Programming note: I'm at the Dubai International Airport - but you don't need to be here to get a revealing look at how it really looks and works.

I'm spending some hours today at the Dubai International Airport - but you don't need to be here to get your own, very revealing insiders' look at how it functions.

I passed through the Dubai International Airport earlier this week and Terminal 3 for connecting flights and now I'm back again - it's the 4th busiest airport in the world right in the middle of desert and right in the middle of

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e.tv starting to roll out its digital terrestrial television offering in the form of a kids channel, movie channel and channels for local and African content.

e.tv is starting to roll out its digital terrestrial television (DTT) offering and will begin with 4 new TV channels from the e.tv stable in the form of a kids channel, a movie channel, a channel filled with local content and a TV channel filled with pan-African content.

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Editor's note: News might be slower than usual, I'm travelling extensively overseas this whole week. As Ursula Stapelfeldt said: 'Bear with me nation'.

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Crossing Lines on Sony Entertainment Television gets a second season of 12 episodes to be shown in 2014.

The drama Crossing Lines has been co-commissioned by Sony Pictures Teevision (SPT) Networks for a second season of 12 episodes for its global channel portfolio such as Sony Entertainment Television (DStv 127) which will show the second season of Crossing Lines in South African and Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.





Crossing Lines is shot on location in France,

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Winners of Last Resort competition on Sony Entertainment Television (SET)are Denise Gordon and Khethelo Hlongwa.

Congratulations to both Denise Gordon from Rivonia and Khethelo Hlongwa from Isipingo Hills who are the winners of the Last Resort competition with Sony Entertainment Television.

You each win:

1 Sony Entertainment Television bag 1 Sony Entertainment Television divider with notepad 1 Sony Entertainment Television snap watch 1 pair of Sony Entertainment Television gloves 2 Last Resort

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BREAKING. Ruda Landman makes a surprise guest appearance with Derek Watts on M-Net's Carte Blanche - but by video link.

Saying her life is "much quieter now", Ruda Landman made a surprise guest appearance Sunday night on M-Net's Carte Blanche - the show she suddenly left 6 years ago in June 2007 as co-anchor - for the special 25th birthday broadcast of the long running South African investigative and current affairs magazine show.

"Often people simply don't know that I've left," said Ruda Landman. "Of

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BREAKING. Carte Blanche on M-Net reveals it's brand-new look and logo; beautifully redone opening sequence for its 25th birthday.

Carte Blanche on M-Net on Sunday evening unveiled a brand-new beautiful, edgy, richly symphonic, "rewind" opening theme and transparent on-air logo for its 25th birthday broadcast, done from atop what was once the Hillbrow Tower.



The brand-new Carte Blanche's richly symbolic opening sequence - in keeping with the show's longrunning motto of "the right to see it all" - cleverly "peels

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REVIEW. Carte Blanche 25 Years - The Stories Behind the Stories, too superficial to really yield a 'carte blanche' look behind the scenes.

For a book such as Carte Blanche 25 Years - The Stories Behind the Stories about which George Mazarakis, the executive producer of the long running M-Net investigative magazine show, writes in the foreword "is not an academic textbook on how to make television; it is rather, simply, a celebration of 25 years of storytelling," I wanted more.

Carte Blanche 25 Years - The Stories Behind the

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BREAKING. ANN7 TV news boss flees; hides in hotel room, claims ANN7 staff doesn't have training, barely enough equipment to launch.

The bad news keeps coming for the worst and most embarrassing South African TV channel launch in history and the biggest disaster TV channel MultiChoice's ever started on its DStv platform, with the ANN7 TV news boss Rajesh Sundaram who has now fled the channel; hiding in a hotel room and claiming according to Sunday reports that staff at ANN7 (DStv 405) have not been properly trained and

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GOLDEN COUPLE. South African TV news' best TV news couple - eNCA's Iman Rappetti and Jeremy Maggs - also colour co-ordinate.

There's zero chance that it's co-incidence and as Iman Rappetti and Jeremy Maggs of NewsNight on eNCA (DStv 403) continue to shine as they set the brilliant benchmark for what is the best in all of South African television news broadcasting, something else is also very clear: they take time to colour co-ordinate.

On Friday evening on NewsNight, with South Africa in the grip of a cold front,

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eNCA's harrowing (and well done) but wholly inappropriately scheduled short form mortuary documentary, Voice for the Dead, shocks with timing.

It's as harrowing to watch as it's good; it a seldom reported topic as it's sadly hidden away by society; it's pale, unvarnished and brutal television and it's well told - but eNCA's (DStv 403) short form documentary Voice for the Dead: The Real CSI by Annika Larsen is wholly inappropriately scheduled and is shockingly shown on South African television at completely unsuitable times - despite

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BREAKING. Mzansi Bioskop launching as a new DStv channel from M-Net on 10 September on channel 164 at 18:00.

Mzansi Bioskop (DStv 164) will start as a new 24-hour African movie channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform on 10 September TV with Thinus can report from sources who confirm the news.

The news of Mzansi Bioskop starting a yet another of the "Mzansi" channels produced and packaged by M-Net for MultiChoice was first scooped by TVSA today, reporting that Mzansi Bioskop will be

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South African cameraman Adil Bradlow and Al Jazeera journalists detained by Egyptian authorities; Al Jazeera demands release.

The South African cameraman Adil Bradlow and Al Jazeera journalists are being detained by Egyptian authorities with Al Jazeera (TopTV 401 / DStv 406) demanding their unconditional release.

"Al Jazeera calls for the Egyptian authorities to release all our staff unconditionally along with their belongings and equipment," says Al Jazeera in a statement.

The Al Jazeera staffers - Adil Bradlow,

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ANN7: TV news insanity as out-of-sync graphic, video, and what the news reader is talking about, are all part of 3 very different stories at once.

The sad-oh-so-bad ANN7 (DStv 405) on Tuesday evening ran an on-screen bumper graphic, a video, and a news reader reading text - with all three parts which were elements of three different stories.

Neither the bumper, nor the video (which also got stuck) nor what the news reader was reading had any correlation to each other. I unfortunately can't show you the video clip as part of a news story

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ANN7: SABC TV staff says: 'Now we know for the first time the feeling of how it is to be an M-Net.'

Workers at the SABC are speaking out about the new South African TV competitor - the shocking train wreck television which is the new wannabe TV news channel ANN7 (DStv 405) ... and they feel relieved they're no longer perceived as the worst in South African television broadcasting.

 Although not referencing ANN7 directly in conversations, SABC insiders say that [for once] it makes them feel

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ANN7: Sasha Martinengo calls ANN7 trash television 'unacceptable' and says 'take it off'. AND he has the new trainwreck clip I can't show you.

Here's is the shocking SHOCKING ANN7 trainwreck TV clip I can't show you, but which I described and analysed earlier today and which was broadcast by ANN7 - with my conclusion as a South African TV critic that this horrific so-called TV news reader is the worst of the worst at the pathetic TV trash TV news station on DStv.

MultiChoice and Infinity Media launched ANN7 on Wednesday evening on

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ANN7 model presenter lashes out at critics, vents in a Facebook post; admits there's a 'vast number of errors and mistakes' on ANN7.

The ANN7 model presenter Sheena Deepnarain is lashing out at critics of the disastrous ANN7 24-hour TV news channel from Infinity Media but admits "there is a vast number of errors and mistakes".

ANN7 (DStv 405) started on MultiChoice's DStv platform with ongoing and highly embarrassing mistakes last Wednesday and now Sheena Deepnarain is venting in a Facebook rant about the "cynicism" over

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ANN7: Worst news reader of the lot on DStv's third local news channel can't read or pronounce; creates non-sensical sentences as she bumbles on.

We have a winner! So intensely bad is this ANN7 news reader on Gupta News that barely anything she says makes sense. Watch this face. Remember it. When you see her, remember: Nothing will make sense, but you do NOT have Aphasia.

I cannot currently show you a clip under fair use on YouTube to illustrate and report on news - Aiplex Software might likely have it "censored" and scrubbed from the

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ANN7: Our girl thinks she's on Top Billing; can't speak but says goodbye with a wink of the eye and a 'Good night, God bless'.

Our girl thinks she's Bonang Matheba on Top Billing and although she can't speak properly and stumbles over her words, the ANN7 news reader bid viewers goodbye on the air with an informal wink of the eye. 


I cannot show you video. Although it's fair use for news purposes, Aiplex Software might likely "censor" it on behalf of ANN7 (DStv 405) and try to scrub the deplorably bad examples of

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Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown renewed for a second season on CNN International; will start on 16 September at 17:00.

Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown has been renewed for a second season on CNN International (DStv 401) which will include an episode in the new upcoming season filmed in South Africa.

The second season of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown will start on 16 September on CNN International on Fridays at 17:00 (repeated on Saturdays at 21:00 and Mondays at 03:00).

The second season premiere episode

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YouTube disables fair use clips of ANN7 on-air mishaps after Aiplex Software claims infringement; counter-notification filed with YouTube.

"1.2 million people hugry in die for republican south"...

I can't you you clips, so an image with horrible mistakes such as with this story will have to do for now.



YouTube has disabled (meaning it's not watchable) fair use clips taken by cellphones of the ongoing and multiple on-air gaffes by the new ANN7 (DStv 405) channel on MultiChoice's DStv.

It happened on Sunday evening (South

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ANN7 weather girl Surita Smit embarrassingly calls Johannesburg 'The Mother City' in her weather report.

The ANN7 weather girl Surita Smit cheerily - yet mistakenly - calls Johannesburg "The Mother City" in yet another embarrassing ANN7 on-air fail - "Mother City" is in fact the moniker used for Cape Town.

ANN7 from Infinity Media, South Africa's third 24-hour TV news channel, which MultiChoice launched on its DStv platform on Wednesday, has instantly become the laughing stock of South African

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Idols on M-Net adds judges' interviews - similar to American Idol - for the first time to Hell Week in Sun City for the reality show's 9th season.

Despite multiple requests the past week which M-Net's publicity machine couldn't be bothered to even respond to, it's clear that the 9th season of Idols will also be showing from Sunday that it has also adopted the American Idol content change where the judges sit and interview contestants during the second phase known as Hollywood Week in America and Hell Week in South Africa.

M-Net's didn't

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Carte Blanche's 25th anniversary special broadcast on M-Net on 1 September coming from atop Africa's tallest structure, the Hillbrow Tower.

It will literally be breath taking.

A dare not miss South African television event is happening next Sunday when Carte Blanche on M-Net will be celebrating its monumental 25th anniversary with a special episode broadcasting from atop the tallest structure in all of Africa on 1 September at 19:00 from atop the 269 story high Hillbrow Towers.

Carte Blanche, M-Net's acclaimed and longrunning

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ANN7: Former eNCA reporter Peter Stemmet never had to deal on-air with technical problems with a reporter in a Soweto shebeen.

"Benjamin can you hear me? " (Echo-ey:) "Live to him now ..."



Is Peter Stemmet, the eNCA (DStv 403) sports reporter who've dumped that South African 24-hour news channel to join Infinity Media's ANN7 (DStv 405) perhaps having second thoughts about how this channel jumping decision is impacting his career?



A barrage of on-air mistakes and ongoing technical mess-ups have engulfed ANN7 since

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ANN7: 'We seem to have a slight technical problem. Benjamin what is the atmosphere like out there ...' ANN7's technical stuff-ups continue.

The cringe factor on the worst TV news South African television has ever seen continues on ANN7 (DStv 405) without end, as inexperienced news readers are embarrassed on-air due to ongoing, terrible technical mistakes making for an unbelievable array of public blunders.

ANN7 continues to make for hilarious and sad moments on "GuptaTV" or Gupta News" as the mediocre TV news channel - South

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ANN7: 1.2 MILLION PEOPLE HUGRY IN DIE FOR REPUBLICAN SOUTH. (You simply CANNOT make this trash television up.)

There's probably a reason why the unprofessional and seemingly incompetent news readers on DStv's latest TV news channel, the deplorably bad ANN7 (DStv 405) struggles to read: because Infinity Media's new TV new channel is staffed by people who can't spell.

Even ANN7's on-screen lower-third bumpers are riddled with not just spelling mistakes, but non-sensical sentences, such as this one

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ANN7: 'Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!' Awful, ongoing, cringe inducing mistakes and problems engulf even Chantal Rutter Dros.

Not even the prime time news anchor of ANN7 (DStv 405), Chantal Rutter Dros, is being spared the huge public embarrassement and ongoing, utter cringefest of the trash television dished up by the technically incompetent and mistake riddled third South African TV news channel from Infinity Media on MultiChoice's DStv.

Even Chantal Rutter Dros who've defected from the acclaimed Carte Blanche on

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ANN7: Hola Weekend on ANN7 has such bad presenters and on-air presenting they wouldn't even cut it to do Sunday school class.

"Lots of drama to be expected!" says an overly-animated Arthur Mafokate on the cringe inducing Horrible Hola Weekend on ANN7 (DStv 405) - the train wreck of a South African TV news channel from Infinity Media on MultiChoice's DStv where the hot mess of amateur presenting continues on unabated.

Watch this film school students and then ask you lecturer what you need to do, to not go out into

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SIGH. ANN7 news reader sighs on-air and stops after the technical incompetence and mistakes becomes too much to keep up appearances.

An ANN7 (DStv 405) news reader sighs on-air during yet another technical on-air mistake on MultiChoice's third 24-hour South African TV news channel on DStv.

The ANN7 news readers sighs, gives up and stops - probably resigned to the fact that she made a big mistake and career damaging decision going to work for total train wreck television which has become the laughing stock of South African

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GOT THE T-SHIRT? ANN7's swag bag from its sh#tty launch event has a T-shirt, a notebook and a pen. Bless.

I've heard from people who all have a lot to say - nothing nice - about the event and the "swag" bags handed out at that cringe worthy launch event of the shambolic ANN7 (DStv 405) TV news channel, South Africa's third highly embarrassing local news channel which got off to a total train wreck start.

I'm told guests are enjoying their T-shirt, their notebook and their pen.

It was of course

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ANN7: There's teething problems and then there's unmitigated TV trash - ANN7 on-air incompetence and amateurism is shocking to watch.

There's teething problems and then there's unvarnished trash television - like Africa News Network 7 (ANN7) the new wannabe 24-hour TV news channel from Infinity Media which started on Wednesday evening on MultiChoice's DStv platform on channel 405.

This true train-wreck television on DStv which launched with an embarrassingly mistakes filled broadcast from its launch event in Sandton,

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BREAKING. M-Net grabs The Tomorrow People, The Michael J. Fox Show for October very close to the American broadcasting dates.

You're reading it here first. 

M-Net has grabbed brand-new science fiction teen drama series The Tomorrow People and new sitcom The Michael J. Fox Show to start in October very close to the American broadcasting dates of these brand new shows.

The Michael J. Fox Show will start on the pay-TV broadcaster on 11 October at 19:30 says M-Net. The Tomorrow People about a group of young people -

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ANN7: Incompetent news readers, unable to read or pronunciate, are damaging the non-existent credibility of Africa News Network 7.

Incompetent ANN7 news readers, appointed by Infinity Media on MultiChoice's third 24-hour TV news channel on DStv, visibly unable to read or even pronunciate, are hugely damaging to the reputation of Africa News Network 7 and its non-existing credibility as a news source.

Numerous ANN7 on-air talent come across as wholly unsuited, amateur, unprofessional, unable to read, oblivious of names or

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GAME NOT ON: ANN7's biggest and most embarrassing mistake on its launch night as amateur-looking sports presenters bumble on.

There were other embarrassing mistakes all through the launch night of ANN7 (DStv 405) but the biggest unprofessional on-screen mess of South Africa's third 24-hour news channel happened at 22:04 on Wednesday night.

Two amateur and awkward looking sports presenters were involved in a massive on-screen fail, only to start over right from the beginning after a very long promo break as if

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Surita Smit as new ANN7 weather girl instantly pops on-screen as a Tally Atwater, Kulula flight attendant who've ran away to TV.

Derek van Dam over at eNCA (DStv 403) and that channel's weather centre finally has true competition in the form of Surita Smit, the ANN7 weather girl weather presenter who's bubbly but not blond and who comes across as a kindergarden teacher or a Kulula flight attendant who've secretly ran away to go do television.

If you've seen Tally Atwater in Up, Close & Personal you will instantly see

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ANN7 too incompetent and unprofessional to provide channel logo's for the news channel's shows - but here's the title cards.

ANN7 (DStv 405) on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform has proved too incompetent and unprofessional to provide any channel logo's of TV shows or programming blocks - but here's some of them as revealed on-air following Wednesday evening's broadcast launch.

ANN7 started broadcasting this evening without making any detailed programming information available.

ANN7 run by Infinity

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ANN7: Africa News Network 7's channel bumper looks like something dug up out of the Al Jazeera archives and slightly modified.

It swirls, it twirls, it ends with ANN7 - and reminds me of something dug up out of the Al Jazeera archives and slightly modified for the channel's main bumper.

Is the new on-screen main bumper of ANN7 (DStv 405), South Africa's third 24-hour TV news channel, complete with concave blades oscillating around a red micro globe (or is it a Pokemon egg?) really the best Infinity Media could come

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Empty chairs and tables at the launch event of ANN7 Wednesday evening; sign outside reads: 'Infinity Media dinner'.

ANN7's camera showed viewers empty chairs and tables when South Africa's third 24-hour TV news channel had its channel launch function at a ballroom inside the Sandton Convention Centre on Wednesday evening.

Maybe all the Guptas went to the bathroom together.

Of course ANN7 couldn't bother to even just inform and tell longtime South African TV critics, writers, editors and journalists

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BREAKING. Government planning to break up MultiChoice and SuperSport's lock on premium TV content - especially sport.

You're reading it here first. 

The South African government is set on crafting a new policy to bring an end to premium television content in South Africa - especially sport broadcasts - all being locked up by one broadcaster.

So says the minister of communications, Yunus Carrim, who revealed that the ministry of communications is looking at changing broadcasting regulations in South

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FIRST LOOK. ANN7 news studio finally revealed on-air as Infinity Media launches South Africa's third 24-hour TV news channel on DStv.

ANN7 (DStv 405) finally revealed the South African 24-hour TV news channel's news studio in Midrand on-air when the channel went live at 18:00 on MultiChoice's DStv platform on Wednesday evening.

ANN7, run by Infinity Media, did no walk-through premises tour with TV critics or press prior to launch.

ANN7 didn't respond to multiple media enquiries made prior to launch of the news channel

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ANN7: Is South Africa's 3rd 24-hour TV news channel also going to be third-rate? TV critics are rolling their eyes at ANN7's lacking publicity.

Is ANN7 (DStv 405), South Africa's third 24-hour TV news channel launching today also going to be third-rate?

That's what South Africa's TV critics and editors are wondering after the shoddy and basically non-existent publicity and marketing response to TV critics, journalists and editors who specifically cover television in this country.

On the day of its launch on MultiChoice's DStv

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BREAKING. Sentech to rebrand its Vivid satellite TV service to Freevision on 30 September, will announce a new TV channel line-up shortly.

The parastatal South African broadcast signal distributor Sentech will be rebranding its Vivid direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV service to Freevision on 30 September.

Vivid currently has 60 000 subscribers.

Vivid, or Freevision, wants to operate a service similar to Platco Digital's recent announcement of starting the new possible OpenView HD service in October which will carry free TV

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WIN! With Last Resort on Sony Entertainment Television and get your hands on a hot hamper (Scott Speedman not included).

You can't get your own island like in the fantastic drama series Last Resort on Tuesdays at 20:50 on Sony Entertainment Television (DStv 127) but thanks to Sony Entertainment Television two winner can get their hands on a great Sony Entertainment Television gift hamper!


Watch Last Resort and just answer one question by email here on TV with Thinus and two lucky readers could each win a

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ANN7 logo and ANN7 TV reporter shows up on eNCA, getting exposure 2 days before ANN7 launches as a direct competitor on DStv.

Blink and you'll miss it, but ANN7 (DStv 405) made its very first South African television appearance courtesy of its direct competitor eNCA (DStv 403) which today is giving exposure to an ANN7 microphone and a highly irritating ANN7 TV news reporter.



The eNCA is broadcasting footage showing Cezanne Visser leaving prison, with a highly unprofessional ANN7 TV reporter running around her,

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Ed Schultz on MSNBC moving from weekends back to weeknights, starting Monday 26 August.

Ed Schultz on MSNBC (TopTV 410) is moving from the weekends where his show was moved to, back to weeknights (American time), starting this coming Monday 26 August.

MSNBC announced in March that Ed Schultz is moving to weekends on the news channel but is now undoing the change

The left leaning American TV news channel has made no official announcement but in an internal memo to staff Phil

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Top Travel on SABC3 back in production with Janez Vermeiren and Jeannie D for another new season of the global travelogue show.

Top Travel, the global travelogue show from Tswelopele Productions, is back in production for another new season with Top Billing presenters Jeannie D and Janez Vermeiren, I can now confirm.

I was slipped gossip two month ago from sources that Top Travel will return for a new season but SABC3 and everybody else was tight-lipped as the arduous visa applications, shooting logistics and the most

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ANN7's billboards are up to market the new 24-hour South African TV news channel starting Wednesday ... but no Chantal Rutter Dros.

Thebig  billboards are up for ANN7 (DStv 405) launching on Wednesday on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform as South Africa's third 24-hour TV news channel.

Interestingly, no Chantal Rutter Dros. Channeling your talent on billboards, in this case Chantal Rutter Dros who will be front and centre on ANN7 as the prime time anchor of ANN7 Headlines between 19:00 and 20:00 and ANN Prime

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How much of a fail was SABC3's bleh 15th birthday party for Isidingo with no-show big names from the cast and grumblings about the lack of food?

Make what you will of  Isidingo's 15th birthday part at Katy's Place in Johannesburg this past week which comes across as a bit of a fail for the SABC3 soap.

Forget that neither SABC3 nor the show's publicist nor the publicists of the PR company could be bothered in the slightest to even tell several longtime South African TV critics and journalists and writers who've covered the soap over

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Chantal Rutter Dros as news anchor of the new 24-hour TV news channel ANN7: 'It's tantalising to once again be part of a start-up.'

The South African TV news woman Chantal Rutter Dros who will from Wednesday evening become the new primetime news face of ANN7 (DStv 405), the new 24-hour TV news channel launching on MultiChoice's DStv, says it's tantalising for her to once be part of a start-up.

Viewers have come to know Chantal Rutter Dros on eNews on e.tv when the TV news service of the free-to-air broadcaster started

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SILVER LINING. TV gold for Discovery Channel as hundreds more bars of silver is recovered from the sunken SS Gairsoppa.

American treasure hunters have found and recovered hundreds more bars of silver off the coast of Ireland in water deeper than the Titanic in a fascinating deep sea expedition chronicled and filmed by the Discovery Channel (DStv 121) for new episodes of its ongoing docu series which will be shown on the factual entertainment TV channel in South Africa in due course.

The SS Gairsoppa was

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BREAKING. Carte Blanche on M-Net starts teasing its brand-new transparent glass on-air look to be revealed on 1 September at 19:00.

You're reading it here first. 

Carte Blanche and M-Net has started teasing on-air the brand-new transparent glass on-screen look in gray scale of the pay-TV broadcaster's weekly investigative magazine show's which will be revealed on Sunday 1 September at 19:00 to celebrate it's 25th anniversary.




The longrunning weekly magazine show from Combined Artistic Productions and consistently

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Oscar Pistorius special, Oscar Pistorius: Brutal Murder or Grave Mistake? this weekend on CNN International.

With Oscar Pistorius due in court again on Monday, CNN International (DStv 401) is showing an hour long TV special, Oscar Pistorius: Brutal Murder or Grave Mistake? this weekend.

Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines' Day and the Olympic and paralympic athlete is accused of premeditated murder in a sensational court case which has been making global

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Dynamo dumps Oscar Pistorius from the episode of his upcoming new season of Dynamo: Magician Impossible on Discovery Channel.

Dynamo's latest disappearing act involves making Oscar Pistorius disappear.

The insert which the brilliant magician filmed at the end of last year in South Africa with Oscar Pistorius before the Olympic and paralympic athlete shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp is getting deleted from the new season of Discovery Channel's Dynamo: Magician Impossible.

Last month Discovery told TV

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e.tv chooses Sentech as the signal distributor for its set of digital e.tv TV channels once digital terrestrial television (DTT) starts in South Africa.

The South African free-to-air broadcaster e.tv has chosen Sentech as the signal distributor for its set of digital e.tv TV channels once the long-delayed switch to digital terrestrial television (DTT) eventually starts in South Africa.

e.tv says it has signed a memorandum of understanding to appoint Sentech to provide signal distribution services for its digital terrestrial television services

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BREAKING. South African cake reality show dumps SABC3 as Charly's Cake Angels moves to the Food Network for its new 2nd season.

You're reading it here first.

Charly's Cake Angels, the delightful South African cake baking docu-reality show set in Cape Town will no longer be on SABC3 and is moving to the Food Network for the brand new second season from September.

Charly's Cake Angels follows the cake baking adventures of cake momma Jacqui Biess and her cake baker daughters in South Africa's most famous and best

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BREAKING. Africa News Network 7 urgently looking for TV news reporters as the South African TV news wars heat up.

Africa News Network or ANN7 (DStv 405) is urgently looking for TV news reporters across the country days before the launch of its new 24-hour TV news service as South Africa's newest, and third, TV news channel.



ANN7 which which plans to launch next Wednesday 21 August on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform as South Africa's newest, and third, TV news channel, is urgently looking

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CNN International's Max Foster snags the first sit-down interview with Prince William after the birth of his son Prince George Alexander.

CNN International's (DStv 401) royal correspondent Max Foster has snagged the first sit-down interview with the United Kingdom's Prince William following the birth of his son Prince George Alexander.

Portions of the interview will be shown on CNN in the United States on Monday 19 August; CNN International has not communicated when viewers in South Africa might get to see the interview.

The

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Maggs on Media on eNCA going to the urinals on Sunday as it investigates the marketing opportunities inside the men's room.

The weekly episode of Maggs on Media on eNCA (DStv 403) on Sunday at 10:30 proclaims that it will be boldly going where no show has gone before ... straight to the urinals inside the men's room in Sunday's upcoming episode.

The shopping mall washroom has become a hot piece of real estate when it comes to marketing products and Maggs on Media will be investigating the marketing happening here.

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M-Net CEO Patricia van Rooyen on M-Net's nursery school and the pay-TV broadcaster's M Life to help with all of life's mundane chores.

August is Women's  month and in the August issue of The Media trade magazine M-Net CEO Patricia van Rooyen makes quite a "revelation".

Did you know that M-Net as a pay-TV broadcaster runs a nursery school for working mothers and have done so from the early days? That's what Patricia van Rooyen told The Media magazine. M-Net also provides M Life.

"This service helps with all those mundane

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eNCA ANCHOR CHANGES. Joanne Joseph moves to mornings opposite Gareth Edwards, Nikiwe Bikitsha gets the afternoons on eNCA.

There's been no announcement about its window dressing or official statement but eNCA (DStv 403) confirms what viewers have been seeing on their TV screens since the beginning of the month which is that Joanne Joseph has now moved to the mornings.

Joanne Joseph's former old late afternoon timeslot on the 24-hour news channel is now being filled by Nikiwe Bikitsha who is back on air on eNCA

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SABC News provides another half hour of Afrikaans news per day at 19:30 on the public broadcaster's 24-hour TV news channel.

The 24-hour TV news channel SABC News (DStv 404) from the South African public broadcaster has added another new half hour of Afrikaans news to television per day with the Afrikaans news broadcast every day at 19:30, and repeated at 02:00.

The additional half hour of Afrikaans news is broadcast live at 19:30 on SABC News, following the existing half hour of Afrikaans news at 19:00 on SABC2.

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Interviews for candidates for the new 12-member permanent SABC board will start next week in parliament.

Interviews for candidates for the new 12-member permanent SABC board will start next week Tuesday in parliament until Friday with the list of applications which has been narrowed down to 37 potential candidates.

A multiparty task team was set up last week to cull through the 147 applications which were received to be on the SABC board.

The SABC is currently governed by an interim SABC board

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kykNET and kykNET Musiek TV channels added to THEMA's TalkTalk pay-TV service in the United Kingdom for expat South Africans.

Two of M-Net's Afrikaans pay-TV channels from the South African pay-TV broadcaster have been added to TalkTalk, a TV service accessible for Afrikaans speaking TV viewers living in the United Kingdom, with the kykNET and kykNET Musiek channels which are now accessible on this service.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can now watch kykNET and kykNET Musiek on TalkTalk from THEMA, a company which

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DStv Explora, MultiChoice's powerful next generation high definition decoder, goes on sale in South Africa.

MultiChoice's new next generation DStv Explora, nicknamed "the pebble" by insiders for its sleek curvature design, has gone on sale from this morning in South Africa, turning the page for a new chapter in direct-to-home (DTH) video content delivery for both the satellite pay-TV operator and for the continent.

The DStv Explora, the satellite pay-TV operator's latest high definition personal

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UNBOXING. DStv Explora: Exactly how it looks - and what's all inside the box - of MultiChoice's newest HD decoder.

MultiChoice's brand-new high definition PVR, the DStv Explora will be going on sale in retail from today for R2 499 and TV with Thinus has one to show you the unboxing first.







The blue and white box itself looks great; the black DStv Explora decoder - nicknamed "the pebble" by MultiChoice insiders due to its curvature physical design elements - is packed inside very sturdily in

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Sky News switches all its on-screen lower third graphics to the HD version with a single line text block.

Sky News (DStv 402) has switched its on-screen graphics and graphics blocks used in the lower third of the TV screen all to the high definition (HD) version of the 24-hour TV news channel, using it even for its standard definition (SD) channel feed from now on which South African viewers will see.

Sky News is done with the double block of text following a headline even for its SD feed, opting

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Sky News cameraman Mick Deane killed today in Egypt in violent clashes between protesters and police.

The Sky News (DStv 402) cameraman Mick Deane (61) was killed today in Cairo, Egypt in the violent clashes between Egyptian protesters and police.

Mick Deane, a father of two, had worked for Sky News for 15 years and was covering the violence in Egypt which flared up today.

The rest of the Sky News reporting team in Cairo are safe and unhurt.

"Mick Deane was part of a Sky News team reporting

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BREAKING. Oprah Winfrey heading to South Africa again on October to inspire South Africans in her O You! event on 14 October.

Oprah Winfrey is heading to South Africa
again in October, this time to talk to fans and to inspire readers of her O, The Oprah Winfrey Magazine in an O
You! event.



Oprah Winfrey will be at the Gallagher Convention
Centre in Johannesburg on 14 October to encourage readers of her O Magazine to
make the most of their lives where more than 6 000 people are expected to
show up.



Tickets

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SABC News reporters arrested and detained in Zimbabwe for daring to film video footage of Freedom Square in Harare.

SABC News reporters were arrested and detained in Harare, Zimbabwe after they filmed video footage of Freedom Square in struggling African nation.

SABC journalists Shingi Nyoka and cameraman Ephert Musekiwa were arrested, detained and later released. They were arrested because they were filming in public, a public space, but one which the Zimbabwe police says is "not a protected area". They

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President Jacob Zuma's son, Duduzane Zuma, is a shareholder in ANN7 as South Africa's new, third 24-hour TV news channel on DStv.

South African president Jacob Zuma's son, Duduzane Zuma, is a shareholder with an interest in ANN7 (DStv 405), the new and third 24-hour South African TV news channel which will start broadcasting on 21 August on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.and which is promising "balanced news coverage".

Duduzane Zuma holds a 45% stake in Mabengela Investments. Mabengela Investments has a 21

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Chantal Rutter Dros on the jump from M-Net's Carte Blanche to new 24-hour news channel ANN7: 'The opportunity to bring relevant info to people.'

Chantal Rutter Dros, the Carte Blanche presenter on M-Net who is jumping to the new 24-hour South African TV news channel ANN7 (DStv 405) launching on 21 August says she is leaving Carte Blanche since ANN7 presents the opportunity to bring relevant information to people.

"It's enormously exciting to be a key part of this start-up station and to influence what we define as news and how we

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Mapi Mhlangu the new news editor of eNCA; Seamus Reynolds to continue as managing editor of the 24-hour TV news channel.

Mapi Mhlangu has been appointed as the news editor of eNCA (DStv 403) while Seamus Reynolds (which e.tv's publicity department spells as both Raynolds and Reynolds) will continue as managing editor after he's been overseeing both managing duties as well as the day-to-day news diary of the 24-hour South African TV news channel.

Seamus Reynolds took over as managing editor at eNCA earlier this

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The Wombles from Wimbledon kids TV show set to return to the underground, overground, in a big television comeback.

As a 6 year old in South Africa I distinctly remember the sign in the very final episode which read: "Closed. Forever." but in television nothing is really ever over: The 1970's British TV kids series, the Wombles are set for a TV return.

"We have plans for two new 26-part TV series, a feature-length movie and an interactive Womble World experience," Wombles co-creator Mike Bratt announced to

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Q&A: BBC Worldwide's Jon Farrar on the BBC channels' portfolio in South Africa: Downton, Dine With Me, and catching up with the Doctor.

After the recent BBC Worldwide channels winter upfront for South Africa for 2013 I asked Jon Farrar, the head of branded services for Western Europe and global editorial strategy at BBC Worldwide Channels more about the BBC channels seen in South Africa.



Jon Farrar spoke about Come Dine with Me South Africa, The Fall and others, BBC Knowledge staying on brand, BBC Lifestyle's trip to the

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Samsung's new Smart TV can be secretly hacked into to watch you as the viewer while you're watching television.

Your new Samsung Smart TV can be made to watch you while you're watching television, with the TV viewer unaware that they're being spied on.

Samsung tells TV with Thinus that Samsung is aware of the issue and has released a security update to resolve the issue.

CBS News reported that hackers can now watch you while you're watching TV if you have a new Samsung Smart TV, with the viewer

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Koo Govender quits M-Net; pay-TV broadcaster's director of corporate marketing and communications to become CEO of VWV agency.

Koo Govender has quit M-Net where she has been the director of corporate marketing and communications at the pay-TV broadcaster; she will become the first female CEO of the VWV agency from next month.

There's been no official announcement to the press from M-Net yet about Koo Govender's departure, nor who will be replacing her.

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M-Net paying to switch M-Net analogue subscribers' TV signals to a new frequency after CTV takes over the M-Net's channel frequency.

M-Net is paying to help M-Net analogue subscribers of the pay-TV broadcaster switch their signals in Cape Town on their decoders to a new frequency after the community TV station Cape Town Television (CTV) started broadcasting on M-Net's frequency from this week.

CTV has moved its transmission to the same channel as M-Net, which means that M-Net has to shift to a new frequency for its analogue

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Lerato Mbele set to return to television from October as presenter of the new weekly show Africa Business Report on BBC World News.

BBC World News

After an experiment lasting just over a year, Lerato Mbele who joined the Newsday radio show of BBC World Service in June 2012 is returning to television from 5 October as the presenter of a new show on BBC World News (DStv 400 / TopTV 400), Africa Business Report.

Africa Business Report will be a new weekly business TV programme on BBC World News, similar to CNN Marketplace

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Discovery Channel heavily criticised for fake Megalodon documentary, passing off ancient giant shark's existence as real.

The Discovery Channel is being heavily criticised by viewers after the broadcast of a fake documentary, Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives on the factual entertainment TV channel.

Viewers said the megalodon TV special is damaging Discovery's reputation after it showed the programme on the channel in the United States as part of Shark Week about a creature of which it's current existence is

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SABC has spent more than R10,8 million in legal fees getting rid of top SABC executives; R19,5 million spent on investigating corruption.

The SABC has coughed up more than R10,8 million since January 2009 in legal costs in disputes in the public broadcaster's various messy and protracted fights with several senior executives who've left the SABC, it has been revealed in parliament.

Another R19,5 million has been spent on investigating a litany of corruption charges at the broadcaster.

Disciplinary action has been taken against

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New science fiction drama, Extant, from Steven Spielberg coming in 2014; bet on M-Net to grab it for South African viewers.

A new science fiction TV drama, Extant, a thriller executive producer by Steven Spielberg, will be coming to television in America in 2014 while South African viewers can expect M-Net to grab it similar to Under the Dome which is currently showing on the South African pay-TV broadcaster.

Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and CBS Television Studios have received a straight-to-series order for

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Multiparty task team set up to cull through the more than 100 nominees for positions on the new SABC board.

Parliament's portfolio committee on communications tasked with oversight of the SABC, set up a multiparty task team today to cull through the more than 100 nominees and CVs for the new SABC board.

New SABC board members will be appointed to replace the current interim SABC board who can only serve until September.

The current interim SABC board were appointed and rushed through parliament

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SABC workers demand more lunch money: SABC unions demand a 10% salary increase and file a wage dispute with the CCMA.

SABC workers are demanding more lunch money - two SABC unions, Bemawu and CWU have filed a dispute with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after the SABC rejected their pay demands. 


SABC workers want R55 for meals - part of a demand for a 10% rise across the board which include a R1 500 allowance for housing and R300 for subsistence and travelling. 



The

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Corrupt Dina Pule found guilty of abusing her power and of lying to parliament as the now fired former minister of communications.

The corrupt Dina Pule, South Africa's fired former communications minister has been found guilty on the majority of extremely serious charges levelled against her by parliament's ethics committee.

The well-heeled in Christian Louboutin shoes Dina Pule, has been found guilty of abusing her power as a South African minister and that she had blatantly lied to parliament.

The committee has

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Al Jazeera opening 12 news bureaus across America before the launch of Al Jazeera America on 20 August.

Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / TopTV 401) is opening 12 new news bureaus across the United States before the launch of 20 August of Al Jazeera America, the new American-centric spin-off 24-hour news channel version of Al Jazeera.

The Al Jazeera correspondents will however be available to report on stories for the broader Al Jazeera TV news network such as Al Jazeera English seen in South Africa,

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Africa News Network 7 (ANN7) will launch on MultiChoice's DStv on 21 August as South Africa's 3rd 24-hour TV news channel.

Africa News Network 7, or ANN7 will start on MultiChoice's DStv channel 405 as I've already reported, on 21 August, the new TV news channel from Infinity Media announced today.

ANN7 which embarked on a massive recruitment drive for staff - including technical crew as well as on-air talent as TV with Thinus reported in June, has already attracted some top level on-air talent such as Chantal

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Chantal Rutter Dros drops Carte Blanche to become the new primetime news anchor of ANN7's new primetime shows ANN7 Headlines, ANN7 Prime.

Carte Blanche presenter Chantal Rutter Dros is leaving M-Net for the new South African TV news channel Africa News Network 7 or ANN7 (DStv 405) which will be starting on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform on 21 August.

Chantal Rutter Dros is leaving M-Net's weekly investigative news magazine produced by Combined Artists Productions to become the prime time news anchor of the new

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BREAKING. Saffron TV shutting down at the end of the month; local Indian TV channel removed from MultiChoice's DStv channel line-up.

Saffron TV (DStv 195), a local South African Indian TV channel which started in September 2008, is closing down at the end of this month and will disappear from MultiChoice's satellite pay-TV platform DStv after the channel failed financially; unable to attract enough advertising over the past couple of years.

Five years later Saffron TV - which hardly ever did any programming publicity to

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BREAKING. MultiChoice is fined R10 000 for shocking, bloody promo on M-Net during family time of cannibal drama during MasterChef Australia.

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) has slapped MultiChoice with a R10 000 fine for contravening the subscription television code in April after M-Net showed a promo for Hannibal, the Sony Entertainment Television (DStv 127) TV series about a cannibal during a family time broadcast of MasterChef Australia.



After the BCCSA received complaints, the broadcaster

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AMAZING CATCH-UP. The 21st season of The Amazing Race coming to Sony Entertainment Television with a brand-new twist.

Chippendales! Crazy goat farmers! Indian sisters! Injuries! Stolen passports! Collecting rats!

Sony Entertainment Television (DStv 127) has caught up in an amazing way with The Amazing Race for South Africa viewers with the excellent 21st season of The Amazing Race which will start on SET on Sunday 22 September at 19:35 for 11 episodes.

In the United States the 22nd season is the only

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eNCA and SABC News channels both go with live coverage of the start of the Arms Procurement Commission hearings.

Both eNCA (DStv 403) and SABC News (DStv 404) as the two available 24-hour South African TV news channels decided to go with live coverage of the Arms Procurement Commission which started this morning.

The commission, also known as the Seriti commission will investigate the R70 billion South African arms deal.

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PUBLIC EMBARRASSMENT. The terrible new Health Talk on SABC News is boob tube television in its most worst produced form.

It's so surrealistically bad it's hard to believe its real, but Health Talk started on the SABC's new SABC News (DStv 404) TV news channel as a new (unintentionally hilarious, superlatively bad) health talk show.

The terrible first episode featured breastfeeding HIV mothers who had babies with them in the studio - babies who screamed and made so much noise it was hard to hear as they drowned

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Network starts on SABC News on Sundays at 19:30 with Sihumelele Zondi, as a new consumer technology and social media magazine show.

Network presented by a clearly inexperienced and badly dressed and inappropriately dressed for television Siphumelele Zondi made its debut today on SABC News (DStv 404), the SABC's new 24-hour TV news channel, as a new weekly magazine show focusing on consumer technology and social media news.

Network is a new weekly half hour show which is clearly an extremely low-budgeted version of the

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Kaleidoscope starts on SABC News on Sundays at 17:30 with David Webb, looking at the African continent's lifestyle, arts and culture.

Kaleidoscope presented by David Webb made its debut today on SABC News (DStv 404), the SABC's new 24-hour TV news channel, as a new weekly arts and culture lifestyle show.
Kaleidoscope as a new weekly half hour show also has David Webb as one of the producers, and will be bringing viewers inserts from South Africa as well as the rest of the African continent. The SABC issued no press material,

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Media Monitor starts on SABC News on Sundays at 09:00 with Alicia Jali, looking at the week's media and press coverage.

Media Monitor presented by Alicia Jali has made its debut on SABC News (DStv 404), the SABC's new 24-hour TV news channel, as a brand-new weekly meta media show examining news coverage and the media.

Media Monitor on Sundays at 09:00 is an hour long show and is scheduled just before Maggs on Media on Sundays on the eNCA (DStv 403) at 10:30, South Africa's other 24-hour TV news channel.

The

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SABC CEO Lulama Mokhobo disappointed that SABC's new 24-hour TV news channel isn't available to all, asks viewers to 'bear with us'.

The SABC's CEO Lulama Mokhobo says she is disappointed that the SABC's new 24-hour TV news channel, SABC News (DStv 404), isn't available to all all South African TV households who have to pay an SABC TV license, and is begging viewers to "please bear with us" until the TV news channel is made available freely once the long delayed digital terrestrial television (DTT) switch over happens.

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TV news channels such as the new SABC News 'are a risk everywhere in the world,' says communications minister Yunus Carrim.

"The SABC needs to communicate more clearly that yes, the SABC News channel is starting on pay-TV but very soon it will be available on digital terrestrial television so that the masses out there can also benefit."

So says the minister of communications Yunus Carrim, who already took the SABC to task for its bad communication and said that the SABC needs to communicate more.

He doesn't feel

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The new SABC News 24-hour TV news channel's first live news event coverage is the funeral of Judge Pious Langa from Durban City Hall.

The new SABC News (DStv 404) 24-hour TV news channel did its first live event TV news coverage which started on Saturday morning at 10:00 with live coverage from Durban of the funeral of Judge Pious Langa from the Durban City Hall.

The channel stayed with funeral coverage from 10:00 until 13:30.

The exact same funeral coverage feed was simulcast at the same time on SABC2.

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Ayanda-Allie Paine dumps eNCA; moves to the SABC's new SABC News 24-hour TV news channel.

The eNCA (DStv 403) anchor Ayanda-Allie Paine has dumped that 24-hour South African TV news channel to move to the SABC's new SABC News (DStv 404) TV news channel.

The SABC says in a statement Ayanda-Allie Paine is now a SABC news presenter.

Ayanda-Allie Paine's defection to another TV news channel marks the eNCA's first on-air face showing up on a rival South African TV news channel.

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Morning Live now longer: SABC2's morning breakfast show also on SABC's new SABC News TV channel will now continue for an hour longer.

You're reading it here first.

Morning Live, the SABC2 morning breakfast show which is also simulcast on the SABC's new 24-hour TV news channel, SABC News (DStv 404) will henceforth continue for an hour longer on the news channel after the two hour live show signs off on weekdays on SABC2.

There's been no official announcement, press release or statement from the SABC, SABC2 or SABC News, but

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MultiChoice adding SuperSport 9 from Tuesday with EFC, Africa soccer leagues and American-based sport such as basketball, soccer and boxing.

SuperSport 9 (DStv 209) will be added by MultiChoice to DStv from Tuesday 6 August for all DStv Premium, DStv Compact and DStv Extra subscribers.

SuperSport 9 will contain EFC Fight Nights, as well as domestic soccer leagues from the African continent to South African viewers, as well as American-based sports such as college basketball, soccer and boxing.

The addition of SuperSport 9 comes

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MultiChoice: SABC News 24-hour channel will eventually expand beyond Southern Africa and will become available in the rest of Africa.

The SABC's new second version of a 24-hour news channel, SABC News (DStv 404), which was launched on Thursday and replace SABC News International on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform will eventually expand and be seen in the rest of Africa, says MultiChoice.

"At the moment it is seen in Southern Africa. So it goes beyond the borders of South Africa," Imtiaz Patel, the group CEO of

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SABC's matricless megastar Hlaudi Motsoeneng on boastful binge over SABC News channel: 'We have negotiated with MultiChoice more than half a billion! Who else can do that?'

The SABC's matricless megastar Hlaudi Motsoeneng is cementing his attention-hogging status as the South African public broadcaster's supremo enfant terrible, with the SABC's controversial acting chief operating officer (COO) doing zeaolous public boasting about the SABC's next attempt at a 24-hour TV news channel.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng who led the negotiating team from the SABC's side to start

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Imtiaz Patel, MultiChoice's CEO watches the SABC's morning breakfast show Morning Live every day.

Who knew? MultiChoice's CEO Imtiaz Patel has a favourite morning show on television and it's not Expresso, Sunrise or Morning News Today but SABC2's Morning Live.

SABC2's Morning Live is being simulcast on the SABC's new 24-hour TV news channel, SABC News on DStv 404 which is replacing the previous SABC News International, with Morning Live shown at the same time on SABC2 and the SABC News

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MultiChoice to help digitise the SABC's archives in the same way in which MultiChoice helped to digitise the ANC's archives.

You're reading it here first. 

MultiChoice will help to digitise the SABC's archive in the same way the satellite pay-TV platform has digitised the ANC's archives for that political party.

MultiChoice made the announcement at the launch event on Thursday afternoon of the SABC's second attempt at establishing a 24-hour TV news channel, the SABC News channel which went live at 18:00 on

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'My name is Zandile," the SABC chairperson tells news anchor Peter Ndoro on the new SABC News channel when he wrongly calls her Andile.

Barely an hour into the start of the broadcast of the SABC's new SABC News (DStv 404) 24-hour news channel, the very first on-air embarrassment took place.

The new primetime SABC News anchor Peter Ndodo didn't know and use the correct name of the interim SABC chairperson Zandile Tshabalala - mistakenly referring to her as Andile, after which she publicly corrected him on live television.

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The SABC as a public broadcaster needs to communicate more, says minister of communications, Yunus Carrim.

South Africa's new minister of communications, Yunus Carrim, says the SABC should be communicating much more to viewers about what the broadcaster is doing.

On the SABC's new SABC News (DStv 404) 24-hour TV news channel Yunus Carrim said on Thursday evening that "the SABC is very, very challenged, but it is not as challenged as what is made out in the public domain."

"One of the tasks the

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eNCA congratulates the SABC on the start of the SABC News channel as the public broadcaster's second attempt at a 24-hour TV news channel.

The 24-hour independent TV news channel eNCA (DStv 403) is congratulating the SABC and SABC News with the start of the SABC News channel as the South African public broadcaster's second try at a 24-hour TV news channel.

"We know how hard it is to launch and maintain a 24-hour news service and can appreciate the amount of work required," Patrick Conroy, the group head of news at eNCA tells

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BREAKING. SABC News launches as new 24-hour channel with Peter Ndoro and Vabakshnee Chetty, 'telling the story that South Africans want to hear.'

You're reading it here first. 

SABC News as the SABC's new 24-hour TV news channel launched at 18:00 on MultiChoice's DStv channel 404 anchored by Peter Ndoro and Vabakshnee Chetty using the news studio used for SABC3's daily news bulletin at 18:30

Besides a skeleton grid schedule neither the SABC, nor MultiChoice, released to the press and TV critics by the end of the business day on

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BREAKING. SABC News channel launches 'with bottles of real champagne'; Lulama Mokhobo, SABC CEO, says 'tough task ahead'.

You're reading it here first.

The SABC, funded by MultiChoice with hundreds of millions of rands for the establishment of its new SABC News 24-hour channel on DStv channel 404, held a launch event on Thursday afternoon in Henley Studios where the SABC CEO Lulama Mokhobo remarked that "for the first time in the history of the SABC I see bottles of real champagne".

The launch was attended

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BREAKING. SABC News 24-hour channel must 'seize the opportunity to cover South Africa beyond crime and corruption,' says president Jacob Zuma.

You're reading it here first. 

The SABC's new 24-hour TV news channel, SABC News, launching at 18:00 on MultiChoice's DStv platform on channel 404 "is being established at the right time", says president Jacob Zuma who is speaking at the channel's launch event being held at the SABC's headquarters at Auckland Park, saying "we hope this channel will seize the opportunity to cover South

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FIRST INTERVIEW. DStv's chief technology officer Gerdus van Eeden talks DStv Explora and the powerful update to DStv's decoder line.

Gerdus van Eeden, MultiChoice's chief technology officer (CTO), sat down with TV with Thinus for an exclusive and comprehensive exclusive first interview about the satellite pay-TV platform's brand-new and much bigger capacity HD PVR decoder, the DStv Explora, which was just unveiled to the press and which will become available to DStv subscribers from 15 August.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice

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BREAKING. MultiChoice unveils its DStv Explora as the satellite pay-TV platform's brand-new, next generation HD PVR with a lot more TV content.

MultiChoice just unveiled its brand-new next generation DStv Explora decoder which will become available from 15 August at a retail price of R2499 and which is loaded with terabytes more recording space, enhanced functionality and an improved interface and which will in time also include broadband internet connectivity.

Nicknamed by MultiChoice insiders as "the pebble" due to its shapely

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BREAKING. SABC invites the press to the launch of its new 24-hour news channel on DStv ... one day before the time.

The SABC today invited South Africa's press to the launch of its new 24-hour TV news channel, doing so only one day before the time.

It's highly unusual, given that invites and alerts to press conferences and launch events for new TV channels starting - in cases where there are pressers and launch events taking place (for both TV channels locally and international for both MultiChoice's

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CNN International's Nkepile Mabuse leaves to rejoin e.tv's news division as executive producer for a new current affairs show on eNCA.

Nkepile Mabuse is leaving CNN International (DStv 401) after her very unusual stint doing Outside Eye for the eNCA (DStv 403) earlier this year and joining the eNCA.

Nkepile Mabuse did Outside Eye for the eNCA while she was still also with CNN International and will now become the new executive producer of a new current affairs show for the eNCA which will start later this year.

She started

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BREAKING. SABC's new 24-hour news channel will start on 1 August, on DStv channel 404, in all 11 languages, with a lot of syndicated SABC shows.

The SABC's new 24-hour news channel will start broadcasting on 1 August and will no longer be just an announcement to launch on that day; it will start on MultiChoice's DStv channel 404; it will do news in all 11 official South African languages; and it will contain a lot of syndicated and repurposed SABC news programmes and shows already seen on SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3.

The long gestating

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BREAKING. Food Network gives second season to Jenny Morris; heading to France and Italy for Jenny Morris Cooks the Riviera.

You're reading it here first. 

The Food Network (DStv 175) has given a second season pick-up to the Cape Town celebrity chef Jenny Morris who will do a second series entitled Jenny Morris Cooks the Riviera for the channel filmed along the French and Italian Rivieras.

Jenny Morris' first season of her show on the Food Network - the first South African commissioned TV production for the

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Kagiso Media wants to start an 'affordable' pay-TV service in South Africa heavily focused on local content driven by entertainment and news.

Kagiso Media (KGM) wants the South African broadcasting regulator to grant it a pay-TV broadcasting license to operate an "affordable" pay-TV service costing R240 a month for which it wants to become "the leading provider of pay-TV services to low-income households in South Africa".

Kagiso TV's pay-TV offering in South Africa would be heavily focused on providing subscribers local

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Sky News has yet another once-off TV special for viewers, A Son and Heir, tonight at 21:30.

Sky News (DStv 402) has yet another TV special tonight at 21:30 (South African time), following the birth of Prince George Alexander Louis, the son of Prince William and Kate, entitled A Son and Heir.

A Son and Heir is presented by the Sky News royal correspondent Paul Harrison.

Yesterday Sky News had the special, A Royal Son.

Not to be outdone CNN International (DStv 401) will tonight

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BREAKING. Gay TV coming to South Africa if CloseTV is granted a pay-TV licence by the country's broadcasting regulator.

Gay television in the form of "high-quality international and local programming" aimed at gay viewers could be coming to South Africa if South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) grants Close-T Broadcast Network Holdings a pay-TV licence to start a subscription service in the country.

Close-T Broadcast Network Holdings, Kagiso

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BREAKING. ESPN has to continue to provide American sport to MultiChoice, some ESPN content will be shifted to SuperSport channels.

ESPN which is removing its ESPN channels - ESPN and ESPN Classic - from MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform at the end of the month, is going to have to continue to provide DStv with certain ESPN programming such as golf, the US Open Tennis tournaments, NCAA basketball, the X Games, motorsport, boxing and ESPN documentary films.

ESPN is pulling its channels from Africa, the Middle

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Carte Blanche 25 Years - The Stories Behind the Stories commemorative book coming with Carte Blanche birthday episode on 1 September.

Kalahari.net is now taking pre-orders for the upcoming book Carte Blanche 25 Years - The Stories Behind the Stories, the special commemorative book which TV with Thinus first reported in February is coming later this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the longrunning local weekly investigative magazine show on M-Net.

M-Net's Carte Blanche will be celebrating it's silver anniversary

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BREAKING. Platco Digital's OpenView HD satellite TV service could be shut down, fined if it starts in October without a licence.

South Africa's broadcasting regulator remains firm in repeating for a second time that the new Platco Digital's planned satellite TV service, OpenView HD, will be operating illegally and flouting South Africa's broadcasting regulations if it goes ahead with launching a commercial service in October without possible approval from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa

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The Royals A New Prince, a once-off special programme coming to CNN International on Wednesday at 22:30.

The Royals A New Prince is a brand-new TV special coming to CNN International (DStv 401) on Wednesday night at 22:30 (South African time) following the birth of Prince William and Kate's new baby boy.

Born to a life of palaces and privilege, the newest edition to the British royal family also faces challenges. Can he also enjoy something of a normal childhood?

CNN International's royal

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M-Net looking for a new boss for the pay-TV broadcaster's in-house production arm, Magic Factory.

M-Net is looking for a new boss for the South African pay-TV broadcaster's in-house production arm, Magic Factory.

The head of Magic Factory, a position M-Net is now advertising for, will be in charge of producing compelling and relevant programming in high definition (HD) for M-Net's channels.

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Sky News has an hour long special programme, A Royal Son, tonight with Anna Botting reporting from Buckingham Palace.

Sky News (DStv 402) has an hour long special programme tonight following the birth of Prince William and Kate's son yesterday.

Anna Botting will present A Royal Son tonight on Sky News at 20:00 (South African time) from Buckingham Palace.

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GREAT TIMING. Royal Babies tonight on BBC Knowledge at 21:00 looks at royal pregnancies, births and babies.

BBC Worldwide Channels programmers can smile: BBC Knowledge (DStv 184) - and keep in mind these schedules were compiled months ago - tonight has Royal Babies at 21:00.

"With Kate and William expecting their first child, this programme takes a look at royal pregnancies, births and babies and insight into what lies ahead for the next royal baby," says BBC Knowledge.

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Syfy Kids starts as a programming block on KidsCo at 17:00 on weekdays with a roll of the Rubik's Cubes.

Syfy Kids, the new programming block on KidsCo (DStv 308 / TopTV 255), has started and can now be seen daily at 17:00 since yesterday - to remind TV critics, editors and journalists covering television, KidsCo sent over two Rubik's Cubes in a box.

Syfy Kids is a partnership between KidsCo and NBCUniversal's Syfy channel.

In this block Syfy Kids will show the animated Back to the Future,

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BREAKING. Get ready for a ... SHARKNADO! Sharknado coming to Studio Universal on 21 September for South African viewers.

You're reading it here first. 

Umbrellas aint gonna help when you're caught in a ... Sharknado! I can break the news and reveal that Sharknado, the unanimously so-terrible-it's-so-must-see-terrific movie is coming to South African viewers closely on the heels of record buzz in America.

South Africa viewers who will be able to drench themselves in bad acting and Sharknado on Studio

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BBC World News has Born to be a King special documentary today following the birth of the Prince of Cambridge yesterday.

BBC World News (DStv 400 / TopTV 400) has a special documentary, Born to be King, today, following the birth of the son yesterday of Prince William and Kate.

Born to be King with presenter Sophie Raworth is shown on BBC World News today at 15:30 and 21:30 (South African times).

Born to be King will look back on the history of Royal births, the rich tradition and endurance of Royal baby names

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BREAKING. Platco Digital's OpenView HD satellite TV service won't be engaging in licensable activities, says it is merely a platform.

Platco Digital, the new satellite TV operator seeking to launch the new OpenView HD service in South Africa by October with 15 TV channels but which isn't licensed by the South African broadcasting regulator says that it will not be engaging in any licensable activities on its own because it's only providing a platform for free TV channels.

The Independent Communications Authority of South

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BREAKING. ANN7 is coming to DStv channel 405, causing Russia Today to move to channel 407 and NDTV to move to channel 413 from August.

ANN7, the new 24-hour South African TV news channel is coming to MultiChoice's DStv channel 405, which means that Russia Today (RT) which is currently on channel 405 will be moving to channel 407 and that NDTV which is currently on channel 407 will be moving to channel 413 from August.



RT told TV with Thinus on Monday that the channel is relocating to channel 407 from August. 

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BREAKING. New South African satellite TV provider Platco Digital wants to start OpenView HD in October but isn't licensed.

A new South African satellite TV provider Platco Digital wants to start a new direct-to-home (DTH) TV offering to viewers in October but isn't licensed to do as it needs to be for such as service by South Africa's broadcasting regulator, Icasa.

Platco Digital with its head office in Johannesburg is backed by e.tv's parent company Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI). HCI owns Sabido

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M-Net secures the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards; grabs new drama King & Maxwell for September.

M-Net has secured the broadcasting rights to The 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards which the South African pay-TV broadcaster will be showing live and in high definition (HD) early in the morning of 23 September, and again in South African primetime on 23 September at 20:30.

M-Net once again leads as the South African broadcaster with the most Emmy nominated shows.

M-Net also picked up

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The Walking Dead season 4 will start in South Africa on DStv and TopTV on FOX within a week of 13 October when it starts in America.

The fourth season of the zombie drama The Walking Dead will start in South Africa on MultiChoice's DStv and on On Digital Media's TopTV on FOX (DStv 125 / TopTV 180) within days and less than a week after the new season kicks off on 13 October in the United States.

FOX International Channels (FIC) says its committed to rolling out the fourth season of The Walking Dead "across all FOX

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Al Jazeera America announces senior executive appointment ahead of the 20 August launch of the new American version of the news channel.

Al Jazeera's new American spin-off new channel Al Jazeera America which will start in the United States next month in the place of the discontinued CurrentTV which finally folded there as well has appointed Kate O'Brian as the president of the American version of the 24-hour news channel financed by Qatar.

Kate O'Brian will work alongside Ehab Al-Shihabi who has been named the interim CEO of

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MultiChoice ended Afro Music Pop channel; says 'music channel is not popular and for this reason it was terminated on DStv'.

MultiChoice has ended the Afro Music Pop (DStv 326) TV channel on its DStv satellite pay-TV platform, citing its unpopularity under subscribers.

Afro Music was ended on DStv three years after it was added during which time it underwent a name and format change in 2012 from the Afro Music channel to Afro Music Pop.

"We conduct regular research on our channels' performance and we have found

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New minister of communications Yunis Carrim meets with SABC; says digital terrestrial migration, vacant exec positions to be addressed urgently.

The new minister of communications Yunis Carrim and the deputy minister of communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams met with the SABC management, SABC board, trade unions and SABC staff to talk about the public broadcaster's long-delayed digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration process, the SABC's turnaround strategy and critical issues preventing the SABC from moving forward.

"We looked

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BREAKING. So You Think You Can Dance SA? returning to SABC1 for a 3rd season on Saturday 17 August at 18:30.

So You Think You Can Dance South Africa? is set to return to South African TV screens for a third season from Saturday 17 August at 18:30 on SABC1.

There's been zero communication about it - in fact nationwide auditions have already started, audition dates have come and gone with zilch in terms of any announcements from SABC1 or anyone else to the press - and So You Think You Can Dance

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M-Net looks back at the Idols phenomenon once week before the 9th season starts with a retrospective doccie, The Incredible Journey.

Before the start of the 9th season of Idols on the M-Net and Mzansi Magic channels next Sunday, M-Net (DStv 101) has a a retrospective local documentary of the reality show today at 18:00 entitled The Incredible Journey.

The Incredible Journey looks at how Idols became a pop cultural phenomenon, the various changes the reality show underwent during the past 8 seasons, the impact the show has

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Debora Patta maintains a presence on the CBS Evening News reporting from South Africa on Nelson Mandela.

South Africa's TV news woman Debora Patta continues with excellent news coverage seen internationally, reporting for the CBS Evening News in America which is seen worldwide since the daily news bulletin is syndicated on Sky News (DStv 402).

Debora Patta abruptly left e.tv and the eNCA (DStv 403) two months ago when her longrunning weekly investigative and current affairs show 3rd Degree was

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E! News boss to leave E! Entertainment in August; no replacement named.

E! News boss Bruce Perlmutter is leaving E! Entertainment in August, no replacement has been named, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Bruce Perlmutter was the senior vice president for news and online for E! Entertainment in Los Angeles and oversaw E! News in all its various permutations such as the daily E! News show on E! as well as its online presence.

Bruce Perlmutter joined E!

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BREAKING. SABC1's Bar.One Manhunt reveals the top 16 contestants for the upcoming third season.

The 16 new contestants who will be taking
part in the third season of Bar.One Manhunt on SABC1 has been revealed.





Nine are from Johannesburg, Pretoria and
surrounds, four are from Cape Town, two from KwaZulu-Natal and one from East
London.



The new season is moving from SABC3 to SABC1
when it starts on Tuesday, July 30 at 21:00 for 13 episodes, seeking to find
the man with the most

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BREAKING. Five new potential pay-TV players for South Africa: Kagiso TV, Siyaya, Mindset Media, Close-T Broadcasting Network and Mobile TV.

You're reading it here first. 

Is Kagiso TV, Siyaya Free to Air, Mindset Media Enterprises, Close-T Broadcasting Network and Mobile TV the new Telkom Media, Shenzhen Media, On Digital Media, Walking on Water (WOWtv) and eSat?

All five of these companies are looking to start brand-new pay-TV services in South Africa and will do presentations before South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the

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Kwêla on kykNET adds Reynard Slabbert and Hugo Ludik as new presenters to the weekly Afrikaans magazine show.

Kwêla on kykNET (DStv 144) has added two new presenters to the team of the weekly Afrikaans magazine show from Pieter Cilliers Produksies on Wednesdays at 19:30 - Reynard Slabbert and Hugo Ludik, the brother of Afrikaans soap star Stefan Ludik.

And here's the unbelievable co-incidence about them and what only TV with Thinus can reveal: both have their birthdays on 25 September.

Reynard

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BREAKING. Generations, SABC1, to show 20 vintage and iconic Generations episodes in September to celebrate the soap's 20th anniversary.

Generations, South Africa's most watched TV show and the most watched soap will be showing 20 vintage episodes culled from the massive video library of the Mfundi Vundla soap to celebrate Generations' 20th anniversary.

The 20 episodes will be selected from the vast Generations library, and will be based on "selected milestones that saw a change in the soap," SABC1 tells me.

Sister channel

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Al Jazeera set to move its London head office to The Shard skyscraper near the River Thames.

Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / TopTV 401) is set to become the first commercial tenant in London's skyscraper The Shard, The Evening Standard is reporting.

The 24-hour news channel from Qatar is reportedly getting ready to move its United Kingdom head office to the new skyscraper.

Al Jazeera has taken out a lease for floor space in the iconic building located near London Bridge and the River Thames.

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M-Net grabs the second season of Toni Braxton's Braxton Family Values, as well as the spin-off, Tamar & Vince.

M-Net has picked up the broadcasting rights to the second season of Toni Braxton's reality show Braxton Family Values, and also acquired the broadcasting rights to the spin-off Tamar & Vince.

Braxton Family Values also started this year on e.tv.

M-Net will be showing Braxton Family Values as well as the spin-off featuring Tamar Braxton and her record producer Vince Herbert on one of M-Net's

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BREAKING. Following viewer furore M-Net returns former M-Net Series TV shows to M-Net Series Zone with immediate effect.

M-Net has listened and is responding to furious M-Net viewers and DStv subscribers, with immediate changes being made to the M-Net Series Zone (DStv 115) channel taking effect immediately.

M-Net is returning the TV shows which were in mid-season on M-Net Series when that channel was removed on cheaper DStv bouquets and replaced with M-Net Series Zone which suddenly no longer carried

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Jonathan Phang goes on an exploration of Caribbean cuisine on The Food Network in Jonathan Phang's Caribbean Cookbook.

Jonathan Phang's Caribbean Cookbook starts on Monday 22 July at 08:05 and 18:05 on The Food Network (DStv 175).

In the show he goes on a trip through the Caribbean, meeting local food legends and contemporary chefs in various Caribbean island nations from Barbados to Tobago, Trinidad to Jamaica and St Lucia to Grenada.

Jonathan Phang serves up his own dishes in every episode in a Caribbean

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Leanne Manas goes from SABC2's Morning Live to SABC3's Isidingo this coming Monday playing ... a journalist.

Leanne Manas, the presenter of SABC2's weekday breakfast show Morning Live will be making a guest appearance on SABC3's weekday soap Isidingo on Monday 22 July at 19:30.

Leanne Manas visited the Sasasi Studios set of Isidingo and will appear in the soap's episode on Monday.

Leanne Manas will be seen as the journalist interviewing Papa G (Darlington Michaels) and Slu (Leslie Fong)  about

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Star Trek The Next Generation Season 8: The shape of things which could have come if the sci-fi drama had an eight season.

If there were an eight season of the highly acclaimed science fiction drama series Star Trek The Next Generation, what stories would there have been, what awaited the beloved characters, and where were the writers looking to boldly go with the unfolding space saga next?

Some tantalising clues are offered up in the season 3 Star Trek The Next Generation Blu-ray box set, where in the "Insider

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BREAKING. Sir David Frost back for a second season of The Frost Interview from Friday 26 July on Al Jazeera at 22:00.

Sir David Frost is back for a second season of The Frost Interview, his in-depth hour-long interview show on Al Jazeera (TopTV 401 / DStv 406), from Friday 26 July at 22:00 (South African time).

The veteran interviewer will kick off the second season with an interview with Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon.

In his Buzz Aldrin hour, Sir David Frost will go through exclusive footage

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MultiChoice giving unencoded access of a selection of premium DStv channels to lower-tiered subscribers from tomorrow until Monday.

MultiChoice is unencoding a selection of pay-TV channels usually only reserved for DStv Premium subscribers from tomorrow until Monday morning, with DStv subscribers who will get access to channels ranging from History and Sky News to FOX, BBC Entertainment, Comedy Central, Discovery, several SuperSport channels and more.

There was no official press release or announcement to the media

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Chaos, confusion, growing frustration - even pirated DVD disks with SABC soaps - as African countries are cut off from South Africa's TV signals.

Growing frustration and anger, together with chaos and confusion is reigning among TV viewers in several African countries surrounding South Africa, where people are now resorting to buying pirated DVD disks with episodes of South African television soaps, following the sudden end of the freely available SABC and e.tv TV signals in the rest of Southern Africa from the beginning of July.

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BREAKING. M-Net leads again as the South African TV broadcaster with the most Emmy nominated shows for 2013.

M-Net is once again leading as the South African TV broadcaster which has the glut of Emmy nominated TV shows, with most of the just announced 2013 Emmy nominations for The 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards being shown on the M-Net (DStv 101) channel or the M-Net set of channels on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service.

"We are delighted with the number of Emmy nominations garnered

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Carte Blanche on M-Net is trying out the SuperSport studio in Randburg on Sunday evenings 'for the next few weeks'.

Carte Blanche - M-Net's longrunning weekly investigative programme and the pay-TV broadcaster's highest rated show - which returned three weeks ago to a studio presentation format after two years, tells TV with Thinus that the magazine show is trying something new.

For winter, the Combined Artistic Productions show which used Randlords for a Johannesburg cityscape backdrop, moved inside and

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CLEVER. MultiChoice's DStv Catch Up service communicates cleverly and absolutely appropriately to subscribers, and ahead of time.

A pleasant surprise is the wonderful, absolutely appropriate, consumer communication from MultiChoice's DStv Catch Up service which is keeping users of the DStv On Demand Catch Up functionality on PVRs fully informed, ahead of time, and on the exact right and best place.

On the DStv On Demand Catch Up page, MultiChoice inserted an "Important notice: Vegas ep 11" line as part of the normal

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A stilted Marc Lottering tells SABC3 viewers about 'Strictly Come Back Dancing'; seems ill-prepared as a presenter for the dance reality show.

A stilted Marc Lottering, co-host on SABC3's dance reality show Strictly Come Dancing comes across as extremely ill-prepared and even got the show's name wrong on Wednesday night in the second episode, calling it "Strictly Come Back Dancing" before apologising.

Marc Lottering who keeps reading with his head down a lot from his cue cards, and even then struggles to read fluently and correctly,

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An emotional Kristin dos Santos, E! Entertainment's TV critic, is back on E! News to talk about the shocking death of Glee's Cory Monteith.

For the first time in a long while Kristin dos Santos - E! Entertainment's (DStv 124) noted TV critic and TV news scooper - was back on the air on E! News on Wednesday evening and became emotional when she talked about the shocking death of Glee star Cory Monteith.

Kristin dos Santos whose constant appearance on E! Entertainment and E! News became more marginal the past few years since she

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eNCA on-air changes as Dan Moyane, Gareth Edwards, Eleni Giokos and Nikiwe Bikitsha are on the move.

Viewers of the eNCA (DStv 403), South Africa's only independent 24-hour TV news channel continues to see an on-air sea change of faces since last month which is continuing in July and will continue into August as familiar faces left and continue to leave the channel and new faces are added.

ALSO READ: The eNCA's exodus of on-air staff continues as Macfarlane Moleli and Lance Witten leave,

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Canadian police drama Rookie Blue on Universal Channel and SABC1, renewed for a 5th season in America.

Rookie Blue, the Canadian and American co-produced police drama following newbie police officers shown in South Africa on the Universal Channel (DStv 117) and SABC1 has been renewed for a fifth season in America.

The new fifth season of Rookie Blue with Gregory Smith and Missy Peregrym will start production in January 2014 in Toronto.

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eNCA looking for a news anchor for Africa; prep for those irregular working hours.

The eNCA (DStv 403) is looking for a news anchor to read the news from the 24-hour news channel's Hyde Park studios in Johannesburg.

The eNCA news anchor position is within the Africa division with the person reporting to the Africa editor.

As with most real journalism, the person will have to work irregular hours including weekends and public holidays. Experience in travelling and working on

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SABC3 looks to Heaven for help as the channel bulks up on 80s titles like Airwolf, Magnum P.I. as well as Due South and Hawaii Five-0.

SABC3 is loading up on 70s, 80s and 90s television in a big way, packing the channel's schedule with yesteryear shows ranging from Airwolf and Magnum P.I. to Due South, Hawaii Five-0 and even Highway to Heaven.

Magnum P.I. will start on SABC3 on Thursday 25 July and show weekly from them on in the 12:00 retro block, with Airwolf starting on Friday 26 July at 12:00.

The 90s Canadian series

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Bheki Letswalo is the SABC's first Siswati soccer commentator on television.

Bheki Letswalo is the SABC's first Siswati soccer commentator on television.

Bheki Letswalo who is currently busy with his LLB degree at the University of South Africa, made his debut commentary on SABC1 Sport during a Chippa United and Golden Arrows game which was played in Cape Town. He joined the radio station Ligwalagwala FM in November 2004.

About his transition to TV Bheki Letswalo says

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Deen TV launches TV Presenter Search for news readers as well as other programmes which will also become a reality show on the channel.

Deen TV (TopTV 355) is launching a TV Presenter Search for news readers as well as for other programming.

The South African Muslim TV channel is planning to start news bulletins and is looking for news anchors, but is also scouting for new TV talent for various other programming.

"The channel will be auditioning for presenters to present programmes ranging across the genre board," says

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Less than 20 TV channels would survive and be available if pay-TV channels are sold as single channels to subscribers - new report.

So called "a la carte" pricing - or where consumers and pay-TV subscribers get to choose to subscribe only to specific pay-TV offered channels - will hurt consumers and the pay-TV industry, with fewer than 20 TV channels which would survive on its own.

That's according to a new report, Future of TV Report, out by analyst Laura Martin from Needham & Co.

The bulk of pay-TV tailored TV channels

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M-Net on DStv subscribers angry over M-Net Series changes: 'Shows are still on DStv Compact, just in a slightly later window.'

M-Net addressed angry DStv subscribers' resentment over M-Net Series channel changes on radio, saying that DStv subscribers and M-Net series' viewers are actually going to get and see more new content on the new M-Net Series Zone (DStv 115) channel in coming months.

DStv subscribers who used to watch shows on M-Net Series (DStv 114) only to see their content stop and be cut when the M-Net

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SuperSport 5 and SuperSport 6 on DStv goes high definition; MultiChoice also adds SuperSport 8 as a new standard definition channel.

MultiChoice is adding high definition (HD) versions of the standard definition channels SuperSport 5 and SuperSport 6 from Tuesday 23 July when the satellite pay-TV operator will also grow the SuperSport channel collection by starting a new SuperSport 8 TV channel in South Africa in standard definition (SD).

SuperSport 5 HD or SS5HD (DStv 215) will focus on motorsports, boxing, swimming and

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TRANSFIGURATIONS. SABC weather reports have one unique competitive advantage: weather presenters can appear out of thin air.

The SABC which struggles to compete with the eNCA (DStv 403) when it comes to weather report presentation has found one thing it can do which the eNCA seems unwilling to try - the use of what appears to be dark magic to make a weather presenter appear out of nowhere on the screen.

It's anyone's guess as to what South African viewers are making of the SABC which has a weather presenter not

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Al Jazeera presenter Marwan Bishara reveals internal turmoil at news network as it gets ready to launch in America in August.

Al Jazeera's prominent Marwan Bishara, the presenter of the current affairs show Empire, has fired off an email to Al Jazeera bosses outlining what he considers serious mistakes which Al Jazeera is making as a news channel, before the launch of the new Al Jazeera America channel.

Marwan Bishara's email on 10 July to Al Jazeera executives reveals serious concerns from inside Al Jazaara about

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Kardashians season 8, first season of The Wanted starting on E! Entertainment on 21, 22 July at 21:00.

The 8th season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Wanted are starting as reality shows on E! Entertainment (DStv 124) on Sunday 21 July and Monday 22 July at 21:00, respectively.

There's 18 new episodes in the 8th season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians in which the younger Kardashian sisters Kendall and Kylie are growing up and striving for more independence, Bruce and his son

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MSNBC turns 17 today; news channel staff get a free lunch and a champagne toast.

MSNBC (TopTV 410) turns 17 years old today and on Friday staff at the news channel got a free lunch.

An afternoon champagne toast was included.

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BREAKING. True Blood renewed for a 7th season of the vampire and werewolf drama.

True Blood, the American vampire werewolf adult drama has been renewed for a 7th season on the day that the 6th season starts in South Africa on M-Net Series Showcase (DStv 113).

True Blood holds the dubious distinction of being constantly moved around by pay-TV broadcaster M-Net, seemingly unsure of where it wants the supernatural show. First-run seasons of True Blood in South Africa has

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BREAKING. They Lying Game cancelled after two seasons; actress reveals cancellation on Twitter.

The Lying Game, the first season of which was seen in South Africa on M-Net and M-Net Series, has been cancelled in America after two seasons.

Actress Alexandra Chando who played the identical twins Emma/Sutton broke the news through Twitter.

Stunning fans she said: "To our awesome The Lying Game fans, thank you for these two amazing seasons. Unfortunately ABC Family has decided not to bring

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Jenny McCarthy joins the View as new panelist after the departure of Elisabeth Hasselbeck last week.

Jenny McCarthy is joining the American weekday talk show The View following the departure of Elisabeth Hasselbeck last week.

Barbara Walters lied earlier in the year when she said Elisabeth Hasselbeck was not leaving The View. Barbara Walters lied again last week when she said that there wouldn't be a new co-host on The View in the near future when Elisabeth Hasselbeck left. Jenny McCarthy's

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The Travel Channel orders 3 new shows, renews 4 shows and orders additional episodes for the latest season of Airport 24/7: Miami.

The Travel Channel (DStv 179) has ordered 3 new shows for the channel, renewed 4 shows for further seasons and ordered additional episodes of the latest season of Airport 24/7: Miami.

The Travel Channel has ordered Netherworld, a one hour special following Zak Bagans from Ghost Adventures down into the real-life catacombs of Paris. The channel also ordered Sturgis: 24/7, a new series which

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BREAKING. Real Housewives of South Africa drama as NBCUniversal says Barbie Brazil doesn't have local production rights for a reality show.

Photo: Facebook

NBCUniversal which owns the international rights for local versions of The Real Housewives ... reality show says the woman named Barbie Brazil (real name Thembi Ennie Tshabalala) who says she is producing a local South African version of Real Housewives of South Africa does not have the local production rights for a local version of the reality show.

Barbie Brazil says she

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BREAKING. Glee star Cory Monteith dead at 31; autopsy scheduled for Monday following death of actor with drug problem history.

Cory Monteith (31) who rose to fame as a high schooler belting out Don't Stop Believin in Glee (currently on M-Net Series in its 4th season) and which turned him, the show and the song into a worldwide phenomenon when it debuted in 2009, is dead.

His body was found in his hotel room on the 21st floor of the Vancouver Fairmont Pacific Rom hotel on Saturday.



An autopsy for the troubled star

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BABY WATCH. SABC News goes entertainment tabloid as SABC3 newsreaders Vabakshnee! Simon! Nompu! share their baby photos.

You're reading it here first. 

SABC3's news bulletin on Friday, the SABC's main flagship television news broadcast of the public broadcaster, turned shamelessly entertainment tabloid at the tail end of Friday night's broadcast when the SABC news readers Vabakshnee Chetty, Simon Burke and Nompu Siziba all shared their own baby photos when they were small and speculated about princess Kate

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TOLDJA. MultiChoice announce that ESPN intends to end ESPN and ESPN Classic as TV channels on DStv.

MultiChoice is announcing that the satellite pay-TV operator has received notice from ESPN that ESPN "intends to close the ESPN and ESPN Classic TV channels in Africa on 31 July 2013".

MultiChoice says it's a business decision by ESPN which is affecting all its channels in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Earlier in the week TV with Thinus reported that 31 July would be the last day for

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BREAKING. Bloomberg Television set to return to MultiChoice's DStv as its own stand-alone TV channel from Monday.

You're reading it here first. 

I'm told that Bloomberg Television is set to return to MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform as its own stand-alone TV channel less than three weeks after Bloomberg Television was ended on DStv and folded into the newly relaunched Business Day TV with daily programming blocks on that channel.

According to various sources who spoke on the condition of

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BREAKING. Angry DStv subscribers start a public petition about content; MultiChoice says subscribers getting more programmes than before.

Angry DStv subscribers in South Africa have started a public petition, upset at what they say is less television per pay-TV package although they pay the same, following recent DStv channel changes.

A public petition at www.ipetitions.com/petitions/non-premium-dstv-subscribers-unite has sprung up, which instantly started getting signatures from upset subscribers.

"It has become apparent

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SABC sues Noseweek, Sylvia Vollenhoven over Spear documentary; wants all material and research for unaired TV programme back.

The SABC is taking the investigative magazine Noseweek and Martin Welz, as well as the respected journalist Sylvia Vollenhoven to court, demanding that the material and research of an unaired on television documentary entitled Project Spear which the SABC payed for, be returned to the public broadcaster.

The SABC says Noseweek and Sylvia Vollenhoven don't have the right to screen the Project

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Fox International Channels (FIC) appoints Jo McGrath as the head of production for Europe and Africa.

Fox International Channels (FIC) which runs channels such as FOX, FX, FOX Crime and others in South Africa and Africa on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, On Digital Media's TopTV as well as others has appointed Jo McGrath as the head of production for Europe and Africa.

Jo McGrath based in London will work under Jason Thorp, the company's vice president of content for Europe and the

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Greece's public broadcaster back on television in Greece, but no longer as ERT.

Greece's public broadcaster is back on the air but not as ERT, whose international ERT channel feed of ERT World (DStv 432) still remains dark on MultiChoice's DStv platform after the sudden and shocking closure of the broadcaster a month ago due to Greece's austerity measures.

Greek Public Television is now displaying its logo on television screens in Greece, awaiting the launch of the new

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MultiChoice opens a second MultiChoice customer service centre in Durban in the centre of the city.

MultiChoice South Africa has opened a second customer service centre in Durban.

The second customer service centre of MultiChoice is in the centre of the city, located in the Old Standard Bank building in Anton Lembede Street. MultiChoice's first customer service centre is in Umhlanga.

The second MultiChoice customer service centre has 38 counters where DStv subscribers can do account

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MultiChoice Botswana investigated for anti-competitive behaviour; MultiChoice says it can't comment.

MultiChoice Botswana is being investigated by Botswana's Competition Authority as to whether the satellite pay-TV service has been or is engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.

It follows after a public complaint that MultiChoice's behaviour is restricting consumer choice and that MultiChoice is allegedly abusing its dominant position as a pay-TV provider in that country within the TV market.

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Discovery to review whether Oscar Pistorius footage filmed in 2012 will remain in an episode of the third series of Dynamo: Magician Impossible.

Discovery tells TV with Thinus it will review whether to leave in or cut the appearance of Oscar Pistorius from a new episode in the new upcoming third season of the magician Dynamo's TV show Dynamo: Magician Impossible which was filmed at the end of last year in South Africa.

The third season of Dynamo: Magician Impossible is set to start within months on The Discovery Channel (DStv 121) and

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BREAKING. Generations: 'Gay characters are not going anywhere,' no truth to rumours that the gay storylines must be 'toned down'.

South Africa's biggest and most watched TV show and biggest soap says its "gay characters are not going anywhere" and is rubbishing claims that the fired minister of communications Dina Pule ordered the SABC and the influential weekday soap to "tone down" the gay storylines.

Generations says there's no truth to circulating rumours that Dina Pule allegedly "ordered" an end to the antics of

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BREAKING. 'Excrusiatingly aware of the need to stabilise the SABC," says Yunus Carrim, the new minister of communications.

As South Africa's TV industry is breathing a collective sigh of relief after the firing of the scandal-riddled Dina Pule  as the minister of communications her replacement Yunus Carrim now says he is "excrusiatingly aware of the need to stabilise the SABC board and it's management. We need to improve its performance".

Yunus Carrim says "there is no reason why we cannot move with due

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BREAKING. M-Net has (deep breath) ... Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Intelligence as the pay-TV broadcaster grabs the hot upcoming TV dramas.

You're reading it here first. 

I can reveal that M-Net has (take your pills, calm down) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Intelligence and has the broadcasting rights to both of these brand-new TV dramas which which are part of the new upcoming American TV season (watch the trailers right here).

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. written and directed by Joss Whedon is based on the Marvel Comics organisation

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BREAKING. SABC2 grabs new local Afrikaans drama series Geraamtes in die Kas filming from Monday; moves Vampire Diaries to November.

You're reading it here first. 


SABC2 is moving ahead with a brand-new Afrikaans drama series entitled Geraamtes in die Kas ("Skeletons in the Closet") which will start shooting next week and which will start on SABC2 for 26 episodes on 29 October - at the same time as SABC2 is moving The Vampire Diaries from its planned starting date in August to a new starting date of 1 November for

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Heather Jones appointed as the new vice president of programming at A+E Networks UK.

Heather Jones, a former director of television at Viacom UK, has been appointed as the new vice president of programming at A+E Networks UK, and will be responsible for A+E Networks UK's commissioning and co-production strategy across its channels in the United Kingdom, Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

A+E Networks UK runs channels such as History and Crime & Investigation Network

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MTV in South Africa is looking for proposals for a new hour long weekly show with a musical guest and covering the latest in pop culture.

MTV (DStv 130) in South Africa which is beefing up its local South African content on the channel is looking for proposals for a weekly show featuring the Top 10 most voted for videos on the channels website and social media pages, as well as shorts (1 to 3 minutes) touching on pop culture and what's hot on the internet.

The closing date is 12 July and proposals need to be sent to Hamid Idjou

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Saarf sits without a chairperson as the industry organisation responsible for South Africa's TV ratings is buffeted by insider conflict.

The South African Audience Research Foundation (Saarf) sits without a chairperson at the same time as the organisation - which is amongst other things responsible for being the custodian of the South African TV industry's official TV viewership and ratings system - is being battered and going through its biggest crisis in years.

A TV ratings war erupted between Saarf on the one hand, and the

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CNN finds trash rumour that broadcasting rights to Nelson Mandela funeral was 'sold' to CNN 'deeply offensive', says there's 'no truth' to it.

In response to trash rumours in a South African Sunday paper three days ago that the SABC had "sold" the broadcasting rights to CNN for the Nelson Mandela funeral, CNN in a statement to me says "there is absolutely no truth to the allegation that CNN has bought the rights to the Mandela funeral".

"You may have also seen the tweet from Kim Norgaard, CNN Johannesburg bureau chief on Sunday

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E! Entertainment's striking Fashion Police writers slam Joan Rivers: 'Upsetting to find out we mean so little to her.'

The striking writers of Joan Rivers' show Fashion Police on E! Entertainment (DStv 124) are slamming Joan Rivers in a new video for not talking to them and for not supporting them in their bid for backpay and to get union representation from E! Entertainment.

The Fashion Police writers who have been on strike since 17 April are extremely upset as they're battling with several concurrent yet

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Brooklyn artist KAWS reimagining the iconic MTV Moonman trophy for the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards on MTV on 25 August.

Photo: Craig Cutler

The Brooklyn-based artist KAWS is reimagining the iconic MTV Moonman trophy for the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards taking place on 25 August in Brooklyn, New York.

KAWS's influence will be seen during the whole of the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, including the design for the set as well as the logo. Musicians who win a 2013 MTV Video Music Award will also take home a

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BREAKING. Elisabeth Hasselbeck joins the Fox News Channel; leaves The View to become a part of morning show Fox & Friends.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck is joining the Fox News Channel (TopTV 405) and leaving the American daytime talk show The View which South African viewers saw a few seasons of on SABC3.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck's last day as part of The View will be on Wednesday, after which she will be joining the breakfast show Fox & Friends from September which is seen in South Africa on weekdays at 12:00 (South

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BREAKING. M-Net moves Under the Dome from Friday 26 July to Tuesday; dumps Vegas; creates a Last Resort impossible choice with SET.

You're reading it here first. 

With boffo ratings in America coupled with rave reviews for Under the Dome, M-Net is immediately dumping Vegas from its Tuesday schedule at 20:30 and will be moving the hit new drama series from Stephen King and Steven Spielberg from Friday 26 July at 20:30 where it would have started, to Tuesday 23 July at 20:30 on M-Net (DStv 101).

M-Net is throwing the

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BREAKING. Dina Pule fired as minister of communications; replaced by Yunus Carrim.

The embattled and scandal prone Dina Pule has been fired as South Africa's minister of communications by president Jacob Zuma who announced a cabinet reshuffle in Pretoria this afternoon and replaced Dina Pule with Yunus Carrim - making him South Africa's 4th minister of communications in 6 years.

Yunus Carrim will be sworn in as minister of communications on 10 July.

Yunus Carrim

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BREAKING. SABC licence fee price hike coming; TV licence fee increasing by 6% to R265 from September.

An SABC licence fee hike of 6% is coming raising the cost of an annual SABC TV licence to R265 from 1 September 2013.

The owner of every TV set in South Africa is compelled by the Broadcasting Act to pay an annual SABC TV licence, which will increase from R250 to R265 from 1 September.

Concessionary TV licences, granted to those older than 70 as well as to receivers of social grants from

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Will M-Net's best series from now on be on the M-Net channel or on M-Net Series Showcase? More M-Net Series channels possible? M-Net answers.

You're reading it here first. 

The new expansion of M-Net Series from today into the channels trifecta of M-Net Series Showcase (DStv 113), M-Net Series Reality (DStv 114) and M-Net Series Zone (DStv 115) creates a new dynamic in South African television as it broadens the overall available premium landscape.

Besides M-Net (DStv 101) as a high definition (HD) premium, destination-viewing,

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Green! Silver! Purple! What the colours of the new M-Net Series channels trifecta on television really mean and signify.

You're reading it here first.

M-Net's massive new expansion comes into effect today: the lineation of the singular M-Net Series channel into a trifecta of tiered channels for the M-Net Series brand: M-Net Series Showcase (DStv 113), M-Net Series Reality (DStv 114) and M-Net Series Zone (DStv 115).

But what do the colours of the individual new M-Net Series channels signify and invoke? Why is

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22 Al Jazeera staff members in Egypt abruptly resign after 'biased' Al Jazeera coverage in Egypt.

Yesterday 22 staff members of Al Jazeera (TopTV 401 / DStv 406) in Egypt resigned, claiming the news coverage on Al Jazeera is "biased" and not a true reflection on the 24-hour news channel of what is really happening in Egypt.

Gulf News reports that 22 upset staff members resigned on Monday from Al Jazeera out of protest, with the Al Jazeera anchor Karem Mahmoud who said that the resignations

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Mabale Moloi joins Tech Report on the eNCA on Thursdays as a new technology correspondent.

Mabale Moloi has joined Tech Report, the well-produced weekly magazine show on the eNCA (DStv 403) on Thursdays at 21:30.

As a correspondent Mabale Moloi will appear on screen this Thursday in South Africa's best weekly magazine show devoted to technology, consumer electronics and cyber coverage.

In this week's Tech Report the programme does a review on the forthcoming iOS7 with Seth, Mabale

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Isidingo on SABC3 to celebrate its 15th birthday by rebroadcasting its very first episode on Friday 19 July at 20:00.

Isidingo and SABC3 will celebrate the 15th birthday of the longrunning South African soap by rebroadcasting its very first episode again on Friday 19 July at 20:00.

The Endemol SA produced soap now shot at Sasani Studios will show the first episode made 15 years ago directly after the day's usual episode on 19 July.

The day's usual half hour of Isidingo on Friday 19 July will be followed by

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What ever happened to that silly Sarel Seamonster? On Thursday you can find out on Bravo! on kykNET at 19:30.

They're iconic South African TV stars from the heyday of South African television which seemed as real - was as real - in a child's imagination as can be - until they all simply disappeared. So, what really happened to Sarel Seamonster?

An entire generation of millions of now-adult South African TV viewers who grew up watching, loved, and were shaped by children's television as South

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ESPN Classic to end on DStv on 31 July; last day will be the end of this month, says ESPN.

ESPN Classic (DStv 231) will have it's last day on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform on 31 July according to ESPN which is ending ESPN Classic as a TV channel for South Africa and Africa. MultiChoice says it isn't confirmed.

In February TV with Thinus reported that ESPN was considering ending ESPN Classic as a TV channel in Africa and other territories following a new contract

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A terrific Three Talk with Noeleen on SABC3 allows the Isidingo cast and crew to reflect in an amazing way on the soap turning 15 years old.

Three Talk with Noeleen on SABC3 on Friday with the cast and crew of Isidingo, SABC3's weekday soap which is turning 15 years old, was hugely revealing.

The arresting, extremely revealing and insightful Three Talk with Noeleen hour on SABC3 was thanks in a huge part to talk show host Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu's very frank, very straight-forward, very engaging, intelligent, open-ended and very

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Sky News' morning show Sunrise soon viewable online globally through a partnership between Sky News and Yahoo.

TV viewers will soon be able to see the morning show Sunrise on Sky News (DStv 402) between 07:00 to 10:00 online when Sunrise, together with three new video series, will be made available on the internet.

Yahoo! and Sky News are teaming up to bring Sunrise, Sky News' flagship morning news show presented by Eamonn Holmes and Charlotte Hawkins to viewers online.

Sunrise will be made available

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eNuus on kykNET turns 3 years old on 18 July as Jenna-Leigh February; Eduan Roos, Gustav Greyling join eNuus on-air team.

Jenna-Leigh February, Eduan Roos and Gustav Greyling have joined eNuus, the Afrikaans news bulletin on kykNET (DStv 144) and kykNET & Kie (DStv 145) supplied by e.tv's 24-hour news operation eNCA.

eNuus is turning three years old on 18 July. The eNCA says eNuus is one of its best performing units, and calls the contribution from eNuus to eNCA and eNCA.com "invaluable".

The eNCA renewed the

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'CNN Shame on You': CNN International becomes the news in Egypt; decides to stay out of Cairo's Tahrir Square.

CNN International (DStv 401) has become the news in Egypt and is staying away from the ground of Tahrir Square after the 24-hour TV news channel incorrectly identified a group of protesters as supporters of the ousted Egyptian president, and because Egyptians are upset at CNN International for referring to Mohamed Morsi's ouster as a "coup".

Protesters in Egypt are upset that CNN

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Talking Books back for a new season on BBC World News on weekends with bestselling authors.

A new season of Talking Books is back on BBC World News (DStv 400 / TopTV 400) featuring international bestselling authors from around the globe.

The new season of Talking Books, Saturdays at 02:30, 09:30 and on Sundays at 14:30, 20:30 (all South African times).

13 July: Tracy Chevalier
20 July: Michael Frayn
28 July: Caryl Phillips
3 August: Andrea Levy
10 August: Michael Morpurgo
17 August

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e.tv stole his idea for Against All Odds TV show says producer; e.tv says Msizi Mkosi's pitch with the same name was focused on celebrities.

A radio producer is accusing the South African broadcaster e.tv of stealing his idea for the TV show Against All Odds which he pitched in December 2011 - e.tv says Msizi Nkosi's idea which he pitched with the same name is "not the same".

Msizi Nkosi, a radio producer at uKhozi FM, pitched a show entitled Against All Odds in December 2011 to e.tv with the name Against All Odds and the premise

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SABC3 continues to use busses on which to advertise the TV channel's big shows.

Besides taxis emblazoned with its high gloss drama High Rollers, SABC3 is using busses to advertise the TV channel's other big TV shows.

SABC3 is the public broadcaster's TV channel out of the three which tries to reach the highest living standards measurement (LSM) viewer groups in the country, those with the most disposable income.

SABC3 has chosen busses branded with SABC3's logo and

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MTV in South Africa adding local South African artists in to four localised music shows; working on new magazine show, MTV Choice.

Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) responsible for MTV (DStv 130) says it is phasing in on-air changes to better the relevance and watchability of MTV for South African viewers.

MTV is introducing four localised music shows with South African artists who will now be included alongside international artists through Rock Chart (seen on Tuesdays at 16:40), Pop Chart (Mondays

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Expresso on SABC3 crossing live to the Isidingo set on Tuesday morning to cover the soap's 15th birthday with interviews with the cast and crew.

SABC3's weekday breakfast show Expresso will be doing live cross-over interviews with the Isidingo cast and crew on Tuesday morning, 8 July, when the Expresso presenter Graeme Richards visits the soap which is celebrating its 15th birthday on SABC3.

The Cape Town based morning lifestyle show of SABC3 will be doing live-crossings from the set of Isidingo at Sasani Studios in Johannesburg on

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International Desk on CNN International updates its on-air look and imaging with more colour and spinning glass ribbons in the logo.

International Desk on CNN International (DStv 401) has undergone an on-air look and imaging make-over with more colour and cleaner rotating ribbons which were introduced to the news programme.



International Desk replaced the yellow and blue logo which was introduced in March 2010 with a more transparent and lighter blue, and added red and amber into the mix.

The spinning, flat, blue-only

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France 24 on the road covering the Tour de France with stories about the cycling race on the news channel at 20:15 daily.

France 24 (TopTV 402) is on the road until 20 July with a France 24 Tour de France Camping Car - covering the 35 000 km of the Tour de France race and reporting daily stories about the cycling race at 20:15 (South African time).


The Tour de France, tainted by scandalous drug revelations which happened over years, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.



Three journalists from

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International TV news reporters targeted in Egypt; BBC reporter shot, CNN camera confiscated, Al Jazeera personnel detained.

International TV news reporters in Egypt covering the renewed tumultuous social protest action and sweeping political change in that North African country have been targeted as they covered the news.

Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's Middle East editor was shot in the head and leg during a demonstration Cairo on Friday but said the injuries were superficial. Jeremy Bowen was shot by Egyptian troops who

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BREAKING. SABC's plan to launch its own 24 hour TV news channel on DStv is back on; will launch on 1 August on MultiChoice's pay-TV platform.

The SABC's plan to launch its own 24-hour news channel - which doesn't have an official name yet - is back on with the South African public broadcaster and MultiChoice South Africa announcing that the 24-hour news channel from the SABC will launch on DStv.

No channel number on DStv is confirmed yet although 404 was originally earmarked for the on-again, off-again, on-again channel. The

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eNCA exodus of on-air staff continues with Macfarlane Moleli and Lance Witten also gone; eNCA says overall staff numbers are growing.

The eNCA (DStv 403) is bleeding on-air staff but the 24 hour South African TV news channel says that overall the staff is actually growing.

Following news woman Debora Patta out the door and Shahan Ramkissoon who left the eNCA, is Macfarlane Moleli who resigned at the end of May without the eNCA saying a word about it. Lance Witten is now also gone; he upped and left the eNCA to go back to

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Al Jazeera targeted by Egyptian authorities after Al Jazeera; Egyptian TV raided; Al Jazeera demands immediate release of detained staff.

Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / TopTV 401) has been targeted by Egyptian authorities.

Al Jazeera staff members are being held by Egyptian authories after 28 were initially detained, and the news service Associated Press Television News (APTN) has also been asked to withhold their news feed from Al Jazeera's channels.

Reuters yesterday reported that Egyptian troops with armoured vehicles took over the

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Egypt season on Discovery World in July starts Saturday when egyptologist Zahi Hawass tracks Ramesses and searches for Queen Nefertiti.

Discovery World (DStv 187) has an Egypt season in July starting this coming Saturday, 6 July with the famous egyptologist Dr Zahi Hawass first tracking the Ramesses dinasty and then going in search of the mummy of the famous Queen Nefertiti in an episode of Curiosity.

Saturday in Ramesses at 15:40 on Discovery World, Zahi Hawass gives a fascinating profile of the Ramesses dynasty, including

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MultiChoice launches new Cape Verde TV channel on DStv elsewhere in Africa; boosting Portuguese TV content for the continent.

Cape Verde Television (TCV) has launched as a new Portuguese language TV channel on DStv, with MultiChoice making the new TV channel available to DStv subscribers in Angola and Mozambique on the Portuguese bouquets.

TVC is a free-to-air public service channel broadcasting from the archipelago of Cape Verde, but the Cape Verde Television seen on DStv is an international version distributed by

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65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards key art released; M-Net likely to show it live and in high definition on 23 September in South Africa.

The key art for the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards has been released with Hollywood's annual high gloss awards show honouring the best in the year's American television taking place on 22 September at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

There's no word yet on whether M-Net has again secured the broadcasting rights for the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards although it's highly likely that

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BREAKING. '$25 for the SABC!' - African viewers scramble to get their TV decoders 'reconnected' after Sentech scrambles SABC, e.tv in Africa.

Fuming Africans demanding "their" SABC back are clamouring at backstreet illegal technicians to "fix" their
Chinese decoders and paying up to $40, while DStv decoder sales are
skyrocketing following the encryption of the SABC and e.tv's signals outside of
South Africa's borders.





On Monday the South African parastatal
signal distributor, Sentech, following protracted legal wrangling,

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GREAT CALL. CNN International stays with Christiane Amanpour and extends her show for brilliant coverage of Egypt's street politik.

CNN International (DStv 401) was the singular best television news source on Wednesday night for amazing rolling news coverage of Egyptian street politik and the live populist coup of the Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.

CNN International's coverage was infused with exceptionally intelligent gravitas, context and on-the-minute background when CNN International decided to keep Christiane

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BREAKING. Trace Sports on DStv changing the channel's name to Trace Sport Stars; wants to lure more female viewers.

Trace Sports on DStv on channel 188, the general sports entertainment channel covering the celebrity aspect of international sport stars, has rebranding as Trace Sport Stars.

The Trace Sports to Trace Sport Stars name change which will be rolled out globally, was effected on 19 June on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, although the Trace Group didn't talk about and

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Vampire Diaries coming to SABC2 from Tuesday 20 August at 19:30 for a first season of 22 episodes.

The Vampire Diaries will start on Tuesday 20 August at 19:30 on SABC2 the channel has announced, with a first season of 22 episodes.

The Vampire Diaries already completed four season's and has been renewed for a 5th in America.

The show revolving around a human girl in high school involved in a love triangle of sorts with two vampire brothers and starring Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev and

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DStv adds and enables Series Recording function for the new FOX channel.

DStv just added and enbled its "Series Recording" functionality to its newly added FOX (DStv 125) channel, which now allows DStv subscribers to record the entire season's episodes of a particular series by setting a recording only once.

MultiChoice tells me that Series Recording is now active for FOX.

It's one of those good problems to have if you work in television and run a TV channel:

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Patricia Hidalgo Turner Broadcasting System's new chief content and creative officer for kids for the EMEA region.

Patricia Hidalgo has taken over as senior vice president and chief content and creative officer for kids for Turner Broadcasting System for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

Turner Broadcasting System EMEA runs channels such as CNN International, Cartoon Network, Boomerang (and its Cartoonito block) and TCM on pay-TV platforms such as MultiChoice's DStv service in South Africa

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