'JASON's INPUT'. Disney+ went down in South Africa on Tuesday afternoon displaying 'error json input'.

by Thinus Ferreira

Disney's Disney+ video streaming service abruptly went down in South Africa on Tuesday afternoon and making it inaccessible to subscribers, only displaying a "Something went wrong" and "error json input" message on the landing screen.

Disney+ subscribers in South Africa complained that they received no help or assistance from Disney+ during the service outage and no explanation as to what went wrong.

"India Hotstar. More like Hotmess," remarked one angry Disney+ SA subscriber, referring to India's Hotstar who is responsible for the badly done technical side of the Disney+ app being used in South Africa and which is apparently a much worse version that the Disney+ app used in the United States and elsewhere in the world. 

"Yo, Disney+, what's up with your service today?" asked another Disney+ South African subscriber. "Json error on all platforms when trying to stream anything. Ya'll aware of any issues?"

At 15:00 on Tuesday afternoon Nick de Bruyne said he notified Disney+ SA earlier in the day about the problem and that Disney+ was still down.

"Do you want to call me too, or should I just put you straight on to my son who had to go watch Netflix instead after I had to explain to him that it's not working ... again."

Disney+ SA subscriber Martin Stabbrey said "Disney+ crashed in South Africa. Keep getting this error trying to play anything and through three different streaming services. Rebooted countless times."

Another said: "I was watching fine one moment, next moment this error popped up. When I click retry, same error. When I click help, I get an access denied error".

At the time of publication, Disney PR hasn't yet responded to a media query with any answer asking why Disney+ went down in South Africa.

UPDATE 16:05: Disney PR says "We experienced a brief technical issue that resulted in the Disney+ app temporarily being down. It was quickly identified and resolved. We apologise for the inconvenience to our subscribers."

Disney reveals the new executive leadership structure of its general entertainment division that will now focus on TV content creation with digital streaming and Disney+ as its main priority.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Walt Disney Company is further reorganising its entire TV and video streaming content divisions as it pivots to place its main focus, money, attention and resources behind its subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service Disney+, that might have interesting consequences and impacts for South Africa and the sub-Saharan Africa region in future.

While Disney's internationally distributed linear TV channels remain important to the Mouse House - for instance those seen in South Africa and across the rest of Africa on the services of pay-TV operators like MultiChoice's DStv and China's StarTimes - Disney+ and Disney's video streaming ambitions are now clearly taking top priority.

Interestingly, Disney+ and Star - the two brands of its streaming service - are not available in South Africa or anywhere else in Africa for that matter and The Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney Company Africa have remained silent about a possible launch and roll-out date as Disney+ expands everywhere else in the world.

Last month Disney announced a dramatic restructuring with its main focus now being direct-to-consumer digital streaming, as it created a single, global media and distribution unit.

Now Peter Rice, Disney General Entertainment Content (DGE) chairman, in an internal memo is telling staffers that Disney is moving away from its legacy linear TV channels structure.

"For our team, this means we will wholly focus our resources and efforts on developing, producing and marketing exceptional content to fuel the company’s streaming and linear platforms while our colleagues at Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED) will distribute and monetise that content and run the linear networks and streaming platforms," writes Peter Rice.

Peter Rice writes that Disney is pivoting into a new structure that is "a big change to our legacy television structure which was built around linear networks".

"Focusing our structure around content engines and centralized support functions will make us more effective, flexible and prolific as we focus on our core strength: making great television. Over the last several months, in the face of unprecedented change and enormous challenges, your collective efforts and tireless commitment to keeping our television business running have been nothing short of exceptional, and I am incredibly proud to work alongside all of you," Peter Rice writes.

"We will undoubtedly face more questions and challenges as we implement these changes, but I am confident that together we will continue to rise to the occasion with resourcefulness and resilience."

The new executive leadership team under Peter Rice is now Ravi Ahuja (president of DGE business operations), James Goldston (ABC News president), John Landgraf (FX president), Gary Knell (National Geographic Partners chairman), Gary Marsh (Disney Branded Television president and chief creative officer) who previously was Disney Channels president, Courteney Monroe (National Geographic Content President) and Dana Walden (Walt Disney Television chairman).

The Walt Disney Company is also consolidating its marketing, publicity and media planning divisions into one division that is headed up by Shannon Ryan, with Jayanta Jenkins joining Disney as head of content marketing for Disney+ and who will also oversee marketing, publicity and media planning for Disney's linear TV channels including Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD and National Geographic.

ALSO READ: The Walt Disney Company announces dramatic restructuring with main focus on direct-to-consumer digital streaming as it creates single global media and distribution unit.

Disney pulls all FOX-supplied channels from StarTimes’ StarSat over 'commercial issues' after negotiations fail while StarSat in bizarre claim tells its customers the satellite-TV channels are gone because of alleged '5G-signal interference'.

Fed-up with ongoing commercial issues at the StarTimes pay-TV operator, Disney has abruptly pulled all of its FOX-supplied channels from StarSat after negotiations failed, while the the Chinese-run satellite pay-TV operator bizarrely claims that the channels disappeared because of alleged 5G cellphone signal testing interference.

 Angry and confused StarSat and StarTimes subscribers who no longer get the slew of channels they’ve paid for that and that was removed without any prior warning, are furious over the blackout of the channels.

 The blackout of the additional FOX-channels collection follows a month after the two FOX Sports channels – FOX Sports and FOX Sports 2 – were supposed to change to ESPN and ESPN2 on StarTimes and StarSat at the beginning of September but failed to materialise.

 The ESPN channels no-show has been a cause of massive embarrassment to both Disney who hyped ESPN’s Africa-return and to the FOX Networks Group that it now owns, when there was no actual platform for viewers to see these channels.

 After the ESPN gaffe, the channels blackout on StarSat has now expanded with the FOX Networks Group’s FOX, FOX Life, FOX Portuguese, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, National Geographic Portuguese, Baby TV, Voyage, National Geographic French, and Nat Geo WILD French channels that have all suddenly gone dark since October as well.

This again happened without any prior warning to StarSat subscribers.

Disney says that it decided to pull its channels from StarTimes’ satellite pay-TV service because of “ongoing commercial issues with StarSat” that StarSat failed to resolve.

Disney says that the FOX, FOX Life and Nat Geographic channels remain available on MultiChoice’s DStv satellite pay-TV service in South Africa and throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

StarSat in a bizarre message to subscribers however blames alleged 5G cellphone signal testing interference for the loss of the channels.

StarSat said that it is working on replacement channels for the FOX channels that Disney took away.


Disney suspends channel feeds after negotiations failed 
“We can confirm that our channels – FOX, FOX Life, ESPN, ESPN2, FOX Portuguese, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, National Geographic Portuguese, Baby TV, Voyage, National Geographic French, and Nat Geo WILD French – are currently not being provided to StarSat,” The Walt Disney Company Africa told TVwithThinus in response to a media enquiry.

"This follows ongoing commercial issues with StarSat,” Disney Africa said.

“Despite Disney’s negotiations in good faith and significant efforts to find a resolution, The Walt Disney Company Africa has had to suspend the feeds of all of our channels to StarSat at this time.”

“We continue to work to find a positive resolution but in the meantime our channels will remain available on various other platforms across the continent. Viewers are encouraged to visit FOXAfrica.com, NatGeoTV.com and ESPN.com to find tune-in information.”

Disney Africa said that it is responding to consumer queries.

StarSat in a message to its subscribers blamed alleged terrestrial 5G signal testing for the loss of the satellite-delivered TV channel signals on its pay-TV service. It’s not clear why 5G testing apparently only affects specifically the Disney-FOX channels.

“Please be advised that the following channels have been offline since 1 October 2019: FOX, FOX Life, National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD. Proliferation of 5G signal testing stations due to 5G network expansion has created interference with signal feeds of the above channels, resulting in adverse viewer experience,” StarSat tells subscribers in a message.

“Channel replacement measures to revitalise our content offering are currently underway. StarSat would like to thank you for your patience and continued support.”

StarSat in response to a media enquiry said that the 5G problem is in South Africa "due to the rapid expansion of 5G network" and that the 5G-signal testing "is specifically interfering with C-band satellite frequency which has in turn compromised viewer experience in terms of sound and picture quality".

It's not clear how 5G interferes with sound and picture quality of satellite channel signals, or why it only affects the FOX-supplied channels that specifically belong to the Disney group.

If the 5G interference in South Africa is real as StarSat claims, it's also unclear why the channel blackout happened on StarTimes and StarSat's service it is running in other countries outside of South Africa as well where there are no 5G testing happening.

The StarTimes rival MultiChoice is mired in its own channel carriage contract fight with A+E Networks UK, with DStv subscribers set to lose the entire A+E set of channels at the end of October including History, Lifetime and Crime+Investigation.

A+E Networks, that established a local A+E Networks Africa office in Johannesburg employing 12 people who might lose their jobs and that has been ramping up local content production that might now be cancelled, says that it remains hopeful that MultiChoice will sign a new carriage deal to pay to keep the popular channels on DStv.


Consumers ask: 'Do you think we're a bunch of idiots?' 
StarSat customers are extremely angry after the unannounced removal of the channels, with a litany of complaints on StarSat's Facebook page.

Calvine Mugombi asked "How do you remove channels without a warning especially after we just paid?" 

"Such testing is not interfering with the same channels at MultiChoice," said Kayvee Under. "Why are you telling us lies, come clean please. It was your plan to remove them and not replacing them but taking our money because you believe that we're fools".

"What a crap response from Starsat," noted Percy Mitchell. "Do you really think that we are all a bunch of idiots to believe the crap you feed us?" 

"IF 5G testing was interfering with signal reception from a satellite, that interference would NOT be limited to a handful of channels,"said Kerwin Budden. "It would cause disruption to the entire spectrum relayed from satellite to satellite-dish and all channels would be affected. A grade 1 learner would understand that. StarSat stop feeding the subscribers lies." 

"Just last month I asked StarSat if they are cancelling FOX etc. also when they cancelled channels on 1 August," said Gerhard Deyzel. "I still have the messages where they assured me that they are not cancelling FOX and National Geographic... kept it as proof. I saw this coming long time ago. 

"This is disgusting. The only channels worth watching are gone without warning. Thankfully I haven't paid yet. Goodbye Starsat," remarked Laura van der Westhuizen.

Disney+ content: Bad news for South African viewers as none of the avalanche of upcoming new shows like Star Wars' The Mandalorian will be available on other channels because Disney isn't selling.

South Africans are highly likely to pirate-view content from 13 November, the day after The Walt Disney Company launches its Disney+ video streaming in the United States, with Disney that won’t be selling its new Disney+ content to other pay-TV platforms and broadcasters like MultiChoice and M-Net in countries where it doesn’t have a presence yet.

Consumers across sub-Saharan Africa willing to pay but without any legal means will likely take to illegal torrents and pirate sites in droves from mid-November to watch buzzed-about new shows rolling out on Disney+ exclusively.

Disney+’s original content slate range from the first live-action Star Wars drama series, The Mandalorian; a Glee-type High School Musical musical series; a Monsters Inc. animation series and an avalanche of other live-action and animation series, films and reality programming specially commissioned for the new subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service.

Besides America, Disney+ is officially launching on 12 November 2019 in Canada and the Netherlands as well, and a week later in New Zealand and Australia with further international roll-outs planned.

For now, the initial Disney+ launch schedule excludes South Africa where streamers – ranging from MultiChoice’s Showmax, Netflix South Africa, Amazon Prime Video, Cell C black and a growing number of other smaller entrants – are battling it out in an over-heated video streaming war.

At Walt Disney Africa’s recent, annual content showcase for the media, advertisers and retailers that was held on 20 August, the Mouse House was tight-lipped about Disney+ and Christine Service, Walt Disney Africa boss, only went as far as acknowledging its global launch during the presentation. 

While the most-asked question from journalists to Disney reps at the upfront was when Disney+ will launch in South Africa, Disney officially had no comment and nothing to share.

According to several high-ranking sources within South Africa’s TV broadcasting industry – all specifically asked about and speaking about Disney+ over the past month and a half but not authorised to speak officially about the topic – Disney+ content is not being made available to broadcasters and other TV channels in territories where Disney+ won’t have a presence, like Africa.


In the dark
Sources mentioned that even Disney Africa’s execs have been kept and are still mostly in the dark themselves about developments around Disney+ as it pertains to South Africa as a region.

According to insiders, M-Net’s content acquisition team has for instance been able to, continues to acquire, and will continue to buy content from the Hulu streaming service that is now majority-owned by Disney – for instance shows like Catch-22, The Handmaid’s Tale, Runaways and Future Man that has been on M-Net and Showmax, but none of the upcoming Disney+ content has been made available.

With Disney+ content not for sale to M-Net or other third-party channels, the result is that MultiChoice won’t be able to offer any Disney+ shows to DStv subscribers who also won’t be able to access and watch it anywhere else through legal means even if they’re willing to pay the $12.99 (R191.02) monthly subscription fee.

Asked whether Disney isn’t concerned that viewers will pirate and watch Disney+ content which will dilute the perceived consumer value of the new SVOD service before a possible “if or when” launch date, and why Disney isn’t monetising its Disney+ content through territory licensing in international regions where it doesn’t have a presence the way Netflix did, the blunt response from one veteran South African TV exec not working for Disney was simply: “They just don’t care”.

Meanwhile there’s an explosion of additional new American video streaming services launching soon in the United States and some doing global launches, ranging from WarnerMedia’s HBO Max and Apple’s Apple TV+ to NBCUniversal’s just-named Peacock.

With all of them adding to the existing glut of content with their individual original content slates, MultiChoice was asked how much of this international content it will have access to and it is able to acquire for its DStv and Showmax subscribers.

MultiChoice in response to the media enquiry, said “these services and platforms are not launching or available in our part of the world at this time. This means we expect programming we require to be available for acquisition from studios where we have deals in place”.

"We do indeed live in a fast-moving industry and things may change, but our commitment to providing the best international content and our increasing investment in local programming for viewers across the continent remains".

Without a cent spent in marketing it in South Africa, Disney+ interestingly already enjoys a very high consumer awareness under TV viewers and especially local pay-TV subscribers who continue to be vocal about wanting to pay for access to Disney+, upset about missing out on the 12 November launch date and that they’ll be forced to make use of other means of watching its content.

South Africans have been vocal about wanting Disney+ - and being willing to pay for it or otherwise pirating the content. 

"I won't be able to watch The Mandalorian because it seems Disney+ isn't rolling out in South Africa," remarked StarWarsStories, with Joe Mabija that asked on Twitter without any answer from Disney: "Disney+ when will you be launching in South Africa?"

Yusuf Moosa said "Hey Disney+, a lot of us here in South Africa would love to give you our money" and Rish Rialto said that "if the global rollout isn't quick and extensive (Africa & Asia) expect a ton of lost revenue to piracy. Be smart please!"

Fox Africa boss Evert van der Veer repositioned to take charge of combined portfolio of Fox Networks Group Africa and Disney's channels in Africa as Fox-Disney restructuring continues.

The Walt Disney Company has repositioned the Fox Africa boss, Evert van der Veer, who will now look after all of the combined Fox and Disney channels available in South Africa and across sub-Sahara Africa, in a new overall TV channels supervision role from the adjacent two-doors Fox-Disney Africa head office in Illovo, Johannesburg.

The job elevation - with no specific title yet attached - comes a year and three months after Evert van der Veer was appointed as Fox Networks Group Africa general manager in May 2018.

In this role Evert van der Veer was looking the Fox Networks Group's pay-TV channels in South Africa and across Africa like FOX, FOX Life, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, FOX Sports, and Baby TV available on pay-TV platforms like MultiChoice's DStv, StarTimes SA's StarSat, Cell C's black SVOD service and others, as well as the non-linear services like FOX+ and National Geographic+.

With Disney's ongoing international management restructuring following its takeover of 21st Century Fox, Evert van der Veer has now added oversight of the three Disney TV channels from The Walt Disney Company's recently restructured direct-to-consumer and international division: The Disney Channel (DStv 303), Disney XD (DStv 304) and Disney Junior (DStv 309) available on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service.

Evert van der Veer is now heading up the "media networks" segment of The Walt Disney Company Africa, responsible for the combined TV channels collection - those that were part of the Fox Networks Group business as well as the three Disney channels.

Evert van der Veer now reports to Christine Service, who remains The Walk Disney Company Africa's senior vice president and country manager.

Disney Africa was asked but couldn't tell TVwithThinus what Evert van der Veer job title is now and said the company's South African office will share more precise details later when it can.

Asked about the existence of Fox Networks Group Africa (FNG Africa) and whether it continues as a "stand-alone" business, Disney said that the Fox Africa office "is very much still in operation" and that the Fox Networks Group Africa business is now part of the wider Walt Disney Company Africa business.

Walt Disney Company Africa not involved with and had no prior knowledge of the shocking Winter in Disneyland Polokwane sham show; is investigating the trash-bad brand theft done dressed in Chinese shop onesies.

The Walt Disney Company on Monday told TVwithThinus it's not involved with and had no prior knowledge of the shocking Winter in Disneyland Polokwane sham show in South Africa that took place this weekend and that the company is investigating the disgusting Disney brand theft.

Shock turned into outrage as children and parents who've paid R250 stared in disbelief on stage at a botched Mickey Mouse, a lethargic, yellow front-zipped Winnie the Pooh, and an orange awfulness looking like a Tigger rip-off, dressed in what looked like Chinese shop-bought onesies and badly dancing to house music.

TicketPro sold tickets ranging from R50 to R250, promising "Winter in Disneyland Polokwane" while paid visitors got trash-bad performances to inappropriate music on a barely-there stage, like a Chinese-in-Africa mimicking Disney event.

While people wanted and paid for Disney, they got trash, as well as organisers hiding in a room without wanting to face paid customers who wanted to know what is going on. TicketPro had no statement on Monday.

The Walt Disney Company Africa on Monday told TVwithThinus that "Disney Africa confirms that this event was neither run nor sanctioned by The Walt Disney Company Africa." Disney said it's currently investigating.

Here it is us pic.twitter.com/P42Z8KVBRc

— SG❄️🏳️‍🌈🇿🇦 (@Seago_SG) August 4, 2019

So Disney is here in polokwane n this is what we got. R80 adult R50 child.
What an immature event.
So disappointing 😥😥😥 pic.twitter.com/8XeAl4V6VQ

— sabina (@BontleWaMatsie) August 3, 2019

#disneypolokwane the organizer couldn't even explain herself, guys I want to know the company that was responsible they must be named and shamed such failure is unacceptable pic.twitter.com/XZ3lmAnGGo

— Motheo (@Motheo61626652) August 5, 2019

Organizers don't want to come out pic.twitter.com/FEIXVD1KML

— Legodi Tiego (@LTiego) August 3, 2019