eNCA Silent Retrenchments: Former eMedia Busy 'Mall Parking Lot on Payday' Now Down to Just a Few Cars as Bosses Say 'AI Can Replace Everyone on the Floor'

by Thinus Ferreira

Already low morale continues to crater inside eMedia's eNCA (DStv 403) amidst an ongoing massive retrenchment process to get rid of hundreds of workers at the TV news channel before South Africa's upcoming local elections on 4 November.

In August, news leaked that eNCA plans to get rid of 171 out of its 309 staffers - something that left workers seething with anger.

eMedia's massive retrenchment drive comes just after eMedia CEO Khalik Sherrif jetted off to the United States along with board members, as a group of more than 20 people, to be entertained and enjoy the 2026 FIFA Soccer World Cup with expensive tickets, flights, and accommodation to treat potential clients and ad buyers who went along on the all-expenses-paid trip.

Workers are furious and upset about what they see as a waste of money by the big bosses with big salaries, while they "at the bottom of the food pyramid" have to pay the price.

eMedia staffers are also angry and talking openly among themselves about eMedia's so-called "white elephant": the multi-million rand VRtuosus virtual studio that eMedia built and opened in Johannesburg in March.

Apparently, VRtuosus has not performed as expected and is being underutilised, according to staffers, with little to no appetite from the wider industry.

When eMedia was asked about all of this, spokesperson Lynne Adams said via, email: "As a matter of principle, eMedia does not comment publicly, through the media, on its internal business operations, confidential employee matters, or internal processes."

While eMedia isn't talking, eMedia staffers are.

eNCA and eMdia staffers talking about the retrenchment process give anecdotal evidence of how the eMedia parking lot that "used to be worse than a mall parking lot on payday where overspill had to park across the road with the OB vans" is now down to as few as two cars on some days.

"e.tv's retrenchments have gone far beyond what they initially reported," says a source, noting that "Johannesburg bosses are flying in to Cape Town with AI business partners making insensitive comments in front of staff, saying 'AI can replace everyone on the floor'."

Insiders also tell me that staffers are talking among each other that eMedia CEO, Khalik Sherrif, is apparently "not allowed to speak to staff or acknowledge them while the retrenchment process is happening".

A source says radio station "YFM is becoming collateral damage to the mess at the top too, where most of their sales complement have resigned and they can't fill positions."

Recently, a source quipped: They're retrenching people from the creative department in Cape Town today" - something which is being referred to as "silent retrenchments".

"They've done libraries. Transfers. Now creative."

ALSO READ: eMedia: Retrenchment Looming for Over Half - 171 Out of 309 - Workers at eNCA, e.tv's News and eNuus after CEO Khalik Sherrif's Overseas Trip

eNCA Adds The Voting Booth on Sundays for Pre-coverage of South Africa's Upcoming Local Elections

by Thinus Ferreira

eMedia's eNCA (DStv 403) TV news channel is adding The Voting Booth as a limited series, weekly current affairs programme on Sundays at 11:00 for pre-coverage of South Africa's upcoming local elections on 4 November.

Naledi Moleo is the anchor of The Voting Booth, with the show that looks at polling data and research, combined with pre-reporting about issues supposedly driving voters' decisions.

The Voting Booth uses information supplied by MarkData that surveyed 6 113 registered voters in the cities of Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay and Tshwane.

The research was conducted between 10 and 14 August, through interviews that were done in-person and telephonically.

eMedia never bothered to issue any press statement to the media, which is the industry norm, when Nisa Allie returned to the company in July, this time as managing director of eNCA, but is now quoting her for the first time in a prepared quote, in a press release sent out about The Voting Booth. 

"eNCA remains resolute in its commitment to provide audiences with the information they need to make informed decisions at the polls," Nisa Allie is quoted.

"The data, combined with balanced and fair reporting, provides a holistic view of voter sentiment and the realities communities face on the ground."

ALSO READ: eMedia: Retrenchment Looming for Over Half - 171 Out of 309 - Workers at eNCA, e.tv's News and eNuus after CEO Khalik Sherrif's Overseas Trip

Seven Media's Kids Animation Series The Pencil Tin, Gordon and Nature Nerd Added to eMedia's e.tv and eToonz from October

by Thinus Ferreira

There's sadly not been a single word from e.tv about it, but eMedia's e.tv and eToonz TV channels are adding three new South African animation series from the Gqeberha-based Media Seven production company from October.

The Pencil Tin, Nature Nerd as well as Gordon were all produced by Media Seven, a production company in Gqeberha.

All three kids animation series  have a TV target audience of between 5 to 9, with themes built around wildlife and conservation, teamwork and friendship, as well as kindness and teaching personal responsibility.

The Pencil Tin has 5 narrated stories and 20 original songs across 25 episodes, looking at a group of characters - Pencil, Eraser, Red Crayon, Red Sharpener, Green Pen and Ruler - who learn about teamwork, counting, planets, good sportsmanship and kindness.

Polly Cordell developed the concept and stories and is the character designer.

The Pencil Tin is on eToonz (Openview 130 / DStv 311) daily from 1 October and on e.tv's Craz-e children's programming block from 14:30.

Nature Nerd is an animated and live-action hybrid series, combining real-life wildlife footage and interviews with South African conservationists with an animated explorer.

Nature Nerd is available in both English and isiXhosa versions, with Lwamkelo Tshikini voicing both language tracks across all 23 episodes. 

Episodes start with an introduction from the nerd laboratory, followed by 5 animal facts, an interview with conservationists, and a summary.

Nature Nerd's English version will premiere on e.tv on 7 October at 15:00. Nature Nerd's isiXhosa version will premiere on Sunday 18 October at 17:30.

Gordon, about an Australian shepherd puppy, has 12 original songs through three narrated stories.

Gordon revolves around teamwork, kindness, friendship and learning responsibilities. Gordon starts on eToonz from 1 October and will also run during e.tv's Craz-e kids programming block in the afternoons at 14:30.

People's Planet Shutters After 16 Years as 'We Ran out of Shelf Space', Content Catalogue Remains Available for International Sales

by Thinus Ferreira

The People's Planet channel, which launched as People's Weather in 2010, has gone dark after 16 years.

People's Planet disappeared from eMedia's Openview at the end of August, after MultiChoice dropped it in March 2024. The channel's content catalogue however remains available for international distribution.

People's Planet ceased broadcasting altogether at the end of August 2026.

Stephan le Roux, People's Planet channel head, says the channel didn't shutter due to a lack of audience but because "dedicated wildlife and environmental content has no reliable home on South African and African platforms".

"Over 16 years on air, People's Planet built something rare in South African broadcasting: a loyal, committed audience for wildlife, conservation and environmental storytelling. That audience did not go away," he says.

"What was missing was platform commitment. Environmental and natural-history content in this market is treated as filler rather than as a category worth investing in, and a channel built entirely around it has nowhere to absorb that pressure."

"There is a real and committed audience in this country for stories about the natural world, and we saw it every week for 16 years."

"What there isn't, is a platform environment willing to back that content for the long term. We didn't run out of viewers or ideas. We ran out of shelf space."

According to Stephan le Roux, from 2020, roughly 95% of People's Planet's content was locally produced, something that "came at a real cost in a market where imported content is cheaper and easier to schedule".

The content catalogue of People's Weather remains available for international distribution.

City Beasts and Family in the Wild are out for international distribution with ORF-Enterprise in Austria.

Snake Season, presented by Durban snake rescuer Nick Evans, has three seasons running on Sky Germany, with season 3 having aired on EarthX and the first two seasons on Curiosity Stream. 

Monkey Helpline and Snake Season are licensed to Big Media for Eastern Europe, with the snake series dubbed into German and Russian.

"There are South African stories, told by South African filmmakers, playing to audiences across Europe and the United States," said Julie Laurenz of Film Mamba, the production house behind Apex Alley, Snake Season and Monkey Helpline. "The international market values this work. That's what makes the position at home so difficult to accept."

Stephan le Roux says "People's Planet extends its thanks to its viewers, to the production partners and independent filmmakers who built its catalogue, and to the journalists, producers and crew whose work defined it".

"While this chapter of People's Planet has come to an end, the need for a dedicated home for wildlife, conservation and environmental storytelling in South Africa has not. The audience is there. The stories are there. The talent is there. What is still needed is a platform willing to give this content the space, investment and long-term commitment it deserves."

"The need for this storytelling isn't going away. This may be the end of People's Planet in its current form, but we haven't given up on what we set out to build."

"South African wildlife and environmental stories deserve a platform and an audience at home, and we still believe there is a future for that."

eMedia: Retrenchment Looming for Over Half - 171 Out of 309 - Workers at eNCA, e.tv's News and eNuus after CEO Khalik Sherrif's Overseas Trip

Thinus Ferreira

Workers at eNCA, e.tv, and kykNET's eNuus are "vibrating with anger" after eMedia handed them retrenchment letters last week - including e.tv's main news bulletin anchor Melanie Rice - shortly after eMedia CEO Khalik Sherrif and a group of guests returned from an expensive 2026 World Cup soccer jaunt in America.

Canal+'s MultiChoice pays eMedia to make the eNCA TV news channel exclusive to DStv, but eMedia now wants to potentially get rid of more than half of the total workforce: 171 out of 309.

In addition to eNCA, journalists at e.tv, as well as eNuus, across the country are affected and they were also involved in this week's retrenchment announcements and meetings.

The Section 189 retrenchment process at eMedia comes just after Khalik Sherrif and board members, as a group of more than 20 people, went to the United States last month for the end of the 2026 FIFA Soccer World Cup with expensive tickets, flights, and accommodation to treat potential clients.

Workers are furious about what they see as a waste of money by the big bosses with big salaries, while they "at the bottom of the food pyramid" have to pay the price.

Although eMedia is paid to deliver a linear TV channel, the plan is allegedly to dismantle the "traditional newsroom structure" and replace it with a "digital-first" approach. DStv however, has no place for anything more than just a linear pay-TV channel.

It is also buzzing within eMedia that the company is allegedly "largely done" with current affairs content, and plans to either cut interview and current affairs series on e.tv and eNCA to the bone, or cancel them entirely because they are not profitable.

Norman Munzhelele, eNCA managing director, sent an 8-page retrenchment letter with 22 points in it, to affected eMedia workers on Wednesday and Thursday.

In it, Norman Munzhelele says the eMedia layoffs come due to "the decline in traditional TV viewing patterns, especially within the 24-hour news environment". 

Meanwhile, the renewal of fixed-term and freelance contracts has also been halted.

The retrenchment process comes just four months before South Africa's local elections and affects the news, technical, and broadcast departments.

Workers wonder how bosses at eNCA, e.tv, and eNuus think they will be able to cover the big election in South Africa and the run-up to it, with suddenly 55% fewer people.

Workers are also furious about the money eMedia spent to build the expensive VRtuosus virtual studio that opened in Johannesburg in March, which they say is underutilised.

Workers are also angry that they got retrenchment letters while Khalik Sherrif was the highest eMedia earner and paid a salary of R19 million last year, which includes a bonus of R10.3 million.

John Copelyn, HCI Holdings parent company chairperson and non-executive chairperson, was paid R21.7 million, including a R3.6 million bonus, while Antonio Lee, financial director, got paid R12.6 million, which included a R5.7 million bonus.

With fears that the quality of the eNuus bulletin on kykNET, where there are already too few workers, could deteriorate further due to the retrenchment process, kykNET was approached for comment, but spokesperson Herschelle Benjamin referred the media query to eNCA.

Canal+ also referred a media query to eMedia, saying "eNCA is a separate commercial entity operated independently by eMedia".

eMedia refused to answer media inquiries, with spokesperson Lynne Adams saying via email: "As a matter of principle, eMedia does not comment publicly, through the media, on its internal business operations, confidential employee matters, or internal processes."

Questions were also put to Khalik Sherrif who was asked about the expensive soccer group trip to America and what eMedia gained financially from it, whether the mass retrenchment decision was made before or after this visit, and also about workers complaining that they are now going to lose their jobs while eMedia executives with massive salaries remain untouched.

No answers to any of these questions were received from Khalik Sherrif.

"Khalik Sherrif and the others' big overseas visit, only to tell everyone weeks later that eNCA is going to be cut by half, is in extremely poor taste. Meanwhile, people who have to slave away daily to meet deadlines are seething with anger," a worker said.

Another worker shared that eNCA colleagues on Wednesday, and e.tv workers on Thursday, wept openly in Johannesburg and Cape Town. "It's very, very sad."

Another insider said: "Workers are divided. Some are glad they are not affected, did not receive letters, and are 'safe' this time. Other incredible journalists were told their time in front of and behind the camera is coming to an end."

"After years of declining viewership figures and a shrinking advertising market, it is clear that eMedia is struggling to survive, along with its share price which has dropped by 20% over the past two months. eMedia looks like it is on life support. For workers, it is an extremely depressing time."

Prof. Lizette Rabe, media expert and professor emeritus at Stellenbosch University, says: "We are experiencing a perfect media storm regarding all media, and this unfortunately in the midst of an election year that shows all the signs of becoming more difficult by the day."

"Of course, the starting point is that we live in a new era of information dissemination. This applies to all media: print-digital as well as broadcast media."

"Linear TV's time is numbered - except where, for example, live sport is concerned. The fact remains: It is a tragedy that newsrooms' budgets - journalism - are being dramatically cut."

"An informed society is an empowered society. And while political parties' own horn-blowers are going to do their thing on social media, we need professional media - meaning journalists who must adhere to a code of ethics - to present all sides of a matter. They do this professionally, independently, and without favour or fear—no matter if you get that information via your mobile phone, computer screen, TV, or radio."

South Africa's parliament demands answers from Canal+ over film industry job losses caused by shutdown of MultiChoice streamer Showmax

by Thinus Ferreira

South Africa's parliament wants to look into how many job losses there will be in the country's film and TV industry because of Canal+'s shutdown of MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax, with parliament's portfolio committee on communications set to do special oversight visits to MultiChoice and eMedia's e.tv as commercial broadcasters.

Canal+ announced it's shutting down Showmax and replacing it with its own Canal+ app, noting that the loss-making Showmax "would have brought down MultiChoice".

According to the agreement with South Africa's Competition Commission, Canal+ and MultiChoice are not allowed to do any retrenchments within MultiChoice for a period of three years from September 2025.

About shutting down Showmax, Canal+ in a statement said that "The decision to discontinue Showmax will not involve any retrenchments. The group will be engaging and supporting employees through various transition options".

While not allowed to get rid of Showmax staff, Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice are however, allowed to decrease the production spending budget or what was spent on productions that made shows specifically for the streamer as Showmax Originals, which might lead to fewer production companies having commissioned projects, and fewer overall people employed by those production companies.

Sixolise Gcilishe, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) member of parliament, requested Khusela Sangoni-Diko, chairperson of the parliamentary committee, for an investigation of MultiChoice in terms of Showmax and the coming job losses for the local industry that its closure will cause, and what the impact will be for local TV and film production.

According to Sixolise Gcilishe, Canal+'s decision to shut down Showmax "raises significant concerns relevant to our committee's responsibilities, particularly regarding the support of the local creative industry, job retention, and adherence to transformation goals within our digital economy".

"Showmax has been crucial in contributing to our national identity and pushing the South African narrative by providing a platform for local producers, actors, writers and technical teams."

"Its discontinuation poses a serious risk of diminishing a critical distribution avenue for local content, potentially resulting in a cultural landscape overly influenced by international programmes."

We need to hear from MultiChoice about the future of local productions currently featured on Showmax and the status of existing production contracts. South Africa is grappling with severe unemployment."

"Any significant corporate changes by a major entity like MultiChoice will likely result in job losses, affecting not just the company but also the wider creative sector, including writers, directors, editors and freelance workers reliant on streaming services for income."

Sixolise Gcilishe says MultiChoice executives in their presentation to parliament must give a specific timeline and reasons for ending or restructuring Showmax, as well as a thorough assessment of the potential job losses - both at MultiChoice and also within the wider film and TV industry.

MultiChoice must also answer about the future of existing Showmax Original productions and the accessibility of these productions to South Africa's viewers.

According to Sangoni-Diko, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), as well as the Competition Commission, will brief the committee on Tuesday, 17 March, on the regulatory conditions, public interest commitments and the compliance requirements which are all linked to Canal+'s final approval for taking over MultiChoice.

"Following this, the committee is working on scheduling a special oversight visit to the broadcast sector on 31 March and 1 April 2026, covering e.tv, MultiChoice, and other commercial broadcasters."

In South Africa TV ratings crisis looms as Nielsen announces market exit

Thinus Ferreira

TV ratings tabulator Nielsen is exiting South Africa after decades, a change that could plunge the country's TV ratings system and everyone depending on its ratings data, into crisis.

The country's TV ratings custodian, however, says it will start work on finding a replacement for TAMS, although ad buyers and agencies are in shock and calling Nielsen's exit a massive blow to South Africa.

While Nielsen in South Africa remains quiet, news leaked that the ratings collector is shutting shop in South Africa.

Telmar, the service using Nielsen data to give ad planners, buyers, agencies and broadcasters insight into audiences and who all use the data to plan ad spend and track audience numbers, told clients in an email that Nielsen is exiting South Africa.

Nielsen's exit will also affect South Africa's Broadcasting Research Council (BRC) that will also have to find a new ratings provider.

The BRC functions similar to the UK's BARB and Australia's OzTAM.

In a Nielsen memo, the South African biz got a shock when they were told that "After careful consideration Nielsen has made the decision to exit the South African market".

"Earlier this month we notified the BRC of our interest in transitioning leadership of the Television Audience Measurement (TAMS) service to another provider within the next 12 months. They are currently evaluating an alternate partner and we anticipate they will share an announcement in the coming days."

"During this transition, we want to assure you that we will continue to fulfill all of our existing commitments."

Telmar which uses Nielsen ratings data, then told clients in a memo, "You may have seen the recent announcements from Nielsen and the BRC regarding TAMS. Some clients have asked whether this change will affect their TelmarHelixa services in South Africa. We want to assure you that it will not."

"Regardless of the BRC's appointed supplier of TAMS data, TelmarHelixa will continue to load and support the TV data as we always have. There is no disruption to your access, no impact on your systems and no change to transmit. Telmar has always been independent and data-neutral."

The BRC, about Nielsen's South Africa exit, said "A new service provider has been identified, and formal appointment processes are being finalised. Details will be announced within two weeks."

According to the BRC, "Nielsen has communicated its intention to exit the South African market within the next 12 months. The BRC is engaging with Nielsen to secure continuity of data during the handover period."

It said that "The BRC remains confident that the transition now underway will strengthen South Africa’s audience measurement system, safeguard industry needs, and deliver a world-class, future-proof solution."

Nielsen didn't respond to any media queries.

An insider told TVwithThinus that despite promises of no changes, that Nielsen's exit is a huge blow and that the impact of the decision to exit South Africa and switch-over will lead to upheaval, changes and uncertainty.

"It's shocking. The big worry is that when the data changes, the big question is how trendable the new data will be, and how trendable whatever the new data is, with past data".

"From a media perspective rates are set according to audiences. Let's say a show commanded a price of R100 000 for 100 000 eyeballs."

"What if the new data from a new ratings agency suddenly says the show that had 100 000 viewers now just have 50 000 viewers, or 150 000 viewers? Everybody's nervous because of the unknown unknowns. Nielsen planning to leave South Africa is huge."

Mmoni Ngubane, SABC spokesperson, didn't respond to a media query about the SABC's reaction to Nielsen's exit.

MultiChoice which operates DStv and Showmax, said it's monitoring developments.

eMedia that runs e.tv, Openview and eVOD, in response to a media query said "eMedia Investments acknowledges Nielsen's departure from South Africa and recognises this as a significant development in our industry's audience measurement landscape".

" As a major broadcaster and content provider, we understand the critical importance of robust, reliable audience measurement systems."

"While Nielsen's exit presents challenges, we are actively engaged with the BRC to ensure continuity and enhancement of audience measurement services. We note that the BRC has already identified a new service provider and is in the process of finalising formal appointment procedures."

ANALYSIS. Bon Appétit! How the French will own your DStv news

by Thinus Ferreira

As more details come to light of Canal+'s aggressive buyout of MultiChoice, one of the inconvenient truths is that South African TV news channels like SABC News, eNCA and Newzroom Afrika will effectively belong to, and be paid for, by a French company.

That ka-ching, ka-ching sounds you're not hearing - since it's electronic payments and not for us, the bourgeoisie, to be either privy to or to be perturbed by - is the payment of millions of rand to sets of lawyers and financial advisors in offices in North America, Europe and South Africa to get Canal+ to the finish line of gobbling up MultiChoice.

The intent of South Africa's string of regulations and Electronic Communications Act (non-existent in other African countries) is to prohibit a place outside of South Africa - like a foreign company - from owning or controlling a local media company like the traditional satellite pay-TV operator MultiChoice.

Forget the legalese of a planned deal. 

In practical terms, that's exactly what will happen if the aggressive buyout of The MultiChoice Group by France's Canal+ goes through, which will effectively give Randburg City a Parisian flair.

The lawyers' plan is for Canal+ to carve out the problem child part - MultiChoice South Africa (holder of that pesky poisoned chalice called a South African satellite pay-TV broadcast licence) - and to spin it out as an "independent" company for now called "Licence Co".

Sprinkle with some required BEE and work the scales to get the shareholding in terms of voting rights to exactly 20% - precisely what the regulators demand - and voilà!: DStv dressed with homegrown African flair displaying the season's latest new French colonial style.

If you've ever watched L.A. Law, Suits or Succession, you'll know that there are rules and laws for everyone. 

Then there are those who want to build on the Liesbeek floodplain, a megamansion closer to the sea, or try to keep tarnished student accommodation open or build a pipeline called Keystone. Where there's a will, there's always a quarrel of lawyers standing by to make it happen for you - at a price.

Important questions remain that neither Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada or MultiChoice Group CEO Calvo Mawela have yet answered.

One of these is the inconvenient truth - to borrow a phrase from Al Gore - about how, after a Canal+ takeover of MultiChoice, the totality of South African pay-TV news will effectively be paid for by a French private company.

It is MultiChoice that annually pays millions of rand for and is responsible for the creation and ongoing existence of the South African public broadcaster's SABC News (DStv 404) TV channel, eMedia's eNCA (DStv 403), as well as Newzroom Afrika.

The SABC News TV channel literally exists solely because of the money that MultiChoice pays to the public broadcaster for its operational expenditure. 

Without the MultiChoice money - already a media ethics debate if you want to get into it since MultiChoice is a private South African company paying a public broadcaster to specifically do a news service - there will only be SABC News as a SABC division with  TV and radio bulletins. 

Without MultiChoice moola there won't be enough money for SABC News as a separate linear TV news channel running 24 hours a day.

It will turn 17 years old this year and started out as the eNews Channel and MultiChoice is also paying eMedia to make and run eNCA for DStv exclusively. 

The same goes for Thokozani Nkosi and Thabile Ngwato's 5-year old Newzroom Afrika, specifically and exclusively commissioned and paid for by MultiChoice for the DStv platform.

Remember the "Gupta-television" ANN7 that was later rebranded as Afro Worldview? 

When MultiChoice decided in 2018 it was over for the channel on DStv, Afro Worldview couldn't and didn't live on because it's the MultiChoice money - what we call a "channel carriage agreement" fee - that funds the expensive operations of running these linear TV news channels.

While MultiChoice doesn't interfere in the editorial content of these TV news channels - and insiders whisper that they've already been given lip-service that new owner-to-be Canal+ won't interfere editorially in news decisions and coverage -  the inconvenient truth remains that every news media worker is mindful of who their media owner is.

What would the French make if they were suddenly told that MultiChoice would now own and be paying for French TV news channels like France24, Canal+'s CNews, or TF1's LCI (La Chaîne Info)?

Besides South Africa, MultiChoice also pays channel carriage fees for the existence on DStv, of localised TV news channels in other African countries. 

Will the TV news channels on MultiChoice's DStv in South Africa and other African countries - when paid and funded by Canal+ - remain as they are? 

Will they self-censor to align with a new media owner? Will Canal+ simply remove TV channels like it had done in West Africa to appease governments like in Guinea in 2023?

With their liberté, egalité and fraternité the French would never be fine with majority foreign ownership of their TV news.

So why is South Africa in the Canal+ news coup as part of Canal+'s corporate takeover of MultiChoice simply saying c'est la vie?

ALSO READ: In its aggressive takeover bid Canal+ will carve and spin out MultiChoice's broadcast licence in South Africa and DStv subscibers as 'Licence Co' as MultiChoice Group keeps video assets