BBC Studios and SABC join forces to launch BBC Primetime on S3

20 March 2024

BBC Studios and SABC join forces to launch BBC Primetime on S3

BBC Primetime will reach 13 million homes in South Africa, marking BBC Studios’ widest reaching branded service in EMEA

BBC Studios’ first hand-crafted content block in Africa will be available on S3 weeknights between 21:00-23:00.
BBC Primetime will give S3 audiences access to a hand-picked selection of BBC Studios’ award-winning dramas, documentaries and factual entertainment. Shows include Luther, Critical, Cheaters, Top Gear, Louis Theroux: Forbidden America and more.
BBC Primetime launches in May 2024

BBC Studios and South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) announce BBC Primetime, a brand-new content block for S3, featuring a hand-picked selection of award-winning dramas, factual entertainment and documentaries from BBC Studios’ award-winning catalogue. BBC Primetime will be available to watch weeknights between 21:00 and 23:00 on S3 and on SABC+ from May 2024 and is BBC Studios’ widest reaching branded service in EMEA.

BBC Primetime has been hand-crafted by BBC Studios, offering S3 viewers access to globally recognised content Monday-Friday. The content block will include a range of shows including psychological crime thriller starring Idris Elba, Luther, intense medical drama, Critical, gripping factual motoring show, Top Gear (season 14-17), and romantic comedy, Cheaters. Documentary series, Louis Theroux: Forbidden America, exploring three controversial corners of American entertainment and culture, will also be available to watch from launch.

Pierre Cloete, the Commercial Director at BBC Studios in Africa says “I am so excited to launch our first BBC branded block in Africa with SABC. BBC Primetime will be hand-picked for S3 audiences, packed with a selection of incredible programming from our award-winning catalogue. From intense thrillers, crime dramas and inspiring documentaries, this marks our first block for free to air audiences in South Africa, giving 13 million homes access to BBC Studios’ shows. I can’t wait for the 2024 launch.”

Sane Zondi, Programming Manager at SABC says “This partnership with BBC Studios is born out of the need for us to fulfil our commitment in delivering high quality international content to our viewers. We are excited to have access to a vast catalogue from the BBC, and the unlimited world-class entertainment our viewers will be able to enjoy through BBC Primetime on S3. The deal allows us to bring back some of the iconic BBC titles to our viewers which formed weekly habitual viewing, with Top Gear being the most notable one. I know our viewers will be delighted for the return to their screens and I know it will form their weekly engagements with us. There is a range of new content which we are keen for our audiences watch. We look forward to seeing some of the sentiments and reactions across our social media platforms on this great new era on our channel.”

BBC Primetime will be available to watch on S3 and SABC+ from May 2024.

[Source: BBC press release]

NHK WORLD-JAPAN launches its first 24-hour English language TV service in South Africa

5 July 2022

NHK WORLD-JAPAN launches its first 24-hour English language TV service in South Africa

NHK WORLD-JAPAN has announced the commencement of its first round-the-clock broadcast in the Republic of South Africa.

Beginning on July 1, NHK WORLD-JAPAN expanded its cooperation with MultiChoice Group, Africa’s leading video entertainment provider, and joined its Southern African line-up on DStv channel 431.

In addition to those already subscribed to DStv’s Sub-Saharan African offering, a direct-to-home (DTH) service via the Eutelsat-36B, now approximately 8 million more DStv subscribers will have access to the channel’s exciting content via the Intelsat-20.

With this launch, viewers on all DStv packages throughout the continent can watch NHK WORLD-JAPAN’s unique and diverse blend of programming, featuring hourly live international news, along with arts and culture, dramas, anime, food, travel, technology, documentaries, and much more.

“We are excited to bring this channel to our DStv subscribers, we are focused on offering the best of local and international content and this channel’s unique content offering aims to do just that,” says Gideon Khobane, Group Executive for General Entertainment at MultiChoice Group. “NHK WORLD-JAPAN will give our DStv viewers a chance to explore international culture through entertainment.”

Jun Takao, President and CEO of Japan International Broadcasting, the NHK subsidiary responsible for the worldwide distribution of NHK WORLD-JAPAN, says “We are delighted to offer the content of NHK WORLD-JAPAN to the people of South Africa for the first time. It has been our long-awaited desire to distribute our programmes in this region.”

[Source: NHK WORLD press release]

SABC builds new sports alliance

23 August 2021

SABC builds new sports alliance

The Walt Disney Company Africa and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) have signed a distribution agreement to bring local and international live sporting events, news programming, as well as library and film sporting content from ESPN to SABC Sports viewers across South Africa, through its SABC Sports Channel. SABC launched its new sport channel in June 2021.

Under the agreement, SABC Sports viewers will unlock a selection of premium sports content. ESPN brings an unparalleled portfolio of US sporting content and documentaries to its viewers across the world and in Africa, the broadcaster extends this offering by showcasing the latest in European football and other international franchises.

SABC Sports will bring the world’s top track and field athletes to its viewers through ESPN’s four live World Athletics Events, with the first coming straight from Nairobi with the U20 Championships, currently on air. Additional events include the World Indoor Championships from Serbia (March 2022), World Race Walking Championships from Belarus (April 2022) and the World Championships from the USA (July 2022).

After a successful inaugural season in Kigali earlier this year, teams from across the continent will once again gather to showcase the best in local basketball talent in a hotly-anticipated second season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). SABC Sports viewers can look forward to select fixtures of this celebrated local league being broadcast live on their screens in 2022.

For Boxing fans, SABC Sports will be bringing live boxing events and programming to viewers in 2022, including over 150 hours of boxing content from ESPN’s vast library, showcasing the greatest in boxing events, athletes and moments in the sport’s history.

SABC Sport General Manager, Gary Rathbone, stated: “This agreement is going to add significant depth to our current offering on the SABC Sports Channel. Our channel will now offer unrivalled content to our local sport fans seven days a week, thanks to ESPN’s great boxing archive and film and documentary library. With the addition of long-awaited regular live boxing events, as well more live Football, Athletics and African Basketball, it’s clear that this partnership will deliver right across the board for our viewers”.

Rathbone added: “This partnership will not only give our viewers access to great sports content but will see the SABC Sport Channel and our teams benefiting from the resources and experience that this collaboration with ESPN offers.”

Kyle De Klerk, Director: Sports, The Walt Disney Company Africa, said: “With this content agreement we are excited to not only be bringing ESPN’s unprecedented and compelling sporting offering to new audiences, but to also be taking a great step in highlighting and celebrating some of the up and coming leagues and athletes from around this continent.”

Christine Service, Senior Vice President and General Manager of The Walt Disney Company Africa, noted: “We are delighted to be extending our relationship with SABC to include ESPN, bringing another diversified and exciting brand from Disney’s portfolio to local free-to-air audiences.”

SABC launches 24-hour sport channel

25 June 2021

SABC launches 24-hour sport channel

The South African Broadcasting Corporation has launched its new Sports Channel, following the successful soft launch of its 24-hour Sports Channel on the SABC DTT service, the Openview set-top-box and the TelkomONE mobile streaming platform in April 2021. The launch, hosted from the SABC headquarters building in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, also featured Team SAs announcement of the second team squad for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games.

Gary Rathbone, General Manager: SABC Sport stated that “SABC Sport has always been the ultimate sporting home to the nation and has brought to South Africa unforgettable sporting events over the years. We are excited that as SABC Sport we will be part of the historic moment of unveiling the athletes who will be proudly representing the nation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. For the public broadcaster, we are aware of the role we also play in touching the hearts and minds of the public. Through the events we showcase on the SABC platforms, we want to inspire up-and-coming athletes in the various sporting disciplines to reach for their dreams”.

Rathbone went on to say “Our newly launched Sports channel on the DTT, Openview and TelkomONE platforms, must also be commended. Since the Channel became operational in April this year, its audience figures have been positive, with latest TAMS figure showing a total reach of over 2 million, a 5 % share of the National Television Market. On Openview alone, the channel has established itself amongst the top 10 on the bouquet, with a total reach of over 1.4 million, representing a 24% share of the Openview market. This is really positive start for an exciting new Sport Channel that South Africans will be able to access without needing to pay a subscription”.

The SABC Sport Channel is committed to providing compelling and exciting local and international sporting content for all sports loving South Africans. You can see the launch event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJuDjce6wus.

Entries pouring in for the 2010 AIBs

9 July 2010

As you will have seen, we have extended the deadline for entries to be submitted to the 2010 AIBs, the international media excellence awards, until 1600GMT on 16th July due to numerous requests. Broadcasters, content producers, providers of technology and others are responding to the extra time granted with large numbers of entries arriving at AIB headquarters every day.

So far companies in 21 countries have entered – from Argentina to China and from Australia to the USA. From phonecalls made to the AIB, we also know that many more entries are on their way.

It is particularly pleasing to see new companies entering for the first time – companies like KI.KA (Der Kinderkanal von ARD und ZDF) in Germany, TV Antena 1 in Romania, Russian Travel Guide Co Ltd Russia, Conker Media Ltd UK, Press TV Iran and eTV South Africa.

It is still not too late to enter if you are a producer or broadcaster of international TV or radio programmes (whether using terrestrial broadcasting, satellite, online or mobile) or if you produce the technology to power broadcasts, or if you run marketing programs for broadcasts (see the categories page on the website for the full list of different awards).

But with only one more week to the deadline, you will have to hurry so if you still want to enter go to the entries page for full details