FOX Africa has restructured the line-ups, programming and scheduling of its FOX and FOX Life channels in South Africa and across Africa to make it easier for viewers to understand the differentiation between the two TV channels and to increase viewership through more predictable and easier-to-understand schedules and timeslots.
FOX Networks Group Africa has reworked the schedules and placement of some programming - a process that's ongoing - to better delineate the premium content channel FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 133) and the recently relaunched FOX Life (DStv 126 / StarSat 133), a channel that is geared towards female viewers.
A lot of pay-TV viewers and advertisers have been struggling to figure out the difference in tonality and the separate channel propositions of FOX and FOX Life.
FOX Africa has been working to make it more clearer so that viewers know where to tune to to find what kind of programming.
On Wednesday in Johannesburg at FOX Networks Group Africa's FOX Upfront 2017, Tracey Gilchrist, director of content, scheduling and acquisitions at FNG Africa, said "we're working towards schedule stability, predictability and stacking".
Tracey Gilchrist said that a lot of work the past few months has gone into creating "complete predictability across the entire schedule" for the FOX channel.
In regards to the FOX channel, Tracey Gilchrist said "FOX will be the home of scripted, international, hot content".
In regards to the FOX Life channel that will turn one year old in mid-September since its replaced FOX Crime on DStv and StarSat, Tracey Gilchrist said "FOX Life - like all one year olds - they have to develop and they have to adapt to their surroundings".
"What have we've done the last couple of months? We've listened. We've done research. And in response to all of this, we've streamlined our schedules."
"We have implemented consistent scheduling practices, our repeats are easy to find now on the schedule, and we have very specific target markets and content."
"FOX Life is about women, we are about successful women, we are about women on the start to their road to success, we are pan-African, we are direct, and we are inclusive."
'FOX Life is focusing on local content, we are focusing on content from all around the African continent, we're focused on non-scripted content; we also look at telenovelas."
"It's not to say that there won't be scripted content on FOX Life but it will be localised and will be local scripted content," said Tracey Gilchrist.
