South Africa to Get TV Channel Dedicated to the Oscar Pistorius Trial
South Africa's largest cable provider announced this week a 24-hour cable news channel dedicated to paralympian Oscar Pistorius' murder trial:
MultiChoice said in a statement the temporary "pop-up" channel will launch on March 2, the day before the double-amputee Olympian goes on trial in a high court in the capital, Pretoria, for killing his girlfriend in his home on Valentine's Day last year.
It is the first time it has launched a channel of this kind to cover "a major news event," MultiChoice said. The provider has only had temporary channels on its DSTV network for versions of reality entertainment shows like "Idols" and "Big Brother." DSTV is also available in other African countries.
The presiding judge, Thokozile Masipa, has not yet decided whether cameras will be allowed in the courtroom, which means the channel might have to get creative with ways to fill a 24-hour news cycle. Just imagine the George Zimmerman trial coverage with more air time to fill and 100% less relevant footage.
[
