Vuzu Turns Five Years Old

Vuzu, M-Net's youth targetted channel turns Five years old on Tuesday, July 1st 2014.

On the 1st of July 2009 at exactly 5pm, M-Nets newest tv channel, Vuzu went live after months of build up and fanfare. The channel launched as the second phase of M-Net's youth channel revision, the first being the replacement of Ktv with Koowee.

Vuzu.tv, as it was originally referred to, replaced youth channel Go, which predominantly aired imported content aimed at a largely white audience. However, the new channel was slated to be much more than its predecessor, in fact, it was slated to be much more than just a channel, it was a social network as well.

It was to become the most interactive television channel in South Africa and was going to be the channel to tune to if you want largely local content, more than a year before Mzansi Magic was launched. To achieve this, the channel launched with a great deal of live local content which included a daily entertainment news bulletin, V-Entertainment, a live daily technology and gaming show, The Verge, VPrime was to air between shows to catch up with social media interaction, a live daily chat show, TouchTV (along with what is today known as Hit Refresh, originally V-Lounge) and a live daily music request show, Vuzic. These were joined by local reality shows that took the form of shows you would see on American cable television including the controversial Vixens, Scar Tissue and Cream Cartel. 

The channel was launched to much hype and media coverage. The faces of the channel at launch were long time Channel O VJ Nonhle Thema and former host of The Real Goboza on SABC 1, Siyabonga Ngwekazi.

The good old days

V-Entertainment: The Flagship Show
VEntertainment, the channel's flagship daily broadcast, debuted at7pm slot on launch day from its own studio in M-Net's Randburg Studios with both Nonhle and Siya in studio. The show was the first of its kind to cast a spotlight on local entertainment news in the way it did and over time has come to include new Music Video launches and exclusive interviews.

For Season 2 and onwards, the show ditched its studio, opting for a greenscreen instead, new graphics and moving up an hour, starting at 6pm instead.

One of the biggest 'interviews' on the show was about Nonhle Thema herself. It was 2011. Nonhle had grown into a massive star both on television and on social networks. The channel on which she got famous, Vuzu, which had done original reality shows before was looking to do something never before seen in South African televiosn: a reality show that follows just one person. Who better than the star of the channel herself, Nonhle Thema. At the time, Lalla Hiriyama had already been a part of the channel for quite a few months so it would have been okay for Nonhle to take time off to shoot the show, which took her to Hollywood and followed her on her journey to hitting the big time over there. However, the show was widely panned by critics for being too over-produced, scripted and badly acted. In the coming months the star would have a breakdown on social network, Twitter, and became increasingly controversial, infamously coining her catchphrase 'sit down.' She was seen increasingly infrequently on the show and one day she was allowed to anchor a 'special edition' of V Entertainment she was allowed to talk to her critics and fansdirectly between inserts, which she did, completely ignoring the inserts she was to be linking to. It was also one of her last shows as part of the Vuzu family as on July 20th of that same year, M-Net, which Vuzu was a part of, and Nonhle announced that they had mutually agreed to part.
Since Nonhle had left, V-Entertainment and V-Prime, had seen numerous new faces rise up the ranks alongside longtime hosts Lalla and Siya. These included Dineo Moeketsi, whp had replaced Nonhle on Channel O's O-Access, which was subsequently cancelled,  and Thomas Gumede (the latter which left after just more than a year to pursue acting full time). In late 2013 to early 2014 three more presenters were added to the lineup of hosts. They were Denise Zimba, who came over from Vuzu reality show Fly Chix, Cyprian Ndlovu and Shelton Forbes.

Vuzu's Lalla Hirayama smiles for a pic during red carpet coverage

V-Entertainment also started providing red carpet coverage of events produced by their sister channels, starting with a live red carpet special for Channel O's 2011 Video Music Awards, which they have continued to do annually. In 2014 they also provided the red carpet coverage for the J&B Met, which moved over to other sister channel, Supersport, in that year.

Local Reality Shows
Initially launched as a channel that was to feature a large amount of local shows primarily targeted at the youth, the only local shows aired on the channel have always been low budget reality shows (along with low budget comedy satire, Check Coast). These have included Vixens, a show that was controversial in nature not only before it aired its first episode, but even before the channel launched. Other shows launched at when the channel launched were Scar Tissue and Cream Cartel, all three of which were cancelled within three seasons. Other origginal reality shows included the aforementioned Nonhle Goes to Hollywood, Fly Chix, Mo Love (with Tall Ass Mo), Dineo's Diary and Masters of Rhythm, which was meant to be an annual dance contest, but only lasted one season, among others. Forever Young, which started on the channel, moved over to sister channel, Mzansi Magic for subsequent seasons. The channel also launched a countdown show, 10 Over 10, which chartered things like biggest stars and hottest celebs. All these shows, targeted to a young audience, promote a truly second screen experience, encouraging viewers to join the conversation, usually having the 'appropriate' hashtag on screen throughout the show, with that evenings continuity presenter on V-Prime reading out the best tweets.

Cyprian Ndlovu primarily presents V-Prime, Vuzu's branded continuity block from 6:30pm-9:30pm where the host links to shows and interacts over social media

From Premium Content To Second Rate Shows and Reruns
As M-Net expanded their channel lineup to include two new M-Net Series Channels, along with other branded tv channels like Fox and Comedy Central launching on the DStv platform, Vuzu has seen the quality and calibre of international shows on the channel steadily decline over the years. What was once the home of first run premium content shows like Glee and Legend of the Seeker, has become a shadow of its former self as nearly all its premium international shows have been taken away from from the channel to fill the schedule of new channels like M-Net Series Showcase, which is available only on DStv's Premium Bouquet, while Vuzu is available on Compact and Extra as well. Even The Vampire Diaries, which at one stage was the most watched show on the channel, had been moved off to Showcase and South Park that left for Comedy Central.

The channel now reruns primarily sitcoms and reality shows from its more premier sister channels, and, in the case of shows like So You Think You Can Dance, reruns of reruns, as the show would first air on M-Net, then M-Net Series Reailty and finally Vuzu, when its contents have become nearly completely irrelevant. These shows have been joined by reruns of classics as well like Sister, Sister and Moesha.

Many of its original programming has also been canned as M-Net focuses its local content efforts on Mzansi Magic. These include daily Tech and Gaming news show, The Verge, TouchTV and Vuzic, along with many of its reality shows.

The only top quality show still premiering on the channel is The Simpsons, though it airs at 5pm even though it would have been better suited in prime time where the channel has much room for improvement.

Other firstrun content on the channel include American cable reality shows like Project Runway and Rupaul's Drag Race.
Legacy
Though much has changed since the launch of the channel, from its on air look and content, to its channel number, Vuzu has really been a South African television channel on the cutting edge.Its use of social media is unrivaled across all of South African televion, though others try (and, in the case of channels like M-Net, may seem excessive for some viewers). Its pioneering shows like V-Entertainment has laid the blue print for other shows to follow including ANN7's Buzz ANN7 and sister channel Africa Magic Entertainment's Star Gist. Nonhle Thema's Nonhle Goes to Hollywood, though widely criticised, has laid the foundation for many other similar format shows in the country including Dineo's Diary and eTV's Rolling With... franchise. The channel has made household names of their stars that went on to achieve success and exposure through other avenues as well.
In order for the channel to remain relevant among the youth well into the future,  they must remain on the cutting edge

V-Entertainment celebrates the channel's fifth birthday with guest host Bonang Matheba on the show on Tuesday July 5th.