MultiChoice reveals DStv dishless streaming service: Will cost the same as DStv with a satellite dish, MultiChoice to offer telecom-partnered uncapped data bundled packages.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice on Wednesday did a low-level reveal of its much-hyped, so-called "DStv dishless" streaming service through which DStv subscribers will be able to get access to its pay-TV service without the use of a mounted satellite dish, although only through its DStv app and access costing exactly the same as its existing DStv satellite service.

For over a year MultiChoice has touted that it's working on a "dishless" version of DStv as a video streaming version that would make it possible for DStv subscribers to get access to the same DStv as customers using a wall-mounted satellite dish.

The expectation was that this DStv streaming version would be cheaper since no installation cost, physical dish, cabling, or DStv decoder is needed, but on Wednesday during its 2020 DStv Showcase media presentation MultiChoice during a low-level announcement about its roll-out announced that the streaming version will cost exactly the same and will only work and stream through the DStv app.

MultiChoice didn't announce when its DStv dishless version will become available for sale and sign-up.

MultiChoice said that the DStv app and its DStv dishless service will bring the same DStv content and channels as the existing service, that users can then watch through "any screen of their choice - via Smart TV, browser, mobile phone or gaming console with a consistent high-speed data connection".

MultiChoice said that "DStv residential packages are all available, with the full set of live channels and Catch Up shows. Streaming customers will be able to watch their favourite shows on Catch Up on four devices, with a maximum of two concurrent streams".

MultiChoice said that DStv will soon be partnering with telecommunications and internet service providers to offer bundled data packages in order to give DStv subscribers, using DStv streaming access, uncapped data along with whichever DStv streaming bouquet they are subscribed to for instance DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus or DStv Compact.

Coronavirus: After 5 months Ster-Kinekor to reopen cinemas in South Africa from 28 August with stringent hygiene rules and 'misting device', tickets and snacks only sold through its website.

by Thinus Ferreira

Ster-Kinekor will reopen its cinema theatres in South Africa again on 28 August - with Nu Metro planning to do the same - but cinemagoers won't be able to buy movie tickets or snacks inside cinema foyers, and other stringent hygiene and social distancing rules will be in place.

Press screenings of films for review purposes are also resuming for South Africa's movie critics and journalists in Cape Town and Johannesburg from 1 September, with Durban that will follow soon.

Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is releasing on 28 August, while Disney’s live-action Mulan remake is set to be released on 11 September.

After having been shut for 5 months since late-March due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic and resulting national lockdown period in South Africa, Ster-Kinekor will reopen 32 of its cinemas on 28 August and its remaining 21 cinemas on 18 September 2020.

Nu Metro was asked on Wednesday when it might be opening it's chain of cinema theatres but told TVwithThinus that it couldn't officially comment on a reopening date. According to insiders Nu Metro however also plans to reopen on 28 August the same as Ster-Kinekor, pending government approval for Nu Metro's cinema protocol plans.

At Ster-Kinekor only 50 cinemagoers, excluding staff, will be allowed per cinema theatre and at the conclusion of a screening customers will have to leave a threatre from the back, row by row. People will have to remove their empty snack containers to discard in the dustbins which will be placed in the cinema foyers.

No physical movie tickets, or snacks and drinks from the concession stand, will be done inside cinema foyers and will have to be purchased through the Ster-Kinekor website or app.

Ster-Kinekor will implement a staggered approach for the starting and ending time of its carousel of films showing at cinemas at any given time, so that the number of people walking in to, existing out of, and queueing in foyers are reduced.

Ster-Kinekor is also upping its cleaning regime and will sanitise frequently touched cinemas surfaces. Ster-Kinekor will also be using a "misting device" which will be used to treal all auditoria, as well as lounge areas, foyers, hand railings and seats".

Masks and temperature screening will be compulsory at Ster-Kinekor when entering the cinema foyer but people will be allowed to temporarily removedthem inside the auditorium to eat and drink.

Ster-Kinekor says that its reopening will be done in a phased approach "to ensure that operationally employees have been trained on the new Covid-19 health and safety measures and all the personal protection equipment (PPE) required is ready when trading".

Motheo Matsau, Ster-Kinekor deputy CEO, says in a statement that "We've been getting ready to welcome patrons back to the cinema since government’s announcement on 6 July 2020. We have taken every step to ensure the safe return of our guests and staff to the cinema with our staff having undergone extensive Covid-19 operations training".

Ster-Kinekor says that it will "continue to sanitise the cinemas before and after each show and have increased our cleaning times between every show to make sure all our seats and surfaces are clean and safe."

"All our staff will be screened before we open the cinemas each day, as well as at each shift. We will wear face masks and gloves where required and our staff have been trained on safe work practices to ensure safety for themselves and for our guests."




These Ster-Kinekor cinemas are opening on 28 August:

Western Cape
Bayside, Blue Route, Capegate, Cavendish, Garden Route, N1 City, Parow, Promenade, Somerset, Tyger Valley.

Gauteng
Brooklyn Commercial, Carnival City, Centurion, Cresta, Eastgate, Kolonnade, Mall of Africa, Sandton, The Grove, Vaal, Wonderpark.

KwaZulu-Natal
Gateway Commercial, Musgrave.

Eastern Cape
Baywest

Free State
Mimosa

Limpopo 
Mall of the North

Mpumalanga
Ilanga, Secunda.

North West
Mooi Rivier, Rustenburg.

Northern Cape
North Cape


ALSO READ: Coronavirus: After 5 months Nu Metro to reopen most of its cinemas in South Africa from 28 August on Fridays and Saturdays with new Covid-19 health protocols.

FIRST LOOK. MultiChoice to unveil its new DStv Explora Ultra decoder, will also launch a new DStv Streama decoder with remote control that has YouTube and Showmax buttons.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice plans to launch a new DStv Explora Ultra decoder to market, as well as a DStv Streama decoder enabling video streaming and coming with a YouTube and Showmax buttons.

MultiChoice will unveil the two new decoders aimed at keeping DStv subscribers venturing into video streaming within its own MultiChoice ecosystem this afternoon during its 2020 DStv Showcase media presentation for the press.

To help hype its 2020 #DStvShowcase media presentation that will kick off at 13:00 on Wednesday afternoon, MultiChoice on social media shared with the public images of its new DStv Explora Ultra and DStv Streama decoders.

MultiChoice's new DStv Explora Ultra that looks like a bigger set-top box (STB) with curved edges, will carry third-party subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) apps, like for instance Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, enabling DStv subscribers to watch these services through the connected decoder.

MultiChoice's DStv Streama decoder, with a grill-like, video-console look, has a small remote control with Showmax and YouTube buttons underneath a blue "home" button.


DStv Explora Ultra
MultiChoice didn't announce a retail price for the new DStv Explora Ultra, or when it will go on sale although it will cost more than the existing DStv Explora 3A.

Similar to the DStv Explora 3A, the DStv Explora Ultra has a recording capacity of 110 hours, will be able to pause live TV for 2 hours, have access to DStv BoxOffice, DStv Catch Up, provide an 8-day TV guide, have parental control and have interactive apps of SuperSport, News24 and weather.

The DStv Explora Ultra comes with a new "home page" with recommendations that showcase content from across DStv, Showmax, BoxOffice and selected streaming apps. 

The new DStv Explora Ultra remote control also allows quick access to streaming apps and the set-top box comes with built-in WiFi.

The DStv Explora Ultra supports 4K and Dolby Atmos (where available and when connected to the correct equipment) although MultiChoice doesn't plan on launching any 4K-resolution TV channels anytime soon. 

MultiChoice is also not planning on delivering any of the third-party app content through satellite. All of the streaming services that MultiChoice might add in future - for instance Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Star, Amazon Prime Video - will all be delivered over the internet through connecting the DStv Explora Ultra to the internet and a data stream.

Since certain third-party apps that will in future become available on the DStv Explora Ultra offer 4K streaming content - subject to availability and subscription terms - DStv subscribers will be able to watch that content in 4K. 

MultiChoice says that it does not yet offer 4K streaming, though this may change in the future.

MultiChoice also says that subscriptions to these third-party apps - whichever they might be - are separate to DStv subscriptions. Some services like SuperSport and People’s Weather will initially be included in the DStv subscription and MultiChoice may later roll out offers that allow a customer to get a discount or special offer on some of these third-party subscriptions.

The DStv Explora Ultra is wholly manufactured in South Africa and its enclosure is made of 100% recycled material.

The DStv Explora Ultra will cost more than the existing DStv Explora. DStv subscribers moving from an existing DStv Explora model will not need to make any changes to their installation. 

MultiChoice says they can simply unplug the older Explora then plug in the DStv Explora Ultra (making sure to use the HDMI cable and power supply packaged with the decoder) and follow the wizard to connect the WiFi.


DStv Streama
MultiChoice didn't announce a retail price for the new DStv Streama or when it will go on sale.

MultiChoice says that its new DStv Streama decoder works without a satellite dish and its associated cabling and all that is needed is a reliable home internet connection, a DStv Streama device and a TV set.

The DStv Streama offers an array of sport, entertainment, news and kids' content. 

The DStv Streama comes with apps like Showmax and YouTube and users will be able to "seamlessly switch between applications to view the content of your choice".

 The DStv Streama can be connected through home WiFi or an ethernet cable, and an HDMI input connection on a TV set.

DStv subscribers will be able to stream all the channels available on their DStv subscription as well as access the Catch Up content for those channels. MultiChoice says that when using the DStv Streama, it counts as one of the four devices for use with the DStv App.

The DStv Streama is built on top of the RDK platform. This is an operator tier platform, designed and built by a collective of TV operators (including Sky and Comcast). Its secure environment protects content rights holders, which are key to the pay-TV and OTT industry.

MultiChoice says that RDK was selected because it enables it to deliver the best entertainment experience for customers whilst enabling flexibility and security.

People won't need to be a DStv subscriber to use the DStv Streama but will need a DStv login. No active DStv subscription is required to use the DStv Streama.

MultiChoice's Showmax Pro launches in South Africa from 19 August with sports streaming, no free trial period because of sports rights.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice's subscription video-on-demand service on Wednesday morning announced that it's launching its Showmax Pro sports-streaming added service in South Africa from 19 August but with no free trial period because of sport rights.

In a note to Showmax subscribers, Showmax said that "from 19 August 2020, we'll be offering a new subscription plan - called Showmax Pro - in your territory".

Showmax Pro will cost R449 per month, and Showmax Pro Mobile will cost R225 per month.

Showmax Pro launched in Nigeria and Kenya on 7 July, and a week later expanded to 40 more countries across sub-Saharan Africa, but excluding South Africa.

Showmax Pro, an extension of the existing SVOD service, bundles the existing Showmax entertainment service together with music channels, news, and live sport streaming from SuperSport, and is the first major brand delineation since Showmax launched in 2015.

The additional content offered through Showmax Pro features all Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and PSL games, and other live sport events. 

Other Showmax Pro sports include UEFA Champions and Europa Leagues (South Africa only), Premier Soccer League, motorsport (not available in SA) like MotoGP, Dakar Rally, NASCAR Cup and tennis (not available in SA): All Grand Slams and ATP Tour events.

Showmax Pro will also show athletics (Diamond League, World Challenge League and more), running: Berlin, Boston, London, NYC, Soweto Marathons and more), boxing (selected IBF, WBA, WBO, WBC and African Boxing events), and in South Africa only - swimming, extreme sports, eSports, basketball, triathlon, horse racing, EFC, netball and hockey.

Showmax Pro won't show cycling in South Africa at launch, although it will show the Tour De France and World Tour events in other territories.

Due to the nature of sport licensing MultiChoice is offering no free trial on its Showmax Pro or Showmax Pro Mobile plans.

The Showmax Pro subscription plan includes a high definition (HD) quality video stream with access to selected sports, news & entertainment content offering; available on various devices; offers two simultaneous viewing streams; enabled for 5 registered devices.

The Showmax Pro Mobile subscription plan offers only a Standard defininition (SD) quality video stream,with selected sports, news & entertainment content offering; available only on smartphones and tablets; offers only one viewing stream; and enabled for one registered device.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 18 August 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:


■ MUST READ: August 2020 is the month that Old Hollywood finally died.
In the desperate aggressive race to transform into video streaming services as the golden rivers of money from pay-TV are drying up, get ready for a ruthless new culture, mass firings and upending everything in the brutal final scenes of "Hollywood" as we knew it.


■ Ellen DeGeneres fires 3 producers as she tries to salvage toxic talk show.
Executive producers Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman all fired.
- Infamously cruel Ellen DeGeneres tells staffers in video conference call she vows to interact more with staffers, is introverted and has "good days and bad days".

- Insiders blame Telepictures and reveal how fired producers fostered a toxic culture:
"They allow people like Ellen the ability to do that because they are such a cash cow, they are basically printing money. They know these people are terrible, but they don't care."

■ Netflix is now terrible at email marketing.

■ In Tanzania's ferocious ongoing crackdown on press freedom and the media, Star Media, MultiChoice Tanzania and Azam Digital forced to apologise for broadcasting news for 7 days straight and fined.

■ Disney looks like it's done with Hulu when it comes to international streaming plans, and will now focus on Disney+ and launching its video-on-demand services internationally under the Star brand.

■ Google enhances search for live TV programming.

■ The planned Star Trek: Strange New Worlds spinoff will be more like the original series with episodic stories.

■ In Belarus hundreds of staffers go on strike ove censorship as viewers see empty studios on-air:
"If we can’t do honest journalism, then we won’t work."

■ What actually happens when a TV episode gets pulled?


■ The big hurdles facing America's TV industry because of Covid-19 as it gets ready for the 2020 fall TV season line-up.
- The advent of scripted coronavirus TV is here after months of widespread lockdowns and scripted shows filmed Covid-19 restrictions.
- Every new and returning 2020 fall TV show premiere.


■ How we made Flash Gordon.

■ Henry Cavill's curls as Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes.

■ Traditional television is still popular with kids in Canada.

■ American TV anchors allegedly threw a banana and fruit at a basketball player who wants an apology.

■ Video streaming watching habits may already have peaked.

■ New Zealand television accidentally shows rude bits when Naked Attraction plays in the newsroom background during a report.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 17 August 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:


■ Meghan Markle and Prince Harry using money from her Suits reruns on Netflix to pay of their new Santa Barbara home.

■ Selling Sunset's Jason Oppenheim slams Netflix, says he feels Netflix duped him over the nature of the reality show.

■ Ellen DeGeneres called out over video showing her berating ayoung translator.

■ The British soap Hollyoaks starts a guardian scheme to address racism.

■ Even cows are better represented on Australian television than the country's diverse population.
"Who gets to tell Australian stories?" report finds shocking lack of on-air diversity in Australia's TV news industry.
- "You can't be what you can't see."


■ How MultiChoice's Showmax video streaming service deliberately bans and blocks gay content in Nigeria and Kenya.

■ Nigeria continues its relentless attack on MultiChoice; country wants to tell a private firm to stop increasing its prices, wants to force it to introduce a hysterical non-existent "pay-per-view", and wants to take away pay-TV operator's exclusive content rights.

■ Why the rich and famous are fleeing Hollywood.

■ State TV staff in Belarus join strikes and country's growing public protest.

■ Marge Simpson of The Simpsons tels the Donald Trump campaign to stop the name calling.

■ The fired Diamond & Silk slams FOX News (StarSat 261) after they got axed, saying Fox News has "a racist double-standard in giving them the boot for saying the same things its white stars regularly claim" (subscription required).

■ In India TV anchors encourage cockfights on television.
News readers decided their role is no longer to educate but to belittle people with views different from theirs.

■ A new Rolling Stone long-read: How FOX News (StarSat 261) kills the truth.

■ Trouble for New Zealand's existing pay-TV operators like Sky when Disney launches its video streaming service and keeps its content.

■ Netflix's controversial Indian Matchmaking will change in an important way if there's a second season.

■ Sky is done and getting out of pay-TV in Spain.

■ UEFA is looking for a new anti-piracy service provider to protect its sports content.

■ Ryan Reynolds trolls by launching a video streaming service ... playing just one movie - but it's free.

■ European media groups should consolidate in the video streaming era.

Coronavirus: Maak My Famous drops Namibia’s Ayden and Tamaryn as Top 10 contestants over Covid-19 travel restrictions.

by Thinus Ferreira

The second season of the Afrikaans talent search competition Maak My Famous on kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET & kie (DStv 145) has been forced to drop the heartbroken Namibian contestants Ayden and Tamaryn from the Top 10, as well as the live studio audience, because of Covid-19 regulations and travel restrictions.

The second season of Maak My Famous, produced by All Star Entertainment, returned on Saturday night with its first live broadcast from Cape Town after it was forced to shut down earlier this year along with the rest of South Africa's TV and film industry when strict lockdown regulations were abruptly introduced to try and curb the spread of the global Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa.

In March Maak My Famous initially announced a short production break to April but in June announced that the show, done from inside the Roxy Revue Bar in Grandwest Casino in Cape Town will be postponed until August.

It's the second locally-produced singing reality competition where Covid-19 has had a direct impact on the behind-the-scenes production and the top-selected contestants, similar to the current 16th season of Idols on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) that will start with its live Sunday shows on 20 September.

On Saturday the Maak My Famous host and executive producer Emo Adams told viewers that Aden and Tamaryn Beukes from Walvis Bay, Namibia who the audience voted into the Top 10 have been dropped from the show and replaced by Noleen Spinks, known as "Spinksie", from Port Elizabeth.

Spinksie was eliminated during the Top 20 round of the competition.

"Because of Covid-19 Aden and Tamaryn could no longer join us and their path on Maak My Famous has ended," Emo Adams said who used an "Emo Ticket" to bring Spinksie back to the show.

Aden and Tamaryn will now get the R20 000 as N$20 000 (R23 312) that was offered to contestants during the in-show "take the money or take your chance" segment. If there is to be a third season of Maak My Famous, the brother and sister pair will be given a guaranteed spot in the Top 48.

kykNET and All Star Entertainment reached out and tried to work with the governments of both South Africa and Namibia to try and get travel permission for Aden and Tamaryn.

After several failed attempts the producers were forced to give up and had no choice but to remove the pair from the show because of the restrictive Covid-19 regulations that prohibits travel between provinces in South Africa except for business reasons, as well as international travel including cross-border travel between Southern African countries like South Africa and Namibia.

In a video message Aden said that "We are so incredibly sorry that we can't join you further on the Maak My Famous journey". Tamaryn said "We know that the Maak My Famous team tried everything to get us in South Africa and we're so thankful for it".



Maak My Famous managed to assemble the rest of the Top 10 - including Spinksie as replacement - in time for the mandatory Covid-19 co-living isolation period in a "MMF"-house in Cape Town where the contestants are now all staying, practising and participating in the Saturday shows going forward.

The Top 10 Maak My Famous contestants are now Daylin Sass (Hanover Park, Cape Town), Elizabeth), Spinksie (Port Elizabeth), Jayson Kleinschmidt (Paarl), Gideon Lottering (G.Notes) (George), Henrico Coetzer (Pretoria), Reggie B (Rawsonville), Nicoleen Saal (Oceanview, Cape Town), DfeatSA (Kuilsriver, Cape Town) and Die Wesso’s (George).

Emma Ellis from Port Elizabeth was eliminated on Saturday night when she got the most votes from viewers to leave the show.

The show also dropped the live in-studio audience at The Roxy Bar because of Covid-19 social distancing and venue limit regulations.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 14 August 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:


■ The Covid-19 pandemic will make the upcoming TV shows and fims look like nothing we've ever seen before.

■ After Selling Sunset, Netflix is doing another rip-off real estate series of Bravo's Million Dollar Listing with Million Dollar Beach House.

■ At WarnerMedia its streaming service HBO Max is the new golden child. Now WarnerMedia wants to create a new news streaming services like CNN and CNN International (DStv 401) but going directly to consumers instead of through pay-TV.

■ Series finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. seen on M-Net City (DStv 115) has an "emotional, happy ending".

■ As background: Apple hates Bloomberg, as in Hates - and has blocked its reporters from for instance attending iPhone launches. Bloomberg keeps scooping with Apple new, for instance this new report that Apple plans to launch "subscription bundles" for things like its Apple TV+ video streaming service.


■ Nick Viall says his "sex narrative" on The Bachelor was difficult to watch.
- While virgin Bachelor Colton Underwood teases his reality TV comeback.
- Host Chris Harrison replaced by JoJo Fletcher.
- Leaving us all just trying to understand what's going on.


■ Meanwhile the Big Brother Naija 2020 housemate Nengi on DStv says she will have sex on the MultiChoice reality show if she wants in front of the cameras, as housemates complains that the condoms are being used up too quickly.

■ A look at the messy, complicated legacy of The Legend of Korra.

■ VICE is a failure in Europe and is starting to withdrawn its TV channels from across Europe after just 4 years (subscription required).

■ New Zealand's TV reporters mask up because of Covid-19 coronavirus - but it's tricky.

■ The reputation of Ellen DeGeneres is in freefall. Can she stop the bleeding?

■ So bad, they're brilliant: Why villains are the true stars of reality TV.

■ TV comedy in crisis: Why class snobbery in 2020 is leaving viewers alienated.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 13 August 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:


■ Ghana groom leaves bride waiting in church ... to go fix a DStv dish on his wedding day.


■ Top veteran South African economist Dr Iraj Abedian slams what he calls MultiChoice's trash-bad DStv service and says he's done and cancelling - which leads to an outpouring of complaints from angry and highly upset DStv subscribers:
"DStv services have gone to the dogs. Their helpdesk doesn't answer, their Whatsapp responses are invalid, their website doesn't load. They message me that I have no decoder whilst I've been using their decoder for over 10 years! Such is the state of management at DStv. Embarrassing!"


■ Voice of America (DStv 853), now controlled by the controversial Donald Trump appointed Michael Pack, goes from an American radio station to propaganda station with glowing Mike Pence coverage.

■ Showrunners of Avatar: The Last Airbender leave live-action remake and slam Netflix:
Got no support from Netflix that created a "negative and unsupported environment".

■ Cartoon Network tried to de-gay Steven Universe.
- Cartier's romantic TV commercial with 2 men in China stirs censorship debate.

■ MultiChoice is an absolute joke says a DStv subscriber who has been waiting for months for a refund since cancelling his DStv subscription in June already.

■ Even more financial pain and ratings trouble because of lost advertising revenue due to lost sports content for ESPN (DStv 218 / StarSat 248) as more American college football tournaments are postponed to 2021.

■ Half-naked man walks in during live TV interview as frantic American football analyst Urban Meyer being interviewed freaks out.

■  Remote Control: Making TV amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Will viewers watch the new "boxed-in" shows done with remote and skeleton crews and casts spending all their time inside?
- The post-Covid-19 TV industry starts to take shape in the United Kingdom, but with missing pieces, frustrated unions, ditched episodes and ruined castles.


■ Secret: Broadcasters believe 5G will replace traditional TV distribution.
- Can broadcasters survive the video streaming battle?

■ Is Disney done with physical disks?
Mouse House apparently ready to dump disks.

■ Breathtaking: Scammers sell $1 billion's worth of TV shows ... a year.
Fake sites sell pirate internet-protocol TV services worldwide filled with live feeds of linear TV channels and it's completely illegal.

■ India bans the import of TV sets.

■ Netflix goes to Hell.

■ Turkey's Ertuğrul: The Muslim "Game of Thrones".

■ He coined the phrase "Content is king". Media mogul Sumner Redstone dead at 97.

■ The big Generation X animation comeback.

■ International TV news channels like Deutsche Welle off the air and forced to end programmes as they are directly affected by Tanzania's shocking new dictatorial media clampdown regulations.

■ Amazon Prime Video gives away free ice-cream in Los Angeles.

■ Nigeria's film and video censorship board abruptly introduces a 30-day mandatory content registration regulation for producers; adds a 5% tax levy payable on all audio and visual content produced in Lagos.

■ New Zealand's Sky TV pay-TV operator sells off its outside broadcasting unit responsible for doing its Sky Sport coverage; will keep the production crew.
- Also removes local Covid-19 horror TV series INSiDE as new real-life coronavirus cases emerge.

■ Egypt extends the detention of the Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / StarSat 257) journalist Mahmoud Hussein.

■ Why is Nigeria's aggressive National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) fighting with MultiChoice, Nigeria' TV industry and the media?

■ The Princess Bride board game is an exercise in futility - which makes it brilliant.