Anyone who became a little too familiar with their television sets back in the early months of COVID-19 probably remembers DStv’s WildEarth show on channel 183. Its sole purpose is to live-stream ‘safaris’ to millions globally and offer an escape from a crowded house. Now, it’s being pulled from DStv entirely at the end of April.
WildEarth is dead, long live WildEarth TV
Instinct might be kicking in, compelling you to shout DStv down and force them to overturn the decision. But it’s not one DStv can make. At least, not entirely. It’s WildEarth’s, whose chair, André Crawford-Brunt, reckons it’s time MultiChoice starts paying the channel for its content.
Okay, you can let loose now and make your minds known to DStv. It won’t help much, but a petition is going around that’ll hopefully see them back on the air. Rather than wait for DStv to, as Crawford-Brunt puts it in his open letter, “do the right thing,” we’d suggest… watching it elsewhere. More on that in a minute.
“We have been begging MultiChoice for over a year to support us. We have made the case that not paying us anything for our content is unsustainable for us — although great for them,” said Crawford-Brunt. “We told them we have a large and passionate viewership, long viewing times, and that we represent everything positive about South Africa. We reminded them that we are the largest producer of local content in the country.”
In an interview with BizNews, Crawford-Brunt said that DStv had made promises to fund the channel’s search for content, which it failed to uphold, leading to the decision to remove it from under the broadcaster’s wing. Since then, a petition has reached more than 12,000 signatures urging DStv to save the channel, while close to R5 million has been pledged to WildEarth to further its “runway”.
Read More: DStv’s largest price hike in years will hit wallets on 1 April 2024 – but it’s not all bad news
How to keep watching WildEarth
Come the end of April, DStv will sunset channel 183 for good. It’s doubtful that a petition will permeate the broadcaster’s bureaucracy, but there’s nothing wrong with trying. When that doesn’t work, however, it’s time to turn to WildEarth’s infinitely more accessible (and distinctly free-er) platforms.
The obvious solution is to head to WildEarth’s official YouTube channel and get your fix of live safari content there. If that’s a bit too advanced, the WildEarth app on both Android and iOS might be able to help, where users can stream multiple live safaris entirely for free, and gain access to the channel’s past content — all without ever needing to sign up to the service.
If TV viewing is a must, and YouTube isn’t your jam, there are WildEarth TV apps out there, though only through a small pool of brands such as Samsung and LG. Oh, and if you’ve got a few free minutes (or hours) at work, WildEarth’s website works just as well as the rest. Provided you give it a new account and password first.