Development Alert (Rumour): CNBC-e Eyeing A Potential Relaunch In Turkey By 3rd June

CNBC, which withdrew from Turkey in 2015 due to the expiration of its broadcasting rights, is planned to start broadcasting again soon. CNBC Turkey, headquartered in Istanbul, will broadcast at least 10 hours of live content a day covering finance, economy and various topics. business news. The channel's programming will be supported by international broadcasts from CNBC bureaus around the world, including Abu Dhabi, London, New York and Singapore. 

The leading economy and television network CNBC Turkey will be relaunched with the support of İlbak Holding. CNBC International President and CEO John Casey expressed his thoughts on the merger as follows: "As a global brand, we understand the importance of providing local business news, insights and analysis. We are excited to announce its partnership with CNBC Turkey. İlbak Holding and CNBC-e To bring the unique and dynamic content of 's to Turkish audiences.

Murat İlbak, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of İlbak Holding, stated that they are happy to bring CNBC back to Turkey with its Turkish content and made the following evaluations: "CNBC Turkey will undoubtedly be a success with the complete, unbiased, accurate information and news content that we have committed to. It will be a breakthrough in the job markets in our country. Turkey has a vibrant and versatile economy with a population of 85 million and a growing investor base. Our aim is to provide an advanced information flow that will facilitate decision-making processes and to reveal the full potential of the business world and markets in Turkey. CNBC Turkey will help its viewers make informed decisions and seize opportunities in the ever-changing global business environment." 

İlbak noted that the TV channel will also play an important role in the development of Turkey, which is among the world's top 20 economies, and added that this strong partnership with CNBC International He emphasized that it will also show the strength and dynamism of the Turkish economy.

Brief History of CNBC-e 

CNBC-e started broadcasting on October 16, 2000, under the leadership of Ercan Kumcu and with the contributions of the Central Bank. Founded by Doğuş Broadcasting Group, the channel was one of the first channels in Turkey to include foreign TV series as well as economic and financial news. CNBC-e works in partnership with CNBC, NBC's renowned business channel, to deliver important market news and analysis to its viewers from around the world. 

Why Did CNBC-e Close? 

CNBC-e ceased broadcasting in 2015. This decision was due to both economic reasons and strategic changes in the media industry. CNBC-e, which broadcasts popular foreign TV series as well as finance and economy programs, was replaced by TLC Turkey after its closure. TLC tried to appeal to CNBC-e's audience with more lifestyle and entertainment content. 

When Will CNBC-e Start Broadcasting in Turkey? 

Recently, rumors have begun to circulate on social media and various platforms that CNBC-e will restart broadcasting. Many viewers hope CNBC-e will reopen. CNBC-e's legacy audience eagerly awaits such a return due to its interest in financial and economic news. CNBC's advertising posters have started to appear on the streets and is expected to open on June 3.

Credits: Anadolu

eMedia Investments Won't Be Able To Offer The T-20 World Cup To Openview Consumers

eMedia has said in a statement that it will not be broadcasting the T20 World Cup in June because of a constrained bidding time frame provided by MultiChoice.

This comes after MultiChoice, which acquired exclusive rights to the World Cup, only opened a tender for free-to-air broadcasters to bid for sub-licensing rights five weeks before the tournament’s start.

As a result, eMedia said bidders are “unlikely” to receive confirmation of broadcasting rights until less than two weeks before the event.

eMedia said it hasn’t submitted a bid, as there will not be enough time to secure sponsors, arrange advertising, and adjust programming schedules.

Due to this conduct, the broadcaster believes MultiChoice has violated the Electronic Communications Act and the Sports Broadcasting Regulations, which mandate prompt notification to free-to-air broadcasters.

“eMedia views the issuing of these late invitations to tender by MultiChoice as undermining fair competition and ignoring a recent Competition Tribunal order designed to prevent such restrictive practices,” the broadcaster said.

“This behaviour is not only unfair to E-tv’s dedicated viewers but also detrimental to the South African broadcasting industry as a whole.”

This is not the first time eMedia has called foul on MultiChoice’s behaviour around sports rights.

Last year, MultiChoice and the SABC concluded last-minute deals allowing the public broadcaster to show key matches from the Rugby and Cricket World Cup tournaments.

This included all matches featuring the Springboks and Proteas, as well as the semi-finals and finals, regardless of who was playing.

However, the deals explicitly blocked the SABC from broadcasting the matches on any channels carried by eMedia’s Openview.

eMedia claimed that these restrictions were anti-competitive and launched legal action against MultiChoice as a result.

The Competition Tribunal recently granted eMedia an interdict forcing MultiChoice to allow the SABC to broadcast live sports sub-licensed from SuperSport on Openview.

Newsflash: Sibongile & The Dlaminis Returns For Season 2 Introducing Nsikelelo Mthiyane As The New Sibongile

If you thought season 1 of Sibongile & The Dlaminis was serving nothing but sgaxa after sgaxa, Season 2 will have you hooked even more because the story continues and introduces the new Sibongile on Mzansi Wethu (DStv Channel 163).

The story of Sibongile (formerly played by Luyanda Zwane), a vibrant small-town girl’s dream of studying to better her and her family's lives continues to unfold after her drama-filled and short-lived romance with Kwenzo ends. In season 1, viewers saw Sibongile’s heart being crushed by Nomalanga’s pregnancy with Kwenzo’s child, she had to go back home to the village in Ixopo and deal with her ‘not-so-motherly’ stepmom, Deliwe, and face her disappointed father until the truth about her circumstances came out.

In season 2, newcomer Nsikelelo Mthiyane takes over the role of Sibongile, and the story continues as viewers will see even more explosive secrets exposed, more confrontations and of course, more gossip from Nomfundo’s squad (the Dlamini helpers). Most exciting is the addition of new cast members to the story, who are sure to shake things up for both the Dlaminis and Sibongile’s family.

“Sibongile & The Dlaminis has been a gift that keeps on giving for our audiences, with season 1 surpassing one million viewership numbers and we can proudly say that it has been a resounding success,” says Shirley Adonisi, Director for Local Entertainment Channels. “We are excited to embark on this second chapter of Sibongile’s journey and we know that the new additions and changes will make this story even more exciting.”

So, does Phetheni find out about the love triangle she is unknowingly part of? Will Vuma ever forgive Deliwe and take her back? What of Nomalanga’s pregnancy and Gcina’s involvement? Most importantly, does Sibongile finally get to have her ‘Cinderella’ moment with Kwenzo?

Tune in for the premiere of Season 2 of Sibongile & The Dlaminis on Mzansi Wethu, DStv Channel 163, from 29 July Monday-Wednesday at 18:30.

New Series Alert: Mzansi Wethu Presents Vuka Mjita, A Show Dedicated To Men

Many have heard the saying ‘Indoda ayikhali’ (a man does not cry) as this may be taken as a sign of weakness. From July 14 July, Mzansi Wethu (DStv channel 163) will be introducing Vuka Mjita, a show where men will unashamedly, honestly, and vulnerably express their feelings.

Hosted by Mondli Makhoba (The Wife, Shaka Ilembe), also known as Bhut’Omdala, Vuka Mjita is all about taking men on a therapeutic journey that breaks their walls and helps them unlock the doors to the side of healing. This is with the hope that the process will assist them reflect on the men they are becoming and what role they are playing in their families and in society.

“This show is like being part of a journey to ‘empower‘ men and we are looking at it as giving a platform to help understand, nurturing and try to heal the mental state of our brothers and sons where it’s needed,” says Director of Local Entertainment Channels Shirley Adonisi.

“Our Mzansi brand is all about entertainment that resonates with our audience, and we hope that Vuka Mjita will be more than just that but will also be a show where men can be vulnerable and talk openly and honestly.”

Thanks to the therapy plan which was designed by Clinical Psychologist & Author, Thabang Tlaka, each week a therapist will sit with a different gentleman who needs a remedy or therapy to deal and change a predicament they are faced with. As an expert in the field, the process he takes them through helps each candidate to break down the walls, speak up, confront their fears.

As uBhut’Omdala says: ”Kuwumsebenzi wethu to find out why we exist, for there is a bigger purpose.”

Tune in to Mzansi Wethu DStv Channel 163 from Sunday 14 July at 8pm to see how men in our modern-day society try to find their purpose for existence through emotional healing.

Africa’s Dedicated Horse Racing Channel, Featuring The Best International And Local Horse Racing, Racing 240 (Channel 240 On DStv), Is Transitioning To High Definition

4Racing’s Head of Content, Stephen Watson said, “This is a huge step forward for the sport of horse racing and the culmination of all the work done since our inception to transition racing to higher broadcast standards. As reflected in our Nielsen Sports SA data, the Racing 240 channel has seen significant month-on-month viewership growth over the past 18 months, with no signs of plateauing and the channel performs well amongst its peers within SuperSport’s strong sports channel bouquet.”

“Additionally, we have effected an early contract renewal with MultiChoice, so will be upgrading Racing 240 to HD on a new year multi-year term,” he added.

Nielsen Sports SA Managing Director, Tumelo Selikane, confirmed, “At Nielsen Sports SA, we have diligently tracked Racing240 since April 2022. Previously, Telly Track broadcasted horse racing on DSTV, amassing a total unique audience of 1.9 million. However, Racing240, starting from ground zero, has impressively grown its total unique TV audience to 3.4 million to date.”

“We are proud to be their partner and to monitor their remarkable growth numbers. We eagerly anticipate the next three-year partnership with DSTV and what it holds for the future of Racing240.”

The new channel delivery path to MultiChoice’s HD uplink facilities in the United Kingdom will be fully configured and tested by the associated technical teams in the coming weeks and once signed off by both sides, a phased roll-out will commence across the continent, with a ‘go live’ date to be announced in due course.

Multichoice CEO Marc Jury commented: “Racing 240 has grown in popularity with our viewers across all subscription packages, so we are delighted to have reached agreement to upgrade the channel to High Definition on a new multi-year term. Having apremier horse racing channel within our existing dedicated sports channels bouquet aligns well with our strategy to continue bringing the very best international and local sporting action to our subscribers.”

In conclusion, 4Racing’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms Fundi Sithebe said, “This is a significant milestone for the industry at large, with far reaching benefits for all racing stakeholders. Our broadcast is the shop window to our sport and we are deeply appreciative of both the working relationship and opportunity MultiChoice has given us to showcase racing in HD. We are very excited to offer this enhanced HD viewing experience to all racing patrons, punters and fans.”