BREAKING. Nigerian court rules against MultiChoice Nigeria for a second time; says interim injunction against the price hike of Naspers' pay-TV service in the West African country stands.

In yet another pummeling, the situation is steadily worsening for MultiChoice Nigeria where the Nigerian Federal High Court has ruled against Naspers' pay-TV service in the West African country by rejecting MultiChoice Nigeria's appeal against an interim injunction ordering it to stop it's DStv subscription fee price hike that came into effect since August.

In August, MultiChoice Nigeria increased DStv Nigeria subscribers' monthly subscription fees for the first time since May 2017.

Complaining Nigerians are comfortably clueless that even with the DStv price hike they're still paying less in Africa's second largest pay-TV market than DStv subscribers in other countries like South Africa despite it having a better economy and stronger currency.

MultiChoice Africa in fact absorbed massive losses suffered in Nigeria the past 3 years due to its tanking currency, that took a huge bite out of its overall profit in Africa (excluding South Africa) - something that the rest of MultiChoice Africa's business on the continent essentially had to "cross-subsidize" after Nigeria became a profit-destroying black hole.

The onslaught against MultiChoice Nigeria comes as the West African nation with its struggling economy, depreciating naira currency, rampant inflation and an upcoming election in February 2019, has gone to war against several multi-national companies doing business in the country.

This includes several South African firms with a local Nigerian presence, ranging from MTN Nigeria to Standard Bank (Stanbic IBTC Bank) all suddenly the target to see what further money can be fleeced from them.

The ominous and draconian attack on companies - including on MultiChoice Nigeria that has struggled the past few years but remained committed to stay in Nigeria - will scare away foreign investors and ongoing foreign investment in president Muhammadu Buhari's Nigeria.

Nigeria's belligerent, confused and corrupt Consumer Protection Council (CPC) got a temporary injunction against MultiChoice Nigeria on 23 August, forcing the company to somehow halt its subscription increase weeks after it already went into effect, and now already in effect for its second month in September.

Judge Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court Abuja granted the injunction, saying that "the interim injunction restraining MultiChoice Nigeria or its agents and representatives was to halt its continuing implementation of any increase in subscription rates".

MultiChoice Nigeria then lodged an appeal against the interim injunction, but Judge Nnamdi Dimgba has now rejected it.

Judge Nnamdi Dimgba also refused MultiChoice Nigeria's application to apparently adjourn the case indefinitely and it was adjourned to 9 October 2018.

TV CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK. Who caused this? DStv subscribers short-changed as Doctor Who suddenly swirls back for its 11th season - but to Showmax, not BBC First - with the never-shown 10th season suddenly becoming a phone booth burn-off.

It's not a diabolical Dalek plan; it's more an outcome of what is increasingly becoming the chaos of a nonlinear system.

Doctor Who is coming back for South African viewers after a very long absence, but coming back in the "wrong" way.

Unfortunately this "took-way-too-long" development - of which the net effect in the end is positive - is actually very bad for a particular type of South African consumer.

Distilled down the loser is ... the DStv subscriber who used to watch Doctor Who on BBC Worldwide Africa's (now BBC Studios Africa) BBC First channel on MultiChoice's satellite pay-TV service.

Let's start in the past with the background, then the present and what's happening now, before we get to what the problem is.


First the past

The joy was great when, in the mid-2000's, the BBC revived the British science fiction series, Doctor Who and MultiChoice and BBC Worldwide announced that the new series would also be shown on the BBC Entertainment channel on DStv.

That carried on until season 9 of Doctor Who in 2015 with Peter Capaldi that was shown on BBC First (DStv 119) when the BBC relaunched its channel set on DStv in South Africa.

Everything was hunky-dory, and you couldn't really justifiably criticise anything the BBC and DStv did around Doctor Who, except perhaps a few too long breaks between seasons where BBC Worldwide took just a tad too long to show the next season and South Africa was mostly a season behind.

In 2014 I got upset at the BBC's so-called "global tour" of Doctor Who when the 12th Time Lord, Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman went on a "global" tour to every continent - except for Africa.

African viewers, it seemed, were not really good enough for Doctor Who.

After the 9th season, Doctor Who on DStv's BBC First also just stopped.

Since then it's been the longest wait, of course with the expectation that Doctor Who would return, but not knowing when. I also knew also that the BBC didn't really consider the Doctor Who ratings "good enough", which is why it wasn't a priority to really buy and schedule Doctor Who's 10th season.

In July I still asked the BBC in Africa when Doctor Who would return, and was told there's nothing definite yet.


Now we get to the present

Imagine my surprise when, in late-August, BBC Studios Africa suddenly announced that it will be hosting a special Doctor Who experience at Comic Con Africa 2018, with Naspers' subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming service, Showmax.

The announcement also included that Doctor Who's upcoming 11th season is going to be on Showmax with Jodie Whittaker as the "new" doctor.

(Keep in mind South Africans haven't even seen the 10th season yet on DStv, or the exit of Peter Capaldi, who, according to what we saw last, is still the doctor and will be for a whole season.)

"Whovians and new fans from across the continent can come to Johannesburg and celebrate the return of one of the BBC’s most successful franchises with an immersive TARDIS experience, ahead of the launch of the all-new series starring award-winning actress Jodie Whittaker," said BBC Studios Africa.

"The new series heralds a brand-new era for Doctor Who with a world-class team at the helm."

"Bigger and bolder than ever, Series 11 marks the arrival of the Thirteenth Doctor – a super-smart explorer of the universe, alongside a team of new friends and delightful characters," said the statement, adding that "it will be available exclusive to Showmax later this year."

At Comic Con Africa 2018 "fans of the show will be able to come together and enjoy a screening of the final episode of Series 10, where the new Doctor makes her first appearance."


Now the sad and disappointing problem

Firstly, I don't blame Showmax.

It's a new player in a new video world and all sharks have to keep swimming or die.

Showmax bought BBC Studios content and BBC Studios was willing to sell Doctor Who to Showmax - just like it sold Doctor Who to Cell C's black SVOD service which is where I watched Doctor Who last two months ago.

Furthermore Showmax, marketing-wise, wants to do an "activation" and have a type of a physical brand presence at Comic Con Africa 2018 (with BBC Studios maybe as well) - and again, nothing wrong with that.

I also don't really "blame" BBC Studios and BBC Studios Africa. I really like and respect what BBC Studios Africa keeps accomplishing in South Africa and Africa. Also, BBC Studios produces shows, has shows and wants to sell those. Companies exist to sell.

The problem is maybe that BBC Studios should have sold Doctor Who first to the BBC's channels instead of Showmax, but if the channels part of a company doesn't want it, and you can get money for it elsewhere, who isn't going to sell it to a buyer who wants it?

Here is the bad problematic part though: I have a big problem with what it means for dedicated DStv subscribers and BBC viewers who have been loyal and who have paid for over a decade to watch Doctor Who on MultiChoice's DStv and who now can't watch or follow it anymore.

After first cultivating and creating an audience - something DStv and the BBC did together, these subscribers' are having their show ripped away from them which is now continuing on another platform.

M-Net has done somewhat the same by starting certain shows on certain of the M-Net packaged channels on DStv - mostly M-Net (DStv 101) - and then after a few seasons flinging them away to other channels or higher-tiered channels where subscribers can no longer see them, don't know where to find them, or don't know that new seasons have started elsewhere.

That's not as bad though as having a long-running and existing show jump from a channel on DStv to Showmax.

While some DStv subscribers might get free access to Showmax, they still have to pay data costs to stream episodes.

Secondly, while the deal for season 11 also includes season 10 for Showmax, it's beyond ridiculous  how the 10th season of Doctor Who is being downplayed as merely a phone booth burn-off to just get through, to now get to the ooh-so-exciting season 11.

It comes across as a desperate corporate marketing attempt to make it look as if South Africa is/has always been one of the kids in class who also have the latest pair of Nike.

Meanwhile the truth is that the powers that be could be bothered less with Doctor Who, while real, ardent fans waited and waited and waited.

It took two and a half years since season 9 for South Africans to get access to season 10, and now viewers must suddenly "binge" through it in days - and not on DStv's BBC First but on Showmax - just to be cool enough for Comic Con. That ain't right, Face of Boo.

Thirdly, why is Doctor Who suddenly cool enough for Comic Con Africa (and yes, it is) when it didn't matter before?

All of the sudden fuzz - "ooh, Jodie!", "ooh, one of the BBC’s most successful franchises" - sounds fake and put-on given that South Africans and DStv subscribers heard and were basically told nothing about the show for over two years.

The fact is that Doctor Who wasn't supported in South Africa, fans were not deemed worthy enough of answers about where the show is and when it' would be coming back and it didn't matter enough to comprehensively keep them or the media up to date.

Now there's a flurry of announcements, an activation and whatnots. But why does it feel like it has such a sense of fakeness to it?


A final River Song

I love science fiction; I like Doctor Who.

There are however episodes I hugely love but I can't say that I'm in love with the series.

I have however watched all of the episodes of the 2005 series onwards  - every season - and I have rewatched a lot of episodes on in-flight entertainment systems, and DVD box sets, and will continue following, watching and tracking it.

But there are real fans of Doctor Who, people who really love the show.

There are DStv subscribers who possibly subscribed and remained subscribed to DStv in order to see the show as part of the matrix of shows making it worthwhile for that person to have DStv.

I feel bad for them, and for DStv subscribers who watched Doctor Who, and for DStv subscribers who tuned to a BBC channel because they watched it there, expect(ed) it to continue to be there, and who are experiencing a show being ripped away from them - exclusively - after they waited for it to return for almost 3 years.


So, Who caused this? Who is at fault? No-one really and everybody really. A system with too many options, players, available avenues, and verticals led to it. Welcome to the TV world as it is now, and changing even more.

Unintended effects are part of complex systems and with South Africa's TV-archology adding more and more constantly moving parts that all interact with each other, it's likely that things like this are going to happen even more and more in the future.

If you're very loyal to a particular TV show and want to see how its story continues or concludes, get ready to have to work even harder, and to pay even more for more different things, if you truly want to keep following it.

TV CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK. With entries open for the 13th South African Film and Television Awards, it's high time for the NFVF and Saftas organisers to ask the media what it's doing wrong with this fiasco-fest, and to give the media what they need to cover it.

With the 13th - thirteenth! - South African Film and Television Awards set for 2 March 2019, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and Saftas organisers should do something they've never really bothered with.

Having done 12 of these already and now planning a 13th one, it's far too late (but rather late than never) for the NFVF and Saftas organisers to reach out to actual press covering this awards show to hear what it's doing wrong, not doing at all and should be doing, what can be improved, and how.

The NFVF and the Saftas can then implement some of that to turn the annual Saftas fiasco from the self-entitled mess it continues to be, into an actual win-win: for the media covering it, and for the NFVF and the Saftas to get the coverage - and type of coverage - it presumably wants.

There are several long-time entertainment journalists, entertainment editors and veteran TV critics in South Africa who have over years attended overseas awards shows like those in America, Europe and elsewhere - awards shows that are run successfully and have proper media management, PR and marketing tracks running concurrently to the televised ceremony.

They get the press releases and statements without having to ask for it, have access to the press sites and media portals of the Emmys and the Oscars, and are notified about media access and accreditation months in advance.

More importantly, these long-serving media who've been there, done that, all know, and they compare (and they laugh) when they constantly experience the hapless, seemingly clueless and shoddy attempts by local, badly-done award shows like the Saftas.

It's jarring when you annually experience something like the Oscars' PR machine (or now the Emmys), when what they do is so clearly juxtaposed with what the NFVF is miserably trying to attempt with Saftas. It can be done better, and it should be done better.

Viewers just see the televised show, but behind-the-scenes of successful awards shows, runs a parallel "show" - not one for broadcast, but one where the operation is centered around helping the members of the media physically attending it to get access, and to support them to do their jobs to cover the awards show.

While the Saftas, the eye-roll trashy South African Music Awards (Samas), the shockingly-bad Metro FM Awards that imploded in 2018 because of SABC cash problems and didn't even take place, as well as things like the struggling Royalty Soapie Awards, the laughably bad South African Sports Awards and the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards degrade and embarrass the continent and South Africa's TV industry, there are bright sparks.

M-Net's inaugural DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards last year was excellent - not just the production values and putting up the show - but the way South Africa and Africa's press flown in were treated, the access and the PR machine that ran alongside it.

Mzansi Magic's (DStv 161) 2018 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards nominees media announcement event that took place last month, was organised and executed as the very best nominees announcement event for an awards show in South Africa yet - in very stark contrast to the Saftas' trash-bad nominees announcement event earlier this year that gets criticised over and over again without any improvement.

The NFVF's Saftas has been a shoddily run mess for years with literally no improvement in the disorganised and utterly amateurish media handling and PR side of things, or in the low-class production values and mistakes viewers are constantly subjected to on-screen.

From the invites, media accreditation and organising interviews in the months and weeks beforehand, the annually botched nominees announcement event, to the actual nights' red carpet set-up, media room, seats inside the actual awards ceremony, and media liaison during the nights and afterwards and access to whatever panel discussions and engagement there might be, the Saftas has been shockingly subpar, constantly failing at getting the very basics that the media needs, right.

This is not a new problem.

It's been going on for years - meaning that it's so difficult, cumbersome and borderline impossible to comprehensively cover something like the NFVF's Saftas that a lot of media outlets and journalists just don't bother anymore.

The last time I physically attended as a journalist ready to cover the awards show, I was just ready to go into the awards show ballroom in 2016 after doing 2-hours of red carpet coverage, only to be told that "sorry there isn't actually a seat for you".

As an invited guest, and a media member who was asked to come and cover the Saftas, I wasn't even stunned, surprised or angry getting there and not having a seat.

I went and stood at the back entrance and stood there for the entire duration and covered it from there.

I haven't been back the past two years when the chaos switched to the far-out glitz of Sun City for whatever claptrap-mad reason.

Interestingly, the NFVF and the Saftas has never asked what it needs to do and isn't doing, what needs to change to make it better, or what journalists and the press know from covering awards shows, that the Saftas isn't doing, or is doing wrong.

The result is that the National Film and Video Foundation keeps bungling ahead with the Saftas, year after year - with seemingly the same can't-care-less attitude and not knowing, grating journalists and the media.

Meanwhile the NFVF and Saftas keep losing out on the coverage they want, all because the media isn't getting what they need in order to provide that coverage.

It's unconscionable that the NFVF and Saftas would not ensure that the right, relevant media from across South Africa is present at the awards ceremony to represent their publications and media outlets - yet it happens year after year. As long as, of course, NFVF execs are there, with their family members.

The shocking Comperio Report about the forensic investigation into the rot and corruption at the NFVF from earlier this year, laid bare how NFVF executives and staffers literally took family members on luxury trips to Sun City for the Saftas.

So the NFVF has time and money and the intent to take family, but can't put time and effort into actually focusing on the media as a supposed stakeholder in this awards show.

Do anyone afterwards possibly wonder, like the media and the public, where the actual coverage is? Well, Saftas coverage doesn't appear and happen out of nothing, love.

It's time for the NFVF and Saftas organisers to reach out to the media who know what's going on and how awards show like this is supposed to work - the media part of it - and to ask real questions: What are we doing wrong? What are we not doing? How should the red carpet structure, media room, awards show seating, media logistics and the PR outreach be improved?

What are your information and photography and other needs as media in order to create your coverage of the Saftas? What are other awards shows of the nature of the Saftas doing in their incorporation and accommodation of the media into the event, that we can look into and perhaps add?

Let's hope the NFVF and the Saftas catch some kind of wake-up in not just how to deal with the media, but providing the media with the proper public relations award show support they need to cover the Saftas - in the way it should be covered.

May the 13th South African Film and Television Awards not be a tragic 13 for the media trying to cover it perspective, but a lucky number 13. It is possible, and it can be done.

Entries open for the 13th South African Film and Television Awards that will take place on 2 March 2019.

Entries have opened for the 13th South African Film and Television Awards that will take place on 2 March 2019.

The 2-night award show is organised by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) that annually purports to showcase and reward South Africa's best film and television with Golden Horn trophies.

The Saftas however continues to be panned for its bad organisation and shoddy production values, ongoing controversy about production companies boycotting the awards, and TV soaps forced to enter into other categories or be excluded from the Most Popular Soap category that is a public vote category.

The Saftas was also drawn into scandal with the Comperio Report of the investigation into the rot and corruption at the NFVF that found that staffers took family members on luxury trips to Sun City for the Saftas.

The 13th Saftas closing date for entries is 12 October 2018, although TV content broadcast between 1 August 2017 and 31 October 2018 can be entered, and South African films shown between 1 January and 31 December 2018 are eligible.

It's not clear how producers should enter material that are only shown after 12 October but that would still be eligible. Judging will start 31 October 2018 and end on 18 January 2019.

All content must be submitted online at www.saftasonline.co.za and no manual entries will be accepted. The NFVF will announce the 13th Saftas nominees in February 2019.

Here are the various categories for the 13th Saftas:

Best Student Film
Best Short Film
Best Animation

TV COMEDY
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Achievement in Directing
Best Achievement in Scriptwriting
Best Achievement in Art / Production Design
Best Achievement in Wardrobe/Costume Design
Best Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Editing
Best Achievement in Sound Design
Best TV Comedy

TV SOAP/ TELENOVELA
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Achievement in Directing
Best Achievement in Scriptwriting
Best Achievement in Original Music (Original Score for the submission)
Best Achievement in Art / Production Design
Best Achievement in Editing
Best Achievement in Sound Design
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Wardrobe
Best Achievement in Make-up & Hair
Best TV Soap
Best Telenovela

TV DRAMA
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Achievement in Directing
Best Achievement in Scriptwriting
Best Achievement in Editing
Best Achievement in Sound Design
Best Achievement in Original Music
Best Achievement in Art / Production Design
Best Achievement in Wardrobe/Costume Design
Best Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best TV Drama

FEATURE FILM
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Sound Design
Best Achievement in Original Score
Best Achievement in Editing
Best Achievement in Production Design
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Best Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling
Best Achievement in Directing
Best Achievement in Scriptwriting
Best Feature Film

MADE FOR TV MOVIE OR DIRECT TO DVD OR VOD
Best Made for TV Movie

MICRO BUDGET FILM
Best Micro-Budget Film

Best Wildlife Programme

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Best Documentary Feature
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Editing
Best Achievement in Sound Design
Best Achievement in Directing

Best Documentary Short
Best Show
Best Reality Show
Best Game Show
Best International Format Programme
Best Factual &Educational Programme
Best Current Affairs Programme
Best Variety Show
Best Magazine Programme
Best Youth Programme
Best Talk Show
Best Music Show
Best Children’s Programme

Life Time Achiever Youth Achiever
Outstanding Contributor Award (Provincial)
Outstanding Contributor Award (Disability)

Most Popular Soap/Telenovela (public vote)
Best TV presenter (public vote)

China's StarTimes keeps up its charm charm offensive as 18 African leaders visit StarTimes headquarters in Beijing, meet with company president Pang Xinxing.

China's StarTimes is keeping up its charm offensive and blitz of ingratiating itself with African leaders with the pay-TV operator that met with 18 African leaders at its Beijing headquarters during last week's Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit (Focas) held in China.

African presidents and other "distinguished guests" were fawned over as they toured China's StarTimes headquarters in Beijing, where they in turn "expressed their admiration and support" to StarTimes' presence in Africa.

StarTimes president Pang Xinxing personally met 4 African presidents - Malawian president Peter Mutharika, Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni and Mozambican president Filipe Nyusi.

StarTimes, running its StarTimes branded service across Africa and StarSat in South Africa, is in competition with rivals like MultiChoice's DStv and GOtv for pay-TV subscribers across the African continent.

StarTimes has been aggressively going after government contracts and joint ventures to roll out digital terrestrial television (DTT) and infrastructure in several African nations, ranging from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi to Zambia.

During the Focas summit, StarTimes helped Mozambique’s national TV station in broadcasting the China-Mozambique Investment Promotion Conference and the presidential press conference in Beijing in Mozambique.

StarTimes also provided signal transmission channels for the Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Uganda, Cameroon and several other countries for saturated Focas coverage from Beijing.

The first visitor to StarTimes' Beijing headquarters during the Focas summit was Ghana's first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo on 2 September when StarTimes gave 24 football kits to the Rebecca Foundation to pursue their football dreams.

Later the same day, Lesotho’s prime minister Thomas Thabane and the Chinese ambassador to Lesotho Sun Xianghua went to StarTimes. StarTimes gave Lesotho projector TV sets and solar power generation systems for 10 villages "so that more local villagers can watch television and thus know more about the outside world".

Sierra Leone's president Julius Maada Bio along with his wife, Fatima Maada Bio, and the Chinese ambassador to Sierra Leone, Wu Peng, went to StarTimes on 3 September.

Sierra Leone’s minister of information and communications, Mohamed Rahman Swaray and Gu Xun, managing director of StarTimes Group, signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation. Pang Xinxing gave Sierra Leon 50 projector TV sets and solar power generation systems for 50 villages.

Julius Maada Bio said it presents a great potential for Sierra Leonean people to view programs around the world and the government would give StarTimes necessary support to be able to start and to broadcast and that "I look forward to having StarTimes in Sierra Leone".

On 3 September the wife of Malawi's president, Gertrude Mutharika, UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibé and StarTimes group vice president Guo Ziqi held a meeting in Beijing, to look at working together to increase HIV/Aids awareness.

On 4 September, Zambia's minister of transport and communications, Brian Mushimba, went to StarTimes, and on 5 September it was the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s minister of communications and media Lambert Mende Omalanga, and minister of economic affairs Joseph Kapika Dikancu who attended the signing ceremony of establishment of joint venture between StarTimes and the DRC.

 On 6 September president of the Central African Republic (CAR), Faustin-Archange Touadera visited StarTimes with his wife and an entourage and toured StarTimes' translation and dubbing center, multi-functional studio, and the research institute.

SABC annual report 2017/2018: The top must-know take-aways for its TV channels, radio, web presence, SABC News, SABC Sport, app plans, complaints, HD upgrades and more.

The SABC's 142-page annual report for 2017/2018 is filled with important minutiae ranging from it's TV channels' performance, their under-performance and reach; to its radio stations, its web presence, SABC News viewership, a breakdown of its SABC Sport coverage as well as its app plans, complaints, injuries on duty, and its staggered transition to high definition broadcast.

The beleaguered South African public broadcaster described as "commercially insolvent" has posted a loss of R622 million for the 2017/2018 financial year with the country's Auditor-General (AG), Kimi Makwetu, saying he can't determine whether the cash-strapped South African public broadcaster remains a going concern.

Bongumusa Makhithini, SABC chairperson, in his annual report overview, said the SABC's financial position remains "under severe pressure", with the SABC still paying for "years of ineffective leadership", while it must urgently "play catch-up" on the technology front to reach audiences.


Audience declines at SABC2, SABC3
The SABC in its annual report says "the continued perception of SABC’s instability held by most of its trading partners led to a decline in revenue. Other factors contributing to revenue under-performance were the audience decline of SABC2 and especially SABC3".

The SABC in the financial year had amortisation of programme, film and sports rights of a whopping R1.7 billion - something it labels a significant loss item.

The loss line item "impairment of foreign and sports content" - which is part of the SABC's fruitless and wasteful expenditure since the broadcaster bought stuff it didn't show - amounted to R1.67 million.

That is still a lot, but is down from R2.7 million the previous year.

The SABC says that looking forward at the future of its TV service, it will be "creating a portfolio of content that can live across platforms, accessible to all South Africans and creating a disruption in the market place as it seeks to remain audience-centric in an increasingly fragmented market".

"Its stable of brands will consciously connect with existing and lapsed viewers on their terms as we begin to transform into a content media hub and not just a broadcaster."

Nomsa Philiso, who was acting SABC CEO and is the SABC's group executive for television, says in the broadcaster's annual report that the SABC's 5 TV channels reaches on average 28 million viewers per month: SABC1 - 25.856 million, SABC2 - 24.993 million, SABC3 - 21.148 million, SABC News (DStv 405) - 3.878 million and SABC Encore (DStv 156) - 4.259 million.

SABC1 fell short on its percentage of current affairs programming mandated by the broadcasting regulator. The SABC gave no explanation in its report for this.

SABC2 fell short on its children and educational genre mandates, the SABC says in its annual report.

These shortfalls are blamed of being the result of schedule disruptions to accommodate events of national importance and sports coverage. "Due to the time at which these events take place the impact was greatest on children and educational programmes."

The SABC says SABC3 exceeded all its genre quotas for the period under review. During the year SABC3 however fell short in its delivery on languages other than English, as mandated by the broadcasting regulator, Icasa, in terms of the channel's target for broadcast in minority languages. The SABC blamed schedule disruption.

The SABC in its annual report 2017/2018 says "SABC1 remained the most popular television channel in the country, averaging 37% prime time audience share and 27% across the performance
period".

"SABC2 ended the financial year with a 13% share of prime time audiences, while SABC3 enjoyed 4% share."

"For the period under review, 17 out of 20 of South Africa’s most watched television programmes were carried on SABC channels and all of the top 15 were SABC shows. Uzalo, a SABC1 flagship property, was 2017/18’s top show followed by Skeem Saam, Generations: The Legacy and Muvhango.

While the SABC said it achieved Icasa's local content quotas, the Auditor-General in its audit said it was "unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support the reported achievement of the targets".

"This was due to inadequate technical indicator descriptions and proper performance management
systems and processes that predetermined how the achievement would be measured, monitored and reported."

The AG said the same about the SABC's claims of radio genre targets, and the SABC's number of provincial programmes.

The SABC says it reaches a combined average of 28.328 million radio listeners per week.


Web
The SABC annual report 2017/2018 notes a 24% decline in the percentage of visitors to its web sites. SABC website views fell 24% during the year, with the SABC saying its "old and outdated websites are not attracting audiences".


Decline in SABC TV News viewing, website views up
The SABC in its annual report notes that "SABC News broadcasting on terrestrial platforms contributed 60% of the top ten news broadcasts on free-to-air (FTA) TV in South Africa during the period under review.

This represented a 10% decline from the previous year due to the decline in
popularity of one of the live properties".

The SABC says SABC News bulletins on SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 "commanded between 12% and 14% of all viewing by FTA audiences". Current affairs programming was consistent at 8% of all television viewing.

At the end of the 2017/18 financial year, traffic on the SABC News website showed steady growth ending the year at 875 000 page views. The SABC's SABC News YouTube channel reached 10 million views in March 2018 from an average monthly performance of 5 million views.


SABC Sport

The SABC included a pie chart in its annual report to show the breakdown of sports coverage in percentages during the 2017/2018 year.

The SABC says the chart depicts the number of minutes afforded to each sport/genre.

Coverage of soccer at 49% of total time, dominates with almost half of all time given to sport broadcasts going to football coverage.

The SABC said the high percentage of cricket at 41% is due to the time of play which is made up of nine tests, nine ODI’s and five T20’s, "however soccer still dominates on all SABC platforms".

South African rugby and boxing got a measly 1% of total airtime, less than the 3% given to mixed martial arts coverage. The SABC says "during the period under review, the SABC experienced financial challenges and as a result all outbound cricket and rugby events could not be broadcast on TV."


High definition upgrades
The SABC says in its annual report that "all stakeholders were consulted including local producers on the commencement of content delivery in high definition (HD) as of 1 July 2017".

"The interim HD infrastructure setup for studios 3, 4 and 5 were put in place with major changes to control room and floor equipment. The installations included IP Digital Video Switchers, HD monitoring systems and HD camera chains for the studio floor as part of the adoption of the SABC HD delivery standard."

"The in-house productions of Generations and Muvhango started preparing for transition of the recording of their productions into full HD during the period under review."

"During the 2017/18 financial year, the transmission technical support team defined the best configuration for the play-out of SD and HD content."

"This informed a decision to also have all the scheduled media ingest for broadcast on 16:9 aspect ratio transmissions for the final control centre (FCC)."

"The SABC3 final control centre was switched from SD to HD on 22 March 2018. This is a major accomplishment in the division’s efforts to improve the on-air quality for SABC TV channels. The division aims to convert the rest of the final control centres to HD concurrently with the implementation of the new Pebble Beach automation in the new financial year."

"Projects for the next financial year include: a multi-channel play-out facility to cater for additional TV channels on DTT, and other carriage agreements, News Studio 10 and 12 replacement, replacement of Studio 1 and 2, and the acquisition of five outside broadcast (OB) vans."


SABC apps coming in 2019
The SABC says in its annual report that "in the 2019 fiscal the SABC will be pursuing an over-the-top (OTT) strategy with the aim of offering a range of audio, video and text-base content".

"The aim of the SABC OTT is to offer the content centrally over the internet through mobile applications giving more options on how and when to consume the content."


Complaints
The SABC said a total of 1 684 direct complaints were received.

During the 2017/18 financial year, 115 complaints against SABC services were received by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA). Of these complaints, 109 were dismissed and 6 were upheld.

Of those upheld, the SABC were ordered to pay a combined R30 000.

SABC1 was fined R10 000 for airing a vulgar song during the live broadcast of the Metro FM Awards.

SABC2 was reprimanded for not putting additional warnings when broadcasting sensitive episodes of 7de Laan; and SAfm was reprimanded for airing a story that promoted illegal conduct. This was a clip wherein an SABC journalist said that his late friend had committed insurance fraud.

Metro FM news was warned not to repeat the offence after airing a misleading story that implied that a woman had disrupted former president Jacob Zuma’s speech in Kliptown; and SABC1 was fined R20 000 for the broadcast of Casper Nyovest's concert without the appropriate on-screen
warnings.

The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASASA) ruled against the SABC in a case over SABC TV Licences and ordered the SABC to withdrew a sexist advert.

During the 2017/18 financial year, the SABC had 7 disabling injuries on duty, with no fatalities, in its total workforce of 3 444.

Chairperson Bongumusa Makhithini in the SABC's annual report 2017/2018: Broadcaster's financial position 'under severe pressure', still paying for 'years of ineffective leadership', must urgently 'play catch-up' on tech front to reach audiences.

Bongumusa Makhithini, SABC chairperson, in his overview of the the public broadcaster's annual financial report for 2017/2018 writes that the South African public broadcaster's financial position remains "under severe pressure", saying the struggling and cash-strapped SABC is still paying for "years of ineffective leadership", while it must urgently "play catch-up" on technology front to reach audiences.

He cautions that the SABC overcame daunting challenges but that "the pattern seems to "continue with even greater severity for the year ahead".

He writes that the SABC board "continued to implement measures to stabilise the corporation at a governance level and stepped up actions to address the endemic levels of corruption and maladministration that had been prevalent at the SABC for many years."

The beleaguered South African public broadcaster described as "commercially insolvent" has posted a loss of R622 million for the 2017/2018 financial year with the country's Auditor-General (AG), Kimi Makwetu, saying he can't determine whether the cash-strapped South African public broadcaster remains a going concern.

This is the SABC's 8th consecutive, annual financial loss the past decade and also again got a disclaimer from the Auditor-General.

A disclaimer of opinion is the worst audit opinion from the Auditor-General and the most disturbing rating, where the auditor says an entity, like the SABC, is unable to provide sufficient supporting documents for its financial statement.

The SABC's also listed R5 billion in irregular expenditure.

"The SABC’s financial position remained under severe pressure. The corporation is still paying the price for years of ineffective leadership, failed governance and prejudicial decision-making. Self-inflicted actions, like the arbitrary 90/10 decision, continue to impact on the SABC’s revenue," Bongumusa Makhithini writes.

"The Corporation sits on a huge and unsustainable cost base, built up over time without proper
consideration for a workable operating model. Total revenue for the full financial year was R6.6 billion against a budget of R7.3 billion resulting in an under-performance of R633 million (9%)."

"While it is positive that the SABC managed to reduce the corporation’s operating loss from R1.1 billion in the prior year to R622 million in the year under review, the board has approved a comprehensive turnaround strategy to be led by the new team of executive directors," Bongumusa Makhithini writes.

He said the challenges to the SABC’s sustainability will not just be financial, noting that the SABC "must urgently 'play catch-up' on the technology front and embrace rapidly evolving digital technology platforms that reach audiences in new and exciting ways."

"The SABC faces an increasingly competitive multi-platform, digital world that is driven primarily by commercial interests. Therefore, the corporation has to chart a course that ensures our audiences can access SABC content everywhere, whilst protecting the public broadcaster’s long-term sustainability."

"The SABC is addressing the delay in the migration of television and radio services to digital broadcasting platforms. The corporation is resolved to play a more central role in achieving rapid migration to digital terrestrial television (DTT) and direct-to-home (DTH) platforms, working closely together with the department of communications and other key stakeholders."

"The SABC needs additional television channels to be able to fulfill its public mandate to broadcast more sport, education and entertainment programming. Our three analogue television channels cannot sustain the impact on commercial schedules from sport in particular," according to Bongumusa Makhithini.

Viacom Africa to wave-and-tell at first Comic Con Africa 2018 as the broadcast partner, will some panel discussion highlights and announcements.

Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) will show (wave!) and tell at the first Comic Con Africa 2018 and as the broadcast partner show some panel discussion highlights and announcements.

Comic Con Africa 2018 is taking place from this Friday to Sunday in Johannesburg at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit & International Convention Centre with content, creative talent, executives and stars from its Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and BET channels that will be in attendance and be shown.

Reed Exhibitions Africa, ReedPOP and VS Gaming partnered with VIMN Africa to be the broadcast partner for Comic Con Africa 2018, with the media network that will showcase announcements, screenings and parts of the panel discussions.

"We at VIMN Africa are thrilled to be associated with the continent’s first Comic Con Africa," says Dillon Khan, VIMN Africa vice president for creative services and Comedy Central.

"No stranger to this unique convention, Viacom has over the years launched, showcased and created immersive audience experiences and we are poised to enthrall consumers at this first Comic Con in market."

Carol Weaving, Reed Exhibitions Africa managing director says "we are so excited to partner with such great platforms – MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central".

"With this partnership we have tried to ensure that we cover all our basis with the type of content that we can co-create with our partners. More importantly, we are able to bring the magic of Comic Con Africa 2018 to the African continent through the partnership with Viacom."

Viacom Africa will at Comic Con Africa 2018 will specifically be showcasing content across the following of its channel brands:

Comedy Central (DStv 122):

An immersive South Park experience and introduce a local short form series produced by local content house Diprente.

MTV (DStv 130)

MTV will screen new footage of Fear Factor Celebrity edition and feature an interactive ‘Face your Fear’ series of challenges from the Fear Master.

MTV will also do a panel discussion on "Unraveling social media perils and the influencer equation".

Nickelodeon (DStv 305)

Nickelodeon will reveal the new look Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in a space created to submerge attendees into the characters, announce a new series and host panels featuring Tasania Parsadh, Nickelodeon channel director, discussing local animation.

Nickelodeon will also do a "Women in Animation"panel, moderated by VIMN Africa on-air manager, Pippa Tshabalala. Panelist will include Vanessa Ann Sinden from Triggerfish Animation Studios and Jenna Gien from Minds Eye Creative.

Nickelodeon also plans a Moosebox press conference for its new animation series, as well as an animation panel discussion about it. 

BET (DStv 129)

BET will have a panel discussion, "Afrofuturism before and after Wakanda", featuring the channel’s executive Monde Twala, as well as the American artists Woody McClain and Gabrielle Dennis who are in Johannesburg to launch the channel’s The Bobby Brown Story series and includes fellow Nigerian panelist Yetide Badaki from American Gods.

MultiChoice Africa dumps Ogilvy Johannesburg and moves to TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris.

MultiChoice Africa has dumped Ogilvy Johannesburg and moved its account to the creative ad agency TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris.

The news was first reported by MarkLives.

The site covering marketing and advertising news, quotes Caroline Creasy, head of corporate affairs at MultiChoice Africa saying "we can confirm a new creative team has been selected but decline to comment further as this is not a significant shift in our business".