Glow TV to fade from Dstv screens
Viewers take to social media to vent their anger Show set to lift the lid on Durban’s diversity
MULTICHOICE, which owns Dstv, says it is committed to investing in local content despite not renewing its contract with South African-owned channel Glow TV.
Glow TV offers Eastern content sourced from around the world, including India and South Africa. Many soapies are dubbed into English with titles such as This is Love and Critical Moments.
Multichoice announced last month that Glow would no longer be on its list of channels by the end of this month as its contract had ended. In a statement, Multichoice suggested they could instead watch Zee channels, owned by the Essel Group in India.
Telemundo, an international channel, and ebella, a South African channel, would also be available.
Glow owner Nazeer Noormohamed, chief of the Nismedia Group, under which several Gauteng-based media outlets fall, has taken the matter to court.
After Noormohamed launched an urgent application against
Dstv in the Johannesburg High Court, the matter was referred for arbitration as per an agreement in the contract between the two.
Until the legal process was finalised, Dstv is apparently compelled to keep Glow on its platform, according to Noormohamed’s attorney.
Glow was launched in 2013 by Kagiso Media and taken over by Noormohamed’s company in 2016.
Noormohamed said: “We always promote local content and provide platforms for South Africans to showcase their talents. Despite this, and having millions of viewers, we have not been given a reason as to why our contract has not been renewed.”
Glow TV, which also airs on other platforms, has more than 1.5 million viewers.
Fans were fuming on social media, and in various posts on Facebook suggested a boycott, unsubscribing from the platform.
Commenting on a public post, Thiru Pather said: “Seems like Zee World has something to gain. We won’t settle for second best.”
Raeesa Dawood posted: “Dstv is seriously jeopardising their Indian [subscribers].”
The channel was also loved by audiences outside the
Indian cultural group. Mfingo Mabhanekazi Nyembezi posted: “Just heard that Glow TV will stop airing on Dstv after March 31.
How then are we going to get our favourite Indian shows?”
Despondent
Dstv responded and referred him to Zee and ebella channels.
Multichoice head of communications, Marietjie Groenewald, said there were no specific plans to replace Glow, and in the past five years Dstv had spent more than R7billion on local content.
“Dstv offers many local channels and has been committed to investing in local content since its inception,” she said.
Groenewald did not provide Dstv viewer statistics, but Noormohamed claimed Glow’s viewership on Dstv was far higher than other popular channels.
Gauteng-based business expert Kimara Badal was despondent about the news but called on viewers to take action and “flood” the company with messages through its call centre.
“If you are an upset, paying Dstv viewer, you don’t have to sit back and do nothing. You can complain as you have a right to have your say. The power lies in the majority of the public’s voice.”
A Proudly SA spokesperson would not comment as the brand was aligned with Dstv. MEET the Rampersads – Pranav, Nerupa, Shria and Mira – who will grace TV screens countrywide in a new daily local production, Imbewu: The Seed.
The show, which is set to premiere on e.tv next month, promises to lift the lid on Durban’s diverse mix of cultures and interactions between rural folk and city slickers.
Woven into the plot will be the struggles and conflicts intrinsic to home and corporate settings, and the emotional tension created by the economic gap between the haves and have-nots.
Actor and comedian Koobeshan Naidoo plays Pranav, the head of the family and a major shareholder at Maluji Oil.
His smart and sassy wife, Nerupa, is played by actress and comedian Jailoshini Naidoo.
The couple’s two daughters – Shria, a financial executive at the family business, and the rebellious Mira – are played by actress Kajal Maharaj and Lotus FM DJ Mishka Gounden, respectively.
“Pranav is a businessman, a partner in an oil company. He’s basically the peacemaker in the company because there are a lot of trials and tribulations, and he’s the calmer one who tries to work everything out. I also tend to get my way in the office, but not at home,” said Koobeshan, who’s excited to be a part of a show that’s Durban-focused.
Nerupa, Pranav’s wife, is the backbone of the family and is able to keep her husband and children in check with her subtle touch.
“I’m the wife and a mother.
She (Nerupa) really supports him and props him up without him even realising it. She’s smart and sassy and the glue that hold the family together.
“She even knows which buttons to push and when. She makes Pranav believe that he makes the decisions,” said Jailoshini.
While the Rampersads aren’t your typical Indian family, it’s believed viewers will be able to identify with the characters.
“The series is trying to represent everyone as authentically as possible, but it also understands that Indian families are a lot more Westernised nowadays and that has been adapted into the show,” said Jailoshini.
She said the script was a truly Durban story, unlike anything produced to date.
“It showcases Durban dynamics and shows us that we are more similar than different. In a broader aspect, it’s a South African story that shows the diversity that makes us unique and special. As different as people are, we get together and understand each other and create friendships, almost like family,” said Jailoshini.
Gounden said she wanted to be a part of Imbewu: The Seed, to Imbewu:the Seed, which reflect Durban’s Indian culture.
“Although it’s not a stereotypical story, there are many elements people watching at home can take away,” said Gounden.
Maharaj said the show revolved around human dynamics.
“At the end of the day, we are all human. We all worry about our children and businesses.
“And viewers are going to see the similarities among the cultures. There are so many things that are the same among all of us,” she said.
Aside from the Rampersads, the show tells the tale of the Bhengu family, which comprises TV legends Leleti Khumalo and Thembi Mtshali-jones, among others.
Imbewu: The Seed is produced by Grapevine Productions, which is a joint venture between Anant Singh’s Videovision Entertainment, Duma Ndlovu’s Word Of Mouth Pictures and Luyks Productions.