Adult Swim Makes Its Way To Africa, Turner And Showmax Deal Brings Top U.S. Millennial Channel To Local Shores

The #1 US cable destination for millennials, Adult Swim is set to make waves with its African premiere this month, in a new distribution deal between Turner and African OTT Subscription Video on Demand platform Showmax, owned by the MultiChoice group.

With its epic mix of animation, stop-motion and live action comedy, audiences in South Africa will have access to an extensive catalogue of Adult Swim’s weirdly wonderful, eclectic, surprising, quirky and surreal content for the first time. This includes multi-award-winning animated series Samurai Jack, Robot Chicken, and Rick and Morty, along with fan favourites Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Jellies; and live action comedies Black Jesus and Eagleheart.

Having proved its zeal for innovation and authentic engagement in the US, Adult Swim now claims 5 of the 10 best comedies launched this year amongst US males 18-34 and 3 of the 10 best comedies amongst all adults*. The brand is set to spread this energy throughout South Africa, where the comedy genre already sees great success.

“Adult Swim does television like no one else and we are excited to bring this cutting-edge programming to young African adults who are on the go. Now available exclusively on Showmax, we are creating a disruptive entertainment experience in a new segment for us in Africa: Millennials. This is a great opportunity to capitalize on the huge success of the brand in the US and engage a new group of fans in South Africa with Adult Swim’s distinctive and visually powerful content” says Guillaume Coffin, VP Head of Commercial and Business Development, Turner France & Africa.

OUTtv SA Is Coming Back

Unfortunately our OUTtvSA Pop up channel has come to an end.
We hope you guys enjoyed our teaser month with DStv.

We’ll be back with more Diverse, Vibrant and Bold content, including some exciting LOCAL shows.

So please stay tuned into our Social Media.

#joburgpride #prideofafrica #authenticyou #prideatmelrose #pride #green #growth #proudlyafrican #lgbt #pridemonth #channel #outtv #outtvsa #entertainment #gaychannel #gaytertainment #dragqueens

New Channel Dedicated Exclusively To Turkish Drama

SPI International/FilmBox is launching Timeless Drama Channel (TDC), a new worldwide TV network devoted to Turkish drama series and movies.

TDC will feature such hit dramas as Kurt Seyit and Sura, 20 Minutes and The End. It will broadcast in HD and is now available for distribution on DTH platforms, cable networks, mobile and smart TVs as well as OTT services around the world.

“SPI’s brand new Timeless Drama Channel has broad appeal to anyone who loves big-budget drama and series, and will captivate your audiences and subscribers,”assures Berk Uziyel, CEO of SPI/FilmBox.

“These shows are now in demand across new territories in Central and Eastern Europe, South Africa, Asia and Latin America, so SPI International is responding to this by offering TV operators a linear HD channel with mesmerizing top quality Turkish series that drive record-breaking ratings.”

M-Net City Creates A Sizzling Experience For DStv Compact Customers

M-Net City, channel 115 on DStv, has great news for DStv Compact series fans: The channel is adjusting its prime-time slots to create a jam-packed schedule and a seamless viewing experience. From 31 October 2018, viewers will be able to enjoy their favourite shows in prime time between 18:20 and 22:50 with fewer breaks. The tweak in the schedule then also allows for an additional late-night slot (at 22:50) during which viewers who missed series with a high age-restriction can catch up on those episodes.

“As M-Net City is the place where DStv Compact viewers see the hottest series from Hollywood exclusively for the first time, we often receive requests or suggestions from viewers to amp up the schedule. The tweak to the starting times of shows allow us to address some of these requests,” says M-Net’s Head of Publicity, Lani Lombard.

"Even though M-Net City often showcases shows that have previously been on M-Net 101, available to DStv Premium customers only, it should not be seen as a ‘repeat’ channel,” Lombard adds. “Over the past few months, an exceeding number of series have made their African debut on M-Net City." 

Among these premiere shows are the new seasons of popular series Supernatural and The 100.  

The new M-Net City line-up and times will look as follows: 
·  Each evening at 18:20, Mondays to Fridays, the hot and charming former Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore swoops in to save the day in S.W.A.T. season one. Starring as Sgt. Daniel Hondo Harrelson, Moore’s character helms a special tactical unit in Los Angeles. The dedicated actor was captivated by the similarities he shared with his alter ego on the show, and has since received a tattoo inspired by his character. Catch this tattoo up close, along with the action, in the season premiere of S.W.A.T (starts Thursday 1 November) . 
·  Mondays to Thursdays at 19:10, the channel will air a variety of international dramas: viewers can watch Emmy award winner Dick Wolf’s Chicago Fire season six on Mondays and Chicago PD season five on Tuesdays. The season finale of Elementary will air on Wednesday, 31 October and a brand new series starting on Wednesday, 7 November is the fast-paced medical instalment of the popular Chicago series, Chicago Med, season three. On Thursdays, catch the intriguing medical drama The Good Doctor season one, starring Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel) as Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism who uses extraordinary medical gifts to help patients at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.  
·  Then, at 20:00 the Superheroes come to the rescue, Mondays to Thursdays:
Mondays:  Supergirl season three episode 2 continues on Monday 5 November at 20:00 and she takes to the skies to battle the many villains rising up in an era of disruption.
Tuesday: (from 30 October)- Arrow season six shows how Oliver (star Stephen Amell) is determined to embrace his new role as a father in this season, while still serving and protecting his city as the Mayor and the Green Arrow. 
Wednesdays (starts 31 October) - In The Flash season four, the Fastest Man Alive continues his quest to protect his city after being struck by a dark matter lightning storm.  
Thursdays - In the usual style DC's Legends of Tomorrow season three starts on Thursday 1 November at 20:00. 
The multi-talented Jennifer Lopez stars as Harlee Santos, a charismatic single mother and resourceful detective at the heart of a tight-knit crew of Brooklyn detectives, in Shades of Blue season three. The unit is led by enigmatic Lt. Matt Wozniak (Ray Liotta) who often directs the team to step outside the limitations of the law in order to effectively protect their precinct and their own. Season three of Shades of Blue picks up after a near-death experience on Wednesday, 21 November at 20:50.
The brilliant and critically acclaimed historical period drama Jamestown returns for a second season on M-Net City – with as many twists as before. It will be screened from Tuesday, 13 November at 21:45. Viewers will enjoy yet another season of dazzling ventures in love, war and diplomacy.
On Fridays, viewers can enjoy double episodes of Seth McFarlane’s offbeat sci-fi comedy The Orville at 19:10 and 20:00 (starts Friday 2 November).  Set 400 years into the future, Captain Ed Mercer of the U.S.S. Orville and his crew, ex-wife and best friend explore space and try to figure out how to deal with life on a spaceship. With advanced species and galaxies light years away, how difficult could it be?

Looking for only the best international series on DStv Compact? M-Net City channel 115 is the place to be this November. The channel features never-before-seen series and great family entertainment.

Be part of the M-Net City conversation on mnet.tv, or follow the conversation on Twitter @MNetSeries (#MNetCity) or on the official M-Net Facebook page.

DStv Announced Its First LGBTIQ TV, OUTtv South Africa Which Launched As A Pop-Up Channel On The 4th October Until 4 November - More Details About The Launch

The channel is based on Canada’s OUTtv, which is also available in New Zealand and Australia.

While the LGBTIQ video streaming service PrideTV.co.za is already up and running in South Africa, OUTtv SA will be the first traditional broadcast LGBTIQ channel in the country.

The announcement took the community by surprise and many of us had questions about the channel. We spoke to Warren-Lee Whitcher, MD of OUTtv SA, for more about how the initiative came about and its plans for the future.

Who is behind OUTtv SA – who are the players and what is their background?
OUTtv SA is made up, mostly, by the same team that applied for a pay-TV license from ICASA back in 2012. This license was finally awarded in 2015. The team is comprised of innovative and talented broadcasting and broader media folk with extensive experience across multiple m media platforms. I, myself, am an investment banker by trade, however my first job out of varsity was with the Sabido Group (now eMedia Investments) which managed eTV, eNews, YFM etc. and I have been passionately involved within the broader media value chain ever since.

Are any of those behind the local channel members of the LGBTIQ community?
Yes, our team is highly diverse and inclusive, with a voice from most communities: Heterosexual, LGBTIQ, male, female, white, black, coloured, South African, Canadian…a little bit of everything!

Was there any consultation with the LGBTIQ community before launching the channel?
Of course, over the process of getting OUTtv SA to air – a six-year long process – we have consulted extensively with various bodies, members and allies of the LGBTIQ community, both locally and abroad. We have built a great working relationship with Johannesburg Pride and plan to leverage this relationship to build stronger ties within the local community going forward, especially with regards to local content opportunities, CSI initiatives etc.

Why has it taken so long for DSTV to get an LGBTIQ channel on the air? We as a community have been clamouring for this for many years. What was right about now?
Look, I cannot comment on any of the DStv specific details, however we have taken the view that we want to ‘be part of the change we want to see’ and are grateful that DStv have bought into this vision going forward.
From a timing perspective, I think there is very strong momentum towards embracing and nurturing the spirit of diversity and inclusion – across many different lines; sexual orientation, gender, race, creed etc. – so I believe the timing to be absolutely spot on for OUTtv SA launching in South Africa.

Why was it decided that OUTtv SA would only be a month-long pop up? Is this a test run with the possibility of an ongoing channel?
OUTtv SA is a premium channel that is extremely expensive to programme. As such, and as is normal for launches of new or niche offerings, it was decided to take the pop-up channel approach first, in order to assess demand and appetite. We are quietly confident that the channel will be very well received and are, of course, hopeful of building it out into a permanent fixture.

A link has been made between the channel and [Gauteng’s] Pride month in October. Is the channel intended to celebrate Pride or is the timing a coincidence?
Yes, October, as Pride month, seemed like a natural choice in which to launch OUTtv SA.

Do you think that the content on OUTtv will resonate with local audiences?
Yes, most definitely. Great stories are universally appealing so we are sure that most viewers will find one, two or ten shows or movies that they will absolutely love! In addition, around 80% of the programme line-up will be premieres within SA, so there is also that to consider.

Will OUTtv SA feature any local content?
OUTtv SA has had a long relationship with the [now defunct] OUT in Africa (OIA) film festival and it was always intended to leverage their extensive library of local content to support the launch of the channel.
However, the passing of time has seen the OIA library being donated to the UCT film library, which is great for posterity, however it makes the licensing deals far too complex for a pop-up channel. We will certainly be re-investigating this avenue should the channel become permanent as this is amazing content that fully deserves a national distribution platform. That being said, we have partnered with Johannesburg Pride to develop and produced an extensive list of short-format (10-15 min pieces) episodic content, featuring LGBTIQ community members and allies; that should make for sensational and informative viewing!

What kind of response have you received to the launch? Has there been any backlash from conservative DStv viewers?
The size and overall positivity of response to OUTtv SA has been overwhelming! We always expected a great response, but even we were blown away! And it’s getting bigger and stronger by the day. As regards negativity or backlash, none that I have seen… and even if it does come, our approach will not be one of defensive explanation. We will simply listen to and try and understand the message or concerns and then encourage everyone to give the channel a watch and embrace the spirit of diversity and inclusion with which it has been launched in South Africa.

Do you ever see the possibility of a channel such as OUTtv SA being offered to the rest of Africa?
That is a far bigger question than I am able answer. Obviously, we would love to distribute the channel as far and wide as possible, however we need to be responsible first and foremost and in some countries, being part of the LGBTIQ community is, literally, a danger to your well-being! Again, in the spirit of being part of the change we wish to see, we will happily play our part in promoting acceptance and positive change across the continent, but only at a pace which makes sense for all parties and stakeholders.

OUTtv SA is on DStv channel 198 until 4 November.

La Liga For DStv Compact

DStv Compact customers will get to enjoy an even wider variety of football with Spanish league football (La Liga), the home of superstars like Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann, soon to be available on the package.

SuperSport 7 HD, the channel dedicated to La Liga, will go live on the Compact package on Wednesday, October 24 from 8am.

“The DStv Compact customer has generally over the last few years evolved from being a local football purist into one that also shows appreciation for international football. It’s this appreciation and their loyalty that we’re rewarding by making La Liga football available to them,” explained SuperSport’s chief executive Gideon Khobane.

Fittingly, the switch comes just in time for the famed El Clasico, the match between super giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, which takes place on Sunday (kickoff 5.15pm, SS7).

The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus and Lionel Messi’s elbow fracture means that football’s greatest club rivalry of the last decade will be without the illustrious duo for the first time in 11 years.

However, their absence presents a great opportunity to the likes of Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez, and young guns Marco Asensio and Ousmane Dembele to be the heroes when the two sides face off.

Even though both teams come into their first meeting of the season on the back of ordinary league form - both winning just once in the last five matches - it’s hard to pick a winner. More certain is that the football will be world class.

The addition of La Liga on Compact will further enhance what is already an attractive package for local football fans, boasting PSL football, Premier League and Italian Serie A and continental football.

The move to Compact will also open La Liga up to a wider South African audience.

“La Liga’s South African office has been doing some tremendous work in growing the league on the continent.

Bye Bye Sony Channel And Sony Max From The End Of October On DStv

Cape Town – MultiChoice is dumping the Sony Channel (DStv 127) and Sony MAX (DStv 128) from its DStv satellite pay-TV platform at the end of October after not renewing the channel's carriage contract with Sony Pictures Television Networks (SPTN).

MultiChoice was asked why it decided not to renew the carriage contract but declined to answer.

In a tense statement, MultiChoice says the Sony channels will stop airing on DStv and that "as from end October 2018, Sony Channel (DStv channel 127) and Sony MAX (DStv channel 128) will stop airing on DStv. The current contract with Sony will expire end of October".

Emma Marshall, spokesperson at Sony Pictures Television for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region said in a response to a media enquiry on Friday that "Sony Pictures Television's channels in Sub-Saharan Africa, Sony Channel and Sony Max, will stop being carried on MultiChoice’s DStv platform at the end of October, as the contract between SPT and MultiChoice expires at that time".

"We thank our viewers in the region for their support. SPT is excited about future opportunities in the Sub-Saharan African market and is exploring programming options for the continent."

The Sony Channel rebranded from Sony Entertainment Television in September 2014 after MultiChoice added it 11 years ago in November 2007.

In January 2011 MultiChoice added Sony MAX as a male-focused channel and as a replacement for Sony's terminated Animax channel. MultiChoice then said that it hoped to do "many more Sony channels on our DStv platform" and that “Sony MAX is fitting in perfectly with the DStv platform”.

The Sony Channel and Sony MAX will remain available as linear TV channels on Cell C black on channels 203 and 204.

The Sony Channel and Sony MAX have largely been neglected over the past two years.

In 2016 MultiChoice Africa removed both channels from DStv and GOtv elsewhere in Africa outside of South Africa but later returned it to its GOtv digital terrestrial television subscription service.

In South Africa, MultiChoice also came close to removing the channels at this time, according to sources, who said that the two Sony channels were destined to suffer the same fate as in the rest of Africa after Naspers' pay-TV arm embarked on a wider plan to cut back on channels with too much repeat programming that were angering DStv subscribers.

In the end the Sony Channel and Sony MAX both got a last-minute reprieve, but now the axe finally came down on the channels due to too much old content and repeats.

In mid-2016 Sony Pictures Television Networks for Africa and the Sony Channel dragged MultiChoice into scandal for the faking of Gogglebox South Africa by making as if TV households were watching content across DStv channels that MultiChoice never even showed.

Gogglebox SA got cancelled with people involved in the scandal fired. 2017 also marked the first year since SPTN started doing it in 2013 that Sony Television in Africa stopped doing any kind of annual Sony upfront event in South Africa with 2018 that also had none.

The accomplished and respected Sonja Underwood who used to be Sony Pictures Television Networks' territory director for Sony Africa's channels also left Sony at the end of March 2017, something that Sony didn't announce, with no new Africa boss who engaged with media or TV critics the past two years.

In July 2018 SPT promoted Kunle Falodun as the "country" leader for Africa to drive and look after Sony's plans and its channel distribution for the African continent, including South Africa.

TNT Africa Is Here! Iconic TCM - Powered By Movies Makes Bold Statement With A Fresh Rebrand This September!

Lights, camera, action! TV screens all over Africa will never be the same again as Turner ushers in a new era. African audiences can prepare themselves to re-imagine TV through TNT, a young, fresh and entertainment-filled offering for the entire family.

On 21 September, TNT Africa will reveal its slick new look which promises to be an immersive experience, providing creative and relevant programming specially tailored for African fans.  TNT Africa is the culmination of TCM’s move to refresh its brand image and adapt its brand positioning; the channel moved away from its former global positioning in favour of a more bold and appealing positioning of the ‘American blockbuster channel’.

“The TCM brand has had a strong classic association which doesn’t reflect the actual brand proposition, or deliver the right message, to our African audiences. Even though we have listened to our viewers and worked hard towards modernizing the image of the channel, there was still a strong association of the TCM brand to ‘classic Hollywood silver screen productions’,” says Guillermo Farré, Head of General Entertainment for Turner in Southern Europe & Africa. “We therefore decided to switch TCM to TNT to fully reflect the new brand identity and perspective in line with our American blockbuster programming strategy.”
TNT is one of the best performing, and well-known, general entertainment brands in the world, being one of the top TV brands in the US, Latin America, Asia and Europe. In South Africa, TNT Africa will inherit TCM’s audience of 6 753 545* viewers every month, consisting of a slightly male skew and a growing number of viewers in the 25-49 age range, particularly amongst black Africans.

As the 21st of September, TNT will unleash an action driven, pulse raising slate, mixed with romantic gems and hilarious comedy aimed to keep its African audiences glued to their screens! To kick off the rebrand, TNT has an exciting line-up of never before seen titles to be screened from 21 – 23 September including: The Illusionist, The Green Mile, Crank, Robin Hood, Hellboy 2, Doom, Tango and Clash and Gladiator.

PBS Kids Update On DStv

PBS Kids
318
Providing the highest-quality programming and learning environment for children, PBS invites kids on a journey to explore the world around them with non-violent, age-appropriate content that offers positive role models to learn from.

Programs by PBS Kids that are available on the DStv Now App (as seen on the TV Guide and programs are subjected to change):
Mister Roger's Neighbourhood
Peep And The Big Wide World (Formerly seen on eToonz)
Arthur (Formerly seen on SABC 1 & 2)
Fetch with Ruff Ruffman
Postcards from Buster
Time Warp Trio
Pinkalicious & Peterrific
WordWorld

Available on the DStv Now app via DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact, Family, Access & Easyview. DStv added its content back in June and is plotting to make a dedicated channel for it if only there's a demand for it but seeing now that they've listed the channel on their website with a tv guide and everything the channel looks like its coming soon. So if PBS Kids does happen to get a dedicated channel it will take the channel 318 slot and be available from the Easyview package and upwards as seen on the App since most of its content is educational and not harmful to children with a mixture of animation and live-action plus it shares similarities to Boomerang, Nick Jr, Cbeebies, Disney Junior, JimJam & Mindset.

Coming Soon In September 2018 On eBella

Precious Pearl (Joia Rara)
Monday 17 September at 18:35
In 1934, two supposed brothers survived an avalanche in the Himalayas: the millionaire Franz Hauser (Bruno Gagliasso), who is saved by Buddhist monks, and Manfred (Carmo Dalla Vecchia), rescued by a team of climbers. Manfred returns to Brazil with a terrible secret: he sabotaged Franz’s equipment in order to take his place in the family business. After an exhaustive search, Ernest Hauser gives his son up for dead and appoints his bastard son as the director of the Hauser Group.In the monastery, Franz becomes close friends with the spiritual leader Ananda (Nelson Xavier) and before his return home, the monk promises him that they will meet again in the future. The Franz family is thrilled with his return but Manfred, with his plans thwarted, begins scheming again to eliminate Franz once and for all.Through a twist of fate, Franz meets the worker Amélia (Bianca Bin). The two fall in love and, despite family opposition and Manfred's schemes, they stay together and have a daughter, Pearl (Mel Maia). Framed in a plot, Amélia is sentenced to jail and so, the child ends up in the custody of her paternal family.With the death of the monk Ananda, his disciples set out to look for the person who they believe is to be his reincarnation. All signs point to Pearl, and upon receiving the news, she is eager to begin her studies at the monastery. It is she who will solve the issues that have been preventing her parents' union.

Madhubala
Monday 17 September at 9:30pm
Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon is A drama that tells the story of a girl who was born on a film set and while working as a beautician falls in love with a Bollywood Superstar RK “Rishab Kundra”.
How will their hate turn into love? Stay tuned and find out soon.

Black Money Love (Kara Para Ask)
Monday 21 September at 20:45
Kara Para Ask (Black Money Love) is a Turkish series,which tell the magical love story of 'ELMER,' (Elif and Omer) two soulmates who find each other in the oddest of circumstances.
Their grief fuels their actions and their hunt for the same thing brings them together. 'Elmer' will find each other and
themselves until they are inseparable.
Omer (Engin who played Kerim in Fatmagul) is a policeman whose fiance is murdered leaving behind a dark secrets of her past.The only way he can find who did it is to find 'The diamonds', which will inravel the secret of the murder.Elif (Tuba) is a wealthy Jewelry designer. But Her father dies mysteriously and leaves behind a debt of stolen diamonds, and a connection with a mafia. Until she returns the diamonds to the mafia, her world will keep turning upside down. She then is on the hunt to proof her father innocent.
So Omer and Elif both want to find their answers and finding these diamonds together will end their search. However,they find intense attraction for each other and love on this hunt for black money.
Unbeknownst to them someone else is also after 'The Diamonds'. Situations will change and ELMER will get more involved in the mystery until they both are each others only help.
Who reaches the diamonds first and how the love story unfolds drives the plot of the series.
The further Omer and Elif try to go away from each other the closer the secrets bind them together.

KuierTyd Set To Bolster eExtra's Prime-Time Schedule On Openview

From Monday, 1 October, eExtra will premiere KuierTyd, a two-hour block of Afrikaans language programming from 19:00 to 21:00. KuierTyd will give viewers a plethora of premium Afrikaans content, which will include drama, news, and current affairs.

KuierTyd will begin at 19:00 with Gebroke Harte, a Turkish telenovela dubbed into Afrikaans. Well-known South African actors including Carmen Maarman, Marcelle van Heerden, Desiré Gardner, and Abdu Adams lend their voices to this intriguing drama. Gebroke Harte is the first prime-time drama series to be dubbed into Afrikaans in 20 years.

The story follows two women, Gülseren and Dilara, whose lives become intertwined after their babies are accidentally switched at birth. Fifteen years later, Gülseren lives with her ‘adoptive’ daughter Hazal and sister-in-law Keriman in a modest apartment and Dilara lives with her ‘adoptive’ daughter Cansu and biological son Ozan in a luxurious villa in the seashore of Bosphorus. As Gülseren works hard to make ends meet, Dilara's relationship with her husband Cihan, a rich businessman, is on the brink of collapse. The drama comes to a head as the ladies’ lives cross paths again.

20:00 will usher in the news, with the Nuusdag Om 8 news bulletin, followed by current affairs show NuusDag Perspektief. Nuusdag Om 8 will deliver the day’s top stories and regional news from Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Northern Cape and surrounds. This will be followed by Nuusdag Perspektief, which will provide in-depth discussions around the latest topical issues.

The Era Of Anime On DStv

As some of you already know there has been a no sign of anime on DStv. Everyday viewers from South Africa have to tune into SABC 2 at 5pm for one anime alongside repeats weekends at 10am. Its just 1 slot that runs for 30 minutes a day on one channel that isn't viewable across other parts of Africa with some of those citizens viewing SABC and e.tv as well as their additional channels illegally.

Back in 2000s DStv had an low rated anime channel called Animax that was only viewable on the premium package. Of course some of the anime wasn't as good as the ones SABC distributed and the channel committed the same sin that is currently seen on Sony Channel and Sony Max - repeat.

Its natural for a channel to air repeats so that those who missed out or those who saw it and want to see the program again can watch it but the channel as well as its sister channels did the diabolical sin of over repeating series as you can see My Wife & Kids, Ugly Betty even The Amazing Race were over repeated on Sony Channel that they later moved it to Animax's successor Sony Max and came back to the main channel. That's what currently happened on Animax besides some of programming being taunted Animax did have good anime like Bleach which Animax couldn't complete due to its discontinuation, Bleach is currently on SABC 2.

Later in 2010, Animax received its finally calling on DStv when the channel got scrapped for a male skewed channel (Sony Max). This change didn't only happen in South Africa and the rest of Africa but across several other territories like Europe, Australia, U.K. & Ireland just to name a few where they had placeholder channels come in its place that is skewed on live-action. The same thing that Animax had transitioned into before its departure.

Several DStv subscribers asked and pleaded with Multichoice to get another channel which carried these type of programs which has been fruitful for the past 8 years since Animax departure. Viewers (including me) recommended Toonami and Adult Swim to DStv on which you'll always get this reply we'll foward you suggestion to the relevant team.

Toonami, the home to superheroes operated by TBS the same company that supplies Cartoon Network and Boomerang to Multichoice's DStv, and Kwesé has programs for action lovers such as Batman, Superman and Green Lantern alongside repeats from Cartoon Network such as Ben 10 Alien Force, ThunderCats & Symbionic Titans with Anime such as Dragonball, Naruto and One Piece. This channel launched in Africa later in 2016 exclusively on Kwesé meaning that no operator could access the channel e.g. Multichoice's DStv.

Adult Swim (the adult version of the former Cartoon Network) is probably the only channel that viewers can rely on even though the cartoons there are similar to the ones that found on FOX (DStv/Starsat/Kwesé) and majority of the channel focuses around that. You'll find series like Rick & Morty, Bob's Burger, Close Enough (Made by J.G. Quintel, Creator of Regular Show) and Robot Chicken - all of which are my favourite. There's anime through a Toonami block which fills a quarter of the schedule its better than nothing.

My reason for why DStv doesn't have these type of shows and why channels like Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Disney has been seen as a channel for 7-10 is 'Parents'. Sorry for being judgemental but parents want safe and fun programs for their children back which wasn't a big thing as it is now thanks to Cyma (used to run Nickelodeon in the U.S.). Back in the olden days there was 'Tom and Jerry' classic where you had the main characters smoking cigarettes, Courage The Cowardly Dog which used to terrify me as a child and The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy where ordinary citizens as well as creatures of the underworld lived as one. Sorry for reliving the my childhood memories but you can't hide these things from kids sooner or later their gonna see it happen or go crazy having to watch Teen Titans GO! on repeat.

People stop having this persona that cartoons are for kids its not if it was you wouldn't have series like Family Guy even South Park or a channel like Adult Swim which has cartoons for 18+ illustrating strong language  and sex. If a series focuses on a particular gender don't criticize you'll find women watching soccer because they love it.

Another thing to those who still watch cartoons. Let me use Cartoon Network for example the channel has ups and downs, its boring to have 2 to 3 shows air everyday especially if one (Teen Titans GO!) takes most of the timeslot. It just forces viewers to distance themselves from the channel and get a different perspective of the channel. When you come to a channel you hope to see something different don't go behind viewers back and give one show attention only to treat the others like dirt. Even though CN has been shitty to some because of the programs I hope you aren't judging the shows based on the reboots but also on other CN original series. Cartoon Network has good shows like OK K.O.! Lets Be Heroes, The Amazing World Of Gumball and We Bare Bears. If you're those people looking at the perspective of a channel based on reboots you have no idea of how clueless you are. Watch these original shows not only the reboots and get back to me if its still shitty as you say it is.

DStv has been evolving for the better and worse with monopoly hanging over their heads, the persona over streaming taking over the future of entertainment they are growing. They've been losing over 100 000 premium subscribers in the past year and experiencing a growth in lower bouquets like Compact. Anime is possible on DStv but its gonna be a very long time before that happens. If you noticed they've been recent successful attempts on DStv like Telemundo & Zee World before they had 'The Soapie Channel' which was scrapped due to its low performance but look now soapies are back even if their starting to cloud DStv. Then there was the game channel which carried actual games on DStv I use to play a cooking game, some monkey game where they had to catch something etc. which DStv discontinued to create more services only for 2016 to arise where DStv launched Ginx Esports as a pop up channel on DStv Now App now to return again permanently on the DStv Now App later in 2017 with a dedicated channel launching a few months later. Then there was unsuccessful attempts like Voov and TV Mall. There's no telling what the future holds with entertainment but anime will rise up on DStv sooner or later even if its not as a 24/7 channel but a channel that offers it with a bunch of other junk.

I hope after reading this your whole perspective of DStv or basically any other operator you can relate on has changed I'm not forcing anyone to remove the negativity of these operators but to help expand the perspective over programming.

Entertainment is then, now and forever even after life theres a world new world of entertainment to explore.

Discovery To Launch 'Real Time' In South Africa

The New Channel is Set to Hit South African Screens from September Featuring the Best in Real-Life Entertainment for Women
 
Discovery, Inc. today announced the expansion of its African portfolio with the launch of Real Time, the brand-new general entertainment channel for female audiences.
 
Bringing the best of Discovery’s lifestyle and factual storytelling to a whole new fan base, Real Time will launch in South Africa on Monday, 3 September on DStv channel 155, tailored specifically for customers on DStv’s EasyView package.*
 
“We are incredibly excited to present Real Time to the market, and further expand and diversify our local portfolio offering,” said Amanda Turnbull, Vice President & General Manager for Discovery in Africa and the Middle East. “With an already successful suite of pay-TV brands, Real Time affords us the chance to bring our world-class content to even more audiences across South Africa, in the form of a channel designed to provide much-needed ‘me time’ to the modern African woman and her wider family.”
 
 
Real Time: Africa’s Newest Entertainment Channel for Women
From Real Lives and Real Nature, to Real Crime and Real Medical; Real Time’s cleverly curated schedule and dynamic mixture of lifestyle and factual content will ensure audiences get their daily fix of real reality and must-see entertainment, all in one channel.
 
Real Time’s impressive launch programming line-up includes:
 
Real Lives
OUR LITTLE FAMILY: Meet the Hamills! Parents Dan and Michelle are not raising the typical American family: the entire family of five has achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. Dan and Michelle use their own life experiences to help guide their kids to overcome physical obstacles and learn to adapt to the world around them.(Wednesday, 5 September at 21:00)
 
Real Weddings
MARRIED BY MOM & DAD: In this new social experiment, men and women who have been unlucky in love have agreed to put their love lives and their future in the hands of the people who know them best: their parents. (Tuesday, 4 September at 20:00)
 
Real Medical
MY EXTREME EXCESS SKIN: In each episode of My Extreme Excess Skin we follow two people who have lost massive amounts of weight and are about to undergo a full body transformation through skin removal surgery. The reveal will not only change each subject's self-image but will change their life. (Thursday, 6 September at 21:00)
 
Real Nature
PREDATORS UP CLOSE WITH JOEL LAMBERT: This landmark series reveals nature’s apex predators as you’ve never seen them before. Using a new, unique and bespoke polycarbonate and aluminium ‘pod’, the Predator team come face to face with lions, hyenas, polar bears and sharks – close enough to carry out a range of original scientific experiments, and to feel the true power (and terror) of the natural world’s most effective killing machines. (Sunday, 9 September at 20:00)
 
Real Headlines
IS OJ INNOCENT? THE MISSING EVIDENCE: Is O.J. Simpson innocent in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman? In this six-episode series, investigators delve into one of history's most infamous unsolved cases, exploring an overlooked suspect and never-before-seen evidence. (Saturday, 8 September at 21:00)
 
Real Crime
PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES: America’s most popular weekly magazine, People, seeks to uncover the truth behind some of the country’s most infamous characters and iconic stories of crime. These are extraordinary tales of ordinary people who were thrust into the national spotlight. (Saturday, 8 September at 21:00) 
 
In addition to Real Time’s linear offering, from launch, a selection of the channel’s programming will also be available to stream and download via the DStv Now platform, ensuring all DStv customers can enjoy the best of Real Time, in their own time.
 
“With so much in store for our viewers and commercial partners, we look forward to establishing Real Time as Africa’s newest go-to destination for quality female-skewed programming,” continued Amanda.
 
Experience why fact is better than fiction, when Real Time launches on Monday, 3 September on DStv channel 155.
 
**Real Time will also be available to DStv customers on the Access, Family, Compact, Compact Plus and Premium packages. The channel will also launch later this year on the StarSat platform.

Experience A Beautiful World With Star Life This August On DStv, GOtv And Openview

Star Life, launching on DStv on 27 August, is an English language channel specially created with an African audience in mind.

With over two decades of award-winning and No 1 rated shows in its repertoire, Star Life will showcase only the very best family dramas (daily soaps, both short and long form), celebrity dance shows and blockbuster movies from its famed library of A-List Bollywood movies.

“Delighting our customers with exceptional content is key to our business. What makes Star Life a good addition is that the content is relatable, with shows that tell stories about human weaknesses, strengths, miracles and victories,” says Yolisa Phahle, General Entertainment CEO, MultiChoice.

A fully owned subsidiary of 21st Century Fox, Star is the undisputed global powerhouse in Indian programming and a market leader in most of the 100+ countries it operates in worldwide. Star Life brings to Africa extraordinary journeys of ordinary people, progressive storylines, inspirational characters and compelling dramas – produced to the highest international production standards.

Gaurav Jandwani, Senior Vice President & Business Head UK/Europe & South Africa, Star Network says “At Star, we believe in creating stories for the world, stimulating imagination and showcasing the limitless power of ordinary people. With Star Life, we are proud to bring to Africa, engaging programming, in English, which will leave our viewers inspired, rejuvenated, and moved. We are delighted to offer Star Life to DStv customers.”

Star Life will be to DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact and Family customers on DStv channel 167. It will also be available on GOtv channel 23 and Openview 110. The channel will be available in HD for viewers in south africa with the DStv and GOtv from the rest of Africa in SD.

Come celebrate a beautiful world with Star Life on DStv.

Fine Music Radio Available On DStv Audio

Fine Music Radio is delighted to announce that they will be available on DStv on channel 838 from 28 August 2018.
 
At the touch of a button, listeners from around Africa will be able to enjoy cool classics and smooth jazz. As the only classical and jazz music station in the Western Cape, Fine Music Radio is peerless. 
 
Station Manager at Fine Music Radio, Mark Jennings said: “We’re thrilled to be on DStv. It really opens up the airways for more people to experience the magic of music that brings calm in chaos and restores the human spirit.”
 
Fine Music Radio is committed to delivering the very best listening experience from outside broadcasts, compelling content and social initiatives. The classical music selection is melodic and non-raucous appealing to a wide audience without compromising on integrity. Fine Music Radio’s jazz is a mix between mainstream smooth and classic soul.
 
As a community radio station, Fine Music Radio is mindful that their mandate is to serve the community not only with music, but also upliftment. FMR listeners are motivated to make a difference. So far this year, Fine Music Radio has been involved in a number of community initiatives: 
MusicWorks: This is a non-profit organisation that offers music therapy to children in dire need. In celebration of Fine Music Radio’s 23rd birthday, 
listeners were asked to donate R200 for one music therapy session per child. In a month over R77 000 was raised.
Strictly Water: Fine Music Radio appealed to their listeners to help raise 
R30 000 for an alternative water system for Zama Dance school in Gugulethu. Although they reached target in just three days, listeners still insisted on giving donations which totalled R52 300.
Mandela Day 2018: In celebration of Nelson Mandela’s centenary, Artscape foyer was electrified with energy and passion as volunteers packed snack boxes for Peninsula School Feeding’s after school programme. It was a creative collective, organized by Fine Music Radio with employees from Artscape, musicians, ballet dancers, opera singers and Fine Music Radio listeners.
 
Fine Music Radio will be available to DStv Family, Compact, Compact Plus and Premium customers from 28 August.

SABC And Multichoice Enter Into New Contract

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and MultiChoice are pleased to announce that they have signed a new commercial channel supply agreement allowing the SABC News and SABC Encore channels to continue to be broadcast on DStv.
 
The agreement follows extensive discussions between the parties as the previous contract is set to expire.  SABC and MultiChoice believe that this agreement will give their relationship a new start.
 
DStv customers will continue to enjoy around the clock news coverage from SABC News on channel 404, while SABC Encore on channel 156 will allow viewers to indulge in nostalgia, airing old favourites and classics.  The SABC archives, which the SABC uses to produce SABC Encore, remains the wholly-owned property of the SABC.
 
SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe said: “The SABC welcomes the new agreement with MultiChoice which will bring certainty to our viewers and our staff.  The board and management of the SABC are satisfied that the agreement meets both the commercial and governance needs of the SABC.  The SABC looks forward to delivering high quality channels into the future.”
 
MultiChoice South Africa CEO Calvo Mawela said: “We are pleased to be able to continue to carry these channels on DStv.  We have a long standing relationship with SABC and are happy that we have reached a mutually beneficial agreement.  We look forward to continue working with SABC to deliver great entertainment to our customers.”

Labour Of Love Premieres On eBella

COMING SOON TO EBELLA :-) LABOUR OF LOVE
With TANTO AMOR Coming To A End On AUGUST 17,A new telenovela Will starts on AUGUST 20 at 5PM on ch109 #eBella call LABOUR OF LOVE. :-D
Labour of Love introduces Ignacia (Ana Layevska), a young engineer who works at a leading construction company owned by her boyfriend Tomas (Fabian Rios). Ignacia and Tomas are in love and are looking forward to getting married.
However, a few days before the wedding they have an argument and Ignacia leaves the city where she meets a seemingly wealthy man who makes her forget about her troubles. She spends a wonderful night with him.
The next day, feeling upset about what had happened, she returns home, where Tomas - who is looking for forgiveness - is waiting for her with a promise of a new position at his company.
She accepts it and to her surprise, when she arrives at the construction site as its new manager - she meets the mystery wealthy man again, who turns out to be Pedro (José Luis Resendez), a simple labourer who has neither money nor great aspirations.
Ignacia and Pedro find out that although they have so many reasons not to be together, they will love each other despite these differences,prejudice and rejection.
You Can Watch This For Free On OpenViewHD
Its Also Available On DStv

Disney Made Disney XD A 24-Hour Kids Channel On DStv Starting Wednesday 1 August As The Channel Is Aligned With The Wider Disney XD Channels In The Region.

Disney XD (DStv 304) is switched to a full 24-hour programming schedule from Wednesday 1 August on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform with the kids channel that will be offering through-the-night repeats of programs such as Counterfeit Cat, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, Boyster and many more as the channel adjusts to a new regional feed.

Since its addition, Disney XD, Disney's boy-focused by girl-inclusive channel, used to shutter at 22:45 nightly.

It means that Disney XD joins Disney Channel (DStv 303) and Disney Junior (DStv 309) as a 24-hour feed on DStv.

Disney XD was the only kids channel on MultiChoice that closed down until the addition of eMedia Investment's eToonz (DStv 311) in South Africa that also shutters at 22:00 and 00:00 in the weekends and school holidays.

Instead of starting at 6:00 in the morning, Disney XD will now be a 24-hour kids channel, similar to Viacom International Media Networks Africa's (VIMN Africa) Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Nicktoons, BBC Studios' CBeebies, Turner Broadcasting Africa's Cartoon Network and Boomerang, 'AMC International Africa' JimJam and its sister Disney channels that have all been running non-stop.

Disney Africa said in a response to a media enquiry that "we can confirm that Disney XD (DStv 304) will be extended to a 24 hour feed, this is in line with our feeds across the region. The feed is being aligned with the wider Disney XD channels in the region."

MultiChoice Adds PBS Kids Content To Its DStv Catch Up Service On DStv Now, Might Use It Elsewhere As Well

MultiChoice has added kids content from America's PBS Kids to its DStv Catch Up service as part of the pay-TV operator's DStv Now streaming service and might make it available more broadly if there's a demand for it.

PBS Kids is the children's programming brand of America's Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) that is broadcast as a kids programming block on PBS in the United States, but it is also a digital video channel streaming kids content as part of a video app that PBS launched in January 2017.

"We have added the PBS Kids content to Catch Up on DStv Now and if all goes well, we plan to use it elsewhere," MultiChoice tells TVwithThinus.

I Think Gupta-Linked Zee Edged Us Out, Says Glow TV Boss

On Saturday, 31 March 2018 Glow TV was still a glow on DStv channel 167 and by Sunday, 1 April at midnight, the channel was snuffed out and now it looks like this:

The channel itself hasn't shut down because it's still available on OpenView HD and StarSat so what's going on?

TVSA has been receiving a blitz of queries from Glow fans asking what's going on and why the channel's soapies are no longer airing on DStv so we've been trying to find out - which has been easier said than done!

When only one channel doesn't get renewed.

The story starts last month when DStv published a press release stating that Glow TV would stop airing on DStv, with no reason given. All the release said was that Glow's contract has come to an end and the rest was an extended plug for other channels that also feature Indian soapies. This from the release:

Glow TV’s contract with MultiChoice is coming to an end, which means the channel will stop airing on DStv from 31 March 2018.

Fans of Indian-specific content needn’t worry - DStv has ensured that there are plenty more telenovelas, talk shows, music and movies to watch on Zee World (DStv channel 166), Zee Bollywood Movies (DStv channel 114) and eBella (DStv channel 159 from 5 March 2018).

Three things happened after this:
1. Glow TV launched an urgent application in the Johannesburg High Court against DStv, disputing the shutdown of the channel. The court ruled that Glow and DStv should resolve the dispute through arbitration.
2. The Glow TV soapie teasers disappeared in the crisis. TVSA has tried to get them from the channel but they haven't been available.
3. TVSA sent this query to MultiChoice:

"Please can we get comment from MultiChoice on why Glow won’t be on DStv anymore? We‘ve carried the Glow soapie teasers for years so we’d like to find out why to give readers insight."
We received this one line response from the MultiChoice Corporate Communications department which didn't answer the question:

"The contract has come to an end."
D-Day looms

On Thursday, 29 March, Nazeer Noormohamed, CEO of Glow and Managing Director of Nis Media (the South African-owned company who own Glow) launched an urgent court application to try to keep Glow on air until the arbitration between DStv and Glow has been completed.

The arbitration hasn't happened yet so Glow applied to stay on DStv until this has been done. The court refused the application, stating that the channel is on air because of its availability on OpenView HD and StarSat.

On Thursday evening, TVSA spoke with Nazeer after the court judgment. He told us that Glow would still be proceeding with the arbitration but he was concerned about the amount of time it will take.

"We're still going to continue an arbitration," Nazeer told us, "but these guys could now delay, delay, delay and before you know it it's six months or a year that we've been switched off.

"If we were switched on and then there was a delay, we wouldn't mind but now we're switched off and you know, a court process, so we could go for two years and then say, 'Yes, you're right, they can't switch you off,'but is there any point to that?" W.H.Y.

We asked Nazeer what reason DStv gave to Glow management for the switch-off and this is what he said:
Nazeer: "They first told us that we're not performing well so we said, 'Show us our stats, show us how we're not performing,'but they refused to show us how we're not performing, where we were not performing".

We think they're promoting Zee TV. We came to find out that they're paying Zee TV to be on air and they're not paying us so Zee TV's got an advantage over us. Zee TV owns a share or owned a share with New Age, which is the Gupta family and there was a link between the two.

"We feel that that was done through those kind of schemes you understand, to say, 'Listen here, get this guy out,' because if you say we're not performing...if I say your kid is not performing in school, the first thing you're going to ask is, 'Show me the report,' You can't just say he's not performing..how much did he get out of 10, out of 100? How much did he get? They're not prepared to show us that.

"I think Zee was behind it."

"You know, MultiChoice didn't want encryption on the government set boxes, and the minister, who was the last minister, was the one who was supporting DStv, you know that, politically, although the ANC was against it".

"The ANC said they wanted encryption but the minister himself and the president was supporting MultiChoice/DStv and that's what we believe, it is our belief that the Guptas influenced whoever to say "Support DStv" and DStv in turn supported the Guptas with Zee TV and now all this has to come out and how and when - do we have the energy to take it on? I don't know.

We're going to go for the arbitration, even if it's just academic, it's fine. But wait, the plot thickens...This isn't the first time that Nazeer and the Guptas have made the headlines when it comes to matters of TV.

In September last year City Press reported that Nazeer and a consortium that he headed-up (Southern Star Mega Investors Group) offered the Guptas R600-million for their Infinity Media (which includes ANN7), which the Guptas sold to Mzwanele Manyi for R450-million instead...what about e?

Interesting to note is the shutdown of Glow comes in the same month that eBella launched on DStv, which, as DStv's press release emphasises, also has Indian soapies. The launch of eBella takes the e stable of channels on DStv to five.