OPPO South Africa officially launches the Reno5 as its first premium smartphone offering in the country, promises a '100% charge in 36 minutes'.

by Thinus Ferreira

A new international brand of smartphones, OPPO, that has expanded to the South African market in 2020 just launched a more expensive smartphone range as well, the Reno5 5G, geared towards the high-end market for South African executives that it promises can be charged to 100% in just 36 minutes.

OPPO isn't really known in South Africa at all and is now competing with established international smartphone brand names from companies like Samsung, LG, Huawei, Nokia and others.

OPPO started as a technology brand in 2004 and for the last 10 years has manufactured smartphones with camera capabilities. Oppo launched its first mobile, the Smile Phone, in 2008.

OPPO's business now covers 40 countries with 6 research institutes and 5 R&D centres worldwide.

OPPO entered the South African market in 2020 by launching 3 smartphones in late-2020: the budget OPPO A72 in October 2020 at R6 999, followed in November 2020 by the budget OPPO A15 and the mid-market targeted OPPO A53s, with both of these priced under R5 000.

OPPO has now also launched the Reno5 5G series, with a starting price of R14 999.

OPPO calls this phone "its first major release in the South African market" with the smartphones that are available through Vodacom and MTN in South Africa.

OPPO says in a press release that the Reno5 "is geared to offer an alternative option to the growing number of South Africans that are quickly adapting to an online method of working, earning and living".

OPPO says in its press release that "with a built-in output charging pin, the device gets to 100% in just 36 minutes safely, to ensure better usage and functionality over longer periods of time". 

This claim couldn't be verified and OPPO hasn't made any of these phones available for review to test this recharging claim, but if true, it would make the Reno5 one of the fastest-charging smartphones now available in the South African market.

"The Reno5 is our most ambitious smartphone model yet. Offering ultra-fast, ultra-powerful connectivity and high-end technology that works," says OPPO.

"It incorporates world-class updates into a usable device that upgrades the consumer’s daily digital efficiencies, while using humanable technology that improves everyday connection to each other, especially during these uncertain times."

"We understand that our smartphone is one of the most powerful tools we own today,” says Liam Fourie, OPPO South Africa's head of got-to-market and operations.

OPPO's Reno5 is available in Galactic Silver and Starry Black and both have what OPPO calls "a colour-changing diamond finish".

It is enabled with Android 11 and fitted with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processing chip, as well as a 4300mAh battery and 128GB storage.

The Reno5 comes with 5G support, has a 6.44-inch OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, 8GB RAM and supports Dolby Atmos sound.

The Reno5 quad-camera has a 64MP main lens, 8MP ultra-wide lens, 2MP macro lens, as well as a 2MP depth lens, which is paired with a 32MP selfie camera.

After 3-year break with digital migration Nigeria says the country is restarting its switch-over process, plans to complete DTT transition by end of 2022.

by Thinus Ferreira

After a 3-year break during which nothing happened, Nigeria's government now plans to resume its digital migration process to move the country from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcasting, with the West African country that now says it plans to complete Nigeria's switch by the end of 2022.

Professor Armstrong Idachaba, acting director-general of Nigeria's National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), says that the country’s Digital Switch Over (DSO) project will be completed by the end of 2022 when the country will fully shift from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting.

"Nigeria has taken a decision that we are continuing with the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting. The journey practically began in 2016 with the pilot rollout in Jos and a few years after, we have gone into phase two," says Professor Armstrong Idachaba.

"Under phase two, Lagos, Port Harcourt and other cities will be switched on to digital TV. We are going to many other cities and following the rollout time table, we hope that by the end of 2022, we would have completed the digital rollout in Nigeria."

Professor Armstrong Idachaba.is correct that Nigeria stated its digital migration process in Jos, Plateau State in 2016, followed by Abuja, Kwara, Kaduna, and Enugu - but the process then ground to a halt in Osogbo in February 2018.

After what appears to be a three-year break, blamed in part on a lack of political will and financial constraints, the launch will now resume in the country’s big cities, notably Lagos, with a completion date of the middle of 2022.

Nigeria, like South Africa and several other African countries, have missed the original deadline that was set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for completion of the switchover process that was meant to happen in June 2015.

South Africa's long-stalled DTT switch-over process has been marred the past decade and counting by corruption, constantly changing DTT standards, court cases and incompetent ministers of communications changing annually.

ALSO READ: South Africa's TV ratings system and broadcasters risk damage in new monthly analogue TV hard switch-off approach as signal transmitters are shut down in provinces before all viewers have switched to DTT or received set-top boxes.

TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. The not-so-pretty side of Ugly Betty and how bad and non-existent PR is once again damaging local productions - this time 'uBethina Wethu' on SABC1 and VIU.

by Thinus Ferreira

After all of the effort, casting during Covid, money spent, and making a local adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Betty La Fea, known as Ugly Betty, for South Africa as a co-production between SABC1 and VIU, yet another new local show got damaged and destroyed right at the 99%-mark in the race by badly done and non-existent PR.

I've honestly lost count of how many South African TV shows - that all cost money to make - end up having their feet cut off before they're even out of the racing blocks.

This is often done by production companies and TV channels who either don't know better, don't know how to publicise a show properly, don't have adequate PR and PR plans in place, or just simply don't care.

Why go to all of the effort and expense of spending millions of rand to make a series, and when it's time to show it, you drop the ball in properly getting it under the media's attention?

Why do so many South African TV shows fail so spectacularly when it comes to giving the journalists and TV critics covering a series or a new series, all of the necessary information, publicity photos, press packs and pro-actively offering interviews with the cast and crew?

There is a reason why publications and journalists covering television in South Africa often rather cover overseas TV: Ironically the information, photos and press material are much more readily available on the internet or through international publicists who are responsive, pro-active and who, well, exist.

After Known Associates Entertainment spent a lot of money making a South African version of Ugly Betty in a co-production deal between the SABC and VIU, both SABC1 and VIU apparently can't care less about even trying to make uBettina Wethu a success as far as media coverage is concerned.

SABC1 is so atrociously bad that it still lists uBettina Wethu as "uBethina Wethu" on its schedule.

As of the publication of this opinion article, SABC1 couldn't even bother to get the show's title right days after it had started.

It makes you think that SABC1 channel boss Phumzile Zonke and SABC1 programme manager Sane Zondi must perhaps not be watching their own channel. Neither they not anyone else working at SABC1 or the SABC have picked up on it, or care, or are apparently able to fix it.

Hilariously badly as well, is that this SABC1 schedule is what was sent to other platforms, so naturally, since that is what is being ingested, MultiChoice's DStv in its electronic programme guide (EPG) and StarTimes's StarSat are listing "uBethina" on their DStv and StarSat channel grid as well. 

At least "uBethina Wethu" is better than Telkom's Telkom ONE video streaming service that simply went with a non-descript "N/A" in the timeslot on the grid, meaning that the title at 19:30 on SABC1 is "not available" (because SABC1 failed to supply it in time). 

This is because SABC1 likely couldn't bother to actually send Telkom ONE as its streaming partner any latest updated schedule, causing Telkom ONE to just ran with what it had - a blank.

While uBettina Wethu is scheduled to run from Mondays to Wednesdays, on Wednesday the SABC1 schedule shows Yilungelo Lakho scheduled at 19:30. 

Even viewers who set a PVR schedule record won't get the Wednesday episode because DStv decoders won't "see" it to capture it, and those viewers who scan through schedules and look for the uBettina episodes, won't find or see the Wednesday - unless they specifically know that Yilungelo Lakho on Wednesdays is and will actually be uBettina Wethu.

While VIU at least carries the correct uBettina Wethu name to correspond with what is shown on-screen, VIU is also not without shame and blame.

This is how many episodes SABC1 and VIU sent to TV critics and the media before "uBethina" started its broadcast, in order for the media to preview the series, for possible review purposes: Zero.

Several episodes clearly were available and ready since they are available on-demand on VIU, while SABC1 broadcast one per day.

This is how many media VIU invited beforehand to watch uBettina Wethu on its streaming platform: Zero.

And while Known Associates Entertainment literally paid for a stills photographer according to the end credits of the show - a stills photographer is someone who takes on-set photos per episode specifically for publicity purposes - this is how many of those photos have been used and have actually been sent to the media by publicists: Zero.

And take yet another guess: This is what VIU did in terms of basic PR, like emails, press releases and media outreach to promote uBettina Wethu for its streaming platform and to bring it under the media's attention before the show started: Nothing.

In fact, VIU doesn't even have a publicist or a PR company at the moment. That raises the question: How is the media supposed to know that uBettina Wethu is on VIU? It's anyone's guess.

How ironic that Nubia in-series is a brand management and brand awareness company, and that with the over 10 scriptwriters and 5 storyliners on the production team, at least the real-world people working on accurately scripting the world of the fictional company in uBettina Wethu, know more about how much proper brand promotion matters.

All of this means that all of the money spent on making a show like uBettina Wethu, hiring a stills photographer - and all of the rest - is completely wasted when the return on the possible investment (ROI) is devalued, eroded and squandered by not actually doing anything to get, hold of and to squeeze out the bit of available media attention while it's possible.

While SABC1 held a small physical media launch event in mid-March in Johannesburg, neither SABC1 nor VIU were bothered to make any plan to virtually show it to the national media in South Africa.

Neither SABC nor VIU afterwards bothered to supply any quotes of what was said or happened at the event, or bothered to reach out to ask which media might want to do what interviews or stories.

Yet another so-called "launch event" - with a yellow carpet - happened for uBettina Wethu at some or other place in South Africa. 

Where in Hammanskraal were the media for this spectacle? 

Why couldn't anyone beforehand tell the media covering television or invite them, or bother afterwards with issuing the photos taken there, or with the sending of a press release, or an email to say "dear media, do you want to know about this or do something about this?"

If you're wondering why you don't see episodic photos in the media, struggle to find uBettina Wethu episode synopses, and why you don't see both short and long-form articles about the show and its stars in various publications but continue to read about Kim Kardashian, you have your answer.

South African television keeps making local shows that it often doesn't bother to properly do public relations for, with productions and TV channels that often don't see the need, reason or actual value in having dedicated PR people for it.

Best of luck, SABC1 and VIU, with your "uBethina". And best of luck trying to get it to break through in a very crowded media TV space when nobody even seems to at least be trying.

ALSO READ: Farieda Metsileng cast as South Africa's Bettina in SABC1's local adaptation of Ugly Betty, Coconut Kelz to play the sassy friend.

Despite Covid-19 the pan-African class of 2020 at the MultiChoice Talent Factory film academy graduates with MTF and New York Film Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (NYFA) qualifications.

by Thinus Ferreira

The class of 2020's film students from across Africa who attended the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) - the second class to finish the course since the MTF started - graduated on Tuesday after their academic and practical year was extended by a further 6 months because of difficulties due to the global Covid-19 pandemic that also impacted the African continent.

While MultiChoice South Africa runs a MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) hub for its film academy in South Africa, MultiChoice Africa runs three similar hubs across Africa in West, Southern and East Africa in Lagos, Nigeria; Lusaka, Zambia; as well as in Nairobi in Kenya.

"2020 was undoubtedly tough due to Covid-19, but the ability for all the 60 students from the Lusaka, Nairobi and Lagos academy hubs to quickly adapt and transition from physical to virtual learning speaks to the world-class nature of the academy’s course," says Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice Group CEO of general entertainment and connected Services.

"The MultiChoice Talent Factory is very close to my heart. It speaks to who we are as Africans - natural-born storytellers."

"We are here to celebrate the second cohort who were dealt a heavy blow by the Covid-19 pandemic but the challenge seems to have brought on even greater opportunities," says Yolisa Phahle.

"This is a proud moment for everyone involved in ensuring that the students became graduates," says Yolisa Phahle.

"It’s also been fulfilling to see just how in-tune this next generation of African storytellers are with the importance of being multi-skilled and intuitive creatives. All this would not have been possible without the collaboration and commitment of our fantastic partners."

While the students' academic course was extended from 12 month to 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the interruptions and changes it forced, the additional time meant that the students are getting not one but two qualifications.

As they enter their respective local film and TV sectors across Africa as qualified industry professionals, alongside their MultiChoice Talent Factory qualification, the students also received a qualification from the New York Film Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (NYFA).

The students completed an intensive 3-week online NYFA course on the production of micro-documentaries, public service announcements (PSAs), as well as music videos, and also worked with the United Nations on the global #PledgeToPause campaign.

The MultiChoice Talent Factory continues to work partner with the NYFA, the Henley Business School Africa, the Pan-Atlantic University in Nigeria, the Kenyatta University in Kenya, as well as the University of Zambia in Zambia. 

The MultiChoice Talent Factory also works with international organisations and companies like Dolby, Jasco Broadcast Solutions and Nihilent.

The top performing students from each of the regions also received an 8-week NYFA scholarship. In the class of 2020 these scholarships have been awarded to Abisola Aboaba (Nigeria), Daisy Masembe (Uganda) and Maira Tauacale (Mozambique).

An 8-week scriptwriting internship on an animation series from global consulting and solutions integration company Nihilent Technologies have been awarded to Julie Ako (Nigeria), Kefa Igilo (Tanzania) and Hilma Sheehama (Namibia).  

Jasco Broadcast Solutions will provide one AVID media composer licence to the most promising film video editor per region. 

The recipients are Gbenga Gomes (Nigeria), Isiko Abubaker (Uganda) and Abel Ngoma (Zambia). The AVID Pro Tools license for the most-promising sound engineer per region was awarded to Igho Arusi Avuirovarie (Nigeria), Maurice Muendo (Kenya) and Reijhaart Wolhuter (Namibia). 

MultiChoice's platforms will be giving students the opportunity to work on M-Net local productions.

Each winner will take part in a 4-week internship on M-Net productions equipping them with the skills they need to tell authentic and original African stories and these students are Joshua Tsotso (Nigeria), Hanigun Kwenya (Kenya) and Masuzyo Mwale (Zambia).

SABC economics editor Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki gets disciplinary hearing for allegedly calling staffer a rat and over alleged 'gross negligence' for not signing freelancer invoices.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African public broadcaster has charged Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki, SABC economics editor, with 3 charges of misconduct, the first of which could see her get fired if she is found guilty in a disciplinary hearing for allegedly calling a staffer a "rat", as well as for alleged "services misconduct in the form of gross negligence" for not signing freelancer invoices.

The SABC's charges against its own economics editor come after 621 staffers lost their jobs at the public broadcaster at the end of March in a highly acrimonious retrenchment process with Thandeka Gqubule-Mkebi who became one of the outspoken staffers against the way that the SABC conducted its retrenchment process.

Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki allegedly intimidated a freelance SABC staffer, Judith Tseke, and allegedly called her a rat for refusing to take part in public protest action at the SABC earlier this year against the retrenchment process.

Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki has been charged with alleged misconduct with the charge sheet saying "On 20 January 2021, on the 3rd floor at the SABC TV Centre in Auckland Park, you intimidated Khudu Judith Tseke by uttering the following words: 'She must not be a rat and join the protest'."

If she is found guilty of this charge, Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki could lose her job at the SABC.

In a second charge, Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki allegedly used "unseemly/offensive language and behaviour" because she "behaved in a manner that is not appropriate, unbecoming and not in line with the values of the SABC in that your language and behaviour was offensive and unseemly towards a fellow employee".

In a third charge, Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki allegedly contravened the Public Finance Management Act by not following due process in signing the invoices of a freelancer.

The SABC's charge sheet alleges that Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki "acted contrary to the above-mentioned provisions and you are therefore guilty of services misconduct in the form of gross negligence".

Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki told The Pretoria News that Bongumusa Makhathini (SABC board chairman), Madoda Mxakwe (SABC CEO) and Phathiswa Magopeni (SABC News boss) were behind an alleged campaign to vilify her and to for her and others out of SABC News and at the SABC.

"The charges are entirely bogus and untrue. They are part of a long programme of whistle-blower victimisation and I’m not the only leader of the anti-retrenchment and the anti-commercialisation movement they are gunning for," Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki told the newspaper.

"If you look at the first charge, it leads to the second charge which is a splitting of the charges, which is not allowed. Charge one never happened. There was a discussion between myself and a young lady and Sophie Mokoena and that's it."

Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson, said that "The SABC can confirm there is a formal process underway about the matter".

"Two of the charges relate to an affidavit submitted by a fellow journalist containing allegations of harassment and intimidation. The other emanates from an internal forensic audit process. Therefore, the claim the CEO and head of news are behind the charges is rejected with the contempt it deserves".

"The SABC is obliged to protect all employees, create a productive working environment, maintain organisational discipline and ensure good governance across the board."

Filming of season 3 of M-Net's The Real Housewives of Johannesburg for Mzansi Magic abruptly halted after alleged physical in-fighting between Christall Kay and Gugu Khathi.

by Thinus Ferreira

Production and filming on the third season of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg have been abruptly halted, and the season possibly even cancelled, after an alleged physical altercation between three of the show's fighting females in which Gugu Khathi allegedly punched Christall Kay in the face outside a nightclub leaving her with a black eye.

"M-Net confirms that season 3 of The Real Housewives of Joburg has been discontinued at this time," says Nomsa Philiso, channel director for local entertainment channels at M-Net, in response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus.

"This is due to unforeseen circumstances experienced during the production of the show."

Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) didn't elaborate on what the unforeseen circumstances are, and was asked why, but didn't answer that specific question.

Sunday tabloid reports splashed the scandal over the past weekend that the third season of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg has been outright cancelled after Christall Kay allegedly got beaten up by Gugu Khati and Brinnette Seopela outside a Pretoria nightclub during the filming of the show in March.

"Gugu Khathi is the one who punched me in the eye, resulting in a black eye. She did this when I was sitting down and there was no threat to her," Christall Kay told Sunday World.

"I have evidence to prove this. She is scared over what she has done and is trying to make out a case against me. Charges are currently being laid against her."

MultiChoice's video streaming service, Showmax, claimed in a press release that the second season of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg was its most-watched show in 2019 although it didn't release any viewership data or numbers.

eNCA again adjusts its anchor and timeslots line-up from April, does away with Lunchtime after Jeremy Maggs exit that is replaced with The Midday View anchored by Dan Moyane.

by Thinus Ferreira

eNCA (DStv 403) has once again adjusted its weekday anchor line-up of the South African TV news channel, produced by eMedia Investments for MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service, with the adjustment coming into effect from Monday 5 April.

Among the changes, eNCA decided to dump the name of its long-running Lunchtime timeslot after the recently abrupt and unexplained departure of Jeremy Maggs, replacing it with The Midday View that will now be anchored by Dan Moyane.

"Our viewers are at the heart of everything we do and the fine-tuning of content and changes to our line-up is aligned with our viewer interests and trends," says eNCA.

eNCA's anchor line-up and daypart timeslots are now as follow:

The South African Morning (6:00 - 9:00)

Tumelo Mothotoane and Jane Dutton bring viewers unique, interesting and entertaining interviews as well as sport and weather updates.

NewsLink (9:00 - 11:00)

Uveka Rangappa anchors during the early morning timeslot, bringing viewers up-to-date news and focused interviews, as well as back-stories behind the news headlines.

All Angles (11:00 - 13:00)

Thulasizwe Simelane anchors this late morning timeslot, bringing viewers a contextual and probing guide to breaking news, developing stories, newsmaker interviews and analysis.

The Midday View (13:00 - 15:00)

Dan Moyane anchors this renamed timeslot during the early afternoon block on eNCA, looking at the latest top stories, breaking news, live reports and views from across South Africa and beyond.

The Lead (15:00 - 17:00)

Shahan Ramkissoon continues to anchor the late afternoon timeslot on eNCA with live updates on the day's top stories, as well as doing interviews with current newsmakers.

South Africa Tonight (17:00 - 20:00)

Sally Burdett continues as the anchor of this timeslot on eNCA as she unpacks the top stories of the day and looks at how it will affect viewers. These include breaking news and interviewing guests in South Africa and abroad.

ALSO READ: Jeremy Maggs gone from eNCA after 13 years 'with immediate effect' after resignation, eMedia's TV news channel says that it has 'nothing to add' after veteran anchor's years of service.

Tonight's TV has a trove of new start-ups from uBettina Wethu on SABC1 and The Estate and Prime News on 3 on SABC3, while The Station and DiepCity start on Mzansi Magic.

by Thinus Ferreira

Television brims with brand-new local TV shows starting tonight, Monday 5 April, that will make it even harder for viewers to decide where to watch what, next.

uBettina Wethu, South Africa's local adaptation of Ugly Betty makes its debut on SABC1, while SABC3 opens the gates to its new local soap The Estate. 

There is a new timeslot for the public broadcaster's English TV news bulletin on SABC3 that will now compete with e.tv, while DiepCity starts as Isibaya's replacement on Mzansi Magic.

Then there is also the start of  The Station as a new drama series starring and produced by Sello Maake Ka-Ncube.

The Estate, SABC3, 19:00

This new locally-produced soap is the newly-cemented cornerstone from which the public broadcaster's struggling TV channel is starting to rebuild its primetime line-up with The Estate, produced by Clive Morris Productions that is replacing Isidingo.

The Estate revolves around a gated South African community named Echelon Estate with the rich "haves" - with the nearby township of Thembalethu "have nots" that suddenly makes a land claim.

The Estate will address issues such as land and identity, corruption, patronage, money (old and new), power, class and equality, all told through a colourful mix of South African families.

Monday's first episode is an hour-long premiere episode, followed by half-hour weekday episodes.

eBettina Wethu, SABC, 19:30

Farieda Metsileng along with a majority-black cast stars in the lead role as Bettina Sikhakane in the South African adaptation of Colombia's Yo Soy Bety La Fea.

The telenovela produced by Known Associates Entertainment will be shown on SABC1 and the VIU streaming service, and will have three episodes per week from Mondays to Wednesdays.

Bettina is appointed as the managing director's personal assistant at Nubia, a brand management company. 

Zweli Dube is Dingaan Jiyane, while Tsholofelo Mashishi plays Dingaan's mother and the matriarch of the family. Linda Jiyane and Lesego Tlhabi known as Coconut Kelz will play the bubbly Zaza Moloi.

The uBettina Wethu supporting cast are Michael Potter as Brandon Thomas, Elliot Makhubo as Israel Sikhakhane, Mbasa Msongeli as Mpilo Hadebe, Brighton Ngoma as T-Bang Moeketsi, Ayanda Bandla as Lakhe Amon, Mhairi Fergusson as Amanda, Motshabi Tyelele as Ethel, Jason Willemse as Wendell and Alex Sono as Reggie.

News @ 8, SABC3, 20:00

A new TV news battle is brewing from tonight with SABC3 that is taking e.tv's news offering head-on, and is moving its main TV news bulletins from 21:00 on weekdays to 20:00, directly opposite e.tv's e.tv News.  

On weekends SABC3 will now broadcast the public broadcaster's main English TV news bulletin at 18:00.

The Station, Mzansi Magic (DStv 161), 20:00

This new drama series is produced by Taproots Media from Sello Maake Ka-Ncube who also stars as the character of Fix in this new series.

The Station revolves around the backstabbing and scheming between four employees who suddenly become shareholders of a petrol station. Don (Owen Sejake) leaves his petrol station to his four employees, who all start playing hunger games to gain control as personalities clash.

Sphamandla Dhludhlu is Caesar, a young man determined to see the business succeed to improve his life and to support his wheelchair-bound father Themba (Ernest Ndlovu).

Meanwhile, Diliza (Aubrey Mmakola) threatens to take control of the station and run it to the ground. Will the husband and wife team of Cynthia (Lerato Mvelase) and Fix, along with Caesar and Sli (Sibulele Gcilitshana) - be able to stop Diliza?

DiepCity, Mzansi Magic (DStv 161), 20:30

DiepCity is the new local telenovela replacing Isibaya, exploring the struggles of four young women forced into lives of crime in order to survive.

The small-time house burglar Nox (Nozuko Ncayiyane) sees her world shatter after her younger brother Sibusiso (Tshiamo Molobi) is fatally shot during a house robbery that he was never supposed to be part of and that was set up by the security guard Elliot (Mduduzi Mabaso).

After a stint in jail, Nox returns home where her alcoholic father Bonga (Hamilton Dlamini) lost his job and where her mother Thandiwe (Dawn Thandeka King) who works as a domestic worker refuses to forgive her for her brother's death.

ALSO READ: SABC3’s new locally-produced weekday telenovela The Estate from Clive Morris Productions to launch in April as a cornerstone of the TV channel's latest repositioning effort.

ALSO READ: Farieda Metsileng cast as South Africa's Bettina in SABC1's local adaptation of Ugly Betty, Coconut Kelz to play the sassy friend.

SABC3 rebrands as S3 with a lime green-on-blue logo and new Open Up slogan as the channel pivots towards 'progressive millennial viewers'.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African public broadcaster's SABC3 has undergone yet another image rebranding exercise with the TV channel that will now be known as simply "S3" from April, with a lime green-on-blue logo together with the new slogan "Open Up".

S3 as the SABC's only commercial TV channel is now targeting "progressive millennial" viewers who have abandoned traditional linear television and switched to streaming services like Netflix, with the SABC that is trying to lure some of that audience to linear TV through compelling content and conversations.

SABC3's switch to S3 is part of a content offering rebuilding and market repositioning for the financially struggling channel that has seen its fortunes, allure as a viewership destination, and its ratings wane over the past decade.

As its schedule got dismantled and once popular international and signature local shows - together with anchor programming like Isidingo - got cancelled, viewers left. 

They were followed by advertisers and scorched producers, while SABC3 lost its defined channel identity and became a dumping ground for last-minute acquired sports disrupting the schedule and other shows that didn't fit on SABC1 or SABC2.

Under new channel head, Pat van Heerden, SABC3 is rebuilding and re-emerging as S3, slowly adding edgy and provocative content, and is looking to re-engage viewers - especially a younger-skewing audience with more risque programming stimulating conversation, debate and thought.

SABC3 is launching a new locally-produced telenovela by Clive Morris Productions from Monday 5 April at 19:00, The Estate to anchor its new prime-time line-up.

It's adding acclaimed foreign telenovelas like Brazil's refugee drama, Orphans of a Nation from Mondays to Wednesdays at 18:30, and Turkey's therapy clinic-set The Red Room on Thursdays and Fridays serving as the lead-in programming.

Unpacked with Relebogile Mabotja is a new local talk show for the S3 schedule that will kick off in April, promising to delve deep into topics and conversations that are deliberately chosen because they make people "uncomfortable". 

The S3 talk show will tackle often-taboo subjects with sensitivity that South Africans are either too scared or too awkward about to address or simply don't know how to talk about publicly.

In other programming changes, S3 is adding the American ITV crime drama series The Bay on weekdays at 19:30 from 6 April, while the Cardova Productions produced afternoon talk show Afternoon Express is cut down from 5 to just two episodes per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and moving from 17:00 to 17:30.

S3 will now have two half-hour news bulletins - one at 18:30 and another at 20:00 and will have season 36 of the American Survivor entitled Ghost Island, along with the critically-acclaimed drama series The Night Manager on Tuesdays at 21:00 and Mrs America on Thursdays.

The HBO documentary Being Serena about Serena Williams is broadcast on Thursday night at 21:00 on 7 April with the Hulu comedy Woke screened on Fridays at 21:00.

SABC3 unveiled its new S3 rebranding on Wednesday night at a media event held in Johannesburg that started late and where many guests didn't wear masks or adhered to social distancing Covid-19 protocols, with a live stream for national media watching from home that was badly produced and marred by multiple mistakes and bad production values.

Merlin Naicker, the SABC's head of TV, said that "we are creating a new SABC3 and we are taking note of industry trends and taking the schedules of SABC1 and SABC2 into consideration - the idea is to make sure that our audience will always find something that they will enjoy or that they can relate to on the SABC's channels".

Pat van Heerden said that "we're in a very congested television landscape and most of the channels that are coming in are international and when we look at that, people are reduced to an algorythm. We have the opportunity as the SABC to speak to the citizens of our country".

"We have the privilege of creating a channel which our citizens can be connected to - and that's the privilege we have: connection. When you look at international channels like Netflix they don't have that connection - that ability to speak to our audiences, to get reflections back."

A progressive millenial channel

"We're creating a channel in which our citizens belong, we have a conversation with them - and then we thought what else is out there in terms of SABC1 and SABC2? What can S3 offer?"

"We're looking at becoming a progressive millennial channel in which we're speaking to the generation that has to face the future, that has to work in this economy, and we thought how can we become part of the conversation in terms of becoming future-fit - and that's what we're doing."

"SABC3 is opening up a dialogue, a dialogue about being a citizen, being conscious, being environmentally friendly, looking at the crises facing the planet; and then looking at what global entertainment can we offer citizens basically for free that you have to pay on subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services for," Pat van Heerden said.

"This is your public broadcaster giving you fantastic programming and curating a dialogue with our audiences."

"What we're done is to look out into the rest of globe and take programming from Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, Turkey - and we've really selected programmes that we think will speak to someof the issues that we have in our country and some of the things that we like to celebrate."

"Locally, we're looking at some dramas and building prime time with a new daily drama called The Estate."

Opening up

Pat van Heerden said the new slogan of "Open Up" is "about opening up about discussing our differences, finding commonality, opening up to seeing the rest of the world, opening up to their stories and seeing ourselves as global citizens".

About the switch to a lime green S3 logo on blue, Pat van Heerden said S3 is "not a natural history channel but we will be conscious about the environment". 

"We want to do entertaining programming around environmental issues. You have thrillers being made in Australia, you have a thriller from Brazil set in an eco-warrior landscape, so it's about the content but entertaining content."

ALSO READ: SABC3 adds the telenovelas Orphans of a Nation from Brazil and The Red Room from Turkey from April to join its locally-produced The Estate.