The Wild in new DStv timeslot

From 16 January 2012 M-Net’s newest soap, The Wild, will move to a later timeslot on DStv, screening at 7pm instead of 6pm.

According to a press statement, the decision to screen The Wild an hour later was based on recent market research and feedback from fans of the series who didn’t want to miss any of the intrigue happening at Dinaledi Lodge.

Pierre Cloete, M-Net’s channel head, says M-Net was very comfortable with the 6pm timeslot, but had to take note of the increasing requests from satellite viewers to relook the schedule. “Even though The Wild has only been on air since April this year, the soap already has a loyal and passionate following.  Lifestyles have changed considerably over the past few years and viewers let us know that they are often still in traffic on their way home, preparing dinner, or spending time with their kids at 6pm. By 7pm they can sit down, relax and start enjoying what’s on television.”

The timeslot change applies to satellite viewers - M-Net and M-Net HD on DStv - only. M-Net’s terrestrial viewers (those with set-top boxes that only have M-Net) will still have their soap hour from 6pm to 7pm, with The Wild at 6pm and Binneland at 6:30pm.

This fits in with the bigger M-Net strategy to look after the needs of different target audiences. “The majority of terrestrial viewers love having an Afrikaans soap at 6:30pm followed by e-nuus at 7pm”. 

The Wild revolutionised the way television soaps are filmed by moving all the action outdoors as opposed to filming in a studio.

To kick-start the new year, M-Net will also take viewers through past story lines in a special called The Wild: The Story So Far. This special episode will be broadcast on Wednesday 11 January at 20:30.

(SCREENAFRICA)