e.tv and eNCA dumps its daily Zulu TV news bulletin, iZindaba, on OpenView HD after just three and a half years as it continues to scale back its news offering.

e.tv and eNCA's eNews division has dumped its daily Zulu TV news bulletin, Izindaba, after just three and a half years as it continues to scale back on its news offering.

The daily half hour Zulu TV news bulletin, produced under eMedia Investments' eNCA news banner was broadcast on, and done for, the e.tv packaged eKasi+ channel on Platco Digital's free-to-air satellite offering, OpenView HD (OVHD).

eNews Izindaba was however quietly cancelled at the end of March when e.tv dumped the channel and replaced it with a new channel called e.tv Extra.

The loss of the Zulu prime time news bulletin is the latest cutback in eNCA's once lofty TV news ambitions under the tenure of eMedia Investments group chief operating officer (COO) Mark Rosin, with less appetite within the e.tv structure the past two and a half years for news content and a continued bigger focus and emphasis on providing entertainment programming.

e.tv that earlier this year lost an attempt to get out broadcasting a TV news bulletin during prime time on its commercial free-to-air terrestrial e.tv channel when the broadcasting regulator, Icasa, rejected its application, made no announcement about the abrupt cancellation of its Zulu TV news bulletin.

The eNews division still continues to supply a daily Afrikaans language TV news bulletin, eNuus, during prime time to M-Net kykNET (DStv 144) channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service.

The demise of eNews Izindaba comes just three and a half years after it was launched in mid-2015 with big fanfare on eKasi+ when eNCA said its existence there will "provide viewers with more options in their own language". e.tv's however failed to get it to work with the half hour Zulu TV news bulletin that has proven to be a spectacular and expensive flop.

In March 2015 the Zulu bulletin was added to e.tv's early prime time line-up where it barely managed to pull more than 370 000 viewers and was cut just four months later and moved to eKasi+ where it managed to survive on life support until its quiet demise at the start of this month.

e.tv's axing of its half hour Zulu news bulletin on e.tv Extra leaves South African viewers once again with just one Zulu TV news bulletin done by the SABC and broadcast on the public broadcaster's SABC1 where it pulled in a large 4.3 million viewers (12.7 ARs, 38.1 share) during March.

In response to a media enquiry seeking comment about the cancellation of the prime time Zulu TV news bulletin, e.tv and eNCA says that "with the relaunch of eKasi+ as e.tv Extra and a focus on entertainment programming, eNews Izindaba stopped broadcasting at the end of March".

"With this re-focus, there is no longer a broadcast platform for eNews Izindaba. Zulu news does form part of e.tv's morning show Sunrise, broadcast weekdays from 5:30 to 8:30. The eNews division will continue to produce independent news of the highest editorial standards on eNCA, e.tv and eNCA.com".

TOLDJA! e.tv changes schedule from 2 March, moves soap Rhythm City to 19:00, new telenovela at 20:00 and main news later to 20:30.

e.tv on Wednesday night announced major expected scheduling changes to its line-up which will start from March and which will see the introduction of its local new telenovela, the move of its local soap Rhythm City to a new timeslot, and its main TV news bulletin moving to the later timeslot at 20:30 to make space for a brand-new weekday half hour Zulu TV news bulletin at 18:30 called eNews Izindaba.

e.tv says that in 2015 the channel will be introducing new shows during primetime throughout the year.

With the introduction of e.tv's new local telenovela at 20:00, soap Rhythm City is moving to 19:00 on weekdays from Monday 2 March while the main news on e.tv will move from 19:00 to 20:30 as the lead-out of the new telenovela.

e.tv's new telenovela of 104 episodes will be broadcast from Mondays to Thursdays at 20:00. The new polygamy drama series Umlilo will also start on Monday 2 March in the 21:00 timeslot.

Club 808 is once again moving but at least remaining on Fridays, now moving to 18:00. The 20:00 timeslot is taken by a repeat of the first season of Traffic! with Bonnie Henna and Bongo Mbutuma and a new second season set to start this year on e.tv as well.

e.tv says it is moving Rhythm City to 19:00 - where it will be competing against SABC3's Isidingo which has until now been the only local soap in the 19:00 timeslot - "to complete the one and a half hour local drama timeslot".

As TV with Thinus reported at the beginning of the year, a new weekday half hour Zulu TV eNews bulletin is being added in the 18:30 timeslot. It will be called eNews Izindaba.

The 6th season of eKasi: Our Stories moves to Tuesdays at 21:00, half an hour later than its current time.

On 7 April e.tv will also start a new rural drama, Matatiele, which takes over the 21:00 timeslot. Matatiele is based and shot on location in the Matatiele village in the Eastern Cape.

e.tv says its changing its primetime line-up to remain competitive as a linear terrestrial TV channel in South Africa. Monde Twala, managing director for e.tv channels division says "the new primetime schedule has been in planning for a few years".

"e.tv aims to be at the forefront of this growth [in local TV content] by not only introducing a high number of new and local genres, [but] we have also improved story-telling, production and directing. This ensures that our content is competitive," says Monde Twala.

"We are on strategy mode, we need ideas and partners to realise these goals. The aim of these programmes is to invest in the development of local content," says Monde Twala, saying that "the list is very long for 2015" of what e.tv wants to try and do.

"Every year we make sure that we go big, fresher and better. We are happy about the natural growth of our channels, we want more, and we want to grow bigger. Our vision still remains; to be the destination of choice," says Monde Twala.