BBC Studios Launching Its First Free-to-View Channel in South Africa

BBC Studios has aligned with the free-to-view satellite television provider Openview in South Africa to launch the multi-genre channel BBC UKTV.

BBC UKTV will offer a variety of high-quality entertainment across all genres—from natural-history series to soaps and children’s shows.

Highlights in factual entertainment include The Great British Bake Off season eight and cooking shows Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook and Mary Berry Cooks, alongside motoring shows such as Million Dollar Car Hunters and Top Gear (season 19).

The scripted slate will feature the hospital-based soap Casualty (season 36) and Doctors (season 22), as well as the long-running sitcom My Family.

From the BBC’s natural-history collection, Wild Africa and Africa with Ade Adepitan will join a selection of Sir David Attenborough’s docuseries; Big Bird, Giant Dinosaur, Giant Egg, Fabulous Frogs and Natural Curiosities join the channel later this year.

For children aged 0 to 12 between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. every morning, the lineup features the first seasons of action-packed geographical adventure Go Jetters, children’s cookery show My World Kitchen, wildlife show Andy’s Safari Adventures and My Pet & Me, which helps children appreciate what it really means to have a pet.

Arran Tindall, senior VP for EMEA key markets at BBC Studios, said, “We are proud to partner with Openview to launch our first-ever free-to-view channel in South Africa. The launch will enable us to reach wider audiences, utilizing the richness of the BBC’s catalog across multiple genres. I can’t wait for new families in South Africa to experience the very best of British content and discover their new favorite shows.”

Pierre Cloete, commercial director for Africa at BBC Studios, said, “I am so excited for even more families in South Africa to access BBC Studios’ incredible catalog of bold, British shows. From British soaps, fascinating documentaries and children’s shows, BBC UKTV has been carefully crafted to match the viewing habits of the whole family, providing all age groups entertainment at every moment of the day.”

Marlon Davids, group executive for programming at Openview, commented, “Openview is a growing platform and constantly adding new channels and genres to appeal to a broad audience. Earlier this year, we added eXposed (a raw, unfiltered lifestyle and entertainment channel aimed at Gen Z), ePlesier (showcasing the most loved Turkish telenovelas dubbed in Afrikaans) and The Home Channel+ (homemakers and gardeners delight). We are pleased and excited to give our audiences even more choice, and more of the best in world-class entertainment with the addition of BBC UKTV.”