LOTTO show goes to E.TV in battle for viewers
Posted 30 Mar 2003
THE gloves are off in a bitter war for viewers between South Africa's two major
broadcasters.
In the latest battle, e.tv scored a major victory this week when it won the
lottery game show from SABC2.
Meanwhile, in a bid to compete with the free-to-air channel's 24-hour movies,
SABC3 will no longer broadcast CNN after its regular schedule in favour of more
entertainment-based shows.
However, SABC3 will broadcast news channel BBC World daily from 6am to 8am,
from 1.30pm to 2pm and from about 11.30pm onwards for the duration of the war
in Iraq.
The lottery draw will be broadcast at 9.30pm on Wednesday and Saturday nights
on e.tv, which has 4.2 million more viewers than SABC3 and is watched by one
million more people than SABC2.
Quraysh Patel, e.tv's channel director, was jubilant this week at what he saw
as a coup after his channel failed to win the lottery show last year.
" We showed them that we were the bigger and better channel," Patel said.
"Tell SABC to watch e.tv and see how we do it, because the national lottery is
a fantastic product.
"We have sidelined our competition and I am so happy that I am not on the SABC
side. We will continue to beat them in a very big way, especially when we
reveal what we have in store for the year."
Patel expressed surprise at the dropping of CNN by the SABC. "We are obviously
flattered that they are copying e.tv but we welcome competition," he said.
However, SABC spokesman Victor Dlamini denied that the public broadcaster was
losing a ratings war. "Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.
Dlamini said Road2Riches had not shown signs of growth after three years on the
station. "I t was clear that viewers were not interested in the 30-minute
Saturday night show. There was a serious downward trend and it was just not
working for us as there was no audience demand."
Trevor Smit, general manager of SABC3, said that from Tuesday the channel would
no longer broadcast CNN. "It will be replaced by a variety of magazine and
drama programmes." Smit said the SABC's contract with CNN had expired and was
not being renewed. Instead, viewers would see entertainment programmes varying
from wildlife documentaries and drama series to business features.
Jimi Matthews, head of television news at the SABC, said a decision would be
taken at the end of the Iraq conflict as to whether to continue broadcasting
BBC World. The move by SABC3 to change its news time slot from 8pm to 7pm was
seen as the station firing a direct salvo at e.tv, following the departure of
Matthews from the younger station to the public broadcaster. The free-to-air
channel used a slogan saying that by 8pm the news was history, as its bulletin
was broadcast at 7pm.
In another incident, the e.tv show Backstage won the battle to feature pop
group 101, the winners of the SABC3 talent search show Popstars.
Also, SABC1 won the Phat Joe Show from e.tv. Phat Joe said at the time that
e.tv was run the way the Taliban ran Afghanistan.
And in the government-initiated Khomanani Aids-awareness project which featured
celebrities from both channels, SABC1 refused to use Backstage actors.
Sunday Times
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