News Shorts: TPA Noticias Broadcasts The Angola ICT Forum 2024 For Consumers In South Africa, DStv Access Gets More Kids Channels Alongside SuperSport Football And TBN And Disney Channel Potential HD Feed Likely Scrapped On DStv

Angola ICT Forum 2024 is also viewable to DStv consumers in South Africa 

Mário Oliveira welcomed the participants to Angotic/2024. On the occasion, the minister listed the sector's challenges that began 45 years ago and that now allow the country to be at the forefront of leadership in the ICT sector in Africa. Despite all the achievements already achieved, the leader of MINTTICS said that the focus continues on ensuring infrastructures capable of revolutionizing communications on the continent with a focus on optical fiber and cable networks. These commitments, according to the minister, are visible in the quality of ICT services and the continuous training of national staff, to respond to the country's challenges.

MultiChoice allocated TPA Noticias on channel 530 to all DStv Premium, Compact+, Compact, Family, Access and Easyview customers from June 13th to 15th as part of the commemoration.

DStv Access gets more entertaining 

MultiChoice decided to add Cartoonito, Disney Channel, Nicktoons and DreamWorks to DStv Access from June 15th to July 7th as kids are at home for the school holidays. Weirdly enough, no open window had been announced for their Family to Compact audience.

Older audiences can enjoy the best sporting action on channel 205 until July 16th. Other content also offered on SuperSport Football include Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Serie A and La Liga.

TBN and Disney Channel HD is a bust

A few years ago, MultiChoice was working on two HD feeds for both TBN and Disney Channel, and from the looks of the duration had been in development hell. Now TBN had been phased out for Zambezi Reloaded while Disney Channel by Racing240.

Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network are already in high definition and were commonly known as the big 3 alongside Disney Channel. Those numbers continue to fall short on MultiChoice's end while with TBN I think what's more shocking was its nomination for such frequency. 

Rumour: MultiChoice To Upgrade 3 Channels To High Definition

This year, MultiChoice had made several changes to their entertainment offering while as sourcing out new content for its consumers while some of the older offerings get a boost which is the case for these 3 channels as an HD feed is currently underway on the DStv platform.

As outlined but MultiChoice on HD channels:

"It depends on whether at that specific moment we have capacity - satellite capacity in the sky - and depending on where we launch."

"Sometimes we might have capacity on IS20 - which is a satellite that sits over Southern Africa - but we don't have over Eutelsat 36B which sits over the rest of sub-Saharan Africa - that's the complication of it."

"Secondly, but actually most importantly, does the content lend itself to display HD in the best possible way?...," explained Aletta Alberts.
"Sometimes when we launch a regional channel it probably won't be in HD. It depends on the channel."

Which is the case for these trio that are rumoured to take that leap into the digital world.

Only available in Zambia and the only regional channel on the list is Power TV Zambia's youth entertainment channel which features mainly music and reality shows is the first on the list go to high definition.

The Home Channel, South Africa's first in command to offer reality programming based on real estate and home improvement will be the second channel to join the HD trio. This comes after eMedia Investments launched the duplicate, The Home Channel+ on the Openview platform.

Last but not least, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) the 24 hour commercial-free channel that offers inspirational programming that appeal to people in a wide variety of Protestant, Catholic and Messianic Jewish denominations will be the first religious channel on DStv to recieve HD capability.

Roundups #38: ePlesier's Primetime Lineup Has Been Revealed, Breaking Hillsong Documentary Coming To Discovery+, Mzansi Magic Music HD Coming Soon To DStv, MultiChoice To Run Afrocinema Pop-up Channel For The Second Time

More details on ePlesier

During the past weeks, eMedia Investments has been giving bits and pieces about the new channel ePlesier from the rollout date to the list of repeats launching on the channel. Thanks to some insiders we got a peak of their schedule.

From April 18th, the schedule goes as follows on weekdays:
14:30 Gebroke Harte
15:20 As Die Skoen Pas
16:10 Bittersoet
17:00 Doodsondes
17:50 Stiletto Vendetta
18:40 Voëlvry
20:20 Deur Dik En Dun

From April 23rd, the schedule goes as follows on Saturday:
16:30 Die Wiel Draai (double bill)
18:15 Vierspel Vuurspel (double bill)
20:00 Die Put (triple play)

From April 24th, the schedule goes as follows on Sunday:
16:25 Kurt En Shura (double bill)
18:15 Vierspel Vuurspel (double bill)

*Please note all shows start from scratch

 

Hillsong Church documentary coming to Discovery+

Following last year's resignation of former Hillsong Church NYC pastor Carl Lentz after an extramarital affair and other moral failures, two dueling TV docuseries are in production about the scandal and megachurch culture that enabled it.

Streaming platform discovery+ has announced a three-part "Breaking Hillsong" documentary series with exclusive interviews. Concurrently, Scout Productions is also working on a docuseries about the controversy-laden megachurch and its trendily tattooed former pastor.

Both docuseries are planned in partnership with separate news organizations and based on their respective coverage of ongoing scandals plaguing Hillsong Church, founded in Australia by Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie, in the 1980s. The evangelical network of churches has 130 worship centers around the globe.

 

Out with the old and in with the new

In February, MultiChoice and M-Net have updated the look of its Mzansi Magic Music channel with the channel proposition that is also shifting to be "synonymous with Afro Soul and home of the classic tunes".

Joining Mzansi Magic Music will be a HD feature from what was stated by several outlets the plan is to make all M-Net channels HD.

M-Net Movies Afrocinema is back by popular demand

MultiChoice and M-Net ran the Afrocinema pop-up channel in celebration of Africa month in 2021. The channel featured local movies that celebrated and reflects Africa's diversity, talents and resilience.

It's evident that the channel became a massive success for DStv customers as MultiChoice registered another movie under the Afrocinema branding titled Dark September.

The brand will likely commence in May as it is Africa month.

You can also find me through the other platforms by pressing this link in brackets (Lnk.Bio).

TBN Returns To DStv

TBN will launch on DStv channel 343 on Friday 4 March 2016 to DStv Premium, DStv Extra, DStv Compact, DStv Family, DStv Access and DStv EasyView customers in South Africa and Lesotho. It will also launch to the rest of Africa via DStv’s Africa service soon after the March launch. Viewers will get to see the very best in local and international faith and family programmes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Trinity Broadcasting Networks (TBN)
and Rhema have entered into a relationship agreement that sees TBN take over the current Rhema TV-channel position on DStv. This is due to a shared vision to see every heart
and life transformed and impacted through the power of the gospel, and also to see a significant rise in quality of Christian television for Africa. The existing programmes broadcasting on Rhema TV will move across to TBN’s
channel. Matthew Crouch, Chairman of Trinity Broadcasting Networks International said: "TBN has always been part of the Christian fabric of Africa and as we re-launch TBN on DStv in March, it will mark a significant 30 years of TBN
broadcasting the Gospel in Africa."The TBN in Africa channel will be entirely independent of all ministries and Christian organisations in regards to ownership, operations and leadership of the Network. It will however work in close relationship with most South African and African ministries across many denominations, to enable the development of new variety Christian content and emerging ministries in order to create a platform for the very best in ministry, worship and Christian programmes from the continent. TBN has for more than 42 years held the largest global footprint for any faith and family Christian television network, with 30 television networks featured on more than 5 000 television stations across 88 satellites, the Internet and thousands of cable systems around the world. TBN in Africa is redefining Christian television and leading the way in a new, exciting era of authentic, credible Christian-broadcasting. It has an unrivalled selection of the best African and international Christian ministry, lifestyle, music, youth shows, children’s entertainment, documentaries, movies and much more.