Saved Again: Netflix Acquires Rights To The 2019 Season Of The Bold And The Beautiful For Fans Across South Africa

Set in the glamorous world of Los Angeles, The Bold And The Beautiful focuses on the wealthy and powerful Forrester family. Its company, Forrester Creations, is the leader in the fashion industry. Add in the machinations of rival businesses and families, and you've got a classic set-up.

Produced by Bradley P. Bell through Bell-Phillip Television Productions, Inc, The Bold And The Beautiful debuted by March 23, 1987 on CBS.  So far at least 9000 episodes of the American soap with a new seasons being filmed for the 2024-2025 period.

It held the record for most watched in the soap in the world with its audience reach surpassing 26 million viewers. The American soap also holds won 77 Daytime Emmy Awards, including three for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.

SABC 1 acquired rights to the American soap by the late 90s before moving to SABC 3 over 10 years after its launch due to low ratings. Around this time, SABC 3 was going through an identity crisis and the public broadcaster these two would align better.

Although The Bold And The Beautiful was able to pull a massive following in South Africa. It wasn't bringing in the revenue for the public broadcaster so much that by 2019 the show got axed with the only means to the soap EVA and Vodacom Video Play axed years later.

Following its departure from South Africa, several consumers pirated several episodes illegally through torrent sites while others had to make due with what's seen on their screen. As seen by several subscribers, Netflix has become the exclusive home to The Bold And The Beautiful. 

Netflix has held these rights since October 2023 for consumers in South Africa. After M-Net opted not to acquire the show when it exited SABC 3, the streamer added the first 100 episodes to the 2019 season which coincide with demises of EVA and Vodacom Video Play. 

Recap To Last Month: Vetkoekpaleis Loses Another 100,000 Viewers As SABC 2 Becomes The Third Most Watched Channel In February

Since Vetkoekpaleis reentry onto SABC 2, the sitcom has been garnered a lot of backlash from consumers. Mainly from several fans of 7de Laan cause after its abrupt end consumers opted to boycott 18:00 and flee to eExtra's Kuiertyd and KykNET. 

As the after effects illustrate, Vetkoekpaleis lost another 100,000 viewers in the month of February with its current audience sitting at 400,000. Basically, half of 7de Laan's current audience are putting up with the repeats while others flee to rival broadcasters. 

With SABC 2 which for several years has been the leading brand behind SABC 1 has fallen short. This was after AFCON lured 2 million viewers on SABC 3 while SABC 2's most watched show Muvhango was only short of 500,000 viewers to retain its title.

During the month, the public broadcaster had made scheduling changes across their channels. None of which has proven to be "historical" with Nuus that was pulling around the same figure as Vetkoekpaleis sitting with 160,000 viewers on SABC 3.

Prior to this, the public broadcaster was warned that these changes will further alienate viewers and these figures prove it. With Vetkoekpaleis remaining as the last Afrikaans programs on SABC 2 the show will most likely continue to lose viewers at a rapid pace.

Unlike e.tv, the public broadcaster has nothing to sort of help compliment Vetkoekpaleis as Nuus and other Afrikaans programs move to SABC 3 with FOKUS cancelled.

April 2024 On History Channel Across Africa | New Series Alert: Secrets In The Sand | Returning Shows Including Forged In Fire | More

Brand New 

SECRETS IN THE SAND

2 April 

Tuesdays 19h25 

Deserts are often an afterthought when it comes to climate change, but as global temperatures increase, they are among the most vulnerable places on the planet. Violent sandstorms and erosion are increasingly reshaping the arid regions of the earth and as they do, astounding discoveries are being exposed. From lost ancient cities to mysterious geological formations, Secrets in the Sand examines extraordinary curiosities that were once concealed in the deserts of the planet, only to finally be revealed. Wednesday: 11h45

VIKING DEAD

14 April 

Sundays 20h15

Welcome to a world of secret graves, mysterious death ships, newly discovered skeletons, missing fortresses, and lost Long Ships. In this brand-new series, leading archaeologist Tim Sutherland travels to Scandinavia, Estonia, Britain and beyond to get new insights into the world of the Vikings. What can analysis of unearthed Viking skeletons reveal? What can we discover about the Viking way of life and death? What can we learn from recently discovered weapons, artefacts, and long-buried Long Ships? With the help of specially filmed reconstructions and new graphic illustrations, Tim’s travels see him meet a host of experts and historians, who guide him through the latest findings and theories and explain just how the Viking world continues to give up its secrets.

Repeat: Saturday 21h05

Brand New & Exclusive 

FORGED IN FIRE S10

22 April Mondays 20h15 

Forged in Fire is ‘On the Road’ in season 10, crisscrossing America looking for the best blade smiths in the country. The show heads to world-renowned blacksmith shops and blade smithing schools across the US from North Carolina to Texas and Montana. The contestants are slowly whit led down for the chance to compete against other smiths from across America, to determine who will win the ultimate grand prize. Which smith will come out on top, becoming the first ever ‘Forged in Fire: On the Road’ champion, winning $20,000 for themselves and $10,000 in forging equipment for their shop? Repeats: Tuesday 12h35

Brand New

ALIEN ABDUCTIONS: ANSWERS

27 April 

Saturday 19h25 

This documentary film explores the phenomenon of alien abduct on. Alien Abductions: Answers features Whitley Streiber, abductee and bestselling author, along with other compelling stories of recent documented alien abduct ons and worldwide government cover-ups. Using new techniques of quantum hypno-therapy, the 2-hour special uncovers riveting answers and conclusions. Repeats: Sunday 18h35

Brand New & Exclusive 

ROYAL AUTOPSY S2

28 April 

Sundays 21h05 

The series that brought royalty to the autopsy table is back to invest gate more tales of dead monarchs. Combining modern forensic analysis, pathology experts, CSI techniques, historical investigation and dramatic reconstruction, we’ll re-examine the deaths of these rulers, separating the gruesome facts from wild fiction and retelling history in a gripping, shocking and enthralling way. Through the royal bodies we bring to the autopsy table, we will reveal not only how the sovereigns died, but also the world and the country in which they lived.

Repeats: Saturday 21h55

Ratings Flop: Afrikaans News Loses Over 70% Of Its Viewers Following Its Move To SABC 3

Not long ago, it was reported that the public broadcaster had lost over 2 million viewers with Skeem Saam and Deal Or No Deal SA. Following the schedule changes across their 3 most viewed channels, the public broadcaster is now looking at the after effects.

Nuus becomes the latest victim in this massacre after debuting with 450,000 viewers in February is currently sitting with around 160,000 viewers. This due to strong competition coming from eExtra's Kuiertyd and KykNET with the other being the late timeslot.

With its dismal figures one has to wonder if Nuus will stick around for the foreseeable future or suffer the same fate as FOKUS and 7de Laan. Again, lots of speculation going around that the SABC had canned Afrikaans with the lack of new content.

Although, they've denied it time and time again it only comes to the amount of airtime this offering gets for which SABC 3 lacks. The only change on SABC 3 would be the addition of Nuus with everything else being normal viewing as if consumers got a peace prize. 

With the lack of Afrikaans content also seen on SABC 2, this might have some after effects for Vetkoekpaleis. It's currently sitting with 400,000 viewers after debuting in January with 500,000 viewers meaning at least half of 7de Laan viewers watch the repeat.

Recap To Last Month: SABC 3 Reaches 2 Million Households Becoming The Second Most Watched Channel By The Public Broadcaster By February 2024 Behind SABC 1

SABC 3 is a free-to-air channel operated by the public broadcaster catering to audiences with content in English and Afrikaans. It was also the least watched channel behind SABC 1 and SABC 2 this was before TAMS ratings from the last month had been revealed.

Thanks to AFCON, SABC 3 has managed to lure 2 million households after a decade on air surpassing SABC 2 where their most watched title Muvhango only lured just half of AFCON's figure.

Amidst reports of ratings decline for Deal Or No Deal SA and Skeem Saam, this is something should have been branding a "historical figure" from last month which it didn't. SABC 3 was only able to obtain 1.5 million viewers by 2014 versus 600,000 by 2024.

This goes to show the lack of attention the public broadcaster has for their brands. As seen below are the ratings figures and if you look carefully AFCON has more viewers on SABC 3 than any of the sports viewed on their most watched channel, SABC 1.

SABC 3 is operating on a loss and this figure would have helped lure in revenue. As to whether, the public broadcaster has caught on to this "historical figure" it has yet to be seen as this type of figures would have helped build the viewership for their other titles.