James Stephenson appointed as the head of news at BBC World News; says the British 24-hour news channel 'is strongest it has ever been'.

James Stephenson has been appointed as the head of news at BBC World News (TopTV 400 / DStv 400).

"I'm absolutely delighted that James will be leading the next phase of development for our news output," says Richard Porter, the controller of English, BBC Global News. "This is a very big year for BBC World News, with investment in new studios and in our journalism."

"James is ideally suited to take us forward, with huge experience of journalism and production and his understanding of the competitive landscape."

"I'm delighted to have been asked to run BBC World News," says James Stephenson in a statement. "The channel is the strongest it has ever been and this year's move to Broadcasting House has placed it at the heart of the BBC newsroom. I look forward to working with the World News team and the whole of BBC News to make the most of all we can offer to our global audience."

Worldwide pay-TV subscriber households grow by 8% in 2012; consumer remain 'ready and willing to pay for television'.

Worldwide pay-TV subscriber households incresed by 8% in 2012, according to the latest tracking from the Multimedia Research Group (MRG), helped in part by pay-TV growth in emerging markets such as Africa.

In 2012 pay-TV growth was the fastest in the Asia-Pacific region. The total number of pay-TV subscribers worldwide is now 800 million households.

"Even with the ongoing debate about the value of pay-TV services versus the cost of pay-TV services, one thing remains clear: Consumers around the world love to watch TV, and they remain both ready and willing to pay for it," says MRG.

"Despite the threats of “cord cutting” or alternative TV distribution technologies, we expect pay-TV service providers will, for the foreseeable future, continue to be the leading players in the delivery of TV services to the home."

"Looking out over the next few years, we expect to see sustained growth in demand for pay-TV services. In fact, by 2017, we are projecting worldwide pay-TV subscriber households to pass the 1 billion mark."

Liam J. Stratton appointed as the new head writer of SABC3 soap Isidingo, wants to 'recapture the magic' that Isidingo once had.

Liam J. Stratton has been appointed as the new head writer for Isidingo, the weekday soap on SABC3 produced by Endemol South Africa at Sasani Studios in Johannesburg.

The Briton from the United Kingdom says he wants to "recapture the magic" Isidingo once had and build on  the talent "and go back to the days where people rushed home to catch up with what's happening down at Horizon Deep".

Liam J. Stratton will now be leading the soap's creative team and focus the direction of the soap's future storylines which suffered a temporary disruption a year ago after a blaze swept through the soap's studios at the SABC's Henley Studios forcing rewrites, outside shoots and new temporary sets.

Liam J. Stratton who arrived in South Africa in 2011 and majored in writing for TV drama, sitcoms, soaps and theatre was script editor for M-Net Africa and Mzansi Magic's Nigerian soap Tinsel.

He created, wrote and developed a Mzansi Magic mini-series and wrote the sitcom Let Heaven Wait which just started on SABC3. He's also been a story consultant on e.tv's soap Rhythm City.

He is currently working with producers and broadcasters on a training initiative for comedy writers and performers set to start next year and is also a journalist and copywriter.

BREAKING. Last Resort picked up by Sony Entertainment Television; great submarine drama set to start on 23 July at 20:50.

 

You're reading it here first. 

I can exclusively reveal that the excellent Last Resort has been picked up by Sony Entertainment Television (DStv ccc) and break the news that the American submarine island drama will start on SET on Tuesday 23 July at 20:50 for a first season of episodees.

In November 2012 I reported that pay-TV broadcaster M-Net actually picked up the broadcast rights to Last Resort which would have started in January 2013 on M-Net (DStv 101). Then ratings started to fall for the subbmarine drama which had an unwinnable crazy timeslot in America - shown too early and up against massive entenched shows.

M-Net quietly removed the show from M-Net's schedule line-up and Last Resort remained in limo. 

The good news is that this terrific drama - at least two episodes are like amazing movies in their own right, including the pilot episode - is now coming to Sony Entertainment Television after I asked Sony yesterday about it. 

In the drama an American nuclear submarine, the USS Colorado, goes rogue, their is an ongoing mystery as to why and lots of political intrigued, as well as on the island, Sainte Marina, which they're temporarily calling their own where the local inhabitants are not too pleased.

Last Resort is a great and compelling drama series with Andre Braugher as Captain Marcus Chaplin and Scott Speedman as executive officer Sam Kendal.

BREAKING. MultiChoice suspends with immediate effect the expanded viewer panel measuring viewership of DStv's high definition TV channels.

MultiChoice is immediately suspending the expanded viewer panel which is used to measure the viewership of the high definition (HD) channels which form a part of its DStv satellite pay-TV bouquet.

After an audit on television audience measurement in South Africa - done in South Africa by Nielsen Media Research under contract from the South African Audience Research Foundation (Saarf) - the audit found "factors that could possibly have affected the statistical efficiency" of the viewer panel.

Because the viewing panel could incorrectly skew viewership results, MultiChoice has decided to temporarily suspend the expanded panel which was instituted at the end of July 2012. The decision to suspend the expanded panel will be for at least three months and is effective immediately. The HD tracking portion could be reinstituted later and "will be reviewed at a later date". MultiChoice will now look for whether there is any changes in viewership reporting without the expanded panel.

While DStv does not believe the panel boost affected the statistical efficiency of the information, and has an independent audit report to support this, it fully supports all initiatives to improve the accuracy and reliability of audience measurement in South Africa," is said in a statement.

The HD extended panel boost was necessary since HD viewership has steadily grown in South Africa as the number of HD channels continues to expand. "The number of naturally occuring HD subscriber homes in the TAMS sample was insufficient to provide meaningful data. The additional homes not only allowed measurement of HD channels but measured allviewing behaviour within HD households."

The boost added 170 households with HD-PVR decoders to the 30 existing homes in the TAMS measuring panel. "While the expanded panel remains suspended, naturally occuring HD households will remain in the database but the sample size will be far reduced."

"Saarf plans to expand the TAMS panel from about 1 700 households to approximately 3 000 households over the next few months. The larger TAMS panel will eliminate many of the current shortcomings, ensure greater accuracy in audience measurement and provide broadcasters and advertisers with the reliable numbers that they need," says the statement.

Vuyo Mbuli's SABC memorial service: 'Today is an overwhelming day for the SABC family,' says Lulama Mokhobo, SABC CEO.

You're reading it here first. 

"Today is an overwhelming day for the SABC family," said Lulama Mokhobo, SABC CEO at the jam-packed, emotional and very moving memorial service in the SABC's Renaissance Centre for Vuyo Mbuli, the co-anchor of the SABC's flagship breakfast show Morning Live on SABC2 who died unexpectedly on Saturday night four days after his 46th birthday.

The SABC's public memorial service held on Wednesday afternoon at the SABC's Auckland Park headquarters for the popular dead TV presenter drew a massive crowd as well as an outpouring of tributes from dignitaries, luminaries, politicians, artists and TV industry heavyweights who all attended.

In the public memorial service for Vuyo Mbuli which lasted more than 4 and a half hours, person after person after person took to the podium to talk and relate stories, anecdotes and tales about Vuyo Mbuli who was branded an "icon" on an SABC banner besides the stage.

Besides clips from the SABC archives from Morning Live and Vuyo Mbuli appearances, the SABC choir sang, Soweto children sang, violins played, and relatives spoke plainly and painfully.

The SABC put together a moving, terrific and incredibly beautiful tribute video filled with SABC colleagues spanning the breath of the public broadcaster talking and sharing memories about Vuyo Mbuli, filled with the big and small places across the length and breath of South Africa Vuyo Mbuli travelled to to do Morning Live from over the past 13 years.

Leanne Manas, his co-host on Morning Live for the past 9 years and who attended the memorial service said she was "flooded with memories" and called Vuyo Mbuli "short but a giant".

"This has been the hardest week of my entire life. I've lost a very big part of my life. My heart's jumping out of my body at this point in time. Vuyo was and is most of the most loved individuals in this country. He embraces and embodies everything that South Africa is about."

Addressing Vuyo Mbuli and saying she believes he's there, Leanne Manas said "I met your mother and your father, sadly, for the first time on Sunday. They cried when they saw me, Vuyo. I think they cried because I think they saw you when I walked through the door. And I saw you in them. I saw you in your father's eyes."

As tears kept streaming down her face, Tracy Going, Vuyo Mbuli's first co-anchor on Morning Live sat crying as photos spanning his career flashed on screen.

"He just made sure that you are happy coming to work and that you enjoy the experience," said Andile Masuko, the weather woman on Morning Live.

Ashraf Garda, Special Assignment presenter said Vuyo Mbuli is "for me very much the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of the broadcasting world. What I mean by that that they are quite irresistible."

"This is a person who just loved life and loved what he did," said Sophie Ndaba, Generations actress. "Every time we think of eloquence, every time we think of talent, every time we think of someone whose got the class to go along with what you want to present, we think of Vuyo."

Samm Marshall, Morning Live Weekend anchor said "Vuyo understood the business. He knew what morning TV was all about. It's about engaging with people; sharing your life with people; because they open up their hearts and their homes to you every morning."

"Here is a man who I can call 'sunrise'. Sunrise never ever lets you down - it's so consistent," said Yvonne Kgame, the SABC's acting head of strategy.

Bessie Tugwana, SABC2 channel head touches millions of ordinary South Africans and had a great work ethic.

"Vuyo Mbuli made a huge contribution," said actress Lillian Dube. "He made journalism something people aspired to be through his respect for the people he interviewed, always having that twinkle in his eye, his laugh - and he made you feel important."

"I think there's probably a lot of young people who are thinking of becoming broadcasters because of him," said Peter Ndoro, Morning Live's business anchor. "In his work I think he always tried to make South Africa a better place and he was very passionate about that."

Nothando Maseko, the executive producer of Morning Live - flanked on stage by the entire Morning Live crew as well as crew members who started Morning Live in November 1999 including Tracy Going - sang a song that Vuyo Mbuli sang on set every morning. "Obviously this is not an SABC choir" joked Nothando Maseko.

"Vuyo was spontaneous, Vuyo was brave, and very unpredictable," she said.

To Vuyo Mbuli's children aged 15 and 13 sitting right in front, she shared what Vuyo Mbuli once told her: "Thando, my children inspire me to wake up and to be who I am. My children are my dream."

BREAKING. Scandal! on e.tv becoming a 5 day a week soap from 5 July; finally adding a 5th episode on Fridays.

e.tv is extending its weekday primetime soap Scandal! to 5 days a week from the current 4 episodes per week, with the first Friday episode going out on the South African free-to-air commercial broadcaster from Friday 5 July.

Despite a complete lack of any kind of communication from e.tv's publicity department to all South Africa's TV writers and critics about upcoming local content changes on the red letter channel, I can tell that e.tv has ramped up its Scandal! episode production to now deliver 5 episodes per week.

e.tv also has a international format game show planned which will be produced in Cape Town, and will also have another celebrity reality show and introduce boxing as a sport which the past few years got marginalised in terms of coverage on the SABC.

I asked e.tv for a possible interview with Monde Twala, e.tv's head of channels earlier in the week; was told he is not in the country.

The eKasi: Our Stories programming strand which started out as 13 episodes per season will increase to 52 episodes per year.

Tech Report on the eNCA on Thursday at 21:30 predicting when you'll die - but also app'ing to add a few years to your life.

Tech Report Thursday 23 May at 21:30 on eNCA (DStv 403) looks the Sony Xperia Z headset, as well as a brand-new app which claims to accurate "predict" when someone might die.

Seth Roterham takes a look at Ignite - an iPhone app which might help you add a few years to your life. The weekly magazine show will also look at the digital music revolution.

And finally, take all the superheroes you can imagine, add the fighting mechanics of Mortal Kombat, bundle it up into a story of epic proportions and you might just get an inkling of what you're in for with DC Comic's Injustice game.

South African government set to legislate exclusive TV rights and secondary TV rights reselling within SA pay-TV industry.

The South African government plans to intervene soon with new regulations in South Africa's lucrative pay-TV industry to basically legislate, through new broadcasting regulator amendmends, pay-TV operator's exclusive TV rights as well as the secondary TV rights reselling of content between broadcasters and between pay-TV operators and broadcasters.

The new regulations will mean that the South African government, through the broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), will impose rules - which currently don't exist - placing limits on the exclusive content rights of pay-TV operators, as well as in a sense "forcing" them to resell some of those exclusive rights to other pay-TV operators and/or broadcasters.

Dina Pule, the minister of communications told parliament that Icasa will be issued with a policy directive to address competition inequalities within South Africa's pay-TV and television industry.  The department of communications now wants Icasa to put in place "market definitions" regarding exclusive and so-called "premium" television content.

While public and free-to-air broadcasters can theoretically lock up premium and exclusive TV content as happens elsewhere in the world, its more often pay-TV operators who secure these rights, and first. In South Africa that has left the SABC - through its own inadequacies - as well as the free-to-air commercial broadcaster e.tv, out in the cold.

Currently MultiChoice which operates the DStv satellite pay-TV platform and the pay-TV broadcaster M-Net which also supplies channels to DStv, are the de facto holders of the most and almost all premium TV content for the Southern African region when it comes to entertainment and sports rights.

Rival On Digital Media (ODM) which operates the struggling TopTV satellite pay-TV platform has complained the past three years that it can't start a sports channel or offering because most rights are sewn up by MultiChoice.

However, although MultiChoice also operates elsewhere in Africa, that didn't stop other pay-TV operators in the same countries where MultiChoice is operational, from introducing sports channels and providing premium content through clever self-compiled channels - ZukuTV for instance just launched a new sports channel.

Also, even if new regulations and laws compel MultiChoice and M-Net to resell TV rights and content to other operators and broadcasters, or prevent them from signing exclusivity deals, it remains unlikely that a lot of sport and premium entertainment content willsuddenly show up elsewhere.

The content will never be available for free, meaning rival pay-TV operators and broadcasters will still have to buy the content from each other. Although operators and broadcasters might be compelled by law to make it available and play nice, they might not be in a position to actually afford it.

In addition, in terms of the windows when entertainment rights to premium programming from overseas distributors become available, the window for public and free-to-air broadcasters follows very closely on that of premium pay-TV operators anyway.

Another "secret": Public and free-to-air broadcasters in South Africa can buy a lot of the very same TV sitcoms and dramas as those shown on DStv and M-Net and actually soon after they've started showing - they just choose not to because of price and often wait longer since the licensing rights pricing goes down over time.

It's therefore unlikely that artificially introduced competition curbing rules will lead to South African viewers seeing more or different TV content in more different places.

The "market definitions" might further include other regulatory specifications. TV content resold, for instance live sports coverage of premium sporting events, will come with clauses - it won't be resold as "live" for instance, meaning viewers on a rival operator or broadcaster will only be able to see the content in a so-called "second window" a few hours or a few days later.

TCM turning 20 years old next year not interested in chasing for viewers through programming; can't show every classic movie ever made.

TCM (DStv 137) which will be turning 20 years old next year is actually not interested in getting and chasing viewership for the channel and is not trying to get a broad audience to tune in to the niche channel, Turner Classic Movies revealed at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Los Angeles.

In a TCM panel discussion, channel executives revealed that the classic movies channel is not trying to change the formulae to attract bigger audiences as it nears its 20th anniversary in April 2014.

"We don't get ratings. We're not even allowed to get ratings," said Charlie Tabesh, the vice president of programming for TCM in America who've been with the channel for 16 years. "We're not trying to reach a broad audience. We're not trying to maximize the demo. We're not trying to get the 18-34, whatever it is. There's none of that that's considered at all."

TCM also explained why it can't show every classic movie ever made. TCM only has the (pre-1986) MGM library, the pre-1950 Warner Bros. library, the entire RKO library and some United Artists and a few MGM films (since the two merged for a while). TCM however doesn't have ownership but has to license the movies along with all other films shown on the channel.

"We can't license every classic movie ever made; financially, it's impossible to do that," said Charlie Tabesh.

Zaziwa, a new 26 episode music talk show, starting this evening on SABC1 at 19:00 with presenter Pearl Modiadie.

Zaziwa, a new 26 episode music talk show starts on SABC1 this evening at 19:00, presented by Pearl Modiadie also known as "Black Pearl".

Zaziwa will aim to give viewers a glimpse into the lives of their favourite celebrities through the music which are shaping their lives. The music talk show will feature one-on-one studio interviews with local stars as they discuss with the help of music videos, the sounds and music influencing their lives.

SABC1 says Pearl Modiadie is "the perfect candidate to drive this exciting show to success."

In a statement Pearl Modiadie says "not only am I doing what I love which is television hosting, but I'm also involved in the nitty gritty's behind-the-scenes. This show gives me a chance to connect with my guests on another level and show a different side that they perhaps would otherwise never have seen. I absolutely love music so this show is perfect."

The first episode of Zaziwa profiles actor Melusi Yeni of the SABC1 soap Generations.

Chellomedia of Liberty Global is up for sale for $1 billion; provides several pay-TV channels to DStv and TopTV in South Africa.

Chellomedia, the international satellite pay-TV channels unit of Liberty Global, which provides TV channels which can also be seen in South Africa on MultiChoice's DStv platform as well as On Digital Media's (ODM) TopTV, is up for sale The Wall Street Journal reports.

Chellomedia provides TV channels such as CBS Reality (a joint venture with CBS Studios International), Food Network (joint venture with Scripps Networks Interactive) to DStv and Natura, Fine Living Network (joint venture with Scripps Networks Interactive), JimJam (joint venture with HiT Entertainment) and MGM to TopTV in South Africa.

Liberty Global wants between $800 million to $1 billion for Chellomedia, The Wall Street Journal reports. Chellomedia's revenue was $514 million last year.

StarTimes TV channels in Africa suddenly gone, as StarTimes pay-TV subscribers in Kenya experience a loss of channels with no explanation.

StarTimes - the Chinese TV conglom whose bid of millions to bail-out the beleaguered TopTV in South Africa was accepted by shareholders of the struggling satellite pay-TV operator - is experiencing a disappearing TV channels scandal of its own elsewhere in Africa as almost all of the local TV channels were suddenly inexplicable yanked or for some technical reason no longer available.

Similar to TopTV subscribers which since 2012 saw TV channels simply disappear without any advance warning or any explanation when it happened or afterwards, several TV channels on StarTimes in Kenya - one of the countries where StarTimes is operating a pay-TV business - just went blank.

StarTimes which has swooped in to take control of TopTV in South Africa with a flush of cash and plans for operational, managerial and major structural changes, haven't bothered to explain to StarTimes subscribers in Kenya why the Chinese pay-TV operator now longer has local  TV channels such as Citizen TV, NTV and KTV available on its bouquet.

Just like TopTV, StarTimes subscribers in Kenya have not been given any pro rata discount after suddenly getting less TV and less channels.

Kenya which has a Television Viewers and Radio Listeners Association based in Nairobi, says "We are concerned and disturbed by complaints and concerns we have continuously received concerning StarTimes. We therefore warn all of you to be careful and cautious before purchasing the digital boxes from this company until we are assured that they will provide what they purport to do."

A StarTimes Kenya representative could not be reached.

On its Facebook page StarTimes Kenya simply tells subscribers - without any explanation: "We sincerely apologize for the missing local channels, this is due to unavoidable circumstances which we hope will be resolved as soon as possible for you to continue to enjoy our services. Kindly bear with us."

Digital television in South Africa could get rid of cumbersome and artificial, 'mandatory' set-top box control mechanism; plan to be reviewed.

Sanity appears to finally have come to the South African government and the country's protracted and long-delayed digital terrestrial television (DTT) switch-over, with the government which could soon decide to rather get rid of the highly contentious and bitterly contested set-top box (STB) control-mechanism the government unilaterally forced to be built into new digital TVdecoders for public television.

The minister of communications, Dina Pule, today told parliament that the department of communications will now review the decision which the government forced onto South Africa's TV broadcasting industry - a means of encoding and in effect cutting off public TV signals and making it possible to lock out STB's.

South Africa's long-delayed switch-over to DTT, a process known as digital migration, has partly been stalled because of acrimony, in-fighting, drawn-out regulatory debates and court cases over set-top box control, the set-top box control mechanism and who should control it.

It happened because the switch to DTT - in which the viewer and the ordinary South African television viewer's TV watching experience should be paramount for the switch and adoption to ultimately be successful - got hijacked by the government and business interest which decided to make DTT and digital migration a "job creation" priority.

The past few years as the digital migration process stalled, the focus and emphasis in DTT shifted to set-top box manufacture, how a local STB industry in South Africa can be artificially protected (although South Africa is years behind in both price point, expertise and actual manufacture of a device which is only a temporary measure since its globally built into TV sets automatically), and squabbling over how to be able to turn STBs off and scramble free TV signals to prevent set-top boxes from "leaving" South Africa's borders and from cheaper yet functional imports coming into South Africa.

South Africa is the only country in the world where the government mandated set-top box control and a set-top box control mechanism for public, free-to-air television, raising fears that government or parastatal institutions would be able to decide what and whose set-top box(es) should be turned on or off.

e.tv took the government to court saying South African broadcasters - forced to make allowance for STB control and a STB control mechanism - should at the very least be in control of it and not the government or unilaterally assigned parastatal institutions. The court agreed.

It now appears that the government is considering scrapping STB control and a STB mechanism altogether, which would be in the interest of the ordinary South African consumer and the ordinary South African television viewer.

Without the system built into STBs the set-top boxes would cost less since it will demand less parts and electronic components. The software of a STB control mechanism also requires royalties which also adds to the overall price and which will also no longer be necessary and also help to drop the cost.

Furthermore South Africa won't be locked into a STB locking system the country will never be able to escape. It will also give South African broadcasters one less ongoing concern and technical aspect to run and maintain and South Africa's TV industry one less thing in DTT to have to spend money and resources on.

After finally settling on the DVB-T2 - the right and best standard for DTT - after another drawn-out uncertain process, dumping the mandatory STB control mechanism would be the second correct decision for DTT in South Africa in years.

Dina Pule told parliament today that department will soon be reviewing the mandatory STB control mechanism decision. She said removing STB control from set-top boxes is "one way of fast-tracking the roll-out of digital terrestrial television".

Dina Pule told parliament that the government is "ready to implement the set-top box manufacturing strategy, which requires 30% local content as part of the electronic industry development".

BREAKING. Halo becoming a TV series from Steven Spielberg produced for Microsoft's XBox.

The hugely successful Halo video game is becoming a live-action TV series executive produced by Steven Spielberg specifically for Microsoft's XBox.

The announcement of Halo The Television Series and the video game franchise being turned into a TV science fiction action drama was just made by Microsoft during the launch and unveiling of Microsoft's new XBox One console taking place in America and the United Kingdom at the same time.

Halo will be produced by Steven Spielberg and game maker 343 Studios. The project comes from Nancy Tellem, who runs XBox Entertainment Studios which will now bring the futuristic world of Master Chief to life.

Steven Spielberg says that he is "excited to be involved with the heroes, worlds, and wonders that Halo will take us to." 

"For me, the Halo universe is an amazing opportunity for the intersection of mythmaking and technology."