Rhythm City revival

The youth-orientated soap is getting a makeover, says eTV publicity manager Boniswa Matshoba.

On October 23, Rhythm City will switch to high definition providing a resolution which is higher than standard TV.

The show will also be getting a new title sequence with music performed by Samkelo Mdolomba, former member of The Soil.

“After 7 years, the show has evolved and it needed a creative revamp,” said Rhythm City series producer Yula Quinn in a statement.

The new title sequence was designed to complement the show’s upgrade to HD.

This is the first move towards a fresh, new look for the show.

According to a report by tvsa.co.za in September, Rhythm City experienced a huge decline in viewership when SABC1’s Skeem Saam premiered on the 6.30pm time slot on July 14.

The website reported that the soap lost about two about million viewers during this time and has been struggling to recover ever since.

The first signs of trouble on the show appeared last month when the Rhythm City omnibus was moved to OpenView HD, making it unavailable to viewers without the Open View HD satellite which was launched last year.

The Saturday slot was filled with a Scandal omnibus – a move which was prompted by public requests.

Last week, Matshoba confirmed that there would be a number of new actors joining the soap.

Among them are former Big Brother housemate Mzamo Gcabashe, television presenter Zola Hashatsi and theatre actress Camilla Waldman.

Matshoba denied rumors that fired Generations actor Menzi Ngubane will be joining the soap.