Disney Might Be Looking To Bundle Disney+ With Other Streaming Services, Could This Be The Possible Outcome For European And African Markets?

After Netflix debuted, numerous companies wanted the piece of the pie with Disney+ despite being a late entrant managed to be one of the leading streaming services globally in its short span. It prompted the launch of Max, Paramount+ and Peacock. 

With the high levels of streamers, the whole thing just crashed as consumers weren't willingly to pay for these many streaming services. All of which were eyeing worldwide domination, come in short as streaming had proved to be most challenging in these markets.

It had led NBCUniversal and Paramount Global to rollout a joint streaming service through the Sky Group division in parts of Europe. As existing rivals such as Disney+, Netflix and Prime Video had been gaining the upper hand.

Although, Disney+ is the most successful late entry to the streaming market. Unlike the latter to have further consolidated their offering the streamer is not accessible in parts of Europe and Africa leading consumers to miss out on various content. 

Disney Channel to date has been treated as a promotional channel to the streamer. After launching at least one film from the streaming service on a monthly basis alongside animated series such as Monsters At Work and Chip'n'Dale: Park Life.

This has been the one of the few options consumers had in browsing some of the content not available in the region. 

In an interview with CNBC, Disney's CEO Bob Iger was asked whether they do see bundling as a option for the streamer. He assured consumers of that possibility although no definitive timeframe was given or how it would impact the existing Disney+ standalone service.

In 2021, WWE signed a content deal with NBCUniversal's Peacock which would see the WWE Network fold under the streamer. Now the question here is if Disney were looking to follow in a similar pursuit could it lead to the closure of the streamer. 

Disney had been reviewing their international business and limiting Disney+ local presence. Considering some countries have strict bylaws on local content a lucrative deal matching that of WWE Network would be one way to get away from those regulations. 

News Shorts: The Equalizer Returns With A Third Season On Universal TV Across Africa, New Original Film The Greatest Hits Unveiled For Disney+ And Zokie Of Planet Ruby To Rollout On International Nickelodeon Channels In May

The Equalizer returns to Universal TV this month 

The Equalizer is set to return for its highly anticipated third season, exclusively on Universal TV. The show stars Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, Lorraine Toussaint as Viola “Aunt Vi” Marsette, Tory Kittles as Detective Marcus Dante, Adam Goldberg as Harry Keshegian, Liza Lapira as Melody “Mel” Bayani, and Laya DeLeon Hayes as Delilah. The new season consists of 18, one-hour episodes airing every Friday at 20:00 (CAT) from 29 March 2024 on Universal TV (DStv 117). Episodes will be available on demand through Universal+ immediately thereafter.

Season 3 picks up after the tumultuous and nerve-wracking season 2 finale that saw Robyn McCall get abducted in front of her daughter Delilah and Aunt Vi. As someone who has worked hard to keep her family and work life separate, she will have to face a whole new set of challenges when she escapes her captors. Donal Logue (Sons of Anarchy, Vikings) guest stars as Colton Fisk, one of the CIA’s most decorated agents, an ex-CIA union chief in the Middle East during the 1990s. Empowered with a Tier 5 security clearance (the highest possible) he was part of the intelligence team that took out Bin Laden, and for many years he ran “The Farm” (the CIA training base in Virginia). The addition of Logue follows Robyn’s mentor Bishop being killed by her longtime nemesis Mason Quinn (Chris Vance). Similarly to Bishop, Colton is a powerful and connected agent who navigates in the shadows. His connection to Robyn is as yet unknown…

The Greatest Hits to stream on Disney+

Harriet finds art imitating life when she discovers certain songs can transport her back in time – literally. While she relives the past through romantic memories of her former boyfriend, her time travelling collides with a burgeoning new love interest in the present. As she takes her journey through the hypnotic connection between music and memory, she wonders – even if she could change the past, should she?

The film stars Lucy Boynton as Harriet, a woman who discovers that certain songs transports her back in time where she relives a past romance, leaving her wondering if she should try to prevent the accident which resulted in the death of her boyfriend two years ago, or move on with her relationship in present day. 

It arrives on Disney+ from April 12.

Zokie and Ruby are coming to Nickelodeon 

In Zokie of Planet Ruby, quirky 10-year-old vlogger Ruby discovers her only video channel follower is a tail-zapping space alien from the planet Pudge named Zokie Sparkleby, and they quickly become best friends. Along with their friend Earl, a talking con-man squirrel, Ruby teaches Zokie about her version of Earth, while Zokie learns to control his unpredictable powers.

The buddy comedy series was produced and owned by Nelvana Enterprises in Canada was greenlit back in 2019 under the working title, Zokie Sparkleton and Zokie Sparkleby. Oddly enough, the first season was made available to stream on Amazon Prime Video by the end of December with no prior announcement. 

Now the series is gearing up for linear debut on Nickelodeon channels globally (excluding the US) from May 6.t

News Shorts: Warner TV To Rollout As A Free-To-Air Channel In The Czech Republic, Come Back To Me To Rollout On Telemundo Across Africa And Historical Drama We Were The Lucky Ones To Stream On Disney+ In April

Warner TV expands to other parts of Europe

The Czech Republic will have a brand new free-to-air TV channel next month as Warner TV launches on 2 April. It will be managed as part of the local Czech linear Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio.

Vaclav Palecek, Distribution and Business Development at Warner Bros. Discovery in the Czech Republic & Slovakia, said: “Starting April, Czech viewers will be able to enjoy the wide range of content, including movies and series, on Warner TV. We are close to launching our first free-to-air channel in the market and we will bring a great content library on-air for all the viewers, from classical films to popular series.”

In the Czech Republic, Warner Bros. Discovery operates 18 pay TV linear channels (Discovery, Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, Eurosport 4K, HGTV, TLC, Travel Channel, Investigation Discovery, Cartoon Network, Cartoonito, CNN, Food Network, Animal Planet, HBO & HBO 2 & HBO 3, Cinemax & Cinemax 2) and the HBO Max streaming platform.

William Levy returns to Telemundo 

For its 2023 upfronts earlier last year, Telemundo announced William Levy was joining its star roster line-up in the new original romantic series Come Back To Me (Vuelve a Mi). It is set to launch April 8 at 22:00 replacing Game Of Lies.

In Vuelve a Mí, Levy is Santiago, whose love interest is actress Samadhi Zendejas, in her first leading role as Nuria.

The drama, set in Ciudad de Juárez and Ciudad de México, follows Nuria, a woman of humble means, who begins a relationship with Braulio (Ferdinando Valencia) without knowing he is one of the owners of the company where she works to support her son and sister. The lives of the main characters begin to intertwine after the tragic kidnapping of Nuria's son Andrés. And when she least expects it, Santiago (Levy) enters her life to become the great love of her life and the pillar that keeps her hope alive.

New Hulu original launching soon

Disney has announced that the upcoming original series, “We Were The Lucky Ones”, will be coming to Disney+ globally on April 17th 2024.

Based on Georgia Hunter’s New York Times bestselling novel, the television adaptation of “We Were the Lucky Ones” is a limited series inspired by the incredible true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of World War II, determined to survive and reunite. “We Were the Lucky Ones” demonstrates how in the face of the twentieth century’s darkest moment, the human spirit can endure and even thrive. The series is a tribute to the triumph of hope and love against all odds.

The series stars Joey King, Logan Lerman, Hadas Yaron, Henry-Lloyd Hughes, Amit Rahav, Sam Woolf, Michael Aloni, Moran Rosenblatt, Eva Feiler, Lior Ashkenazi, and Robin Weigert.

News Shorts: Twilight Animated Series In Development With Daria Spinoff Jodie Cancelled, And Avatar: The Animated Series Renewed On Netflix For Season 2 And Season 3 With Monsters At Work Moving To Disney Channel For Season 2

Twilight Animated Series In Development 

Michael Burns, vice chairman of Lionsgate, shared the news during a Q&A at the Morgan Stanley media conference on Tuesday, revealing, “We’re going to go out with the ‘Twilight’ series, an animated series, I think there’ll be a lot of interest in that.”

The animated series would be based on the Stephanie Meyer book series of the same name, which was previously adapted into a film franchise, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.

There were four “Twilight” novels — “Twilight,” “New Moon,” “Eclipse” and “Breaking Dawn” — published between 2005 and 2008. In 2015, Meyer released the book “Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined,” which gender-swapped the two main characters, Bella and Edward. Meyer then released “Midnight Sun” in 2020, which told the story of the first book from Edward’s perspective rather than Bella’s.

Jodie axed on MTV

The long-gestating project first began as a series that would feature Daria and Jodie, and then was narrowed to just focus on the latter character. In 2020, Comedy Central picked up the adult animated show from creator and head writer Grace Edwards and MTVE Studios with hopes to pair it with South Park.

Two years later, it morphed into a movie.

“Jodie will not be moving forward at MTVE Studios,” said an MTVE Studios spokesperson. “We have loved working with Tracee, Grace and the whole team on creating a film that is full of joy and genre-bending fun with an inclusive, diverse, and incredible cast.  We are fully supportive of them finding a home elsewhere and look forward to partnering with them in the future.”

Avatar: The Last Airbender cancelled on Netflix

Netflix announced that it has greenlit Albert Kim’s take on Avatar: The Last Airbender for another two seasons that will “bring The Legend of Aang to its proper conclusion.”  Netflix also shared a new teaser image suggesting that, like the animated series, the live-action show’s second and third seasons will focus on Team Avatar’s adventures in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, respectively.

There’s no word yet on when production on the new seasons will begin or when we might expect to see them on Netflix.

Monsters Inc. coming to Disney Channel 

The second season of the animated series “Monsters at Work” will premiere April 5 on the Disney Channel, and begins streaming on Disney+ May 5 in the United States. With the first reason rolling out in Africa by March 25 on Disney Channel. 

Based on Pixar’s “Monsters” franchise and a sequel to Monsters, Inc., the series follows a maintenance crew at the monsters factory as it transitions from scaring kids to making them laugh to generate energy for the city of Monstropolis.

The first season won an Emmy for Individual Achievement in Animation.

Nelson Peltz White Paper On Disney Proposes A Downsizing Of Sequels And Disney+ Reach In Other Countries

Nelson Peltz‘s Trian Partners, which is agitating to get two seats on Disney’s board, on Monday released a lengthy white paper analyzing the Mouse House’s financial performance — and suggesting strategic fixes.

The recommendations, according to Trian, are aimed at turning around Disney‘s total shareholder returns, which have trailed most of its peers (except Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global), according to the white paper. Trian is urging Disney shareholders to vote for its two board nominees — Peltz and ex-Disney CFO Jay Rasulo — at the company’s April 3 shareholder meeting. Disney opposes the candidates put forward by Trian and another activist firm, Blackwells, as lacking “the appropriate range of talent, skill, perspective and/or expertise.”

“For more than a year, Trian has described its thoughts on strategies and goals, some of which Disney has now implemented, such as reducing excess costs, reinstating a dividend, and making the Parks business a bigger part of Disney’s growth strategy,” the Peltz-run firm says in the white paper. “We are now making our 100+ page presentation public with our comprehensive views.”

Among the proposals in the 133-page white paper (available at this link), the hedge fund says that to achieve a better return on its streaming content, Disney should take more “shots on goal” and increase creative risks outside of its core franchises, similar to Netflix. The company, Trian says, should “explore allocating more budget dollars across lower-cost, easier-to-produce projects to further balance Disney’s higher-cost franchise content; prioritizing ‘retention’ content spend should diversify away the risk of expensive streaming flops.”

Trian also recommends that Disney make fewer movie sequels. “Disney’s ‘flywheel’ spins the fastest when the company creates or acquires new intellectual property to monetize,” the white paper says. “Sequels are less risky film ventures to produce, but do not drive long-term benefits in the same way that new IP can.”

The firm continues, “The percentage of Disney films that are sequels, prequels, spin-offs or remakes has dramatically increased — suggesting a creative engine that is sputtering.” Trian is calling for “a comprehensive review of studio operations and culture” by the board, including the state of leadership, process and workflow.

Meanwhile, Trian recommends two potential paths for ESPN: One, that ESPN’s standalone streaming service, which Disney is aiming to debut by the fall of 2025, be launched “ideally with a ‘bundle’ partner like Netflix or Amazon”; or two, that ESPN should “harvest cash out of its linear business to selectively reinvest in ESPN+ and higher growth parts of Disney’s business (such as Disney+).”

Elsewhere, Trian suggests merging Disney+ and Hulu product and content organizations to cut costs — a move it claims would create cost efficiencies in the neighborhood of $1 billion. Disney is in the process of buying out NBCUniversal’s 33% stake in Hulu. In November, Disney said it would pay at least $8.61 billion to Comcast for the Hulu stake, with the final price tag — which could be higher — to be based on an assessment of Hulu’s market value by each parties’ bankers.

As it relates to the integration of Hulu content on Disney+, Trian believes the service should “phase out the Hulu tile.” “We are skeptical that keeping Disney’s best general entertainment content behind a Hulu tile optimizes user engagement,” the white paper opines.

In addition, Trian says it believes Hulu + Live TV “is a loss-leading product that has struggled to scale and adds limited strategic value.” Per the white paper, “In our view, Live is not competitively positioned compared to YouTube TV following its deal to secure NFL Sunday Ticket and is no longer positioned as a ‘low-cost alternative to cable.’”

Other suggestions in the white paper aren’t new. For example, Peltz wants Disney to achieve “Netflix-like” streaming margins of 15%-20% by 2027, something the hedge fund has previously outlined. Trian also wants to see Disney’s board “fix” its “chronic succession problems” for CEO Bob Iger, whose contract expires at the end of 2026.

Much of Trian’s white paper dwells on making the case for change on Disney’s board. For example, the hedge fund argues that Disney’s $71 billion deal for 21st Century Fox, which closed in 2019, was “strategically flawed”: “We are skeptical that Disney has delivered on its targeted synergies and EPS accretion given the deterioration of Disney’s media earnings power following the acquisition.”

The Disney/Fox deal was “arguably the result of misaligned incentives,” Trian’s white paper says. “On the same day that Disney agreed to acquire Fox, the board extended Mr. Iger’s employment agreement by four years and awarded him an ‘over-the-top’ compensation package, reasoning that doing so was ‘critical’ to driving long-term value from the acquisition,” the paper says. “In our view, the prospect of a much larger compensation package (more than double his previous package) created a strong financial incentive for Mr. Iger to pursue the Fox deal regardless of its prospects, creating a significant conflict of interest.”

Here are Trian’s agenda items for the Disney board from the white paper, divided into four categories:

Enhance Corporate Governance & Accountability

Refresh the board by adding Nelson Peltz and Jay Rasulo as independent, aligned, and focused Directors

Fix succession process and run a thorough and successful search for a CEO in time for Mr. Iger’s 2026 retirement

Align pay with performance by tying the compensation program to outcomes that drive long-term shareholder value

Form a board-level finance & strategy committee to evaluate progress on recommended initiatives and improve the Board’s monitoring of Disney’s long-term strategy

Accelerate Media Profitability

Insist management develop and articulate a clear DTC strategy with tangible goals that will achieve Netflix-like margins of 15-20% by 2027

Explore opportunities to improve DTC engagement and cost structure, including changes to product and marketing strategies and reducing redundant overhead costs

Right-size legacy media business cost structure in light of industry dynamics

Evaluate Disney’s organizational structure to improve accountability and efficiency

Review of Creative Engine

Initiate a comprehensive Board-led review of studio operations and culture, including leadership, processes and workflow

Prioritize new intellectual property to reignite the “flywheel” and drive Disney’s long-term growth

Explore additional opportunities to enhance the “flywheel” with digital cross-promotion

Clarify Strategic Focus

Issue long-term free cash flow growth target beyond FY 2024 to anchor investors on a clear strategic vision and enhance accountability

Explore strategic partnership(s) for non-core linear assets – benefits include an enhanced focus on linear assets, a preserved strategic alignment with Disney’s DTC business, and an improved growth profile for Disney

Insist on a digital strategy for ESPN that has a clear path to attractive financial returns

Refine parks strategy to include tangible return targets on the $60bn of Parks capex, plans to address new competitive threats to Walt Disney World, and a commitment to improving the guest experience at domestic parks

Estimated Guess On The Future Of Disney Channel Africa By 2027 And Beyond, Disney+ Absence In Europe And Africa

During the week, it was reported that Disney Channel and Disney Junior would remain in Africa on MultiChoice's DStv for another three years. As Disney extended the agreement with the pay-TV company which include channels from National Geographic and ESPN.

This comes prior to the closure of Disney Junior in parts of Europe as further content folds under Disney Channel. With Africa and a few other parts of Europe retaining the most linear channels one has to wonder how long it will be till these channels get purged. 

As some readers are aware, Disney had closed several channels across the world including the big 3 in Australia, UK and Ireland and Italy. With general entertainment brands in FOX in most parts of Europe while some retain it as FX or Star in that matter. 

While there may not be any definitive time frame on when Disney Channel will end transmission in Africa. Unlike feeds of Germany or Nordic, the Southern African feed of the brand had been redundant in the last few years this was picked by viewers.

Marvel's Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur which had managed to air on Disney Channel in the United States and the above-mentioned regions became a Disney+ exclusive in Africa. Final seasons of Big Hero 6, The Owl House and Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure were also excluded.

On top of that, Disney Channel had been distant to older seasons of most of their shows like Bunk'd and Raven's Home. There was even a point where all shows aired one season on loop which was somewhat hazardous.

All of this leads me to believe that Disney could be looking to alienate these channels from Africa as seen in other countries. I mean why else would shows move to streaming when others can view it on Disney Channel or better yet why reduce Raven.

I know Disney+ is not viewed in some of the regions which offer these brands. But Disney+ hasn't been profitable in the United States and a few other markets with speculation going around about its abrupt end in part of these regions should the matter not improve. 

As seen with Paramount+, Max and Peacock, the idea of Disney+ being consolidated in parts of these regions wouldn't seem far fetched. Not long ago, MultiChoice had relaunched Showmax housing content from these brands same with Sky in the UK.

While Netflix and Amazon Prime Video were able to sustain themselves in the main market. This wasn't the case in other countries with them either licensing content to other broadcasters if not excluding content from certain countries. 

News Shorts: Da Vinci Acquired Broadcasting Rights To Future Chicken, Praise Petey Removed From Disney+ & Star+ Globally And BET Announces Production Of New Series Queendom

Birds flock to Da Vinci

Multiplatform content co. Wind Sun Sky Entertainment (WSS) has partnered with family streaming outfit Da Vinci to expand the reach of its kids’ eco-initiative Future Chicken around the globe.

Future Chicken is a climate justice initiative for kids (6-10+) created to address the eco-anxiety they are experiencing today by leveraging evidence-based positive storytelling to let children know that there is hope for the planet and that they can make a difference when it comes to their future. In November, Future Chicken launched in multiple formats of content, on Roblox, YouTube and the property’s dedicated website, futurechicken.com.

With young viewers flocking to shortform content, the Future Chicken ‘Ecotainment’ shorts series laid the foundation for launch. A mixed media content offering, Future Chicken shorts feature Potato the Chicken (a.k.a. Future Chicken) and her team of planet protecting friends highlighting to kids the positive things happening to support the future of the environment. With a blend of humor, ingenuity and collaboration, Potato, her egg sidekick Frittata and their friends set out to create a hope-filled future built on caring communities, thriving oceans, greener cities and renewed optimism.

Praise Petey exits Disney+

Last November, it was revealed that the 20th Television animated series, “Praise Petey”, had been cancelled after one season. The show was released on Freeform and Hulu in the United States and was also released as a Star Original on Disney+ around the world.

The series followed Petey, a New York City “it” girl who has it all until her life comes crashing down around her. As luck would have it, a mysterious gift from her father gives her a new lease on life: She’s going to “lean into” modernizing his small-town cult.

However, just over three months after the cancellation of the show, “Praise Petey” has now been removed from Star+ in Latin America and from Disney+ in many countries around the world, including the UK, Canada and Australia.   

Queendom coming to BET 

Dlathu and Mtoba have been announced as part of the cast of BET Africa’s new daily drama, ‘Queendom’.

Following the success of ‘Isono’ and ‘Redemption’, BET Africa is back with a new scripted daily drama which celebrates the strength, resilience and power of women who shape their own destinies.

‘Queendom’ explores themes of cultural heritage, tradition, fate, ancestry, power struggles, identity and survival.

It tells the story of Nthandokayise Mthombeni portrayed by Mtoba, a maverick community leader in Tsakane, who discovers that she is the rightful heir to the throne of Khahlamba Kingdom.

Development Alert: Moonbug's Morphle And The Magic Pets To Rollout On Disney Junior And Disney+ Internationally, Zeptolab's Om Nom Stories To Debut On Disney+

Disney+ is getting more involved with internet-native animated series and has picked up global (excluding China) streaming rights to Moonbug’s new series Morphle and the Magic Pets and Europe, Middle East, and Africa rights to Zeptolab’s Om Nom Stories.

It’s little wonder that a mostly kids and family-focused media company looking to bring profitability to its streaming platform would be interested in acquiring web-based animated series. A recent study showed that kids are spending more and more time on gaming platforms and free streaming apps like Youtube, so it makes sense that Disney would be keen to bring some of that platform’s popular content to Disney+.

There is also precedent for this kind of move paying off in a big way. Last year, Netflix shared viewership data from the first half of 2023, which showed that the platform’s most popular animated series was Cocomelon, another Moonbug property that started life as a web series.

Morphle and the Magic Pets

Morphle and the Magic Pets was co-developed by Mark Palmer and Jill Sandford and is being animated by Toronto’s Guru Studio. The show is based on the hit Youtube franchise created by Arthur van Merwijk in 2011. The Morphle TV Youtube channel, launched in December 2011, has 11.7 million subscribers, and its videos have been watched over 8 billion times.

Moonbug’s Morphle general manager Olivia Chausson said of the Disney deal:

We are very excited to expand Morphle’s fantastical world in close partnership with Disney. We have big aspirations for the franchise, fueled by Morphle’s transformational powers and the richness of the magic pet universe. This year, we are supercharging growth across new audience touchpoints and are delighted to share Morphle and the Magic Pets with families across the globe.

Disney Junior senior VP of development, series, and strategy Alyssa Sapire added:

At Disney Junior, we are always looking for new ways to connect with our young audience of preschoolers and their families. We knew Morphle was already a big hit on Youtube with our core audience of kids three to five and were thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the Moonbug team to build out the world and characters.

Morphle and the Magic Pets will debut on Disney Junior and Disney+ in the U.S. on Wednesday, March 20. International rollouts will begin at a later date.

Om Nom Stories

Disney has picked up all 25 seasons of the Youtube hit series Om Nom Stories, produced by Spanish video game developer and animation studio Zeptolab. The franchise’s main Youtube channel was launched in March 2011 and has 4.11 million subscribers. It hosts more than 2,000 videos which have been watched more than 3.5 billion times. The 250 episodes heading to Disney+ each run 3.5 minutes, and will be presented in a format that accommodates adaptation into 17 languages.

Anna Shchur, executive producer and content distribution director at Zeptolab explained in a release:

The collaboration with Disney+ not only amplifies the reach of Om Nom Stories animation content throughout Europe but also aligns with the family-oriented values synonymous with our beloved Om Nom brand. This shared commitment to wholesome entertainment is of utmost importance to us, and we are excited about the positive impact this collaboration will bring. Moreover, we anticipate that our audience will be overjoyed to experience their favorite Om Nom stories on Disney+, creating an even more delightful and memorable viewing experience for fans of all ages.

Natalia Hebel, senior business development manager at Zeptolab, added:

We are incredibly excited about the opportunity to bring Om Nom Stories to Disney+ in Europe. It’s a fantastic platform with a rich history worldwide, and we are honored to be a part of it. We are committed to providing high-quality content to meet the high standards, and we are looking forward to contributing our share to the magic of Disney+.

Om Nom Stories will debut on Disney+ in Q4 of this year.

Renewals Or Cancellations: Hamster And Gretel + Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur + Kiff + Big City Greens + The Villains Of Valley View + Ravens Home On Disney Channel

Last month, Disney opted to scrap Secrets Of Sulphur Springs and The Ghost And Molly McGee after their current seasons on Disney Channel. This news comes after the brand had announced the cancellation of Bunk'd and Saturdays as they look to reduce content costs and focus more on existing IPs.

Some IPs slated to air across various international feeds include Playdate With Winnie The Pooh and The Little Mermaid for Disney Junior and Phineas And Ferb Season 5 and Monsters At Work for Disney Channel.

Following these cancellations, fans of the networks have been in an uproar wondering what fate awaits their remaining offering. As some readers are aware, Disney is rumoured to have axed Pretty Freekin Scary and although there's still no official confirmation the company has been known for doing it's content dirty (e.g. Milo Murphy's Law).

Below a list of various content on the Disney Channel and their status

Renewals

Big City Greens Season 4

Hamster And Gretel Season 2

Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur Season 2 (exclusive to Disney+ in EMEA)

Kiff Season 2

Cancelled/Ending

Bunk'd Season 7

Secrets Of Sulphur Springs Season 4

The Ghost And Molly McGee Season 2

Saturdays Season 1

Unknown

Raven's Home (currently on season 6)

The Villains Of Valley View (currently on season 4)

Hailey's On It (currently on season 1)

Pretty Freekin Scary (currently on season 1)

Disney Shorts: Disney Enterprises Might Be Looking To Rebrand Disney Junior, Disney's Journey Alongside Dog And Frog Animated Series Rumoured To Be In Development For Disney Channel And Disney+

Disney Junior's new look

It appears Disney Junior might be undergoing their first rebrand following its inception back in 2012 as a TV channel and years prior on Disney Channel. Disney had filed a trademark for this design but it has yet to be seen if this will be applied across EMEA following the channel's rebrand in 2022.

Disney adding another animal based program

Following the rollout of Kiff in 2023, Disney appears to be working on yet another possible animated series for the Disney Channel titled Dog And Frog. Not much is known about the project but Thurop Van Orman, Pedro Eboli and Mark Satterthwaite, Raj Brueggemann and Hannah Ayoubi are tied to it.

Disney adapting Dungeon And Dungeons

Following news of Dog And Frog is another animated project described as a Fantasy/Dungeon And Dragons type series titled Journey. It follows the titular character who is described as “always been a little right-brained, a little messy, a little ‘strange.’ Her interests include “Dungeons & Dragons” and fantasy stories.

Another character confirmed for the show, Tunde is “free-spirited, fun-loving, thrill-seeker with magic skills, living a nomadic lifestyle beyond the Dome with his small crew.” Also described as “a champion of peace and love,” the grid literally likens to Bob Marley.

News Shorts: eExtra Unveils New Series This Is Love Alongside Snoozefest Beyhadh, BBC Entertainment Closes Down In All Markets By 31 March 2024 And Disney Greenlights New Film Based On The Mandalorian

This is Love on eExtra

During the month, it was reported that eMedia Investments was looking to add This Is Love to their linear platforms. This was after an advertisement was spotted on their channels unveiling various shows on Openview and now eExtra will be rolling out the show in the coming weeks.

According to the programme guide, This Is Love will air in a 25 minute timeslot at 14:10 from 26 January while eExtra will air a rebroadcast of Beyhadh at 13:45 from 25 January.

This Is Love follows Anushka Reddy who returns home after spending seven years in the US with Siddhant Sinha is a budding lawyer, belongs to middle-class family from Bihar.

BBC is retiring an iconic brand

BBC Entertainment is an international television channel broadcasting comedy, drama, light entertainment, reality and children's programming (some regions only) from the BBC, Channel 4 and other UK production houses. It is operated by BBC Studios.

During the week, it was reported that BBC Studios will look to the close the BBC Entertainment in all markets on 31 March 2024. This comes after 4-6 years after the channel was replaced by BBC Brit and BBC First in other countries.

In a statement, BBC Studios said it would continue to serve local audiences in the EMEA region through our bespoke genre channels, the expansion of our digital service, BBC Player, and suite of FAST channels. “BBC Studios has strong partnerships with local free to air broadcasters, pay-TV networks and digital platforms across the region and many BBC programmes will also continue to be seen through these providers as well as through our own branded services.”

The Mandalorian enters the big screens

The Mandalorian and Grogu are embarking on a new adventure — to movie theaters. Directed by Jon Favreau, and produced by Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, and Dave Filoni, The Mandalorian & Grogu will go into production in 2024.

The Mandalorian & Grogu will lead Lucasfilm's ongoing feature-development slate, including films helmed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold, and Dave Filoni, who is also currently developing Ahsoka Season 2, among those in the works.

Development Alert: Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug And Catnoir Returns On The Disney Channel For Season 6 And Season 7 With Specials

The animated series, “Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” has been a huge hit across the Disney Channels and Disney+ around the world, and it’s been announced today by ZAG and Method Animation that Disney Branded Television has acquired seasons six and seven of the globally renowned series, “Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir”, as well as three original animated specials.

The new season and specials will be available on Disney Channels worldwide and will be released on Disney+ globally afterwards.

“Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” follows the adventures of two seemingly typical teens with secret identities, Marinette and Adrien, who magically transform into superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir to save their city of Paris from unexpected villains! 

The two new seasons, each consisting of 26 x 22-minute episodes and original specials, are produced in collaboration with Disney Branded Television, Brazil’s Globosat, Italy’s KidsMe, and France’s TF1.

The announcement was made today by Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO, ZAG, and Julien Borde, President, Mediawan Kids & Family, who said in a statement:

“We are excited to continue working with Disney Branded Television to create first-class content  for Miraculous fans everywhere.  Our audiences resonate with this coming-of-age series about ordinary kids learning the importance of believing in themselves and understanding that you don’t need to be a superhero or wear a mask to reach your dreams and overcome fears!”

Julien Borde, President of Mediawan Kids & Family added:

“We are thrilled to continue the wonderful adventure of the two most famous superheroes among children with ZAG and our long-standing partner Disney Branded Television. The Miraculous universe continues to expand, captivating an increasingly vast and demanding fan community. These new adventures will meet their expectations and are poised to surprise and inspire dreams.”

The new season is currently in production for a fall 2024 launch, and in this new season, the superheroes are facing a new and skilful enemy! Meanwhile, their alter-egos, Marinette and Adrien, have never been closer but are still keeping secrets from each other. Set in a revitalized eco-friendly Paris, our heroes are about to experience a school year full of emotions and revelation.

The first of the three specials, “Miraculous World: Paris, Tales of Shadybug & Claw Noir”, is already available on the Disney Channel and Disney+ in the US and showcases Ladybug and Cat Noir discovering a parallel world where the holders of the miraculous of the Ladybug and the Black Cat are evil while the holder of the miraculous of the butterfly is a hero! The second of the three specials (title TBD) is currently in pre-production.

The new season and specials will deliver exciting new visuals, produced via the gaming platform Unreal Engine, the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool for photoreal visual and immersive experiences.

Development Alert: Hulu Rumoured To Be Replacing Disney+ Star Internationally, FX Might Replace Linear Counterparts

Last year, Disney managed to acquire Comcast's stake in the Hulu streaming service with plans underway to merge the content with the existing offering seen on Disney+. The merger would put it in a competitive position with existing brands like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Internationally, this was never an issue as the latter was distributed by Star which Disney saw as alternative trademark to Hulu. After attempting to get Hulu to more territories but blocked due to Comcast's stake in the streamer the trademark might get some time of day.

With nothing holding Disney back at this point, Star could be folded under Hulu I mean the idea wouldn't seem far fetched. Various Hulu originals like Only Murders In The Building and Blue Sky had all been trademarked as Disney+ and not Star as seen when it was introduced last year.

Disney had tried to roll out Hulu in Latin America and Asia before quickly scrubbing out any mention of the brand across their platforms.

Hulu is more knowledgeable brand although it wasn't viewed outside of the United States consumers would be able to familiarise themselves with the content. Star was more knowledgeable in India and to be frank Disney kind of damaged the trademark in parts of the world.

Based in India, Disney Star operates a number of linear channels across the world which feature various Bollywood productions. While the UK opted for an alternative trademark Utsav the rest of the world kept Star which would have caused confusion to those who view both brands.

Disney also used the Star trademark for various linear channels across Latin America and as seen in Europe the opted for an alternative brand name, FX. It wouldn't seem far fetched if FX were to replace the Star brand therefore returning Star to its former glory in India.

2024 On Regular Nick (Upcoming Kids And Family/Animated Series) | Cartoon Network | Disney Channel | Nickelodeon | More Brands Including DreamWorks, Netflix, eToonz And Play Room

Cartoon Network/Max/Cartoonito

• Ijanu: Child Of Wonder: A teenage orphan girl with no recollection of her past who suddenly discovers that she has hidden powers that rival the Divine Ones themselves. 

• Hero Inside: The adventure begins after Scott, a cartoonist and free spirit, mysteriously vanishes after drawing 100 superheroes across 100 comic books, without ever publishing. His proofread books scattered across San Francisco, triggering odd occurrences.

• Totally Spies!: The anime-inspired toon about three female teens balancing spy missions and high school drama

• Invincible Fight Girl: The series follows Andy, a young girl who dreams of becoming the greatest pro wrestler of all time.

• Tiny Toons Looniversity: Babs, Buster and friends enroll at Acme Looniversity, the premier institution of higher hijinx learning.

• Jessica's Big Little World: Jessica navigates her way through a world where everything seems much bigger than she is; inspired by the grown-ups around her, she persists in conquering monumental children's tasks.

• Barney's World: Set in a local playground, Barney is joined by dinos Billy and Baby Bop and their three kid best friends. Throughout silly and imaginative adventures together, Barney helps kids explore big preschool emotions and shows them how to love themselves and other.

• Silly Sundays: A feel-good comedy series, full of heart and deeply rooted in familial themes, everything centers around Sonia, Hugo, Mel, Mom, Dad and Granny as they create unforgettable memories together during their weekend gatherings. • Spookies: Set in Castle Ravenrock, Spookies stars three wee ghosts who discover something new behind every cobwebbed corner and dusty stairwell.

• Lana Longbeard: Lana is a super-feisty, forward thinking and passionate 11-year-old girl, who is also the heir to her father's adventuring ship, the Mighty Windbreaker.

• New Tom And Jerry Shorts: the first ever Asian produced Tom And Jerry series, featuring the famous cat and mouse duo as they take their rivalry to Singapore.

• Karters: Set in a fantastical island world, the game lets players collect and tame mystical creatures called Temtem, which can be used for battling, trading with friends and breeding to create offspring with new powers.

• Kite Man: Hell-Yeah!: Kite Man and Golden Glider take their relationship to the next level by opening a bar in the shadow of Lex Luthor’s Legion of Doom. 

Disney Channel/Disney Junior/Disney+

• Pretty Freakin Scary: After her sudden demise, Frankie Ripp, a 14-year-old girl, agrees to a deal with the Grim Reaper that she would go back home but accompanied by her underground parents.

• Ariel: It follows eight-year-old mermaid princess Ariel as she and her friends embark on fun-filled, action-packed underwater adventures throughout their Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica and beyond.

• Marvel Zombies: Re-imagines the marvel universe as a new generation of heroes battle against an ever spreading zombie scourge.

• StuGo: an original animated series about six overambitious middle schoolers who are tricked into attending a fake academic summer camp by a mad scientist. 

• Dragon Strikers: When the world’s most popular sport combines with magic, awesomeness escalates quicker than a dragon-powered strike! 

• Doomies: When best friends Bobby and Romy mistakenly open a gateway to another world, they turn their sleepy coastal town into a hotspot for terrifying creatures of doom. 

• Cars On The Road: Lightning McQueen and his best friend Mater head east from Radiator Springs on a cross-country road trip to meet up with Mater's sister.

• Princess Sam: this CG-animated show stars a girl who travels to a magical planet to learn how to control her powers and defeat evil villains.

• X-Men' 97:  It serves as a revival of X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–97), and the plot will continue where the original series left off. 

• Tiana: Tiana continues to explore New Orleans in a musical series.

• Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man: will be a unique take on one of Marvel’s most famous superheroes, with surprising connections to the MCU. 

• Princess Sam: this CG-animated show stars a girl who travels to a magical planet to learn how to control her powers and defeat evil villains.

• Moana: The Series: Moana and her friends continue to explore the South Pacific in this musical animated series.

• Playdate with Winnie the Pooh follows a young Pooh Bear as he enjoys playdates with his friends. Set in the exciting outdoors of the Hundred Acre Wood, these musical shorts emphasize collaborative play and the joy of spending time with others. 

Nickelodeon/Nick Jr/Paramount+

• Erin & Aaron: Teenage stepsiblings navigate their new lives after their parents' marriage, and find strength in their shared passion for music.

• Hamsters of Hamsterdale: This series, produced by Nelvana, follows a motley crew of hamsters, the heroic protectors of their 8-year-old owner Harry, who they mistake as their King and beloved ruler of their elaborate colorful-tubed kingdom.

• HexVet And Magic Pets: follows unlikely best friends Nan and Clarion as they navigate life's weird and wacky challenges, while apprenticing to be magical veterinarians for fantastical creatures.

• Super Duper Bunny League: centers on a diverse group of bunny friends who must battle danger as they defend their city and the world from their archnemesis. 

• Avatar: The Last Airbender: The series will be an authentic adaptation of the award-winning and beloved Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender reimagined as a live-action adventure.

• Rock, Paper & Scissors: Follows 3 roommates on their hijinks, ridiculous adventures and shared love of wacky nonsense.

• Dora: The series, tentatively titled ¡Dora!, is described as a reimagining of the classic animated show which “promises to strike the perfect balance between the comfort of the familiar and the excitement of the fresh.” 

• Live-Action Dora Series: Nickelodeon's beloved Latina heroine is returning with a brand new live-action series! Not much is currently known about the show, however, it'll be aimed at kids 6-11, and will be in the vein of the 2019 live-action feature film Dora and the Lost City of Gold, which follows an older Dora!.

• Zokie of Planet Ruby: This buddy comedy, produced by Nelvana, follows quirky 10-year-old vlogger Ruby and her space alien best friend ZJ Sparkleton.

• Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Turtles, as teenagers, deal with their new life as heroes while also dealing with the pressures of going to high school in New York City.

Other

• Lyla in the Loop (PBS Kids): is a funny and engaging new animated series for kids ages 4-8 about Lyla Loops and her fantastical blue sidekick, Stu, who use creative and strategic problem-solving and critical thinking skills to help their family, friends, and community!

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (eToonz, Play Room): After getting exposed to a mutant substance, four turtles become giants and start speaking and walking upright. They are trained by a wise rat, Splinter, in order to defeat an evil man, Shredder.

• Power Rangers (Play Room): It revolves around a team of youths recruited and trained by a mentor to morph into the eponymous Power Rangers, able to use special powers and pilot immense assault machines, called Zords, to overcome the periodic antagonists. 

• Pokémon Horizons: The Series (Cartoon Network, eToonz): This series introduces two new protagonists, Liko and Roy, who team up with the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of adventurers that explore the Pokémon world and visit various regions, including the Paldea region.

• Dragon Ball: Daima (Cartoon Network, SABC 2): new canonical mainline anime set around the same time as when Super takes place. Fans also get a look at the apparent upcoming antagonists for the anime, who’ve seemingly been watching the Z Fighters and all their past struggles this entire time.

• Masters of the Universe: Revolution (Netflix): Skeletor's final assault on Castle Grayskull caused his own demise, put an end to He-Man , and damaged the source of all magic in existence. After their battle fractured Eternia, Teela must solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power to prevent the end of the Universe. 

• Carl The Collector (PBS Kids): follows the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things. His talents – a laser-focus pursuit of his goals, attention to detail, and a distinctive way of looking at and experiencing the world around him.

• Hazbin Hotel (Amazon Prime Video): The series follows Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen), the princess of Hell, as she sets about fulfilling her seemingly impossible dream of opening a hotel called the "Happy Hotel," which aims to rehabilitate sinners.

• PeekeeBoo (Moonbug): The preschool project, featuring 2D animation with CG-animated backgrounds, will star three tiny creatures (Pea, Kee and Boo) who are enthralled by all of the sights and sounds of nature.

• Moonrise (Netflix): A young man from Earth enlists in the army to attack rebels on the Moon, only to find that his former best friend has become his enemy.

• Noah's Park (Play Room): The little animals have left Noah's Ark and find each other sharing fun and adventure, and a few life lessons in NOAH'S PARK.

• Game Shakers (eToonz): Babe and Kenzie create a popular application named Sky Whale. However, rapper Double G threatens to ruin their business because he finds out they have been using his song without permission.

• Time Patrol Bon (Netflix): The story focuses on Bon Namihira, a teenager who becomes part of a team of time-traveling agents tasked with saving people's lives during major historical events that happen across different eras and locations around the globe.

• Tomb Raider: The Legend Of Lara Croft

Asterix (Netflix): The series will be adapted from one of the classic volumes, Asterix and the Big Fight, where the Romans, after being constantly embarrassed by Asterix and his village cohorts, organize a brawl between rival Gaulish chiefs and try to fix the result by kidnapping a druid along with his much-needed magic potion. I’m not giving anything away when I tell you, it doesn’t go as planned.

• Dee & Friends In Oz: A young girl named Dee discovers a wonderful magical land of Oz, where she meets new friends and is challenged to save the day, and save Oz!.

• Hot Wheels Let's Races (Netflix): Follows the newest generation of racers as they experience mind-blowing races, extreme stunt contests, and thrill-seeking challenges.

• Megamind's Guide To Defending Your City (DreamWorks): The series will chronicle the new hero's quest to become a social media influencer and a true superhero. 

• Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (DreamWorks): Tells the story of dinosaur fanatic Darius Bowman, who visits Camp Cretaceous and, as per all prior Jurassic movies, the dinosaurs manage to get loose and cause untold chaos and destruction.

• Mighty MonsterWheelies (DreamWorks): Which reimagines classic characters as half-monster, half-truck vehicle heroes who team up to use their special powers to serve and protect the all-vehicle city of Motorvania from troublemakers like Phantom Freeze and Invisible Van.

• Exploding Kittens (Netflix): An eternal conflict reaches epic proportions when both, God and the Devil, are sent to Earth in the bodies of chunky house cats.

• Devil May Cry (Netflix): is an upcoming American adult animated dark fantasy action streaming television series based on the video game franchise of the same name by Capcom and part of Adi Shankar's Bootleg Multiverse.

• Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation (Netflix): Monsters follows Ryuma, a samurai from Wano, a country also featured in the One Piece universe. In a world disrupted by a menacing force, Ryuma must navigate the chaos caused by a powerful dragon with the ability to bring catastrophic havoc.

Star+ Will Be Integrated Under Disney+ In Brazil And Latin America By 2024

A major change in the streaming market will take place in Brazil in 2024. Disney will close the Star+ service application and unify the platform with Disney+ in the second half of next year. 

Currently, Disney sells the two subscriptions separately and also on Combo+, which offers both platforms for a single price. It is also possible to subscribe to services at a lower price using the Meli+ subscription, from Mercado Livre. 

The unification of streaming services was confirmed by Disney in a press release. The action seems like a natural step for the company, which will also do something similar in the United States, with the Hulu platform. 

The Star+ application will be closed in Brazil and Latin America. 

Changes for the consumer 

According to official information, Disney will announce more details about the merger in the future, including issues such as the price and destination of Star+ subscribers, which will be closed. 

For consumers who already subscribe to Combo+, the change will bring more convenience during use. Currently, Disney+ and Star+ use applications that are practically the same, but have separate catalogs. 

While the Disney-named service focuses on the company's productions, Pixar and Marvel, Star is usually the home of Fox and sports. 

Currently, Star+ has productions from American channels such as FX and ABC, in addition to sports programming from ESPN. With the merger, this content will be centralized in just one application in Brazil and Latin America. 

Thus, in addition to bringing all the Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars films, Disney+ will also feature sports content and award-winning television productions. 

Regular Nick Shorts: Netflix To Premiere 'The Casagrandes Movie' In 2024, Spider-Man’s Restarting High School In This Upcoming Disney+ Cartoon And Marvel Studios Unveils Black Panther Prequel Eyes Of Wakanda

The Casagrandes is being revived

The news was announced by WrapPRO, which profiled Netflix Animation and their current and future efforts in the space. Midway through their piece, they reveal a first look (pictured above) and confirmation that The Casagrandes Movie will be released sometime in 2024.

Nickelodeon revealed that The Casagrandes Movie, a brand new film based on The Casagrandes, was in the works earlier this year. Although not much else about the movie has been said since the original announcement, Miguel Puga, a co-executive and director on Nickelodeon's hit animated series, hinted in November that production on The Casagrandes Movie had wrapped!

According to WrapPRO, The Casagrandes Movie is directed by Miguel Puga and written by Tony Gama-Lobo and Rebecca May, Lalo Alcaraz and Rosemary Contreras. The movie was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studios Inc.

Spider-Man stars in a new series

Spider-Man is one of the hallmarks of Marvel. Of course, he’s had multiple cartoon iterations over the years, from the 90s rendition to the Spectacular series. And now, he’s going back to Freshman year.

Announced in 2021, Spider-Man: Freshman Year – or as it is now called, Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man – is one Marvel Studios animated project that fans don’t know a lot about, despite getting some details at 2022’s San Diego Comic-Con.

Sadly there isn’t a concrete release date, but Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has been confirmed to premiere on Disney+ sometime in 2024. It will also run for at least one additional season after its first.

Black Panther prequel makes a landing

In March 2023, rumors began to swirl that Black Panther director Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media production company had begun developing an animated series for Marvel Studios. As Marvel Studios revamped their streaming slate and skipped out on SDCC ’23, the series, said at the time to be referred to as The Golden City, remained nothing but a rumor until now. During a press event for Season 2 of What If…? held at the Walt Disney Studios Lot, head of streaming, television and animation for Marvel Studios, Brad Winderbaum, revealed that the new series will hit Disney Plus in 2024.

Titled Eyes of Wakanda, the animated series will tell the story of “brave warriors” who “throughout Wakandan history have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts.“

The Mandalorian Reimagined As A Game Boy Game

The Mandalorian is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series produced in the Star Wars franchise, beginning five years after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983).

The Game Boy version (produced by Eric Wilder) follows the battered Mandalorian returns to his client to collect his reward and tend to his wounds; complications arise and what should have been a simple task becomes far more dangerous than anyone could have expected.

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The Simpsons Brings An End To Strangulation

Nothing lasts forever. In time, the continents will crash into each other once more, the sun will swallow the planet and, at some point long after that, The Simpsons will end. But that isn’t to say that it’s incapable of moving with the times before then. Because, in yet another nod to shifting tastes, Homer Simpson has revealed that he will no longer attempt to strangle his son to death.

In the third episode of the current 35th season, Homer greets his new neighbour by shaking his hand. When the neighbour comments that he wasn’t expecting such a firm grip, Homer replies: “See Marge, strangling the boy paid off,” before acknowledging that he doesn’t actually do that any more. “Times have changed,” he adds.

The move has, inevitably, riled a number of feathers. The famously tolerant GB News shrieked that The Simpsons had gone woke by refusing to depict any more scenes of an adult human repeatedly gripping a 10-year-old child by the throat so hard that he struggles for breath and his eyes bulge. Twitter has similarly been ablaze at the snowflakes in charge of their show and their apparent disdain for child abuse.

However, it’s worth pointing out that the episode wasn’t about Homer reaching a point of realisation about never strangling Bart again. It was him pointing out that he doesn’t do it any more. And he really doesn’t. Homer hasn’t strangled Bart since season 31. An entire global pandemic has come and gone in the time since Homer last strangled Bart. The fact that nobody noticed until Homer verbally acknowledged it is either a sign that the outrage machine often operates outside the realms of basic human context, or that people don’t really watch The Simpsons any more.

Either way, despite the howls of the naysayers, this is probably the right thing to do. Homer strangling Bart never sat particularly well in the bigger picture of The Simpsons. Back in 1992, when the show was in its infancy, president George HW Bush publicly remarked that American families needed to be “a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons”. The line went down badly, because it only demonstrated that Bush didn’t understand The Simpsons. Yes, they were dysfunctional and often at loggerheads with one another, but the Simpson family was bonded together by a tight and permanent love. If you watched the show, you understood this perfectly.

However, it was nevertheless a loving family where the patriarch routinely punished his son by strangling him. I basically came of age with The Simpsons – I was Bart’s age when it first started airing – and the strangulation gag always seemed a bit too near the knuckle to me. I couldn’t properly verbalise at the time, but to me it undermined the basic premise of the entire show.

What’s more, it was never actually funny. The strangulation gag was unyielding in its rigidity. Other running gags, like the prank calls to Moe, could evolve and change over the years. And yet, with staggeringly few exceptions, Homer always strangled Bart in the exact same way. It was an overdone catchphrase. Even if times hadn’t changed, it would still be the weakest part of any episode.

But times have changed, and this is a sign that The Simpsons is doing its best to keep up. It wasn’t always like this. By sticking to its guns when Hari Kondabolu made his documentary The Problem with Apu, keeping Hank Azaria as the voice of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon in the face of growing criticism, The Simpsons was dragged into a long and ugly public spat. Compare this to its quiet recasting of Black characters like Carl, Lou and Dr Hibbert, replacing Azaria with Alex Désert and Kevin Michael Richardson three years ago, and you’ll see a show that doesn’t want to get its fingers burned again. Also, it might just be coincidence, but since doing this, The Simpsons has regained a lot of its old form.

And there are always workarounds. I mentioned the strangulation development to my children, who hoover up episodes of The Simpsons in vast quantities on Disney+. At first, they were just as appalled as the worst recesses of Twitter. “It’s a classic gag!” my eight-year-old wailed. “Why are they taking this away from us?” I explained that it might not be very good for a TV show to depict scenes of a father strangling his children. Eventually they agreed. And then they suggested that Homer could punch Bart instead, or maybe throw him around a bit. So, if Matt Groening happens to be reading, maybe this could be an acceptable way forward.

News Shorts: Showmax Debuts Another Original Animated Series Twende, Once Upon A Studio To Rollout On Various e.tv And Disney Platforms And Help I'm In A Secret Relationship Returns For New Episodes On MTV Across Africa

Meet ‘Twende,’ Showmax Africa’s First Original 2D Toon

Showmax has released a trailer for Twende — the first Showmax Original 2D animated series. The show follows a pangolin — an endangered species which is the slowest on the savannah and the most-trafficked type of animal in the world — who makes up for his natural lack of speed by driving a motorcycle taxi.

Twende will premiere on Showmax across Africa on December 4. New episodes will roll out on Saturdays.

Once Upon A Studio debuts in Africa

Featuring 543 characters from more than 85 Disney feature-length and short films, Once Upon a Studio welcomes heroes and villains, princes and princesses, sidekicks and sorcerers - in all-new hand-drawn and CG animation - to celebrate 10 decades of storytelling, artistry and technological achievements.

Will be on Disney+ from 09h00, Disney Channel from 16h55 and on e.tv at 18h20.

Also on OpenView at these times:

- eExtra: 17h50

- eSeries: 18h15

- eToonz: 18h50

- eReality: 18h50

- eMovies: 19h50

- eMovies Extra: 19h50

- ePlesier: 20h00

November on MTV

Help, I'm In A Secret Relationship S2B

Monday, November 27th @20:00

Episodes 211-224

The broken hearts professionals are back in action! In season 2 of HIIASR, Travis and Rahne return to the streets to help suspicious and confused partners find out why their relationship’s being kept secret. But with the trend of hiding more prevalent than ever…they’ve got their work cut out for them this around.

On season 2 of HIIASR, our hosts are dealing with wilder stories, even crazier twists, and more jaw-dropping, shocking reveals than they’ve ever encountered before.

Recap To The Year: Disney EMEA Halts Original Programming For The Disney Channels, Further Content Being Distributed By Disney+

A few months ago, Disney Branded Television and Disney Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) took to the stage at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival to announce further projects for Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney+ all of which were divided by their respective region.

Disney Branded Television announced the additions of Ariel, StuGo, Primo, ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series, Playdate with Winnie the Pooh and Disney Junior Wonderful World of Songs. Returning shows include The Wonderful World Of Mickey Mouse, Kiff, Firebuds and Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends.

Disney EMEA announced Magicampers, The Sunnyridge 3, The Doomies, Dragon Striker. The only returning series would be Chip ‘N’ Dale: Park Life. Unlike Disney Branded Television, Disney EMEA hadn't announced any new shows coming to the Disney Channel or Disney Junior as the latter is being distributed by Disney+.

Disney Branded Television handles the linear portfolio as the name implies but Disney EMEA despite serving as an independent unit had often credited these platforms. As seen in this presentation, Disney Branded Television credits their international feeds as "Disney platforms" which could imply several things.

One of which that wouldn't come as a shocker to the majority would be the abrupt cancellation of the Disney Channel and Disney Junior. They've cut off several feeds in Australia, Italy, United Kingdom and there's still plenty of feeds residing in Europe that hadn't lost transmission yet.

We assume it had to do with Disney+ as they didn't have a local presence in most countries and it's still like that to some extent. But it doesn't guarantee that these channels will sit put as some countries to have lost channels (like FOX) are still awaiting a platform if not Disney+ to hopefully view these shows.

As I've seen in the last months, Disney Channel and Disney Junior had been cutting back on programming and promoting a bulk of content from Disney+. So it's only a matter of time till Disney decides to pull the plug on the channels for some if not all these regions.

Another thing that brings about the brand's demise would be their original film segment Disney Channel Original Movies. Since Disney doesn't view their linear business as a priority the latter is distributed by Disney+ as Disney Original Movies while the streamer's current offering would be credited for Disney+.