eMedia Investments Silently Discontinues Ultraview With Star Select And Zee Family Removed From Openview Platforms After 2 Years

In 2023, eMedia Investments' unveiled plans to rival with MultiChoice's DStv with the launch of Ultraview. It served as an add-on to the current Openview offering and comprised of two packages the first package EDGE offered youth based content with the other Spice TV offering Bollywood stories.

Spice TV comprised of just two channels Star Select and Zee Family served as the remainder of eMedia Investments' pay-tv venture. It managed to outlive EDGE which was discontinued last year with its offering folded under the Pride tile through eVOD.

During the week, eMedia Investments and MultiChoice added Star Khanya, a new Zulu dubbed Bollywood channel from Jiostar who also distribute Star Life in Africa. Unbeknownst to viewers was the sudden removal of Star Select and Zee Family on Openview.

As some viewers remember, Ultraview's initial reception was mostly negative from current Openview consumers with some comparing it to DStv. Ultraview flexed a pricing structure that MultiChoice was skeptical in offering it's consumers as the content would become more expensive.

eMedia Investments has killed that part of its business as it wasn't financially stable and the channels in question couldn't be probably monetised. Spice TV was the only popular addition to Ultraview and this stemmed from the fact that Openview already offered Star Life and Zee One. 

Fact of the matter is linear TV has been in decline in favour of streaming in South Africa compared to the rest of Africa and MultiChoice has been losing consumers from all areas of its DStv offering. Ultraview couldn't compete in an already competitive landscape.