PBS Kids coming to DStv?

[Insidus]

According to DStv Care, the channel has been extended for another 6 months aka early 2020.

[Insidus]

TOLDJA! MultiChoice adds the

PBS Kids channel to DStv as a 3-

month pop-up channel from 22

May in South Africa and across

sub-Saharan Africa.

As TVwithThinus reported in March would

happen soon, the PBS Kids channel is being

added to MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV

service in South Africa and sub-Sarahan

Africa to all DStv packages as a new 3-

month pop-up channel.

In July 2018 MultiChoice added PBS Kids

content to its DStv Now Catch Up service.

At the time MultiChoice told TVwithThinus

that it is testing the content and would make

it more broadly available if there's a demand

for it.

PBS Kids is the children's programming

brand of America's Public Broadcasting

Service (PBS) that is broadcast as a kids

programming block on PBS in the United

States, but it is also a digital video channel

streaming kids content as part of a video app

that PBS launched in January 2017.

MultiChoice says PBS Kids will be available

for a 3-month period from Wednesday 22

May to Thursday 22 August to all DStv

Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact,

DStv Family and DStv Access subscribers.

PBS Kids will run on DStv channel 313.

Shows on PBS Kids will include Pinkalicious

& Peterrific, Arthur , WordWorld , Postcards

from Buster , Peep and the Big Wide World

and Time Warp Trio.

Asked what MultiChoice learnt from making

the PBS Kids content available as video

streaming only, MultiChoice told

TVwithThinus on Monday that "we received a

lot of positive feedback from our viewers

when PBS Kids was made available on DStv

Now and our parents appreciate the fact that

DStv is providing the kind of kids'

programming that will help to make them

classroom ready, while also keeping them

entertained".

Andrea Downing, PBS Distribution co-

president in a statement says "We are excited

to offer this new audience the opportunities

that PBS Kids content offers. PBS Kids is the

number one educational media brand for kids,

offering children the opportunity to explore

new ideas and new worlds. DStv is inviting

parents and children to experience this

trusted content that helps children learn and

grow."

Yolisa Phahle, CEO of General Entertainment

for MultiChoice, says in a quotable that

"MultiChoice is always open to exploring

ways to expand our customer offering, adding

a children's channel that is not only

entertainment for the entire family but also

experiential and educational adds value to

the DStv packages".

Yolisa Phahle isn't really saying this, with the

same quote that is replaced by MultiChoice

Africa and attributed to different MultiChoice

executives in various African countries who

customise-regionalise the same MultiChoice

drop-in quote.

MultiChoice released show synopsis for some

of the PBS Kids programming:

Pinkalicious & Peterrific

Based on the beloved book series by Victoria

Kann, the show encourages children to

engage in self-expression and to explore the

arts, including music, dance, and visual arts.

Kids will be inspired to get creative by

Pinkalicious, Peter, and their friends through

adventures in their neighbourhood of

Pinkville.

Arthur

Based on the best-selling children's books by

Marc Brown, Arthur follows the adventures of

8-year-old Arthur Read. Join the aardvark for

heartfelt and humorous stories about family,

friends, and the challenges of growing uup.

Wordworld

The lovable WordFriends take children on

adventures in a world of words where they

encounter problems that can only be solved

by building a word. Playfully demonstrating

the connections between letters, sounds,

words, and meaning, WordWorld empowers

children to advance from learning letters to

learning how to read.

Even Thinus Ferreira thought it was permanent while MultiChoice Africa hopes its permanent which explains the exclusion of the three month notice from their press release.

[Optimist]

You're wasting your time hopping around the continent, each country has unique circumstances that can interfere with the basics and those of us who've been with the forums about a decade can tell you for sure that the local MC and the ROA's MCA are definitely separately run companies who seldom do things the same or even have many of the same motivations, they just share content and source of funds and its associated business directives.

Now it's changed more as Naspers doesn't run our MC anymore.

As for info from FB or Twitter, you're lucky if you get someone senior enough to know, unlikely, and then they're often muzzled.

Just going to confuse others, it's best to keep ROA under your hat and wait it out. On the old forum we were once moderated for even discussing ROA.

But this is a free forum compared, so you can do what you want...

[Insidus]

This whole thing seems odd as MultiChoice tested out the content on DStv Now last year now they're adding PBS Kids to their platform before its expiration date. According to DStv Kenya, its a new addition to their platform while Ethiopia revealed the date of the so-called "new channel". 

When I asked DStv on Facebook if it was an experimental channel they didn't want to confirm or deny it while the one on Twitter said no. Unless PBS Kids is being added as a teaser channel with the actual channel launching a few weeks/months before or after the channel is removed. After all this channel is available for 3 months which is longer than any other pop-up channel on DStv.

I do hope the channel gets the attention it deserves. Content like PBS is needed in the African market not everyone has Showmax to watch their kiddies shows and it would boost the value for customers on the Easyview package.

[Optimist]

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@Insidus wrote:

This was kind of expected since the channel's lineup is packed with series that have been viewed on DStv Now.

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Sounds like previous market research which seems to often be on DStv Now.

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@Insidus wrote:

The channel's schedule is a hot mess since their prime time lineup starts around 8pm everyday including weekends. 

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Interesting. I see that the SD version of the test channel (based on its i-Plate) is definitely on a UK area uplink farm controlled transponder

(11010 H), so it's quite probably existing UK channel sourced, which means as they have later-for-our-timezone kids' prime time that could be a problem for here if a separate time-shifted channel isn't cost effective.

[Insidus]

This was kind of expected since the channel's lineup is packed with series that have been viewed on DStv Now. The channel's schedule is a hot mess since their prime time lineup starts around 8pm everyday including weekends. 

[Grace_DStv1]

@Optimist, always .

[Optimist]

Thanks for the extra effort Grace, truly appreciated :-)

Insidus & co., don't be too disappointed that it's turned out to be temporary again for SA, sometimes they're testing the market so it may come back.

BTW, we're always linked to Lesotho (except they don't get our local channels like SABC).

[Grace_DStv1]

Hi All. 

PBS Kids channel will launch in South Africa & Lesotho – on 22nd May 2019 @ 10:00 till the 22nd August 2019 (Pop-up channel).

[Optimist]

MC can always do with the feedback so here's more, and you can educate them directly with these facts if you want;

I think IS20 launched probably around 10 years ago.

The "new" second one for us is actually called IS36, but it's probably about 2 years since its launch already.

Long ago a lot of channel numbers changed a few times, I think the last around the time we got the bulk of the M-Movie channels, and the timing of one may have been close to IS20 launching but could not ever have been involved with the modern channel addition you're mentioning which was certainly never on our satellites before.

So maybe they're just looking at ancient info in their manuals. Some of us here have actually seen that much of those manuals are very outdated, never mind how.

It's also nobody's business how I know what else is on the satellites, but my info is solid.