'Buy a vowel': Rorisang Thandekiso to host Wheel of Fortune SA on SABC3.

by Thinus Ferreira

From Monday, Rorisang Thandekiso will be the host of Wheel of Fortune SA and will help contestants spin the wheel and choose letters in the hope of guessing right to get a phrase and various prizes.

The South African version of Wheel of Fortune is filmed at Atlantic Studios in Cape Town and is produced by Homebrew Films and Primedia Studios for SABC3 according to the format licensed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

While the American version produced by Sony Pictures Television, in addition to a host, has Vanna White who turns the correct letters on the "hangman"-like screen when contestants guess a letter corrently, the South African version won't have an assistant, similar to the British version.

Across 260 half-hour episodes which will air on weekdays on SABC3 at 19:30, three contestants daily will spin the "wheel of fortune" as they get chance after chance to guess letters making up a phrase on a screen.

As with the American version a car is one of the possible prizes and in the South African version it's a Suzuki Grand Vitara Hybrid.

"I am incredibly honoured to follow in these giant footsteps and be the first Wheel of Fortune South Africa host and the lucky person introducing the show to Africa,” says Rorisang. 

"It’s like Hangman meets Roulette but on an ample dose of healthy television steroids. Like the rest of the world, South Africans will love it. This is the kind of game show that will keep the entire family glued to their screens – whether they’re trying to solve the word puzzles themselves or are routing for the contestants to rake in more money or fabulous prizes."

Lala Tuku, the SABC's acting head of video entertainment, says "Rorisang radiates all the attributes required to hold the reins of this world-famous word-quiz game show".

"She comes with gravitas and years of experience in front of the camera but also embodies a unique mix of sparkle, confidence, and calmness. Furthermore, we're thrilled to break the mould with a powerful female host. It fits in with SABC's mission to celebrate diversity and put the spotlight on women." 

Jan du Plessis, Primedia Studios president, says "We are extremely excited and honoured to finally add the African continent to Wheel of Fortune's phenomenal legacy".

"Wheel of Fortune is arguably the most successful game-show format of all time in terms of its universal appeal and longevity."

"But best of all, South Africans will now have the opportunity to spin their lives around by playing this spectacular yet simple game on a state-of-the-art set. Add mind-blowing amounts of cash and unimaginable prizes – even cars – up for grabs, and Wheel of Fortune South Africa is in a league unseen on local television before."

Emma Stow, Paramount Global Content Distribution's director of format sales, says "Wheel of Fortune is one of our longest-running game shows and we look forward to working with Primedia Studios to bring this successful format to the audience in South Africa". 

Wheel of Fortune has three contestants per episode and starts with a "Toss-up" round in which the trio tries to unravel a word phrase by themselves to earn money and determine which one will spin the iconic wheel first.

There are different wedges on the wheel – anything between R100 and R800, as well as some dreaded ones like "Lose a turn" or "Bankrupt", which might ruin their game. In addition to the cash amounts the wheel includes other prizes which the contestant will pocket if they figure out the word phrase.

In solving the puzzle the amount of money indicated on the wheel multiplies with the number of letters they choose to put on the game's giant puzzle board - but only if the letters are indeed part of the phrase.

If they don't use a consonant, they can also buy a vowel but once they opt to put a wrong letter on the board, it's the next contestant's turn to spin the wheel.

Ultimately, the contestant who calls out the correct phrase bags the money they have accumulated in their own wallet. Thereafter, the contestant with the biggest winnings moves on to play the bonus round, where even more impressive prizes await.

MultiChoice ups Kemi Omotosho as Southern Africa regional director.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice has promoted and appointed Kemi Omotosho as its latest MultiChoice regional director for Southern Africa.

The Southern Africa regional director role has been a revolving door of appointments and fast exits over the past half a decade with numerous MultiChoice executives slotted into the role and then existing in rapid succession over the past few years.

Kemi Omotosho started at MultiChoice Nigeria in 2014 as head of retention and was promoted in 2018 to head of customer value management and in 2019 she was promoted again to group head of customer value management overseeing all CVM initiatives across Africa.

She will now be responsible for looking after MultiChoice's Southern Africa business, excluding South Africa.

"MultiChoice  operates an inclusive workplace that provides equal opportunities to staff irrespective of their gender and nationality, as evidenced by the recent appointments within the group," says John Ugbe, MultiChoice West Africa CEO in a statement.

This is the first time that John Ugbe, overseeing West Africa, has any prepared quote attributed about the appointment of the regional director of another of MultiChoice's regions.

MultiChoice's statement contains no prepared quote attributed to Kemi Omotsho.

Disney+ updates streamer's logo to a teal-colour with an animation change.

by Thinus Ferreira

The logo of the Disney+ video streaming service has been updated and changed, with the change also affecting and visible in South Africa, following Disney's buyout of the remainder of the shares in Hulu in the integration of Hulu into Disney+.

The new teal-coloured Disney+ logo has now dropped the classic Disney royal blue, while the circular streak arc is now just white and a solid line, instead of the radial multicoloured blur.

Where "Disney+" was a solid white before, it is now an off-white with a slight teal-diffused look.

"We think we've found a balance of new and nostalgic that helps strike a chord that Disney+ has all the things you love about Disney but is also evolving and adding new things to love," says Andy Barker, Disney+ vice president of creative, in a statement about the logo update.

Opening Disney+ after the logo update the animation has also changed.

Originally "Disney" appeared first, followed by the star arching over from left to right to the "+".

Now the shooting star appears first, the word "Disney" appears second, and the "+"-sign is also slightly thicker than before.

The corporate Disney+ logo change is superfluous and unneccesary for South African Disney+ subscribers who don't even have access to Hulu and in the vast majority of cases don't even know what Hulu is.

MultiChoice: GinX gone from DStv with WildEarth set to follow.

by Thinus Ferreira

GinX eSports TV is gone on MultiChoice's DStv as the 9th TV channel that has disappeared from the traditional pay-TV operator's channel line-up since the start of this year, with the struggling WildEarth set to likely shutter at the end of this month as the 10th channel leaving the platform.

Since 1 April with MultiChoice's latest price increase that came into effect from this month, DStv subscribers are paying more than ever for the service as global rivals like streaming services in the form of Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video proliferate.

GinxX eSports TV which resided on channel 127 is gone from DStv since midnight of 31 March, seven years after it was added in May 2017 as a stand-alone linear TV channel when MultiChoice said that "The deal with GinX is a massive leap forward ".

GinX eSports TV, a channel produced in the United Kingdom, ended as a linear TV channel in July last year and left Sky's traditional pay-TV service to continue as a streaming channel only. 

The move is similar to many overseas studios and channel distributors now no longer investing in their traditional, linear pay-TV channels that are struggling with a lack of new content, as budgets are funnelled towards the production of making content for their streaming services. 

MultiChoice didn't respond to a media query from TVwithThinus about GinX's impending demise made mid-March. 

So far this year DStv subscribers have lost access to Deutsche Welle, Emmanuel TV, B4U Movies, 1Free State TV, NWTV, People's Weather, as well as the 1Magic and ME channels.

The 1Magic and Me channels will soon be replaced with the 1Max TV channel that will carry and showcase a collection of Showmax content as a linear windowing channel for MultiChoice's relaunched Showmax video streaming service that is now run in partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal's Sky on the Peacock platform.

Next to disappear from DStv will be WildEarth (DStv 183), with the channel's operators that warned MultiChoice it will be pulling WildEarth from DStv at the end of April in a nasty channel carriage fight.

WildEarth was originally added in August 2020 as a temporary pop-up channel but was then kept on DStv over the past three years.

Although WildEarth, that currently employs 72 people to run the channel, originally entered into a contract with MultiChoice whereby WildEarth would not be getting paid by MultiChoice for carriage on the DStv platform, it got the space to raise viewership with DStv subscribers and through that get possible advertising revenue and sponsorships.

WildEarth chairman André Crawford-Brunt, slammed MultiChoice in an interview with BizNews last week, claiming that MultiChoice doesn't support local content financially.

Crawford-Brunt said "I made the call that if they weren't prepared to pay us, we needed to come off DStv. It was just too easy to keep providing something to them for free".

He said WildEarth is getting "binned by a big corporate because someone sitting in an ivory tower or sitting in an office in London can make a decision that this doesn't fit the short-term goals and needs of a big corporate".

MultiChoice's local content decisions and third-party acquisition strategy are made and managed from its MultiChoice City headquarters in Randburg, Johannesburg.

Although slamming MultiChoice and South Africa's TV ratings system TAMS which measures the number of TV viewership watching television, Crawford-Brunt noted that "it would have been our preference to stay on MultiChoice".

He said South Africa's TV ratings system "is as archaic as the dinosaur age where there are a number of set-top boxes that exist in a certain number of homes and obviously being a niche channel they try to extrapolate that data from I think 1 400 homes - they extrapolate what the audience is for advertising purposes".

"This is so backward when you consider that 25% of the day is load-shedding, the sample size is so small for a niche channel and they've never done any granular work around the type of dedicated audience that you get on an outdoor or wildlife channel."

According to Crawford-Brunt, MultiChoice "got away with paying us nothing for three odd years. After applying a huge amount of pressure they then agreed to come through with a notional amount of R6 million a year".

"They hope we're just going to go away. I've told them we're going to take it off DStv because we can't afford to be on DStv and not get rewarded in some way." 

He said DStv subscribers "who are paying subscribers to MultiChoice are feeling particularly aggrieved that there's potential that they lose out and that will obviously lead to attrition of more viewers - whether they care or not. You would hope they would care but they're in the middle of a merger."

MultiChoice hasn't responded to a media query about WildEarth made last week by TVwithThinus.

SABC signs partnership with BBC Studios for 2-hour primetime content block on SABC3 from May.

by Thinus Ferreira

In a groundbreaking deal, South Africa's public broadcaster has acquired a raft of premium BBC content from BBC Studios that will play out as a 2-hour primetime block on weeknights on SABC3 from May in the SABC's attempt to try and revive the ratings and fortunes of the ailing TV channel.

From May the South African public broadcaster is joining with Britain's public broadcaster in unlocking an archive avalanche of high-quality content that until now was only accessible to MultiChoice's DStv subscribers who had access to the collection of traditional pay-TV channels run globally by BBC Studios.

The curated BBC Studios content as part of a multi-million rand licensing and partnership deal with the SABC will run on weeknights between 21:00 and 23:00 on SABC3 and will also be made available on the SABC+ video streaming service.

Dubbed "BBC Primetime" it will include award-winning British drama series, documentaries, lifestyle programming and factual entertainment ranging from Top Gear (seasons 14 to 17) and Luther to Death in Paradise.

Initial titles in the 2-hour block will include Cheaters, We Hunt Together, Top Gear, Billion Dollar Downfall, Sex Actually with Alice Levine, Louis Theroux Forbidden America, Undercover, Secrets of Sugar Baby Dating, Death in Paradise, Our Girl, Luther, MotherFatherSon, Critical, Louis Theroux Dark States, Trafficking Sex, Press, as well as Nigeria's Female Suicide Bombers.

The SABC hopes to lift viewership and lure advertisers to SABC3 as the public broadcaster's only commercial TV channel but also its most troubled and the most ratings-challenged of its three legacy TV channels.

"I am so excited to launch our first BBC branded block in Africa with SABC," says Pierre Cloete, BBC Studios Africa commercial director.

"BBC Primetime will be hand-picked for S3 audiences, packed with a selection of incredible programming from our award-winning catalogue. From intense thrillers, crime dramas and inspiring documentaries, this marks our first block for free-to-air audiences in South Africa, giving 13 million homes access to BBC Studios shows. I can't wait for the 2024 launch."

Asked how the deal came about, Cloete said "the DNA between the BBC and the SABC is almost the same - the BBC's got the same mandate as the SABC. That connection is very important".

"We understand public broadcasting, we understand audiences. When we spoke with the SABC it was a no-brainer to work together and to bring something special and unique to audiences."

Binge-watch BBC dramas

Pierre Cloete said "drama we know is super important - but not in the old, traditional way of scheduling drama one episode, once a week.

"BBC dramas will be scheduled Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays as a strip on SABC3, so you can basically binge-watch these, plus get it on SABC+ as a 14-day catch-up so you can watch a whole series in one go, which I think is amazing".

"We're also pushing documentaries - I think there's a huge demand for that on SABC3. Thirdly, we're also putting entertainment into the mix. We're taking proven content, we're taking premium strategies and implementing it into this block."

David Makubyane, the SABC's head of TV channels, says "One of the important things that we had to look at is the commercial sustainability of the SABC".

"You can go with the old way of doing business. That's why we started looking at different models. There are a variety of models that we look at. This one in particular looks at a BBC block of content on SABC3 from 21:00 until 23:00. This will now be a BBC-branded block. This is a new model for the SABC. We're not talking about library content. We're talking crème de la crème BBC."

"It's the latest BBC crème de la crème content that's going to sit there, with us partnering and making sure that the brand of SABC3 brings in audiences. At the same time the partnership ensures that we remain commercially viable."

"The content works because we are both public broadcasters. We know this is content that will resonate with the South African audience."

Asked about whether there could be any original BBC-SABC co-production for SABC3, Makubyane said "this is only the beginning".

"At the moment, it's obviously finished product but the relationship with the BBC is one where we are seeing how do we collaborate - how do we do co-productions? So yes, hopefully in the future we will start seeing that the SABC and the BBC co-produce content together."

Sane Zondi, SABC programming manager, says "This partnership with BBC Studios is born out of the need for us to fulfil our commitment in delivering high-quality international content to our viewers".

"We are excited to have access to a vast catalogue from the BBC and the unlimited world-class entertainment our viewers will be able to enjoy through BBC Primetime on SABC3. The deal allows us to bring back some of the iconic BBC titles to our viewers which formed weekly habitual viewing, with Top Gear being the most notable one."

"We look forward to seeing some of the sentiments and reactions across our social media platforms on this great new era on our channel."

Wheel of Fortune: SABC picks up raft of game show format titles, BBC and Netflix content.

by Thinus Ferreira

The SABC has picked up a further raft of game show format titles through Primedia Studios like Raid the Cage, and Wheel of Fortune, while it's partnering with Netflix on a Winnie Madikizela-Mandela documentary series and is adding a 2-hour block of premium BBC content for SABC3 primetime in a deal with BBC Studios.

The SABC said viewers will see its three TV channels going through a mutation over the next three years. 

The South African public broadcaster on Tuesday evening made several show announcements at an event for media, advertisers and other partners dubbed "SABC Video Entertainment Content Festival 2024" in Fourways, Johannesburg - the first of what the SABC said would be a new type of content showcasing event.

The broadcaster used to have quarterly content screenings for SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 which fell by the wayside years ago but on Tuesday said it planned to communicate about its content, schedules and programmes more again.

Lala Tuku, the acting head of SABC video entertainment, said the SABC is "on a mission to reimagine how we entertain our audiences".

To celebrate 30 years of South Africa's democracy the SABC will curate library content from its archives which will be played out across SABC1, SABC2, SABC3 and on a pop-up channel as part of "Shifters and Shakers: 1994 - 2024", showcasing iconic moment in programming on the public broadcaster.

"Viewers will get an opportunity to see some of the greatest moments again and we will showcase some hits," Tuku said. "We understand that we're in a competitive landscape but we stand proud of the archives we have as the public broadcaster. We've got a rich history of content in sports, arts, culture and religion and education."

"We're not blind to the plethora of competitors and content providers that have come into the space, but we stand firm and believe that the new content offering that we are going to showcase and give to our viewers will really put us into a competitive edge."

David Makubyane, head of SABC channels, said changes like Skeem Saam moving to a later timeslot on SABC1 and Afrikaans content shunted from SABC2 to SABC3 is because of changing content consumption patterns and the entrance of multiple video streaming services like Showmax, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.

"Twelve years ago we commanded as the SABC about 54% of market share with our three TV channels. Now we fast forward, we've got new entrants into the market. The media landscape has changed completely. Why we launched SABC+ is to also respond to this. The changes that you see on our channels is a response to this change that we are talking about."

"You're going to see this mutation of our brands as we go through into the next three years."

"SABC1 is really going to be about the youth - focused on young people, their dilemmas and issues. SABC2 is a family proposition channel. We're looking at the entire family and the diverse representation of family that we have in this country. SABC3 is focused on the millennials, the millennial lifestyle, the progressive audiences of this country who are also global thinkers."

In factual content the SABC is partnering with Netflix South Africa on The Trials of Winnie Mandela, while SABC will broadcast Just call me Arch about the life of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Following pickups of The Masked Singer SA and Deal or No Deal SA for second seasons, as well as Ready Steady Cook SA that just started on SABC3 and taking over MasterChef SA from M-Net for SABC3, Primedia Studios also acquired new game show formats like Raid the Cage, as well as Wheel of Fortune SA from Paramount Global for the SABC.

The Voice South Africa that was on MultiChoice's M-Net channel on DStv for three seasons is also being revived by Primedia Studios for SABC1 which will bring the singing competition to a public audience for the first time for a 4th season from 28 September at 18:00.

SABC1: Revamped Seli

SABC1 also has Sjava's 1-Man Show starting on 15 June at 20:00, with the travelogue show Breaking Down Borders airing from 3 July at 18:00.

The lifestyle show Selimathunzi is getting revamped as Hotspot Selimathunzi or abbreviated as Hotspot Seli, from 4 July at 18:00. The 2024 MetroFM Music Awards will broadcast on SABC1 on 27 April at 20:30.

Roxic, starting 8 October at 18:00 on SABC1 is a new talk show "confronting the toxicity in relationships as we counsel them through therapy on the journey to healing".

SABC2: Raiding in the cage

A new season of Taste Master will start on SABC2 on 23 April at 19:00 while Primedia Studios and Rose and Oaks Media are producing the new game show Raid the Cage that will start on 27 May.

In Raid the Cage, two teams battle it out to win prizes. One contestant has to answer questions in order to win time for the teammate who has to run and grab prizes and move it out of a cage - perhaps even pushing a car out - before the doors slam shut.

Big Day for 25K starting in June follows couples who plan their big wedding day with a R25 000 budget.

SA's Got Talent is also getting revived by Primedia Studios, which is also returning to SABC2. After the show that started on SABC2 switched to e.tv for several seasons, SA's Got Talent will now see a 9th season on SABC2 from 5 June at 19:00, with two episodes a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

SABC3: BBC primetime and Wheel of Fortune

In a partnership with BBC Studios, the SABC is adding a 2-hour block of premium BBC content - dramas, talkshow, documentaries and lifestyle programming.

Previously only seen on pay-TV on MultiChoice's set of BBC channels on DStv, a raft of BBC shows which will now be seen on SABC3 on weekdays from 21:00 to 23:00.

The second season of The Masked Singer SA, a Primedia Studios and Rose and Oaks Media production, starts on SABC3 on 13 April at 20:30. The 5th season of MasterChef SA, a Primedia Studios and Homebrew Films production, will start on SABC3 on Saturday 22 June at 19:30.

Wife Swap SA is also coming to SABC3 from Monday 1 July at 18:00. 

Crown Chasers, a reality show built around the Miss SA pageant competition will start for a second season on SABC3 from Saturday 22 June at 20:30, with the finale of Miss SA 2024 - hosted by Bonang Matheba - on Saturday 11 August at 19:30.

The 11th season of Tropika: Island of Treasure starts on SABC3 on Saturday 21 September at 18:30.

Primedia Studios also acquired the Paramount format game show Wheel of Fortune for South Africa. 

The SABC says that the game show, hugely popular in America, will run as a weekday strip on SABC3 on weekdays from 8 April.

Another Big Brother Mzansi contestant disqualified from MultiChoice's Lottostar-sponsored reality-trash show after Yolanda wanted to 'molest' another contestant.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and M-Net's Lottostar-sponsored reality-trash show Big Brother Mzansi was forced to yet again disqualify and remove another contestant, with Eulanda "Yolanda" Monyai who producers had to remove from the Red Pepper Pictures show.

After multiple warnings and abrupt removals of other contestants, the 32-year old sales consultant and model from Limpopo said she was ready to sexually assault another contestant, saying "I want to molest her".

She also said "I am going to rape Ghost. I'm going to force myself into his bed," in reference to Sabelo "Papa Ghost Ncube, who is TV presenter Andle Ncube's brother.

On social media, M-Net's marketing team placed a card that reads: "MultiChoice has investigated the matter regarding remarks made by a housemate on Big Brother Mzansi, which is currently airing on DStv channel 198".

"We do not condone any acts that threaten the safety of the housemates on the show, and we take Gender Based Violence seriously. Therefore, the housemate who made the threatening remarks (Yolanda) has been disqualified from the game."

MultiChoice's PR agency Duma Collective put out a shockingly bad "MULTICHOICE PRESS STATEMEN" - badly spelt in the subject line already, and bizarrely in All Caps, from junior public relations specialist Petunia Maota - which then wasn't sent to, or received by, all media.

This awful "MULTICHOICE PRESS STATEMEN" that Duma Collective sent out to certain media contained the same wording as on the social media card.

On Friday evening on the Big Brother Mzansi pop-up channel, the producers told Yolanda that "you are disqualified from the Big Brother house" and telling the remaining Big Brother Mzansi contestants yet again that the words they use "should steer clear of minimising acts of sexual violence whether used by a man or woman".

Meanwhile, sponsor LottoStar continues to associate its gambling brand with the low-brow and liquor-soaked DStv content that has seen multiple controversies so far this season.

In January Red Pepper Pictures, MultiChoice and M-Net were forced to dump Lindokuhle Nsele known as Bravo B who was disqualified and evicted after just a week of the show, while Tshepo Tau known as Makhekhe got a first warning following a discussion in which they decided which women in the house they wanted to rape first, since the women were allegedly drunk.

Last month the nasty contestant Liema who spat in other contestants' faces had to be warned over spitting and physical violence.

Big Brother Mzansi is executive produced by Natalie Bleksley and is in its 4th season under the Big Brother Mzansi moniker and the 10th season overall of Big Brother done by M-Net in South Africa according to the Banijay format.

ALSO READ: South Africa's Stage 6 electricity blackouts too much for MultiChoice and M-Net's Big Brother Mzansi that's back on DStv after suffering 12 hour transmission break due to Eskom load shedding.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice and M-Net remove LottoStar-clad contestant Bravo B from Red Pepper Productions and Mzansi Magic's liquor-soaked reality show on DStv after talk to rape drunk women.

ALSO READ: More Big Brother Mzansi uproar as contestant Liema is warned over spitting and threatening physical violence.

How just 3 SABC shows lost almost 3 million viewers last week.

by Thinus Ferreira

Drastic moves between TV channels and timeslot changes saw just three locally-produced SABC programmes lose close to a combined three million viewers on Monday last week with ad buyers saying the struggling public broadcaster will pay the price when it's forced to cut advertising rates.

Last week Monday was the day the SABC implemented a drastic change: Moving shows on SABC1 later and to SABC2, removing Afrikaans shows from SABC2 and shunting the Afrikaans TV news bulletin that was at 18:30 to the much later timeslot of 20:30 on SABC3 with the channel that has much more limited transmission reach.

The SABC decided to move the youth soap Skeem Saam to a later timeslot on SABC1 at 19:30 where the show itself lost viewers. 

The SABC filled its successful 18:30 timeslot on SABC1 where Skeem Saam used to air, with a rebroadcast in early primetime of old episodes of a series called The Executives. 

This caused SABC1's 18:30 timeslot to abruptly lose over 2.1 million viewers last week Monday, plummeting to just 1.87 million viewers in the timeslot.

The second season of the Primedia Studios produced Deal or No Deal SA that was on SABC1 got shunted to SABC2 at 18:30 where the show itself lost over 1.5 million viewers last Monday.

The Afrikaans TV news bulletin was moved to SABC3 where this bulletin lost almost 75% of its viewers on Monday. The move also meant the end of the longtime Afrikaans block on SABC2 following the cancellation of the long-running 7de Laan which wasn't replaced with a new show despite promises from the SABC to do so.

On Monday evening, Skeem Saam produced by Peu Communications, which reached a high of 4.04 million viewers on SABC1 in February in its 18:30 timeslot last month plunged to 3.2 million viewers in its 19:30 timeslot up against Scandal! on e.tv.

While Skeem Saam with its 3.2 million viewers won the 19:30 timeslot over e.tv's Scandal!, Skeem Saam as a show itself lost around 840 000 viewers between 20 February and last Monday's timeslot change.

According to ratings data from the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA), Deal or No Deal SA which had a high of 1.92 million viewers on SABC1 last month on 19 February, lost a whopping 1.5 million viewers last Monday when it only managed to get 414 556 viewers on SABC2 in the 18:30 timeslot. 

It means Primedia Studios and the SABC lost a whopping 78.4% of the specific show audience that used to watch Deal or No Deal SA on SABC1 and didn't tune in for it last Monday on SABC2. Primedia Studios and the SABC share revenue from the show and will now earn less money from it on SABC2 than what it made on SABC1.

The Afrikaans TV news bulletin that reached a high of 621 215 viewers on SABC2 in February on SABC2 as one of the channel's most-watched shows, plunged to just 163 663 viewers on SABC3 last Monday night according to BRCSA viewership data.

It means that this TV news bulletin shed a massive 457 552 viewers and almost three-quarters (73.6%) of its dedicated audience which evaporated in the channel switch from SABC2 to the much smaller SABC3.

Combined, just these three TV programmes - Skeem Saam, Deal or no Deal SA and the Afrikaans TV news - lost 2.8 million SABC viewers that used to watch these three specific shows in February and on last Monday no longer did so.

Timeslot-wise the SABC gained 1.3 million viewers on SABC1 at 19:30 last Monday but lost 2.1 million viewers on SABC1 at 18:30.

Advertisers follow audiences and audiences follow - or unfollow - shows.

Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson, in response to a media query, says "The SABC would like to reiterate that the video entertainment division continuously engages on various strategies to improve the content offering and which may result in programming shifts, involving moving shows to other channels".

"The shifts are informed by detailed insights including consideration of the SABC financial sustainability. In line with our mandate, the delivery of the Afrikaans content remains a key deliverable for the SABC and will not be compromised."

"In terms of the performance of the network, the SABC's goal is to have optimal performance and experience audience growth. The change has only been in effect for a week, and we need to review at least a month to see how the changes affect the schedule."

The SABC said that at 18:30 where The Executives is running in early primetime as a rebroadcast instead of original content "the drama is currently performing at 1.4 million viewers on average".

"Skeem Saam at 19:30 has increased the slot and has achieved an average of 3.2 million viewers with the launch. SABC1 has maintained its viewership. Deal or No Deal SA on SABC2 replaced die Nuus at 18:30 and is currently performing at 400 000 on average, which means that the slot has maintained as die Nuus on SABC2 performed around the same average."

"On SABC3 at 20:30, previously occupied by a variety of content (Unfiltered, Conflict Zone, Global 3000, Focus on Europe and AFCON – SA vs Nigeria) performed at an average of 200 000 viewers is currently performing at an average of 140 000 viewers."

'SABC will lose ad money'

The SABC which is already in a financial struggle will definitely start to lose millions of rand in potential ad revenue from advertisers due to the latest show, channel and timeslot changes, a highly-experienced ad placement executive told TVwithThinus.  

The person who doesn't want to be named since they place TV commercials and buy ads across broadcasters including SABC inventory and doesn't want to damage relationships with the broadcaster, says if the SABC loses audience and ratings, it undoubtedly loses ad income.

"Ads are bought on a cost-per-point (CPP) basis. For example, let's say you pay R100 for a show with a 20 rating. That's R5 per ratings and your CPP is R5."

"The moment you start losing viewers - instead of 20, you suddenly have a 10 rating - half of the viewers. Instead of paying R5, you're effectively asked to now pay R10 per rating," the person explains.

"When the SABC loses viewers, they don't change the ad rates - they keep it the same, meaning the SABC becomes less competitive and starts to lose money since the advertiser decides to rather place the ad or buy the ad space elsewhere."

"What they then have to do the next month is to adjust the ad rate. We as advertisers still just want to pay R5 per rating. In order to try and remain competitive, the SABC is then forced to also cut the ad rate in half if they want me to keep advertising with them."

"The result is that now I'm only paying R50 for fewer viewers, instead of R100 like before, which means that the SABC gets less ad  revenue from the advertiser."

MultiChoice and M-Net shutter DStv's 1Magic and ME channels.

by Thinus Ferreira  

  

As part of M-Net's linear pay-TV channels portfolio consolidation, MultiChoice is shutting down both the 1Magic and ME channels at the end of this month, with DStv subscribers losing another two TV channels at the same time as DStv's price hike for 2024 kicks in from April.

The axing of M-Net's linear 1Magic and ME channels was originally planned to take place just before the relaunch of MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax last month but was pushed out by two months.

The loss of the 1Magic and ME channels is the latest in a string of eight TV channels that will have gone dark on MultiChoice's DStv over just the first three months of this year while South African pay-TV subscribers are expected to pay more for the traditional satellite pay-TV service.

Gone for Dstv subscribers since the beginning of 2024 are the Deutsche Welle, Emmanuel TV, B4U Movies, 1Free State TV, NWTV and People's Weather TV channels.

MultiChoice in response to a media query from TVwithThinus confirmed that the two TV channels are getting axed and says the "M-Net universe is streamlining towards a better and simpler viewing experience".

"From 31 March 2024, M-Net will streamline its channel offering to provide a more seamless entertainment experience for DStv customers. While we will be bidding farewell to 1Magic and ME Channels, we're confident that these changes will pave the way for an array of fresh, engaging content across our other channels, making for a more robust and streamlined offering."

"M-Net is committed to giving customers only the best in entertainment and endeavours to continuously improve our customers' viewing experience."

1Magic (DStv 103) which launched in January 2018 is shutting down after five years and was available to DStv Premium and DStv Compact subscribers.

When M-Net launched 1Magic out of the shuttered VUZU AMP channel in early 2018, M-Net claimed that 1Magic would be "introducing a bigger, exclusive content slate that what we currently have on VUZU AMP". That promise however went unfulfilled over the past half a decade that the channel was in existence.

At the time M-Net said that it had "identified a need to invest in more local entertainment for our viewers, in the premium segment". 

The plan was for 1Magic to be a localised version of the M-Net channel to attract and retain DStv Premium subscribers through premium local productions but most of the content, including The River, only really found an audience when it got screened on Mzansi Magic.

ME that is shutting down two years and three months after it launched in November 2021 was available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact and DStv Family subscribers and was created out of the shuttered and fused together M-Net City and VUZU TV channels. 

ME offered lower-tiered DStv subscribers a way to see first-run M-Net content, especially American series, later, as part of the windowing-down approach followed by the traditional pay-TV model.

ALSO READ: Deutsche Welle and Emmanuel TV going dark on MultiChoice's DStv.

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