Just five months after making waves by onboarding South Africa’s most disruptive podcast voices to mainstream TV, DStv’s bold move is facing turbulence.
At least two shows have now been dropped due to what insiders describe as “ethical misconduct,” threatening to derail what was billed as a revolution in local broadcasting.
Launched in April 2025, the collaboration between Mzansi Magic, Mzansi Wethu, and top digital creators was marketed as a “movement,” a fusion of raw, uncensored podcast energy with traditional television formats.
Eight high-profile podcasts were tapped, including heavy-hitters like Podcast and Chill with MacG and Open Chat Podcasts.
Shirley Adonisi, director of local entertainment channels at M-Net, had called it “a bold step into the future where linear television meets the gutsy, unfiltered world of digital storytelling.”
Fast forward to five months in the partnership, a digital satellite television company, owned by MultiChoice, is confronting the risks that come with unfiltered content.
DStv confirmed in a statement that a podcast show had been suspended pending further investigation into breaches of ethical standards, just two months after Podcast and Chill with MacG was removed from its lineup. While the company did not name the shows, Open Chat Podcasts confirmed its them.
“The episode was not aired on our platform. MultiChoice adheres to stringent quality control processes and does not promote any discriminatory content," Multichoice spokesperson Suzan Keyter told TshisaLive.
Industry watchers say the backlash was sparked by a controversial segment involving racially insensitive remarks about the coloured community and inappropriate behaviour off-screen that has forced the podcast to apologise on its social media pages.
"The intention was never to cause harm or disrespect the coloured community. Open Chats is a platform centred around open conversations which do at times touch on sensitive topics, and with that said we do understand that as a platform we should conduct our conversations in a respectful manner,” it wrote.
Podcast veteran MacG, whose own show Podcast and Chill has flirted with controversy in the past, was candid when they received their marching orders two months ago. “This space was always going to be messy. We are not scripted. But if DStv wanted polish, they shouldn’t have gone the podcast route,” he said.
As the dust settles, questions remain whether traditional broadcasters can handle the chaos of digital storytelling, or will the revolution be televised, then censored?
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