Months after it failed to launch on DStv as promised MultiChoice doesn't want to say or explain anything about the no-show Korean 'K-drama' tvN channel.

by Thinus Ferreira

Months after silence and no explanations as to why a promised pop-up TV channel didn't start in November 2020, MultiChoice remains silent and are choosing not to say anything to DStv subscribers or the media about tvN's failure to launch.

In August 2020 MultiChoice publicly announced that Korea's tvN channel, populated with so-called "K-dramas" and Korean telenovelas, would launch in November 2020 as a DStv pop-up channel for a few months.

November 2020 however came and went, as did December 2020, January 2021, and now February 2021, without tvN and with no communication or any updates from MultiChoice.

MultiChoice failed to manage expectations after making the announcement at its 2020 DStv Showcase media event, and getting exposure for content it promised would be coming to DStv subscribers for a TV channel that never materialised when MultiChoice said it would.

tvN, that Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO for general entertainment and connected video, said would start in November 2020 on DStv channel 134, is from the Oscar-winning producers of Parasite, and were supposed to feature content from some of the biggest players in the Korean drama industry, serving up "glossy, powerful content".

It means that MultiChoice either lied about tvN, or that things went wrong or were delayed - problems that MultiChoice doesn't feel that it needs to explain to the DStv subscribers it created the expectation with, or to the media that MultiChoice made the original announcement to.

A week ago TVwithThinus asked MultiChoice to please help with what happened and is happening with the tvN channel. 

The media enquiry followed after questions and complaints from DStv subscribers who are seeking answers about why MultiChoice made an announcement about a new TV channel that it never followed through with.

MultiChoice was asked why tvN didn't launch in November 2020 as MultiChoice announced would happen and what the issues were that prevented MultiChoice from getting tvN on the air in Africa.

MultiChoice was also asked whether there is a new launch date, and if so, if content on tvN would be dubbed into and be available in English, or whether viewers will have to read hard-coded English subtitles.

MultiChoice was also asked that if tvN were still to launch, if it would still be a DStv pop-up channel, or a more "permanent" addition.

MultiChoice chose not to answer anything or to explain anything about tvN or its ongoing absence.

Ntsika Msuthu, MultiChoice manager for PR and brand engagement, told TVwithThinus that "We have noted questions regarding the much anticipated tvN channel".

"An announcement from the business containing all the relevant information on the channel will be coming out in due course and we will be happy to engage further on any elements that you may require clarity on post the announcement."

This would indicate that MultiChoice does still have some plan to launch tvN at some point in the future, although MultiChoice didn't bother with any explanation or to answer any of the questions.

UPDATE Monday 15 February 2021 14:06: MultiChoice has issued a press release through the Atmosphere PR company stating that tvN will now launch on 1 March 2021 on channel 134.

MultiChoice still doesn't explain why tvN didn't start in November and haven't answered any questions yet. TVwithThinus has again sent MultiChoice questions about tvN, this time through Atmosphere.

MultiChoice to add 5 new TV channels to DStv including Canada's ZooMoo for kids as well as Turkish and Mexican telenovela channels and Korean K-drama with tvN.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice will add 5 new TV channels to its DStv pay-TV service with content ranging from Mexican telenovelas and a Canadian kids channel to Turkish telenovelas and even South Korean or so-called "K"-dramas.

MultiChoice made the announcement about the 5 new channels, although one was already announced previously, on Wednesday afternoon during its 2020 DStv Showcase media presentation for the press.

MultiChoice will add tlnovelas on DStv channel 133.

MultiChoice says tlnovelas "will run September 2020" which seems as if it might not be a permanent but a DStv pop-up channel.

tlnovela will broadcast an array of English-dubbed Mexican telenovelas from Latin America’s second-largest producer, Televisa.

MultiChoice describes the tlnovelas channel as filled with "stories of love and betrayal, with beautiful people satiating the desire for fairytale endings. The channel is hugely popular across Lusophone Africa".

ZooMoo that will launch on 1 October 2020 as a pop-up channel on DStv and run on channel 314 until 31 March 2021 is a Canadian kids’ channel that delivers a unique mix of live action combined with animation and puppets.

ZooMoo is described as "the world’s first fully-interactive pre-school channel dedicated entirely to animals and nature, aimed at kids aged 2 to 7 years old".

The ZooMoo channel is accompanied by a free ZooMoo app, which completes the multi-screen environment, synchronized on a real-time basis with the channel.

KIX, that MultiChoice already previously announced is coming to DStv, will be added to DStv channel 114 from 1 October 2020 at 19:00 and is described as "the ultimate destination for action movies in Africa".

KIX will be available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, and DStv Compact subscribers in South Africa as well as across sub-Saharan Africa.

KIX (pronounced "kicks") will offer DStv subscribers "a high octane blend of martial arts, action and thriller movies from the East and West, all presented in English".

"From the most compelling Asian and Hollywood blockbusters to the best kung fu classics of all time, as well as many other never-seen-before action and thriller titles in the region, KIX brings excitement, thrills and an adrenaline rush in high definition to all viewers."

The Turkish telenovela channel Timeless Drama Channel, SPI/FilmBox's premium Turkish drama channel, will start on DStv in November 2020 on DStv channel 123 with "high-quality, glossy telenovelas and costume dramas".

The channel that is known as "dizi" in Turkish, is "aimed at people of all ages who love the drama genre and want to watch critically-acclaimed shows that have defined the landscape of Turkish and worldwide television".

tvN that will start in November 2020 on DStv channel 134 will have South Korean dramas or so-called "K-drama".

tvN is from the Oscar-winning producers of Parasite, featuring shows produced by some of the biggest players in the Korean drama industry and serving up "glossy, powerful content".