eRewind was a TV channel conceived by eMedia Investments to offer programming previously seen on the company’s other platforms. It functioned as a pure nostalgia channel, much like ePlesier, capitalising on content that viewers had already consumed over the years.
The schedule was built around older seasons and past programming from eMedia’s channels. This included local dramas such as *Rhythm City* and *Backstage*, as well as international series like *NCIS: Los Angeles* and *Family Feud*.
It served as a hangout spot for viewers who wanted to reminisce about older times and switch off from their busy lives. It also gave people a chance to catch up on shows they had missed during their original broadcast on eMedia’s other platforms.
In many ways, eRewind was eMedia’s first attempt at launching an SABC Encore-style channel. Like most channels of this type, it eventually suffered from viewer fatigue. That led to the launch of eXposed, which later rebranded to eSeries.
Even though eRewind itself was a short-lived experiment, the same type of programming continues to appear across eMedia’s current offering. After the launch of Openview Stream, the Rewind concept was revived as eXperience for viewers outside South Africa.
Canal+’s MultiChoice once used Zambezi Magic in a similar way, giving audiences in other countries a window into SABC shows. That channel was later phased out in favour of original and first-run programming from Zambia.
It would not be surprising if eMedia eventually decided it no longer needs a dedicated international version of this concept, or if it chose to bring eXperience onto the Openview platform in South Africa — much like it did with eXplore.
In recent years, eMedia has shown greater appreciation for this kind of older content by giving it dedicated slots on e.tv and eExtra. That makes the idea of launching eXperience on Openview feel less far-fetched.
The main challenge with these channels is reception on Openview. Because similar programming already airs in slots on e.tv and eExtra, viewers can become annoyed by the repetition, as has sometimes happened with ePlesier and eExtra.
These nostalgia and rerun channels also tend to generate lower advertising rates. By placing the same content on a premier channel like e.tv, broadcasters can usually secure better rates because overall viewership is higher than on a dedicated rerun channel.
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