Ryan Giggs Has Left Supersport's World Cup Team

 

He came with much fanfare and promotion and now he is gone. Ryan Giggs, the Manchester United legend, who was promoted as Supersport's star acquisition for their World Cup coverage has left South Africa after slightly more than a week.

In all of Supersport's advertising for Giggs, which included countless on air and online promos and commercials, as well as a few press releases did they conveniently fail to state he will just be used for one week. Viewers were under the impression that he would be used for the full duration of the World Cup, whilst Supersport, and all their personalities on Twitter, failed to correct them which is rather unethical as viewers will not be receiving what they were advertised to receive through Supersport's implied marketting.

It must however be said that Giggs was not the best of Supersports panel either, so viewers will miss his star power more than his analysis of the game. Often he had to be helped along by the anchors John Dykes or Neil Andrews, who often had to cut him off as well due to his slow pace of answering a question during what should be a rapidly paced half time analysis due to time constraints. He was also the only panelist to never pull double duty, that is, never cover more than one game at a time, usually being the only analyst to leave whilst everyone else remains. With all this said,, he was expected to improve as time progressed, but that is obviously not going to happen now.

He is off to finish his studies for a UEFA Pro License'(coaching lincense), and then to join Manchester United's pre season preparations.

Giggs is, however, to be replaced by three panelists: Ghanaian Marcel Desailly, Spain's Gaizka Mendieta and Zambian legend Kalusha Bwalya.

First Look: The Logo of Hala Gorani's New CNNi show, The World Right Now with Hala Gorani

Hala Gorani's new show on CNNi (DStv 401) starts this Monday Night at 9pm South African time. Hala, the current iDesk anchor, was relocated to London from Atlanta during CNN's recent anchor shuffle that saw Becky Anderson and Connect the World relocate to Abu Dhabi and to a new time slot. Hala now takes over their old time slot, 8pm British time (9pm CAT) from CNN London.

 Below is the shows new logo, which Hala shared on her Facebook page:


Though one of their better logos, it is rather reminiscent of a former CNNUS show, Around the World:

Here is the promo that has been running on CNN over the last few days:
For now, the show wont have its own Facebook or Twitter accounts yet, instead using Hala's directly. They will, however, be making use of the hashtag, #TheWorldRightNow (which is quite long on its own yet omits the "With Hala Gorani" part which is part of its name.

At this point, it is unclear what will happen to her old show, iDesk, that currently airs in the 7pm South African time slot.

World Cup Setting Viewership Highs Around the World

Since the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil started on the 12th of June, broadcasters in various countries have seen viewership for the tournament skyrocket as viewers flock in their droves to watch one of the most followed sporting events in the world.

The opening match between Brazil and Croatia. It is estimated that an estimated 8 out of 10 Brazillian tv viewers tuned in to the match, exculding the tens of thousands that watched at viewing parties, fan parks and other group viewing venues like bars. On Facebook, 16 million Brazilian users were actively posting on the World Cup opener. In the US, the match averaged 9.5 million viewers across ESP and Univision. In the UK 12.6 million viewers tuned in to the match on ITV and Spain averaged 8.4 million viewers. In Germany, the opener was seen by 15.87 million viewers as well.
 
The host nations second match against Mexico was seen by approximately 8 out of 10 Brazillians, according to ratings agency Ibope while broadcaster Globo says that 60% of all connected devices, including TV's, cellphones and computers, were tuned to the match. The match, which aired in European primetime was seen by an average of 8.48 million people in the UK on BBC1, 14.17 million viewers in Germany, 9.4 million in France, 9.6 million in Italy (excludes viewership on the pay tv channel, Sky Italia), 2.06 million in Sweden and 3.5 million in the Netherlands.

12 Million Italians tuned in at midnight to watch their country's team defeat England 2-1 on Sky Italia and free-to-air broadcaster RAI, enough to set an audience share record in that country. Over in England, BBC One averaged 11.5 million viewers. The match also set a viewership record in the USA where 4.62 million viewers helped ESPN to its highest rated first round match not including the US national team.

Germany's 4-0 thrashingof Portugal was seen by a massive 26.36 million Germans (an enormous 81.8% audience share) on public broadcaster ARD. In the UK the match was seen by an impressive 7.2 million viewers as well.

In the United States, where soccer is a less popular yet rapidly growing sport, their national team's victory over African side Ghana became the most watched soccer match in US history (and also the most watched show on all of US tv for Monday). What makes the feat even more extraordinary is that the match took place at 6pm Eastern Time (US time zone), outside primetime. It aired on two channels, ESPN and free to air Spanish channel Univision. The ESPN broadcast, on pay tv, was seen by an average of 11.1 million viewers, while Univision averaged 4.8 million viewers, for a total of 15.9 million people who watched on tv, in addition to1.7 million viewers who streamed the match from Univisions website.

In Spain, an average of 11.2 million people tuned in to watch the country's national soccer team go down 5-1 to the Netherlands whilst 7.5 million viewes tuned in in the Netherlands. The match also averaged 14.6 million viewers in another European country, Germany.

In Chile, the elimination of the defending champions by their national team set new ratings records. The match averaged a 54% share across two networks, Canal 13 (cable) and TVN,enough to break the record held by the 2010 Chilean Mining Disaster. These figures actually exclude the viewership held by a third broadcaster, DirectTV, which, though are expected to lift these figures higher, traditionally has a much smaller share compared to the other broadcasters.

In Japan, public broadcaster NHK scored a 46.6 audience share for the nations opener against the Ivory Coast, a record for a morning kick off in that country. However, television viewership in the country is expected to slowly decrease as more Japanese people choose to attend viewing parties for the matches. So, while ratings may decrease, actual viewership may be on the rise. The Tokyo Dome hosted 35 000 Japanese fans for the match.

In Canada, a country that is not particularly known for its soccer skills, sharing time zones with Brazil mean that matches air during particularly favourable time slots, and the ratings have shown. The opening match between Brazil and Croatian averaged 1.6 million viewers, according to BBM Canada, over 70% higher than the opener in 2010. 2.73 Million viewers tuned in for England's loss to Italy as well.

The World Cup is being seen in all corners of the world, including North Korea, where the matches are aired nearly 24 hours after they occured, as the broadcaster edits the match before airing it. Often it is so heavily edited that the commentary and audio from the crowd is completely out of sync with the picture.

These numbers, as impressive as they are, are set to rise even further when viewership across the likes of Africa,  major countries like China and India, and many others are factored in as well

COVERAGE REVIEW: News Channels Cover Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address

eNCA (simulcast on eTV), ANN7, SABC News(simulcast on SABC 2), along with CNBC Africa and Parliamentary Service all covered President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address live on 17 June 2014

As expected, all news channels carried Jacob Zuma's SONA address live on Tuesday, June 17th.

ANN7

The biggest disappointment of the coverage must have been ANN7. After covering the previous SONA address and elections so well, their coverage this time around really took one step back.

Because the channel ran a two hour block of non-news from 2:30pm all the way to 5pm, the channel chose to air a general news bulletin in the 5pm slot whilst the other channels all started building up to the event. Their build up then started at 5:30pm with the usual anchor hosting Ricky Naidoo, their political editor, from their studios.

ANN7's Political Aditor, Ricky  Naidoo

At 6pm, prime time anchor Chantal Rutter dros took over with her panel in the studio, and together they all just seemed to over analyse the situation and did not seem to cover the event itself decently, instead opting to just continue an in studio debate while adding a few live shots for good measure.
 Senior political correspondent Hajra Omarjee was on the ground at parliament, but in the hour before the actual speech, they did not even have a satellite (or broadband, considering the channel doesn't mind poor picture quality for on location shots) with her, instead having to have had her phone in, with the phone even losing connection at times. They really dropped the ball on this one as she should have been anchoring from Cape Town like last time around.

Considering the amount of time this channel spends on political news, I must say it is rather odd that they continue to use the Parliamentary Service, a channel all DStv subscribers have access to, as their in parliament coverage and do not receive the 'clean' feed that other channels have, so you will see the logos of the parliamentary service on ANN7, all adding to an overall messy on air presenation considering the different graphic packages.

A more beautiful picture of Cantal Rutter Dros than this I have never seen

They were, however, the last channel to still be covering the event for a few minutes after 9pm, after all other channels have ceased their broadcasts something which they should be commended for. In the 24 hour news business, a channel has 24 hours a day to fill with news, so the longer you can keep live coverage going the better.

eNCA

eNCA's coverage was anchored by Iman Rappetti live from parliament. She was yet again joined by the guys from Power FM, this time Ursula Chhikane and Tim Modise. Andrew Barnes co-anchored News Day from 1pm-4pm live from Parliament as well.

Ursula Chikane of Power FM and Top Billing covered the Red Carpet as part of eNCA's coverage of the second State of the Nation Address of 2014

Ursula provided coverage from the red carpet, something which I must say was a welcomed addition considering usually its a journo that performs this duty yet now they had someone from the glam scene as Ursula is also a Top Billing presenter. Being a Top Billing presenter added a sense of credibility to her contributions to the overall coverage, even though the high quality of her inserts speak for themselves.

Tim Modise speaking to a listener during a Power FM live crossing as part of eNCA's State of the Nation Address coverage

I am personally not a fan of the Power FM inserts. Quite frankly I dislike it.When it comes to covering live events, the best thing to do is to cover it as best you can. Now these inserts not only stops coverage of the events nearly completely, it breaks the rhythm of the broadcast every time Iman crosses over to the radio station, taking about a minute to do the whole hand over, Tim Modise to welcome viewers back (and remind them they can tune in on Power FM), and to tell them to call in as well. This process is repeated every time they hand over to the radio station. Often the listener who called in is not providing opinion that deserves to be aired on a national platform either and just drags the whole thing out, forcing viewers like myself to just easily flip up to the next channel/s as I know I wont be missing much on eNCA.

Iman hosted two analysts in their little studio at Parliament, this time not over analysing things as much as they did in the past. I really dislike the trend on  South African broadcasting of having those large vertical banners on their set seen behind the analysists with the channel logo on. It seems extremely amateur hour as viewers can see which channel they viewing from the onscreen graphics of they could have had a monitor onscreen. Instead, they opt to narrow viewers' view of the happenings outside the window behind the analysts.

eTV's coverage, which started at 7pm had onscreen sign language interpreter on the right side of the screen. The picture on eTV was terrible. Not only was the picture letterboxed with black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, it was pillarboxed as well with black bars on either side of the screen, so the whole picture onscreen had a terrible box all around the picture.

While the other channels provided non stop rolling coverage of the events, eNCA found it okay to take a great load of ad breaks during their coverage, exculding the speech itself, vital time that could have been used to provide coverage. This included parts of the coverage not seen on eTT, so they were not forced to take so many ad breaks. At 8:24 pm, they found it in themselves to take a SIX MINUTE ad break and another four minute one at the top of the next hour, time the other channels used for live coverage.

SABC News
By far the channel with the best coverage of the event, SABC News' coverage was anchored by Vuyo Mvoku and Leanne Manas live from their studio at Parliament.

Leanne Manas and Vuyo Mvoku anchored SABC News' (simulcast on SABC 2) coverage of the State of the Ntaion Address

They got the mix right of keeping analysis to a minimal and live rolling commentary to a maximum right. Most of the time during the build up, the anchors' and guests' voices were just heard and not seen as they opted to keep pictures focussed on what was happening an explained to viewers what was going on and what they were seeing, along with naming people as they came in case viewers might not have known who they were. They had more reporters on the ground than any other news channel as well.

For some or another reason, SABC News had their camera on eNCA's Ursula as she interviewed Mmusi Maimane for quite a while

After the speech, they got response from all the major opposition parties before interviewing ANC members, something that has to be admired from the apparent voicepiece of the ANC.

Programming Note: All Local News Channels to Cover Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address

As expected, ANN7, eNCA, SABC News, Parliamentary Service and CNBC Africa will all be carrying Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address live tonight at 7pm.

Build up starts before then with eNCA's coverage anchored from Cape Town by Iman Rappetti and Ursula from Top Billing on the Red Carpet, along with live crossings to Power FM as they listen to call ins from various listeners.

SABC News has Leanne Manas and Vuyo Mvoku anchoring from their Parliamentary studios in Cape Town.

ANN7 has Hajra Omarjee on the scene, along with other reporters, though they will not be as in depth as before.

Uncut coverage will, as always, be provided on the Parliamentary Service, DStv 408, if you okay with below par picture and sound quality.

CNBC Africa will be providing live coverage from 7pm-9pm..

Ann7, SABC News and eNCA are all streaming coverage live on their websites, or Youtube channels

eNCA and other South African Broadcasters Win Big at 2014 Promotional, Marketing and Design Global Excellence Awards

On the 12 of June, Promaxbda held their annual Promotional, Marketing and Design Global Excellence Awards in New York and South African news broadcaster eNCA walked away with a major award at the event.

The news organisation won Gold in the News/Information Program Campaign category for their excellent Keep Out campaign which consisted out of the excellent promo, embedded below, that ran on the channel.
The organisation beat Silver award winner CNN, who were nominated, and subsequently won the silver award for their excellent campaign around their new US breakfast show, New Day. The launch of Seven Sharp from TV New Zealand rounds out the top three.

Another South African broadcaster that won big at the awards was sportscaster Supersport who won both Silver and Bronze in the Art Direction & Design Sports Program General Image Spot for their Absa Currie Cup and Incoming Rugby Tour campaigns, respectively (both were done for the sportscaster by Thackwell and Whittaker).

M-Net also grabbed bronze and silver in various categories for their on air promos, most prominently their Garynet campaign.

ANN7 Adds Daily World Cup Chat Show

Ann7, DStv 405, available online, has added a new one hour daily Soccer World Cup Review/Preview chat show to its schedule. It is hosted by prime time sports anchor, Peter Stemmet, and airs daily in the 4pm time slot, seemingly seven days a week (with another airing in the 10am slot ffollowing Vuka Africa).

As has become the norm of this channel as well, not one word about the show was sent out ahead of time, so viewers will not know it exists. Not even its host has mentioned anything about the show on his Twitter, though he remains active on the social network. The edition on 16 June was also the first also the first to actually be featured on the channels iPlate, DStv's on screen Electronic Programming Guide, the only problem is the iPlate lists Ayesha Durgahee as its host, someone that not only does not host the show, BUT DOES NOT EVEN WORK AT THE CHANNEL!!!

[Ayesha Durgahee is a Bloomberg, DStv 411, Starsat ###, correspondent that hosts a 30 min weekly World Cup show on Tuesdays at 8pm]

One has to question the channels reasoning behind adding the show in the first place, nevermind the lack of promotion, as it faces very stiff competition from Supersport, who has the daily World Cup preview and the first thirty minutes of World Cup Soccer chat in that hour. Afterall, who will watch a second rate, dull world cup show with one host and one often irrelevant panelist when they can get visibly better coverage from the official broadcaster at the same time?

World Cup 2014: How Sony and FIFA Are Bringing the Action to You

As has become tradition, Sony, an official partner of FIFA utilises the most cutting edge technology in ensuring viewers get the best World Cup viewing experience possible.
Here are some facts on the technical details behind bringing viewers the best world cup viewing experience possible:

• In total, more than 280 HD cameras were brought in to Brazil from Sony to be used in its endevours, along with many more technical staff.All cameraswas exhaustively tested leading up to the World Cup

• All matches are recorded in stunning 1080P Full HD

• 3 Matches will be recorded in 4K, a broadcast standard that has a resolution that is four times better than standard HD: A round of sixteen match, a quarter final, and the final, all of which take place atthe Estadio Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. 

• Not one match will be recorded using 3D technology. In 2010 25 matched were recorded using the technology, broadcast to cinemas around the world and specialty channels launched for it. Apparently the closure of ESPN 3D in the US was the nail in the coffin of 3D technology. 

•  Some of Sony’s products and solutions to be used include their CineAlta™ 4K live camera “PMW-F55”, 4K multi port AV storage unit “PWS-4400”, 4K LCD monitor “PVM-X300”, and 4K multi-format switcher “MVS-7000X”

•  The technology being used to capture the HD footage includes 224 Sony HDC camera chains, 64  Super Slo-motion camera chains,  36 Sony switchers and 820 Sony Professional monitors.  

• Each match will have 37 Standard Camera Plans (up from 32 in 2010), including Aerial and Cablecam, 2 Ultramotion cameras and dedicated cameras for interviews

•  Over 2,500 hours of content will be shot in Brazil during June and July 2014 –over 100 days of continuous viewing. Dedicated team bench coverage, tactical player cameras and highlights feeds, dressing room footage and City guide will be provided to all official broadcasters like Supersport and SABC1.

• Half a million meters of cable will used at the tournament

• Sony has built 12 bespoke HD production containers one for each  tournament venue, which will house all of the equipment needed to deliver the action live from Brazil. Each container is 40 foot - the equivalent of 3 OB trucks - and will be individually shipped on a 40 – 45 day 50,000+ mile journey to Brazil, some travelling down the Amazon for their final leg!
• Goal line monitoring systems will be implemented for the first time this year with 14 high speed cameras, seven for each goal post, being used. They track the position of the ball in a 3d space
  
  For the first time this year, the World Cup is taking advantage of goal-line monitoring systems from Germany's GoalControl — 14 high-speed cameras located around the field, seven for each goal. They track the position of the ball in 3D space, transmitting each successful goal to watches worn by the officials on the pitch within one second. - See more at: http://www.studiodaily.com/2014/06/2014-fifa-world-cup-games-will-be-shot-in-4k-but-not-3d/#sthash.QABmPqd8.dpuf
  For the first time this year, the World Cup is taking advantage of goal-line monitoring systems from Germany's GoalControl — 14 high-speed cameras located around the field, seven for each goal. They track the position of the ball in 3D space, transmitting each successful goal to watches worn by the officials on the pitch within one second. - See more at: http://www.studiodaily.com/2014/06/2014-fifa-world-cup-games-will-be-shot-in-4k-but-not-3d/#sthash.QABmPqd8.dpuf

• Each match will have two helicopters present to bring fans the best possible viewing angles.

Your Ultimate 2014 FIFA World Cup Coverage Guide (CNNI)

As CNNI, DStv 401, prepares to ramp up its sports programming over the next few months, the channel is planning wall-to-wall coverage of the 2014 FIFA Soccer World Cup in Brazil from the 12th of June:
World Sport
(Everyday, 6:30am, 11:30am, 6pm, 11:30pm)

Every edition of CNN's flagship program, World Sport, will broadcast live directly from Brazil, hosted by Amanda Davies, Alex Thomas and Lara Baldesarra with teams providing on the ground coverage from key points. Off the pitch, CNN’s Brazil-based International Correspondent, Shasta Darlington, alongside fellow International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen, will also follow the big stories as they develop.

 Ready to Play
(Mondays, 2am, 10:30am, with additional airings during taped programming)

Will build up to the action by profiling key players along with bringing viewers up to date with things like infrastucture and stadia as well as catching up with "Super fans."


Human to Hero
CNN's show profiling variuos personalities will focus solely on soccer stars for the duration of the World CupThis explores the discipline, dedication and determination of sporting stars, talking to football legends about their World Cup memories and getting their predictions for this year’s finals.


Human to Hero: Sport Photography Masterclass
(A segment on World Sport)
Once the tournament is under way, another special programme will feature professional sports photographers discussing how some of the most iconic moments in World Cup history were captured on camera. Human to Hero: Sport Photography Masterclass will run in CNN World Sport from the big kick off until the final itself.

Social Spot Kick
(A segment on World Sport)
Finally, CNN World Sport will also carry a segment entitled Social Spot Kick. This will see some of international football’s biggest stars answering quick-fire questions about what it means to represent their countries on the world stage.

In addition to the above, CNN will provide rolling coverage of all events surrounding the World Cup as part of their regularly scheduled programming, or pre empting taped program to bring viewers up to speed on the latest developments and happenings, as seen on 11 June when they were the only news channel to carry FIFA Presdient Sepp Blatters pre-world cup press conference liuve.

Your Ultimate 2014 FIFA World Cup Coverage Guide (SABC 1)

SABC 1 left it to the eleventh hour to to announce its world cup broadcast plans for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, announcing details on a very lighthearted edition of its Sport@10 chat show, hosted by Thomas Mlambo.

Below is a list of their announced magazine shows:

Good Morning Brazil
When: Every Day at 6am (1 hour)
Hosted from a purpose built set at the SABC's Auckland Park studios, this show will give the early risers a recap of the prior night's action as well as previewing that days action. The show, with the name of a Brazillian breakfast show even though it is hosted by South Africans, from South Africa, to South Africans, is obviously modeled around SABC1's 2010 World Cup show Good Morning Mzansi, which was hosted by the then Carol Manana (now Tshabalala) and comedian Trevor Noah.

It is to be hosted by the winner of SABC Sport's Presenter search, Xoli Zondo, self proclaimed football lover Lerato Kganyago (Presenter of entertainment and Lifestyle show The Link on SABC 1), along with Andile Ncube, who is apparently supposed to keep things football focused, even though his own background is in shows like Live Amp. When Lerato says she loves football very much, she means she loves many things about it: Neymar, Messi, Spain, Germany Argentina Brazil, along with having "faith" in Nigeria. Xoli stated in their interview with Mlambo that she will be waking up at 2am every day, and by every day she means 32 days straight as she is planning on being on the show each and every day. Thomas also stated he will wake up to hashtag along with them at #GoodmorningBrazil

Lets Talk Brazil
When: Every Evening When there is Now World Cup Action(1 Hour) 
This talk show co-hosted by Thomas Mlambo and Minnie Dlamini will be broadcast every day when there is no matches scheduled. The two say they will analyse the ins and outs of soccer, with Mini stating that this will be a “Real” talk show analysing what is going down, what is fact and what is not. The show is said to not at all be a lifestyle shows, like the others areThey also spoke about Minnie's now one year tenure of being part of SABC Sport and what it was like.
They emphasised that Minnie will be an 'equal' co host with Thomas sitting right beside him, and not in the smaller role she plays on Soccer Zone.

 Kasi to Favelas
When: off days as well
Hosted by Maps Moponyane and Pearl Modiade, this lifestyle show will get viewers behind the action: the culture, the food and the atmosphere of Brazil straight from the Favelas of Brazil to the townships of eKasi. It will showcase things like superfans, though it is meant more for casual viewers, as Pearl herself confirmed that she is not a great fan of soccer but will hopefully grow. Thomas then asked her to identify a player onscreen, Dzeko, and she cound not identify him, instead thinking it is Shinji Kagawa, a Japanese footballer. The next person in the little game was Kagawa but Pearl yet again got this wrong, so the guys helped her get it right, making it seem as if she was 'mixing up her research.' Lets blame this on the lack of foreign football leagues on the state broadcaster because having a host that herself confessed to not beeing a big fan of the show is really something.

Build-Up, Half time and Post Match
The SABC Sport Studio was slightly expanded for the world cup to include a seperate area with a couch and soft seating, though the expansion is rather disappointing.

The star or their coverage will be current, yet already axed, Bafana Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund, which is not bad but is a considerable downgrade from Pele last time around. They failed to reveal any other analysts as part of the special reveal episode of Sport@10.

Their main coverage will be anchored by Tshepo Mabona, Thomas Mlambo and Lebo Motsoeli, who was heavily hyped on the show this evening as being the first ever female anchor of a world cup in South African history, which I wanted to say was incorrect as Carol Tshabalala must have anchored before, but unfortunately she did not ever anchor a World Cup game, despite being billed as "South Africa's First Lady of Sport). Considering both these women are playing a relatively large role in their respective broadcasters' plans, SABC Sport and Supersport, respectively, it could actually turn out to a race to see exactly who gets the honour of being the first woman in South African history to anchor a World Cup Match.

Overall, though the SABC's coverage plans seem disappointing, considering the effort Supersport is putting i.

Side note: Sport@10 takes a hiatus for the full duration of the World Cup.

Your Ultimate 2014 FIFA World Cup Coverage Guide (Supersport)

Below find a compact yet comprehensive list of all magazine shows and coverage plans for the 2014 FIFA World Cup across many channels that will be providing dedicated or specialised coverage.

First, the official broadcasters SABC  and Supersport

Supersport

Undoubtedly the biggest spender when it comes to world cup coverage, Supersport spared no epense when it came to upgrading their broadcast facilities or bringing in the big names

(c) Supersport

MasterPlan
When: Sundays, 2pm (60 min)

The only magazine show that survives from the previous format, MasterPlan has become a consistant feature when it comes to big sporting tournaments, having appeared as part of their coverage of the AFCON tournaments, UEFA Euro, and even rugby.

This time around, though, it is special guest host John Dykes takes the helm of the show, along with a panel of experts, including Gavin Hunt, Andre Arendse, Earnst Middendorp and Jay Jay Okocha, gives a technical breakdown of each team's on field strategy and tactics. This show is more formal in tone than other shows, as it caters more to the needs of the football intellectual. they will break down every match with the use of the touch screen, augmented realities and tactical camera angles, all from the main studio in Randburg.

Ola Brazil
When: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 1pm (30 min)
Supersport personality Carol Tshabalala hosts this show live from Sao Paulo and Rio in Brazil, giving viewers a rich, on the ground feel of the atmosphere in Brazil and behind the scenes happenings in this fast paced 30 min show

Insights- Live From Brazil
When: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 1:30pm(30 min)
Andy Townsend (from FAPLTV) and Nigeria's own Sunday Oliseh previews the up coming live match of the day and perspective into the game. Broadcast directly from Brazil.

Supersport's outdoor garden studio has been re purposed into an arena to house 2014 World Cup Magazine show #FanFest

Fanfest(a.k.a. #Fanfest)
When: Saturdays, 2pm (1 hour)
This one is for the younger ones and for those that enjoy interacting with whats on screen through social media. This one hour show is broadcast from a purposefully constructed arena at the Supersport studios in Randburg(in what has been known as their "Garden Studio') along with an in-studio audience, hosted by the likes of A.K.A and Bonang Matheba. Make your voice heard!

The "Dream team" of A.K.A, Sizwe Dhlomo, Bonang Matheba, Nandi Mngoma and Nono Cele have all joined Supersport as part of its SOuth African based team to cover the 2014 FIF World Cup as part of their World Cup Live programming block.

World Cup Live
When: Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays,1pm-4:30pm 
Providing blanket coverage of all other magazine shows and its own content, World Cup Live is the name of the programming block hosting all the world cup magazine shows hosted by personalities like A.K.A., Sizwe Dhlomo, Nandi Mngoma,Nono Cele  and Bonang Matheba, along with Supersport stalwarts Crystal Arnold and Khmza Mbata, who all in turn will be joined by an array or analysts and footballing legends. The final half hour of the slot will be a casual preview of the evening's matches

John Dykes standing infront of the desk at which Supersports 2014 World Cup Match Build Up will be broadcast from

Match Build Up
When: Before Every Match
Joint anchors John Dykes and Neil Andrews who host the likes of Ryan Giigs, Dr Khumalo, John Barnes, Andre Arendse, Gavin Hunt and many more as they build up to every match of the world cup from Supersport's cutting edge HD studio in Randburg that has things like touchscreens and augmented realities as they build up to every match at least one hour before it starts (the first match of the day gets 90 minutes), analyse it at half time, then break it down post show.

They will be joined by the likes of Carol Tshabalala, Robert Marawa and Phumlani Msibi who will host things live on location from Brazil with analysts like Andy Townsend and Sunday Olesh.

Supersport Adds even More Personalities to Its Already Star studded World Cup Coverage Line up

Eariler this week, Supersport quietly started rehearsals for its World Cup coverage at its Randburg studios.

Along with the previously announced and advertised names that are big in the soccer industry are local celebrities from other spheres of entertainment.

Included among these is South African singer AKA, who had previously co-hosted gaming show The Verge on Vuzu and an entertainment show on what is now Star One.

AKA and Sizwe taking pics while having their suits fitted

He is joined by  current MTV Base VJ, and without a doubt the diamond in the crown of MTV Africa's  networks, Sizwe Dhlomo, hot off the heels of the relatively successful MTV Africa Music Awards this past weekend.

Be it an audience of thousands or just a rehearsal, the talented Bonang Matheba always brings her A game.

They are joined by the fantastic Bonang Matheba, host of Mzansi Magic's Clash of the Choirs and Top Billing on SABC 3. This is not Bonang's  first World Cup she is covering as she hosted 2010 World Cup magazine show Tjovitjo on SABC 1.

Another local star joining the already impressive list is Namdi Mngoma, a previous host of Mzansi Magic's  All Access and a singer as well and also Nono Cele.

The team of AKA, Bonang Matheba, Siwe Dhlomo, Nono Cele and Namdi Mngoma take a break from  rehearsals for their World Cup show, World Cup Live on Supersport 3, for this beautiful picture.

Together, they, along with Kamza Mbata and Crystal Arnold will be the on screen team responsible for World Cup live, stylized #WorldCupLive,a World Cup magazine show that will air for the duration of the World Cup on Supersport 3 (DStv 203, Simulcast on Supersport 3HD, DStv 213 and DStv Mobile as well). The show is to air every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1pm all the way through to 4:30pm (you see why the necessity for the big team now?).
During what now seems to be a programming block will be other previously announced magazine shows Ola Brazil, Insights, MasterPlan and #FanFest. The last half hour of the show (4pm-4:30pm) will be a casual buildup to that day's matches.

When news of the additioanl talent joining the World Cup team broke, I wondered why Supersport has not promoted these personalities heavily as they did with their other personalities. But then I saw why they did not promote these personalities considering how big their fan bases, at least not in the traditional sense, they left it up to these stars to do it themselves. Combined, they all have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, an audience they have been tweeting to extensively to promote their show, tweeting that costs nothing but reaches the masses and, afterall, the show is being billed as an extremely interactive show, so why not promote it on the platform that will be central to its content in any case?

Either way, not everyone is happy about the selection of the stars, as seen in this tweet:

This #WorldCupLive show...I don't know okes. AKA, Bonang and Sizwe? Uhm, what about the world cup are they gonna be talking bout? The Swag?

— Man Of The Year (@MrGanca) June 10, 2014

WORLD CUP: Look who has an S on his chest

I saw this picture a few days ago of John Dykes shooting promotional material for what I assume was soccer footage. What I only just figured out was that it was for Supersport, as seen by the S seen on all on screen Supersport personalities' clothing.

John Dykes sporting a Supersport Blazer

Your First Look of the Brand Spanking New Supersport HD Set to be used in Supersport's Presentation for the Worldcup

These are the first pictures of what is billed as only an "upgrade" to Supersport's  main studio, Studio 6 at Mnet, though, from the pictures it is evident that it is a complete remodelling of the studio and not just the few touch ups as previously stated.
 
The first program to go live from the set, ironically, was not a sports program at all, but rather Mnet's Carte Blanche, which has now made a home for themselves in the Supersport Studios, though one must say their colour scheme and graphics go hand in glove with the studio.





This will be the studio from which all their South African based World Cup shows will be broadcast from, anchored primarily by John Dykes and Neil Andrews.

From the pictures, one can see that this set is actually smaller than its predecessor (seen below). The 2010 version of the set had stairs leading to higher presentation points from which hosts could present, but were never fully utilised. Its main mosaic of screens was bigger, and wider, than the new one, and even included one identical in size on top of it. The overal studio lacks the depth that it originally had that often made for some very good camera angles.

Compare the two and tell me size doesn't count

Even the desk at which the analysts and hosts are to sit has shrunk in size, likely a sign of what we have been seeing over the last few months of fewer analysts being used for Supersport presentations

The overall set just seems to lack space for anything exciting to happen, or for many people to fit into, which is concerning considering one of their World Cup shows, Fan Fest, is to actually have an audience in this studio in the same vein as 2010 show Super Nova had and even back then in a larger studio did it seems as if it was hard to fit the studio audience onto the set.

When the original HD set debuted in 2010, Supersport ran various 'warm up' broadcasts from the facility to get the feel of things, which included giving friendly matches in the middle of a work day few people watched the full treatment they give a match like a World Cup match to sort out any 'kinks' in the system and for analysts to get used to working the touchscreen. However, this time around, it seems as if none of this will take place.It is said that the studio now has 3d hologram features, which I would presume needs to be tested before the world cup so that no mess ups occur on the big stage. But there won't be broadcast dress rehearsals this time around (at least not broadcast on tv).

Eiher way, this will make for some interesting viewing.

Derek van Dam Leaving eNCA for CNN International

Derek van Dam, eNCA's Chief Meteorologist is leaving the channel for CNNI, where he will be based at the "World's Weather Headquarters" in Atlanta.

Derek joined the then eNews Channel  from US Network NBC's small town Michigan Affiliate, WPBN, to virtually rebuild eNews' weather department. He was initially infamous for butchering names of South African towns with his strong American accent to the point where the channel even made on air promos asking viewers to see him as he improves.

Now, six years later, the man that basically revolutionised tv weather in South Africa is leaving. Before he arrived, the weather person was just the nerdy guy doing the weather in front of a greenscreen. But since coming to South Africa, he has redifined that role as he became a greater 'celebrity' than any other weather guy in the country, often receiving star status at awards shows and other glamorous events, something never before seen for a weather guy (or even a news reader in that case).

He also introduced the touchscreen (along with new graphics) to the weather report, something that initially was rejected due to the simplicity and ease of understanding of the SABC's  weather graphics, but eventually they changed it as well.

He now joins CNN where he will be based in Atlanta as part of CNN's efforts to refocus its Atlanta bureau as the centre of its global operations, shrinking the role of its other bureaus, most notably CNN Hong Kong.

He posted the message below to his Facebook fan page just moments ago:
To the People of South Africa, 

It is with mixed emotions that I write this letter to you this afternoon. Today is the start of a fresh adventure for my new fiancé and I. Today also marks the slow closure of my greatest life chapter thus far. You have welcomed me into your homes for nearly 6 ½ years and I will be forever grateful that you entrusted me with that privilege. 

I have accepted a position at CNN International based in the United States and, along with my fiancé, will be making the “big move” to the other side of the pond. It breaks my heart to finally have to say those words to you, but I couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds.

The memories I have made in this country have been endless. I can’t thank you enough for opening your arms and embracing me as one of your own. What an honour! Most importantly, thank you for blessing me with the finest woman this country has to offer. I am truly lucky to say that I will marry the woman of my dreams. And to think, I only had to travel across the world to find her!
I don’t intend to turn this memo into a political message, but since I have your attention I want to say a few things. I have been in South Africa for 2 general elections. I have seen your democracy flourish and I have witnessed a country bounding with endless opportunities. Above all, your strength lies in your unity as a nation and I challenge every one of you to maintain this forward momentum; to see past your difficult history and to focus on building a country free from racism, corruption, crime and hatred. 

It is so difficult for me to leave this country of which I have grown to love. But as my mother always taught me, "don't be sad that it's over, be happy that it happened." This is not a "goodbye" South Africa; it's a "see you later.” Oh yeah, and "have a good one!"

Yours in Good Weather and Bad,
Derek Van Dam
@WXmanvandam
 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Below is the press release from etv:
 
It is with great sadness and tremendous gratitude that eNCA announces the departure of weather anchor Derek Van Dam. Van Dam has decided to return to his home country, the United States, where he will be joining CNN International. 


He joined eNCA in 2008 and helped set up the weather service for the 24-hour news channel on DStv channel 403. Previously, Van Dam worked for NBC in Michigan before being requested to come to South Africa by Head of News Patrick Conroy to set up a local weather division.

“At the time we needed someone with his level of broadcasting experience to help us get started. Six years later and we have an entire department of meteorologists and climatologists producing round-the-clock weather updates,” says Conroy.

“Derek has done the job we asked him to do. We are greatly indebted to him and we know South Africa will miss him too. He became one of us” he adds.

Derek Van Dam says he is leaving to be closer to friends and family in the US and take up a post with CNN International in Atlanta. However he is expected to be a regular visitor to our shores after he proposed to his long-term South African girlfriend, Tara Hossack, this weekend. Van Dam proposed at the finish line of the Comrades Marathon after he and Hossack completed the race together.

Says Derek Van Dam, “Living and working in South Africa has been a tremendous honour for me. I will be forever grateful to my colleagues at eNCA for the experiences and knowledge that we shared together as well as the tremendous support from the countless South Africans who welcomed me into their homes every night on TV.”

“I have also been granted permanent residence, so I plan to spend a lot of time in South Africa in the future, “says Van Dam. He adds: “I have mixed emotions about leaving the country of which I have grown to love. But as my mother always taught me, ‘don't be sad that it's over, be happy that it happened’. This is not a goodbye South Africa rather it is a ‘see you later, and have a good one!’“

eNCA’s climatologist, Candice McKechnie, will be the acting head of eNCA’s weather for the time being. Van Dam is due to leave for the US in July.

SABC News Adjusts Prime Time Schedule

 

SABC News (DStv 404) silently made adjustments to their schedule on Monday, 2 June 2014, with absolutely no announcement beforehand.

Their new prime time line up now kicks off with Business Review, hosted by Francis Herd, at 6pm, moving up from 8pm. This also means Francis' day now ends at the end of Prime Time News at 7:30pm, an hour earlier than when it used to, at 8:30pm. Francis was also the only anchor who mentioned the new slot for her show on Twitter, with the rest of the anchors not mentioning it at all.

Their flagship English bulletin,  Prime Time News, hosted by Vabakshnee Chetty and Peter Ndoro, now starts at 6:30pm, losing the 6pm half hour. This show, initially, was born out of SABC 3's 1 hour News show at 6:30pm then expanding to include the earlier half hour when the channel launched. Now it is being scaled back to an hour again.

The 7:30pm Afrikaans bulletin stays unchanged.

In the 8pm slot is a newly launched 30minute English News Bulletin, aptly titled News at 8, that is meant to review the days top stories. The camera angles in this bulletin also resemble a more of a 'classic' news bulletin's camera angles, giving it a different feel compared to the earlier English slot done from the same studio.

The 8:30pm Sports Live stays unchanged.

Overall, this is a major improvement because prior to the changes, one had to wait from 7:30pm all the way to 11pm between English news bulletins on the channel. The 11pm news bulletin, Your World, is not live in any case so the channel basically could not provide fresh news in English after a very early 7:30pm. Now with the changes, live news ends an hour later at 8:30pm