e.tv plans for the future

“After just nine years of broadcasting, e.tv is the second most-watched TV channel in SA,” Vass says. “This makes us one of the strongest players in the market in terms of delivering strong local and international content to a large portion of the country's TV watching population.”

But, as audiences become too demanding and versatile nowadays – thanks to technological advances – a TV broadcaster needs a huge dose of flexibility to ensure that its contents reflects society's socio-economic changes and attracts more viewers.

“Rapidly changing”

It is perhaps in this spirit that e.tv has applied for a pay-TV licence. Vass explains: “The South African TV industry is rapidly changing and a multi-channel or multi-platform strategy is the key to the continued success of any media business in the current environment. This is the main reason for Sabido's application for a satellite licence.

“The company would like to use the skills and knowledge and it has to grow in order to provide South Africans with a high quality multi-channel service catering to the needs and interests of the middle income market.”

However, many observers are wondering what difference these bidding companies, including SABC, will make. Perhaps slashing the amount of monthly subscriptions, as DStv's fee (R439) is deemed too high for a country with the social status of SA.

As is the case with many organisations which undertake projects of huge magnitude, Vass declines to comment about e.tv's future if its licence application proves successful.

“Confidential”

“Our business plan for a pay-TV licence has been submitted to ICASA confidentially. It is premature to be talking about our plans, should we be granted a licence,” Vass said categorically.

“However, MultiChoice serves a small upper income audience while the middle income audience – specifically black middle income viewers – is not currently served by pay-television.”

Certain quarters believe that the fact that e.tv has secured the rights to broadcast the Telkom Charity Cup – thanks to a collaboration with SuperSport – is a major ‘coup' for the company, and augurs well for its credibility, as e.tv used to be seen as mostly promoting international soccer and shunning local soccer.

Vass goes on a counter-attack, saying: “e.tv has always wanted to broadcast local soccer but since the SABC held the exclusive free-to-air rights to broadcast local soccer for the past five years, there was nothing we could have done.

“But I must admit that we have led the fight to be able to negotiate for the rights to broadcast local soccer. And we are currently negotiating with SuperSport to broadcast a number of local fixtures as its free-to-air partner. Should we succeed in doing this, e.tv will provide SA soccer fans with professional and top-class broadcasts of the matches aired.”

Tough encounter expected

SuperSport has said that 140 games have been available for free-to-air broadcast, and with SABC group CEO Dali Mpofu vowing that the public broadcaster will fight tooth and nail to (re)acquire those rights and not share them with anyone, e.tv must expect a tough and ‘bloody' encounter as the soccer season approaches and negotiations enter the decisive stage.

Furthermore, critics say that for the past five years or so, e.tv has become an SABC ‘breeding ground' or a ‘training centre', whereby countless e.tv's news staff have crossed the floor to Auckland Park, running away, as sources put it, from a Mugabe-style newsroom management.

Vass refutes the Mugabe-style newsroom management allegations, saying: “Other broadcasters recruit e.tv staff because they are multi-skilled and are trained on the job. e.tv is widely regarded as the best recruitment centre for staff because of the high skills level of its employees, many of whom have never worked in broadcasting before.

“I do not know what is meant by Mugabe-style management and these are only spurious and malicious allegations. It may be difficult for some people who have left e.news to accept that in two years e.news has broken records to become the most-watched English news bulletin in the country.”

Nevertheless, industry watchers believe that the channel is fast becoming a grande puissance in the SA broadcasting industry. Vass concurs: “e.tv is now an established and successful media company delivering the second largest television audience in the country to advertisers. Our market share proves that we have been and will remain a force to be reckoned with in the broadcasting industry.”

June ratings audience