eMedia Investments And MultiChoice Silently Settle Dispute Over e.TV's 4 Channels On DStv

As some readers may have remembered from the last time we had posted eMedia Investments' 4 TV channels namely eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz were all slated to be removed from DStv by August 2024. Several months had already passed and these channels continue to distributed on DStv.

MultiChoice made the decision by March 2022 that they didn't want to include these channels on any of their platforms which led to the discontinuation of e.tv's African feed eAfrica. At the time, eMedia Investments had stated that they're changing their distribution strategy for these consumers while in South Africa they took the matter to court.

According to MultiChoice, eMedia Investments 4 TV channels had a lot of duplicate content and also the matter of transponder constraints led to the decision to terminate these services. The free-to-air broadcaster stated otherwise as they showed 2 out of the 4 channels had local content and that MultiChoice had plenty of space for more channels.

To top it off, MultiChoice forged ahead and allocated several placeholders on each DStv package: Movie Room (Access), DreamWorks (Compact), PBS KIDS (discontinued, Easyview) and KIX (Access). They even ramped up a rival offering to eExtra's Kuiertyd with the addition of Turkish dramas on KykNet & Kie.

In the financial year results ending 30 September of this year, eMedia Investments had confirmed that they've reached a settlement with MultiChoice after two and a half years. This means eExtra, eToonz, eMovies and eMovies Extra will remain on DStv but what's odd about this is the lack of engagement by both parties.

eMedia Investments didn't want these channels removed now they're getting what they asked for but still you'd think they'd be a celebratory mood. But questions amount to what prompted MultiChoice to suddenly join hands as eMedia Investments mentioned paying significant costs in legal fees.

In a couple of days, MultiChoice will be reinstating WildEarth to their platforms which served as one of the 12 TV channels to exit the company's platforms in the year. If one had to guess maybe the transaction to have Sanlam acquire majority stake in NMIS Insurance Services helped them build up their capital.

Another could as well be the onslaught of TV channels to have exited their platforms during the year with One Freestate Televisual, NWTV and People's Planet being based in South Africa. Maybe eMedia's 4 channels are being used as leverage for the fallen either that or the drastic takeover by Canal+ which is awaiting approval.

Video: Afrikaans Voice Actors For Ramo

"A Channel First": ePlesier Launches Die Agentskap In December

In the coming weeks, primetime will be further reduced on eExtra plans to offer a rebroadcast of Vierspel Vuurspel in place of Net 20 Minute. In surprising developments, Die Agentskap which is currently streaming on eVOD will be heading to ePlesier basically a repeats channel in December.

Now the issue with ePlesier's current structure is that with it being revolved solely on repeats a majority of consumers are likely avoiding the channel. The ones that choose to view the channel are either catching up on primetime repeats with another portion that may be interested in the content.

The final season of Die Put is currently airing on the channel and later this same season will likely surface on e.tv which begs the question why does ePlesier even exist. It is understandable on MultiChoice's part as they cater for different products but with eMedia Investments it's basically the same consumers.

Even with ePlesier's presence, e.tv still accomodates for eExtra as opposed to winding down on those affairs to cater for let's say uMbali and Housewives as those shows have yet to be made available on their platform. They had attempted it on Sunday movie nights and it was an absolute mess leading them to reinstate movies at 8PM.

Honestly this whole structure between e.tv, eExtra and ePlesier is just a mess I mean with MultiChoice pivoting for Showmax maybe eMedia Investments could do the same with eVOD in this scenario. Perhaps merge ePlesier and eExtra into one channel and get all the Bollywood and Asian dramas on eSeries if not a separate channel.

As for Die Agentskap it will be allocated at 12PM from 12 December which begs the question how many people will be tuning in or even notice it when it comes on. eMedia Investments was been trying to minimise rivalry amongst their stations and if I had to guess when they'll repeat this by 4PM/11PM.

eExtra is also available on DStv meaning more exposure and advertising income so why leave consumers with a 4 year old repeat. Some consumers have asked if eMedia Investments is planning to accommodate these consumers and I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

eExtra is already airing simultaneous broadcasts of Annekan Die Swa Kry and Kelders Van Gehieme from e.tv so why not Die Agentskap from ePlesier. By that time in which Die Agentskap is seen consumers are being fed with Deur Dik En Dun and Net 20 Minute (more repeats) and with the channel's 24 hour lineup they could try squeezing it in.

Some info regarding Die Agentskap 

Four managers of talent agency Ego, namely Kıraç, Feris, Çınar and Peride, deal with difficult situations every day and defend their business visions. They skillfully combine art and business, but their private and professional lives sometimes come into conflict. Based on the French series Dix Pour Cent, it starred Kıraç Özdal as Barış Falay, Çınar Bilgin as Fatih Artman, Dicle Ertem as Ahsen Eroğlu, Barış Havas as Deniz Can Aktaş, Peride Şener as Ayşenil Şamlıoğlu and Feris Dikmen as Canan Ergüder.

Afrikaans Voice Actors For Vierspel Vuurspel

Sentech's Freevision Delists eMedia's Openview Channels From Their Platforms

Sentech's Freevision which serves as one of the various rivals for eMedia Investments' Openview platform alongside PremiumFree TV started its services back in 2015. Similar to DStv's Easyview package, it mainly consisted of religious and provincial stations alongside various SABC and e.tv channels.

According to several consumers, e.tv channels had been ousted from the platform and this would include eExtra, eMovies and eToonz which serve as the initial offering on the platform. This would only leave mainly SABC channels particularly SABC 1-3, SABC Sport, SABC Education, SABC Lehae and SABC Variety.

eMedia Investments is already running through a similar hurdle with MultiChoice after they made the decision to exclude these services from DStv by 2022. Unlike Sentech's Freevision, these channels have a lot more viewers there of course with its pending demise one could say eMedia Investments is under siege.

With MultiChoice betting their odds on Showmax, Sentech had made similar pursuits with Freevision Play featuring a range of local content from various provincial stations some of which like Cape Town TV were exclusive to DStv.

Freevision Play taps into the same market as SABC+ and eVOD which is free and if we had to compare the three they're all winners in some way. Freevision Play has a catalogue of local content and TV channels, SABC+ is good for sports and local news and eVOD offers a mixture local and international content.

But the reality to all this only one out of three favour eMedia Investments and it's sort of this scenario of them being less reachable by fans. Right now, they're fighting to prevent analogue signals from going off the deep end as there's still households dependant on them for content and contribute to their ad revenue.

eMedia Updates: Isiphetho: The Destiny Cancelled After It's Current Season On e.tv With Rebroadcasts Of Vierspel Vuurspel And Ramo Rolling Out In The Coming Months On eExtra

Isiphetho The Destiny is a South African based drama series that follows the intertwined lives of four estranged friends who were bound by a life-changing secret during their teenage years. Now in their 30s, they find themselves drawn back to their old neighbourhood, determined to chase their true destinies.

In a bid to revitalise their community and rewrite their futures, the foursome embark on an exciting new venture: an innovative restaurant aimed at bringing unique culinary delights to the township. But at every turn on their journey to self-determination, their past and enemies threaten to thwart their dreams.

According to sources, eMedia Investments had decided to end the show by April 2025 meaning Isiphetho: Destiny will not be returning with a second season. It joins the long line of failed attempts to have broadcast on that timeslot including Nikiwe, Isipho and Durban Gen.

More series lows with a rebroadcast of Vierspel Vuurspel and Ramo

After debuting on eExtra last year, a rebroadcast of Ramo is scheduled to broadcast on e.tv from 18 November replacing Hart Van Goud with Vierspel Vuurspel replacing Net 20 Minute on eExtra. So I think the question is why a 6 month long repeat on eExtra and not another import from eVOD.

We're presuming since the year is almost up that eMedia Investments is pausing primetime but out of all shows why not Kurt En Shura or Die Binnekring as they're much shorter in comparison. Maybe some behind the scenes is happening within their studios as Elif reaches its climax perhaps another surprise awaits viewers.

But in all honesty, we don't see the point of ePlesier if e.tv and eExtra already exist and are well airing the batch of repeats, you'd presume with the demise of Rewind and eVOD they'd do a better job minimising repeats. Instead these repeats are being splashed across platforms something the SABC had burdened onto their consumers.

Afrikaans Voice Actors For Blink Kant Bo And Op Dun v

Should eExtra Stop Airing Kelders Van Geheime And Annekan Die Swa Kry Simultaneously With e.tv?

Earlier in the year, eMedia Investments decided to offer a simultaneous broadcast of e.tv's Annekan Die Swa Kry on eExtra and this was before Kelders Van Geheime was introduced as a rivalled offering to the now axed 7de Laan on SABC 2. The broadcaster hadn't been upfront with the media or even fans on this development.

But from what we've hypothesised from months back is that eExtra is undergoing a similar route as e.tv in 2021/2. Before rivalling with SABC 1 and Mzansi Magic, e.tv was more skewed toward audiences of M-Net and SABC 3 now all of this had been reverted to eReality and eSeries on Openview.

Local is lekker as the saying goes it draws in people and these efforts seen on Openview despite their successes overseas often draw a fraction of House Of Zwide or Muvhango's audience.

It's likely they're trying to do this with eExtra cause as we've seen more Afrikaans content in recent months with Sommerdahl Moorde and Die Fakuliteit. But what some have continued asking the network continuously is why Annekan and now Kelders Van Gehieme are on eExtra at the same time as e.tv.

If I had guess eMedia Investments wants people that tune into Kuiertyd or eExtra to watch these shows when they come on through e.tv and they don't want to create competition amongst their brands. This would even include viewers of Naagin or Forbidden Passions aka Pasión Prohibida.

To put it in better terms, eExtra turns off during this time to appease the masses of e.tv but I don't see the sense in having these shows air on two channels simultaneously. When MultiChoice does it with Mzansi Magic and Mzansi Wethu that is because some of your audience can't view one of the two.

But in this case, a portion of eExtra's consumers are e.tv meaning there's no way anyone can be missing out on these shows. It would be understandable if you were looking at it from a DStv perspective, they have various packages and each would have its own set of content for certain consumers.

I think what eMedia Investments could have done execution wise was have Kelders Van Gehieme and Annekan Die Swa Kry broadcasts on eExtra and rather make e.tv second fiddle. Right now, there's a lot of collision between these channels and I do feel part of this needs to assessed to some capacity.

Kelders Van Gehieme would retain its 18:00 timeslot on e.tv but rather have this convert into a repeat timeslot with 17:00 also becoming a slope for eExtra's repeats. Perhaps try to increase consumers dependency on ePlesier by making them accomodate e.tv's daytime repeats as a means to drive sales of Openview.

Development Alert: Blink Kant Bo And Op Dun Ys Swap Timeslots On eExtra

During the day, eMedia Investments had took to Kuiertyd's social pages to announce that eExtra's newest addition Op Dun Ys alongside Blink Kant Bo would be exchanging timeslots from 21 October. This means Op Dun Ys will broadcast at 20:30 while Blink Kant Bo will be airing an hour early at 19:30.

eMedia Investments have evaded from several questions on why the sudden change in slots for these shows but most of the blame is suggested to be pinned on newcomer Op Dun Ys. As some have been made aware, Op Dun Ys is the first show from the channel to not offer any subtitles which had caused division amongst consumers.

Insiders are saying the move to 20:30 was sort of a way to ease the tension as Blink Kant Bo airs an hour early at 19:30. Various consumers are upset about the move as some would watch Scandal or Uzalo around these times now find themselves at a crossroads while others were able to tune into these shows in their respective slots.

Not everyone can catch-up with last nights episodes of Blink Kant Bo on eVOD or e.tv which is where it's primetime slot stood at on eExtra. Same goes for Op Dun Ys which follows the route of Star Life's controversial Evil Affairs with primetime now at 20:30 and repeats daily at 2am and weekends at 7am.

Funny thing about this is that Net 20 Minute has more airtime on the channel than Op Dun Ys which goes to show you how much they're trying to restrict its broadcasts. The edgier show now has a daytime slot at 13:45 yet Voëlvry and Die Put weren't deemed appropriate for a much earlier timeslot when broadcast.

Could eMedia Investments Look To Revive Nuusdag On eExtra?

A few years ago, eMedia Investments decided to axe the News and Sports channel from the Openview platform as the channel struggled to gain appeal from viewers and also very little income was being generated from the channel. eMedia Investments put all its effort on SABC Sport and the remaining offering to substitute this offering.

Nuusdag served as one of those flagship shows by eMedia Investments and not through their pay-tv outlet eNCA as a rivalled offering to KykNet's eNuus. Despite both being produced under one umbrella, Openview had the reach through eExtra which at the time was the only option DStv Access consumers had to Afrikaans content.

With eMedia Investments already doing so well with eNuus on KykNet one would assume that Nuusdag would rise to the occasion but that wasn't the case as there were numerous spelling errors and also competition. Aside from KykNet, SABC 2 also offered Afrikaans and paired that with 7de Laan basically putting Nuusdag at a precarious position.

They moved it to 8pm where the competition was rather stiff outside DStv but still Nuusdag struggled to garner appeal that it was shuttered. For years on end, eMedia Investments had bombarded the eExtra's schedule not that it was bad as the Afrikaans voiceover helped build a community for which the company had less of a history.

This grow Kuiertyd's already dominant telenovela offering to include locally produced films, short form series like Die Fakuliteit and lastly the company's first ever Afrikaans soap Kelders Van Gehieme. I think the question boils down to whether they could look into reviving Nuusdag or something similar to that for Openview consumers.

After SABC decided to axe 7de Laan and move further Afrikaans content to SABC 3 the viewership for this plummeted and even SABC 3's first dubbed show Innocence failed to garner any notice with Nuus ratings that has been halved. eMedia Investments supplemented 7de Laan with Kelders Van Gehieme in the same timeslot.

Them looking to revive Nuusdag or offering something similar wouldn't seem far fetched a stretch. In recent years, we've seen Die Kontrak and Bôll And Ôll pulling in a crowd a format was abandoned by the company when Kuiertyd was first incepted and maybe this newer format will be broadcast on weekends.

#BoycottKuiertyd: "Consumers Alarmed That eExtra Failed To Mention That Op Dun Ys Will Not Offer English Subtitles"

During the week, eExtra unveiled the Turkish drama Op Dun Ys known in Turkey as Sadakatsiz which followed the life of Asli after her world turns upside down after she catches her husband cheating on her with another woman. Interestingly enough, Telemundo is also doing a story depicting the life of a woman's fallen marriage.

But what got a lot of consumers attention was that Op Dun Ys became the first of many shows in eMedia's portfolio to not offer English subtitles. Since Kuiertyd's inception, it was usually their prime focus to include this one feature to their consumers as the majority of households hail from different backgrounds.

When Op Dun Ys was allocated on eExtra you could only guess that this matter would be receive a lot of coverage.

According to eMedia Investments, the content provider for Op Dun Ys doesn't offer subtitles hence the reason they went ahead without them but ensured fans that their other shows (including Viola) will offer subtitles. But this didn't stop consumers from taking shots at the channel for not informing them ahead of time.

Some feeling like eMedia Investments hasn't accommodated for their needs as seen with other programming demand that Op Dun Ys be stripped from the channel. While others mention suffering from a disability and Op Dun Ys despite looking like a superb series is a hit miss as subtitles was a means of inclusion.

But the reception isn't all as bad it turns out to be as some were impressed with the dialogue and the chemistry between characters I think the only question would have to boil down to the winning team.

The fact Op Dun Ys doesn't have subtitles puts the show in a precarious position as the viewer count will likely drop and eExtra would continue to offer the show if not ship it to ePlesier. Although eMedia Investments had seen a lot of growth with this offering a majority of Openview consumers are black.

That doesn't mean these consumers don't watch the content but the idea of subtitles adds diversity and makes them more inclusive. The reality is that Kuiertyd only got where it was because eMedia Investments was only able to accommodate viewers in an area SABC 2 lacked and also the incorporation of international telenovelas.

eExtra To Debut New Series "Legend Of Fuyao"

The story takes place in the universe of Five Kingdoms that is led by the Imperial City of Tianquan. Fuyao was formed from a lotus borne by the Ancient firmament. Adopted as an orphan, she served as a slave for the Xuanyuan sect from the Taiyuan Kingdom. A series of tragedies resulted in a journey across the land to gather the magical artifacts that could lift the curse that blighted her life. 

Along the way, she met the Crown Prince of Tianquan who was masquerading as the heir of Taiyuan while conducting secret missions to quell unrest in the Five Kingdoms. The pair fell in love as they battled the complicated politics and power plays between the different forces. With the help of her loyal companions, Fuyao set out to unravel the heinous plot of the ancient firmament.

Based on the novel Empress Fuyao, Legend of Fuyao aired on the Chinese network Zhejiang TV from June 18 to August 13, 2018 with 66 episodes having being filmed. It starred Yang Mi as Fuyao, Ethan Juan as Zhangsun Wuji, Zhang Dongshen as Xuanyuan Ren, Hu Ke as Xuanyuan Xiao, Lai Yi as Zong Yue, Liang Yimu as Yun Hen.

Legend of Fuyao will air daily at 16:15 replacing Jeyran from Thursday 10 October with an age restriction of 18. In other developments, eExtra will be adding two new shows to their offering in the month Op Dun Ys after being uploaded on eVOD alongside Viola.

This will be the first Asian drama to have been broadcast on the channel during the year after the channel had seen its primetime offering reduced for Kuiertyd's imports. Recently, eMedia Investments had added all of their channels graphic designs to commemorate their 24 year anniversary in the market.

Rumour: eMedia Investments Acquires Broadcasting Rights To Supernatural Drama "Suhagan Chudail"

In this supernatural saga, a malevolent Chudail named Nishigandha is on an obsessive quest for Suhaag ki Nishaniyan, ‘Solah Shringars’ – 16 mystical adornments that will bestow upon her unparalleled beauty and the ultimate prize of immortality. With each ‘Shringar’ she collects by sacrificing her husbands, her dark powers grow stronger.

Now, she has set her sinister sights on ensnaring her 16th and final target, Moksh, to unlock the final ‘Shringar’. However, Nishigandha faces an unexpected challenge from Deeya, a courageous woman determined to protect her beloved Moksh from the enchantment of the Suhagan Chudail.

Deeya must wage a desperate battle to break Nishigandha’s enchantment before it’s too late. With Moksh’s life hanging in the balance, will Deeya’s love triumph over Nishigandha’s dark magic?

The series cast Nia Sharma as Nishigandha, Zayn Ibad Khan as Moksh, Debchandrima Singha Roy as Deeya, Aradhana Sharma as Rachna, Jyoti Mukherji as Moksh’s Mother as Sachin Khurana as Moksh’s Father and Pooja Tiwari as Juri. Colors TV serves as the official broadcaster to Suhagan Chudail and consumers would be familiar with the channel through the series Naagin.

eMedia Investments is rumoured to be rolling out the show in the coming months or by next year with another program viewed on Zee World also said to rolling out on their stable. If one had to guess this will likely be allocated on eExtra alongside other Bollywood shows like Broken Bonds and Twist Of Fate.

eMedia Investments Acquires Broadcasting Rights To New Italian Drama "Viola" For eExtra

Viola Vitale, a gorgeous and magnetic woman who has always worked in the field of fashion journalism, moves from Paris back to Palermo, armed only with optimism and trust, to search for the father she never knew.

There, Violet starts working for an online publisher, covering the crime beat, collaborating with Inspector Francesco Demir. He’s charismatic and seductive, with top investigative talent, but little faith in humanity…in that, the polar opposite of Violet. Highly intuitive on the job, Demir is also impulsive and given to bending the rules.

The pair work side-by-side on homicide cases, she as a reporter, he as a cop. Hugely difficult at first, given the clash of opposites, in time they learn to collaborate successfully. In part because Violet can count on her special gift: synesthesia.

Synesthesia is not merely a figure of speech, but also the actual spontaneous and uncontrollable blending of multiple senses – sight and hearing, for example. In Violet’s case, she associates emotions with colors. When she looks at a person, she sees a color they give off, allowing her to read their deepest, possibly hidden, feelings: fear, joy, pain…

Violet develops the ability to grasp the true mindsets of people she encounters. Behind her synesthesia, however, she guards a bigger secret, to do with her real reason for returning to Palermo.

According to insiders, eMedia Investments is looking to allocate the drama on eExtra in the coming months so we can only assume that it will most likely air by Saturday or Sunday as Viola consists of 26 episodes divided between two seasons. Another scenario would be having the show take up a weekday timeslot either where Pad Na Die Hart or Jeyran resides.

Compared to most other shows curated for eExtra's Kuiertyd, Viola was filmed in Italy so it joins the rankings of Jeyran and Sommerdahl Moorde as one of the few non-Turkish shows on the channel. Although Can Yaman (Droomvelore) is one of the lead actors and joining him is lead actress Francesca Chillemi.

Development Alert: Blink Kant Bo Make Its Linear Debut On eExtra This September Replacing Chrysalis Season 2

During the week, eExtra debuted another TV show which was previously available on eVOD, Pad Na Die Hart. With Net 20 Minute also looking to air on the channel this leaves eExtra to load up on eVOD leftovers with Blink Kant Bo slated to air on the channel from 25 September.

Sometime ago, I did a story on Annekan Die Swa Kry and its future on e.tv with the second season set to reach its climax in the coming months. eMedia Investments is likely to distance the channel from the family drama and allocate another TV show in its timeslot e.g. Die Agentskap.

Ever since Doodsondes premiered in South Africa, eMedia Investments had often changed the broadcaster for the FOX drama. Lacking consistency, the first two seasons were made available on eExtra with third and fourth on e.tv with the final two season on eVOD.

Now Chrysalis is looking to exit the channel after its second season when Blink Kant Bo premieres and similar to Doodsondes the final season will premiere in 2025 with Elif also slated to conclude by then.

Synopsis for Blink Kant Bo 

Halis Ağa is the owner of a large jewellery empire and the head of the Korhan family. Even though his son Orhan and oldest grandson Fuat run most of the business, he still makes the most important decisions in the company. His younger grandson Ferit, who is the total opposite of his brother Fuat, is a very irresponsible young bachelor who just returned from abroad where he went to study. Halis can’t take anymore of Ferit’s recklessness and he charges his widowed daughter-in- law Ifakat with finding him a nice girl to marry. 

The news that Halis Ağa is looking for a bride for his grandson, comes like a bolt from the blue into Kazım’s mansion in Gaziantep. Kazım’s only hope to get rich are his beautiful daughters, Suna and Seyran. After Ifakat sees Suna and decides she is the right girl for Ferit, the family goes to Gaziantep to ask for Suna’s hand in marriage. But before the ceremony, Ferit and Seyran meet each other without realizing that they are supposed to become brother and sister-in-law, and Ferit is enamored by her. 

The two sisters’ lives change forever when Ferit decides to marry Seyran instead of Suna. While Kazım is glad that he has secured his access to a great fortune, Seyran will be the new bride in a family full of betrayals, lies and secrets. While Suna will start making revenge plans to get back her stolen future, life at the mansion will be even more challenging with the two brothers’ power conflicts.

eExtra, eToonz, eMovies And eMovies Extra Continues On MultiChoice's DStv As eMedia Investments Looks To Take Legal Action Over Their Pending Demise

Since 2022, eMedia Investments and MultiChoice have been embroiled a carriage dispute regarding eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz. These channels are also allocated on the Openview platform with eExtra that is available on StarSat in a separate agreement. 

A hearing was scheduled for this August but according to a report it has been delayed once again with a date that has to be finalized. 

eMedia Investments is looking to take legal action against MultiChoice over the impending demise of these money grabbers. These channels ranked first, fourth, seventh and tenth serve as additional revenue stream to aid in the distribution and licensing of content. 

Other disputes these two parties engaged in revolved on the 2023 Rugby World Cup where SABC and MultiChoice reached an agreement worth R57 million. Of course, this agreement restricted these matches from being allocated on Openview and StarSat as they failed to obtain free-to-air rights.

In a court ruling, MultiChoice wasn't allowed to make such restrictions forcing the SABC to have their current agreement set in place scrapped. Following SABC’s absence from these events, sports minister warned a warning to these broadcasters for their failure to come into terms with a new agreement. 

eMedia Investments Unveiled Annual Performance From 31 March 2024 And Plans Ahead For Their Platforms

eMedia’s financial performance

eMedia presents a satisfactory financial performance for the 2024 financial year given its mitigation against continued loadshedding, which had a negative impact on overall viewership and saw a further decline in television advertising spend of approximately 1%.

The actors and writers’ strike in Hollywood at the beginning of the financial year also had a severe negative impact on one of the subsidiaries in the Group, Media Film Service, which made R31.5 million less in profit after tax when compared to the prior year. The Group also continued its legal battles against Multichoice during the current financial year spending R8.8 million more in the current year when compared to the prior year.

Notwithstanding all the negative impacts to business operations in the macro-economic environment in South Africa, the Group was able to return favourable results and further continues with the declaration of dividends to its shareholders with a dividend of 16 cents per share at the close of the financial year.

Revenue and market share

The Group’s revenue for the fiscal of R3.1 billion is only 2.1% less than the previous year which can be mainly attributed to the decreased revenue earned by Media Film Service as mentioned above. This was further underscored by television advertising revenue ending on R2.165 billion an increase of 3% despite the television advertising cake declining by 1%. This is the highest television advertising revenue earned by the Group in its history.

The Group once again outperformed the market in terms of advertising revenue in the television market. This benefit in advertising revenues can be attributed to the Group maintaining prime-time audience market share at 33.5% in March 2024 from 34.5% in March 2023, a slight decrease year on year.

Further analysis of the Group’s market share reveals an increase in both shoulder and prime time. The share ended at 33.0% and 33.5% respectively, making the Group the biggest broadcaster in audience share in prime time and second to DStv in shoulder time in South Africa.

e.tv

The prime-time market share for e.tv has shown a slight decrease of 0.7% to 20.7% audience share. Of interest, however, is that e.tv is now the biggest channel during both prime time and shoulder time surpassing SABC1. The continued loadshedding saw a change in viewer patterns and this saw an impact on some of the shows. Scandal (19:30 to 20:00) and House of Zwide (19:00 to 19:30) continues to have a demanding market share in their respective timeslots with Scandal, however, coming into some competition with SABC1 moving Skeem Saam from its 18:30 slot to the 19:30 slot.

During the year, e.tv launched new dramas, Smoke and Mirrors at 21:00 to 21:30 and Isitha at 21:30 to 22:00. Both these dramas command the number one position in their timeslots. The 18:30 drama, Nikiwe was withdrawn from the schedule as it was not commanding a satisfactory market share and was replaced by a new drama, Isipetho, which has more than doubled the market share.

e.tv now spends approximately R600 million annually on local drama series and again shows the dedication of the Group to grow the local television industry.

e.tv continues to face the impact of the uncertainty of the imminent analogue switch-off facing the country but the Group is confident that the audience share will be carefully managed. At present the Group is once again engaging with the Department of Communication in relation to the switch-off date regarding e.tv analogue transponders. The Group is firm in the belief that too many ordinary South Africans will remain without TV in a hard switch-off environment.

Openview and multichannel

The non-linear eMedia channels continue to improve their ratings with eExtra, eMovies Extra and eReality which rank in the top 15 of all satellite channels available in South Africa. A few more channels will be launched on the Openview platform in the new fiscal year.

The rest of the eMedia channels, available on multiple platforms accounted for 26.9% of the advertising revenue amounting to R610.6 million which is up from R501.3 million in the previous year. Profitability in this unit has been maintained with content costs for the fiscal year being pegged at R325.6 million.

The distribution of the four eMedia entertainment channels on Multichoice, which contributed to the Group’s audience and revenue share, is still under investigation by the Competition Commission after non-renewal of the channel carriage agreement. At the time of this report, the channels remain on the Multichoice bouquet, and the court case is set down for August 2024. As mentioned, this has attributed to the year-on-year increase in legal costs.

The set-top box activations for Openview for the year amounted to 377 916 taking the amount of activated set-top boxes to 3 428 523 activated at the end of the period. Technological advancements being the focus of the business will bring in the next upgraded phase of the Openview set-top box, a smarter set-top box which will have memory facilities and Wi-Fi capability.

eNCA

eNCA continues to perform satisfactorily in its targeting of the discerning news viewer. In an attempt to engage the viewer, the channel has changed its positioning from ‘No Fear, No Favour’, to ‘Question, Think, Act’. It also continues to be the leading advertising revenue generator in the news market.

Other subsidiaries

All of the Group’s subsidiaries, with the exception of Media Film Service, have performed exceptionally with Y ending the year on a profit after tax of R16.8 million, an increase of 6% year on year.

Costs

Administrative and other costs were well maintained, increasing by only 2.35% year on year. This increase is mainly due to marketing activities returning back to normal, increases in legal fees as previously discussed and the adverse impact of the rand fluctuation.

Cost of sales, which mainly consists of the cost of content, in the case of e.tv, employee costs in the case of eNCA, and cost of the Openview decoder sales, decreased from R1 629.4 million to R1 584.8 million. A significant portion of the decrease can be attributed to close control of content costs across the channels and the retrenchments to create efficiencies within eNCA.

Profitability

The only asset of the Group is a 67.69% interest in eMedia Investments, the company that owns e.tv, eNCA, Openview, eVOD among other businesses.

eMedia Investments ended the year with a net profit after tax of R353.2 million, compared to a profit of R404.7 million in the prior year. The above profit should be viewed in light of the continued loadshedding and the impact this had on the advertising cake, foreign exchange rate and the impact of diesel usage on the business, as well as the increased legal and marketing costs together with the impact of the actors and writers’ strike in faraway Hollywood.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the Group ended on R628.3 million compared to R667.2 million in the prior year.

Conclusion

The Group is forging ahead with numerous technology advances and strategic planning to continue to be the audience share market leader. The investment in Openview provides the Group with the strategic flexibility and is the plan to address the challenges of the transition that digital migration brings with it. The Group also intends to launch a number of digital developments to enhance its revenue generation capabilities and take advantage of our highly in-demand content.

The Group remains focused on its core business of broadcasting, content creation, platform advancements and a granular focus on technology that improves the broadcasting process.

Could e.tv Dump Annekan Die Swa Kry After Three Seasons?

Annekan Die Swa Kry follows four siblings, who are closely tied to each other, lose both their mothers and fathers after a series of unfortunate events. Having lost the people most dear to them, there is nothing they can do except hold on to each other as they no longer have anyone else they can depend on. 

That is until, Akif Atakul, the person who is the reason for all their misfortunes, opens the doors to a college he owns to them, exposing them to a completely new and different life. This new life, where the paths of rich and poor, criminal and victim intersect, turns everyone into a new person.

After wrapping up its fourth and final season in Turkey with eMedia Investments that is likely to wrap up if not acquire the remaining episodes in the 2025/6 season is currently on its third season. With questions amounting to how eMedia Investments plans to distribute the final season. 

For those who've viewed these brands, most of the content to have been distributed by Kuiertyd has often changed broadcasters. Doodsondes' 6 seasons were divided between e.tv, eExtra and eVOD same goes for Roekeloos Dade with Daai Crazy Somer being those few to air entirely. 

Recently, it was announced that Pad Na Die Hart would be replacing season 5 of Doodsondes on eExtra as opposed to eMedia just wrapping up the show as seen with eVOD. What are the chances that Annekan Die Swa Kry won't just get taken off e.tv's schedule in the coming months?

Elif will be ending within the first half of 2025 so it wouldn't come as much of a shocker if Annekan Die Swa Kry were to take up its timeslot with both being family oriented. Or if it arrived much later within that year either on e.tv or eExtra hence the 2025/6 season.

Additional Afrikaans Voice Actors For Annekan Die Swa Kry, Doodsondes, Chrysalis, Die Put And Elif

Ayden Cory as Tolga

Pierre Nelson as Ahmet

Amalia Uys as Sevval

Jacques Theron as Burak

Nell Van Der Merwe as Suzan

Wanda Banda as Yasmin

Joce Engelbrecht as Gönül

Marina Botha as Ayla

Tanja Franzsen as Nebahat

Kira Joy Huizies as Layla

Meggan Lee Johnstone as Afra Yildiz

Caleb Felix as Omer

Susanne Beyers as Handan

Hendri Mouton as Sedai

Richard Van Der Westhuizen as Çetin

Juandre Kim Anderson as Kumru Yildirim

Morne Esben as Çağatay

Willie Fritz as Docan

Electra Hartman as Feyza Üstündag

Conradie Van Heerden as Omer

Meggan-Johnston as Canan

Cedwyn Joel as Cavt

Pierre Nelson as Alp

Joce Engelbrecht as Seren

Mario Haupt as Arik

Margo Kotze as Layla

Miche Van Wyk as Burcu

Clarissa Saaiman as Asli

Marunzo Thomas as Mahir

Marissa Claasen as Rana

Margo Kotze as Filiz

Susanne Beyers as Kiymet

This was originally published on Die Afrikaans Voice Actors.Pagie

TA-DAA. eExtra Loads Up On New Action Series In Net 20 Minute This August

More eVOD content is set to rollout in the coming months with Net 20 Minute from 28 August replacing Die Put once it ends. 

Net 20 Minutes follows Ali thrown into a world of action and intrigue when his beloved wife Melek is arrested for attempted murder. Ali must abandon his books, find inner strength and courage in order to free his wife and reclaim his family life. 

Set in Turkey, 20 Minutes was inspired by the 2010 American film The Next Three Days and starred Tuba Büyüküstün and İlker Aksum in leading roles. Star TV served as broadcaster when the series was broadcast in 2013. 

Since it's debut, the Emmy nominated series had been sold to 55 countries including Bahrain, Algeria, Djibouti, Morocco, Greece, Romania, Poland, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Egypt, Mauritania, Somali, Sudan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

Ramo was originally set to replace Die Put once it ends but similar to Doodsondes their final seasons will be air in 2025. Aside from Net 20 Minute, eExtra will be offloading another series from eVOD, Pad Na Die Hart.