Newzroom Afrika announced as Afro Worldview DStv replacement

On Tuesday MultiChoice announced Newzroom Afrika as the the new black-owned 24-hour news channel on pay-TV operator DStv, replacing Afro Worldview, which was formerly the Gupta family’s ANN7.

More than 60 companies launched bids for the 24-hour television slot, including Afro Worldview itself.

This after MultiChoice last week pulled the plug on Afro Worldview – the television channel formerly owned by the Gupta brothers under the name ANN7 – which until August 20 had been aired on DStv 405.

Earlier in January, Mawela said “mistakes” were made in contractual negotiations with the formerly Gupta-owned 24-hour news channel ANN7 after MultiChoice inexplicably paid R25 million to the Gupta-owned channel and increased its annual carriage fee from R50 million to R141 million.

At the time, Mawela said the agreement would be terminated when the deal expired on August 20, ending a five-year relationship after the channel started broadcasting in 2013.

The channel had changed ownership and name after Mzawanele Manyi’s Afrotone Media Holdings bought it for R300 million in a vendor-financed deal from the Guptas’ Infinity Media.

Staff at Afro Worldview were earlier informed not to report for work from August 21.