The Power Of Premium
24 August 2020
DStv is blossoming into spring with fresh new local series, international hits, and new ways of enjoying movies and sports on Premium
September is Spring in South Africa. It’s our heritage month, and a time to celebrate growth and unity, and to take a chance on something new. To celebrate that fresh and hopeful feeling, DStv will be powering up the Premium package with exclusive content in September to showcase not only dazzling new local series, but international favourites and new ways of watching the latest movies and sports.
If you think you’ve seen it all, you’re in for a big surprise. There’s never been a better time to get DStv Premium, because these are going to be South Africa’s most-talked-about shows. Who needs FOMO when you could be in the know?
Premium subscribers see it first, and they see it fast. Sensational international series like I Am The Night, World On Fire and FBI’s Most Wanted, and movies like Sam Mendes’s war drama 1917, Terminator: Dark Fate, action thriller The Rhythm Section and kids animation The Adventures of A.R.I. My Robot Friend are all premiering on M-Net in September. And with 4 dedicated movie channels, Premium viewers can expect far fewer repeats popping up on their screens.
On SuperSport, the brand-new Grandstand Channel (DStv 201) will host live top-notch sports events exclusively for Premium viewers. It’s where you’ll find the football, rugby, cricket, tennis and golf events that everyone is downing tools to watch.
But if there’s one reason to tune in, it’s to see what South Africa can do…
DStv Premium local showcase
South African series dominate the ratings. In heritage month, could you bear to miss one minute? M-Net is staking its claim as Premium’s flagship channel with brand-new prestige local drama series Inconceivable, its superstar-powered telenovela series Legacy, and the compassionate and fascinating reality series The Single Wives SA.
The Single Wives SA
Six successful businesswomen women (aged 33-50) who’ve had their hearts and lives shattered by romantic betrayals, disappointments and devastating loss in the past are about to go on the emotional journey of a lifetime. Guided by transformational coach Justin Cohen and life coach Mapaseka Mokwele, they’ll learn how to love themselves again, before Justin and Mapaseka put them on the path to finding true love by putting them through a series of fun challenges. “It’s not about competing for an object of affection nor finding that Mr. Right; it’s about women who are willing to be vulnerable and the process that they will go through to get to a point where they’re ready for a potentially long-lasting relationship again,” says Justin. If Spring is about hope and new beginnings, nowhere is this better represented than in The Single Wives SA.
Watch The Single Wives SA S1 from Thursday, 3 September on M-Net (DStv 101) at 19:00 or on Catch Up
Inconceivable
If you’re looking for drama, Inconceivable is a whole mother story! The show follows a tight-knit group of friends who’re all adding one special, explosive ingredient to the pressure cooker of modern life – children. For high-flying lawyer Rachel (Carine Rous), it’s a life goal that must be met at all costs, including blackmail and a shocking lie that destroys the life of a poor mother from the wrong side of the tracks, Tamsin (Jay Anstey). When Rachel’s best friend Marieke (Anel Alexander) finds out what she has done, she’ll have to choose between exposing Rachel’s crime and wrecking her own life and family. And while they’re embroiled in that struggle, their closest friends will be dealing with the pressures on the side of women who don’t have children – Busi (Refilwe Madumo) because she just has never wanted to be a mom, and Natalie (Nina Hastie) because while there’s nothing she’d love more than her own baby, she is battling fertility issues. Between marriage, business, parenthood and pregnancy and running a household, every day becomes a battleground between what these women want, what they need, and what’s possible. And when there’s no compromise, there’s sheer catastrophe.
Watch Inconceivable S1 from Thursday, 3 September on M-Net (DStv 101) at 20:00
Legacy
M-Net’s glittering new telenovela, Legacy, transports us into the world of South Africa’s super mega-rich. Expect all the double-crossing business dirty dealing of Billions, crossed with the backstabbing family drama of Succession. It’ll have all that gloss that only money can buy, complete with a grand old Johannesburg mansion, a fleet of luxury cars and a wardrobe to die for. The Legacy of the title is the fortune and family established by investment firm mogul Sebastian Price (Deon Lotz). But when Sebastian sparks a power struggle between his Soweto-born second wife, Dineo (Kgomotso Christopher), his ambitious firstborn daughter, Felicity (Mary-Anne Barlow), who believes that she has been groomed to step into Sebastian’s shoes, and Sebastian and Dineo’s spoilt only son SJ (Anton David Jeftha), who just wants to be a DJ, the knives will come out around the family dinner table. Legacy, from the award-winning team of Phathu Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon of Tshedza Pictures, draws on all the twists and surprises of life among South Africa’s different races, cultures and its rich and poor.
Watch Legacy S1 from Monday, 21 September on M-Net (DStv 101) at 19:00
New ways of seeing
September will also see dramatic new ways of enjoying movies and sports on Premium.
Movies
From Tuesday 1 September, DStv’s 6 current M-Net Movie channels will be re-organised into four channels – M-Net Movies 1, M-Net Movies 2, M-Net Movies 3, and M-Net Movies 4. And from 1 September, the dedicated Afrikaans film channel FliekNET will be joining the slate permanently. DStv will still release the same number of fresh films, they’ll just be easier to find.
- M-Net Movies 1 (104 on DStv Premium): Hot new local and international feel-good family movies. Romance, drama and kid-friendly films. (If you were a Smile channel fan, this is the best match)
- M-Net Movies 2 (106 on DStv Premium): Explosive, heart-racing action flicks and adventure films (if you were an Action+ fan, this is your best match)
- M-Net Movies 3 (107 on DStv Premium): Superheroes, science fiction and fantasy films, along with adventure classics, thrillers and horror. (the best match for Action and All Stars fans)
- M-Net Movies 4 (108 on DStv Premium): Blockbuster movies with all their sequels and prequels. (the best match for Zone fans)
- FliekNET (149 on DStv Premium): Local blockbusters, classic, art films, documentaries, shorts, made-for-TV movies and more. All your favourite stars in all their different stories. FliekNET will also be the home of the straight-to-kykNET movies being produced as part of DStv’s investment in SA’s film and television industry.
- M-Net Movies Pop-Up (111 on DStv Premium): Along with their regular movie channels, Premium viewers can keep an eye out for themed festivals and binges focussed on specific stars on Pop-Up
Read more about it here.
Sports
SuperSport is dropping its numbering system from Tuesday, 1 September to bring DStv viewers new channels dedicated to specific sports – because that’s the way you want to watch it! There will also be the brand-new Grandstand Channel, which will host live top-notch sports events specially for Premium viewers.
“The changes will mean that additional SuperSport channels of local and international sporting content will be added to the DStv package. Genre channelling will increase awareness of a broader range of content, which may have always been on the platform, but wasn’t necessarily easy to discover. This signals a radical change designed to make content discovery more seamless,” says Gideon Khobane, chief executive of SuperSport.
Channels to look out for:
- Blitz (DStv 200): news and highlights, 24/7
- Grandstand (DStv 201): Live matches and games for Premium viewers
- Soccer: PSL (DStv 202), Premier League (DStv 203), LaLiga (DStv 204), Football (DStv 205).
- Variety 1 (DStv 206): Cycling & swimming
- Variety 2 (DStv 207): Gymnastics, squash, sailing and hockey
- Variety 3 (DStv 208): Athletics & marathons
- Variety 4 (DStv 209): Local netball, school rugby, varsity sports,
- Action (DStv 210): Adrenaline sports like UFC, EFC and boxing
- Rugby (DStv 211)
- Cricket (DStv 212)
- Golf (DStv 213)
- Tennis (DStv 214)
- Motorsport (DStv 215)
- WWE (DStv 236)
- Maximo (DStv 241): Portuguese-language sports
- ESPN (DStv 218): European football
- ESPN 2 (DStv 219): American league sports like football, basketball, baseball and hockey
And where there is a lot of programming, some events will spill over into the variety channels.
Read more about SuperSport’s new September offerings and changes here.
The best of International TV on Premium
September on DStv Premium delivers the very best and latest international content, from action, drama and comedy series, to inspiring and educational documentaries and travel shows. And after acting as the home for so many hit shows over the past year, M-Net (DStv 101) will be hosting the 2020 Emmy Awards show live on Monday, 21 September from 02:00.
Fans of thrillers and action drama will be able to enjoy Julian McMahon’s starring role in the Dick Wolf-produced FBI spinoff, FBI’s Most Wanted on M-Net from Wednesday, 16 September. Chris Pine can make space for next year’s Emmy thanks to his performance as a reporter investigating a prime suspect in the Black Dahlia murder, who could turn out to be a serial killer, in the eerie period drama I Am The Night on M-Net from Tuesday, 22 September. And WWII drama series World On Fire is just right for our times as it shows the lives of ordinary people across the world as they come to terms with devastating global changes.
As always, DStv will be showcasing the best international travel shows for viewers who’re still longing for an escape into the larger world. The Coffee Trail With Simon Reeve will see the adventurer head to Vietnam to bring home the tale of how we get our daily cup of coffee on BBC Earth (DStv 184) from Monday, 7 September, while the tail end of Winter will catch us locked in ice and gripped in fascination as the Discovery Channel (DStv 121) series Expedition To The Edge takes us inside a disastrous 2018 journey through Canada’s Northwest Passage. And if you’re looking for a bit of light relief, the wonderfully funny costumed singing show The Masked Singer returns for a third season on M-Net on Friday, 18 September.
Don’t miss out!
If you know Premium, then you know this is just the tip of the iceberg, because every other show that airs on DStv is also available to Premium viewers.
To find out all about how you can sign up for DStv Premium, click here.
How to watch DStv online
Sign up for DStv Now, a free service for all DStv subscribers. With DStv Now the same channels you watch on your decoder at home are available for you to stream online, or using the DStv Now app on your phone.
