E.tv bursts into soapie wars with new entry

E.TV IS shaking things up with its new prime time schedule. The channel has ramped up its challenge to South Africa’s top soapies with a new local series in the popular 8pm slot

The channel announced plans this week for a new lineup from March 2, with a bigger emphasis on local drama. This includes the new, 104-episode series Ashes to Ashes, which will compete with SABC’s Generations: Legacy.

Viewership of Generations has fallen since the show’s reboot last year, after creator Mfundi Vundla axed 16 cast members in a salary dispute.

And e.tv is aware that now is the time to strike if it wants to wrest the title of South Africa’s top soapie from Generations.

Monde Twala, e.tv’s channels division managing director, said the new line-up was focused on producing local content. “The aim of these programmes is to invest in the development of local content as part of celebrating our legacy, protecting and preserving our cultures. The local film industry has the responsibility to ensure that we tell relevant and resonating local stories.”

He promised the list for 2015 was “very long” in its bid to go “big, fresher and better” every year.

Complementing the new prime time candidate will be Umlilo ( fire in Xhosa), which the channel said stars some of the country’s favourite actors, and tackles contentious issues.

Also part of new look lineup is a shift for music industry soapie Rhythm City, one of the channel’s most successful local soapies, which moves from its 6.30pm timeslot to 8pm.