MultiChoice launches new Cape Verde TV channel on DStv elsewhere in Africa; boosting Portuguese TV content for the continent.

Cape Verde Television (TCV) has launched as a new Portuguese language TV channel on DStv, with MultiChoice making the new TV channel available to DStv subscribers in Angola and Mozambique on the Portuguese bouquets.

TVC is a free-to-air public service channel broadcasting from the archipelago of Cape Verde, but the Cape Verde Television seen on DStv is an international version distributed by the Paris-based Thema who helped TCV to put together a version to distribute outside of the archipelago.

"The channel is one more example of MultiChoice's commitment to offer its subscribers a large volume of content in Portuguese, but it also serves to help Cape Verdeans living abroad to remain in touch with their country's culture," says Nico Meyer, the CEO of MultiChoice Africa in a statement about the addition of the new channel to DStv.

65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards key art released; M-Net likely to show it live and in high definition on 23 September in South Africa.

The key art for the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards has been released with Hollywood's annual high gloss awards show honouring the best in the year's American television taking place on 22 September at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

There's no word yet on whether M-Net has again secured the broadcasting rights for the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards although it's highly likely that M-Net will show the ceremony live on Monday morning 23 September in high definition on M-Net (DStv 101) and again later in primetime on the same day on the M-Net channel.

BREAKING. '$25 for the SABC!' - African viewers scramble to get their TV decoders 'reconnected' after Sentech scrambles SABC, e.tv in Africa.

Fuming Africans demanding "their" SABC back are clamouring at backstreet illegal technicians to "fix" their Chinese decoders and paying up to $40, while DStv decoder sales are skyrocketing following the encryption of the SABC and e.tv's signals outside of South Africa's borders.

On Monday the South African parastatal signal distributor, Sentech, following protracted legal wrangling, finally encrypted the broadcasting signals of SABC1, SABC2, SABC3 and e.tv. 

That left millions of viewers from Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar, Angola and Zimbabwe suddenly with blue boxes on their TV screens and messages saying the channels are encrypted on their cheap Chinese decoders such as Philibao, Wiztech and Fortec Star.

Millions of viewers in Southern African viewers outside South Africa for years illegally watched South African broadcasters' programming and soaked up the aspirational faux glam entertainment, news and the foreign yet extremely popular soaps such as Generations, 7de Laan, Isidingo, Muvhango and Rhythm City.

DStv decoder sales have skyrocketed as African viewers simply refuse to watch their local state and public broadcasters whose programming and production values, according to viewers, pale in comparison to what they get to see from South Africa. 

MultiChoice has been inundated by enquiries from viewers who are left disappointed and heartbroken to hear that the SABC's channels are not available on DStv in these countries although the pay-TV operator does provide better TV fare than what's available on free-to-air.

Meanwhile shops are left with worthless imported decoders after signals were scrambled on Monday. 

The past two days, from Zambia to Botswana and from Mozambique to Malawi streetcorner posters are popping up with backroom technicians promising they can "fix" decoders and bring the SABC and e.tv back – but for a price. People are told to bring their decoders and anything from $25 to $40 as technicians claim that they will "reconnect the SABC".

African viewers, suffering severe withdrawal symptoms from not being able to watch Isidingo, Generations and television news on e.tv from South Africa which they consider far better than their own, are now flocking to people who illegally attempt to circumvent the new signal encryption protocols Sentech implemented.

In Zimbabwe for instance there's an estimated three million satellite TV dishes but roughly 2,4 million of those households who used it to receive free-to-air transmissions such as the channels from the SABC and e.tv. Here the local state broadcaster Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) welcomed the encryption.

The ZBC said Sentech is finally complying with international laws not to beam pirated programming into other countries. The ZBC said that Zimbabweans are quick to look down on their own programmes, while indulging in South African soaps like Muvhango.

GREAT CALL. CNN International stays with Christiane Amanpour and extends her show for brilliant coverage of Egypt's street politik.

CNN International (DStv 401) was the singular best television news source on Wednesday night for amazing rolling news coverage of Egyptian street politik and the live populist coup of the Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.

CNN International's coverage was infused with exceptionally intelligent gravitas, context and on-the-minute background when CNN International decided to keep Christiane Amanpour on the air and to extend her daily news and current affairs magazine show Amanpour.

It made for terrific news television because it not only covered live breaking news, but it managed to transform and elevate it by instantly bringing well-sourced, intelligent context and impartial commentary and background to give perspective on the unfolding events.

Christiane Amanpour's always well produced Amanpour, usually a live daily half hour show at 21:00 on CNN International done from New York, started as usual on Wednesday night and was aided that the news of the ousting of Mohamed Morsi happened during her show. The show didn't miss a single second of taking in all the breaking news and appropriately and amazingly adding to it.

Amanpour was extended to a hour show and lasted until 22:00, which made Amanpour the definitive television news coverage to watch.

The pivotal anchor kept everything together and brought unsurpassed news gravitas and insight - usually missing from live breaking news events, to the unfolding Egyptian popular uprising.

Christiane Amanpour seamlessly switched between bringing in CNN's foreign correspondents with live shots, to talking to an Egyptian political science experts (an Egyptian female professor no less) in studio and talking to former Egyptian military as well as political leaders as well during the hour.

Breaking television news rarely has the opportunity to do this; rarely has the resources; or the functionality and timing. On Wednesday Amanpour had it - great rolling news coverage from CNN's very best international journalists which was be instantly infused with exceptional pre-arranged studio guests, Christiane Amanpour's own extensive background and insight, and links to Egyptians talking from across the country.

After a simply terrible hour between 22:00 and 23:00 of The Lead with Jake Tapper when CNN International switched to CNN's American feed with shockingly pathetic, shallow Egypt lite coverage and laughable tabloid trash Travon Martin trial coverage while massive news was taking place in Egypt, CNN International was back at 23:00 with more Amanpour.

Amanpour at 23:00 on CNN International is usually a half hour repeat of the day's episode, but Christiane Amanpour was back with ongoing live coverage and perspective. The "new" additional half hour remained half an hour.


Meanwhile it was South Africa's Paula Slier who did live coverage and live updates for RT (DStv 405) on Wednesday evening as that news channel's foreign correspondent perked atop high rise buildings with many other news reporters overlooking Tahrir Square.

BREAKING. Trace Sports on DStv changing the channel's name to Trace Sport Stars; wants to lure more female viewers.

Trace Sports on DStv on channel 188, the general sports entertainment channel covering the celebrity aspect of international sport stars, has rebranding as Trace Sport Stars.

The Trace Sports to Trace Sport Stars name change which will be rolled out globally, was effected on 19 June on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, although the Trace Group didn't talk about and communicated the name change of the brand or gave any advance warning to the press.

The Trace Group for the first time informed the press about the name change of Trace Sports to Trace Sport Stars in South Africa on Wednesday evening 3 July - exactly two weeks after it happened.

The Trace Sport Stars name change implemented by the Trace Group starts in South Africa and Africa on DStv and in the United Kingdom on Sky and will be staggered around the world for the rest of the 130 countries where Trace Sports has carriage agreements with pay-TV operators.

Besides the name change to Trace Sport Stars, the logo is also undergoing a modification with the addition of a gold star. The name and image change of the channel comes just over a year after Trace Sports launched on DStv on 17 April 2012.

"The brand evolution reflects the editorial move to give the channel a stronger focus on stars and sport celebrities," says Trace Sport Stars.

"Together with the new brand, Trace Sport Stars is also introducing new programmes made by international award-winning producers," says the channel.

"This brand evolution starts in two of our key markets, Africa and the United Kingdom," says Olivier Laouchez, the CEO of the Trace Group which also supplies channels such as the music channel Trace Urban to MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform in South Africa and Africa.

"The addition of the 'Stars' component in the channel branding and the launch of new programmes will give us access to a larger, younger and more female audience," says Olivier Laouchez.

"This move will help us maintain our unique competitive advantage in the pay-TV market, providing the very first and best sport entertainment network."

Vampire Diaries coming to SABC2 from Tuesday 20 August at 19:30 for a first season of 22 episodes.

The Vampire Diaries will start on Tuesday 20 August at 19:30 on SABC2 the channel has announced, with a first season of 22 episodes.

The Vampire Diaries already completed four season's and has been renewed for a 5th in America.

The show revolving around a human girl in high school involved in a love triangle of sorts with two vampire brothers and starring Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley can be seen on pay-TV in South Africa.

DStv adds and enables Series Recording function for the new FOX channel.

DStv just added and enbled its "Series Recording" functionality to its newly added FOX (DStv 125) channel, which now allows DStv subscribers to record the entire season's episodes of a particular series by setting a recording only once.

MultiChoice tells me that Series Recording is now active for FOX.

It's one of those good problems to have if you work in television and run a TV channel: viewers complaining that your TV channel has too much content they want to watch and that they can't get to it all.

I received several complaints from DStv subscribers complaining about the lack of Series Recording being available for FOX (which is also available on TopTV on channel 180), and that FOX shows are also not available on DStv decoders on the DStv on Demand's Catch Up service.

FOX is rebroadcasting several recent, big buzz and premium TV series such as The Walking Dead, Falling Skies, together with new first-run episodes from new shows such as Da Vinci's Demons from the first season specifically to help DStv subscribers catch up with the narratives before new further seasons roll out.

That condensed schedule packed with a higher concentration of new programming is creating a glut of premium television on the general entertainment channel, making it difficult for even binge television viewers to keep up with FOX - although its still a good problem to have.

It's not a TV channel's or channel supplier's decision or choice to have Series Recording or Catch Up functionality enabled for their channel or certain shows but MultiChoice which decides and has to implement it.

A month after FOX started on DStv, subscribers can now press one button and will be able to capture an entire season's episodes on decoders (hard drive space permitting).

FOX is (still) not added to the DStv Catch Up service on DStv decoders and likely won't be until MultiChoice unveils their new DStv decoder which will have more available hard drive space. Even then its not a guarantee that FOX programming will be added.

Patricia Hidalgo Turner Broadcasting System's new chief content and creative officer for kids for the EMEA region.

Patricia Hidalgo has taken over as senior vice president and chief content and creative officer for kids for Turner Broadcasting System for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

Turner Broadcasting System EMEA runs channels such as CNN International, Cartoon Network, Boomerang (and its Cartoonito block) and TCM on pay-TV platforms such as MultiChoice's DStv service in South Africa and Africa.

Patricia Hidalgo worked for The Walt Disney Company EMEA as vice president for content and programming strategy and will now head up Turner Broadcasting System's portfolio of kids content and channel brands in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Patricia Hidalgo will oversee all centrally-funded programming such as acquisitions, co-productions, originals, channel branding and editorial compliance across multiple platforms and formats.

"We are delighted that Patricia is joining us and look forward to the leadership and wealth of creative experience she will bring to a role that sits at the very heart of our kids business," says Peter Flamman, the senior vice president and chief operating officer for the EMEA region and the managing director for the kids division for the EMEA region at Turner in a statement.

"We are particularly impressed by her superb track record of collaborating with diverse local market teams within a global, franchise-led content-centric organisation. That fits in perfectly with Turner's philosophy going forward and will allow us to capitalise upon our strong original content slate including new seasons of Adventure Time and Regular Show from our United States studios and Gumball and LazyTown from EMEA."

BREAKING. Falling Skies on FOX in South Africa renewed for a 4th season of 10 episodes.

Falling Skies, the science fiction drama from Steven Spielberg seen in South Africa on FOX (DStv 125 / TopTV 180) and currently in its third season in the United States has been renewed for a fourth season.

Unlike the previous two seasons South African viewers are not seeing episodes of the current latest third season of Falling Skies close to the American broadcasting date which is produced by DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg and starring Noah Wyle.

That is because the deal between Fox International Channels Africa (FIC Africa) and MultiChoice to also add the FOX channel to DStv means that FIC Africa is first reshowing and rebroadcasting the episodes from both the first and the second season of Falling Skies on FOX to help DStv subscribers catch up.

The one benefit is that episodes of Falling Skies are seen in South Africa for the first time in high definition (HD). The third season of Falling Skies will only start showing on FOX on DStv and TopTV in September.

The fourth season of Falling Skies will also have 10 episodes.