Three new South African produced Trace Original music shows added to the Trace Urban and Trace Africa channels.

by Thinus Ferreira

Trace has added three new South African produced Trace Original music shows to the Trace Urban (DStv 325) and Trace Africa (DStv 326) TV channels: Future Maskandi, Afro Tech is Life, and The Re-Introduction.

Future Maskadi has musician Zulu Mkhathini as presenter on Mondays at 19:00 from 3 October and will feature artists like Mzukulu, Mnqobi Yazo, Lwah Ndlunkulu Thee Legacy, Big Zulu and others.

As a 13-episode studio-based, variety show with inserts, Future Maskandi will bring viewers the backstories and music of new entrants into the Maskandi Music space. The aim of the show is to celebrate artists who have fused traditional Maskandi music with a fresh contemporary sound and is produced by Trace Studios.

Afro Tech is Life features ambitious South African up-and-coming DJs and a selection of A-list Afro Tech DJs playing music for a group of in-studio partygoers. The aim of the show is to showcase a new generation of DJs and is broadcast on Trace Urban from 1 October on Saturdays at 19:00.

The Re-introduction, starting in November 2022 on Sundays at 18:00 on Trace Urban, is a new 24-minute music documentary series with the aim of retelling the stories of icons like Fela Kuti and Brenda Fassie to a new audience of music lovers.

Each episode will focus on one music legend whose story will be anchored by a present-day music star including Zoe Modiga, J'Something, Langa Mavuso, Rouge, Sarkodie, Moozlie and others.

"With our ongoing commitment to empower, direct and nurture young local artists to create quality local musically content, we are ecstatic about the three new offering on the channel," says Valentine Gaudin-Muteba, Trace Southern Africa managing director.

"These Trace originals aim to propel further growth within the younger audience segment offering not just music but edutainment, fashion and lifestyle."

TRACE adds new docuseries CODE with presenter Ninka Mbaye exploring afro-urban trends and talents.

by Thinus Ferreira

TRACE is launching CODE as a new docuseries that will explore afro-urban trends and talents wth CODE that will start on Friday 5 November on Trace Urban (DStv 325) and Trace Africa (DStv 326) at 16:00.

The 16-minute CODE has Ninka Mbaye as presenter and will "decode" afro-urban trends and put the spotlight on talents from different origins to empower the new generation.

Each episode of CODE will be centred around an industry insider as they touch on a wide range of topics including their rise to fame, their downfalls, and how they overcame challenges.

CODE will also introduce new afro-urban trends from across the world, "decrypting" the latest news from music, culture, beauty, fashion, dance, art and food trends. 

CODE will also put a spotlight on inspiring iconic industry players making an impact in urban culture across the globe such as Sean Paul, Shaggy, Youssoupha and Kendji Girac.

"TRACE not only plans to offer great content on our platforms but also to create programs that promote diversity and inclusion for all," says Olivier Laouchez, co-founder and CEO of TRACE.

"We want to put the spotlight on the success stories of artists, creators and entrepreneurs in order to make talents from all over the world shine while inspiring the youth."

Viewers will be able to interact online during the broadcast of CODE by scanning the QR code of CODE that will be displayed on the screen. CODE's unique feature will grant viewers access to all episodes and additional content.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 11 November 2020.

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

■ Oscar Pistorius is in prison for murder, so why does ESPN's (DStv 218 / StarSat 248) new documentary coming to South African and African viewers from 19 November treat him so kindly?

- Viewers complain that The Trials of Oscar Pistorius neglects the real victim - Reeva Steenkamp.

- Reeva Steenkamp deserves to be more than a footnote in the story of killer Oscar Pistorius.

- Controversy around the BBC and ESPN's shockingly slanted Oscar Pistorius documentary is justified.

- "Shame on you": Uproar over BBC and ESPN's disgusting Oscar Pistorius documentary.

■ South Africa's Simone Mashile of Below Deck slams Captain Lee Rosbach, says there are not enough people of colour in the yachting industry.

■ Lesflicks - the lesbian video streaming service thriving under lockdown and attracting subscribers from America to South Africa, India and Jamaica.

■ How the SABC's isiZulu radio dramas subverted Apartheid's grand design.

■ MultiChoice Ghana and child labour?: Meet Emmanuel (11), MultiChoice's youngest DStv installer.

This is obviously illegal and illegal child labour.

■ Trace Urban (DStv 325) apparently has original local programming nobody's heard about or that the media were told about - and then it got marred by technical problems.

■ Why you're seeing Kelly Clarkson with an eyepatch on in The Kelly Clarkson Show on M-Net (DStv 101).

■ Trojan TV: China's double-edged gamble with Mozambique's TV market.

China's StarTimes pay-TV operator wants to get a foothold and promote Beijing’s voice in Mozambique, but service and content issues may end up being a disservice to China’s image abroad.

■ New research: When kids watch a lot of TV, parents may end up being more stressed.

■ Virgin Media launches Virgin 360 as a new pay-TV service in the United Kingdom to rival Sky Q.

MultiChoice opens some further channels to lower-tiered DStv subscribers, will make upcoming Nigerian love reality competition series Ultimate Love available to South African viewers.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice is opening access of 3 TV channels to lower-tiered DStv packages, adding two pop-up channels and will be making the upcoming new Nigerian love reality competition series, Ultimate Love available as a channel to South African viewers.

The Nick Jr. (DStv 307) channel from ViacomCBS International Media Networks is made available for DStv Compact Plus subscribers, while DStv Family subscribers are getting access to the National Geographic (DStv 181) channel from Fox Networks Group as well TRACE Urban (DStv 326) supplied by TRACE.

M-Net Movies is running the M-Net Movies Blackout: The Leading Men Edition (DStv 109) pop-up channel for DStv Premium subscribers between 24 January and 16 February 2020.

The channel will showcase some of Hollywood’s greatest black actors in their biggest films with over 100movies starring actors like Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy.

MultiChoice is opening the Moja Love (DStv 157) channel from SiyayaTV to DStv Access subscribers from 7 February until 6 March 2020.

MultiChoice is also making its new Big Brother Naija-type love reality show, Ultimate Love, available in South Africa. 

The Ultimate Love channel (DStv 198) will run from 9 February until 5 April 2020 in what the pay-TV operator says is a "first-of-its-kind Nigerian reality show".

Sixteen contestants - 8 men and 8 women - will be living together for 8 weeks in an isolated mansion looking for love until there is only one potential couple left who could win a traditional wedding and a home. 

According to the producers "participants will be paired based on their mutual attraction to one another and will compete to emerge as the ultimate couple of the competition".

Mark Rayner, MultiChoice South Africa CEO, says "We are continuously looking at ways that will ensure that customers across all our packages are able to access some of the great content that is available on our platform".

"Having these channels available for our customers is part of our ongoing commitment to bringing a wide variety of the best in local and international content that touches the lives of our viewers."

MultiChoice dumps the downgraded Trace Sport Stars channel from Trace Group after 4 years; replacing it with another music channel, TRACE Africa.

The downgraded Trace Sport Stars (DStv 188) from the Trace Group is getting dumped from MultiChoice's DStv at the end of the month just 4 years after it was added and will be replaced by the TRACE Africa channel in South Africa.

In West Africa, MultiChoice is adding the TRACE Naija channel on channel 325, and in East Africa MultiChoice is adding TRACE Mziki on channel 323 on DStv.

Trace Sport Stars - a type of E! Entertainment meets sports stars - was added to DStv in April 2012 as the Trace Sports channel but never really popped or got buzz and struggled to bring viewers enough new content.

Trying to lift the meagre viewership, MultiChoice and Trace downgraded Trace Sport Stars in October 2014 by lowering the channel's premium only status - which for two years was only for DStv Premium subscribers - making it available to DStv Extra, DStv Compact and DStv Family subscribers.

Trace Sport Stars was added to StarTimes Media SA and On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat satellite pay-TV platform at the same time.

In 2014  pay-TV operator Sky in the United Kingdom dumped Trace Sport Stars after just 2 years.

Now the under-performing Trace Sport Stars is getting chucked out with not even a month's notice to DStv subscribers; subscribers were told today that Trace Sport Stars is getting dumped at the end of August.

The Trace Sport Stars channel will remain on StarSat and is only being removed from MultiChoice's DStv.

StarSat tells TVwithThinus that Trace Sport Stars will remain available on its platform.

The channel, also carried on Platco Digital's OpenView HD (from eMedia Investments) will remain and continue on this free-to-air satellite-TV platform as well.

MultiChoice is adding TRACE Africa (DStv 326) from the Trace Group from 1 September as yet another music channel, and will sit alongside the existing TRACE Urban (DStv 325) channel.

Like Trace Sport Stars, TRACE Africa won't be a premium channel and will be available to DStv Premium, DStv Extra, DStv Compact and DStv Family subscribers in South Africa.

TRACE Africa will show music videos and documentaries as "a localised music channel" from established and emerging South African artists with music genres like Afro-pop, kwaito, house, rumba and others.

TRACE CEO Olivier Laouchez had nothing to say about the South African restructuring and changes and the dumping of Trace Sport Stars channel from DStv and the creation of TRACE Africa in South Africa.

The separate press release issued in the rest of Africa, however contains a drop-in quote from Olivier Laouchez, commenting on TRACE Naija for West Africa and TRACE Mziki for East Africa, saying: "TRACE is already the leading music brand in Africa".

"These 2 new localized music channels will help promote more artists from the two biggest music hubs of Africa and they will better serve the strong need of the local audiences for great local content".