BREAKING. The new pay TV operator On Digital Media now has 90 000 TopTV decoders in the South African market.

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I can break the news exclusively that On Digital Media (ODM) has now reached the number of 90 000 TopTV decoders in the South African market.

That's a stunning performance for the pay TV operator who's official commercial broadcast commenced just over 50 days ago. The pay TV platform that launched officially at the beginning of May is keeping up its phenomenal decoder sales and subscriber growth. ODM told me there is now 90 000 TopTV decoders in the market (which includes some of the TopTV decoders in stores). They are however snapped up like hotcakes.

The continued uptake of TopTV decoders nationwide is fuelled in part by the 2010 FIFA World Cup and subscribers who want to watch football but didn't have reception or bad reception of SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3. With TopTV they can now get all three channels digitally - as well as additional football analysis on some of the other TV channels included on the TopTV bouquet like BBC World News (TopTV 400) going big with World Cup news coverage and analysis. The free installation after a subscriber buys a TopTV set top box (STB) also remains a huge drawcard. TopTV is now doing installations and activations even quicker after streamlining and refining the process further the past few weeks as well as continuing to add accredited TopTV installers.

ALSO READ:  On Digital Media (ODM) passes the 80 000 sales mark for TopTV decoders.

BREAKING. The Amazing Race set to return to SABC3 for its 13th season in October after a year long absence for the reality show.

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Some hot insider gossip only I can share with you exclusively right here. It's coming back. Yep, The Amazing Race is returning to SABC3 after an absence of what will be more than a year.

SABC3 inside sources has confirmed only to me that The Amazing Race will indeed return to the SABC3 schedule later in the year. Earlier in the year I broke the news that SABC3 has not yet signed new international distribution deals for further seasons of The Amazing Race, and SABC3 telling me that they're trying to get the hit reality show back which has been premiering its latest seasons on the Sony Entertainment Television channel (DStv 113) the past few years. Now SABC3 did just that.

The 13th season of The Amazing Race should start on Monday 4 October on SABC3 just after the conclusion of the new 16th season of Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs Favorites that is set to start on Monday 28 June at 20:00 on SABC3. There will be 11 episodes in the new 13th season of The Amazing Race which will debut basically a year after the 12th season was show on SABC3 last September. Quite a wait. SABC3 sources told me The Amazing Race is definitely back instead of more lower rated reality shows and will follow right after the new Survivor season.

ALSO READ: The amazing chace: SABC3 trying hard to get The Amazing Race back.

BREAKING. The Universal Channel has a full House in July with a crop of crime shows starting new seasons.

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The Universal Channel (DStv 108) has a full house in July, and I mean ''House'' with a capital H.

The fourth season of House about dr Gregory House starts on Monday, 5 July on The Universal Channel at 12:40 and is then followed by new House episodes every weekday after that in the prime time slot of 20:05. (Note: From 12 July the daytime screening of House changes from 12:40 to 12:55). But House isn't all that's on The Universal Channel schedule for July.

July also sees the start of the eighth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as well as the third season of Psych. So quite a lot of crime and investigation shows to tie you over during the cold month.

BREAKING. ''I'll be back'': SABC3 has Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on the schedule for August.

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I can break the news that SABC3 has secured the broadcasting rights for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles with the first short season's nine episodes starting on Monday, 16 August at 22:15.

The science fiction show, expanding on the Terminator movie franchise that's already been on M-Net and M-Net Action (DStv 106), is finally coming to South African free TV. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles stars Lena Headey as Sarah Connor, Thomas Dekker as her son John Connor and the future hope of mankind, and Summer Glau as Cameron (spoiler: she's a ''girl Terminator'' that John Connor sent back from the future to protect him).

FIRST LOOK! Heinz Winckler in the second season of kykNET's Getroud met Rugby.

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I have your first look at Heinz Winckler in the upcoming second season of the Afrikaans drama series Getroud met Rugby that will kick off on kykNET (DStv 111) on Tuesday, 20 July at 20:00.

Not only does Heinz Winckler appear in the second season, but he will also pop up in the Getroud met Rugby big screen movie due out later this year. I can tell you that Heinz Winckler will be playing the new character of JP in the show. JP is a rugby player imported from France to come and play for die Stryders rugby team and will soon be stirring up a lot of trouble.

I have two more brand new photos of Heinz Winckler and the cast of Getroud met Rugby (one of them with Izak Davel who appears in the Getroud met Rugby movie) if you click on READ MORE below!

DStv on Demand an instant success: MultiChoice ''encouraged'' by the positive response from subscribers.

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DStv on Demand, launched just over a month ago by MultiChoice, is an out-of-the-box success. The South African pay TV platform says its ''encouraged'' by the positive response from DStv subscribers to DStv on Demand.

The new and brilliant value-added service from MultiChoice  - which allows DStv Premium subscribers to view a growing selection of on-demand TV content without the need to record it - is  getting the thumbs up from subscribers in a big way. ''There has been a positive reaction from our subscribers to the DStv on Demand service,'' MultiChoice tells me. ''We are encouraged by the response.''

So, what's the biggest complaint from subscribers about DStv on Demand? What's the most popular TV content viewers can't wait to watch immediately? And what is this about DStv on Demand working at adding additional features? Only I have all of those answers.

Click on READ MORE below to find out how DStv on Demand is doing!

BREAKING. Global singing sensation Charice set to join Glee as Rachel's rival in the second season.

You've seen her on Oprah . . . now you're going to see her in Glee!

In a stroke of pure genius casting, the Filipino songbird Charice will be showing up in the second season of Glee (currently in the first season's six final episodes op M-Net, Saturdays at 19:00). Entertainment Weekly reports that the star that was made world famous by Oprah Winfrey who referred to her as ''the most talented girl in the world'' and has now gone mega as an international singing sensation, will join Glee from its second season.

Charice Pempengco will be seen in a recurring role in the second season as a foreign exchange student who - with her beautiful singing - will be a rival to the character of Rachel (Lea Michele).

M-Net keeps South Africa warm and working this winter with its wonderful Gogo Magic knitting initiative.

For once a brilliant corporate charity initiative (what companies refer to as their ''corporate social investment'' or CSI projects) . . . and its from M-Net!

Gogo Magic is a great initiative between M-Net and the Gogo Trust that's creating work and an income for unemployed South Africans whilst keeping people warm. Gogo Magic has already created work for over 450 women from Meadowlands, Thembisa, Vosloosrus and Polokwane who are earning money for every proudly South African rainbow beanie they knit.

The Gogo Magic aim is to knit 13 000 beanies that will be going to underprivileged children. The Gogo Magic team will also be traveling through South Africa this month and in July in a special caravan to sell their beanies. ''While our ladies are busy knitting away and earning wages, we can't wait for the next step, which is being able to spread the warmth and magic generated by this project across the country to deserving children during the winter,'' says Koo Govender, M-Net director of corporate marketing and communications. Mike Walker, Gogo Trust founder says the Gogo Magic initiative has ''huge'' potential. ''We can't wait to see Gogo Magic grow beyond the winter and become a vital knitwork spreading magic across the country.''

I just love this relevant, well thought out, deserving, quality idea and initiative that M-Net has decided to become involve with as a broadcaster. So many companies have pandering, inconsequential and out of touch with reality CSI projects that makes very little difference. Gogo Magic a workable, wonderful way for M-Net to help make a difference. More on Gogo Magic is available HERE at http://www.gogoknit.org/

BREAKING. Five 2010 FIFA World Cup matches have so far pulled a viewership audience of over 1 million on SuperSport 3.

Five 2010 FIFA World Cup matches have so far attracted a South African TV audience of more than 1 million on the SuperSport 3 channel.

SA vs Uruguay (1,383 million), SA vs Mexico (1,197 million), Spain vs Switzerland (1,127 million), Argentina vs Nigeria (1,114 million) and England vs USA (1,080 million) brought the bacon home for SuperSport 3 (DStv 203) by each pulling more than 1 million viewers.

Whenever Bafana Bafana is playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, sport is the genre on DStv that retains the biggest audience share on that particular day, says Oracle Airtime Sales (OATS). The SA vs Mexico and Netherlands vs Denmark games also had the greatest percentage of female viewers so far.