After publicly removing him, eNCA refuses to tell viewers exactly what anchor Andrew Barnes' punishment is; anchor will return on Wednesday to NewsDay.

eNCA (DStv 403) refuses to tell its viewers what punishment the Sabido-run TV news channel meted out to its NewsDay anchor Andrew Barnes.

eNCA says Andrew Barnes will be back on air on Wednesday, 20 January after being off-air for two weeks, but is silent on what specific steps the "sanction" taken against the removed midday anchor entails.

The TV news channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform removed Andrew Barnes with immediate effect as NewsDay anchor on 7 January and started disciplinary proceedings after he quipped on-air about the minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga, that "maybe someone should have a word with the basic education minister on how to pronounce the word epitome".

eNCA management said Andrew Barnes' comment was "not only hurtful and unnecessary but deeply insensitive".

Andrew Barnes apologised following the social media firestorm that engulfed eNCA, and also did an on-air apology as part of an eNCA report on the matter.

After Andrew Barnes was publicly removed from eNCA airwaves, viewers are left in the dark as to the specific nature of what actions were instituted against the anchor in the disciplinary process.

Despite a lack of what specific actions were taken against Andrew Barnes, eNCA tells TV with Thinus that it wants viewers to be confident that it dealt fairly with the matter.

"An internal disciplinary process has been conducted" says eNCA, saying "the sanction is a matter of privacy between the company and Andrew Barnes".

"eNCA is confident that the process has been dealt with expeditiously and fairly. The company will not tolerate any actions that are considered not to be fair and accurate commentary".

In a statement earlier, eNCA only says Andrew Barnes "co-operated fully and has been sanctioned".

"To date he has been a model employee without any previous transgressions. He has shown remorse for his conduct and the company also accepted his internal apology. The nature of the sanction remains a matter between eNCA and Andrew Barnes."

Oscars president Cheryl Boone Isaacs 'heartbroken, frustrated' over shocking lack of black nominees for 2016 Academy Awards; 'we need to do more, quickly'.

Facing a growing backlash from Hollywood with black actors and directors saying they will boycott and not attend the 2016 Oscars, the Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs says she's heartbroken and frustrated with the lack of black nominees and that "big chances" can, must and will be made.

Director Spike Lee has said he will boycott and not attend the "lily-white" Oscars this year and has called for Hollywood glitterati to stay away.

"How is it possible for the 2nd consecutive year [that] all 20 contenders under the actor category are white?," asked Spike Lee of the Oscars taking place on 28 February in Los Angeles with comedian Chris Rock as the host who himself this week called the Oscars "the white BET Awards".

Already the actors and producers pair Will and Jada Pinkett Smith indicated that they won't attend, with Jada Pinkett Smith saying in a video message on Facebook that "begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power. And we are a dignified people and we are powerful".

With the growing backlash, the Academy on Monday night issued a statement with president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who is black, saying "I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it's time for big changes".

Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences vote for the nominees and winners in all the Oscar categories. Yet nobody knows who exactly the voting members are, although, as a legacy institution, it's highly likely that the vast majority are white.

This year even less black nominees made the cut that in 2015, sparking even more concern than last year and growing calls for a boycott of the Academy Awards which annually beams the global ceremony to a global audience of million of viewers, shaping a certain view of what - and who - Hollywood is.

For the second year in a row the Oscars failed to have a single black actor nominated.

"The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership," says Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

"As many of you know, we have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years. But the change is not coming as fast as we would like. We need to do more, and better and more quickly."

"This isn't unprecedented for the Academy. In the '60s and '70s it was about recruiting younger members to stay vital and relevant. In 2016, the mandate is inclusion in all of its facets: gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation".

"We recognize the very real concerns of our community, and I so appreciate all of you who have reached out to me in our effort to move forward together," says Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

Fired Idols judge Gareth Cliff set to sue M-Net for R25 million over alleged unfair dismissal and defamation of character; wants his Idols job back.

The fired Idols judge Gareth Cliff is set to sue M-Net for a massive R25 million in damages over alleged unfair dismissal and alleged defamation of character.

eNCA (DStv 403) reports that Gareth Cliff's lawyer, Eric Mabuza, said the radio DJ is suing the Randburg-based pay-TV broadcaster for R25 million in damages over his abrupt firing and also wants to return to the show.

The massive R25 million legal case mounted by Gareth Cliff represents the biggest single law suit against M-Net from an individual entertainer ever and will dull what is M-Net's 30th anniversary this year in October since the pay-TV broadcaster started 3 decades ago in 1986.

Ironically, advocate Dali Mpofu, the former SABC CEO, will now represent Gareth Cliff in his case against Idols and the pay-TV broadcaster.

M-Net spokesperson Nondumiso Mabece in response to a media enquiry tells me that "M-Net can confirm that a letter of demand was received from Gareth Cliff and we are currently consulting our lawyers. We will respond to the letter of demand in due course."

The nationwide auditions of the 12th season of Idols, produced by [SIC] Entertainment, is starting in less than two weeks' time on 29 January.

M-Net told Gareth Cliff last Friday that he's fired over social media comments related to the racist Penny Sparrow debate that ignited a firestorm in South Africa.

After the real estate agent called black people "monkeys", Gareth Cliff remarked that "People really don't understand free speech at all."

Last Saturday M-Net issued a press statement that Gareth Cliff has been dismissed from the M-Net (DStv 101) and Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) show over "insensitivity" he's shown in his remarks.

M-Net raised eyebrows getting rid of Gareth Cliff when it M-Net executives didn't fire or sanction the other Idols judge, Somizi Mhlongo, for racist comments that that Idols judge made at the end of December.

"Gareth Cliff is suing for R25 million, including for defamation of character," Eric Mabuza told eNCA.

Gareth Cliff also wants the start of Idols production immediately halted, until such time as that he can be reinstated as a judge on the panel of the reality singing show.

Eric Mabuza says Gareth Cliff was fired without a proper hearing.

Eric Mabuza says both the Idols judges Unathi Msengana and Somizi Mhlongo made inappropriate comments in the past but nothing happened to them while "they [M-Net] simply fired him without even a proper hearing".

Eric Mabuza says Gareth Cliff is of the belief that he would have remained an Idols judge for another 4 to 5 seasons on the show - meaning that according to him, Idols in South Africa would have continued to at least a15th or 16th season.

Gareth Cliff last week said being on Idols and being an Idols judge on the M-Net and Mzansi Magic show was only a hobby, described it as "an extramural activity" and that "I have felt my time was up a good couple of years ago".

Also last week Gareth Cliff said on his online show at CliffCentral that 'A lot of people are saying I'm going to take them [M-Net and Idols] to court and stuff which is nonsense".

Now he wants R25 million from M-Net for no longer participating in the extramural activity, and is taking M-Net to court.

The 12th season of Idols will no longer be a co-production between M-Net and Mzansi Magic with M-Net that has dumped Idols in favour of The Voice South Africa, and with Idols that will now only be broadcast on the Mzansi Magic channel.

Comedian Trevor Gumbi is the new presenter of longrunning game show Friends Like These on SABC1, replacing DJ Sbu.

Trevor Gumbi has taken over as the new presenter of SABC1's longrunning Friends Like These.

Comedian Trevor Gumbi replaces the fired Sibusiso Leope, known as DJ Sbu who was the Friends Like These presenter for the past 12 years.

SABC1 made no announcement and has no press release about Trevor Gumbi and the new season of Friends Like These, a BBC format show produced by Urban Brew Studios.

South Africa's TV news channels racing to cover the latest #ZumaMustFall viral sensation as massive billboard goes up on Cape Town building.

South Africa's TV news channels are racing on Friday afternoon to cover the latest #ZumaMustFall viral sensation, fuelled by a massive banner that went up as a billboard at the top of Longstreet in Cape Town with three black words on an all-white background simply saying "Zuma Must Fall".

The outdoor billboard banner space belongs to Continental Outdoor Media that usually sells the large ad space above the McDonalds on the corner of Kloof, Long and Buitensingel streets to advertisers.

Newsrooms immediately started working the phones to find out who booked and paid for the ad space, and how much the massive banner and ad campaign cost that workers erected on Friday as curious onlookers started flocking to the very busy intersection.

Aly Vance the new presenter of horse racing show, Winning Post, on CNN International; will start with South Africa's J&B Met and CTS Million Dollar Race.

Aly Vance is taking over as the presenter of the monthly horse racing show Winning Post on CNN International (DStv 401) and she will make her debut by filming episodes in South Africa at Cape Town's J&B Met and the first CTS Million Dollar Race.

Aly Vance, herself a horse rider, says she is thrilled to be joining CNN International's Winning Post.

"I look forward to telling the stories and going behind-the-scenes at many of the world's most prestigious race meetings".

Aly Vance's experience in sports presenting includes expertise in horse racing, equestrian, triathlon and sailing and as an athlete she represented Great Britain in modern pentathlon.

After she graduated from Oxford University, she was part of the Great Britain Olympic squad in the build-up to the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

"We're delighted to welcome Aly Vance to the CNN family as presenter of Winning Post," says Matt Percival, the executive producer and commissioning editor at CNN International.

"Her strong pedigree in sports presenting means she brings a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise to our flagship racing show. Her style and passion are the perfect fit for Winning Post and we look forward to CNN's global audience getting to know her soon".

Winning Post for February will be broadcast on CNN International on Saturday 20 February at 19:30, with repeats on Sunday 21 February at 09:30, Monday 22 February at 00:30 and Thursday 25 February at 12:30 and 19:30.

Half of American pay-TV subscribers would immediately drop ESPN if they could which is actually the most expensive in-bundle channel. Here is what it means and why it matters.

Troubling new market research shows that more than half - actually almost two-thirds (56%) - of all American pay-TV subscribers would immediately drop the struggling ESPN sports channel if it meant that their monthly pay-TV subscription would decrease (by as much as $8 or R134).

Of course in America, like in South Africa, pay-TV subscribers can't pay per TV channel, but in the carriage fee break-down, ESPN is by far the most expensive channel.

It means that pay-TV operators pay by far the most money to ESPN (per subscriber) to have and to carry ESPN as part of their collections of TV channels, which means that ESPN makes it more expensive than other channels to have ESPN.

I always read ESPN stories with interest, and while I read them, I always substitute the word "SuperSport", since SuperSport is basically MultiChoice's version of Disney's ESPN in the American pay-TV sphere.

Of course the interesting thing is that ESPN, that was available on MultiChoice's DStv until it abruptly didn't want to be in Africa anymore and left two years ago in 2013, is in growing trouble.

The latest American market research about ESPN is very interesting and made me think about when SuperSport in South Africa and across the rest of Africa might possibly start to reach the same tipping point of becoming too expensive due to skyrocketing content and licensing costs - or framed in another way - might be something DStv subscribers would do without if it meant a lower monthly subscription fee.

Let's look at the market research from the American research firm Civic Science that interviewed 1 582 people in the first week of January 2016, of which 1 370 are pay-TV subscribers (87%).

A whopping 56% said they would cut ESPN to save R134 per month off their monthly pay-TV fee.

A large 60% of women and 49% of men saying they would drop ESPN from their pay-TV bundle if they had the choice and because it would make it cheaper.

If ESPN became available as a "choose than only" TV channel, and subscribers had to pay for just ESPN, the price would dramatically increase, to lets say $20 (because there would be a lot less subscribers).

Only 6% of people said they would pay $20 per month to get ESPN.

(Keep in mind that asking respondents about this $20 is conservative - the reality is that ESPN would actually need to charge closer to $30 for a stand-alone channel offering to be economically viable).

Now also remember that the troubled ESPN, the most expensive TV channel in the entire American pay-TV bundle, is losing subscribers by the millions - 7 million just the past two years.

ESPN also recently said its firing 300 people and downsizing.

"We continue to believe ESPN is in serious trouble as they spent far too heavily on long-term sports rights contracts, given the deteriorating state of the multichannel video bundle," said analyst Richard Greenfield.

He called ESPN's future growth prospects "dim".

It means that ESPN as a stand-alone channel or service, not tied into a pay-TV bundle would struggle: 56% of pay-TV subscribers will drop it immediately, and only 6% will be willing to pay to get ESPN at the much higher price that ESPN will have to ask to be viable given what it has to spend on sports rights.

What is the situation in South Africa (and across Africa)? Well, its very clear that the price of sports content and licensing rights for the big ticket sports events, especially international, are growing much faster than inflation.

Then there's also the constant devaluation of African currencies going on like the weakening rand.

I don't know when or if it will happen, all that is certain is that if this dual damaging trend continues of higher than inflation content cost increases, together with currency devaluations, that a point will come where,similar to ESPN, MultiChoice and SuperSport will no longer be able to bear the cost.

Similar to the BBC Worldwide channels BBC First and BBC Earth that is "too expensive" for MultiChoice in Kenya and other African countries to carry, SuperSport will have to opt out of acquiring those rights because its no longer economically and commercially viable.

SuperSport is not there. Yet. American's pay-TV business and ESPN as a sport content provider are also part of a much more mature business.

But it does offer a fascinating glimpse of what could be in South Africa and Africa's future as well as the pay-TV business on a global scale is going through seismic changes with the traditional bundled pay-TV model coming under threat from all different corners.

EbonyLife TV on DStv expands its production operations to more Nigerian cities; dramas done in Calabar and entertainment shows moved to Lagos.

EbonyLife TV (DStv 165) is expanding its production operations to the Nigerian cities of Abuja, Lagos and Calabar.

Calabar is the city where the African remakes of Dynasty and Melrose Place will take place and where the African version of Desperate Housewives was shot. Script adapatation for Dynasty and Melrose Place to make it African versions will start this year.

The Governor, a new 13-part drama series is also currently being shot in Calabar for broadcast later in EbonyLife TV.

Production of the second season of Desperate Housewives will start in the second half of 2016.

While drama series production is done in Calabar, EbonyLife TV is moving production of its entertainment programming like its lifestyle magazine shows to its new studios in Lagos where it will be easier to book and get the guests that's the staple of these shows.

The channel has also expanded its operations to Abuja where the recently commissioned 13-part political drama series Sons of the Caliphate is currently being filmed.

Sons of The Caliphate is a political drama set in the north of Nigeria about three rich, entitled and ambitious young men all caught up in the lust for power, addiction, love and desire, as well as the obligations of family loyalty and the craving for revenge in the deadly tussle for the governorship seat of the Northern Caliphate State.

EbonyLife TV launched on 30 June 2013 and is now broadcast in 49 African countries, including South Africa.

REVIEW: The stale return of Fashion Police on E! Entertainment is flat and lackluster, saved only by comedian Margaret Cho's clever oneliners.

The stale return of Fashion Police on E! Entertainment (DStv 124) to cover the 73rd Golden Globe awards felt flat, lackluster and how moderator and brilliant host Joan Rivers would often remark about celebrity rags she simply didn't like: "ugly".

In 2015 Fashion Police reassembled on E! Entertainment with Melissa Rivers, Joan Rivers' daughter, Brad Goreski, Giuliana Rancic and guests Margaret Cho and NeNe Leakes and did about 3 shows - once off specials following award shows and big events.

This week's Fashion Police show - the first of 2016 - was really the big one for the show's TV return, still with Margaret Cho and NeNe Leakes who have both seemingly become the "permanent" guest panelists - and thank goodness for them.

Probably scared off after her controversial "I feel like she smells like patchouli oil. Or weed" comment of Zendaya's hair, Giuliana Rancic now comes across as stilted and scared to say anything remotely offensive, funny or outrageous, while the boring Brad Goreski is far too suck up to Hollywood's designer crowd to not say "I like it" to basically everything.

The heavy lifting to be funny now falls on Nene Leakes who is less successful and the outrageous and more successful Margaret Cho - the only one getting bleeped and gasps like Joan Rivers did.

Melissa Rivers meanwhile comes across as struggling - she's trying to steer and keep the pacing and show on track but on-screen - the role as producer she did from the sidelines when and while Joan Rivers sat in the chair.

Worse than being called bad is that the new, new Fashion Police on E! Entertainment is now bland. Halfway through the hour-long episode I paused my DStv Explora to see how much time is still left of the episode.

The games don't make sense and seem like patchwork, the comments especially from Brad Goreski and Giuliana Rancic are inane, Brad Goreski just talks about designers and shamelessly gush over everything as wonderful, and after three episodes even NeNe Leakes'  trademark barbs, "no, girl" and arm and finger-waving are wearing thin.

It's comedian Margaret Cho who now solely brings the spice and bite to E!'s Fashion Police.

She alone has witty one-liners with shock-induced effect in the way that Joan Rivers did, is the only one getting bleeped out, and who obviously actually worked, practised and prepared beforehand.