Africa’s leading satellite television service, MultiChoice, will introduce the Indian TV news channel WION to its DStv satellite pay-tv service for South African subscribers and possibly other subscribers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
WION will be added to MultiChoice’s DStv in October, according to a video released by ZEE Entertainment Enterprise Ltd. (ZEEL), which is merging with Sony Pictures Network India. ZEEL already has channels on MultiChoice’s DStv in South Africa and across Africa and on Zee TV, Zee World, Zee Magic, Zee Cinema, and Zee Alem, among others.
WION is an Indian multinational English language television news channel based in New Delhi that began broadcasting in August 2016 as part of the Essel Group’s Zee Media television network. “Bringing the latest and breaking news from South Asia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the rest of the world,” claims WION, which stands for “World Is One News.”
WION’s introduction on MultiChoice’s DStv is not the first time the channel will be available and accessible in Africa. WION was added to Econet Media’s now-defunct Kwese TV in mid-2017 when Joseph Hundah hosted a party in Johannesburg with ZEE TV Africa and the African ZEE team to celebrate the pay-TV service’s launch of the Indian TV news channel.
MultiChoice has yet to make an official statement about the addition of WION to DStv. However, Linda Oliphant, Zee Africa’s marketing manager, told BMA sources that Zee Africa is awaiting confirmation of the WION channel’s DStv launch date in response to a media enquiry seeking further information about WION and when it would launch.
WION’s rolling TV news coverage is split into various daypart slots. It also airs branded programmes such as Gravitas in primetime, Speed News, The Diplomacy Show, WION World Order, WION Fineprint, WION Tech Out, WION Edge, and others.
While every DStv news channel is directly competing for DStv subscribers as a viewer, WION is joining the DStv news line-up where India’s NDTV (DStv 413) has been broadcasting for several years.
