Obviously, the highlight for a large bulk of people worldwide is the Fifa World Cup being hosted in the country of DStv’s corporate headquarters, South Africa. No wonder then that DStv has pulled out all the stops to make the event as memorable and exciting for audiences everywhere.
Harambee, which means ‘Coming Together’ in Swahili and popularised by Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta, will be SuperSport’s flagship show for the World Cup.
To be broadcast daily from 19.00-19.30pm (CAT), Harambee will lead into the main match of the evening. This is the show that will pull together the big issues of the day with football experts and top guests discussing the very latest developments.
SuperSport’s leading anchors, among them Robert Marawa, Thomas Mlambo and Nigeria’s Charles Anazodo, will host the not-to-be-missed Harambee.
“Fifa has promised that this will be the most extensive, most technologically advanced broadcast in World Cup history,” said Tex Teixeira, head of channels for SuperSport.
He adds: “This is the closest the television viewer will be to the World Cup. Picture clarity, the number of cameras, replays, graphics and super-slomos will be better than ever before.”
As with all World Cup broadcasters, SuperSport will receive the live feed from HBS, Swiss-based host broadcaster of the tournament. Whereas matches in the 2006 World Cup used 26 TV cameras, this will be bumped up to 29 per match, with three more to be used for selected matches.
These include, for the first time, an aerial camera and an ultra motion camera that produces between 300 and 1000 frames per second in HD (high definition), allowing for the capture of 20-40 times more frames compared to a standard camera, and can provide stunning images of action and emotion.
As exclusive pay TV rights holders for Africa, SuperSport will have full rights to Fifa’s content library, which will offer 100-plus hours of daily content. Fifa’s access to all 32 teams means that much behind-the-scenes action, restricted to other media, will be broadcast on SuperSport.
And to complement its coverage, SuperSport will utilise a multi-purpose HD studio set; again, the biggest in its history and in keeping with the World Cup’s status.
Now back to ordinary programming which will continue as usual. There are plenty of movies to keep you occupied in between waits. As always a mixture of fairly new titles and a host of much acclaimed recent oldies.
MNet Movies One
Watch out for The Strangers. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman star in this relentless suspense thriller that will keep you up at night.
After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night.
What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive
Halle Berry won her first Oscar for her performance in the Monster’s Ball. This is a dark, but engrossing movie that explores some of the worse prejudices of American society 50 odd years ago.
After a family tragedy, a racist prison guard (Billy Bob Thornton),
re-examines his attitudes while falling in love with the African-American wife of the last prisoner he executed.
For those taken up by hip hop, you cannot afford to miss Notorious. This is the story of his life Notorious Mr. Big. Jamal Woolard and Angela Bassett star in this tale of the good and bad of this music genre.
Notorious is the story of Christopher Wallace. Through raw talent and sheer determination, Wallace transforms himself from Brooklyn street hustler (once selling crack to pregnant women) to one of the greatest rappers of all time; THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. Follow his meteoric rise to fame and
his refusal to succumb to expectations - redefining our notion of ‘The American Dream’.
On perky side, you can watch out for He’s Just Not That Into You. A group of interconnected, Baltimore-based adults navigate their relationships from the shallow end of the dating pool through the murky waters of married life.
Jennifer Aniston and Scarlett Johansson are the leading ladies
Gigi imagines every man she meets is Mr. Right; she gets reality checks from Alex, a sweet but cynical saloon keeper. Janine and Ben seem solidly married until he chats with Anna in a market checkout line; meanwhile Anna is indifferent to the pursing Connor. Neil and Beth have been together seven years; she dumps him when she realizes he really and truly isn’t going to marry her. Does he love her? And Mary sells advertising while searching on line for a man. Will those in love stay in love? Will those searching figure out who is and who isn’t into them? Are men all that different from women?
MNet Movies2
You can be sure of laughs in the middle of some of the most frightening scenes with Scary movie2.
A group of girls go to a haunted house where a crazy professor wants to conduct sleep experiments. However, he really wants to connect with the spirit of the house’s original owner. The house has some deep dark secrets that the group has to solve, even if they are scary or disgusting.
Anna Faris, Shawn Wayans and Keenen Ivory Wayans star in this slapstick horror movie.
On MNet Movies Two you can also get a chance to watch how the latest hit Clash of the Titans was made. There is some interesting behind-the-scenes footage to wow you.
In Three can play that game, a relationship expert helps women get what they want. However, she is thrown into the deep end when she has to help a woman who accuses her husband of cheating.
It stars Vivica A Fox and Jason Winston George. Shanté Smith has moved to Atlanta where she’s the Love Doctor, helping women get their men to the altar. Tiffany calls her after she catches her boyfriend, Byron, in a clinch with his boss, Carla, just after he wins a competition similar to ‘The Apprentice.’
Shanté initiates a five-step programme for Tiffany while Byron seeks advice from his best friend, Gizzard. The five steps include her meeting his family and her offering and withholding sex; Byron and Gizzard respond with their own strategies. Then, Bryon consults Shanté: has the Love Doctor switched sides? And, what happens if Byron finds out that Tiffany’s playing games? Can true love run without a play book? Find out this June.
For thrill seekers there is the successful Next. Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) has a secret which torments him: he can see a few minutes into the future. Sick of the examinations he underwent as a child and the interest of the government and medical establishment in his power, he lies low under an assumed name in Vegas, performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling ‘winnings.’
But when a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles, government agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore) must use all her wiles to capture Cris and convince him to help her stop the cataclysm
MNet Action
Toughest Cowboy is a series follows 12 professional cowboys as they compete in three rough stock rodeo events to stand a chance of winning the grand prize of a spectacular ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming.
The three punishing rough stock events are bareback bronco riding, saddle bronco riding and bull riding. The two lowest point-getters in each round are forced to go head-to-head in a bull riding duel to see who will be eliminated.
MNet series
In Happy Town, Henley Boone moves to a seemingly idyllic town just as a shocking murder occurs, the town’s first crime in seven years.
Tommy, the new deputy and son of a popular sheriff, tries to ease the town’s fears and solve the crime while a mysterious new woman tries to uncover her families secret in Happy Town. The cast includes Geoff Stults as Tommy Conroy;
Amy Acker as Rachel Conroy; Dan Petronijevic as Ronald Stiviletto;
Sarah Gadon as Georgia Bravin; Lauren German as Henley Matt Hopkins and Sam Neill as Merritt Grieves.
Season four of Big Love is well underway. Bill Henrickson is a Utah polygamist who must juggle his three seemingly willing wives - Barb, Nicki and Margene and his seven kids.
In the season four premiere, the Henricksons plan to open their Indian reservation casino. Elsewhere, the FBI launches an investigation to find Roman Grant and Nikki tries to keep her daughter away from J.J.
The fourth season of Big Love premiered on January 10, 2010. It was further announced that Amanda Seyfried, who plays Bill and Barb’s daughter Sarah, will leave the show after the completion of the season in order to pursue a film career full time. It is unknown if she will make guest appearances in future seasons.
Reuters reported that Bella Thorne will replace Jolean Wejbe who has played Bill and Barb’s daughter Tancy for the first three seasons.
The season presents Bill with two challenges — his campaign for public office, and his growing rift with his eldest son, Ben. Bill seeks a seat in the Utah State Senate as part of a plan to legitimize The Principle — which faces renewed and widespread animosity from the public. Bill learns of Ben’s growing attraction to Margene, and agrees that Ben should spend some time away from the house, which Ben interprets as being ‘cast out’ of the family. This shocks Bill’s family, who recently discovered Bill’s own criminal past after his exile, revealed to the public by Bill’s political opponent. Bill must also grapple with Marilyn Densham (Sissy Spacek), a powerful and conniving lobbyist whom he likens to a common criminal.
Discovery Channel
On Discovery Channel, American Loggers continues to follow the working life of the family-run logging enterprise Pelletier Brothers, Inc. The business started half a century ago and has flourished; it now employs dozens of men to work across the thousands of acres in the forests of northern Maine, America.
It is a wet start to the new season and 30 days of non-stop rain has turned the legendary logging route known as the Golden Road into a muddy mess. With treacherous weather conditions making it difficult to haul double loads of timber, maximising profits is a challenge. Prepare to be gripped by their hard work and determination as the men risk their lives to make a living.
Battle Machine Bros’ follows the family business of identical twins Mike and Geoff Howe as they build some of the most exciting machines you have ever seen. In each episode, they work hard to push the limits of innovation by creating new and ingenious machines, including re-designing a military tank and constructing a supercharged subterranean rover – an off-road vehicle designed to travel deep into coal mine tunnels.
Working with their wives and their loyal shop crew, the Howe brothers put everything they have into their inventions. No idea is too crazy, but the success or failure of each invention could make or break their small shop, which is on the verge of huge success.
