The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: Showmax no more but subscribers can access DStv Stream trial
The Showmax streaming platform is no longer but subscribers will now have trial access to DStv Stream Compact for a month. This forms part of the move to a “single streaming home’ on DStv Stream.
Now Showmax Originals are housed with live TV, sport and a broader range of entertainment in one app. After the trial period, qualifying customers can continue on DStv Stream Compact at a special price of R99 per month for 12 months, provided the subscription remains active throughout and payments are up to date.
“Our priority is to ensure customers continue to have a home for the stories they love,” said Willington Ngwepe, CEO of MultiChoice. “By bringing thousands of hours of Showmax Originals and a deeper on-demand library into DStv Stream, we are creating a more holistic experience where live sport, news, the best international content and award-winning local drama live together.”
Read more here.
People moves
Karabo Ntshweng steps into 5FM Mid Mornings
Celebrated broadcaster, media personality, MC, voice artist and content creator, Karabo Ntshweng, welcomes an exciting change in her radio career – switching from night time to day time radio.
‘5 Mid Mornings with Karabo’ on 5FM is a brand new radio show that will see Karabo pivot into yet another milestone in her powerful media industry journey.
Airing weekdays from 09:00 to 12:00, 5 Mid Mornings with Karabo blends music, conversation and high-energy audience interaction – reflecting the fast-paced lives of young professionals and students navigating modern life in real time.
The show brings a fresh, relatable voice balancing ambition, wellness, career growth and socially active living, all while staying firmly on the pulse of culture and what’s happening now. Rooted in everyday experiences and honest conversations, the show creates a space that is both informative and entertaining, where listeners feel seen, heard and part of the moment – with just the right amount of fun, energy and personality.
Tractor Outdoor announces leadership promotions
Tractor Outdoor has promoted two members of its team as the company strengthens both its regional sales leadership and digital out-of-home offering. Cara Woods has been named head of sales for Johannesburg, while Dustin Martin takes on the role of head of programmatic.
Woods moves into the role after seven years with the company. She previously served as senior sales xecutive in Johannesburg, where she worked closely with agencies and clients to deliver strategic out-of-home solutions across Tractor Outdoor’s portfolio. In her new role, Woods will focus on team leadership and regional performance.
Martin previously served as Digital Sales Lead for the programmatic DOOH division, where he led the commercial strategy, industry education and adoption of programmatic trading across the company’s digital inventory. During that time, he worked on integrating programmatic DOOH into digital buying workflows and supported campaigns that demonstrated measurable outcomes such as in-store footfall attribution and mobile retargeting.
In his new role, Martin will oversee the full programmatic ecosystem.
Jean-Francois Decaux to headline the World Out of Home Organization 2026 Annual Congress
Jean-François Decaux, co-CEO and chairman of JCDecaux, and eldest son of founder Jean-Claude Decaux, will be the keynote speaker at the World Out of Home Organization’s 2026 Annual Congress in London from 3-5 June. The Congress will be held at the London Hilton on Park Lane and is expected to attract a record number of delegates.
WOO President Tom Goddard said: “Jean-François isn’t just a major figure in out of home but one of the architects of the modern media world, playing a key role in growing the medium to where it is today and helping to transform cities and other localities for the better through his company’s investment in street furniture and a range of other civic amenities.
“This event promises to be WOO’s biggest and best Annual Congress, which for the first time since 1990 is being held in the UK.”
Reuters Institute appoints new director of journalist programmes
US journalist Anne Godlasky has been appointed as the new director of Journalist Programmes of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. As part of her job, she will oversee our signature Journalist Fellowship Programme and other initiatives. Godlasky will report to director Mitali Mukherjee and will be part of the senior management team.
She was previously President of the National Press Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting journalism excellence through training programmes and awards. Prior to that she held a number of leadership and editorial roles during a 16-year tenure at USA Today.
Business moves
Female founders announce launch of premium brand advisory firm: AURA
Nicole Mirkin and Lee-Ann Caboz, two of the country’s most respected brand and communications strategists, have joined forces to establish AURA: South Africa’s Premium Brand Advisory Firm.
Designed to deliver integrated strategy, communications, and growth at the highest level, AURA represents the deliberate convergence of two highly complementary disciplines: consumer brand mastery and strategic communications power.
With Mirkin operating as the entity’s chief executive officer, the agency brings together 27 combined years of experience spanning global retail brands, multinational technology firms, and complex institutional, as well as political environments. In a move that signals the agency’s intent from inception
Mirkin appointed Lee-Ann Caboz as managing director and a trusted strategic partner. Their partnership was forged over several months, driven by Mirkin’s vision for a more integrated, senior-led advisory model and her recognition of Caboz’s rare ability to translate brand strategy into meaningful cultural and commercial impact.
“From the beginning, I knew Lee-Ann was the right person to help build this alongside me. We were deliberate in how we came together, ensuring the foundation was right, our focus sharp, and our vision clear,” says Mirkin.
For Caboz, the decision was equally intentional. “I had never met another industry professional who operates with such strategic clarity, while leading with genuine care for people,” she says. “Joining AURA felt like a natural extension of our shared belief in how teams should be built, led, and supported.”
LIV Golf drives over half of R45 million sponsorship impact in South Africa debut
LIV Golf South Africa 2026 has set a new benchmark for how sponsorship value can be measured in the local sporting landscape, not just in terms of reach, but in real commercial return.
“The scale of exposure tells only part of the story,” says Joe Hamman, director at Novus Group. “What stands out is how effectively the tournament translated broadcast reach into sponsor visibility. This was not passive exposure. It was planned, repeatable, and tied to real commercial outcomes.”
According to the Novus Group Media Analysis Report, the broader Sunshine Tour event generated 1,396 sponsorship references across broadcast, online, print and radio, reaching an audience of more than 128 million and delivering a total advertising value equivalent (AVE) of R45.29 million.
Within that, LIV Golf South Africa accounted for the majority of sponsor impact, generating over R25.8 million in AVE and dominating with 57% share of voice.
From a media perspective, one channel clearly led the way. Television accounted for 901 sponsorship references, delivering more than 123 million in reach and contributing R28.7 million in AVE across the broader event. Online coverage added a further 400 items.
The Glenlivet’s Home of Originality brings a more considered experience to LIV Golf South Africa
As LIV Golf made its debut on African soil at Steyn City, The Glenlivet introduced a distinct experience alongside the tournament, offering guests a more considered environment within the energy of the fan village.
Positioned as the official spirit partner for LIV Golf South Africa, the premium Scotch whisky brand presented its Home of Originality as a dedicated space that quickly became a focal point of the event. Despite periods of heavy rain, guests continued to gather in the fan village, with many drawn in by the atmosphere, conversation and the opportunity to experience the brand up close.
At times, the popularity of the space resulted in queues, reflecting strong interest from both regular attendees and first-time golf fans engaging with the tournament for the first time.
5FM and Connect Entertainment connect
Youth station is turning 2026 into the biggest year yet for South Africa’s festival lovers – announcing a powerhouse partnership with Connect Entertainment that brings the country’s most iconic lifestyle and music events straight into the heart of the 5 Nation.
This collaboration connects the airwaves to the dance floor, to the web, to the socials, to the VIBE and to the biggest festival party animals in South Africa.
With 5FM and Connect Entertainment – the team behind Anjunadeep Open Air, Festival De Mexico, The Big Greek Festival, H2O Music Festival and The Theatre Music Festival, known for staging unforgettable, high-energy events that define youth culture – listeners can expect even cooler experiences, more energy and more electric party vibes.
With each event, 5FM will be on the ground with Smash Afrika Weekends broadcasting live to Ampli5 the vibe, with loads of exclusive artist interviews, epic competitions and more.
IAS celebrates 20 years
When Johanna McDowell founded the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) in 2006, pitch consulting was a foreign concept in South Africa. Agencies were sceptical. Marketers had never heard of such a service. Twenty years later, IAS is marking a milestone that speaks for itself.
The business was born from McDowell’s experience working with the Advertising Agency Register (AAR) in London in the 1980s — a pioneering UK outfit that brought rigour and transparency to the agency selection process. Years later, when the moment came to start her own venture, she approached the AAR, trained in their methodologies and built something the local industry didn’t yet know it needed.
“Having worked on both the agency and marketer side, I’d seen the process from every angle. The idea of bringing this kind of structured, impartial process to South Africa never really left me,” says McDowell. “The early resistance was real, but so was the gap in the market. Two decades on, I’m proud of what we’ve built: a business grounded in trust, transparency and genuine industry knowledge.”
To mark the anniversary, IAS will host a celebratory event in June 2026, featuring the results of a white paper examining how South African marketers are balancing brand building and performance marketing — a timely conversation for an industry in flux.
Walter Sisulu University launches a new visual identity
Walter Sisulu University (WSU) officially unveiled its new brand identity at the Mthatha campus, marking the realisation of its University of the Future model.
Strategically timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 1976 establishment of the University of Transkei and the 21st anniversary of the 2005 merger that formed WSU, the repositioning moves the institution beyond its “post-merger” label to assert a unified, technology-infused African identity.
The strategic repositioning aligns directly with Walter Sisulu University’s Vision 2030 and its mandate to be spatially distributed and socially responsive. The visual renewal is backed by tangible, institutional transformations, including the implementation of the university’s new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre to drive 4IR leadership, the University Town model which positions Walter Sisulu University as a socio-economic anchor for the Eastern Cape, and the 50 Years Legacy Fund, aimed at securing R500 million for long-term sustainability.
Healthbridge acquires AI medical scribe Nora
Healthbridge, a health technology company, has acquired Nora, an ambient AI medical scribe that converts doctor–patient conversations into structured clinical notes, reducing administrative burden and saving doctors up to three hours a day, allowing more time for patient care.
Nora was built by James Gordon and Robert van Biljon, two Cape Town school friends who don’t come from traditional technical backgrounds; they both studied finance and worked together at a venture capital firm. When OpenAI released GPT-4 in early 2023, the pair recognised the technology’s potential and moved quickly to build on it.
Eight months after deployment inside Healthbridge’s clinical network, Nora has delivered:
- 32% month-on-month growth in clinical consultations processed
- 85% paid-user retention
- 2–3 hours saved per doctor per day on documentation
Healthbridge has now completed a full acquisition of Nora.
iiDENTIFii accepted into the Microsoft Digital Natives Programme
iiDENTIFii, a provider of secure remote biometric identity verification, has been accepted into the Microsoft Digital Natives Programme, an initiative designed to support high‑growth, cloud‑native software companies building solutions on Microsoft technologies.
The programme enables participating companies to accelerate innovation and scale by deepening their technical engagement with Microsoft. iiDENTIFii’s identity verification platform leverages Microsoft Azure, supporting financial institutions, fintechs, insurers and digital platforms with secure, compliant and scalable user onboarding and authentication.
Making moves
Provantage recycles 4.7 tons of waste
Provantage has reinforced its commitment to environmental stewardship by recycling 4.7 tons of paper and electronic waste in the past year. Partnering with certified organisations AST Recycling, CJS Group, Go Green Recycling, and Iron Mountain, the company has ensured the safe disposal of IT equipment, televisions, and thousands of kilograms of paper, while achieving measurable sustainability gains.
Through its waste management programme, 2.8 tons of paper was shredded and recycled, resulting in tangible environmental benefits: more than 48 trees preserved, 75 632 litres of water saved, and 11 703 kWh of energy conserved.
In parallel, Provantage completed the certified destruction and recycling of other electronic waste, including data-bearing devices and electronic scrap.
For clients, this translates into tangible value. Partnering with Provantage enables brands to align with verified environmental and governance practices, strengthening their sustainability credentials while supporting compliance, transparency, and responsible data management.
SCOPEN Africa launches bursary initiative
Research consultancy SCOPEN has turned gratitude into action with the launch of a new bursary initiative linked to its flagship AGENCY SCOPE study in South Africa.
During the 2025 research study, SCOPEN pledged R300 for every marketer interviewed. With 300 interviews completed, that’s R90,000 raised — awarded as three bursaries of R30,000 each to students from AAA School of Advertising, Vega School and Red & Yellow Creative School of Business.
The bursaries were presented at the SCOPEN Africa Decade Awards in Johannesburg on 24 February to Jamie Lewis, who is studying at the AAA School of Advertising; Cebisa Deyoba, a BCom Marketing student at Red & Yellow Creative School of Business; and Omolemo Sehole, who is studying towards a BA in Strategic Brand Communication at Vega School.
Free State SAACYF and Cathsseta host film and acting workshop
