Dumisa channel on DStv adds new choral music show, Melodi, with presenter Franklite Setlhapelo, featuring 'raw talent' choirs from across South Africa.

Dumisa (DStv 340) is adding Melodi as a new show with presenter Franklite Setlhapelo from Saturday 4 June at 18:00 that will showcase choral music.

Each week a different gospel choir from a different part of South Africa will perform.

Melodi will combine what it calls "raw talent" with beloved choral songs and share some of the background to the music itself with viewers.

"I am greatly humbled to be part of the Dumisa TV family and to present Melodi," says Franklite Setlhapelo. "For me personally, this opportunity affirms what the Bible says 'where there is life there's hope from Ecclesiastes 9:4".

Melodi will include school gospel choirs, church choirs and community choirs.

MultiChoice's head of content, Aletta Alberts, explains why DStv subscribers complain about repeats and how it will evolve to a content recommendation source.

She's not just one of the smartest TV content executives, she's the smartest TV content executive and in a new must-watch interview with trade publication The Media, Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's general manager of content, explains why DStv subscribers complain about repeats and how the pay-TV model and MultiChoice in terms of its content offer is evolving.

Aletta Alberts who spoke at Kantar Media's recent World Audiences Summit in Cape Town told The Media how she is seeing pay-TV services like MultiChoice changing.

"Gone are the days when broadcasters just pushed content to consumers and they have to be happy with what you push to them. It's much more of a two way conversation now and the key thing for us as DStv is that we put the consumer at the centre of everything that we do now. Everything that we do is designed around our consumers."

"In future, I the pay-TV model will be very different," says Aletta Alberts.

"I think it will be a hybrid of linear channels - stuff that you still watch live, I think it will have major social media integration, so your live sport events and your big live entertainment shows where people want to be part of the social media conversation and they can't afford not to watch it live."

"I think it will be combined with binge viewing, and viewing that is much more personalised - not shows that's made for channels where people watch in mass audiences. But I can now watch my Japanese game show if I want to because it's on demand and I can find it somewhere, or I can watch the science fiction drama that they don't offer on a channel."

"On top of that I can't watch everything at the same time," says Aletta Alberts.

"I think that's often the frustration for people and why they think there's so many repeats because they're only watching in prime time and often they don't watch enough of a repertoire of TV channels."

"So I think with a combination of channels and video-on-demand and catch-up services, it allows audiences to have a much wider selection of content."

"Already consumers will tell us if they have a DStv PVR, they'll say there's too much content, they can't watch everything. Whereas if they only have a linear experience, they'll say 'All I see is repeats'. So I think it's finding that balance."

Aletta Alberts said MultiChoice in future is "going to become much more of a curator of content. Over time we will probably have a personal profile and we'll push a playlist to you."

"I think that's where the role of a pay-TV platform like us will become really important as a trusted content recommendation source, rather than just a selection and a bouquet of channels."

New talk show, Hello Africa, starting on EbonyLife TV on DStv with presenter Eunice Omole on 11 June at 9:30pm.

A new talk show, Hello Africa, will start on EbonyLife TV (DStv 165) will start on Saturday 11 June at 21:30 with presenter Eunice Omole.

According to EbonyLife TV, Eunice Omole will interview some of Africa's "most inspirational and successful leaders" during each half hour episode.

Eunice Omole who recently joined the TV channel is EbonyLife TV's chief strategy officer.

During the first season of Hello Africa Eunice Omole will interview AKON, Marcus Samuelsson, Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim, Femi Kuti, Florence "DJ Cuppy" Otedola, Ivan Kagame, Kevin Olusola and Peres Owino - not really any names well-known in South Africa.

"Hello Africa seeks to tell the quintessential African story through industrious, enterprising and brilliant minds that are proud of their heritage and determined to change the misconceptions of Africa and Africans around the world," says Eunice Omole.

Hello Africa will run new episodes on Saturdays with repeats on Sundays at 20:30 and Tuesdays at 21:30.

New telenovela, If Only I Were You, on Telemundo on DStv, has Eugenio Siller playing two roles as Pedro and Leonardo switching lives.

The new telenovela If Only I Were You has just started on Telemundo (DStv 118) revolving around Perico and Leonardo who look the same and who switches lives.

If Only I Were You started on Telemundo on 23 May at 16:20 and actor Eugenio Siller plays both roles.

Eugenio Siller is Pedro "Perico" Pérez, honest, hardworking and a ladies' man and in love with Paloma (Danna Paola).

Leonardo lives in a mansion soon to be married to the mysterious and beautiful Fernanda Manrique (Kimberly Dos Ramos). 

Both end up in each other life and get to sample the good and bad.

There's of course a bigger twist between Pedro and Leonardo that I can't talk about without giving away a big plot point which is as soap as weekday soap gets.

If Only I Were You known as ¿Quién es quién? (or Who is Who?) that has 120 episodes had its finale Mexico in early April.

People's Weather channel on DStv doing Environment Month during June, focusing on informative coverage of all aspects of the natural environment.

People's Weather (DStv 180) is doing Environmental Month in June.

The weather channel says all of the content on the DStv channel during June will be dedicated to the natural environment.

In June People's Weather will focus on the natural environment, from living off the grid, to the sustainability of oceans and natural forests, people making a difference, and those who form part of the problem.

People's Weather will keep viewers informed during June about how ordinary citizens can make a difference and fight for the future of our planet.

Platco Digital's OpenView HD adds the Trace Sport Stars channel from Trace from Friday 3 June; channel already available on DStv and StarSat.

The Trace Sport Stars that's available on MultiChoice's DStv (188) and on StarTimes Media SA and On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat (250) hasn't been on my radar for a long while.

It isn't a channel I personally like for various reasons, but news to report is that Trace Sport Stars will be added to Platco Digital's OpenView HD from Friday 3 June.

Trace Sport Stars - a version of "E! meets sport celebrities" - will be carried on OpenView HD on channel 154 from 12:00 midday on Friday.

While as a non-premium channel Trace Sport Stars makes less sense on DStv and StarSat, its addition does make a difference on OpenView HD.

Put another way: its existence or absence doesn't enhance or detract from DStv or StarSat, but its existence on OpenView HD given its existing set of channels does make OpenView HD better.

"Trace Sport Stars will take a unique view on sport stars, giving our viewers access to content that is not currently available on the OpenView HD offering," says Ziyanda Mngomezulu, Platco Digital channel acquisitions executive.

Leo Manne, Trace senior vice president for Southern Africa says Trace is "delighted about the new partnership with OpenView HD. Viewers will get the opportunity to know the real stories behind the sport stars they admire".

Trace Sport Stars shows include Star Rated that rates sport stars, and Lisa Raleigh and Maps Maponyane presenting 101 World Cups and 101 Excercises to Do Before You Die.

Will Best presents The Ultimate Sport Survival Guide featuring home video clips of exercise enthusiasts.

China's StarTimes, in controversial deal for digital terrestrial television (DTT), has apparently in essence taken over Zambia's public broadcaster.

In a shocking move it appears that China's StarTimes pay-TV operator has in essence taken over control of Zambia's public broadcaster, the Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC).

In a non-transparent joint venture that hands over control of public broadcasting in Zambia to China's StarTimes for a mind-boggling 25 years, StarTimes has the controlling share while ZNBC only has a 40% stake.

The contract - worth $271 million - is based around Zambia's long-delayed roll-out of digital terrestrial television (DTT) and doesn't appear to have followed due diligence public procurement processes.

In September 2013 the Zambian government awarded a DTT tender to StarTimes which was cancelled due to irregularities in the awarding of the contract by Zambia's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services.

Fast forward three years and the contract that's now an even better deal for StarTimes has again been awarded to StarTimes, despite Zambia's Public Procurement Authority that found that due process wasn't followed.

According to Zambian Watchdog "the fact that the government is handing control of its national broadcaster to a foreign company is not only detrimental to the sovereignty of the Zambian nation, it is highly likely to have a negative impact on the economy as a result of possible tax exemptions, access to free ZNBC land and take away jobs from local Zambians under the guise that they don't yet have the skills to manage such a large and highly technical business".

According to Zambian Watchdog, the shocking StarTimes deal also appears to "exclude all other players from the market, as they insist on having exclusive control of the sale, distribution and marketing of all DTT products countrywide".

This kills of any potential growth in the television and film sector which normally thrives during the digital migration with new players entering the market in a bid to tap into the sales, distribution and marketing opportunities.

Besides Zambia, China's StarTimes in Africa is mired in controversy and scandals in countries like Ghana and Malawi.

A selection of South African cartoonists on the decision by SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng to censor SABC News protest coverage on television.

Besides a near-universal avalanche of criticism directed at the SABC and its controversial and famously matricless boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng's decision to censor SABC News protest coverage on television, South African cartoonists also weighed in the past week.

Here's just a few:

City Press

Zapiro for The Sunday Times

Rico for eNCA

Zapiro for The Times

And some brilliant classic older ones:

EFF political party slams eNCA news channel on DStv over ban of the 'doek' as eNCA says its started 'an internal process' about on-air appearance policy.

The Economic Freedom Front (EFF) political party on Thursday slammed the eNCA (DStv 403) TV news channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform for its banning of female reporters wearing a "doek", as eNCA said it has started "an internal process" to relook its on-air appearance policy.

The doek drama exploded on Tuesday when eNCA reporter Nontobeko Sibisi in a scathing letter slammed her employer, alleging that an insert she did for Africa Day last Wednesday was canned because she appeared in it, wearing the head covering that's apparently not allowed.

eNCA has not been clear about whether this is the reason why Nontobeko Sibisi's story has been taken off air by a sub editor or whether its because something else was wrong with the story but the issue did ignite public comment - especially on Thursday from social media users.

In apparent solidarity with Nontobeko Sibisi, on Thursday eNCA anchor Iman Rappetti donned a red doek (not on air) while other eNCA reporters were seen in a doek selfie.

Meanwhile the EFF in a statement on Thursday said eNCA's banning of the doek is worse than the SABC's censorship of protest coverage on SABC News.

The EFF slammed eNCA for allegedly remaining "trapped in the colonial mode of aesthetic representation of black people" and that it's "a colonial anti-black racist denial of African aesthetic expression".

The EFF said that "eNCA is saying wearing a doek, which is a famous popular wear for African women, religious and otherwise, is not aesthetically befitting of television journalism. Thus, African women who choose to have the doek, must then feel incomplete or inferior for their aesthetic choices".

"eNCA must live with this fact and take the opportunity to transform even its aesthetic appearances to look like a television news program that is in Africa, by Africans and for Africans".

Prof. Anton Harber, editor-in-chief at eNCA says the news channel has "initiated an internal process to ensure our policy is in line with our corporate and national values, and that it embraces the diversity of our staff and audience."

"We look forward to a rich debate about how we do this, and are confident that it will enhance our news product".