Soapies That Got Cancelled In 2020
2020 brought COVID 19 and a lot of businesses and TV shows to their knees. Here are three soapies that got canned this year:
- Isidingo
After weeks of speculation on social media, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) confirmed reports that SABC 3’s Isidingo was canceled towards the end of last year. The show which was on TV for 21 years aired its final episode on March 12, 2020.
SABC’s acting group executive; David Makubyane stated: “The decision to decommission Isidingo was informed by a number of factors which includes poor audience ratings during the time slot, decline in revenue and poor return on investment.”
- Isibaya
The end is never easy to deal with, even if you can see it coming for a long time. Isibaya started losing its viewers when 5 of its main cast members left the show:
Nomzamo Mbatha who played Thandeka Zungu, Siyabonga Thwala who played Mpiyakhe Zungu, Jessica Nkosi who played Qondi, Menzi Ngubane who played Judas Ngwenya, and Sdumo Mtshali who plays Sbusiso Ndovu.
Isibaya is currently in its 8th season but has not been renewed for season 9 according to certain media outlets.
- Rhythm City
While shows get canned for having low TV viewership, Rhythm City got canned despite having great TV viewership.
ETV shocked South Africans when it announced the cancellation of its long-running daily soapie; Rhythm City which has been on the air for over 13 years. The very first episode of Rhythm City aired on 9 July 2007 as a replacement for Backstage.
The channel canceled the show despite the fact that the soapie has been performing well with over 3.9 million, making it one of the top 10 most-watched soapies in Mzansi. According to the channel, decommissioning the soapie is purely a business decision and part of a greater business strategy.
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