TelkomOne Vs. SABC+: Transition From International To Local Entertainment

Earlier today, TelkomOne without prior notice announced that they'll be unavailable for the rest of the day and left a cryptic message to their subscribers while as SABC has gearing up for the rollout of their long awaited streaming service, SABC+.

Moments later, it was discovered that TelkomOne would be shutting down and that SABC will fill the gap that Telkom would leave several of their subscribers so here's an overview.

TelkomOne alongside SABC+ are both based in SA and managed by different parties. If anything, their parties formed an agreement where one would leverage from the other in exchange for money so in this case is it really shocking as this was bound to happen.

I mean MTN, Cell C and Vodacom all joined the streaming game and backed out so why not Telkom in this case.

TelkomOne featured a variety of international content particularly premium channels like Real Time, Toonami, Discovery Science and EWTN all of which are likely dead at this point following the acquisition by the public broadcaster.

From what sources stated about SABC+, it would be similar to BBC iPlayer in the UK so basically another DStv App which comes with SABC 1-3, Sport and Education alongside their 19 radio stations and archived material.

If you study the facts carefully, basically all the content TelkomOne picked up without a linear channel will be compensated with archived content while as the linear channels such as Discovery Science will be supplemented with SABC 1-3.

Considering how many linear channels they were at the time my guess would be that they'll add a few more channels to the lineup just not as much as that of TelkomOne.

While as TelkomOne offered Toonami and Boing with SABC+ the likelihood is that consumers will get SABC Education and the rumoured Tuluntulu channel, SABC Children while as The Home Channel and Discovery Science and France24 would be compensated with SABC Encore and SABC Sport.

SABC Children and Encore were rumoured for about a year and I'm not saying these are the channels but you find plenty of global streamers like Paramount+ use several of their existing shows and forming a digital channel within the platform to promote the content.

The idea of SABC doing such doesn't seem far fetched especially after what happened last year as they stated Openview's upcoming channels would be repeat channels which is what SABC+ is all about.

During the years, I assume the public broadcaster took some notes from MultiChoice's Showmax and eMedia Investments' eVOD and will include Fast Forward or simulcast broadcasts to some of their properties.

Over to whether SABC News will be seen on SABC+ that's a definite maybe should it be included it won't be available elsewhere unless it's a product of MultiChoice which gives the brand stability.

All in all, viewers have to tune in tomorrow to see what else SABC has in store.

But from what was implied about it several times it's just a reduction to TelkomOne so I'm assuming some consumers will opt to cancel while those viewing the free version will latch onto the platform for the time being either way I can see it ending in a positive and negative manner.

Why Openview Has Been Excluded From Delayed SABC Channel Expansion?

eMedia Investments and the SABC finalised their deal for 3 additional channels one of which were SABC Sport alongside 19 radio stations in 2021. As consumers wait over a year for the two channels which are set to carry a lot of existing content there's been some speculation one of which was cleared up is SABC Education.

SABC Education is a DTT channel currently seen on TelkomOne and soon on the likes of DStv and StarSat is based on the educational division formed by the SABC which is home to shows like Takalani Sesame, Matric Reloaded, Ispani, Uzalo, Geleza Nathi and 90 Plain Street.

The channel has remained active as of May 2020 and used as a catch-up channel to programs currently viewed on SABC 1-3 with plans to roll out the brand onto more platforms still underway.

As seen through several consumers on the Openview platform is SABC 1-3, SABC Sport alongside the 19 radio stations but SABC Education doesn't form part of the bouquet with SABC News being exclusive to DStv and DTT consumers.

So the question would have to be is eMedia Investments waiting on SABC Education like DStv?

Probably not as MultiChoice is waiting on two other channels to roll out on the DStv platform and SABC Education alongside SABC Sport and the 19 radio stations did form part of TelkomOne's initial offering when it launched in October 2020.

There could be a number of reasons SABC Education won't form part of the offering. The first has to do with costs, second would have to do with their rivalry perhaps they don't want to invest too much and last may have to do with the existing educational offering on Openview being DBE TV and Mindset.

Disturbing Facts About Controversial News Station Afro Worldview (Formerly ANN7)

8 years ago, MultiChoice operated Afro Worldview (known as ANN7 at the time) which was a Gupta owned news station which gained attention mainly for its technical setbacks, untrained staff and behind the scenes antics.

Today, we explore some various aspects of the former DStv channel some much worse than others but after reviewing this you'd understand why MultiChoice opted to cut ties and source Newsroom Afrika as an alternative to Afro Worldview.

Here are the disturbing facts about Afro Worldview part of which were highlighted in the book Indentured - Behind The Scenes At Gupta TV

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"Rajesh, I want you to prepare for our first meeting with DStv, our enemies at MultiChoice. Arun and you will go to the meeting tomorrow and I want you to give them a copy of the EPG and make sure that channel 404 on DStv is allocated to us. But I want to warn you, they are our enemies. They will try everything to see us fail," writes Rajesh Sundaram. Mentioned on page 62 of Indentured.

1. Afro Worldview wanted to be on channel 404 currently occupied by SABC News and went as far as getting Jacob Zuma involved.

2. MultiChoice was a big enemy of Gupta owned channel.

"It was clear that the team from MultiChoice did not believe we were technically or editorially prepared to launch a news channel by the end of July. The tension in the room was palpable. They were visibly upset with the political pressure that was being brought to bear on them to launch the channel quickly and on the terms directed by the Guptas." Mentioned on page 63 on Indentured.

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"We did not have the people, the studio was not complete, and much of the broadcasting equipment had not even been ordered at this time. The team did not even have newsgathering and studio cameras." Mentioned on page 63 on Indentured.

3. MultiChoice was seemingly aware that the channel was not ready to launch at the time.

"DStv suddenly gave in. Even as ANN7 was offering three bulletins a day produced on primitive systems and equipment nowhere near the quality standards prescribed by DStv, it was announced internally that DStv had been 'pressured' through president Jacob Zuma 's office to oust Russia Today from the 405 slot and give it to us." Mentioned on page 126 on Indentured.

4. Russia Today moved from channel 405 to 408 due to pressure from Jacob Zuma to occupy ANN7 on a higher channel number but MultiChoice has denied it and claimed the change was a way of getting local channels closer.

"His plan saved the company thousands of rands, but it cost the company millions in lost reputation, as we found out post-launch."

"Atul wanted Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon to train the models. Gerry was hired to present the breakfast show, which had been branded Vuka Africa."

"Gerry was given a table and chair, a white board and a training room. Some days she had a camera at her disposal. She had no teleprompter, professional monitors or audio equipment in the initial weeks." Mentioned on page 107 on Indentured.

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5. Afro Worldview used models as news anchors.

"The bulletins we had produced at that time were, unsurprisingly, fullof technical glitches and were anchored by a group of models hired by Atul and trained by Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon . The young women were very raw, clueless about the news they were reading and very unfamiliar with a studio setting." Mentioned on page 130 on Indentured.

6. Afro Worldview always had glitches with their bulletins even before launch.

"We are nowhere near the quality of CNN International or BBC. He had very little understanding of television or the primitive conditions under which the bulletins were being produced." Mentioned on page 114 on Indentured.

7. Channel boss had little experience with television.

"The archival footage at the SABC was indeed of a very high quality and in my view worth millions of rands," writes Rajesh Sundaram. "Nazeem, Laxmi and Atul repeatedly told me that the contract with the SABC for this sale favoured ANN7, was drafted by Gupta lawyers and that the price of the footage was 'peanuts' compared to its real value."

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8. "Stupid SABC" - Before MultiChoice, SABC sold their archives to Afro Worldview.

He told Biznews that Indian staffers, brought to South Africa on tourist visas and who worked in the country illegally, had to live on the ANN7 Midrand construction site "in sub-human conditions".

"There were staff that Atul Gupta would slap; and physically abuse us; scream verbal abuse at people. For instance say the playout system crashes, Atul Gupta would come into the production control room and start beating up the audio console person".

9. Channel boss was abusive to staff by slapping and calling them names.

"My relationship with ANN7 started when I was approached to produce a show for the station. It was supposed to start on Sunday but there were issues I wasn't happy with since I discovered its history with the Guptas."

10. Controversial pastor Paseka "Mboro" Motsoeneng pulled his gospel show due to ties with Guptas.

SABC Movies: A Scrapped Dream Journal For The SABC

In 2012, The SABC announced plans to launch their long awaited DTT platform to the market which would consist of 18 channels and some of the channels that were fortunate enough to materialize were SABC News, SABC Sport and SABC Education.

Although, the public broadcaster plans for their decoder fell through several brands have since then resurfaced. Aside from SABC Education and SABC Sport, the public broadcaster registered two other brands SABC Parliament and SABC Children.

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SABC 4, SABC 5 and SABC Movies are the only brands that haven't been picked up.

SABC 4 & 5 are likely dead at this point the two were going to be SABC's version of Cape Town and Soweto TV and such channel has been deemed expensive just not for pay-tv platforms but SABC Movies on the other hand is different.

SABC Movies just like eMovies was set to be a catch-up channel for films broadcast on SABC 1-3 which is the norm for the most free-to-air channels overtime the lineup would shift to appease the audience.

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If successful, the brand would have gotten a second movie channel to help boost the load of repeats.

At the moment, the public broadcaster is looking to source channels other platforms are willing to cover. SABC Movies has no room in the overcrowded field of movie channels or at least for DStv.

Not that they can't launch it but if the SABC wanted the brand on there it would have find its niche even with platforms like StarSat and Openview. It shouldn't duplicate what's already available or air content that is not suited for the modern demographic.

What If A Modernized SABC Encore Launched As The Two Channels On OpenView?

SABC and eMedia Investments reached an agreement back in March that would grant OpenView customers access to SABC's 19 radio stations alongside 3 additional channels one of which being a sports channel.

It was stated at the time that SABC Sport alongside the 19 radio stations would roll out in the month of April with the other two being carrying content from SABC archives alongside new programming being unveiled within the next 3 months being April to June likely to crossover onto July.

SABC Education was suspected to be the first one but it was stated the two would be entertainment channels besides that OpenView already has 2 other educational channels that often air the same programs.

The second rumored channel was the Encore channel formerly available on DStv but the idea from SABC was to also give these new channels some fresh content so I derived it into SABC 4 and SABC 5 channels the broadcaster initially plotted to launch before downsizing to just three channels.

Perhaps, SABC Encore a channel SABC hoped to continue on another platform could be the mysterious brand for OpenView except it won't actually return but split into two parts.

The name SABC 4 and 5 could be a better way to "label' these Encore channels.

SABC 4 would be home to all the local dramas and soapies currently seen on SABC 1-3 such as Yizo Yizo, Soul Buddy, Velaphi and Intersections while as SABC 5 will bring in factual, religious and lifestyle entertainment such as Motswako, 50/50, Voetspore and Psalted.

SABC is currently in a TV licence brawl with MultiChoice and is scheduled to also launch a streaming service later in the year with eMedia Investments launching theirs in the month of July.

Read Also:

- SABC Education's status on both DStv and StarSat

- House Of Zwide coming soon to e.tv

- e.tv to become another SABC

- Nickelodeon returns to e.tv 

- Analogue TV is going off air soon, be sure to get a decoder when purchasing a TV set

- BritBox to launch in South Africa

- Is an SABC 4 and SABC 5 channel on the way?

- Details on SABC's kids brand (not SABC Education)

- Current status of TV licence

- Linear channels switch to 7 day viewing, Will SABC and e.tv viewers be able to cope