Reminder: eMedia's 4 Channels To Go Dark On The DStv Platform Sometime In 2023

By the end of July, eMedia Investments 4 TV channels primarily eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz were reinstated on the DStv platform after an intense battle with MultiChoice later in the year over the carriage agreement for these channels.

As advised by the court, MultiChoice will have to put up with these 4 channels for another 6 months meaning the channels would likely have to go off air by either January or February but I'm not expecting them to post any notice.

Earlier in the year, eMedia and MultiChoice went to court in what everyone thought would be a case closed the channels went dark a few hours before their end date so I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the same trick of rushing their release by next year.

If I had to be honest, I think it would make more sense to keep eExtra seeing as it's the kykNET of eMedia but I'm guessing Kuiertyd isn't enough for them to reconsider unlike eMovies and eToonz now those two had plenty of rebroadcasts but that doesn't mean no one's watching them.

As it is, MultiChoice already allocated the necessary alternatives such as DreamWorks and PBS Kids to their Compact and Easyview customers alongside KIX and Movie Room to their Access customers so I doubt they'd walk away from their decision.

They also boasted about transponder constraints which limits the amount of additions and resorted to retrenchment of channels so yeah I doubt these channels would walk out of this unscathed.

It was also revealed that SABC would be adding 3 channels one of which likely being SABC Education to the DStv platform in the coming future as replacements. SABC doesn't have much of a good history regarding the pay-tv platform.

This upcoming carriage is different as it includes Openview but their channels just wind up not being productive which just leads some viewers to doubt these channels won't just suffer the same fate as SABC Africa and SABC Encore but honestly time will tell with those 3 channels.

The public broadcaster is working on a turnaround plan and as seen with their carriage arrangement with eMedia Investments and the same with MultiChoice when SABC Encore was around we have a long journey ahead.

Poltergeist: A 1980s Classic Became Known As Hollywood's Most "Cursed" Film Following The Untimely Death Of A 12-Year-Old Actress

Not only is Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist regarded as one of the most terrifying horror films of all time, it's also known as the most "cursed" film in Hollywood.

Shrouded in superstition following a handful of mysterious cast deaths, the 1982 film's grim history has followed it through decades – even casting fear over the critically reviled 2015 remake.

The "Poltergeist curse", as it's become known, came about after four of the cast members died of mysterious circumstances – the most shocking being that of Heather O'Rourke – the cherubic 12-year-old childstar who played protagonist Carol Anne in all three Poltergeist films, as well as Heather Pfister in Happy Days.

THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY

Set in a house built on an ancient Native American burial ground, the original Poltergeist trilogy told the terrifying story of the Freeling family and their encounters with the supernatural.

Gifted with a connection to the spiritual world, the youngest daughter, Carol Anne (O'Rourke), was haunted by the malicious spirits buried beneath her home, including that of a sadistic doomsday cult leader named Kane

It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on June 4, 1982 and was a commercial success, grossing $1.13 million in the United States, making it the highest-grossing horror film of 1982 and eighth overall for the year.

The film's special effects – inventive for its era – makes it frequently ranked among the greatest horror films of all time.

BEGINNINGS OF "THE CURSE"

Many believe the "Poltergeist Curse" began the same year the first movie was released.

Actress Dominique Young, who made her film debut in Poltergeist as the elder sister of Carol Anne, died a violent death shortly after its release in 1983.

She was strangled to death by her boyfriend, John Thomas Sweeney.

According to a New York Times article, Young was put on life support after the attack but passed away five days later.

Sweeney was later found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, according to a 1983 article from The Freelance Star.

JULIAN BECK

It was the actor who played Carol Anne's most intimidating spirit, doomsday cult leader Kane, who died next.

Julian Beck, who played Kane in Poltergeist II sadly did not live to see the release of the sequel.
He was 60 when he lost a battle with stomach cancer on September 14, 1985, according to The New York Times.

WILL SAMPSON

The third in the spooky string of deaths associated with the film was of the man who portrayed a friendly ghost named Taylor in the second Polergeist film, Will Sampson.

Sampson died on June 3, 1987, aged 53, after of an illness caused by a chronic degenerative condition, according to The Herald Journal.

HEATHER O'ROURKE'S DEATH

It was the unexpected nature of Heather O'Rourke's death which led many to believe the "Poltergeist Curse" was real.

Known for adorable, blue-eyed angelic looks and her creepy delivery of the line; "They're here" in the first film of the series, it was largely O'Rourke's chilling performance that made the film iconic.
At 12 years old, she passed away suddenly.

The actress died in surgery when doctors were attempting to repair an acute bowel obstruction, caused by what was believed to be a long battle with Crohn's disease, the LA Times reported.

The young address was tragically pronounced dead after suffering septic shock, on February 1, 1988.

Its eMovies And eMovies Extra Vs. TNT And CineMagic: Another Openview Vs. DStv Saga

Openview has been dominating the South African market for several years giving companies like MultiChoice a run for their money particularly for those residing on lower bouquets such as DStv Easyview as the once underachieving platform is about to go through some changes.

MultiChoice will be adding two new entertainment channels to the bouquet in the month of November, Magic Showcase and CineMagic which just helps build onto the number of alternatives in South Africa.

Openview offers less channels but they have managed to win a lot of audiences with the selection of sports, local dramas, international series, kids shows and movies. Now it appears as if MultiChoice has begun catching up to the free-to-view platform.

DStv Easyview only offered 1 movie channel TNT which has been having a bit of its ups and downs with the likes of Blade, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Final Destination, Anaconda and so forth. If it was for TNT Original Movies and All Elite Wrestling I don't how far the channel could have gotten.

Point is, TNT was at a disadvantage as Openview provided two movie channels eMovies and eMovies Extra which were able to juggle around a mix of emotions. eMovies had Pokémon, Mama Jack and Oh Schuks while eMovies Extra had Fast And Furious, Transporter and Rush Hour.

With the inclusion of CineMagic, I'm not expecting them to read each other's mind or become the sibling duo as these two fall under different grounds so the only thing that anyone should be excited about is the number of options available.

CineMagic is set to feature a mix of local and international films 18 hours a day leaving TNT to the remaining 6 hours. Although, a schedule hasn't been provided my guess would be the content is based from M-Net Movies and Mzansi Bioskop.

Over to the winners which there's none, you got to look at the benefits to the above brands to reach your conclusion. eMovies is very selective I guess that's what made them favourable on DStv, TNT has got All Elite Wrestling and CineMagic by my hunch has the local productions.

Review: The Outcome To The eFamily Of Channels On DStv

Earlier in the year, it was reported that eMedia Investments 4 TV channels currently seen on the Openview platform would exit the DStv platform. Now the channels remain onboard for a few months as the Competition Tribunal conduct their findings.

As it the channel's futures seem very dark on the pay-tv service as they've been hit with various limitations leading them to launch several new channels like Racing240, Hilaal TV and Qwest TV in place of others like Tellytrack, ITV Networks and MTV Hits.

But that's not what aggravated them to axe the channels but mostly the fact that these brands lacked originality and the only existed to mash the existing offering on their platform as it is eMovies and eToonz are duplicating Studio Universal and DreamWorks.

Honestly, when those channels exited for the short while sure I was pissed as there was plenty of content I followed but overtime I felt like a huge burden had been lifted of my shoulders. I mean I kind of got used to their absence and was stunned when they were reinstated.

Just as I was ready to just open up a new chapter I discovered there was more to the previous chapter in this eMedia. Trust me when I say I do take people's opinions to consideration but when it comes to these channels this comes from my point of view.

Honestly, I do feel that these channels are very much possessive or distractions but not a bad way I mean it's hard finding channels that can keep viewers glued this long despite the annual increases and reshuffle of entertainment.

If anything, the only other brand that has me latched onto the platform would be CBS Reality not because of Judge Judy or Cheaters but primarily over the fact that they're very selective I mean they have Animal Hoarding and Shocking Emergency Calls.

I know there's National Geographic Wild and Investigation Discovery but the magic is different from what you can already see on CBS Reality. eMedia's channels had the same effect with the bulk of alternatives already found on DStv.

Sure they may have been a mishap with the amount of Zee World on eExtra but that doesn't mean no one watches it. As it is neighbouring countries are up to speed with what's going on with Twist Of Fate and I Do while others have to catch up through this channel.

eExtra happens to be the most popular attraction on eMedia's stable on DStv alongside eMovies but comparing the two I do feel that this channel should fall back while the others remain exclusive to the Openview platform.

MultiChoice has plenty of movie channels at this point particularly on the ones that eMovies cater for in this case Premium all the way done to Access such as M-Net Movies 4, Movie Room, TNT and KIX and the same can be said about eToonz really.

With eExtra, it's not really about the stories but the fact eMedia views the brand as another window to their local endeavours with the likes of Die Kontrak and the former Afrikaans movie block so why leave kykNET as the only alternative at this point.

Sure there's plenty of viewers tuning into Elif and Verdeelde Liefde on eExtra alongside In Die Ysterhand Se Greep and Kind Van Die Noodlot on kykNET & Kie but those are just complimenting each other even if kykNET were to just give it a channel the feeling would be mutual.

Having both these brands would give consumers more choices compared to the Openview platform which seems to following the route of most M-Net channels that rush to duplicate an offering on another channel.

Rumour: e.tv's 4 Channels To Go Live On The DStv Platform From Next Week

During this past week, it was reported that eMedia's 4 channels primarily eToonz, eExtra, eMovies and eMovies Extra would be reinstated onto the DStv platform following pending investigation by the Competition Tribunal which could take up to 6 months.

MultiChoice told the Competition Tribunal that it had satellite transponder constraints and that eMedia's channels didn't fit their 5 year strategy regardless the channels are scheduled to relaunch on DStv with consumers beyond ecstatic to view their favourite dramas and movies.

On top of that, MultiChoice already found suitors for the channels with DreamWorks replicating the offering on eToonz, kykNET ramping up its telenovela offering on kykNET & Kie and Movie Room curating a variety of local movies with different genres.

The channels are rumoured to rollout on the DStv platform by August 8th I know quick rollout but that's how such cases go out as seen with Nismedia's Glow TV channel on the Openview platform.

The fact that these channels are returning to DStv doesn't guarantee that they'll have them onboard full-time as MultiChoice proved that they're more than ready to move away on from these channels especially now that they're transponder are met with constraints as they were only able to add 14 channels once e.tv's channels were removed.

eToonz, eMovies, eMovies Extra And eExtra To Relaunch On DStv Following Pending Investigation

In a judgment handed down on Monday, the court – which is a special division of the high court – overturned an earlier decision by the Competition Tribunal that the channels could be removed from MultiChoice’s DStv bouquets.

This is pending the final determination of the complaint, which has been referred by the appeal court to the Competition Commission for further investigation.

“The unannounced switch-off left eMedia without sufficient time to communicate to viewers

The appeal court ordered MultiChoice to reinstate the channels that were removed from DStv at the end of May. MultiChoice terminated the channels immediately upon receiving the decision of the tribunal.

The channels that were cut and that now must be reinstated pending the commission’s investigation are eToonz, eMovies, eMovies Extra and e.tv Extra.
It’s understood that MultiChoice has also been ordered to pay eMedia’s legal costs for the appeal, including the cost of two counsel.

eMedia dragged MultiChoice to the tribunal in April to seek relief after a renewed channel supply agreement between the parties saw DStv opting not to carry the four channels.

“No reasons were provided for the ruling by the Competition Tribunal. The unannounced switch-off also left eMedia without sufficient time to communicate to viewers. Viewers are angry and disappointed that they are no longer able to see their programmes via the DStv platform,” eMedia claimed in a brief statement at the time.

Asked for comment on Monday, a spokesman for MultiChoice said: “We are aware of the decision made by the competition appeal court in favour of eMedia. We are considering the court’s decision to grant the order requiring us to carry the four eMedia channels for a limited period of six months while the Competition Commission conducts its investigation.”

Studio Universal Is Your #1 Alternative To eMovies

Since 2011, Studio Universal owned by NBCUniversal serves as one of the core entertainment channels by the company dedicated to films either based on a genre or an actor kind of like the main channel, Universal and in between those films there's series.

For nearly a decade, Studio Universal has been taking on other existing movie channels part of which on DStv while others in various regions like M-Net Movies, TNT, FilmBox, eMovies and AMC but one thing all these brands have in common is repeats.

Sure they may not repeat the exact same movies as much the other but one thing I kind of disliked about Studio Universal happened to be duplicated e.tv offering as most of their offering was usually seen on the station months prior to their rollout.

 

To top it off, DreamWorks is undergoing a similar procedure with the latest content folded under eToonz as DStv consumers have to start from scratch with most of the content.

Point being made Studio Universal was kind of a push over at the time and even after their duplicate eMovies and eMovies Extra was scrapped from the DStv platform. That tendency still lives on through the Openview platform.

For those who stuck with DStv are probably trying to figure out the best alternative to kung fu KIX or the animation skewed M-Net Movies 3 & 4. The answer to that is simple, Studio Universal.

Sure TNT is there but as mentioned when TCM was phased out this channel would incorporate a bit of nostalgia so if anything it could work as an accessory or an alternative to Studio Universal but wouldn't match the standards found on eMovies.

 

eMovies was that portal from M-Net Movies 1 & 2 catered to low income households as they are able source movies from these channels in under 5 years while as 3 & 4 worked to a similar extent but there was still a lot more that hasn't been explored on those channels.

While M-Net Movies 3 & 4 would give you the latest instalments to Terminator, eMovies offered a selection of Marvel films and while those M-Net channels gave you animation like Uglydolls and My Little Pony: The Movie with eMovies you could get a variety of films from Pixar.

Studio Universal kind of like Universal and DreamWorks all owned by NBCUniversal are pretty much alternatives to these eChannels I mean eMedia supplies a content from their studios and the only downside would be accessibility as Studio Universal caters for the mid masses.

Why DStv Was Able To Remove e.tv's Channels?

The Competition Tribunal has released its reasons for dismissing eMedia’s application to force MultiChoice to keep four of its channels on DStv.

In early March 2022, DStv first announced it would stop airing the E-tv Extra, eToonz, eMovies, and eMovies Extra channels from the next month.

It halted the move after eMedia brought an application for interim relief with the Tribunal.

eMedia sought an order to stop MultiChoice from dropping the channels for six months or until the outcome of its main application to have the channels restored.

The E-tv owner argued that MultiChoice’s actions amounted to a refusal to supply a scarce service and claimed it would suffer significant financial harm due to a loss of advertising revenue.

 

DStv refuted these claims and said the decision was based on commercial considerations.

The Tribunal ruled against eMedia and DStv cut the channels without further warning to viewers at the start of June 2022.

According to the Tribunal, eMedia had not demonstrated the financial harm it would suffer was sufficient to establish competitive harm.

The Tribunal has now explained the following three conditions had to be met to constitute exclusionary conduct on the part of MultiChoice:

• There must be a refusal to supply goods or services to a customer or competitor.
• The refusal to supply must be in respect of scarce goods or services.
• It must be economically feasible for MulitChoice to supply.

Based on the elements above, the Tribunal said eMedia had not established that MultiChoice’s behaviour amounted to a refusal to supply an input to a downstream competitor or customer since MultiChoice was not a supplier of inputs to eMedia.

It also failed to demonstrate that MultiChoice’s behaviour was refusal to supply a competitor access to the DStv platform since MultiChoice argues that it does not provide access to the technical platform services and is only obligated to carry the public broadcasting services channels.

 

Furthermore, eMedia could not show that “basic satellite television services” were scarce, the Tribunal stated.

Because eMedia could not establish there was a refusal to supply a service or that the service was scarce, its claims that it was economically feasible for MultiChoice to carry the channels were redundant.

“The Tribunal concluded that granting interim relief may unduly alter the state of competition in the market in favour of eMedia to the exclusion of other competitors in the market,” the Tribunal said.

“This would not be consistent with the Tribunal’s role to intervene to prevent damage to competition in the market as a whole, rather than damage to a competitor.”

The Commission added that a full investigation and oral evidence may or may not confirm evidence of harm against eMedia.

Without Prior Notice MultiChoice Removes e.tv's 4 Channels From The DStv Platform

MultiChoice and eMedia Investments got into a fist fight in March following regarding the four e.tv channels which were set to go dark on DStv by the end the same month but eventually got delayed for another 2 months as they tried to resolve the issue in court.

As seen by several DStv customers later today, MultiChoice silently removed these channels on DStv without notice on the EPG as seen with ITV Networks and Lifetime. To top it off, e.tv didn't even advertise the termination as seen in March.

Could it be possible that eMedia was left in the dark and only found out at the last minute? Who knows really?

 

 

One things for certain, e.tv is your only source of entertainment as stated in March for these 4 brands meaning those who choose to stay aboard the platform will have to wait much longer for some content while others air on a limited basis.

But on the bright side viewers can still view other e.tv brands like eNCA and eNuus on kykNET but is that enough to make up for the massive loss.

Replacements

1. DreamWorks replaced eToonz on DStv Premium, Compact+ and Compact with PBS Kids on Easyview.
2. KIX replaced the two eMovies channels on DStv Family and Access with a second movie channel coming soon.
3. MultiChoice will be rolling out 3 SABC channels as revealed in the court session.

 

 

Alternatives

1. kykNET & Kie will be rolling out Turkish dramas in the next two months so that will be replacing eExtra but Access customers will have to wait on that.
2. eExtra was part Bollywood so Zee World and Star Life are there but not for Access and Easyview again.
3. M-Net Movies, Studio Universal and TNT can make up for the bulk of international movies.
4. DreamWorks is basically eToonz repeats channel so there you have it.

New channels

1. NHK World Japan
2. Via duplicate channel
3. SABC Education
4. Second movie channel

5. Untitled Islam channel

eMedia Investment's Financial Reports: Viewership, Finances And More Channels

eMedia’s Financial Performance
For the year ending 31 March 2022, eMedia has experienced a resounding bounce back in its fnancial performance after the impact of the pandemic on businesses and the economy generally. This resounding bounce back is evident in a signifcant increase in proft from continued operations of R426.4 million as compared to the previous year’s proft of R138.5 million.

The year’s proft is also signifcantly better than the pre-COVID-19 year fiscal which ended in March 2020, which ended with an adjusted proft after adding back the goodwill impairment of R241.6 million. This fscal as compared to the pre-COVID-19 March 2020 proft shows a R184.8 million increase or a 76.5% increase and as compared to March 2021 is R287.9 million more and 207.9% better.

Revenue and Market Share
The Group’s revenue for the fiscal of R3.2 billion is the highest ever achieved, underscored by an increase in television advertising revenue to R2.1 billion. The television advertising revenue ended 39% better than the prior year and approximately 15% better than the market.

 

 

The Group beneftted from the resurgence of television advertising revenues as compared to the pandemic affected years which experienced a decline in advertising spend. This beneft in advertising revenues can be attributed to an increase in the Group’s prime time audience market share from 29.6% in March 2021 to 34.1% in March 2022, an increase of 15.2%.

Further analysis of the Group’s market share reveals an increase in both shoulder and prime time. The share ended at 31.8% and 34.1% respectively, making the Group the biggest broadcaster in audience share in both categories in South Africa.

e.tv
The increase in audience market share has driven up eTV’s advertising revenue. e.tv’s local dailies such as Imbewu, Scandal, House of Zwide and Durban General have driven the surge in market share in prime time. Edged on by this, management have invested in another local daily soap at 9.30 pm called The Black Door. With a few schedule changes Management is confdent of increasing market share.

e.tv may well be affected by the imminent analogue switch of facing the country but the group is confdent that the audience share will be carefully managed. At present the Group is awaiting a Constitutional Court decision on whether the switch off would be delayed giving more time to assist ordinary South Africans to be well accommodated and not be left without TV.

 

 

Openview
There has also been an improvement in the ratings of the other six channels produced by the group. eExtra, eMovies Extra and eReality rank in the top 15 of all satellite channels available in South Africa. A few more channels will be launched on the Openview platform.

This DTH unit of the business accounted for 21.9% of the advertising revenue amounting to R468.1 million which is up from R269.6 million in the previous year. Proftability in this unit has been achieved for the frst time with content costs for the fscal being pegged at R446.3 million.

The distribution of the four Openview entertainment channels on Multichoice, which contributed to the Group’s audience and revenue share, is presently 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 as a decision is yet to be received.

The set-top box activations for Openview are increasing on a monthly basis from an average of 35 000 per month to 40 000 per month. At the end of the period a total of 2 774 454 boxes were activated.

 

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
The news channel, eNCA, is the most watched news channel in the country, although it’s not offered on all tiers of the DSTV bouquet, whereas the competition is on all tiers. The advertising revenue targets were achieved through the pandemic affected years while its costs were carefully maintained.

The group has secured a further fve year agreement with Multichoice for the carriage of eNCA. The channel will remain exclusive to Mutichoice.

eVOD
In August 2021 eMedia launched an OTT platform, eVOD which has been well accepted in its target market. The number of registered viewers to date has been very encouraging with the average daily minutes viewed in excess of 1 000 000. The eOriginals offering on eVOD is the leading audience generator on eVOD making the group bullish about investing a further R100 million in local original content which will be amortised across the Group’s platforms and channels.

 

Other Subsidiaries
All of the groups subsidiaries which include Media Film Service, Sasani Studios, The Refnery, Cape Town Film Studios and YFM have posted better results having recovered from the COVID-19 years and all have returned to proftability.

Costs
Administrative and other costs have been well maintained although an increase of 19.7% has been revealed. This increase is mainly due to certain companies within the Group returning to 100% of salaries after reductions in the period of lockdowns and an increase in marketing activities after the lull brought on by the pandemic.

Cost of sales, which mainly consists of the cost of content, in the case of e.tv and employee costs in the case of eNCA, increased from R1 494.2 million to R1 748.1 million. Much of this increase is because of the bold step of introducing a new prime time daily “soap”, Durban General which launched in October 2020. This calculated risk was rewarded by the outstanding performance of the programme in its time slot. The fnancial year has also seen another new “soap”, House of Zwide replace Rhythm City. House of Zwide improved the group’s market share in the time slot. This increase in share of both of the new soaps underwrites an increase in revenue.

Proftability
The only asset of the group is a 67.69% interest in eMedia Investments the company that owns etv, eNCA, Openview, eVOD among other businesses.
The Group ended the year with a net proft of R420.8 million, which is inclusive of the loss of R5.6 million relating to discontinued operations, made up of losses from operations that the Group has considered non-essential and will be exiting or closing in the next fnancial year.

 

 

The above proft should be viewed in the context of the proft of the prior year of R107.9 million and an adjusted proft of R225.0 million in the year ended 31 March 2020. The year before the impact of the pandemic.

Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization for the Group ended on R677.9 million compared to R302.9 million in the prior year, a 123.8% increase year-on-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.

With the closure of non-core assets, the Group is now focused on its core business of broadcasting, content creation, platform advancements and a granular focus on technology that improves broadcasting.

RUMOUR: eToonz, eMovies, eMovies Extra And eExtra Remain On DStv

In March, MultiChoice planned to eliminate the 4 e.tv channels and leave each customer with 1 replacement (DreamWorks - Compact, KIX - Access and PBS Kids - Easyview). The news recieved major backlash with others opting for Openview when the channels go off air as they weren't satisfied with the offering on DStv.

eMedia Investments which serves as the parent company for these brands filed a court application to determine whether these channels are worth saving with MultiChoice carrying the channels for another 2 months due to this legal battle.

 

A lot of punches were thrown on both ends with eMedia accusing MultiChoice of being "anti-competitive" while MultiChoice reprimanded eMedia for its failure to reduce the level of repetition and lack of local content.

eMedia went on to say MultiChoice covered up the recent confrontation by stating the demise of e.tv's channels were mutual while MultiChoice stated they were removing them for three yet-to-be launched SABC channels.

There's been lots of silence of course MultiChoice seems to be adding more and more channels like the already mentioned KIX and PBS Kids which had their launch date moved from March to May 31st on top of losing a couple of channels like Lifetime and ITV Networks.

 

Through a conversation a user asked right after MultiChoice answered in regard to ITV Networks, why they're so hesitant to let go of these channels and they had this to say:

Not to worry as DStv opted to renew their contract with eMedia meaning that we will no longer cancel the eMedia channels.

This is a sigh of relief if the information provided is as accurate as they mentioned. MultiChoice had a tendency of spreading misinformation but if this happens to be true then its a major win for consumers who've grown accustomed to their selection of movies and telenovelas - of course I do wonder if there's more to this deal like eVOD or another e.tv channel which I highly doubt.

 

MultiChoice is expected to lose more channels in the near future and as they always say they'll always be linear channels or in figurative terms there's plenty of fish in the sea but as eMedia mentioned how is anyone sure it would be replaced.

Due to the rise of streamers, you don't see a lot of premium international channels with large gaps available in the 120 section with more gaps expected should MultiChoice not seek alternatives.

If these channels are remaining it would be a win to all DStv customers or at least for those below Compact which are Family and Access customers which will see more options in films or Easyview customers that is just like 2020 Access that inherited one kids brand after another.

Could MultiChoice Keep e.tv's 4 Channels On DStv And Restore e.tv Africa?

MultiChoice ripped away e.tv from neighbouring countries leading more consumers to pirate the bulk of content with an Openview or eVOD to watch the bulk of content available on the channel while South African consumers will only lose the channels by the end of May.

eMedia Investments engaged with the Competition Tribunal regarding their agreement with MultiChoice for these channels. As some consumers have noticed, some of their channels have been performing remarkably well even on bouquets like Premium and Compact.

 

Money wouldn't have been the root of their misery if MultiChoice learnt to play the cards right. According to several reports, before they could bundle more channels eMedia Investments was making close to half a billion which was reduced following the additions of these channels.

Another incident involves eNCA and the defunct Afro Worldview, eNCA is the most watched news channel yet Afro Worldview made more than them. When interrogating MultiChoice, they only responded to say that they have less news bulletins.

So you can literally see where all this anger is coming toward, eMedia hopes to see their continue on DStv and for MultiChoice to agree with their demands.

 

MultiChoice seems more affirmed with their decision to scrap the channels as they've sourced out several new channels which can be viewed as replacements in South Africa such as DreamWorks bulking a lot of eToonz and the upcoming movie channel.

The initial plan was to scrap 4 channels and leave 1 channel on each package: KIX (DStv Access and Family), PBS Kids (DStv Easyview) and DreamWorks (DStv Premium, Compact+ and Compact). As mentioned, MultiChoice intends to launch another movie channel.

The movie space on DStv has been overcrowded on the basis of American films for which MultiChoice is trying to reduce considering how repetitive the offering can be. If anything, the channels that have a better shot on DStv would be eExtra and eToonz.

I get eToonz has a duplicate but the channel's world doesn't revolve on DreamWorks as there's other content like Power Rangers, Pokemon and Ninjago and the recent live-action series. On top of that, MultiChoice won't be using most of the channel numbers in the kiddies section anytime soon.

Akilli Kids exists in East Africa on eToonz channel number while Ghana Learning and Edu TV occupy channels 315 & 316.

 

For eExtra, it's not entirely about the programming but the same issue as eToonz - channel number. Some parts of Africa have channel 195 with the relevant one Televista being the equivalent of the channel in those regions.

For the rest of Africa, e.tv was spotted in i-Plate section and I don't want to rush into conclusions but there's been cases where MultiChoice cancels a channel and yet comes with a complete schedule in that area usually because it exists elsewhere.

To be honest, I kind of thought the channel was done for in Africa as the SABC once supplied a handful of channels in neighbouring countries through an agreement with MultiChoice before it got scrapped and if this channel were to return then I guess miracles do exist but it remaining exclusive to South Africa is not far fetched.

 

eMedia Investments battle with MultiChoice is set to reach its climax next month. As mentioned, eExtra and eToonz do seem like the ideal channels to remain onboard but I'd hope to see eMovies onboard on top of the offering it's also floating in the same boat as the other two in channel numbers.

Rumoured: eMedia Investments Reportedly Entered Talks With StarSat

eMedia Investments is taking MultiChoice to the Competition Tribunal in regard to their agreement for the 4 channels currently seen on DStv. The brand demands for more money and obviously MultiChoice refused which led to the axing of their channels from the brand by June.

In an interview, eMedia Investments was asked about their future on pay-tv or whether their channels will remain exclusive on the Openview platform and they had this to say:

Our strategy is that our channels are free-to-air channels and should be available wherever people access channels.

Not long ago, several consumers approached StarSat on the possibility of adding more e.tv channels to the platform and responded with a cryptic message:

We are working on it.

 

Although that doesn't say much, it does bring joy to the dismissal portfolio.

In 2014, the pay-tv platform negotiated with eMedia Investments of the once available eAfrica+ alongside eMovies+ (now eMovies) and eKasi+ (now eExtra) before plans fell through and a year later they were only fortunate to get eKasi+ onboard.

Fast forward to 2022, the pay-tv platform lost a lot of premium channels such as FOX, Fine Living, The Smithsonian Channel, Discovery Family, SA Music, St Eyethu and several other channels with failure to source out alternative channels.

eMedia Investments bundle of channels could fill up the gap for some of these areas.

 

eToonz could make up for the loss of DreamWorks which is now on DStv, although no movie channels were harmed on the platform eMovies could bolster the movie offering either way I don't see the sense in having that on StarSat unlike eReality which could make up for the portion of Discovery channels removed on the platform.

In other regions, it appears that the brand is just sourcing some regional stations to make up for the losses and the idea of StarSat bundling more channels from the platform doesn't seem far fetched at this point.

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Update: eMedia Investments Take MultiChoice To Court For Their 4 Channels On DStv

Last month, eMedia Investments confirmed that their 4 channels currently seen on MultiChoice's DStv: eToonz, eExtra, eMovies and eMovies Extra would remain on the platform but didn't want to confirm it publicly without getting the full details.

MultiChoice was only able to confirm these details a few days after but enlightened the media about the new agreement for these channels and just as predicted consumers were celebrating a bit too early.

Apparently, the channels will only stay on the platform for another two months as a eMedia Investments has gone to the Competition Tribunal, seeking to force MultiChoice to keep carrying eMovies, eMovies eExtra, eExtra and eToonz.

 

 

eMedia Investments was asked whether there's a possibility for MultiChoice to return the to-be-axed channels such as eMovies, eMovies Extra, eExtra and eToonz to DStv, or for eMedia to make a carriage deal with StarSat, or whether the door on pay-TV carriage for these channels are permanently closed.

"It will be up to them. Our strategy is that our channels are free-to-air channels and should be available wherever people access channels. So that's their decision, there's no regulation that they need to carry the channels. Our view is that they should."

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Roundups #33: Maury Cancelled After 31 Seasons, Cartoonito EMEA Acquired Broadcasting Rights To Cocomelon And Piet's Sake Makes Its Linear Debut On e.tv

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Maury calls it quits

NBCUniversal on Sunday confirmed that its daytime syndicated talk show Maury will be wrapping with the current season, saying that it was a mutual decision between the studio and veteran host Maury Povich to end the talker made when Maury was most recently renewed in 2020 through the 2021-22 season.

“Maury and I decided two years ago that this season would be the farewell season for the show, and while his retirement is bittersweet, we are so happy for him to be able to spend more time on the golf course,” Tracie Wilson, EVP, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios, said in a statement to Deadline. “Maury is a television icon, a pop culture legend and we couldn’t be more proud to have been a part of his incredible career.”

“Six years ago when I was ready to retire, my the NBCUniversal family asked me to continue the show,” he said. “Even though I told them I was ready for assisted living, out of loyalty to NBCUniversal and my more than 100 staff and crew members, Tracie Wilson and I agreed to one more deal. I’m so proud of my relationship with NBCUniversal and all those who worked on the Maury show but as I occasionally tell my guests on Maury, ‘Enough, already!'”

The series was once available on Soweto TV before it went under new management.

Cocomelon expands to more households

Moonbug Entertainment has inked its first multi-territory linear deal, partnering with WarnerMedia to air preschool series CoComelon across EMEA.

Under the deal, WarnerMedia has picked up 170 episodes of the popular series to air on the conglom’s fledgling preschool block Cartoonito across more than 115 countries in the area this year. The brand’s 3D-animated musical episodes, which cover educational topics and nursery rhymes, will roll out in multiple languages, including German, French and Italian.

This partnership expands on Moonbug and WarnerMedia’s previous deal to air CoComelon on Cartoonito in the UK , where it rolled out in April 2021. That was the brand’s first move onto linear TV.

More eVOD originals surface on your TV screens

eMedia Investments told the media lies when saying viewers had to wait a year to see the bulk of content launching exclusively on the platform but that was already suspected when Dokter Ali aired on eExtra a few months after debuting on eVOD.

According to sources, Piet's Sake starring Jamie Bartlett and Kenneth Nkosi is set to be the first eVOD original production alongside Is'phindiselo to make way to e.tv amidst the channel's lineup changes.

Piet is an old school Afrikaans businessman who had immense success during apartheid, however, he is finding it very difficult to navigate in the new and transformation pro South Africa. When he loses all his contracts, he wishes he black, in a spiteful manner in front of one of his employees who he mistreats. In the morning, his wishes have come true, but not in the way he would have wanted. He has swapped lives with Mandla who now is “Piet” the boss and he is Mandla the cleaner. The only way things will go back to normal is after he has learnt an important life lesson.

Piet's Sake airs at 8pm on Saturday, 2 April and rumor has it more eVOD titles will debut on the channel including Atlantis and Daryn's Gym.

Also read:
- How e.tv weekend schedule might look next month?
- Kuiertyd has a Korean drama
- e.tv working on something titled e.tv exclusive
- What's replacing Days Of Our Lives on e.tv in April?
- SABC wants to launch a second sports channel
- Is'phindiselo or Housewives coming soon to e.tv???
- News And Sport set to go off air on Openview by the end of March
- SABC 1-3, e.tv and DStv viewership for February
- Dokter Ali S2 coming in April to eExtra
- SABC will launch more channels alongside streaming service
- Doodsondes returning for a fourth season on eExtra
- Saloni and East Meets West coming soon to SABC 2

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Potential Candidates For The eMovies Channels: From SPI International's FilmBox To Shorts TV, Could These Channels Replace eMovies On DStv?

MultiChoice is planning to introduce a second movie channel later in the year to replace eMovies and eMovies Extra in South Africa and serve as an additional accessory alongside DreamWorks Channel in the rest of Africa. Of course, details of the supposed channel remains unknown.

Last year, it was reported that MultiChoice was looking into adding movie channel at first it was speculated to be for the rest of Africa as South Africa had a large bulk of movie channels until recently as indicated above.

We did a list of potential candidates for Disney XD and surprise surprise one of the channels on the list ended up the space so let's do one for the movie channels.

Also read: 
- PBS Kids will be made available to DStv Easyview customers
- EU turns off transmission for RT across Africa
- SABC Encore being used for sports
- Could G4 launch on DStv perhaps to replace a channel like Ginx Esports TV?
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- SABC will launch more channels alongside streaming service
- Could Moonbug Kids replace Disney Junior on DStv and Baby TV on StarSat?
- tvN pushing to become a permanent linear channel in Africa
- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?
- Multichoice won't be adding anymore community channels

Since the restructuring of M-Net Movies it was evident at this point that MultiChoice is trying to diversify the lineup e.g. Maisha Magic Movies and KIX. If they can't kill the existing repeats on the current movie channels they can limit the toxins from spreading.

Here's a list of potential candidates that MIGHT fill up the spot of the eMovies channels:

1. FilmBox
Owned by the makers of the most popular entertainment channel in their division, Timeless Dizi Channel. FilmBox is modernized AMC featuring a selection of international movies and series ranging from comedy, romance, action and drama basically a mashup of the two eMovies channels.

2. Positiv
Owned by Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the channel features a variety of Christian themed family oriented films from small to big Hollywood studios.

3. ShortsTV
Managed by Shorts International in partnership with AMC International, ShortsTV is a dedicated network for short films whether you want Oscar nominated films or low budget ShortsTV is the place for you. It was pop-up channel on the DStv app.

Other candidates would be an Indian movie channel and another Chinese or African movie channel.

These are just one of the few channels the pay-tv platform will close or lose as more channels are expected to suffer the same fate as the 4 e.tv channels and Tellytrack such as The Walt Disney Company's set of channels as they're moving away from cable or at least not with ESPN.

Also read:
- eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz will stop airing on DStv
- What to expect on the upcoming DreamWorks Channel?
- KIX will be made available to DStv Family and Access customers
- Press release of DreamWorks Channel on DStv
- Could Timeless Dizi Channel and possibly tvN replace eExtra on DStv?
- YouTube bans Russia Today from generating revenue
- Could ESPN close alongside National Geographic and Disney Channel?
- New movie channel launching later in the year on DStv
- Lifetime could be on the chopping block on DStv
- SABC Encore and SABC Children channel might be in development

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Roundups #30: Boss Baby Returns To Netflix With New Series, Could Imbewu Be Moving To A New Timeslot On e.tv? And Channel Closure Notices On DStv For The 4 e.tv Channels

Netflix and DreamWorks are teaming up for more Boss Baby

The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib is set to debut globally on Netflix May 19, picking up where last year’s feature film sequel The Boss Baby: Family Business left off.

In the latest series, main character Theodore Templeton is framed for embezzlement and forced to turn back into Boss Baby. Now living with his brother Tim and nieces Tabitha and Tina, Theodore must band together with his family to fight against a new group of arch-enemies, the Uncuddelables.

Back in the Crib is produced by Brandon Sawyer and Matt Engstrom, and its voice cast has yet to be announced.

This is the second series in the franchise that Netflix and DreamWorks have collaborated on. The first, Back in Business, ran for four seasons from 2018 to 2020. And Family Business grossed US$ 147 million at the worldwide box office across 3,644 theaters in 2021.

Also read:
- The Deep coming soon to Da Vinci Kids
- Press release of DreamWorks Channel on DStv
- DreamWorks working on a batch of preschool series
- A list of series coming to Cartoonito/Boomerang in EMEA
- SWAT Katz is back with a new series
- Agent Binky: Pets Of The Universe returning for a third season
- DreamWorks working on four new series
- The truth about Disney's beloved fairytale princess Pocahontas
- Ice Age: Scrat TV series coming in April to Disney+
- CBeebies working on new cooking show

It's possible that Imbewu is going nowhere

As stated earlier, e.tv will be airing a new series The Black Door during Imbewu, could this signal the end of Imbewu or is there more to the story that e.tv is not mentioning?

According to sources, Isono airs in the 20:30 timeslot which was known for international dramas and I haven't watched any BET for a long time and if I had to guess Isono runs for a duration of 23-25 minutes.

Meaning there's extra 25-30 minutes which will likely be used for Imbewu or this new telenovela although a timeslot was provided you can never be certain about anything.

Also read:
- Imbewu and possibly Durban Gen might be cancelled
- Dokter Ali S2 coming in April to eExtra
- The Daughter-In-Law coming soon to Zee World while a repeat of The Vow debuts on Zee One
- Should eReality merge with News And Sport?
- SABC Encore and SABC Children channel might be in development
- Unforseen Love, Bold and Beautiful and Destined Love coming soon to Star Life
- Doodsondes returning for a fourth season on eExtra
- Saloni and East Meets West coming soon to SABC 2

Important notice for DStv customers

To assure viewers that MultiChoice is not kidding about scrapping most of the e.tv channels. They'll soon be adding a channel termination notice on each station.

Interesting enough, these notices target channels particularly on DStv Family and Access:

• eExtra - viewers are encouraged to tune into kykNET & Kie and Mzansi Wethu. (Someone was doing their homework to recommend kykNET)
• eMovies and eMovies Extra - both movie channels so of course same recommendation. Viewers are encouraged to tune into M-Net Movies, Studio Universal and TNT.
• eToonz - basically treated like a preschool channel encourages viewers to tune into Disney Junior and JimJam with the help of Cartoon Network.

Also read:
- eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz will stop airing on DStv
- What to expect on the upcoming DreamWorks Channel?
- PBS Kids will be made available to DStv Easyview customers
- KIX will be made available to DStv Family and Access customers
- Press release of DreamWorks Channel on DStv
- Could Timeless Dizi Channel and possibly tvN replace eExtra on DStv?
- Could ESPN close alongside National Geographic and Disney Channel?
- New movie channel launching later in the year on DStv
- Lifetime could be on the chopping block on DStv

You can also find me through the other platforms by pressing this link in brackets and if you're struggling to share the article through certain platforms use this link (Lnk.Bio).