Health shock: SuperSport's Neil Andrews set for triple bypass surgery on Tuesday, hospitalised Saturday after unbearable chest pains.

by Thinus Ferreira

Neil Andrews (55) is missing from his sports throne in SuperSport's Studio 6 in Randburg with the legendary presenter who is confronting a health shock and is set to undergo triple bypass surgery on Tuesday after confronting unbearable chest pains since this past weekend.

The Sporting Post reports that Neil Andrews admitted himself to hospital on Saturday after pains in his solar plexus became unbearable.

Known to millions of SuperSport viewers over decades, the well-liked and highly respected Neil Andrews will undergo a triple bypass operation at the Fourways Life Hospital in Fourways, Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The highly respected sports commentator and Tellytrack and SuperSport presenter who was born in England but emigrated with his family to South Africa in 1975, is married to Hlohlo and he's the father of Elijah Gabriel Andrews (10 months), Noah Benjamin (2) and Brighton Nathaniel (7). 

He has a daughter Melissa Jade (23) and son Gregory (19) from a previous relationship.

In June this year Neil Andrews opened up about the stressful impact that the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown has had on his and his family, telling The Sporting Post that "As with every South African, this time has been a real challenge both financially and emotionally".

"But I am mindful that I remain abundantly blessed.  I have a beautiful, healthy young family, and my wife and I have witnessed them growing up literally in front of our eyes for every minute of every day."

SuperSport in response to a media enquiry about Neil Andrews on Monday night told TVwithThinus that "SuperSport can confirm that Neil has been hospitalised and will undergo surgery tomorrow. That said, his spirits are up and he says he's feeling fine."

The Tellytrack horse-racing TV channel extends its contract with MultiChoice; will roll-out an on-air rebrand and content revamp on DStv from 4 May.

After getting extremely close to being dumped from MultiChoice's satellite pay-TV service DStv, and then saved, the horse-racing betting channel Tellytrack (DStv 239) is getting another reprieve from being sent to the off-air glue factory, with Tellytrack that will rebrand on 4 May 2019 with a revamped on-air offering.

The on-air rebrand and programming revamp forms part of a contract extension for the Tellytrack channel between MultiChoice and Phumelela Gaming and where Colleen Goodman was appointed as new Tellytrack CEO in late-2018.

MultiChoice and Phumelela Gaming didn't specify the duration or any of the details of the new contract.

MultiChoice says in a statement that "for over 15 years DStv has been the 'race track' of choice for many horse-racing lovers across the country" but omits how adamant and close the pay-TV service has been and came in the past to dumping Tellytrack.

MultiChoice says Tellytrack will "continue to run on DStv channel 239 enabling viewers to experience the 'Sport of Kings' in the comfort of their homes".

From 4 May Tellytrack will start with and carry an improved content offering that will include more lifestyle programming, as well as a new on-air look.

Tellytrack content - both recorded and live coverage - the past 3 years faced criticism ranging from low production values, looking amateurish, a failure to cover events, and horrible and uninformed on-air talent clueless and unprepared to cover race-events.

Tellytrack will now introduce a new hour-long daily Morning Show, that will carry 30 minutes of horseracing content and 30 minutes of other sports.

"Over the years we have seen consistency in the channel's viewership ratings, indicating that the South African television market has an appetite for the sport," says Rob Scott, sports betting executive for Phumelela Gaming, in a prepared statement.

"As such from a business perspective, extending the contract became key, as the partnership continues to provide an extended reach of the sport."

"Our objective is to provide our viewers with variety through the morning show but through our other offerings, become a channel that features predominantly local horseracing," says Rob Scott.

Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's head of content strategy, says "The Tellytrack channel forms part of our platform's strategy to bring great quality and diverse content to South African audiences".

"Through our content we celebrate our diverse audiences' interests, and this can be demonstrated in the number of channel offerings available on our packages. The Tellytrack channel allows us to continue to meet this mandate – of continuously serving our viewers with content that is relevant and excites them."

Colleen Goodman appointed as new CEO of Tellytrack.

Colleen Goodman has been appointed as the new CEO of Tellytrack, the company involved in online horse-racing betting, and running the Tellytrack (DStv 239) sports-betting TV channel.

Colleen Goodman takes over from Rob Scott, who has been appointed sports betting executive for Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Ltd that runs Tellytrack and who will remain the executive head of Tellytrack, marketing and publishing.

Colleen Goodman, a former MultiChoice marketing executive, will be responsible for Tellytrack as well as Phumelela Publishing.

DAILY TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 8 February 2017.

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


■ Advertisers flee Russia Today (DStv 407) after Britain's Sunday Times scares them off.
Russia's RT channel details how media enquiries by the Sunday Times made advertising agencies pull their TV commercials out of fear.

■ MultiChoice Zimbabwe's "Free February" DStv subscription a bit of a fail.
After paid-up Zimbabwe DStv subscribers were promised a month's free subscription in February in a promo, MultiChoice Zimbabwe now says it's only for randomly chosen subscribers, not for everyone.

■ Togo shuts down private TV station La Chaine du Futur.
Togo government says it doesn't have the right "permission formalities; Amnesty International says its an attack on freedom of speech.

■ "Am I a prude?"
Bruce Stephenson in The North Coast Courier wonders if the "lusty banging" in The Vikings on M-Net Edge (DStv 102) is too much.

■ China's StarTimes need to catch a wake-up in Ghana
After trashy StarTimes abruptly cancels the Gala competition for soccer which it announced and of which it took over the sponsorship.

■ Disney blames struggling sport channel ESPN for its fall in profits.
As ESPN viewership continues to plunge, the sports channel that once helped pay-TV revenue is down in profits and revenue and now hurting Disney's bottom line.

■ The AMC channel starts looking to the (uncertain future).
With the AMC channel that got dumped by both MultiChoice from DStv and from Starsat, the original home of the stumbling zombie drama The Walking Dead is forced to make plans for an uncertain future.


■ MultiChoice warns of a surge in fake DStv installers in KwaZulu-Natal.
Fake DStv agents and installers are promising DStv subscribers unrealistic services like free DStv package upgrades.
■ Meanwhile fly-by-night fake DStv agents also also invading Botswana with MultiChoice Botswana warning that people are buying South African DStv subscriptions at the border.
■ And in Kenya pirates stealing DStv signals and reselling it are arrested in their illegal distribution nest leaving thousands of "subscribers" without DStv and StarTimes.
■ Meanwhile MultiChoice Ghana has opened an online shop where people can buy DStv decoders and accessories.


■ Row over MultiChoice's Big Brother Naija filmed in South Africa reveals ...
reveals how hard it is to do business in Nigeria says The Economist.
And what a "goofy outcry" over Big Brother Naija done in South Africa.


■ Tellytrack's (DStv 239) absolutely horrible 2017 The Sun Met coverage.
The legendary Martin Locke explains how awful and badly coordinated the Tellytrack channel's coverage was of this year's horce racing event.

■ New TV drama This Is Us gives TV broadcasters hope.
While the new TV season's biggest hit, This Is Us, isn't anywhere on M-Net, DStv or South African television, The New York Times reports why this new drama series is giving hope to American broadcasters.

■ StarTimes acquires rights for StarSat South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa of Pakistan Super League cricket.
The two-year deal will start with the 2017 edition of the Twenty20 franchise tournament starting Thursday until 5 March.

■ Yolisa Phahle, M-Net CEO on why Netflix keeps her up at night.
I was on holiday, but catching up: M-Net boss did an interview in January 2017 with CNN and Eleni Giokos on M-Net's future prospects.

BREAKING. Tellytrack saved from the glue factory as Phumelela and MultiChoice sign a new agreement for a locally focused horse-racing channel.

Phumelela and MultiChoice have signed a new contract for the Tellytrack (DStv 239) horse-racing channel which would have ended today on DStv, but will now continue on the pay-TV platform's channel line-up - but only for individual DStv customers and hotels and with a new local horse-racing focus.

MultiChoice no longer wanted Tellytrack on its channel line-up due to non-performance, but MultiChoice, Phumelela, Gold Circle and Kenilworth Racing will now keep Tellytrack on DStv thanks to a new agreement.

Bookmakers, restaurants, pubs and clubs will no longer get Tellytrack.

The "new" Tellytrack will have a stronger local horse-racing focus in terms of content. Tellytrack will also be made available to DStv Access and DStv Family subscribers, beyond DStv Premium and DStv Compact subscribers who've received the channel until now.

The new local focus on South African horse-racing and wider availability on more DStv bouquets are part of a plan to try and increase the viewership of Tellytrack.

"All parties involved worked hard to ensure the service to the vast majority of DStv subscribers who use this channel is not disrupted," says Mark Rayner, the chief operating officer (COO) of MultiChoice South Africa.

"We are delighted that MultiChoice has agreed to make TellyTrack available to individual DStv subscribers and hotels. We want our sport to reach as many people as possible," says John Stuart, Tellytrack CEO.

BREAKING. Tellytrack horse-racing channel on MultiChoice's DStv to end on 26 March; discussions ongoing about possible extension.

The South African horse-racing TV channel Tellytrack (DStv 239) will terminate on 26 March on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform, although discussions are ongoing about a possible extension.

Tellytrack says in a statement that MultiChoice gave it notice yesterday, 26 February, that "the broadcast of Tellytrack on the MultiChoice platform will terminate with effect from midnight on 26 March".

"MultiChoice has indicated that it would be willing to consider entering into a short-term agreement in orer to allow Tellytrack to make arrangements for the channel to be delivered on an alternative platform," says Tellytrack.

"Tellytrack is considering its options, including the possibility of pursuing a short-term agreement to ensure a smooth transition of the content to another service provider".

According to Tellytrack, MultiChoice told it that the TV channel "is not performing to its satisfaction", which means not enough viewers.

MultiChoice, in response to a media enquiry, says that MultiChoice "can confirm it has issued a notice to terminate the Tellytrack channel on DStv".

"Notwithstanding this, MultiChoice and the channel provider of Tellytrack are in ongoing discussions regarding the matter. Given that the terms of the agreement between these parties is subject to confidentiality, at this stage further details are not available".

"MultiChoice will let its customers know how they are affected in any way once these discussions have concluded".

Tonight on CNN International (DStv 401) at 19:30 in Winning Post, CNN International's horse racing show, the programme visits the J& B Met of 2014.

Francesca Cumani interviews Gaynor Rupert, the wife of Johann Rupert and one of the most powerful figures behind horse racing in South Africa; talks to Justin Snaith, one of the youngest trainers in Cape Town; and interviews S'manga Khumalo, a Zulu from KwaZulu-Natal who hadn't seen a horse until she was 14 years old and is now South Africa's first black jockey poised to make racing history.