Skemertyd: How e.tv Plans To Replace Isiphetho And 18:30 Going Forward?

As some viewers already heard, e.tv will be axing the underperforming soap Isiphetho and calling it quits for the 18:30 timeslot. Home to former soaps like Isipho: The Gift, Broken Vows and Nikiwe, this was the underachiever of primetime and now e.tv will be moving Kelders Van Gehieme to this timeslot.

This also affects the channel's other Kuiertyd protege Gelukbringers and Annekan Die Swa Kry which will now air 30 minutes later at 16:30 and 17:30 respectively under the banner Skemertyd.

Skemer is Afrikaans for dawn or twilight and tyd is most definitely a suffix they borrowed from eExtra's Kuiertyd meaning time.

If you're like a few other viewers that can guess what Skemertyd is all about this is their answer to hundreds or thousands demanding answers on the follow-up to Isiphetho. This is eMedia Investments way of saying they're done with this timeslot or at least for shows like Isiphetho.

Viewers wishing to find similar content can tune into House Of Zwide, Smokes & Mirrors and Isitha: The Enemy between the 19:00 to 22:00 timeslots. To make it worse, they've brought back Gold Diggers meaning more repeats and still no answers on how shows like uMbali will be distributed on their platforms.

As for 18:30, that's Kuiertyd/Skemertyd's turf cause let's face it eMedia Investments won't be losing much in terms of viewers now that the latter airs 30 minutes later. Nikiwe and so forth despite being low rated had more viewers than any of the dubbed shows to have aired on the channel.

If Skeem Saam still had its 18:30 on SABC 1, Kelders Van Gehieme wouldn't even be considered competition as they cater for a different audience so basically e.tv got its cards right. But why use Skemertyd instead of Kuiertyd(+) especially now that Annekan Die Swa Kry and Kelders Van Gehieme are broadcast simultaneously with eExtra.