Drafted Version: What To Expect On Openview Ultra's Long Awaited Channel, Zee Family?

During the week, eMedia Investments unveiled the Pride bouquet featuring two channels OUTtv and FUSE priced at R74,99 per month and catering to the LGBTQ community with reality, lifestyle, drama series, movies, music and documentaries.

Of course details as to when the Spice bouquet would rollout remain as much of a mystery at this point considering the Pride is available for distribution it's possible that Spice will be unveiled shortly after.

As consumers wait on the Indian bouquet to rollout in the coming future, here's a list of content anticipated to rollout on one of the brands, Zee Family which is basically what Zee One is to Zee World - competition. The list of shows goes as follows:

- Main Bhi Ardhangini: Mahamaya, a transforming snake, visits the bungalow in search of Madhav who she believes has killed her family but, she finds no trace of him.
- Vani Rani: Two sisters, who are poles apart in nature, are married to two brothers in the same family. As with their nature, they have their own ways of dealing with the troubles and turmoil in their lives.
- Badho Bahu: Lakha Singh is hesitant to marry Komal, a sweet but chubby woman. However, his apprehension does not stop her from overcoming life's battles with grace and aplomb. It was broadcast on &TV in 2016.
- Chupke Chupke: A man is looking for a woman who loves reading books. However, sparks fly between him and a woman and they could not be more different from one another.
- Bitti Business Wali: It depicts Bitti as a hardworking woman who aspires to gain financial independence, being aware that it might invite naysayers in her small town. It was broadcast on &TV in 2018.
- Ghar Ek Mandir - Kripa Agrasen Maharaj Ki: It follows Genda as she faces the challenges of life with her unshakable faith in Maharaja Agrasen. It was broadcast on &TV in 2021.
- Baal Shiv - Mahadev Ki Undekhi Gaatha: Lord Shiva in his younger avatar, faces several challenges as he strives to uphold justice in his realm and facilitates the destruction of evil forces. It was broadcast on &TV in 2021.
- Ek Mahanayak - Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Preyed upon due to socio-economic discrimination, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a young boy from a poor family, strives for basic human rights and equality for all. It was broadcast on &TV in 2021.
- Meetha Toh Banta Hai: Chef Akansha Khatri starts her journey of Meetha Toh Banta Hai with traditional Indian sweets made with ingredients that are easily available at home. It was broadcast on Zee Zest in 2021.
- Goan Gullies: Food enthusiasts Rocky and Mayur explore all things food and bring out untold stories from the bylanes of Goa. It was broadcast on Zee Zest in 2021.
- Sa Re Ga Ma Pa: A nationwide talent hunt for budding singers, which brings together the best-untapped talent in the country and provides them with a platform to begin their careers as playback singers. It was on air since 1995 on Zee TV with 2021's batch on Zee Family.
- Hoshiyar…Sahi Waqt, Sahi Kadam: An Indian crime reality show which broadcast on &TV in 2016.
- Yaaron Ki Baraat: The hosts interview renowned celebrities who are also friends in real life and test their friendship through various challenges. It was broadcast on Zee TV in 2016.

News Shorts: The Splat Is Back! As Nickelodeon Debuts Fresh New Look, Glow TV Issues Out Statement Following Its Termination On Openview And StarSat, And An Eye For An Eye Becomes The Next Pick To Make Its Linear Debut On e.tv

Introducing news shorts basically a revamped version to the current Roundups but instead of shortening info we look at getting content that doesn't need too much detail but of course we can't guarantee how often this will be a thing as the content in question match the whole scenario.

Bring on the slime

As advised, Nickelodeon is pairing this year’s fun-filled slime-fest, the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2023, with the debut of an all-new brand refresh of its on-air look and feel!

The rebrand reimagines Nickelodeon's iconic splat logo and slime with a fresh new design, and includes new on-air graphics, such as lower-thirds, updated BUG/DOG, bumpers, idents, promo endboards and a new "Nickelodeon Productions" endboard.

This marks Nickelodeon's first brand refresh in six years.

The demise of Glow TV

Notice to all our loyal viewers. Take note that we are currently facing various challenges, including the high level of loadshedding throughout the country, which is impacting negatively on our viewership. One of our options for now, is for GlowTV to be on the OTT platform (streaming), so that programs can be watched even on your phones. Unfortunately, due to our contracts expiring we will be off air on some of the platforms, effective from March 1. Please keep in touch with us for the latest updates via our social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. We thank you for your support over the years. - GlowTV team.

More eVOD coming soon to e.tv

From having almost everything, a happy and successful life, The Hero protagonist in the film Caesar loses this overnight and is forced on the run with nothing and leaving everything behind. He returns and fights to reclaim everything he lost. Joining him on the escapades is his love Lucy, their son Zack and the antagonist known as The Don.

Debuted in 2022 on eVOD, the film airs next Sunday at 20:00 from 12 March with exclusive film from the streamer Surviving Gaza airing later in the same timeslot.

Openview Consumers Are Not Willing To Switch To Ultraview

During the week, eMedia Investments unveiled Pride the first of several pay-tv offerings currently bundled under Openview Ultra (also known as Ultraview) joining rivals such as MultiChoice's DStv and On Digital Media alongside StarTimes' StarSat platform.

Pride comes with two dedicated general entertainment brands FUSE and OUTtv currently priced at R74.99 per month. Both of which cater to the LGBTQ community with eMedia Investments promising to add more channels overtime to the Ultraview bouquet.

Compared to most other pay-tv platforms, Ultraview comes as an unbundled outlet similar to DStv AddMovies and while MultiChoice has yet to launch a similar offering DStv Flex this was the result to the outcome of letting consumers choose what to pay for.

Since news of Ultraview came out in 2022, several Openview consumers were skeptical about the idea some feeling like second rate as seen with some DStv consumers while others thought it would follow a similar format to the mentioned platform.

A survey was conducted across social platforms about Openview Ultra and consumers in general aren't willing to cough up the dough with some comparing to the likes of DStv and others aren't satisfied with the current setup of the platform.

But from what I've seen through all this is that Openview Ultra caters to another level of consumers and most of them reside within cable platforms such as DStv or OTT platforms like Netflix and Disney+.

Honestly, Openview Ultra isn't aligned to most of the products currently bundled under eMedia Investments which include linear channels such as e.tv, eExtra and eToonz as well as digital platforms like eVOD but serves more as a standalone to the portfolio.

So I'm not gonna take consumer's concerns to account when looking at the potential outcome of Openview Ultra. For all we know, this could do well on their part as there's consumers out there who wanted this offering on DStv but MultiChoice backed out.

I am not going to say Openview Ultra is the best thing that has happened since DStv but if this formula succeeds it might encourage competitors to rollout a similar offering as seen last year when kykNET rolled out it's first competitor for eExtra's Kuiertyd offering.

DStv Easyview Vs. Openview: The Best Alternative To Affordable Entertainment

DStv Easyview priced at a monthly rate of R29 is operated by MultiChoice and serves as the cheaper attire to the current Premium package while as Openview which is operated by eMedia Investments comes with a once off fee then it's free entertainment forever.

Since last year, MultiChoice has been strengthening the Easyview offering following the additions of Magic Showcase and CineMagic alongside BBC UKTV which failed to launch on the freemium competition prior to the addition of these channels.

Other entertainment residing on the platform range from reality, movies, news, religion, provincial, music (or audio) and kiddies.

Now available in 3 million households, Openview is proving to be a worthy competitor for DStv as more consumers are looking to fill their pockets. Some of the channels residing on the platform include the most popular brands eReality and SABC Sport.

Other entertainment residing on the platform range from reality, dramas, movies, kiddies shows, sports and music.

If you're looking to watch a variety of sports and telenovelas then Easyview is not your guy and the same goes to Openview if you're looking to view news from a local and global perspective on top of grooving to a variety of tunes on your music platforms.

Other aspects that are lacking on Openview would be community channels like Tshwane TV and Soweto TV alongside religious channels like TBN and Daystar depending on the type of audience same as kiddies offering.

As for Easyview, they got more channels than Openview but only a selected amount are worth the extra pocket money e.g. SABC News, Real Time and TNT as opposed to Openview where almost all the channels are watchable by viewers.

In conclusion, if you want sports and telenovelas then head over to Openview and if you want more alternatives to SABC 1-3 alongside news and religion head over to DStv Easyview. As for other aspects it's more or less depending on what you choose.

Reminder: Glow TV Goes Dark On The Openview Platform By The End Of February

eMedia Investments:
- SABC+ Vs. eVOD: The Consequence Of Free-To-View Television
- MultiChoice and eMedia Investments plan to combat load shedding get a lot of attention
- Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian coming soon to Openview

Glow TV launched in October 2013 as South Africa's dedicated community channel owned by Urban Brew Studios before Nismedia took majority stake in 2016 celebrated the life of India with reality shows, music, drama series, movies and local productions.

In March 2018, Glow TV viewers were outraged after MultiChoice announced plans to dump the channel by the end of that month. 5 years after the removal on DStv, eMedia Investments also made plans to dump the channel by the end of that period.

Since then, MultiChoice allocated Star Life in place of Glow TV on channel 167 on the DStv platform in that same year while as eMedia Investments allocated Zee One on channel 111 through the Openview platform in 2021.

As Glow TV bids farewell to Openview consumers, eMedia Investments is prepping up a new Indian bouquet for their soon to be launched pay-tv platform, Ultraview. Of which details about the supposed channels and pricing have yet to be mentioned.

Although, Glow TV will go off air on the Openview platform by the end of February viewers can still view the channel on StarSat which comes with a fee of course as well as the StarTimes app.

Troubled times awaiting the local channel

According to sources, most of the channel's audience reside on the Openview platform meaning their revenue will likely plummet meaning they'll have to possibly cut back on programming and also staff for sustainable.

LATEST POSTS RANDOM POSTS

Roundups #142: Barney The Dinosaur Reboot Is Giving People Nightmares, TLNovelas Dumps The Pink And Dye Their Hair Blue And eMedia Investments And BBC Studios Remain Silent On Any Developments Regarding BBC UKTV

Barney is set to make his comeback by 2024

Mattel announced that they would be relaunching the Barney the Dinosaur franchise and now we have a look at the titular dino’s redesign. And, unsurprisingly, people on social media sure hate it.

The most noticeable change is that they’re going from a live-action Barney the Dinosaur to an animated version. It also appears that his colors have brightened up a bit. Other than being animated, the most noticeable change is definitely Barney’s face.

As some pointed out, it sort of looks like Barney the Dinosaur went under the knife for some plastic surgery. Buccal fat removal is a procedure that thins out the cheeks. It definitely looks like the new Barney has had a little bit of work done.

In short, if this Barney redesign isn’t for you, you could simply not watch it. According to Mattel, the series is specifically being made to teach lessons to preschool-aged kids. Maybe in another three decades when they redesign Barney the Dinosaur again, the kids who watch this new series will be complaining about how their Barney is ruined.

Regular Nick:
- Wonder Pets revival might be in the works for Nickelodeon
- Peacock greenlights two new animated series
- Boomerang to go dark on the DStv platform next month

TLNovelas debuts a new look in Latin America and several countries

As part of this new image, for its 30th anniversary, the TLNovelas channel in the regions will re-release "ACAPULCO, CUERPO Y ALMA" and "TE SIGO AMANDO" two super successful soap operas back in the 90s. Both will be remastered and in high definition.

The channel has unique and exclusive content to enjoy as a family the successful melodramas that are part of more than 500 productions of the TelevisaUnivisión group. Ranging from classic and stellar to youth and children with a presence in Mexico, Latin America, the United States, Africa and Europe.

This change responds to the interests and expectations of the new pay television audiences, mainly the 04-44 segment, which makes up more than 50% of the total audience that follows the Tlnovelas signal. The channel's programming bar, which also broadcasts original programs and content focused on the world of melodrama, is aimed at an increasingly heterogeneous audience, to which young audiences from Mexico and Latin America have joined.

Everyday Novelas:
- Rubi coming soon to TLNovelas
- Until Money Do Us Part coming soon to Telemundo
- Second Chance and Hart Van Goud coming soon to Zee One and eExtra respectively

BBC UKTV still not available on the Openview platform

Last year, eMedia Investments and BBC Studios were gearing up for the rollout of BBC's sixth channel BBC UKTV to the market joining existing brands like BBC Brit, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Earth, BBC News and CBeebies currently seen on the DStv platform.

As of January 2023, BBC UKTV is currently available on the DStv platform offering rebroadcasts to several shows from above-mentioned channels to Access, Family and Easyview customers including Doctors, Top Gear and Come Dine With Me.

It has since then led to a clash amongst Openview consumers some even speculating that MultiChoice ripped the channel away from eMedia Investments in an exclusive deal with the BBC.

In a media enquiry with both BBC and eMedia Investments, they both remain very much silent regarding details about BBC UKTV. At the moment, eMedia Investments is gearing up for the rollout of Ultraview. What are the chances BBC UKTV will rollout thereafter?

eMedia Investments:
- SABC+ Vs. eVOD: The Consequence Of Free-To-View Television
- MultiChoice and eMedia Investments plan to combat load shedding get a lot of attention
- Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?

Ultraview Vs. A Regular DStv Platform: A Better Understanding On How To Consume Your Money

For several weeks, eMedia Investments has been briefing audiences about their new pay-tv tier to the Openview platform, Ultraview. A multiverse platform where consumers are given the option of two packages Pride and Spice but both come at a hefty price with some comparing it to the likes of DStv.

Before we give our opinion on the matter let's first look at the basics.

DStv is a pay-tv outlet operated by MultiChoice where consumers get access to over 120 channels ranging from movies, sports, drama series, reality shows, kiddies, music, doccies and movies. It currently ranks as Africa's top player in the pay-tv business.

Ultraview is more of a diverse or cultural outlet by eMedia Investments as of this moment it only has Bollywood and LGBTQ based channels but that doesn't mean you can't find a variety of content if anything only a portion of DStv's lineup can be viewed on these channels.

MultiChoice has been in the market for decades with the DStv bouquet and have been criticized by several consumers for the load of repeats funneled onto their platform, the number of channels that have already been removed and the excessive costs in programming.

DStv:
- Boomerang might be first channel to exit the DStv platform in 2023
- MultiChoice shares crytpic message about eMedia's 4 channels
- MultiChoice and eMedia Investments gets roasted over load shedding plans
- BBC to close linear channels and move to an internet only digital future

During the week, eMedia Investments had gotten a taste of the MultiChoice criticism ahead of Ultraview's rollout and this mainly has to do with the quantity and pricing of the packages as well as the offering in general part of which is deemed offensive to Christians.

For several years, DStv consumers wondered when MultiChoice was planning on unbundling their channels and Ultraview gave a clear reflection when charging consumers either R75p/m or R120p/m for just two channels.

Same goes with the likes of Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, BritBox and HBO Max where you need about R700p/m or R800p/m to view the best of HBO, Adult Swim, NBC, BBC, ABC and Showtime altogether versus R450p/m with your Compact bouquet.

It goes show the best entertainment doesn't always come in cheap as seen with Ultraview's current offering. In general, it's not about who has more on the table but how productive you make a business.

eMedia Investments:
- SABC+ Vs. eVOD: The Consequence Of Free-To-View Television
- MultiChoice and eMedia Investments plan to combat load shedding get a lot of attention
- Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian coming soon to Openview
- Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?

To those viewing MultiChoice as a better contender take to account, only a fraction of the actual total of channels are watched by DStv consumers. Sure, it may be cheaper but most of the content in question will likely to date back to 90s/00s if not approachable.

As for Ultraview prior to when it was only Openview, eMedia Investments often sought out brands which gained traction which could be the case for this package the downside has to do with the quantity as that's distracting consumers from Ultraview's potential.

I mean I get it these are M-Net type channels but the moment another brand tags along with the something similar if not the same expect consumers to follow that brand if it means paying less to view that alternative or waiting longer to access a particular show.

In the end, I feel that Ultraview doesn't cater enough to eMedia's current audience as a lot of viewers aren't familiar with this concept they're putting forward as opposed to DStv which has a number of options like AddMovies, DStv Internet, Decoder Insurance etc.

Ahead Of Ultraview's Launch, eMedia Investments Discontinues Distribution Of Two Products On The Openview Platform

Few hours ago, eMedia Investments unveiled the social platforms for their long anticipated pay-tv platform, Openview Ultra. A competitor to the current DStv and StarSat platforms operated individually by MultiChoice and StarTimes (with On Digital Media).

Openview Ultra as expected is coming on with two add-on packages similar to AddMovies on DStv. Instead of movies, viewers will be treated to two optional entertainment packages Pride (also known as Ultraview Pride) and Spice (also known as Ultraview Indian).

The Pride Bouquet is set to cater to the LGBTQ community with brands like FUSE and OUTtv offering reality, lifestyle, drama series and movies. Something which MultiChoice has been depriving DStv consumers with on a 24 hour basis and likely will look into overtime.

The Spice Bouquet is a Bollywood based package basically a rival to the DStv and StarSat Indian bouquets with channels such as Zee Family and Star Select. Although not much has been specified about the brands my guess it's probably a duplicate StarPlus and Zee TV.

Taking that to account, the rumoured R75/R120 monthly price range for both platforms seem accurate as they do hold a fresh content as seen with AddMovies where you don't have to wait a year and so forth to watch the latest films.

As eMedia Investments is prepping for the launch of Ultraview. A couple of developments have occurred behind the scenes with the current Openview platform.

eMedia Investments:
- Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian coming soon to Openview
- More Bollywood coming soon to Openview Ultra
- More e.tv coming soon to DStv customers
- Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?
- Glow TV to stop airing on the Openview platform from next month
- Could Openview+ lead to 24 hour capability of these channels?

First, Glow TV will cease to exist on the Openview platform later in the month after eMedia Investments failed attempt at ousting the channel back in 2021. Both parties refused to comment at the time of publishing if any update comes up we'll hopefully update.

As of right now, it's days are numbered and Spice from the looks it serves as a replacement or pay-tv alternative alongside Zee One, Star Life and if it's still considered an option in the coming future eExtra.

Last is in regards to the dongle, one of the first products eMedia Investments introduced when the main Openview platform got a facelift after eliminating HD from the name and adapted to the e.tv logo theme got scrapped as consumers attempted to use them.

Openview's dongles proved to be somewhat useful especially to households who miss out on daytime programming. It had proven to be controversial after eMedia Investments opted not to associate the likes of SABC 1-3 with this feature on top of the affected brands not being in HD.

My guess on the discontinuation probably had to do with Openview Ultra, eMedia Investments had mentioned working on newer versions of the Openview decoder maybe a dongle will be built-in making it the 2nd or 3rd time in 10 years eMedia rolls out another model.

Besides that, consumers were charged extra for the Openview decoder solely due to a dongle some people probably never use and this newer version of their decoder is one way to avoid such incidence from ever occuring again or at least what we hope to see.

MultiChoice And eMedia Investments' Anti-Load Shedding Channels Recieve Questionable Reviews Across Social Platforms

During the week, eMedia Investments and MultiChoice trying to help consumers cope with the issue regarding load shedding had launched respective pop-up channels to their consumers, Power Up and SWiTCH'D On which is meant to help consumers catch-up on what they've missed.

Power Up incorporates the best of e.tv and eExtra with shows like House Of Zwide, Imbewu, Durban Gen, #DisComplicated and Elif with Mzansi Magic, Wethu and kykNET & Kie incorporated on the respective SWiTCH'D On channels with Suidooster, Gomora, Lingashoni and The River.

The channel will continue to be made available for as long as the matter regarding Eskom is not resolved which could take several months possibly years even.

eMedia Investments:
- Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian coming soon to Openview
- More Bollywood coming soon to Openview Ultra
- Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?
- Glow TV to stop airing on the Openview platform from next month

Since the launch, these channels have gotten a lot of attention. All I can say is this something we REALLY NEED in 2023 especially in an era where SABC+, eVOD and Showmax already exist cause POWER UP will POWER DOWN as much as SWITCH'D ON will be SWITCH'D OFF.

On an Openview perspective, hey it's free doesn't cost anything right??? but it wouldn't have been different had it been DStv. Then you take to account, not everyone has these services but remember even repeats take the plunge with Eskom.

To those having to wait at a random time compared to someone on a streaming service - good luck.

In the end, these channels were never made to be full-time and I'm sure both parties understand how consumers feel about repeats but the longer they're around the more heat they're expected to get especially with monthly fees involved.

DStv:
- BBC to close linear channels and move to an internet only digital future
- kykNET Lekker Opened To More DStv Customers For A Limited Time
- What Consumers Should Be Concerned About Regarding SABC's Yet To Be Launched Channels On DStv?
- Press Release: DStv Welcomes The Launch Of Quincy Jones’ QWEST TV Onto Screens This Month

A look at some of the comments:

Just another excuse for them to play even more
repeats. Claire Knoechl

Open view power up is a load of only running 3 programs and it's repeat of repeats....?? Are we so doff in SA....that we need everything on TV to be a repeat....Justin Krause

Or you could just advance to the 21st century by switching to any of the streaming services and avoid load shedding by watching whatever you want whenever you want. Rob Bowden

They didn’t need to launch anything….it’s been standard for years already Malcolm Tonkin

Hey streaming services should try this!!! Oh wait I
just click on what I want to watch and watch it.
Hmmm…how redundant. Cameron Lazarus

We work all day and have families to attend to once home...We can't stick with schedules. We finally have that free time we just want an On Demand Service. Not jump into random stuff everytime we switch on the TV. Is 2023 alot has changed since the 90's cable TV D'Mitri Bailey

It still won't work, because the plugs will still be off
because of loadshedding, duh no electricity no view unless you are fortunate enough to have a generator/solar/inverter, but most SA don't. Yolandy Gibson

New Channel Alert: eMedia Investments Planning To Combat Load Shedding With The Launch Of New Pop-Up Channel, Power-Up

In a time when South Africans feel helpless and crippled by load shedding, Openview is once again stepping up as a beacon of light and giving households nonstop entertainment with their favourite shows. The industry-first initiative also adds value to brands and advertisers by repeating their ads on a pop-up channel 18 hours per day, every day. “We’ve got you, South Africa - as a brand of our own, we believe it’s the little things we do to support households that will make a difference in the long run.”

Catch it when you catch it, as long as you catch it – with 18 hours daily of local dramas, Power-UP! is the new pop-up channel that ensures viewers never miss a show again – no matter how your load shedding schedule changes.

eMedia Investments:
- Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian coming soon to Openview
- More Bollywood coming soon to Openview Ultra
- More e.tv coming soon to DStv customers
- Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?
- Glow TV to stop airing on the Openview platform from next month
- Could Openview+ lead to 24 hour capability of these channels?

Power-UP! (Channel 114 on Openview) is available from 23 January 2023 and will repeat all the e.tv hit prime-time shows like Durban Gen, House of Zwide, Scandal!, and Imbewu from Monday to Friday, running with 2-hour loops. The channel will be on from 6 am – midnight every day. The Black Door will repeat on weekends from 11 pm.

Afrikaans telenovela true-at-hearts will also not be lost in the dark ... Power-UP! will showcase the omnibus repeats of all the best loved Afrikaans dramas on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays). #DisComplicated, Daai Crazy Somer, Die Vertroueling, and more will be available if you missed it during the week due to load shedding.

Power-Up will likely go off air as soon as the matter will load shedding is resolved and we all know how that will turn out.

New Channel Alert (Rumour): OUTtv + FUSE + Zee Family + Star Select Coming Soon Exclusively To Openview Ultra

eMedia Investments is prepping up the pay-tv version to the current Openview platform and from what is seen these past weeks I wouldn't be shocked if it was unveiled before the end of the month and before we get to the four channels, here's what you should know.

For those using Openview, there was 4 test channels and from what was seen through those lab experiments were SABC 2, SABC 3, Zee TV and Colors TV and as predicted these were just placeholder channels for the final product which turns out to be OUTtv, FUSE, Zee Family and Star Select.

OUTtv is a general entertainment channel owned by OUTtv Media Global Inc. which is meant to promote the LGBTQ community with drama series, reality shows, movies and documentaries. Some of the content include Absolutely Fabulous, Call Me Mother and Brideshead Revisited.

It was launched as a pop-up channel on DStv back in 2018 unfortunately MultiChoice opted not to have a 24 hour channel but rather to bundle it with Showmax and with this news I wouldn't be shocked if they tried prepping up a similar offering.

eMedia Investments:
- Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian coming soon to Openview
- More Bollywood coming soon to Openview Ultra
- More e.tv coming soon to DStv customers
- Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?
- Glow TV to stop airing on the Openview platform from next month
- Could Openview+ lead to 24 hour capability of these channels?

FUSE owned by FUSE Media LLC from what I can gather is a music and lifestyle channel similar to OUTtv it celebrates the LGBTQ community with shows like Made From Scratch, Sex Sells, We Need to Talk About America and Stay True.

The other two remain as much of a mystery to me but here's my hunch about both brands.

Zee Family is a general entertainment channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises while as Zee World and Zee One rely heavily on soaps to keep their lineup afloat this channel will incorporate that and explore other aspects of India including reality, lifestyle, kids movies and doccies.

Star Select is a general entertainment channel owned by Disney Star likely serving as a competitor to Zee Family with a similar offering while as serving as an expansion to the current Star Life channel.

As to whether these channels are dubbed in English that is unknown but I'm expecting them to be Hindi with English subtitles. Makes sense as we don't want to burn off so much money.

As for the pricing you may want to sit down when reading this, remember when Openview Ultra was first announced as Openview+ with a price tag R150 well that's not the case with revamped package.

Apparently, Openview Ultra has priced these channels under two tags Ultraview Pride which is R75p/m with Ultraview Indian being priced at R119p/m together that takes you to R194p/m almost R200p/m for just 4 channels.

Take to account, Openview Ultra is just a newbie to the market and overtime we will see more entertainment. For those who've been followed DStv for a while would understand that pricing is not determined by quantity but quality which is the case right here.

MultiChoice's premium package for starters almost priced at R900p/m has most funds going onto M-Net and SuperSport and with Openview Ultra I believe people will have a better understanding as to how MultiChoice actually prices their packages.

More Bollywood Coming Soon To Openview Ultra??? As The Platform Bids Farewell To One Of The Oldest Channels On The Platform

Glow TV is South African based entertainment channel promoting Bollywood culture. It was Openview's first attempt at a competitor for the pay-tv oriented Zee World channel on the DStv platform with shows like Emperor Ahsoka, Little Bheem and Get Real With Denver Naicker.

As advised by media outlets, eMedia Investments opted not to renew their agreement with Nismedia for the channel back in 2021 with Nismedia having to take legal routes to retain the channel for as long as the contract remained valid February 2023.

Also mentioned at the time was that eMedia Investments added Zee One in an attempt to fill the gap left by Glow TV alongside Star Life managed to lure consumers away from the South African channel.

eMedia Investments had begun conducting some tests in preparation for the launch of Openview Ultra which serves as the pay-tv tier to the current Openview platform with 4 test channels.

The first already mentioned a while ago had SABC 2 and SABC 3 used as floor mats for yet to be confirmed channels with the other slots supposedly being used for more Bollywood channels.

eMedia Investments:
- More e.tv coming soon to DStv customers
- Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?
- Glow TV to stop airing on the Openview platform from next month
- Could Openview+ lead to 24 hour capability of these channels?

Although, these can't be seen as official channels as yet Openview had slotted two channels, Colors TV from Viacom18 and Zee TV from Zee Entertainment Enterprises.

Zee TV as you know is the main home for all the content on Zee One including The Heir, Bridal Material, Between You And Me and Agent Raghav. Unlike Zee One, all the content seen on this channel isn't dubbed but do come with subtitles.

Colors TV on the other hand could be considered leverage to Glow TV as this is where all their soaps originate including Emperor Ahsoka, The Power Of Love and Young Love. So if this is an official channel, you could say it's a replacement without English audio.

The above-mentioned channels have established a presence on DStv and StarSat and the idea of Openview going a similar route with Openview Ultra doesn't seem far fetched.

Openview Ultra: Here's What We Think About Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian

To summarise, Openview has added 4 test channels on numbers 241, 242, 301 & 302. Although, there hasn't been a lot of frequent activity going around when clicking onto these channels but that doesn't mean there hasn't been any unusual activities.

Take for instance, the 200s which were used for SABC 2 and SABC 3 as a full schedule was available at the time with the tag Ultraview Pride and finally the 300s which were categorised under the tag Ultraview Indian.

Of course unlike Ultraview Indian, Pride doesn't give much of a summary as to what it's about for all we know the term could be another way to compliment the existing local offering on SABC and e.tv and another instance could LGBTQ.

eMedia Investments:
- More e.tv coming soon to DStv customers
- Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?
- Glow TV to stop airing on the Openview platform from next month
- Could Openview+ lead to 24 hour capability of these channels?

Last year, when eMedia Investments unveiled plans to launch Openview Ultra the plan was to make it diverse which was what we can clearly see with Ultraview Indian and the LGBTQ community was referenced in regards to this matter.

If Ultraview Pride is what I'm assuming LGBTQ then they would have been the first to give these audiences a platform.

MultiChoice had experimented with such content through OUTtv and at the moment can only be streamed on Showmax with other channels on DStv just offering LGBTQ cameos not really something that you would say is LGBTQ skewed.

If Pride is one way to refer to the local entertainment which too is another way of diversity. My hunch is that eMedia Investments might as well be dividing the free to their paying consumer.

Instead of having MultiChoice channels 101, 103 and 109 being premium and 102, 105 and 106 being Compact it will be more of getting these brands closer to one another with channels 101-150 being the free package and anything above it being the Ultraview.

Taking to account, this isn't really a good done deal but just a rumour until proven otherwise. But the idea of these brands possibly being on Openview is not far fetched to say the least particularly for Ultraview Indian.

Could SABC Be Unveiling Another Two Channels Possibly On Openview Ultra, Here's Why?

For several weeks, eMedia Investments has been teasing consumers with the launch of Openview Ultra (formerly known as Openview+) which serves the pay tier to the current Openview platform for which the broadcaster is expected to unveil later in the year.

As consumers await the launch of Openview Ultra, eMedia Investments had reserved the area for 4 yet to be launched channels in the slots of channels 241, 242, 301 and 302 and as some had noticed not which muchs are available in the mentioned slots until recently.

eMedia Investments had placed SABC 2 and SABC 3 in the test channel section. Although, this may not mean much SABC 1 was often used as a test pilot for SABC Encore so it's possible that maybe SABC 2 and SABC 3 are just placeholders for other channels.

eMedia Investments:
- Glow TV to stop airing on the Openview platform from next month
- Prediction: eToonz to get an additional channel
- Could Openview+ lead to 24 hour capability of these channels?
- eToonz schedule explained

They are still awaiting for the SABC to drop the two entertainment channels which would explore their forever rich archives while SABC Sport and their 19 radio stations reside on the Openview platform.

The public broadcaster launched a second news channel before the end of the current financial year, SABC eKhaya which would cater to local languages formerly seen on the SABC News channel before it's expansion to other African markets.

SABC 2 does seem like the ideal placeholder for this channel as it was advised that the channel would dwell more into current affairs for which there's plenty of on this supposed channel.

As for SABC 3, not much is known at this point my hunch would be that rumoured SABC Encore/Children might fill up this slot as seen occasionally with SABC 1 as the public broadcaster had expressed interest in a revival although they had been no updates since then.

SABC:
- Could SABC Encore revival be scrapped?
- A former SABC channel was added onto Openview
- SABC Movies' dream journal
- SABC Education not launching on Openview