eMedia Investments to launch Openview Plus as streaming service, Openview Connect as a new broadband internet service.

by Thinus Ferreira

Seven years since it launched as a free-to-air service, e.tv now plans to extend its Openview satellite-TV service and to launch Openview Plus in October this year as a video streaming service in South Africa, as well Openview Connect within a few months as a new internet broadband service for consumers.

Openview Plus will carry eMedia's Openview channels and content as a direct-to-consumer offering funneled through the internet, and will very likely be available as a bundled-offer together with Openview Connect that eMedia plans to launch as a new broadband connection service.

No specific launch date for Openview Plus is known, nor pricing, but eMedia Investments wants to expand and augment its existing Openview satellite-TV footprint as soon as possible into the streaming service arena where it will compete with the likes of MultiChoice's Showmax, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Vodacom's Video Play and some smaller services like VIU that are all available in South Africa.

After launching Openview in 2013, eMedia and e.tv now want to get into and carve out a space in the still small but rapidly growing video streaming consumer market in South Africa, before the already overcrowded market becomes even more congested with offerings.

Several others international streamers like ViacomCBS Networks' Paramount+, Disney's Disney+, and WarnerMedia's HBO Max are not yet available in South Africa but are likely to launch and join the OTT fold in time.

While South Africa's public broadcaster hasn't launched an OTT service for the SABC but likely will in future similar to the BBC's iPlayer, MultiChoice just launched Showmax Pro as an upsell-offering that bundles Showmax with SuperSport content, and plans to offer streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on its new DStv Explora Ultra decoder.

Khalik Sherrif, eMedia Investments CEO, says in his CEO report in the latest 2020 eMedia Holdings annual report that "by October 2020 the group will launch its own over-the-top (OTT) offering called Openview Plus".

According to Khalik Sherrif, "Work on this offering is happening in earnest as this report is published".

The Openview satellite-TV service that is now available in 2 million TV households across Southern Africa carries self-packaged channels besides e.tv like eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra, eToonz, eReality, eRewind and eAfrica with channel carriage agreements for some of channels that are also available on the platforms of pay-TV operators like DStv and StarSat as the South African branded affiliate of China's StarTimes.

Some e.tv content are also licensed to the VIU streaming service which will become a direct rival for Openview Plus, and it's not clear how launching Openview Plus might affect that content availability, with eMedia that might elect to keep its premium locally-produced soaps and series for itself.

It's also not clear whether Openview Plus will be a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) model where users will have to pay to watch, or if it will go the advertiser-funded "freemium" route of NBCUniversal's just-launched Peacock streaming service in America where consumers have to watch a number of adverts per hour.

About its plans to launch Openview Connect as a new broadband internet service - a utility service that will help to carry and funnel its Openview Plus as a content service - Khalik Sherrif says it will expand eMedia's technology offering and target South African households that don't have internet fibre connections yet.

"Openview Connect will be an advancement in the technology-based offerings of the group. Openview Connect is set to launch in the next few months," says Khalik Sherrif. "The target market
for this offering is homes in South Africa that have no access to fibre as yet."

On Monday TVwithThinus asked eMedia in a media enquiry to please shed some more light on Openview Plus, what it is and will entail, confirmation of the October launch date, whether it will duplicate and mirror the existing satellite-TV Openview, and what it might offer additionally.

eMedia's marketing and publicity executives didn't respond with any answers.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 3 September 2020.

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

■ Must-see cheap production values: Doctor in an Indian medical drama series uses Scotch Brite scrubs as "defibrilators".

■ South Africa's hyped but disappointing Blood and Water on Netflix doesn't really reflect South African life.
Compared to the much better done better Grassroots on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) that is much more nuanced.

■ Islamaphobic? Joy Reid on MSNBC (StarSat 263) has no apology over her "The way Muslims act" comment that sparked outrage, says her comments were misconstrued.

■ China's propaganda channel CGTN (DStv 409 / StarSat 266) has scrubbed its website and removed anything to do with its anchor Cheng Lei detained in China, and deleted videos and references to her on its social media.

■ In America advertisers now want to cancel their campaign out of fear that the upcoming 2020 TV season will be disastrous for ratings given the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

■ The most toxic behind-the-scenes on-set stories of Netflix's cancelled The Patriot Act.

■ A new low for Indian television news.
- And in Australia: When television news is bad news.

■ Can satellite pay-TV survive in the video streaming centric world?

■ The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime Video will travel the world again after Covid.

■ The 10 most expensive to produce Netflix Original series and how much they cost.

■ Tanzania's shocking crackdown on media continues as Clouds TV becomes the latest TV channel to get banned.

■ How watching TV may relate to depression.

■ With new Wan Luo TV channel it's the first time people in northern Uganda will have a national TV broadcast inthe Luo dialect.

■ Scandal: Kerry Washington would have abandoned the Scandal series if Fitz was ...

■ An Indian journalist's shocking letter about working for Republic TV.

2020 DStv Showcase: The most important announcements and revelations from this year's MultiChoice media event.

by Thinus Ferreira

With nothing left untouched 'cause of 'Crona, even MultiChoice's annual DStv Showcase was different and done differenly this year, with the 2020 DStv Showcase that was moved up from the usual end-of-the-year in-person media gathering, and done from a studio as a remote broadcast but again filled with jam--packed technology and content announcements.

MultiChoice switched up its usual DStv Showcase - mostly held in its auditoriums and cinema venue inside its MultiChoice City building in Randburg to across the street and Studio 6 inside the SuperSport studios.

Instead of SuperSport anchor Neil Andrews as the compère as in previous years, MultiChoice used Maps Maponyane as the host and a variety of presenters to front individual segments that were a combination of pre-taped promos and sizzle reels, Zoom interviews and in-studio interviews.

For the first time ever MultiChoice broadcast the DStv Showcase on television, opening up DStv channel 196 as an events channel for the 2-hour broadcast on the DStv decoders of selected media to watch it from home.

It did limit the interaction with press who couldn't ask questions or follow-up questions after sessions with media who had to email in written questions to an email address and with some that were answered at the end.

Here are the main must-know news and interesting titbits:

1. No mention of Netflix (or Amazon Prime Video or Disney+)
The media expected that MultiChoice would announce licensing deals with at least Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to carry their apps as over-the-top (OTT) services, folded in to its new carousel shopfront on its new range of DStv decoders.

In its latest financial year results MultiChoice said it would add at least two next to its own Showmax and JOOX and in its presentation revealed that it was Netflix and Amazon Prime Video before redoing and reissuing it.

At its 2020 DStv Showcase MultiChoice said nothing about Netflix or any other global streaming services, very likely because South Africa's Competition Commission has started an investigation into MultiChoice's plan which likely pushed the announcement back.


2. Go Pro
MultiChoice finally launched Showmax Pro and Showmax Pro Mobile in South Africa, a spiffier version of its existing Showmax subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service with added bells and whistles in the forms of linear TV news channels and sport content included.

Showmax Pro costs R449 and Showmax Pro Mobile costs R225 per month.

Showmax Pro is now basically a cheaper "streaming DStv", offering a catalogue of entertainment content, combined with TV news and much of the sport offering from SuperSport.


3. Ultra and Streama
MultiChoice unveiled two new decoder versions that it will launch to market before the end of the year but gave neither launch dates nor retail prices.

The DStv Explora Ultra that will cost more than the DStv Explora 3A is the latest DStv Explora model. It has the capacity to, and in time will carry services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video that will sit next to MultiChoice's existing services like DStv, DStv Catch Up and Showmax on the box.

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. 

The DStv Streama looks like a gaming console and 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".

4. New third-party channels - including K-drama

DStv is getting 5 new TV channels, ranging from Mexican telenovelas and a Canadian kids channel to Turkish telenovelas and even South Korean or so-called "K"-dramas. 

MultiChoice will add tlnovelas on DStv channel 133 that "will run from 14 to 30 September. tlnovelas will broadcast an array of English-dubbed Mexican telenovelas from Latin America’s second-largest producer, Televisa.

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

KIX (pronounced "kicks") that MultiChoice already previously announced is coming to DStv on channel 114 from 1 October 2020 at 19:00 and is described as "the ultimate destination for action movies in Africa".

KIX will be available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, and DStv Compact subscribers in South Africa as well as across sub-Saharan Africa. The channel will offer DStv subscribers "a high octane blend of martial arts, action and thriller movies from the East and West, all presented in English".

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

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

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


5. DStv Rewards for couch potatoes

MultiChoice announced that it will launch a new star-tiered DStv Rewards loyalty programme in South Africa in September that will essentially reward loyal DStv subscribers for watching more TV.

The level that a DStv subscriber is pegged at and the type of rewards that they will qualify for will be determined by the DStv package a subscriber is on, for how long the person has been a subscriber (tenure), as well as product usage. For all of this a DStv subscriber gets awarded stars.

With DStv Rewards subscribers will qualify for upgrades, DStv subscription fee discounts, "free" DStv BoxOffice movie digital tokens, Uber Eats digital discount vouchers, birthday rewards, service vouchers, Showmax discounts, additional DStv channel access, exclusive experiences and "personal challenges".

6. Add M-Net Movies

MultiChoice has created a new M-Net Add Movies add-on package of R99 per month that has 3 M-Net Movies channels that can be added to any of its lower-tiered DStv bouquets.

The M-Net Movies Add Movies package will consist out of the channels: M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104), M-Net Movies 2 (DStv 106), and the Afrikaans fliekNET (DStv 149) channel.

DStv Premium subscribers automatically get access to these movie channels but DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family, DStv Access, DStv EasyView and DStv Indian subscribers will now be able to add the M-Net Movies Add Movies package for R99 per month to their DStv subscription fee.

7. DStv dishless

MultiChoice revealed more about its so-called "DStv dishless" service that it will be launching. 

Although the expectation was that it would be cheaper, DStv Streaming will cost exactly the same for every bouquet as traditional DStv, and a subscriber will have to pay for data in addition as well.

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.

8. Shorter Afrikaans series

M-Net's Afrikaans channels division kykNET will be producing a series of shorter dramas and move away from the 13-episode format for scripted content. 

9. Arendsvlei adds another day

kykNET's Afrikaans telenovela Arendsvlei produced by Penguin Films in Cape Town will extend from 3 to 4 episodes per week when the 3th season kicks off on kykNET & kie (DStv 145) on 28 September. The first on 1 October. Unannounced changes are also coming to kykNET's Cape Town done talk show Tussen Ons.

10. Still seeking Shaka

M-Net is still working on bringing the drama series Shaka Ilembe to screen and said that the series has officially entered pre-production. Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO of general entertainment and connected video, said it took Game of Thrones 10 years to make it to television.

The DStv Showcase played a "concept trailer" for Shaka Ilembe that it made in 2019 and reiterated that it's still looking for the lead to play Shaka. The series will be done in Zulu.

11. Blood Psalms

After its announcement of its new Canal+ co-production drama series Blood Psalms, M-Net revealed some further details of the Showmax Original series.

Filming has begin on the 10-episode series produced by Layla Swart and Jahmil X.T Qubeka's Yellowbone Entertainment in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng but MultiChoice and M-Net are keeing the specific locations a secret "to allow the crew to complete this massive production within the agreed timelines without any disruption from members of the public".

12. Siya and the sun

MultiChoice revealed more about Chasing the Sun, the 5-part SuperSport-produced documentary made in collaboration with the Springboks that will tell the behind-the-scenes story of their parth to the 2019 World Cup rugby win. 

Chasing the Sun will be broadcast on M-Net on Sunday 4 October at 18:00 and end on 1 November.

It will also be available on DStv Catch Up, SuperSport and Showmax. Gideon Khobane, SuperSport CEO, said that SuperSport is learning and will probably start to make more local sport documentaries similar to what ESPN and others have been doing.


13. Lifestyle and more TV channels for Africa

MultiChoice and M-Net are working on, and will roll out new localised entertainment channels in specific African countries like Ghana, Ethiopa and Mozambique over the coming months and into 2021, as well as a general lifestyle channel inspired by an African ethos for the continent.

Like Mzansi Magic in South Africa, Zambesi Magic in Zambia and Pearl Magic in Uganda, M-Net will launch a new general entertainment channel in Ghana but hasn't decided on a name yet. It will carry M-Net Original productions including Ghana telenovela, Ghana reality shows and Ghana comedy as a flagship channel for DStv subscribers there.

MultiChoice is also working on a general entertainment channel for Ethiopia where M-Net is already working on its first telenovela that will be in the Amharic language.

MultiChoice and M-Net will also launch an African lifestyle channel for the continent like Discovery's HGTV and BBC Lifestyle. "Now it's time to showcase to ourselves, the best of our fashion, the best of our cooking, and the best of the way in which we live," said Yolisa Phahle.

I Know that I'm shamelessly emotionally, visually and viscerally manipulated everytime @DStv, @MNet or @SuperSportTV make and show a super-cut sizzle reel of slo-mo scenes with evocative music. And yet, like the latest #DStvShowcase one, I fall for it. Every Single time.: pic.twitter.com/TecCsyC9cQ

— TVwithThinus (@TVwithThinus) August 20, 2020

14. Everybody wants to rule the world

Getting gooseflesh has always been the name of the game with MultiChoice, M-Net and SuperSport's sizzle reels and the 2020 DStv Showcase once again had one.

You know you're being shamelessly emotionally manipulated by it but like a fantasy visit to Disneyland, you want to live and experience it because of how it makes you feel.

To showcase it's internationally acquired content across DStv, Showmax and M-Net, the DStv Showmcase played an amazing sizzle reel using "Everybody wants to rule the world" from Tears for Fears.

New upcoming shows and new seasons of existing shows included in the stuuuuuningly evocative sizzle reel include FBI: Most Wanted; Love, Victor; Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, His Dark Materials, I May Destroy You, The Undoing, The Third Day, Bad Boys for Life, Alex Rider, Britannia, Beat Bobby Flay, Say Yes to the Dress, This is Fate, Mom, Scooby-Doo, The March of the Polar Bears, Chicago Fire, Grammy Salute to Legends, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, NCIS, Siren, Mrs. America, Lovecraft Country, The Handmaid's Tale, Fargo, The Good Lord Bird, I Still Believe, A Suitable Boy, Hightown, Reckoning, The Good Doctor, Devils, and The Titan Games.

The sizzle reel also included Our Girl, Small Axe, Belgravia, Strictly Come Dancing, Jamie: Keep Cooking and Carry On, Semi-Detached, The Mallorca Files, The Graham Norton Show, Race Across the World, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Intelligence, Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back, Almost Paradise, The Gentlemen, The Rhythm Section, Alaska The Last Frontier, Family Affairs, Gangs of London, Killing Eve, Henry Danger, Katy Keene, Love Life, Mixed-ish, Bull, Genius: Aretha, Street Outlaws, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Top Gear, Dolittle, Gold Rush: White Water, Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, 9-1-1 Lone Star, and several films.

MultiChoice and M-Net working to add new localised M-Net packaged channels to DStv for Ghana, Ethiopia and Mozambique as well as a pan-African lifestyle TV channel for the continent.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and M-Net are working on, and will roll out new localised entertainment TV channels in specific African countries like Ghana, Ethiopa and Mozambique over the coming months and into 2021, as well as a general lifestyle channel inspired by an African ethos for the continent.

Like the Mzansi Magic channel in South Africa, Zambesi Magic in Zambia, and Pearl Magic in Uganda, M-Net will launch a new general entertainment channel in Ghana but the pay-TV channel provider hasn't decided on a name yet. 

The new Ghana M-Net channel will carry M-Net Original productions including a Ghana telenovela, Ghana reality shows and Ghana comedy and will be positioned as a flagship channel for DStv subscribers there.

MultiChoice is also working on a general entertainment channel for Ethiopia where M-Net is already working on its first telenovela that will be in the Amharic language.

MultiChoice will also launch an African lifestyle channel for the continent like Discovery's HGTV and BBC Lifestyle. 

"Now it's time to showcase to ourselves, the best of our fashion, the best of our cooking, and the best of the way in which we live," said Yolisa Phahle who made the announcement about the additional new channels that MultiChoice Africa and M-Net are working on, at the 2020 DStv Showcase.

SABC2 and e.tv scrubbing in with new hospital drama series Vutha and Durban Gen.

by Thinus Ferreira

Amidst the global Covid-19 pandemic South Africa's SABC and e.tv are both launching competing new locally-produced hospital dramas with SABC2 that will ventilate Vutha on Thursday nights at 21:30 from 3 September and with e.tv that will resperate Durban Gen from Monday 5 October at 18:30.

Vutha produced by Clive Morris Productions - eerily similar in name to the devastating and fictitious Vutha virus that caused chaos in SABC1's Generations in mid-2019 - as well as Durban Gen produced by Stained Glass TV, marks South African terrestrial television's first return to hospital drama series since SABC2's Hillside, SABC3's Jozi-H and M-Net's Binnelanders.

Both Vutha and Durban Gen have been filming and impacted by the real-world circumstances and changes to life and lockdown of the Covid-19 coronavirus in South Africa. 

Besides production schedule and operational changes, crews working behind-the-scenes at Vutha and Durban Gen suddenly had to don marks just like the on-screen talent after the threat of a real virus became as big a concern as the fictional medical dramas captured on screen.

Vutha, set within the Daveyton community and inside the corridors of the Edward Dondolo Hospital, will go "beyond the world of medicine where there is a world of love, friendship, betrayal, hope, desperation, corruption, greed and crime" according to SABC2 which didn't pre-screen the show ahead of its broadcast debut to TV critics and the media.

Created by TV producer and presenter Ntokozo Mbuli, Vutha stars Kabelo Moalusi as Dr Kgopotso Moabe and Dumisani Mbebe as Mzwakhe Masilela as it explores the journeys of medical professionals within the South African landscape and looks at the challenging lives that form the backdrop of their career successes.

Other cast members include Busisiswa Lurayi as specialist obstetrician Lungile Asumadu, Ayanda Bandla as Anelisa Moabe, Leroy Gopal as Ayitey Asumadu and Siya Raymond Sepotokele as Tumelo. Vutha's cast list also stars Mmarona Motshegoa, Lebohang Motaung, Miranda Ntshangase, Moditle Pholo, Molobane Maja and Sipho Mbele.

Clive Morris Productions describes the Edward Dondolo Hospital as "a furtive breeding ground for colourful characters, high stakes and great drama" with the heroic clinical manager, Dr Kgopotso Moabe, rushes to save a mother giving birth on the pavement outside the hospital.

Matron Mologadi arrives home from the United Kingdom to fix her fractured family and hospital CEO Mzwakhe is terrorised by a loan shark for outstanding debts.

"With a star-studded cast, viewers are in for a real treat and will no doubt emotionally connect with the characters and this intriguing story from the first episode," says Jacqui Hlongwane, SABC2 programme manager.

Durban drama
e.tv's Durban Gen is from the Grey's Anatomy mold, following, like Meredith, the life of the main protagonist Mbali Mthethwa, "a newly qualified doctor who moves to the big city, away from her fiancé and the small town they grew up in, to serve her final year of community service".

Durban Gen is filmed in Durban and set in the Durban township of Newlands East and the corridors of the Durban General academic public hospital.

It's here where Mbali, played by Nelisiwe Sibiya, soon finds herself in a love triangle between her fiancé Sbusiso Dlamini (Ntando Mncube) and her boss Dr Lindelani Zulu (Mike Ndlangamandla), described as "a brilliant, attractive surgeon with whom she has undeniable chemistry".

On her arrival at Durban General Hospital, Mbali assists in a surgery that goes horribly wrong and that leads to the death of a politician.

That plummets the hospital, Mbali, and Dr Lindelani Zulu into the middle of an investigation that threatens to derail her career.

The Durban Gen cast includes Meshack Mavuso as Dr Thabo Dlamini and Durban Gen's head of surgery, and Duduzile Ngcobo, who as Dr Nomalanga Qwabe.

According to e.tv Durban Gen "follows the trials, tribulations, triumphs, betrayals and bonds experienced by Mbali, the staff of Durban General, and the patients who come through its doors looking for help, refuge, and health".

"KwaZulu-Natal has progressively become the quintessential pulse of local productions, not only from a storyline perspective but for its ability to provide fertile soil from which to grow and build new talent," says Helga Palmer, e.tv's new head of local productions.

Prince Harry and Meghan in multi-million, multi-year production output deal with Netflix.

Prince Harry and Meghan who fled the British royal family half a year ago has now signed a multi-year, multi-million dollar production output deal with Netflix, Reuters reported on Wednesday evening.

Prince Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, and his wife Meghan who starred in the drama series Suits that was seen on M-Net (DStv 101) left the royal family in January 2020 and moved to Southern California in the United States.

"Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us as is powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens," Prince Harry and Meghan said in a statement and who don't have prior production experience.

"Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple, have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience and the need for connection."

"Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.

"We are pleased to work with Ted Sarandos and the team at Netflix whose unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action."

They recently bought a Montecito mansion north of Los Angeles.

According to Netflix, Prince Harry and Meghan are developing a nature documentary series for the video streaming service, as well as an animation series celebrating inspiring women. Other scripted and unscripted TV series, documentaries, feature films and kids' programming might follow.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer, in the statement says "Harry and Meghan have inspired millions of people all around the world with their authenticity, optimism and leadership".

"We're incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere."

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 1 September 2020.

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

■ MUST WATCH: American reporter at Weather Channel does Hurricane Laura stand-and-report saying "We want to make good TV for you guys" ... then gets hit by debris.

■ Erect penis shown on public British TV for the first time.

■ At Fox News (StarSat 261) the alleged sexual misconduct of the now-fired anchor Ed Henry was an open secret accusers say.

■ Australian anchor working for CGTN (DStv 409 / StarSat 266), Cheng Lei, detained by China and held in Beijing.

■ Opinionated Fox News style TV news channel planned for Britain.


■ The New York Times is dumping TV listings after 81 years, says it won't do away with covering television but will focus more on video streaming content.
- A "final episode" for the NYT TV listings after 8 decades because newspaper is "firmly in the streaming age".

■  Russia Today (DStv 407) filler presenters popping up on Belarus state television after hundreds of staffers and presenters walked out in protest.

■ Ridiculous "over-cutting" is the curse of video streaming shows and ruining them:
"Just reactions shoehorned in everywhere, and fast cutting for no reason".

■ Nollywood blues: Nigeria's film industry has taken a massiv knock because of Covid-19.

■ Australian television says it has enough content amidst Covid-19 that caused many shows to suspend filming, but a lot are reality shows.

■ British TV dramas may look world class but Covid-19 has exposed a darker reality:
Depends largely on freelancers, with thousands of creative workers now all out of work.

■ Nigeria's government has the audacity to tell MultiChoice Nigeria as a private company that it's not allowed to fire any workers.

■ Facebook warns Australia that it will block any news being shared on its platform in that country.


■ A nightmare real-life fairy-tale: "A troll has taken over my DStv".


■ How The Crown on Netflix adapts its appearance as the British royal family changes over decades.

■ SABC radio DJ at Motsweding FM's Tumi Moetsi allegedly appointed irregularly to upgrade a water treatment plan in the North West province. (subscription required).

■ Zimbabwe's Zimbabwe Broadcasting Authority (BAZ) shortlists 14 applicants for new free-to-air TV licences.

■ Netflix cancels Altered Carbon. Here's why the second season was terribly bad.
- Even as Netflix is on a cancellation spreek and axing shows like Altered Carbon, subscribers seem to remain loyal.

■ Leanne Manas, co-anchor of Morning Live on SABC2: "I always thought I was going to be a DJ".

■ Viewers are unimpressed with Netflix's Million Dollar Beach House.

■ eNCA (DStv 403) anchor Shahan Ramkissoon says he won't apologise for doing his job.

■ It's time for Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, South Africa's latest communications minister and "one-woman wrecking ball", to be fired (subscription required).
"Is either a petty despot or clueless about her job."

Coronavirus: Two SABC staffers including Pretoria assignment editor and Durban logistics manager have died from Covid-19.

by Thinus Ferreira

Two staffers from the South African public broadcaster died on Sunday because of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

It bring to 4 the total of South African media workers who have so far died from Covid-19, after the death of the e.tv and eNCA cameraman Lungile Tom at eMedia in May, and eNCA graphic designer Michael Wilson in July 2020.

Mike Conradie (61), a provincial logistics manager at the SABC in KwaZulu-Natal died on Sunday from Covid-19. He was admitted to a Durban hospital's ICU two weeks ago with a viral lung infection. He tested positive for Covid-19 last week Monday. Mike Conradie is the second worker at the SABC who has died from Covid-19.

Busani Mthembu, SABC acting provincial general manager in KwaZulu-Natal, said that Mike Conradie who has worked for the SABC for 39 years and who started out in the SABC's sales department, was "very, very dependable. He was very, very humble and he worked extremely hard".

Tumelo Matloha (48), an SABC assignment news editor in Pretoria, also died from Covid-19. According to the SABC he has been working for the public broadcaster for 24 years since he joined as an intern in 1996.

Tumelo Matloha got flu-like symptoms that refused to go away and he was diagnosed as Covid-19 positive after a test and was admitted to hospital on 9 August.

The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) in a statement on Tuesday said that it "extends its deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of two media workers from the SABC as a result of Covid-19".

"Covid 19- has claimed the lives of 3 journalists to date and infected many more in news organisations throughout the country. This highlights the dangers journalists and media workers face on a daily basis both as frontline and essential workers."

"We thus call on all leaders in civil society, the corporate sector, government and community to support the role of the media and journalists."

"We call on all media companies to assist journalists and media workers with protective gear and for journalists to be extra careful and follow all safety precautions. We also call on media companies, where possible, to assist journalists with trauma counselling."

Spring cleaning: Here are the 9 big changes coming to DStv channels from September and later this month.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service is doing some spring cleaning with multiple changes, channel additions and channel replacements, channel removals, as well as channel number changes coming into effect from today, with two more later this month.

The major changes revolve around MultiChoice and M-Net restructuring and reducing its M-Net Movies collection of channels, the SuperSport collection of channels being restructured into thematic and thematically named channels, BBC Studios' BBC First channel taken away, and the new option of a M-Net Movies add-on package being introduced.

Here are the changes:


1. Tellytrack, the South African horseracing channel, has moved from DStv channel number 239 to channel 249.


2. The BBC First channel that was available to DStv Premium subscribers has been axed from DStv as part of what MultiChoice calls "a refresh of its British entertainment line-up". Some of the British drama content that used to be on BBC First will now be placed on the BBC Brit channel.


3. Fashion One (DStv 178) that has been running outdated and old content on a loop, abruptly stopped broadcasting without warning a few days ago. MultiChoice that tried to engage the Fashion One owners has removed Fashion One with immediate effect from the DStv line-up.


4.  MultiChoice will add the tlnovelas channel as a pop-up channel on DStv channel 133 between 14 and 30 September that will broadcast an array of English-dubbed Mexican telenovelas.


5. MultiChoice will launch its new DStv Rewards loyalty programme for DStv subscribers in South Africa sometime this month but hasn't specified or announced a specific date for September yet. With DStv Rewards subscribers will earn upgrades, discounts and other vouchers depending on what bouquet and for the duration they've been subscribers.


6. M-Net and MultiChoice reduced its set of M-Net Movies channels from 6 to 4 TV channels which are also renamed to M-Net Movies 1 (DStv 104), M-Net Movies 2 (DStv 106), M-Net Movies 3 (DStv 107) and M-Net Movies 4 (DStv 108). The number of films shown won't be reduced but movies are structured better to decrease the number of repeats on DStv.


7. M-Net's kykNET Afrikaans channels division is making the December holiday pop-up channel fliekNET (DStv 149) a permanent Afrikaans film channel from today. The channel will broadcast classic Afrikaans films as well as new locally-produced Afrikaans movies.


8. MultiChoice has created an "Add Movies" add-on package for DStv subscribers that costs an additional R99 per month. DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family, DStv Access, DStv EasyView, and DStv subscribers on the Indian packages can add the Add Movies add-on to their normal subscription. The Add Movies package has the M-Net Movies 1, M-Net Movies 2 and fliekNET channels and will also include possible M-Net Movies pop-up channels when DStv run them for a limited time.


9. The collection of SuperSport channels are getting names from today and channel number changes to help make it easier for DStv subscribers to know what type of content to expect on which channel.

The new SuperSport arrangement will go live at 12:00 on 1 September.

SuperSport's flagship channel, SuperSport Grandstand is now on DStv channel 201 and will carry the best of live sports content, with SuperSport Blitz on DStv channel 200 that will carry 24-hour sports news and highlights.

Channel 202 as SuperSport PSL will now carry Premier Soccer League (PSL) and other South African football, DStv channel 203 as SS Premier League will now carry English Premier League, UCL, UEL and international games, while SS LaLiga on DStv channel 204 will now carry LaLiga, UCL, UEL and international games.

SuperSport Football on DStv channel 205 will now carry soccer like Serie A, additional EPL, UCL, UEL and international games.

On SuperSport Variety 1 on DStv channel 206 SuperSport will broadcast cycling, swimming, additional golf, cricket, tennis, rugby and soccer. On SuperSport Variety 2 on DStv channel 207 SuperSport will show gymnastics, squash, sailing, hockey and additional football content.

On SuperSport Variety 3 on DStv channel 208 subscribers will find a variety of athletics, marathons, WWE wrestling, PSL and additional soccer coverage, while SuperSport Variety 4 on DStv channel 209 will showcase a variety of local sports ranging from school rugby and university sports, to netball, BNL, MDB and SRC, as well as WWE wrestling highlights.

DStv channel 210 now named SuperSport Action will showcase adrenalin sports like UFC, EFC, boxing, additional rugby and cricket, as well as cricket and motorsport, while DStv channel 211 as SuperSport Rugby is now the main channel for rugby including Springbok games, Super Rugby, the Currie Cup, test matches as well as Sevens matches.

DStv channel 212 as SuperSport Cricket will mainly house cricket coverage like the Proteas, ICC tournaments, international cricket games and IPL, while DStv channel 213 as SuperSportGolf is now where major golf tournaments reside like PGA Tour, the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour.

On DStv channel 214 is SuperSport Tennis with tennis like the Grand Slams, ATP 1000, ATP 250 and ATP 500; with motorsport like Formula 1, Formula E, Moto GP, Superbikes and Supercars on DStv channel 215 as SuperSport Motorsport.

DStv channel 236 will be the main home for WWE wrestling coverage, including WWE live events, WWE RAW, WWE SmackDown, WrestleMania and WWE SummerSlam.