eMedia Investments Set To Take On MultiChoice's DStv With The Launch Of Pay-TV Service In 2023

Poor South Africans would soon have affordable pay TV in their homes by 2023. That is if eMedia have it their way.

The move by eMedia comes as market incumbent
MultiChoice, with about 9-million subscribers in SA, has been under pressure from online entertainment offerings like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Significantly, eMedia’s advertising revenue stream on its OpenView platform has been threatened by a decision by MultiChoice not to renew the contract to carry four of its entertainment channels (eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz) on certain DStv bouquets. The Competition Commission ruled against the interim relief sought by eMedia, and the matter is on appeal.

The pay-TV move might have been inspired by eMedia’s eVOD online entertainment channel launch in August last year.

Sherrif said the number of registered viewers to date had been encouraging, with almost 500,000 registered users in a year.

“The eOriginals offering on eVOD is the leading audience generator on eVOD, making the group bullish about investing a further R100m in local original content, which will be amortised across the group’s platforms and channels.”

The pay-TV move also follows a strong financial showing by eMedia, which boasts large investment firms Hosken Consolidated Investments and Remgro as its biggest shareholders.

In the year to end-March, eMedia racked up net profits of R420m off record revenue of R3.2bn. The group scored from a resurgence of television advertising revenue (following the easing of pandemic restrictions) on the back of a marked increase in its share of primetime audiences from 29.6% in March 2021 to 34.1% in March 2022.

Sherrif said this made eMedia SA’s biggest broadcaster in audience share in this category in SA.

He said the pay-TV thrust would not require a huge capital investment.

Reminder: MultiChoice To Go By 4K By November On DStv And Showmax Pro

Mawela, who was speaking in an interview following the publication of the broadcaster’s 2022 full-year financial results on Thursday, said the company has experienced “no challenges at all” in preparing for the 4K launch, and confirmed that the World Cup will be used as the launch event.

“We are ready for the World Cup to be available in 4K,” he said. The World Cup, which is being hosted by Qatar, kicks off on 21 November.

“The broadcaster sold more than 100 000 Explora Ultras in the 2022 financial year to 31 March
Mawela’s remarks come after TechCentral reported last November on MultiChoice’s 4K plans.

Barry Dubovsky, chief operating officer at MultiChoice Connected Video, said at the time that the broadcaster was aiming to launch 4K on both DStv and Showmax Pro – the premium Showmax tier that includes live sports from sister company SuperSport – in time for the World Cup. He said then that he couldn’t make any promises about meeting the deadline. However, Mawela’s latest comments suggest everything is on track.

Moving to 4K for the World Cup will be a significant step-up in quality. MultiChoice’s streaming DStv product currently tops out at 1080p resolution, while Showmax tops out at 720p. Its satellite product broadcasts at up to 1080i resolution. 1080p and 1080i both offer 1 920×1 080-pixel resolution, or about 2.1 million pixels, while 4K content is 3 840×2 160 pixels, for a massive pixel count of 8.3 million.

Complexity
Moving to 4K adds to the complexity of the infrastructure required, Dubovsky said last year. “It’s complexity around infrastructure, it’s resourcing, it’s operational management – there’s a lot of support required. But it’s something the business is taking very seriously because we need to continually evolve the viewing experience.”

MultiChoice’s new set-top box decoder, the Explora Ultra, launched in 2020, is already 4K-ready and subscribers can access 4K content through bundled apps from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. The broadcaster sold more than 100 000 Explora Ultras in the 2022 financial year to 31 March, it revealed this week.

HBO Max Will No Longer Produce Live-Action Kids And Family Programming

HBO Max has canceled its comedy Gordita Chronicles, a move the streamer says is motivated by a change in strategy at its parent company.

The show, which centers on a 12-year-old Dominican girl (Oliva Goncalves) in 1980s Miami, debuted its full first — and now only — season on June 23. An HBO Max spokesperson said in a statement that the show fell victim to a change in priorities for the streamer.

“Live-action kids and family programming will not be part of our programming focus in the immediate future, and as a result, we’ve had to make the very difficult decision to end Gordita Chronicles at HBO Max,” the statement reads. “The series earned critical acclaim and a loyal following, and we are proud to have worked with creator Claudia Forestieri and our two powerhouse executive producers, Eva Longoria (who also masterfully directed the pilot) and Zoe Saldaña, to bring Cucu’s journey to the screen. We thank them and the talented cast and crew for creating such a heartfelt, groundbreaking show that connected deeply with a very important demographic.”

Sony Pictures Television produced the series, which creator Forestieri based on her own life. The cast also includes Diana Maria Riva, Juan Javier Cardenas, Savannah Nicole Ruiz, Noah Rico, Cosette Hauer and Dascha Polanco. Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz served as showrunner.

“We are heartbroken by the larger programming changes at HBO Max that will not allow our special show that is Gordita Chronicles, showrun by Latinx comedy powerhouse Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz, to have a second season at its original home,” executive producers Longoria and Saldaña said in a statement. “As producers and storytellers who are continually seeking out the authentic and original stories that highlight our community’s joy and talent, we are so proud to have worked on this piece of magic. We continue to be blown away by the overwhelmingly positive critical response coupled with our growing audience numbers, which prove that viewers recognize the importance of this show’s existence and the crucial space it is filling for Latinx content in the media landscape.”

Since HBO Max’s parent, WarnerMedia, and Discovery completed their merger in the spring, Warner Bros. Discovery has made a number of changes in strategy, most notably at its cable channels TBS, TNT and TruTV — where an ongoing move away from original scripted programming has accelerated. The company is all-in on a streaming first strategy, but family programming hasn’t had a huge presence in the two-plus years of HBO Max’s existence. WBD will continue with development of animated projects aimed at younger viewers via its Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation arms.

HBO Max has also gone one and done with a Head of the Class reboot, and a decision on The Garcias, a follow-up to the 2000-04 Nickelodeon series The Brothers Garcia, has yet to be made. HBO Max has renewed its Gossip Girl redo and just debuted Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, both of which are aimed at young adults.

Forestieri, Muñoz-Liebowitz (via her Bons Mots Emporium), Longoria (via her UnbeliEVAble shingle) and Saldaña (via Cinestar Pictures) executive produce Gordita Chronicles along with Josh Berman, Jennifer Robinson and Chris King of Osprey Productions and Cinestar’s Mariel Saldaña and Cisely Saldaña.

Credits: Deadline

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.”

New 24/7 Movie Channel On DStv Offers A Ticket To Couch Potato Paradise

Cinema buffs, action afficionados and casual viewers alike will be spoilt with choice when a new, creatively curated movie channel goes live on August 27. Launching to all DStv Premium, Compact+, Compact, Family and Access customers on channel 113, Movie Room is the brainchild of Ngwato Nkosi Group, known as the founders of the disruptive, audience-centric and highly successful Newzroom Afrika news and information service.

The company, which is a partnership between entrepreneurs Thabile Ngwato and Thokozani Nkosi, is building on the strong platform created by Newzroom Afrika to expand its entertainment business with the launch of Movie Room.

"This channel will offer entertaining local and international movies 24/7 from big blockbuster hits to unforgettable cinema classics." said Nkosi.

“We’ll be carefully curating the line-up to cater for every mood – whether it’s edge-of-your-seat action you’re after, or the comfort of an old favourite. Of course, we’ll also apply the unique perspective that we’ve become known for,” Nkosi says.

Ngwato says the company had a bold ambition to build an African news and entertainment platform for the future.

“This is an exciting next step in our journey. Newzroom Afrika has been successful beyond all expectations, and we will use the experience of setting up the channel from scratch to make smart decisions in our approach with Movie Room.

“Our team is entrepreneurial by nature and we have a core group of seasoned and creative talent that sets us apart,” Ngwato said.

Georginah Machiridza, executive head content strategy & 3rd party channels at MultiChoice says, Movie Room would give viewers even more options in their selection of entertainment for every viewing occasion.

“We’re excited to bring subscribers the widest possible choice of fine movies to satisfy all tastes and seasons,” says Machiridza.