Could DStv Be Closing Down In Some Countries?

A few months ago, it was revealed that both Canal+ and Bruh Entertainment PLC that launched a rival platform to StarTimes and DStv in Ethiopia back in 2021 will be closing down by 31 December 2024. This is due to the dominance of free-to-air operators in the region with the French broadcaster putting more focus on existing agreements with BeMedia.

This had led to further speculation that a similar fate could be awaiting DStv as Canal+ tries to completes it's acquisition of MultiChoice. Let's remember, Canal+ is also in pursuit of a rival pay-tv platform in Mauritius after increasing its hold in MC Vision to 75% which is awaiting regulatory approval as well.

Whenever there's a clash it always lead to one of the two getting closed if not sold which is what could be awaiting MultiChoice in the region. Canal+ could look into merging both DStv and MC Vision and build a localized feed as seen in South Africa with their broadcasting license limited to 20% needing local partners to have indirect influence over it's operations.

MultiChoice Africa hasn't been profitable in a long while and on top of massive layoffs Canal+ could as well look into minimizing the pay-tv company's presence in some markets. You'll find some like Mauritius offering MC Vision that could as well be the only reminisce of MultiChoice as they look to package certain brands on those platforms.

Then there could be an instance where MultiChoice follows a similar route as Sony Pictures Television and BBC Studios and explore partnerships to retain portions of DStv I mean the idea wouldn't seem far fetched a stretch. As Canal+ has adopted to similar mechanisms in the areas they reside being both content and pay-tv provider.

NFL Is In Talks To Acquire Some Of Skydance's Assets Ahead Of Merger With Paramount Global

The National Football League is in talks with David Ellison’s Skydance Media and one of his major investors, RedBird Capital Partners, that could result in some of the league’s media assets changing hands, according to people familiar with the conversations.

The talks could include a sale of NFL Media and its NFL Network cable channel, or an acquisition by Paramount Global of the league’s interest in Skydance Sports, a joint venture that produces movies and TV shows, according to the people, who asked to not be identified because the discussions are private.

Paramount, which holds rights to broadcast NFL games, is in the process of merging with Skydance, an independent film and TV studio, in a deal expected to close next year. Paramount’s contract with the league includes a change of control provision that could allow the NFL to seek another media partner, the people said. The NFL’s deal with Paramount’s CBS network is worth about $2.1 billion a year through 2033.

Although it is unlikely that the NFL will seek to replace CBS as its broadcast partner, the provision has prompted a wider conversation about business opportunities between the league, Skydance and RedBird. The league is already in business with both parties and Commissioner Roger Goodell has praised Skydance in interviews.

In 2022, the NFL invested $45 million in Skydance Sports in a deal that valued the entity at about $100 million. Skydance and NFL Films produced a new season of HBO’s Hard Knocks documentary series, focusing on the New York Giants, this year. The two companies are also working on a 10-part documentary series on Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

The league and RedBird are partners in EverPass Media, which distributes the NFL Sunday Ticket games to bars and restaurants. RedBird is also an owner of the United Football League, which plays in the spring season. Larry Ellison, the father of the Skydance founder and one of the world’s richest men, has previously expressed interest in owning a professional football team.

The NFL has been shopping its media assets for a few years. NFL Media includes the league’s digital operations, the NFL cable network, the film unit and NFL RedZone, a subscription service. Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN sports division had been in talks about a potential deal that could have seen the company acquire NFL Media, giving the league a stake in ESPN in return. Those talks have stalled, however.

eExtra To Debut New Series "Legend Of Fuyao"

The story takes place in the universe of Five Kingdoms that is led by the Imperial City of Tianquan. Fuyao was formed from a lotus borne by the Ancient firmament. Adopted as an orphan, she served as a slave for the Xuanyuan sect from the Taiyuan Kingdom. A series of tragedies resulted in a journey across the land to gather the magical artifacts that could lift the curse that blighted her life. 

Along the way, she met the Crown Prince of Tianquan who was masquerading as the heir of Taiyuan while conducting secret missions to quell unrest in the Five Kingdoms. The pair fell in love as they battled the complicated politics and power plays between the different forces. With the help of her loyal companions, Fuyao set out to unravel the heinous plot of the ancient firmament.

Based on the novel Empress Fuyao, Legend of Fuyao aired on the Chinese network Zhejiang TV from June 18 to August 13, 2018 with 66 episodes having being filmed. It starred Yang Mi as Fuyao, Ethan Juan as Zhangsun Wuji, Zhang Dongshen as Xuanyuan Ren, Hu Ke as Xuanyuan Xiao, Lai Yi as Zong Yue, Liang Yimu as Yun Hen.

Legend of Fuyao will air daily at 16:15 replacing Jeyran from Thursday 10 October with an age restriction of 18. In other developments, eExtra will be adding two new shows to their offering in the month Op Dun Ys after being uploaded on eVOD alongside Viola.

This will be the first Asian drama to have been broadcast on the channel during the year after the channel had seen its primetime offering reduced for Kuiertyd's imports. Recently, eMedia Investments had added all of their channels graphic designs to commemorate their 24 year anniversary in the market.

StarSat Issues Out Official Statement After It's Services Were Closed In South Africa With Transmission Disrupted For The Rest Of Africa

Not long ago, we reported that SAPS and ICASA had raided StarSat offices in South Africa after operating illegally for over a year with failure to shutdown as warned. With over 500000 consumers inactive, this will only lead to disaster for On Digital Media and StarTimes as paying consumers will likely raid their offices demanding for their money.

Since March, they were advised to settle their affairs and close by last month but didn't so and now consumers have raided their social platforms demanding answers on when the broadcaster will settle it's affairs with ICASA. Just to let you know, these things take time and we don't know what action awaits them.

If StarSat were to apply now that they were forcefully closed one result is a temporary ban meaning they'd have to wait a stipulated period to reapply which again 500000 can't afford. Consumers will likely just flee from their services and by the time they do return there may not be much to salvage as this market them and DStv harvest is crashing.

Below is a press statement from the company 

StarSat, operated by On Digital Media (ODM), confirms that earlier today, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), accompanied by the South African Police Service (SAPS), entered its Midrand offices and disconnected services.

During this process, not only were ODM’s services impacted but also those of StarTimes Media’s pan-African broadcast. As the service provider to ODM and a subsidiary of the larger StarTimes Group, StarTimes Media holds a valid individual electronics communication network service (ECNS) licence for transmissions across Africa.

While we acknowledge ICASA’s mandate to shut down ODM’s South African services, we are appalled by the manner in which ICASA disregarded ODM’s reasonable initial request for a discussion regarding which equipment should be removed, should the execution order be carried out.

Instead, ICASA opted to remove all equipment, including that belonging to StarTimes Media, which has adversely affected its pan-African broadcast services. This disconnection is highly concerning as it affects legitimate operations under this licence.

While ODM acknowledges an ongoing dispute, it strongly contests the disconnection of a valid StarTimes Media connection, which it believes to be unlawful.

ODM is exploring all legal avenues to resolve this issue swiftly and restore services. The company’s legal representatives have urgently approached the courts and will continue to keep all stakeholders, including customers, employees, and the media, informed as the situation progresses.

As Expected, StarSat Shuts Down In South Africa After Operating Illegally For Over A Year

Last month, it was reported that StarSat which serves as DStv's only competitor in South Africa was suppose to shut down by mid September. Since then, they continued to maintain an active presence in the market by selling their decoders, employing staff and promoting their bulk of entertainment to the media.

At the time, StarSat had stated they had no intention of closing their doors in South Africa as they look to take on ICASA in the hopes to stay on air. They left several consumers and staff members in the dark about their closure and also the fact they were distributing their services illegally not even channel providers Disney and BBC were aware of this.

In recent developments, it was confirmed that both ICASA and SAPS had ordered the shut down of StarSat services in South Africa imagine the feds are now on their tail. The only thing StarSat consumers can see now is a message on screen alerting them of "connection failure or bad whether".

Like I said a month ago, those using StarSat should get their affairs in order and opt for DStv or an Openview if they wish to enjoy a similar offering. Them operating illegally for this long would have dire consequences and there's consumers that probably paid in advance and you wonder if they'll get reimbursed.

StarSat was gloating for a month that they were dealing with financial constraints with part of it stemming from COVID-19 and if they wanted to take legal action or try to retain their services where else would they get these funds. Now over 500000 consumers are now going to be wondering aimlessly with jobs lost. 

The next step in this scenario would be if StarSat's license holder On Digital Media were to apply for a new license and this time on legal grounds they're going back to square one. DStv is already experiencing a decline in consumers due to the current economic climate and also the rise in internet usage.

Now with StarSat being off air, consumers are likely to dump their decoders and explore other means but should they come back these consumers would have moved on. This whole process they are engaging in will take up a lot of time something the "fans" and members of StarSat can't afford at the moment.

StarSat could as well just end up in the same nutshell as Telkom Media or Cell C's Black with On Digital Media that will likely disband. As for StarTimes, they could as well focus on the other pay-tv services in Africa leaving MultiChoice as the only pay-tv provider in South Africa.