Showmax permanently removes Leon Schuster films over blackface and racial stereotyping as MultiChoice's video streaming service says it's no longer comfortable hosting such content.

by Thinus Ferreira

Showmax has permanently removed 5 Leon Schuster films that contain blackface and that it decided is racially insensitive and contain racial stereotyping, along with 2 other films, and says it is not the place of MultiChoice's video streaming service to tell people what they should find offensive or not but that Showmax isn't comfortable carrying such content any further.

Showmax removed several of Leon Schuster's film catalogue two weeks ago for a review.

Out of the 6 films that were removed, Frank & Fearless will be made available on Showmax again, with You Must be Joking, You Must be Joking Too, Oh Schucks... It's Schuster, Sweet 'n Short and Schuks! Pay Back the Money will have been censored and removed from the service permanently.

In response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus asking who did the review, Showmax said that the Showmax content team managed the review. No names were provided. Showmax was asked when the decision was reached and said that it was made during the course of this week.

"We have completed an initial review of the content on Showmax. Seven titles have been removed due to negative racial stereotyping and prominent elements of blackface," Showmax said in a statement on Friday.

"We recognise these movies are a product of their time and were created with positive intent. Showmax is an entertainment service and we don’t endorse the views or actions that take place in the shows and movies on our platform."

"It’s not our place to tell people what is right or wrong, nor what they should find offensive. But we will make decisions as to what content we are comfortable hosting."

"We believe that platforms such as ours have a role to play in bringing people together through shared experiences."

"We don’t want to shy away from polarising topics, but we also don’t want to sow division. We won’t always get the balance right, but we’ll do our best to listen and to learn from our mistakes."


ALSO READ: Showmax removes 9 Leon Schuster films with blackface characters that MultiChoice's video streaming service is reviewing over racially insensitive content.

It's a golden eye 5th season for Big Brother Naija with 'pre-sealed' contestants due to Covid-19; show kicks off 19 July as producers drop celebrity visits and crowds for launch and eviction shows.

by Thinus Ferreira

Because of Covid-19 the contestants - as well as a batch of "understudies" - for the upcoming 5th season of Big Brother Nigeria are already cloistered in pre-isolation in an unknown facility before they will enter the real isolated camera-house on 19 July, with producers who have axed both celebrity visits and the live audience for evictions in the new season.

With the growing global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic also affecting Africa, the production company, as well as M-Net West Africa and MultiChoice Nigeria have had to make changes to the new 5th season of Big Brother Naija.

Season 5 of Big Brother Naija will once again be broadcast from Lagos, Nigeria across Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform but the impact of the virus already changed the new season from the pre-production stage to how it will be playing out, produced and look this time.

Over 30 000 online entries were received in May from across Nigeria with producers who had to ditch the live audition process at venues across Nigeria because of Covid-19.

Neither the number of contestants who will be in the house in the 5th season, nor the prize money amount have been revealed, although M-Net says "this season's prize money promises to be bigger, including other surprises for viewers and fans of the show".

The selected contestants are now undergoing strigent Covid-19 and other medical testing during the 2-week wait before they enter the Big Brother Naija house.

"The contestants are currently in quarantine and we are working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure that due protocols are observed in monitoring the contestants," said Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, M-Net West Africa regional director during a virtual media briefing for Big Brother Naija's 5th season with journalists that was held on Thursday.

"In the case of contestants not being fit for the show, we have a wide pool of qualified contestants that we can choose from,” Mba-Uzoukwu said. She said enough potential replacements have been selected as well in case one of the primary housemates fall ill before the show kicks off on 19 July.

Due to social distancing rules, the live audience for Big Brother Nigeria Sunday night eviction shows have been axed, as well as the crowds who used to join the launch programme as well as the conclusion and winner announcement.

There will also be no celebrity visits or other people entering the camera-filled house once the broadcast of the season starts and that will roughly run for three months or 90 days from 19 July as part of measures to ensure "minimal contact with outsiders".

The Big Brother Naija production crew will also be working in socially-distanced shifts.

The 5th season of Big Brother Naija will once again be broadcast 24/7 on a dedicated Big Brother Naija pop-up channel on DStv in Nigeria and across Africa, with the live eviction shows and weekly highlights programme that will be shown on M-Net's Africa MagicShowcase, Africa Magic Urban and Africa Magic Family channels on DStv.

Like the GoldenEye satellite from James Bond, the livery of season 5 of Big Brother Naija features a golden eye embossed with a sliver of blue in the design.

ViacomCBS Networks Africa boss Monde Twala adds BET International responsibilities to job title.

by Thinus Ferreira

The ViacomCBS Networks Africa boss Monde Twala has added BET International responsibilities to his job title and will now hold the title of senior vice president of ViacomCBS Networks Africa, Editorial and General Manager and peer lead for BET International. 

According to ViacomCBS Networks Africa, Monde Twala will now work closely with Kerry Taylor, the executive vice president of VaicomCBS Networks International's entertainment and youth brands, as well as the larger international division to guide editorial direction and identify opportunities to strengthen and grow the BET brand outside the United States. 

Monde Twala will focus on driving brand resonance across key markets says ViacomCBS Networks Africa while working on the media company's ongoing digital transformation.

"As head of BET’s largest international market, Monde Twala has an incredible track record of driving development and growth for all of our ViacomCBS brands across the African continent," says Kerry Taylor in a statement.

"He is a passionate champion of the brand and I have no doubt that he will drive it forward in a strong, impactful way while ensuring BET International elevates black culture globally."

Monde Twala in the statement says that "BET is the unifying platform for all-things black culture. I'm excited to collaborate with Kerry Taylor and the international team to unite, empower and elevate black culture and excellence around the world, spotlighting the diverse voices, stories, music and news that need to be seen and heard."

So far at ViacomCBS Networks Africa Monde Twala has helped with the creation of ViacomCBS Africa's major music events, including the Africa Day Benefit Concert at Home to help children and families in Africa impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the MTV Africa Music Awards.

Monde Twala has also worked alongside local production teams to create a range of programming including MTV Newsish, BET Breaks, scripted biopics and reality formats, and has overseen BET's expanding local production content slate.

Coronavirus: Cape Town has issued 70 film permits since April when Covid-19 lockdown eased as city's TV and film industry tries to adapt to producing content under 'new normal' on-set conditions.

by Thinus Ferreira

Cape Town has issued 70 film permits since April when the hard national lockdown due to Covid-19 was eased somewhat in the city as TV and film productions have started to gear up and film again amidst the growing coronavirus pandemic under "new normal" on-set conditions.

Cape Town's Film Permit Office has so far issued 5 245 permits during the 2019/2020 financial year with the industry in the Western Cape and across South Africa that has taken a big knock because of the shut down and again as several local productions continue to shutter when cast and crew test positive for Covid-19.

In Cape Town crews and cast working on productions have rebuilt sets, picked up their cameras and proceeded to continue their craft during this crisis although now under a strict Covid-19 compliance regime.

JP Smith, Cape Town's mayoral committee member for safety and security, has done a set visit of the South African action film Indemnity, produced by Gambit Films, currently shooting at the Cape Town Stadium.

Indemnity was one of the local productions in Cape Town that abruptly had to shut down in late-March due to the Covid-19 forced lockdown.

"The industry has taken a knock as a result of the global crisis but during the visit to the set of the locally-produced Indemnity, I was encouraged to see all those in the film industry value chain pull together to ensure that the sector continues to produce and retain jobs at this difficult time," says JP Smith.

"The well-being of staff, cast and crew on-set remains a priority and accordingly, the city's Film Permit Office, in collaboration with the industry, has developed a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to promote and ensure responsible film-making in the city," he says.

"The measures are informed by national regulations and international best practice including mandatory Covid-19 risk assessments and risk mitigation implementation measures for all production workplaces and staff, constant cleansing of workspaces, equipment and transportation."

JP Smith says he was "screened twice and had my temperature checked three times during my visit to the set at the Cape Town Stadium. It is important for us to work with the industry to get it back on its feet to ensure that a sector that contributes around R3,5-billion a year to the local economy continues to grow during and post the Covid-19 pandemic."

"The city is furthermore committed to evaluating how it can further assist the local film industry through, among others, assisting with promoting the city as a world-class film destination, lowering tariffs or other avenues."

Coronavirus: eNCA reporter Heidi Giokos tests Covid-19 positive, says she's speaking out to break down stigma around the virus.

by Thinus Ferreira

The eNCA (DStv 403) financial reporter Heidi Giokos has tested positive for Covid-19, days after her on-air colleague Shahan Ramkissoon at the TV news channel also got a positive test result and says she is speaking out because she wants to help break the stigma around Covid-19 people.

Heidi Giokos, the younger sister of TV reporter Eleni Giokos working for CNN International (DStv 401) from CNN's Johannesburg bureau, said that she wanted to make her Covid-19 positive result known and talk about it to help break down the stigmatisation that clings to Covid-19 people in some quarters.

Heidi Giokos is the latest eNCA journalist cloistered at home because of Covid-19 after Shahan Ramkissoon and other eMedia staffers tested positive for the virus at the Hyde Park headquarters of eMedia Investments.

On Thursday eNCA was asked if it had any comment but the TV news channel didn't respond to the media enquiry.

This past Saturday evening the Afrikaans TV news bulletin eNuus was also forced to broadcast a pre-recorded episode instead of live news on kykNET (DStv 144) after it was also forced to shut down for a deep-clean because of a Covid-19 case.

"I've tested positive for Covid-19. I've only had mild symptoms but I'm OK and I know I will overcome this. My priority remains to keep my family safe," Heidi Giokos revealed on Thursday.

"I wanted to speak out because for some reason there's a stigma and despite my constant efforts to wash hands, santise everything, wear a mask, I realise that many of us are exposed to people, will take on that risk," she says.

TV reporters and staffers at the SABC and its SABC News (DStv 404) division, eNCA and its e.tv News and eNuus divisions, as well as Newzroom Africa (DStv 405) have all been affected and are grappling with Covid-19 cases.


ALSO READ: Coronavirus: eNCA anchor Shahan Ramkissoon tests Covid-19 positive shortly after other 2 other Johannesburg-building staffers; will self-isolate along with rest of affected shift workers for 14 days.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: eMedia's Afrikaans TV news eNuus on kykNET disrupted on Saturday because of positive Covid-19 case in its Hyde Park newsroom.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Newzroom Afrika staffers test positive for Covid-19, prompts more changes at the TV news channel's Linden newsroom including cordoning off sections, one-way corridors and an end to desk swapping.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: A fourth SABC staffer tests positive for Covid-19, the second at its Auckland Park headquarters.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: etv News boss Nisa Allie pays tribute to cameraman Lungile Tom who died from Covid-19: The loyal 'fist-pumping guy who documented everything and who liked a muffin and coffee for breakfast'.

MultiChoice's DStv Media Sales takes over from Mediamark to sell ad space for WarnerMedia's Cartoon Network, Boomerang and TNT channels.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice's ad sales division DStv Media Sales will now be selling commercial airtime across some of WarnerMedia's TV channels on DStv directly with Mediamark that is no longer selling advertising space for WarnerMedia's Cartoon Network, Boomerang or TNT channels from 1 July.

WarnerMedia runs channels like Cartoon Network, Boomerang, CNN International and TNT on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform with DStv Media Sales that has now taken over from Mediamark to sell Cape Town TV (CTV) and WarnerMedia's Cartoon Network, Boomerang and TNT.

"The performance of our multiplex, and the variety of our audience profiles, will give advertisers valuable media exposure combining reach, diverse content opportunities, and strong brand association, enabling valuable advertising return-on-investment (ROI)," says Guillaume Coffin, vice president and head of commercial and business development at WarnerMedia France, Africa and Israel, in a statement.

Piwe Motshegoa, head of sales for general entertainment at DStv Media Sales says "We are extremely excited to welcome our two favourite kids' channels and the Hollywood blockbuster channel to our platform".

Coronavirus: kykNET's Die Groot Ontbyt in repeats after GROOTfm studio in Pretoria shuts for deep-clean due to positive Covid-19.

by Thinus Ferreira

The morning show Die Groot Ontbyt on kykNET has gone into repeats for the rest of the week after a crew member was diagnosed as Covid-19 positive on Tuesday.

The Afrikaans Pretoria-based community radio station that does a hybrid broadcast of its content for television on kykNET has been forced to adapt its programming for the next 3 days, affecting GROOTplaas, Die GROOT Ontbyt and Kom Ons Praat Daaroor shown on kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET & Kie (DStv 145).

kykNET is now showing rebroadcasts of Die Groot Ontbyt between 06:00 and 08:00 until Friday 3 July 2020. Due to the lack of the TV part of Die Groot Ontbyt, the radio-only broadcast will continue with Francois van Rensburg as presenter.

The building has shut down for a deep-clean with staffers who might show symptoms who have been advised to self-isolate and will undergo testing.

Hardus Zevenster, chief executive of the Bloudruk Media Group, says in a statement on Facebook that "the safety and health of the GROOTfm and Die GROOT Ontbyt personnel remain a priority".

"At the same time we won't compromise on the quality of the product. We've planned for this and there will still be good content broadcast until we can return to 'normal' next week."

kykNET's eNuus daily TV news bulletin this past Satuday evening on kykNET and kykNET & Kie was a pre-packaged edition with no live news after the studio was shut down for a deep-clean because of a new Covid-19 case at eMedia Investments' eNCA headquarters in Hyde Park, Johannesburg.

A growing number of local TV shows and studio lots in South Africa are shutting down and are being affected by positive Covid-19 cases forcing them to turn off the cameras as crew and cast members self-isolate as the TV and film industry tries to re-emerge after the national lockdown period of two months that started in late-March.

After 3 months Showmax removes and ends the streaming of live linear TV news channels on the video streaming service.

by Thinus Ferreira

Showmax has ended and removed the live-streamed linear TV news channels and the educational Mindset Pop TV channel that MultiChoice's subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) added in late-March.

Showmax removed the set of linear TV news channels that it added on 26 March 2020 for users in South Africa and Southern Africa because of the growing Covid-19 pandemic that keeps expanding around the world with the coronavirus that keeps infecting more and more people in Africa, South Africa and around the world.

Showmax made BBC World News, CNN International, Sky News, Al Jazeera, euronews and Newzroom Africa available for 3 months that it removed on 30 June 2020. South African users of Showmax also got access to SABC News and africanews as live linear TV news channels.

Showmax originally announced that it would axe the live TV news channels at the end of May 2020 but extended it for June.

"We were given access to these channels as a temporary measure in the early days of the Covid-19 crisis in order to help everyone keep up-to-date on the latest developments," says Showmax.

"As lockdown is now easing and we’re slowly getting back to some kind of new normal, we're going to be discontinuing the news service. The Mindset Pop channel, which was added to help parents while schools were closed, will also be leaving Showmax."

"We’ll keep an eye on developments and, if the circumstances change, we’ll do our best to step in again."

MultiChoice is working and planning the launch of its DStv Streaming service that will carry the same collection of live linear TV news channels, very much like the existing DStv Now offering.

This so-called "DStv dishless" version will be a web-based look-alike version of DStv but not requiring any installation.

Coronavirus: Generations on SABC1 the next South African local TV series shuttered because of Covid-19.

by Thinus Ferreira

Generations: The Legacy on SABC1 is the latest South African TV show that has shut down because of a positive Covid-19 case as the list keeps growing of local series who have tried to return to a "new normal" production schedule are one by one forced to close their studio doors again because of the growing coronavirus pandemic.

Generations: The Legacy, produced by Morula Pictures in Johannesburg is now shut as well, and follows after SABC2's Sesotho telenovela Lithapo, produced by Quizzical Pictures, turned off the cameras last week on Friday because of a Covid-19 case.

A week before that SABC2's 7de Laan produced by Danie Odendaal Productions abruptly shuttered, along with both of e.tv's primetime soaps - Rhythm City produced by Quizzical Pictures and Scandal! produced by Ochre Media. All have positive Covid-19 cases and film at Sasani Studios in Johannesburg.

Before that SABC2's Muvhango, produced by Word of Mouth Productions shuttered because of Covid-19, and before that Skeem Saam on SABC1, and M-Net's The River produced by Tshedza Pictures for 1Magic (DStv 103). The River is back up and running again.

The shuttering of a growing number of TV series comes after the entire South Africa film and TV industry abruptly closed in late-March for the national lockdown period. The already-struggling industry already shed thousands of jobs in the three months that cameras were turned off and studio doors closed.

"Generations: The Legacy can confirm that a member of the production team has tested positive for Covid-19," says Nandipha Pantsi, Generations publicist, in a statement.

"The infected staff member is currently in self-quarantine and is receiving medical attention."

"For the safety of our cast and crew, we have decided to shut down production until further notice. Our cast and crew have been urged to self-isolate. In the meantime, our offices and studios will be deep-cleaned."

"Production will resume when it is appropriate to do so. We extend our support to the infected member of our staff and wish them a speedy recovery."

"Generations: The Legacy shoots months in advance so the break won’t affect airing episodes in any significant way."