Today, Monday 2 May 2016, marks the occasion of the 10th birthday of TVSA, a day so auspicious they gave us our very own public holiday for it. Believe it. We hope you're having a wonderful day at home, watching TV and browsing TVSA. You're welcome.
The site first went live on Tuesday, 2 May 2006 with furious preparations behind the scenes. This is what it looked like in its first month on air, followed by an extract from the first ever published article entitled Welcome to TVSA:
Welcome to TVSA, television-lovers.
You've just landed on the hottest TV website in the southern hemisphere - a brand new, monster resource for anyone who takes their television viewing as seriously as we do.
South Africans have never had one all-encompassing TV-related website. All the broadcasters and channels have websites but up until now there hasn't been one single TV resource covering ALL channels and shows.
Whether you're a hardcore couch potato, an occasional sport watcher or a researcher looking for television-related information, TVSA has something for everyone.
TVSA was developed to serve this need, and from these humble beginnings the beast shall grow.
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And the beast has indeed grown...
The 1,000th person registered as a member of the site four months after the launch - on Monday 25 September 2006 - and today we have a membership of 112,546 members.
We now have a total of 3,295 show pages and 17,011 actor profiles in what has become the world's largest database of South African shows and actors, as well as a formidable array of foreign shows and actors.
TVSA popularised the
TAMS Ratings by being the first publication to publish them weekly, using a specially-formulated programme devised by longstanding TVSA member
Citanul, which allowed us to calculate numbers of viewers.
Even though these have now
been retired because of changes made by the BRC, they made a dramatic impact for a decade, reflecting the truth about the TV landscape in numbers. Take a blast to the past and be intrigued by taking a look at our very first TAMS article:
Week 30: 17 - 23 July 2006.
TVSA was also the first publication to introduce monthly
soapie teasers, which have also turned into a phenomenon. Nobody else was doing them before we started, but now many have copied us - many directly stealing them from this website! - but we are still the only publication to cover all soapies, all of the time.
We've had many objectives over the past 10 years which we've consistently strived to achieve but at the centre of them has been one essential goal: sincerity, inspired by beat poet
Jack Kerouac who says (very sincerely): "I wanna be sincere."
We recently discovered a quote from a small town newspaper, the Hermanus Times, which perfectly reflects our objectives in this regard:
Your newspaper is independent and will steer an independent and impartial course in all matters relating to the community it serves. It will criticise where it feels criticism is necessary, and it will give praise generously where praise is due... with your support we hope to exert an influence in the community for the good of all."
Since our inception we've experienced dramatic changes in the online landscape and the exciting explosion of South African television - TVSA has been there with you every step of the way for the last decade. We'll continue to be here for another decade.
To end with, this was our original philosophy posted on our About page when the site launched:
The purpose of this website is to provide South African television audiences with a "TV Companion" - a place where they can discuss, read about, be kept up to date on and relive their television viewing experience on a 24/7 basis.
South Africa's television channels all have their own websites but previously there was no central place for TV-lovers to gather and share their passion for the silver screen, in a total TV environment.
TVSA is also a tool for channels and broadcasters to make use of in order to remain dedicated to providing the best possible entertainment for South Africans.
TVSA aims to keep the television experience alive long after the credits have run their course.
... and nothing has changed.