Saffron TV gets the chop

SAFFRON TV, the first local television channel to target the South African Indian community, will stop broadcasting on September 1 after five years on air. The DStv channel released a statement on Tuesday, saying the failure to attract sufficient advertisers had forced it to close.

“Unfortunately, we were not able to secure the necessary advertising support to make the channel economically viable. The Times Media Group continued to support the channel despite ongoing losses. The decision to close the channel has been a difficult one and has been taken after much consideration,” said Andrew Gill, deputy managing director of media at Times Media.

The channel is produced by Ochre Moving Pictures, a subsidiary of the Times Media Group.

Ochre Moving Pictures chief executive Stan Joseph said: “We believe we gave the sales efforts our best shot with regular presentations and road shows, but were unable to achieve adequate traction in the market.”

Joseph said some of the channel’s shows, such as the entertainment round-up show Star Attraction and the cooking series

Sugar and Spice, had been especially well received by viewers.

Saffron TV viewers reacted with disappointment to the news.

Multichoice head of Issues Management and Stakeholder Communications Marietjie Groenewald declined to elaborate on plans to fill the gap in local Indian content that Saffron TV’s departure would leave.