and the channel's ongoing problem to get its primetime playout right: 'Thanks for tuning in?'

by Thinus Ferreira

After more ongoing problems and mistakes with the playout of Generations on SABC1 last week, the South African public broadcaster took days to respond and belatedly just saying "the situation has been rectified".

SABC1 has ongoing problems and errors with broadcast episodes correctly, and in the correct order during primetime of its Skeem Saam and Generations soaps and last week once again messed up Generations for viewers, so much so that viewers - who didn't get any answers - couldn't make sense of what was going on.

SABC1's latest Generations mess where Phumzile Zonke is SABC1 channel head, is indicative of an ongoing issue that SABC1 and Phumzile Zonke either won't or can't fix. 

Just before the latest mistakes of Generations last week, SABC1 bungled the playout of Skeem Saam earlier in July.

TVwithThinus asked the SABC in an urgent media enquiry last week on Friday morning for an explanation as to why wrong Generations content was shown last week.

SABC1 was also asked for why it keeps happening, in light of what happened with the errors with Skeem Saam earlier this month again, and before that with both Skeem Saam and Generations again.

The SABC didn't respond with any answer.

The SABC was also asked why SABC1 is unable to fix the recurring problem and why the public broadcaster's TV channel isn't able to introduce effective measures to prevent the same problem or issue from recurring. 

Again the SABC didn't bother with any answer.

The SABC was also asked how the playout of Generations will work going forward from Friday in terms of episodes. The SABC also didn't bother to answer this question.

On Tuesday, TVwithThinus asked SABC1 again about the Generations mess.

Dichaba Phalatse, SABC video entertainment marketing manager in an emailed statement addressing none of the questions posed, said: "There was an error on our side resulting in the wrong episode being played , however the situation has been rectified and the correct episodes are now playing. Thank you for tuning in?"

ALSO READ: SABC1 viewers angry after the channel once again shows the wrong Skeem Saam episode on Monday in ongoing broadcast problem.

ALSO READ: Skeem Saam viewers confused after SABC1 once again broadcast a repeat episode during prime time without any explanation.

Nokuzola Mlengana known as Sis'Ouma in SABC1's Skeem Saam dies at 58.

by Thinus Ferreira

Nokuzola Mlengana, known for her role as Sis'Ouma in the SABC1 drama series Skeem Saam has died. She was 58.

The show announced her passing on social media. The production on Monday afternoon confirmed the sad news to TVwithThinus but wasn't able to confirm her cause of death.

Nokuzola Mlengana's other TV roles included appearances in the drama series iThemba and Lockdown on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161).

In Skeem Saam, Sis'Ouma was initially introduced as a security guard working at Gauteng University when Tbose and Kwaito went to study further, but her character that was initially not that well-liked was softened as she was uprooted and moved to Turfloop University.

SABC1 viewers angry after the channel once again shows the wrong Skeem Saam episode on Monday in ongoing broadcast problem.

by Thinus Ferreira

SABC1 once again angered and frustrated viewers on Monday night when it again broadcast the wrong episode of Skeem Saam in an ongoing broadcast problem.

Phumzile Zonke, SABC1 channel head, has been unwilling, or unable to fix and put in place corrections to prevent further instances of what is clearly an ongoing systemic problem that keeps reoccuring.

Monday night's latest broadcast of the wrong Skeem Saam episode on SABC1 follows the same error just 3 months ago in mid-March this year when SABC1 also showed the wrong Skeem Saam episode.

SABC1 also makes mistakes with the broadcast of Uzalo and Generations - The Legacy episodes.

The SABC told TVwithThinus that SABC1 will "catch up with two episodes of Skeem Saam back-to-back" on Tuesday evening and that an apology to audiences was also issued as an on-screen crawler.

ALSO READ: Skeem Saam viewers confused after SABC1 once again broadcast a repeat episode during prime time without any explanation.

SABC1's Skeem Saam characters to visit Hillside in SABC2's 7de Laan for 3 'crossover' episodes.

by Thinus Ferreira

Although not a full "crossover" in the strict definition of the word, two characters from SABC1's Skeem Saam series will appear in SABC2's 7de Laan from tonight for three episodes when Kat and Kwaito pop up in the Hillside community.

In the American "crossover" TV tradition, characters from two or more shows of the same broadcaster, appear in each other's episodes with their appearances that are used to tell an ongoing story that stretches chronologically from the one show's episode to the other show's episode, thereby bringing viewers along to sample new programming that they might not have been watching.

Tonight, as well as on Thursday 21 April, and again on Monday 26 April, two characters from SABC1's Skeem Saam world will appear on SABC2's 7de Laan world - in real life just a short walk from Studio 8 to another stage door since Skeem Saam and 7de Laan both film on the same Sasani Studios lot in Highlands North in Johannesburg.

While no characters from 7de Laan will be appearing in Skeem Saam,  Patrick Seleka known as "Kat" and Clement Maosa known as "Kwaito" pop up in a comedic storyline involving Ivy (Nazli George) and Blyde (Blyde Smit).

What happens is that a production company is filming scenes in the Beleef restaurant in Hillside, and Ivy and Blyde both vie for the director's attention to be extras, to the extent that they overstep their role.

"It was a wonderful experience working with Clement and Patrick, they are professional in every sense, says," says Nazli George. "In my 30-year career span in the arts, I find it a refreshing approach for soapies such as ours to allow actors to transition as such. I wouldn’t mind seeing it more frequently."

Blyde Smit, says Patrick and Clement "brought so much energy to the set. A crossover like this presented me with various challenges such as keeping true to my character whilst transitioning into another show that has a completely different feel to it".

About working on the 7de Laan set, Patrick Seleka says that "The actors were welcoming and the crew was also cool".

"They made me feel free and that helped me to adapt which made me relax. It was also amazing to see the actors who used to be on set now being the director. It also showed me that one doesn't need to limit themselves.".

"You can become whatever you want to be other than being just an actor. Combining shows is a great idea as this helps the viewers understand that shows can work together to create a bigger picture or world so to say. I really enjoyed working with the team and I’d appreciate it if I got the opportunity again."

Skeem Saam viewers confused after SABC1 once again broadcast a repeat episode during prime time without any explanation.

by Thinus Ferreira

SABC1 once again mistakenly broadcast a repeat of an episode during prime time on Monday evening without any explanation, this time leaving viewers of Skeem Saam angry and confused.

Monday night SABC1 wrongly started showing a repeat of Friday's episode of Skeem Saam after it repeated an episode of Generations in mid-December during prime time on the channel.

"We realise that SABC1 has been experiencing a technical glitch in tonight's episode of Skeem Saam. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused," SABC1 said in a statement on Monday on social media that wasn't sent to the media.

SABC1 gave no explanation for the mistake or what caused the so-called "technical glitch". The wrong episode of Skeem Saam was eventually corrected after a string of complaints on social media.