Insidus Plus: eMedia Investments

Showing posts with label eMedia Investments. Show all posts

What eMedia Investments Might Have Looked Like Under The Ownership Of Warner Bros. Discovery?

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As reported sometime ago, Warner Bros. Discovery was looking to acquire eMedia Investments several years back. Following various legal hurdles of foreign ownership sold their remaining shares as eMedia Investments continues to blossom.

They currently offer Openview, SA's most successful free-to-view DTT platform which is accessible to over 3 million households. It offers over 20 TV channels which offer a range of movies, reality shows, drama series, telenovelas, sports and cartoons.

Most of which probably wouldn't have been under Warner Bros. Discovery's radar leaving consumers the latter on DStv and StarSat.

Warner Bros. Discovery (known as Time Warner) at the time consisted of brands such as HBO, TNT, Cartoon Network and Cartoonito (formerly Boomerang). Before the merger in 2019, their lineup consisted of drama series, movies and cartoons.

There's no way eSeries could have entered the equation if M-Net licensed content from HBO and Warner Bros. Studios. Same goes for the kiddies channel eToonz which might have been supplemented by Cartoon Network all of which are pay-tv brands.

e.tv could have remained as a singular channel with the eMedia Investments trademark phased out. It would have been home to locally produced content while as licensing content from other studios and exploring Warner Bros. Studios archives.

There wouldn't be room for much expansions in terms of local programming e.g. Kuiertyd.

eNCA would have probably been the only other TV channel with connections to the eMedia trademark. It would have served as the SA adaptation of CNN perhaps infusing its lineup if not co-existing or just have that heavy focus on the local economy.

Recap To The Past Decade: Warner Bros. Discovery (Formerly Time Warner) Was Looking To Acquire eMedia Investments

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e.tv is a South African free-to-air entertainment channel operated by eMedia Investments. Since its inception, it became the second most TV channel in the country surpassing masses like SABC 2 and SABC 3 whose audience has declined in recent years.

Similar to MultiChoice, eMedia Investments had garnered interest from foreign investors such as TF1 (France), Channel 9 (Australia) and United News Media (United Kingdom) with Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery) owning 20%.

By 2001, South African laws limited foreign businesses hold over to local companies to 25%. Warner Bros. Discovery worried they may never to able to gain full ownership sold their shares to Remgro Limited (33%) and Hosken Consolidated Investments (67%).

Since then, Warner Bros. Discovery had produced various TV series and films alongside distribution of various channels in Latin America, France, India, Asia, Australia and New Zealand and Poland.

If Warner Bros. Discovery had pursued eMedia Investments as originally intended at the time. It's likely that most channels within eMedia's stable like eSeries and eReality would have access to an extensive lineup of content from Warner Bros. Studios.

Warner Bros. Discovery would have served as a competitor to MultiChoice while as licensing brands like Cartoon Network and Discovery to DStv. Their freemium channels would serve as a repeat channels while they continue to build their original content slate.

Recap To Last Year: How MultiChoice Went About Phasing Out The eBranded Channels?

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During the week, it was reported by my sources that eToonz alongside eExtra, eMovies and eMovies Extra would stop airing on DStv by the end of July. Since then, eExtra had been promoting several content without any mention of DStv which confirms everyone's suspicion.

These channels were reinstated in 2022 due to pending investigation - MultiChoice never intended to relaunch these channels as others had hoped. So the only way you can watch the final episodes of your favourite Kuiertyd shows would be to tuning in on e.tv or getting an Openview.

For those who still reside on DStv even after the termination need to note the following:

• DreamWorks was added as a replacement to eToonz to Compact consumers featuring various content already seen by the former brand: All Hail King Julien, Dragons: Race To The Edge, Boss Baby: Back In Business and Home: The Adventures Of Tip And Oh.

• Not having much alternatives to kiddies entertainment, MultiChoice extended the reach of PBS Kids to Easyview consumers. Access and Family consumers got a lot of kids channels e.g. Cartoon Network, Disney Junior and JimJam so they get nothing.

• Movie Room was added to all DStv consumers or better yet to the packages that offered eMovies and eMovies Extra. So basically 1 movie channel was given to Compact consumers while as KIX was added to Family and Access consumers giving them 2 channels.

• Each DStv package got 2 channels to replace the 4 TV channels while Easyview only got 1 channel.

• New channels added to the platform during the year include CineMagic, Magic Showcase, BBC UKTV, NHK World Japan, Moonbug and Hilaal TV so in a way you could say MultiChoice found a way to distract consumers from their absence particularly with Easyview consumers.

Recap To The Decade: 10 TV Channels You Probably Forgot Existed On Openview

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Openview is a free-to-air platform operated by eMedia Investments that also manage brands such as e.tv, eReality and eExtra part of which are ranked the top 10 channels. For several years, they've been to be a worthy foe to pay-tv serving affordable entertainment.

It wasn't always like this initially the platform was more of an Easyview type platform and if we remember the DStv bouquet it was one of MultiChoice's crappiest products to exist and Openview at the time was basically that with the exception of eMovies and eToonz.

Now we look at 10 forgotten channels once seen on Openview.

1. English Club TV

English Club TV sets out to be one of the most least crappiest products on this list. If anything the channel was very promising as it featured documentaries, films, cartoons and music video all of which are illustrated for those who study English.

At the time this channel was around, eMedia Investments didn't have that much consumers. In some way, English Club TV was a victim of unfortunate circumstance which contributed to the cancellation.

2. Inspiration TV

Inspiration TV is a Christian themed channel operated by Inspiration Ministries that is home to the likes of Charles Stanley, TD Jakes and Joel Osteen. It was meant to form the initial offering of Openview when it launched in October 2013 but didn't unfortunately.

eMedia Investments had tried numerous times to get the channel onboard but due to some technologies those plans were halted.

3. BiCars

Bi-Cars TV was a reality street motorsport

lifestyle channel similar to Ignition TV on DStv. It showcased motorsport news, fashion, celebrity riders and real-life stories of street Moto-sport lifestyle, entertainment and music.

Some of the content featured on Bi-Cars TV included Mzansi Celebrities Bikers, Bi-Car Make Over, Battle Of Crews , BC League, Championships Of Speed and Sound, and Torque Talk.

Similar to most of the channels on the list, a vast majority weren't tuning in to the Ignition duplicate.

4. United Christian Broadcasting Network (UCBN)

United Christian Broadcasting Network (UCB Network TV) is a Christian based channel providing religious content. UCBN programming include shows such as Men of Honour, Women In Me, Pastor's Corner, Africa Talent Show, Nuggets of Wealth and Leadership, U Kids.

The channel was terminated due to low viewership.

5. Ekurhuleni TV

Ekurhuleni TV is a community TV station carrying local news, music, educational, health and religious programming.

The channel was terminated due to low viewership.

6. Relevant TV

Founded and run by Joshua McCauley, Relevant TV was intended to be a non-denominational Christian lifestyle TV channel that will look at the spiritual needs of Christians from all walks of life. The main target market of the channel is young adults, although it will cater for other groups as well.

The channel was removed due to unforeseen circumstances and without prior notice by eMedia Investments.

7. Alex TV (LXTV)

Alex TV, stylised as lx tv, was a community based channel with Lucky Siwela as chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder, revolves around covering and mirroring the life and issues of the vibrant, yet impoverished South African township and "suburb" of Alexandra.

The channel was yanked off Openview after its broadcasting licence had expired. Since then, rival company MultiChoice was able to fill the void with GauTV which caters to Sandton all the way to the Bekkersdal township.

8. ASTV (now MYtv)

ASTV was a lifestyle channel in which eMedia Investments had minority ownership broadcast a mix of actuality, outdoor, youth and teen content as well as Afrikaans music videos. Some of the content available on the channel included Vaskap, Eksieperfeksie, Kos Is Oppie Tafel, Ons Gesels Met... and Klankbaan.

Similar to OnseTV on StarSat, the channel wasn't watched by majority of the viewers and hasn't gained much traction as seen with kykNET's offering on DStv. Forming part of Openview's initial offering it went dark after 3 years of service (and 12 on StarSat).

9. Wild TV Africa

Wild TV Africa, developed by Dewald Visser, brought viewers outdoor and adventure programming focusing on camping, mountain-biking, fishing, 4X4 trails, scuba diving, conservation, mountain climbing, hunting, sport shooting, skydiving and big wave surfing.

Similar to most brands on the list, the channel was axed due to low viewership. Of course, similar content can be found on People's Weather and on DStv, WildEarth.

10. Shembe TV

Shembe Unyazi TV will show viewers programming around the African religion founded by Prophet Isaiah Mloyiswa Shembe, known as Bombela, in 1910 and which has 8 million followers in Southern Africa.

Basically a rival to the Nigerian based Emmanuel TV on DStv, it's currently unknown as to why the channel was removed but it was believed to be low viewership with the low rated channel currently seen on StarSat.

What Happened To Trace Sport Stars?

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Trace Sports Stars is a lifestyle channel that celebrated the life of sports through factual entertainment, reality shows and gossip similar to E! operated by NBCUniversal. The channel supplies various originals such as Up Close, Bad Boys In Sports and Football Stars.

The channel was added in 2011/2 on Sky UK and MultiChoice's DStv across Africa as Trace Sports. Two years later, it went dark in the UK which coincides with the rebrand to Trace Sports Stars as they didn't offer live sports and the name didn't coincide with the offering.

When looking at a brand name like Trace Sports, one would assume they'd play actual sports like English Premier League, La Liga and WWE and although the content is focused solely on that topic. It just didn't really stick with some consumers.

In general, Trace Sports Stars was a wreck not because the channel couldn't get fresh content as it did possess potential but likely due to the fact that this type of content promoted by the channel isn't watched by vast majority as seen with the actual sporting events.

That in mind is what led to it's demise on MultiChoice's DStv with Trace Africa coming in place and at that time it was made available on rivals On Digital Media and StarTimes' StarSat and eMedia Investments' Openview platform.

This was Openview's first attempt at anything sports with StarSat offering a platform to reject channels or affordable entertainment. But of course, both brands ended scrapping the channel before 2018 for similar reasons as MultiChoice - viewership.

As of 2023, Trace Sports Stars is not viewable anywhere in Africa but that doesn't mean the channel is completely lost as it can be obtained on Binge Networks (USA), Sky (Mexico), Viaccess-Orca (France) and NTV Plus (Russia).

To be frank, Trace Sports Stars remains sustainable if anything it's not performing as well as it's musical family Trace Urban, Trace Gospel, Trace Toca, Trace Mziki and Trace Naija all of which are viewable on MultiChoice's DStv in selected territories.

eReality On DStv: Here's Everything Briefly Wants You To Know About The eFamily Member Channel

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Briefly News is a South African digital media and news platform that was founded in 2014. It is one of South Africa’s largest news and entertainment websites and one of the top-earning brands on Facebook in Africa. It is also partner to Genesis Media Emerging Markets.

Genesis Media Emerging Markets, a digital media holding operating in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and worldwide. Other GMEM news projects include Legit.ng (Nigeria), TUKO.co.ke (Kenya), YEN.com.gh (Ghana) and Sportsbrief.com (Worldwide).

In 2018, eMedia Investments launched a free-to-air reality channel on the Openview platform, eReality. It currently ranks as the most popular reality channel in the market featuring local and international series from e.tv, NBC, M-Net, Oxygen, BBC and MTV.

Prior to its rollout on Openview, rumours swirled around that eMedia Investments would be adding eReality as the 6th channel to MultiChoice's DStv joining the now defunct eBella alongside eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz.

Of course, not much was known about its potential rollout it was believed to be replacing eBella as news of a possible rollout of the reality channel coincided with the termination of the channel which introduced viewers to shows like Qubool Hai and Fatmagul.

Last year, an author of Briefly published a story about eReality but this time as a channel for DStv. Of course, not much is known about what led to the mix up or which channel the author was referring as they listed it under the Compact bouquet but not Openview.

eMedia Investments gave away broadcasting rights to eNCA to MultiChoice for another 5 years preventing Openview consumers from ever viewing the channel with SABC News currently viewable on SABC's DTT and streaming service, SABC+.

Briefly now viewing eReality as a DStv channel, would it be a bad idea to rip the channel away from Openview consumers as the switch to DStv could help give brands like TLC and MTV a ran for their money with their 90 Day Fiance and Teen Moms.

Honestly, it's better off on Openview as there's not much alternatives to the content and as seen with eMedia's 4 other channels on DStv. It would have likely joined the group of channels awaiting their departure from the pay-tv operator for carrying "DStv Repeats".

Source: Briefly

New Channel Alert: Openview To Add Some Spice To Ultra

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Right in time for the Easter holidays, Ultraview is surprising audiences with a second bouquet on Ultra, their recently launched Pay TV offering.

Will have the latest addition of niche channels with never-been-seen programmes, and that launched at 6:30pm on 6 April 2023. It will be home to two channels: Star Select and Zee Family, and promise to be an entertainment hotspot with a variety of Hindi content.

Viewers can get a taste of the flavourful content for a limited period, at no cost. From there the Spice bouquet will be available on a subscription basis at R119,99 per month using the Openview decoder to activate the chosen bouquet.

Star Select is a premium Hindi bespoke entertainment channel, specially curated for South Africa’s Hindi speaking viewers. Star Select is the entertainment hotspot that offers something for every age group, making the channel a family destination that offers the best romantic dramas, entertaining comedy shows, popular reality TV and the biggest Bollywood blockbuster hits. Some of the shows include Banni Chow Home Delivery (Genre: Drama), Swayamvar: Mika Di Vohti (Genre: Reality), Pyar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyara Pyara (Genre: Romance), Saubhagyavati Bhava (Genre: Drama), May I Come In Madam: (Genre: Comedy). and many more.

Zee Family offers exciting and heartwarming entertainment from India in Hindi with English subtitles. The channel caters to families showcasing award-winning romance and drama series, comedies, blockbuster movies, lifestyle, cooking and reality shows. Viewers can look forward to Baal Shiv, Ghar Ek Mandir, Kripa Agrasen Maharaj, Ki Ek Mahanayak Dr. BR Ambedkar, Main Bhi Ardhangini and the acclaimed reality singing competition, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

Ultraview Vs. A Regular DStv Platform: A Better Understanding On How To Consume Your Money

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For several weeks, eMedia Investments has been briefing audiences about their new pay-tv tier to the Openview platform, Ultraview. A multiverse platform where consumers are given the option of two packages Pride and Spice but both come at a hefty price with some comparing it to the likes of DStv.

Before we give our opinion on the matter let's first look at the basics.

DStv is a pay-tv outlet operated by MultiChoice where consumers get access to over 120 channels ranging from movies, sports, drama series, reality shows, kiddies, music, doccies and movies. It currently ranks as Africa's top player in the pay-tv business.

Ultraview is more of a diverse or cultural outlet by eMedia Investments as of this moment it only has Bollywood and LGBTQ based channels but that doesn't mean you can't find a variety of content if anything only a portion of DStv's lineup can be viewed on these channels.

MultiChoice has been in the market for decades with the DStv bouquet and have been criticized by several consumers for the load of repeats funneled onto their platform, the number of channels that have already been removed and the excessive costs in programming.

DStv:

- Boomerang might be first channel to exit the DStv platform in 2023

- MultiChoice shares crytpic message about eMedia's 4 channels

- MultiChoice and eMedia Investments gets roasted over load shedding plans

- BBC to close linear channels and move to an internet only digital future

During the week, eMedia Investments had gotten a taste of the MultiChoice criticism ahead of Ultraview's rollout and this mainly has to do with the quantity and pricing of the packages as well as the offering in general part of which is deemed offensive to Christians.

For several years, DStv consumers wondered when MultiChoice was planning on unbundling their channels and Ultraview gave a clear reflection when charging consumers either R75p/m or R120p/m for just two channels.

Same goes with the likes of Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, BritBox and HBO Max where you need about R700p/m or R800p/m to view the best of HBO, Adult Swim, NBC, BBC, ABC and Showtime altogether versus R450p/m with your Compact bouquet.

It goes show the best entertainment doesn't always come in cheap as seen with Ultraview's current offering. In general, it's not about who has more on the table but how productive you make a business.

eMedia Investments:

- SABC+ Vs. eVOD: The Consequence Of Free-To-View Television

- MultiChoice and eMedia Investments plan to combat load shedding get a lot of attention

- Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian coming soon to Openview

- Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?

To those viewing MultiChoice as a better contender take to account, only a fraction of the actual total of channels are watched by DStv consumers. Sure, it may be cheaper but most of the content in question will likely to date back to 90s/00s if not approachable.

As for Ultraview prior to when it was only Openview, eMedia Investments often sought out brands which gained traction which could be the case for this package the downside has to do with the quantity as that's distracting consumers from Ultraview's potential.

I mean I get it these are M-Net type channels but the moment another brand tags along with the something similar if not the same expect consumers to follow that brand if it means paying less to view that alternative or waiting longer to access a particular show.

In the end, I feel that Ultraview doesn't cater enough to eMedia's current audience as a lot of viewers aren't familiar with this concept they're putting forward as opposed to DStv which has a number of options like AddMovies, DStv Internet, Decoder Insurance etc.

BYUtv Offers The Very Best In Kids And Family Entertainment, Could DStv, StarSat Or Openview Perhaps Get It?

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With family at its core, BYUtv - a non-commercial, value-based television network - brings inspiring and uplifting entertainment into million of homes across the nation through cable, their website or on the app. BYUtv has a place for everyone -- together.

BYUtv produces shows under several categories: BYU Sports, Campus, Documentary, Faith, Family, Lifestyle, People, and Performing Arts. This includes original series, documentaries and religious service programs, along with family and faith-based films from several major studios.

Some notable original series include Studio C, Random Acts, All-Round Champion, Relative Race and Wayne Brady's Comedy IQ.

StarTimes and On Digital Media once provided a religious channel Smile TV operated by Trinity Broadcasting Network. This channel would have made a suitable alternative had they considered replacing the channel the moment TBN opted not to supply it.

MultiChoice is set to lose a pair of channels in the near future - Disney Channel and Disney Junior. With that entail, an alternative will be needed in order to keep viewer's minds at ease. BYUtv can make up for the soon to be lost live-action slate on Disney Channel.

eMedia Investments once offered the Da Vinci educational channel on the Openview platform until it formed one of their never ending attempts to save money. BYUtv could make up for the lost factual content especially now that Openview+ is on the cards.

Its eMovies And eMovies Extra Vs. TNT And CineMagic: Another Openview Vs. DStv Saga

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Openview has been dominating the South African market for several years giving companies like MultiChoice a run for their money particularly for those residing on lower bouquets such as DStv Easyview as the once underachieving platform is about to go through some changes.

MultiChoice will be adding two new entertainment channels to the bouquet in the month of November, Magic Showcase and CineMagic which just helps build onto the number of alternatives in South Africa.

Openview offers less channels but they have managed to win a lot of audiences with the selection of sports, local dramas, international series, kids shows and movies. Now it appears as if MultiChoice has begun catching up to the free-to-view platform.

DStv Easyview only offered 1 movie channel TNT which has been having a bit of its ups and downs with the likes of Blade, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Final Destination, Anaconda and so forth. If it was for TNT Original Movies and All Elite Wrestling I don't how far the channel could have gotten.

Point is, TNT was at a disadvantage as Openview provided two movie channels eMovies and eMovies Extra which were able to juggle around a mix of emotions. eMovies had Pokémon, Mama Jack and Oh Schuks while eMovies Extra had Fast And Furious, Transporter and Rush Hour.

With the inclusion of CineMagic, I'm not expecting them to read each other's mind or become the sibling duo as these two fall under different grounds so the only thing that anyone should be excited about is the number of options available.

CineMagic is set to feature a mix of local and international films 18 hours a day leaving TNT to the remaining 6 hours. Although, a schedule hasn't been provided my guess would be the content is based from M-Net Movies and Mzansi Bioskop.

Over to the winners which there's none, you got to look at the benefits to the above brands to reach your conclusion. eMovies is very selective I guess that's what made them favourable on DStv, TNT has got All Elite Wrestling and CineMagic by my hunch has the local productions.

Why Impact Wrestling Is No Longer On Your Screens Or At Least Not With Openview?

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WWE was ripped off from viewer's screens several years ago and found its way onto SuperSport. At the time, eMedia Investments wasn't quick to source a replacement and relied solely on the existing international offering to fill the gap left by the wrestling brand.

It wasn't long till there was an announcement eMedia Investments acquired broadcasting rights to Impact Wrestling. The rights which was formerly held by SuperSport so in a way they kind of did a switcheroo kind of like that time with Lotto and Powerball.

Now if we have to go over Impacts time on e.tv here's how to summarise it, the show didn't form part of the monthly TAMS as seen with WWE in the past and the audience in question weren't as welcoming of Impact as they were with WWE which kind of spells trouble.

As seen overseas, Impact Wrestling is no longer in the big leagues as existing competitors such as AEW and WWE. Most of its reason for living has to do with its history as TNA! Impact.

And I don't want to speculate but could it be possible that SuperSport severed ties with this wrestling promotion as viewers weren't so welcoming of it as the years went by. This trait quickly began to adapt following it's move to e.tv.

Impact Wrestling has been facing several challenges during its time on e.tv as rival brands like the SABC often broadcast soccer in the middle of wrestling and you know how much the sport is loved point made this wasn't much of an issue with WWE.

As for the removal on e.tv, all I can say is eReality will continue to offer Impact Wrestling alongside it's extended library but as for the state of the wrestling promotion. Is it possible that the same outcome awaits consumers on the Openview platform?

kykNET Vs. eExtra: MultiChoice's Purposed Attempt To Replicate Kuiertyd

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MultiChoice and eMedia Investments have been on opposite sides for long time and the matter only worsened when the pay-tv operator opted to replicate the current offering seen with the red brand which led to the discontinuation of their 4 channels.

Now we look at what MultiChoice regards as the new eExtra.

kykNET serves as the Afrikaans division to M-Net's local endeavours offering content ranging from drama series, movies, lifestyle, reality shows and news something that's been lacking with SABC 2. Some notable titles include Tussen Ons, Suidooster and Binnelanders.

Honestly speaking, you can clearly see why MultiChoice would want to burden customers with something like kykNET I mean it has a lot of variety something which eExtra's Kuiertyd had but was later revamped to match that of Telemundo.

eExtra is very much regarded as general entertainment it doesn't have to be anything like HBO but anything that can offer a variety of flavours in one pot is cool by me. The channel features a range of telenovelas from Turkey, Korea and India including Elif and Twist Of Fate.

Let me say this one fact, if it wasn't for Kuiertyd I doubt a lot of consumers would take a lot of initiative to the Afrikaans movies and Die Kontrak. I'm not expecting them to get as much shows as most dubbed soaps but the impact does come with its own benefits.

It's not really about the language that got viewers glued to Doodsondes but the content in general. As it is, eExtra has a Turkish slot which falls out of Kuiertyd which is all the more proof that content drives in the ratings.

eExtra through Kuiertyd may lack a lot of things like reality shows, music and local dramas but you have to admit these Turkish shows is what gets anyone more viewers latched onto anything kykNET at this point.

Review: The Outcome To The eFamily Of Channels On DStv

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Earlier in the year, it was reported that eMedia Investments 4 TV channels currently seen on the Openview platform would exit the DStv platform. Now the channels remain onboard for a few months as the Competition Tribunal conduct their findings.

As it the channel's futures seem very dark on the pay-tv service as they've been hit with various limitations leading them to launch several new channels like Racing240, Hilaal TV and Qwest TV in place of others like Tellytrack, ITV Networks and MTV Hits.

But that's not what aggravated them to axe the channels but mostly the fact that these brands lacked originality and the only existed to mash the existing offering on their platform as it is eMovies and eToonz are duplicating Studio Universal and DreamWorks.

Honestly, when those channels exited for the short while sure I was pissed as there was plenty of content I followed but overtime I felt like a huge burden had been lifted of my shoulders. I mean I kind of got used to their absence and was stunned when they were reinstated.

Just as I was ready to just open up a new chapter I discovered there was more to the previous chapter in this eMedia. Trust me when I say I do take people's opinions to consideration but when it comes to these channels this comes from my point of view.

Honestly, I do feel that these channels are very much possessive or distractions but not a bad way I mean it's hard finding channels that can keep viewers glued this long despite the annual increases and reshuffle of entertainment.

If anything, the only other brand that has me latched onto the platform would be CBS Reality not because of Judge Judy or Cheaters but primarily over the fact that they're very selective I mean they have Animal Hoarding and Shocking Emergency Calls.

I know there's National Geographic Wild and Investigation Discovery but the magic is different from what you can already see on CBS Reality. eMedia's channels had the same effect with the bulk of alternatives already found on DStv.

Sure they may have been a mishap with the amount of Zee World on eExtra but that doesn't mean no one watches it. As it is neighbouring countries are up to speed with what's going on with Twist Of Fate and I Do while others have to catch up through this channel.

eExtra happens to be the most popular attraction on eMedia's stable on DStv alongside eMovies but comparing the two I do feel that this channel should fall back while the others remain exclusive to the Openview platform.

MultiChoice has plenty of movie channels at this point particularly on the ones that eMovies cater for in this case Premium all the way done to Access such as M-Net Movies 4, Movie Room, TNT and KIX and the same can be said about eToonz really.

With eExtra, it's not really about the stories but the fact eMedia views the brand as another window to their local endeavours with the likes of Die Kontrak and the former Afrikaans movie block so why leave kykNET as the only alternative at this point.

Sure there's plenty of viewers tuning into Elif and Verdeelde Liefde on eExtra alongside In Die Ysterhand Se Greep and Kind Van Die Noodlot on kykNET & Kie but those are just complimenting each other even if kykNET were to just give it a channel the feeling would be mutual.

Having both these brands would give consumers more choices compared to the Openview platform which seems to following the route of most M-Net channels that rush to duplicate an offering on another channel.

eVOD Has Been Credited In Latest Annual Results From MultiChoice Group

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MultiChoice and eMedia Investments have been in an on/off relationship following the dispute in regard to the 4 e.tv channels. As seen in May, the channels went dark on DStv without notice only for the Competition Tribunal to look back on their final notion following pending investigation.

During that time, MultiChoice had managed to find the necessary alternatives with kykNET's Turkish offering on kykNET & Kie, DreamWorks, KIX and Movie Room all of which have managed to perform at their best capacity but not enough to fill the void left by the e.tv channels.

For those who've been following eMedia's stations for a while may have heard of eVOD I mean who wouldn't have heard of it as it is the only known outlet to stream the bulk of content some of which haven't aired any of eMedia's channels.

It was speculated the only reason eVOD wasn't added onto the Explora Ultra had to do with the ongoing feud between eMedia Investments and MultiChoice in regard to DTT and the carriage fees for their channels as other brands like the SABC are said to be earning more with just SABC News.

But as MultiChoice outlined in their recent annual results, they plan to add more streaming services even crediting various entities that haven't been seen on the Explora Ultra like Acorn TV and eVOD.

Taking that to account, could you say that eVOD will likely be bundled under the Explora Ultra perhaps as a replacement to e.tv's 4 channels as the channels only returned as part of a technicality and aren't must carry channels like SABC 1-3.

Why Openview Has Been Excluded From Delayed SABC Channel Expansion?

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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.

Why eMedia Investments Stopped Distributing Turkish Dramas In English?

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Kuiertyd was introduced in October 2018 on eExtra offering a mix of reality, lifestyle and drama series from kykNET as well as some Turkish dramas which was the reason for the Afrikaans block's success.

The first dubbed Turkish show Gebroke Harte (Paramparca) pulled almost half a million viewers following its debut on eExtra. From what I remember these dramas didn't get this much attention when they were available in English.

So pretty much eMedia Investments is the reason Afrikaans folks are giving dubbed programming a chance. From what I remembered most would either 7de Laan or binge watch Devious Maids or Game Of Thrones.

Besides distributing international content, eMedia Investments has catalogue of original programming ranging from Imbewu, Rhythm City and Scandal.

If you look at these dramas none of them are in Afrikaans so dubbing these Turkish dramas is sort of their way of making up for the times wasted and eMedia doesn't have any of its own Afrikaans reality shows so they borrowed from kykNET.

Why go after Turkish? Character I presume they wanted individuals Afrikaans folks can idolize and relate to, second being these shows are time consumers with all the plot twists and lastly accessibility as not a lot of platforms harper these type of shows.

e.tv had tried getting local content onto other channels back in 2013 all of which were black based before it didn't work out so eExtra is targeting an audience SABC 2 has been very distant with.

It looks like eExtra and possibly eMedia will invest more time in Kuiertyd soaps than Telemundo and Azteca soaps as their streaming service seemingly has these shows absent perhaps due to international content rights so maybe it will be obtainable later.

Is An eBella Revival On eMedia Investments Still On The Cards And Could It Replace Something Like Star Life On Openview?

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eBella was a short-lived female-focused channel which was produced by eMedia Investments offering reality, lifestyle and telenovelas.

The actual reason for it's discontinuation is still unknown but from what sources mentioned before eMedia had considered launching a seperate reality channel and telenovela channel.

Now these old rumors seem very likely as several stations on eMedia have undergone some lineup changes especially with Kuiertyd on eExtra.

The only thing safe on eExtra is the local repeats from e.tv and for some reason the Indian dramas but why the Indie though.

Could it be possible that maybe one of the current Indian channels on Openview will be booted soon, in this case Star Life?

eExtra always had Indian dramas through eBella and this was before Star Life was conceived. During that time, viewers still noticed a presence in Turkish (English), Latin American and Mexican telenovelas now that has been occupied by more Indian and Kuiertyd soaps.

Both of which retain a 28.6% share in the schedule. The only difference is there's no similar offering for Kuiertyd like there is for Indie dramas. That wasn't the case before as the offering in that area was much smaller at the time.

Even if Star Life was kicked to the curb there's chances that viewers will be redirected to eExtra as it boosts their viewership particularly for these type of series.

eMedia Investments has signed an agreement with SABC and they're still waiting on two entertainment channels they were promised more info about in June so they'll likely use those channels to cover up for the loss and possibly rollout an additional channel, in this case an eBella type channel.

You know how e.tv airs repeats of Kuiertyd dramas in the mornings well this eBella type channel repeats the Indian dramas at night and feature some other programming.

In the end, it seems possible that maybe e.tv will be distancing themselves or limiting the number of soaps from Latin America and Mexico due to their new streaming service eVOD which seemingly reveals only Turkish dramas with other programming on eExtra missing from the lineup.

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

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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