e.tv News & Sport

e.tv News & Sport was a South African free-to-air digital satellite television channel created and owned by eMedia Investments, the company behind e.tv and the Openview platform. The service was previously known as OpenNews and was developed to provide Openview audiences with a dedicated local news option. Its creation reflected a gap in eMedia's existing portfolio: although the group operated the 24-hour eNCA news channel, eNCA was produced primarily for the DStv platform, while Openview viewers continued to seek a locally oriented news service of their own. BBC World News was also available across satellite platforms, but it did not serve the same local-news role. OpenNews initially focused on scheduled local news programming during the evening. Its early weekday schedule ran from 17:00 to 23:00 Central Africa Time, later changing to a principal local-news window from approximately 16:00 to 19:30. Outside that block, the channel carried international news supplied by partners including TRT World, China Global Television Network and France 24, as well as selected local documentaries. This combination allowed eMedia to use the service as both a local news outlet and a broader information channel without replicating the full 24-hour production model of eNCA. On 5 August 2019, OpenNews and the related e.tv news bulletins adopted the e.tv news name. Later in 2019, the channel expanded into sports programming and used the e.tv Sport identity before settling on the News & Sport branding. The service was subsequently made available through Viu, extending its distribution beyond Openview's satellite television environment. The channel's life was relatively short. In February 2022, reporting indicated that eMedia intended to close e.tv News and Sport because the operation was not financially viable. eMedia later confirmed the shutdown on 31 March 2022, and the channel ceased broadcasting at midnight that day. It is therefore a defunct media brand rather than an active news operation. Its history illustrates eMedia's attempts to broaden Openview's content proposition, respond to demand for locally relevant news, and use a shared channel for news and sports programming while operating alongside the group's separate eNCA service.

e.tv News & Sport originated as OpenNews, a channel created by eMedia Investments for viewers of its Openview free-to-air digital satellite platform. eMedia already operated eNCA, a 24-hour news channel, but that service was produced for DStv and did not provide the same dedicated local-news proposition to Openview households. International news services such as BBC World News were available, yet they likewise did not fully meet demand for South African local coverage. The service began with a limited weekday schedule concentrated in the evening. Local news was initially broadcast from 17:00 to 23:00 Central Africa Time, while the schedule was later reorganized around a local-news window running roughly from 16:00 to 19:30. Other hours were filled with programming from international news partners, including TRT World, China Global Television Network and France 24, together with local documentaries. This scheduling model combined eMedia-produced local content with acquired international material. On 5 August 2019, OpenNews was renamed e.tv news, and the same identity was applied to the broadcaster's e.tv news bulletins. Later that year, the channel added sports content and temporarily used the e.tv Sport branding. It ultimately became known as e.tv News & Sport and was also distributed through Viu. The change broadened the service from a focused news outlet into a combined news-and-sports channel. The channel was later judged commercially unviable. A February 2022 report said eMedia planned to discontinue it by the end of March, and the company confirmed the closure on 31 March 2022. Broadcasting ended at midnight on that date. The brand's operating history was consequently defined by its role as an Openview-oriented local news experiment, its later addition of sports programming, and its eventual withdrawal from the market.

• 2022

  Broadcasting ends

  [1]e.tv News & Sporten.wikipedia.org

  eMedia confirmed that the channel would close at midnight on 31 March because it was not viable.

• 2019

  OpenNews becomes e.tv news

  [1]e.tv News & Sporten.wikipedia.org

  On 5 August, the channel and e.tv's news bulletins were renamed e.tv news.

• 2019

  Sports programming added

  [1]e.tv News & Sporten.wikipedia.org

  The service expanded into sports and moved through the e.tv Sport identity before adopting the News & Sport positioning.

A locally oriented South African news and sports service for eMedia's Openview audience, supplemented by international partner programming.

• Television channel

  e.tv News & Sport

  A former South African free-to-air digital satellite channel distributed primarily through Openview and later made available on Viu. It combined locally produced news during defined daily windows with international news from partner networks and selected local documentaries. Sports programming was added in 2019, broadening the channel's editorial scope beyond news. The service ceased broadcasting on 31 March 2022.

• Television news bulletin

  e.tv news bulletins

  News bulletins associated with the e.tv broadcast brand and renamed alongside the OpenNews channel on 5 August 2019. They formed part of the wider e.tv news identity, while the dedicated channel later developed into the combined News & Sport service.

• 2022

  Channel closureStrategy

  Background

  The channel was reported to be commercially unviable.

  Action taken

  eMedia confirmed the service's closure on 31 March, with broadcasting ending at midnight.

  Aftermath

  e.tv News & Sport ceased to operate as a broadcast channel.

  Source

• 2019

  Rebrand from OpenNews to e.tv newsStrategy

  Background

  eMedia sought to align the dedicated channel and its e.tv news bulletins under a common identity.

  Action taken

  The OpenNews name was replaced by e.tv news on 5 August 2019.

  Aftermath

  The service later added sports programming and became associated with the News & Sport brand.

  Source

• 2019

  Expansion into sportsProduct launch

  Background

  The channel broadened its programming proposition beyond local and international news.

  Action taken

  Sports programming was introduced, initially using the e.tv Sport identity before the News & Sport branding was established.

  Aftermath

  The service operated as a combined news and sports channel and was later distributed through Viu.

  Source

1. 1e.tv News & Sporten.wikipedia.org
2. 2e.tv Newsetv.co.za