# E.tv
**e.tv** is a South African free-to-air commercial television channel that launched on 1 October 1998 as the country's first privately owned national free-to-air station, breaking the state broadcaster's monopoly on free television.[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/channels/viewchannel.aspx?channelid=4) • [2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1998/03/31/black-led-group-wins-license-for-s-africas-1st-free-tv-station/e2081303-94bd-4602-9ec5-c16b861d3106/) It is owned by eMedia Investments, whose controlling shareholder is the JSE-listed eMedia Holdings, and describes itself as South Africa's biggest independent and free-to-air television channel.[3](https://www.etv.co.za/about) • [4](https://emediaholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/e-Media-Holdings-AGM-2025_hires.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Launched | 1 October 1998 at 17:00, with a six-hour daily lineup; expanded to 24-hour programming[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/channels/viewchannel.aspx?channelid=4) • [5](https://www.tvsa.co.za/user/blogs/viewblogpost.aspx?blogpostid=16002) |
| License | Awarded March 1998 to the Midi Television consortium, beating six other bidders; first free commercial television station in South Africa[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1998/03/31/black-led-group-wins-license-for-s-africas-1st-free-tv-station/e2081303-94bd-4602-9ec5-c16b861d3106/) |
| Ownership | eMedia Holdings holds 67.69% of eMedia Investments, which owns e.tv; HCI, controlled by the union SACTWU, sits behind eMedia Holdings[4](https://emediaholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/e-Media-Holdings-AGM-2025_hires.pdf) • [6](https://www.etv.co.za/sites/default/files/Commissioning_protocol-final_July2010.pdf) |
| Reach | Claimed reach of over 20 million viewers daily; eMedia reported a 32.2% prime-time audience share for the year ended 31 March 2026[7](https://www.etv.co.za/press-releases/etv-revamps-its-prime-time-schedule-moving-times-not-stories) • [8](https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/655294-one-free-broadcaster-beating-dstv-and-sabc-in-south-africa.html) |
| Sister channels | eMovies, eMovies Extra, eExtra, eReality, eToonz and others, carried on the Openview free-to-air satellite platform launched in October 2013[9](https://www.etv.co.za/scoop/evolution-entertainment) |
| News | The e.tv news bulletin launched 17 January 1999; the group also runs the 24-hour news channel eNCA[5](https://www.tvsa.co.za/user/blogs/viewblogpost.aspx?blogpostid=16002) • [10](https://emediaholdings.co.za/about-us/) |
## Licensing and launch
The license for South Africa's first free-to-air commercial television station was awarded on 30 March 1998 to the Midi Television consortium, a black-led group that included the US media company Time Warner. Warner Brothers International Television held a 20 percent stake, the maximum foreign investment allowed under the [Independent Broadcasting Authority](https://www.edgepedia.org/independent-broadcasting-authority)'s rules, while 80 percent was held by black investors led by Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI), the investment company of South African clothing and textile workers' unions and the first union-owned company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1998/03/31/black-led-group-wins-license-for-s-africas-1st-free-tv-station/e2081303-94bd-4602-9ec5-c16b861d3106/) Midi won out over six other bidders, including consortia backed by Fox Television and TF1.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1998/03/31/black-led-group-wins-license-for-s-africas-1st-free-tv-station/e2081303-94bd-4602-9ec5-c16b861d3106/)
The channel began broadcasting at 17:00 on 1 October 1998 with six hours of programming a day, and its news bulletin, eNews, first went to air on 17 January 1999.[5](https://www.tvsa.co.za/user/blogs/viewblogpost.aspx?blogpostid=16002) From 2001 the channel was mandated to carry 45 percent South African content.[11](https://www.mdda.org.za/ugd/f97c7f_9f08184a93514ccfb39a2fdd48dfc1a4.pdf)
## Early financial trouble and growth
After the launch, budget estimates fell well below the requirements of the business and the channel lost millions every month. In mid-1999 a new management team was appointed and a turnaround strategy was put in place, supported by additional funds from the original shareholder HCI and the new shareholder Venfin; the channel then became financially sustainable.[5](https://www.tvsa.co.za/user/blogs/viewblogpost.aspx?blogpostid=16002)
Growth followed quickly. AMPS research recorded regular viewership rising from just over 2.4 million in 1999 to almost 12 million in 2007, a growth rate of 384 percent.[5](https://www.tvsa.co.za/user/blogs/viewblogpost.aspx?blogpostid=16002) By 2001 e.tv had become the largest English-medium channel in the country and the second largest overall.[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/channels/viewchannel.aspx?channelid=4)
## Programming
e.tv's schedule centers on local drama and soap operas alongside international series and movies. Long-running local productions include *Scandal!*, *Rhythm City*, *House of Zwide*, *Backstage* and *Smoke & Mirrors*; *Backstage* is credited with helping launch the careers of South African performers.[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/channels/viewchannel.aspx?channelid=4) • [12](https://www.etv.co.za/scoop/etv-turns-28-28-years-stories-stars-and-unforgettable-mzansi-moments) In a 2026 schedule revamp, the evening lineup ran from e.tv News at 18:30 through a block of daily dramas including *Kelders Van Geheime*, *House of Zwide*, *Scandal!* and *Isitha: The Enemy*.[7](https://www.etv.co.za/press-releases/etv-revamps-its-prime-time-schedule-moving-times-not-stories) eMedia attributed its prime-time position to strategic scheduling with five daily soaps.[8](https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/655294-one-free-broadcaster-beating-dstv-and-sabc-in-south-africa.html)
Since 2001, more than 45 percent of the channel's programming between 5am and 11pm has consisted of local content produced by independent producers.[6](https://www.etv.co.za/sites/default/files/Commissioning_protocol-final_July2010.pdf) The group reported spending approximately R600 million annually on local drama series and more than R700 million on the local industry.[4](https://emediaholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/e-Media-Holdings-AGM-2025_hires.pdf)
## The eMedia group and Openview
e.tv sits within eMedia Investments, whose assets include the 24-hour news channel eNCA, the free-to-air satellite platform Openview operated by Platco Digital, the streaming service eVOD, and studio and production businesses.[10](https://emediaholdings.co.za/about-us/) Openview launched in October 2013 and carries e.tv's spin-off channels, most of them in HD: eMovies, eMovies Extra, eExtra, eReality, eRewind, eNews & Sport and eToonz, with eXposed and ePlesier added later.[9](https://www.etv.co.za/scoop/evolution-entertainment) • [10](https://emediaholdings.co.za/about-us/) Households with an Openview decoder receive 22 live TV channels, including the full e.tv suite, and 29 live radio channels for a once-off decoder fee.[8](https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/655294-one-free-broadcaster-beating-dstv-and-sabc-in-south-africa.html)
**Ownership changes.** eMedia Holdings holds a 67.69 percent interest in eMedia Investments, with Remgro's technology investment unit Venfin holding a minority stake; in September 2025 eMedia finalized a deal to take full control of the entity holding its e.tv stake.[4](https://emediaholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/e-Media-Holdings-AGM-2025_hires.pdf) • [13](https://www.businessday.co.za/companies/2026-08-20-news-analysis-emedias-ruthless-move-to-protect-earnings/) HCI, controlled by the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union, whose roughly 80,000 members form its base, remains the controlling force behind eMedia Holdings.[6](https://www.etv.co.za/sites/default/files/Commissioning_protocol-final_July2010.pdf)
## Market position
For the year ended 31 March 2026, eMedia reported a 32.2 percent share of prime-time viewing, the largest in South Africa, with its two closest competitors at 29.3 percent and 28.8 percent; the only broadcasters near eMedia's market share are DStv and the SABC.[8](https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/655294-one-free-broadcaster-beating-dstv-and-sabc-in-south-africa.html) e.tv itself held a 21.2 percent prime-time audience share and remained the biggest channel in both prime time and shoulder time for a second year running.[4](https://emediaholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/e-Media-Holdings-AGM-2025_hires.pdf) The channel claims to be the most viewed English-language channel in the country.[3](https://www.etv.co.za/about)
## Analogue switch-off
The channel's free-to-air terrestrial signal depends on analog transmission pending South Africa's delayed digital migration. After a missed 31 December 2024 deadline, eMedia took the Department of Communications to court over the planned hard switch-off of all analog transmitters on 31 March 2025; the court ruled in e.tv's favor and interdicted the minister from switching off analog transmission on that date, with the final switch-off date under review.[4](https://emediaholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/e-Media-Holdings-AGM-2025_hires.pdf) eMedia has cautioned that a hard switch-off could leave millions of households that cannot obtain a digital set-top box for free, or afford an Openview decoder, without television.[13](https://www.businessday.co.za/companies/2026-08-20-news-analysis-emedias-ruthless-move-to-protect-earnings/)
## References
1. [e.tv, TVSA channel profile](https://www.tvsa.co.za/channels/viewchannel.aspx?channelid=4)
2. [Black-led group wins license for S. Africa's 1st 'free' TV station, The Washington Post (30 March 1998)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1998/03/31/black-led-group-wins-license-for-s-africas-1st-free-tv-station/e2081303-94bd-4602-9ec5-c16b861d3106/)
3. [About us, e.tv](https://www.etv.co.za/about)
4. [eMedia Holdings Integrated Annual Report 2025 / AGM 2025](https://emediaholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/e-Media-Holdings-AGM-2025_hires.pdf)
5. [e.tv Turns 10 Next Week, TVSA (25 September 2008)](https://www.tvsa.co.za/user/blogs/viewblogpost.aspx?blogpostid=16002)
6. [e.tv Commissioning Protocol (July 2010)](https://www.etv.co.za/sites/default/files/Commissioning_protocol-final_July2010.pdf)
7. [e.tv revamps its prime-time schedule, e.tv press release](https://www.etv.co.za/press-releases/etv-revamps-its-prime-time-schedule-moving-times-not-stories)
8. [One free broadcaster beating DStv and SABC in South Africa, MyBroadband (23 June 2026)](https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/655294-one-free-broadcaster-beating-dstv-and-sabc-in-south-africa.html)
9. [The evolution of entertainment, e.tv Scoop (14 October 2020)](https://www.etv.co.za/scoop/evolution-entertainment)
10. [About Us, eMedia Holdings](https://emediaholdings.co.za/about-us/)
11. [MDDA document on e.tv licensing](https://www.mdda.org.za/ugd/f97c7f_9f08184a93514ccfb39a2fdd48dfc1a4.pdf)
12. [e.tv Turns 28, e.tv Scoop (27 September 2026)](https://www.etv.co.za/scoop/etv-turns-28-28-years-stories-stars-and-unforgettable-mzansi-moments)
13. [News analysis: eMedia's ruthless move to protect earnings, Business Day (20 August 2026)](https://www.businessday.co.za/companies/2026-08-20-news-analysis-emedias-ruthless-move-to-protect-earnings/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Broadcast organizations and stations › Broadcast networks and channel brands › Television networks by country (outside the US) › Middle Eastern and African television networks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license