TV for everyone
SMALL-SCREEN BOOM: POPULARITY IN SA KEEPS RISING
Healthy balance of local and international shows seems to be the key.
If you work in the media, especially entertainment and lifestyle, this month has brought a whirlwind of TV showcases. Fox, Discovery Channel, Disney, e.tv, kykNET and ITV Choice all dazzled advertisers, reporters and, above all, serial viewers with their events that aim to introduce new shows, new seasons of popular shows as well as all the logistics, such as viewership growth and statistics in a neat one-afternoon package.
These presentations aren’t new but after sitting through most of the latest showcases during September, one thing is clear: in South Africa, TV is a horse worth backing.
No longer are we just a dumping ground for international shows, we’re making our own content while international producers are also taking part in the narrative of what we like to watch.
ITV Choice, for example, has grown since launching two years ago.
Although the channel can’t be considered a newbie any more, it is still new to many advertisers, as well as viewers.
But the channel has included the best content from Britain, usually shortly after airing in the UK. This led to a considerable increase in viewers.
During the 2017 Royal Season, celebrating the British royals as well as their exploits, giving behindthe-scenes access as well as offering never-before insight into the monarchy, the channel averaged 500 000 view- ers daily, according to Katherine Wen, ITV channel director. Loyal viewers spend an estimated 52 minutes a day on the channel, while the channel has also shown measurable growth on DStv CatchUp. For a premium channel, this is encouraging. The same holds true for other TV properties.
Free-to-air-channel e.tv this week announced that sister company OpenViewHD reached 1 million activations – making it South Africa’s fastest-growing TV satellite operator. It’s an achievement for OpenView HD, with the company only having been in operation for just under four years. Although uptake
We do not charge monthly fees, so this means South Africans do not have to keep paying for their home entertainment after they have bought our decoder. Patrick Conroy MD of OpenViewHD
of the OpenView HD set-topboxes was initially slow, numbers soared when two 24hour movie channels and an additional entertainment channel from e.tv were added to the bouquet.
The OpenView HD bouquet comprises 17 channels, with more set to be added in coming months.
Managing director Patrick Conroy says South Africans want quality entertainment that is affordable. “We do not charge monthly fees, so this means South Africans do not have to keep paying for their home entertainment after they have bought our decoder. This combination of a low-cost decoder and good programming has been the secret to our success. It is a good start and we are confident we will reach 2 million households in 2019,” he says.
The reach of e.tv is undeniable. Telenovellas like Broken Vows are extremely popular. Last month the show celebrated its 100th episode. Similarly, e.tv’s soaps
Rhythm City and Scandal! have become deeply entrenched in the South African psyche.
Similarly, e.tv has made strong connections with Disney – creating special events for the channel that are proving beneficial for both Disney and e.tv.
Their recent month-long Disney Princess event ensured e.tv extremely high ratings.
In South Africa, and the rest of Africa, Disney’s three TV channels are equally successful – so much so that a new season of the South African-made Disney Cookabout will start on October 14. Winner of the 2016 Safta award for best children’s programme,
Disney Cookabout is a comedic adventure game show that uses food preparation, cooking and outdoor exploration to showcase local ingredients and a fun-filled approach to healthy eating.
This kind of edutainment is not only for children. Now heading into its fourth season, kykNET’s
VeranderDinge also aims to inspire changes in people’s lives. The new season, which starts on October 8, will see SABC radio anchor Amore Bekker take over as the show’s host.
Guests will include people like singer Koos Kombuis, legendary soccer star Benni McCarthy, David Kramer and Rolene Strauss. The lesson is that local content working with international shows are creating a perfect balance of entertainment.
Last year, at ITV Choice’s first showcase in Africa, the channel flew in one of the most popular stars on an ITV Choice show, Martin Clunes.
His show, Doc Martin, is returning for an eighth season next month and the sort of interaction he has locally ensures that many eyes will be glued to the small screen.
It is 13 years since the first series of Doc Martin was filmed in Port Isaac on the Cornwall coast. The picturesque village has always been a popular destination for tourists, but the success of the series has turned it into a shrine visited by thousands of Doc Martin fans every year. The same legion of fans are active in South Africa, with besotted women and men that yearn for new episodes.
Also last year, DStv flew in the stars of Empire for a South African tour, which again piqued interest for the show.
Last night the fourth season of Empire started on Fox Africa, sparking much interest.
The show is one of the highest rated for the channel. If there is anything to learn from all these showcases, it is to keep watching.