eMedia ends its eAfrica TV channel on MultiChoice's DStv for the African continent after 12 years.

by Thinus Ferreira

eMedia has ended its eAfrica or e.tv Africa TV channel, a version of its e.tv channel in South Africa shown outside of South Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service, after 12 years, with DStv subscribers and eAfrica viewers wondering where they are now supposed to watch shows like Scandal! that have been ripped away.

eMedia terminated the Africa channel from April 2022 that was on DStv channel number 250 outside of South Africa.

eMedia Investments launched eAfrica in April 2010 on DStv first in 12 African countries, and then expanded it within a few months to 46.

"It was always e.tv's plan to introduce a pan-African syndicated service. Our programme research shows that Africans are passionate for high-quality African and international produced content. We believe that e.tv Africa will replicate the success of e.tv in South Africa," e.tv said when e.tv Africa launched in 2010.

After a few months when the eAfrica footprint expanded, e.tv said "eAfrica has been received enthusiastically across the continent where e.tv programming is popular".

e.tv Africa showed programming like wrestling until MultiChoice and SuperSport took over the WWE licensing rights, as well as local South African programming like soaps Rhythm City and Scandal! with Scandal! that was still airing new episodes when eAfrica abruptly went dark last week on DStv after 12 years. 

eMedia tells TVwithThinus in response to a media query that "We decided to close the eAfrica channel when the yearly channel and programming reviews were done".

While viewers in several African countries have been locked out of eAfrica, a lot of viewers in Southern African countries will still be watching e.tv and the version of the channel broadcast in South Africa.

A steadily growing number of Southern Africa viewers, using eMedia's free-to-air satellite service, Openview,  have been watching South Africa's e.tv and other e.tv terrestrial TV channels outside of South Africa as essentially pirate viewers through Openview decoders which are activated in South Africa but then taken into neighbouring countries and sold there.

ALSO READ: e.tv launches e.tv Africa in 12 countries across the continent.

ALSO READ: e Africa channel added by e.tv and MultiChoice for 46 countries on the African continent.

INTERVIEW. e.tv Africa: ''Our ultimate objective is a Pan African footprint - to be on the ground in every single country in Africa.''

You're reading it here first.

I broke the news RIGHT HERE earlier this morning that e.tv is launching its e.tv Africa service into the continent and just got off the phone with Bronwyn Keene-Young, chief operating officer for e.tv, talking to her about e.tv Africa.

Now you can read the first print interview with Bronwyn Keene-Young talking about e.tv's vision for e.tv Africa. She discusses some of the challenges, talks about why TV content is (still) king, and how e.tv's Pan African outlook is fuelling this broadcasting expansion of the TV channel. I asked her how difficult or easy it is to do specifically TV business in Africa, what it is that e.tv brings to African TV audiences, and for some behind-the-scenes insight into the logistics involved in operating this continental TV service.

For the full interview (the first one you'll read anywhere) and for more perspective on e.tv Africa, click on READ MORE below.

BREAKING. e.tv launches e.tv Africa in 12 countries across the continent.

You're reading it here first.

I can exclusively reveal first that e.tv is launching a brand-new TV syndication service, e.tv Africa in 12 countries across the continent.

The channel's programming is very popular across the continent with e.tv's signal that is highly sought after in Africa - especially when it comes to pirate decoders across the continent. In South Africa e.tv now has over 13 million viewers. TV viewers in 12 countries across Africa will now get a 24 hour syndicated version of South Africa's e.tv TV channel content, says Bronwyn Keene-Young, e.tv's chief operating officer.

''It was always e.tv's plan to introduce a Pan African syndicated service,'' says Bronwyn Keene-Young. ''Our programme research shows that Africans are passionate for high-quality African and international produced content. We believe that e.tv Africa will replicate the success of e.tv in South Africa.''

e.tv Africa will provide popular e.tv programming including Hollywood movies, WWE wrestling and the channel's locally produced and very popular daily soapies, Rhythm City and Scandal. The channel also includes two live half-hour news bulletins from the eNews Africa service, launched by the eNews channel in October last year. These bulletins focus on pan-African news. e.tv will be providing e.tv Africa to Kenya on Nation 2, Namibia on One Africa Television, Zimbabwe on ZTV2, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Guinea, Burundi and the Central African Republic on Star TV, Nigeria on MITV, to Ghana on eGhana, e.tv’s sister channel, as well as Botswana on eBotswana which is also a sister channel to e.tv. These local broadcasters can insert their own local news and other local content as well.