StarSat's Subscriber Numbers In South Africa Likely Revealed

StarSat has currently entered a broadcasting dispute with ICASA after they were ordered to shut down their services in Africa during the week but still continued to operate. This matter was taken to the Gauteng High Court but had since been dismissed with a new case to address the the whole matter between both parties is still ongoing.

After launching as TopTV in 2008 by On Digital Media as a rival to MultiChoice's DStv, with its own lineup of premium entertainment and sports. They accumulated a chunk of debt and were on the brink of bankruptcy received several bids from a MultiChoice funded company, Zuku TV with their successful bidder being StarTimes.

Following the acquisition, StarSat was embroiled in controversy with the inclusion of pornography that led to several legal disputes with The Justice Alliance of South Africa (Jasa), Cause for Justice and Doctors for Life leading to this content to get taken off from airwaves only to be broadcast illegally and get taken off again.

At the time Top TV was broadcast the platform was said to have accumulated around 200,000 subscribers but having the possible closure, last minute bid by StarTimes and porn scandal this was reduced to 160,000 subscribers by 2013. Since then the Chinese broadcaster remained silent on its consumer numbers and rather reported their African base as a whole. 

MultiChoice continues to dominate the African landscape with around 24 million subscribers with StarTimes coming in second with roughly 13-15 million subscribers.

Through a short statement we get to see the current state of its services in South Africa 

Beyond economic growth, ICASA is also committed to ensuring the dissemination of information, entertainment, and education to the public. StarSat plays a key role in this, providing quality content to over 500,000 subscribers at affordable rates. Its service offers a diverse range of programming that supports the informational and entertainment needs of South Africans.

Let's remember, Openview was launched several years later and has more subscribers than StarSat amounting to 3 million which is almost half of MultiChoice SA's business which is 7 million. Although StarSat didn't give an accurate number this "over" thing has been used by DStv when listing the bouquet of entertainment for each package.

If anything, StarSat is probably sitting with 501,000-550,000 consumers in South Africa alone so they're lagging around the same corridor at governments struggling STBs which had its offering reach 400,000 homes by 2020. I think the big question now is how many consumers had they been gaining or if there was any growth in recent years.

When MultiChoice and eMedia Investments dumped the now defunct Glow TV from their platforms there were rumours swirling around that StarSat's consumer numbers were very low and most of the income accumulated by Glow TV resided with Openview.

These numbers sort of prove this theory just imagine how many channels StarSat has under their umbrella while brands like CNN and National Geographic are lucky enough to be viewed in other parts of Africa and through DStv. Local channels like Rising Sun TV and One Freestate Televisual probably have around 2000+ viewers and don't generate as much income.

The issue with StarSat to be honest has barely much to do with DStv I mean Openview launched years after them and still got more subscribers despite charging no monthly fees. If anything the issue would have to be how they position themselves within the market which is very dismal if not almost non existent.

I mean with DStv and Openview these can be found at major retailers like Makro, Game and PEP yet StarSat has no presence in those retailers. Then there's ad space, despite having an Openview at their grasp eMedia Investments even SABC still market DStv yet there's been no presence of StarSat in these endeavours.

Disney Channel To Debut New Series "Primos" In October Across Europe, Middle East And Africa

Disney Branded Television is slated to air a new 2D-animated comedy series Primos which will premiere on Monday, October 21 at 16:30 CAT on Disney Channel. With repeats airing daily at 13:10 CAT, 16:05 CAT, 19:30 CAT, 19:55, 20:45 CAT and 21:10 CAT

Primos is inspired and created by Emmy Award-nominated writer/animation artist Natasha Kline’s (Big City Greens) childhood in Southern California, growing up in a large, multicultural and blended Mexican-American family. It follows Tater Ramirez Humphrey, an eccentric girl with ambitious summer dreams. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when her family invites all 12 of her cousins to stay with them, leading to a summer of surprises and unforgettable adventures.

The voice cast is led by Myrna Velasco as Tater Ramirez Humphrey; Angélica María as Tater’s grandmother, Buela; Cheech Marin as Tater’s grandfather, Pop; and Melissa Villaseñor as Tater’s sister, Nellie Ramirez Humphrey.

Guest stars for Season 1 are Mark Consuelos as Tío Ivan Ramirez, Joel “The Kid Mero” Martinez as Tío Diego Perez, Gabriel Iglesias as Tío Gustavo, Ricardo Chavira as Tío Ignacio and more.

Additional cast members include Jim Conroy as Tater’s dad, Bud Humphrey; Michelle Ortiz as Tater’s mom, Bibi Ramirez Humphrey; and Liza Koshy as Serena, Tater’s best friend; with Tater’s many cousins voiced by Elizabeth Grullón as Lita, Jonathan Melo as Scooter, Rick Simon as Cousin Bud and Big Nacho, Cristina Vee Valenzuela as Tere and Toñita, Natasha Kline as Gordita and ChaCha, Nomi Ruiz as Tabi, Becca Q. Co as Lot Lot, Ryan Anderson Lopez as Nachito and Sarah Tubert as Lucita.

From Disney Branded Television, Primos is produced by Disney Television Animation. The creative team includes executive producer and creator Natasha Kline, supervising director Shaun Cashman, story editor Karla Sakas Shropshire, producer Philip M. Cohen, art director Ivan Aguirre, series songwriter Alana Da Fonseca and composer Jim Lang.

StarSat Issues Out Official Statement Following Dispute With ICASA

On Digital Media (ODM), the licensing company of pay television platform StarSat TV, acknowledges the statement issued by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), dated 20 September 2024, regarding StarSat’s potential exit from the subscription market in South Africa.

Owing to challenges in securing new investment in a competitive market, along with the introduction of a new shareholders agreement and the economic pressures following the COVID-19 pandemic, ODM submitted its license renewal application to ICASA later than the required deadline. Despite multiple attempts to seek guidance from ICASA officials to address these regulatory challenges, ODM did not receive the necessary support.

Furthermore, the Gauteng High Court recently dismissed an urgent interdict application filed by ODM to block ICASA’s decision to cease its operations as of 18 September 2024. A review application is pending to address the substantive legal issues between the two parties once the court date is set.

In light of these developments, StarSat is both surprised and concerned by ICASA’s recent statement, particularly as legal proceedings are currently underway. Over the past 18 months, StarSat has maintained consistent and comprehensive communication with ICASA. Any suggestion that the company has failed to engage with the regulatory authority is incorrect, as extensive correspondence is evidence of its commitment to constructive dialogue.

Given ICASA’s commitment to enabling economic growth, the potential loss of jobs is especially troubling. This situation could jeopardise the livelihoods of more than 600 ODM employees and disrupt the broader network of over 4,000 dealers and sales agents who rely on its operations.

Beyond economic growth, ICASA is also committed to ensuring the dissemination of information, entertainment, and education to the public. StarSat plays a key role in this, providing quality content to over 500,000 subscribers at affordable rates. Its service offers a diverse range of programming that supports the informational and entertainment needs of South Africans.

Despite the current challenges, StarSat will remain operational, and is committed to providing uninterrupted service to its users and business partners.

Vivendi Unveils New Corporate Structure For Canal+ Group

Some Vivendi-owned assets, whose operations are closely aligned with those of Canal+, are currently in the process of being transferred to the latter for the sake of consistency.

Canal+ will consolidate together with its current business GVA, which provides telecommunication services in Africa, including high-speed Internet access marketed under the brand Canalbox; the video streaming platform Dailymotion; the performance venues L’Olympia and the L’Œuvre theater in France as well as the cinema theaters CanalOlympia in Africa.

In this new configuration, Canal+ Group will represent a unique international media operation with exposure to both mature and high-growth markets. It would have recorded €6.2 billion in revenues,

€472 million in Adjusted Earnings Before Interest and Income Taxes (EBITA) and €315 million in Cash Flow From Operations (CFFO) for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Its total number of subscribers would amount to approximately 26.8 million at such date, of which 16.0 million outside of France (c. 60%). Between Dailymotion and the OTT platform myCanal, Canal+ Group would record a global audience of over 400 million monthly active users.

In recent years, Canal+ Group has made significant expenditure and investments amounting to approximately €1 billion annually in technology (including its broadcasting and streaming infrastructure, software development, CRM, etc.) to provide a highly distinctive and industry-leading customer experience on the myCanal and Dailymotion platforms.

The attached appendix sets out key figures of the new consolidation perimeter of Canal+.

Canal+ Group will have three operating segments:

• Canal+ Europe – encompassing the Group’s subscription-TV (including OTT) and advertising-supported free-to-air (FTA) TV businesses across France, the French Overseas and adjacent territories, Poland, Central Europe and Benelux (through its wholly-owned subsidiary M7) as well as telecommunication services in the French Overseas territories;

• Canal+ Africa & Asia – encompassing the Group’s subscription-TV and advertising-supported FTA TV businesses, GVA and CanalOlympia venues across French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa as well as subscription-TV business in Vietnam, Myanmar and Pacific territories;

• Content Production, Distribution and Other – encompassing Studiocanal, Dailymotion, Thema1 as well as L’Olympia and the L’Œuvre theater.

Canal+ Group also holds a non-controlling 45.2% stake in MultiChoice with an ongoing mandatory takeover offer, a 36.8% stake in the OTT platform Viu and a 29.33% stake in Viaplay.

Why Did Zee World Opt To Separate Its Operations Within Africa?

Zee World is a Indian based entertainment channel operated by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that distributes various films and series in English. The channel imports all its content from Zee TV and following its successful launch in Africa by 2015 have contributed to the creations of Zee Alem (Ethiopia), Zee Zonke (Southern Africa), Zee Bollymovies and Zee One.

As some readers have already seen, Zee World has decided to separate it's operations in parts of Africa with the rollout of Zee World SA and Zee World Africa. This is nothing like TLC varied feeds but more like that of Zee One where Zee Entertainment Enterprises gives both feeds a chance to offer first run content which has even led to a bit of rivalry amongst the feeds.

For instance, Zee World SA follows fellow competitor Star Life and began rolling out their series in half hour timeslots while Zee World Africa was still open to offering these shows in a longer format. Even more baffling was that Zee World Africa had a movie block while Zee World SA didn't so the only way consumers in SA can watch movies is through DStv Indian.

But one question that's been striking everyone's mind was the reason behind the sudden division amongst Africa. There are times where certain scenes would be deemed inappropriate for consumers with certain cultures and norms, it was the contributing factor to the inclusion of Nickelodeon SA and Nickelodeon Africa.

Those viewing Zee World including myself haven't seen anything that would be deemed insensitive to certain viewers as Zee World is culturally diverse and educational in some capacity so if I had to guess where the division originated it may have to do with Dance Naija Dance.

In recent years, Zee World has been investing locally with the inclusion of Zee Zonke and Zee Alem both of which have been culturally diverse in their own rights. Zee World has even been a distributor of various short films from MultiChoice's Talent Factory which could as well have been folded under Mzansi Magic and Africa Magic.

In terms of the division, they probably took a page of MultiChoice's playbook as they had been known to restrict certain content from consumers in certain parts of Africa. This is due to content from Africa Magic getting more exposure from their respective markets as consumers are familiar with the offering as opposed to acquiring it for South Africa where it may not garner traction.