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Developing Story: MultiChoice Bids Farewell To Both M-Net Essentials (Me) And 1Magic On DStv By The End Of March
Earlier in the year, MultiChoice sent notifications to selected DStv customers that both 1Magic and Me would be exiting the DStv...
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Why eToonz Now Offers Shows Like MasterChef Junior?
Saturday, January 27, 2024
Recap To Last Year: e.tv's Youth Block Craze Movie Offering Axed With Series Extended To Fridays
Sunday, December 31, 2023
2024 On Regular Nick (Upcoming Kids And Family/Animated Series) | Cartoon Network | Disney Channel | Nickelodeon | More Brands Including DreamWorks, Netflix, eToonz And Play Room
Friday, December 22, 2023
Most Popular Posts Of 2023: Everyday Novelas Takes The Most Wins With eExtra's Kuiertyd And Surprising Development Cennet: The Power Of Destiny And HONEY Make It To The Top 10
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
eMedia's 4 Channels Recieve Another Extension On MultiChoice's DStv, Might Go Dark By August 2024
Friday, November 10, 2023
News Shorts: Fireman Renewed For Season 16 On JimJam And e.tv, History Channel Unveils It's Early 2024 Lineup Across Africa And A Magical Love Story Takes Up Primetime On Star Life (Divya Drishti Cancelled)
Saturday, October 14, 2023
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
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Recap To The Decade: eToonz Remains As The Only Source To Kids Entertainment On Openview
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Play Room Vs. eToonz: MultiChoice's Third Attempt At Phasing Out An e.tv Channel
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Openview Plus Updates: eMedia Investments' eToonz To Get It's First Ever Official Competitor From Ngwato Nkosi Group And e.tv Scraps uBettina Wethu Season 4 As Die Kontrak Returns With A Season 3 On eExtra
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
New Series Alert: SpongeBob SquarePants + The Thundermans + More Nick Classics Make Their Freemium Debut On The eBranded Channels
Friday, August 18, 2023
TOLDJA! e.tv's 4 Channels Were Meant To Go Dark On DStv By August But Were Extended, Might To Go Dark By The End Of 2023 If Not Early 2024
Sunday, July 23, 2023
Recap To Last Year: How MultiChoice Went About Phasing Out The eBranded Channels?
Saturday, July 22, 2023
Kuiertyd Updates: SterStatus Makes It's Freemium Debut On e.tv, Doodsondes Returns For A Fifth And Sixth Season On eVOD, eExtra's Kuiertyd Being Ripped Away From DStv Platform + More
During the week, eMedia Investments had been creating a lot of buzz some good (and others not so great) and I just thought of wanting you refresh your memory to see what is happening across their platforms.
e.tv
Since 2022, eMedia Investments had restructured the channel into the leading destination for local entertainment similar to Mzansi Magic and SABC 1 with most of their international content being reverted to eReality and eXposed with "premium movies on the eMovies channels.
As advised only 1 project is currently in development:
• Perfect Picture, a celebrity filtered reality show formerly seen on SABC 1 had been scooped up by eMedia Investments for a second season.
eExtra
Last month, Roekeloos Dade alongside uBettina Wethu exchanged timeslots meaning the Turkish drama would air 30 minutes early while the local series would air an hour later. It only made sense for eExtra to undergo similar changes with their consumers.
• SterStatus, a fashion show formerly seen on Media24's Afrikaans lifestyle channel becomes the second project to have gotten revived by eMedia Investments following Die Kontrak.
• From 31 July, Elif will be airing 18:00 followed by Om Elke Draai at 19:00 then Hart Van Goud at 20:00 and Die Put at 21:00. eMedia Investments hadn't provided the full 24 hour schedule should they do we'll gladly provide it but as of now Kuiertyd will look like this
18:00 Elif
19:00 On Elke Draai
20:00 Hart Van Goud.
21:00 Die Put
• The channel rolls out three new international telenovelas (two of which are currently streaming on eVOD): Winter Son, Chrysalis and Ramo. All shows but Elif ends next month as it continues to be Kuiertyd's longest running series.
• From July 4, Die Vreemdeling the first ever Turkish series to be made available on e.tv will broadcast as a double bill at 16:00.
eVOD
* The final two seasons of Doodsondes will launch exclusively on eVOD. Even Die Put has reached its final rounds on the streaming service both of which are slated for eExtra's Kuiertyd.
Other
During the week, it was learnt by sources that e.tv's 4 channels would be exciting MultiChoice's DStv and after a few hours we managed to recieve word that eToonz, eExtra, eMovies and eMovies Extra would in fact end its run on the pay-tv platform by the end of July.
As mentioned, further content can be viewed on e.tv and several pay-tv channels on DStv. Of course with e.tv, this comes at a limited basis with some content be it drama related or cinema based taking longer to be viewed on e.tv than on eExtra or eMovies some never seen on the brand.
Friday, July 21, 2023
Could eToonz, eExtra, eMovies And eMovies Extra Be The Next Channels To Exit MultiChoice's DStv?
Last year, MultiChoice renewed their partnership with eMedia Investments for eNCA which meant eNuus on kykNET could live on a couple of years. Unfortunately, this new agreement didn't include eToonz, eExtra, eMovies and eMovies Extra therefore ending it's run on DStv.
At the time, it was learnt that MultiChoice would adding more channels during that financial period including Movie Room and DreamWorks and also extending the reach of existing channels KIX and PBS Kids. They even got kykNET to rollout it's international telenovela slate.
But that's where things get interesting because around the time all this happened. The courts made their ruling and it was advised that MultiChoice retain these channels following pending investigation which created an overflow of content amongst their portfolio.
It was stated by eMedia Investments that they'd love to see their channels remain on DStv despite the tensions the pay-tv company have with Openview. MultiChoice at the opted to move further and refresh their lineup which led to the cancellation of Tellytrack, ITV Networks, Novela Magic and MTV Hits.
Over to the cancellations, it was stated that the channels would remain on DStv for another 6 months but when 6 months had passed. eMedia Investments only responded to say that eToonz, eExtra, eMovies and eMovies Extra would remain on DStv until further notice.
In an recent enquiry by fans, eMedia Investments' team responded to say that these channels would only be on Openview. Although a date hasn't been provided I presume these channels would be going dark by from August as it would mark 1 year since it was reinstated.
And also eExtra is undergoing timeslot changes around same time, if my hunch is correct it means that consumers would be missing out on the final episodes of Hart Van Goud, Om Elke Draai and Die Put as the latter conclude next month on eExtra with only 2/3 available on e.tv.
As for the other three, the content is spread across DStv for eMovies and eMovies Extra there's Movie Room and TNT, and eToonz with DreamWorks or better yet Nickelodeon. Not that this content isn't on value but taking the platform to account you kind of see these three wouldn't make the cut.
eExtra at some point was guilty as charged but now you can view some fragments of these brands through e.tv and across several DStv channels.
Alongside e.tv channels, other brands whose futures are in question include factual and wildlife brands National Geographic and National Geographic Wild and children's brands Disney Channel and Disney Junior as The Walt Disney Company transitions to a streaming only module moving further content to Disney+.
Saturday, June 17, 2023
Development Alert: The Fairly OddParents And My Little Pony: Pony Life Coming Respectively To eToonz And Possible New Channel On DStv Boing Africa
During the year, eMedia Investments had (re)acquired various content from Nickelodeon including Kung Fu Panda: Legends Of Awesomeness, Dora The Explorer and The Loud House. Now the brand is set to rollout their fourth series from the brand, The Fairly OddParents.
Synopsis for the show:
The Fairly OddParents follows Timmy Turner, a 10 year old kid who was given his own fairy godparents Cosmo and Wanda who grant his every wish which at times comes with disastrous consequences. Butch Hartman known for Danny Phantom serves as content creator.
Since the series inception, The Fairly OddParents serves as Nickelodeon's second longest running series behind SpongeBob SquarePants. It has also spawned several live-action films and one series alongside various video games, theme park attractions, figurines and toys.
Recently, Nickelodeon had filed a trademark for The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish for entertainment, sporting and cultural services. Not much info is available about it on whether it will be a TV series or film for the brand or through Paramount+.
This comes after the removal of The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder on Paramount+.
Boing, a children's channel operated by Warner Bros. Discovery funneling shows from Cartoon Network and Cartoonito (formerly Boomerang) is set to broadcast the first season to one of the brand's forgotten shows, My Little Pony: Pony's Life.
Synopsis for the show:
Based on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, the series explores comedic, slice of life stories that Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy experience, primarily while hanging out at Sugarcube Corner.
The series was picked by Cartoonito (formerly as Boomerang) in 2021 and ran for two seasons. Unlike Friendship Is Magic, the series uses a different art style and each episode is 11 minutes long, consisting of two five-minute segments.
During the year, various content from Boing had been registered under DStv Catch-Up (including My Little Pony: Pony Life). According to reps, there are no plans to add Boing to DStv but that doesn't explain its appearance on Catch-Up maybe it will be added later on.
My guess a replacement for Disney Channel or Nicktoons if not a new channel on the platform.
The Fairly OddParents airs Fridays at 16:30 from 30 June on eToonz while My Little Pony: Pony Life is slated to launch later in July on Boing.
Sunday, May 28, 2023
Regular Nick Shorts: Super Team 4 To Rollout On Netflix, Johnny Bravo's Dragonball Segment Has Surfaced The Net And Showmax Acquired Broadcasting To Berry And The Big City
Netflix to rollout new African animated series
Netflix, the world’s leading streaming entertainment service, has announced that it will debut its first African animated series, Supa Team 4, on 20 July 2023. The series was created by Zambian writer Malenga Mulendema and produced by South Africa’s Triggerfish Animation Studios.
Supa Team 4 is a superhero comedy series that follows four teen girls living in the neo-futuristic African city of Lusaka. When they’re recruited by a retired secret agent still committed to saving the world, they have to balance their secret identities and fighting supervillains with homework and the everyday challenges of being teenagers.
The series features a diverse cast of characters and explores themes of friendship, teamwork, and empowerment. It is a groundbreaking series that will appeal to audiences of all ages.
Johnny Bravo and DBZ crossover has surfaced the net
A crossover between the Cartoon Network program Johnny Bravo and the highly influential anime series Dragon Ball Z previously thought to have been lost has resurfaced on YouTube.
The meeting between the programs took place as part of the JBVO: Your All Request Cartoon Show programming block, which aired from 2000 until 2001.
The block was hosted by Bravo, who was voiced by Jeff Bennett, and the fictional character would introduce and play various cartoon segments from Cartoon Network's archive that were requested by viewers.
Strawberry Shortcake is getting more love
Toronto-based WildBrain has closed several broadcast sales for 2D-animated series Berry in the Big City (120 x four minutes), as well as signing new licensing partners for the Strawberry Shortcake consumer products program.
Portuguese/Spanish preschool channel Canal Panda has acquired the first three seasons of the 2D-animated series, along with four 44-minute seasonal specials, with French AVOD platforms TFOU MAX and MYTFI and Polish preschool net MiniMini+ picking up seasons one and two, and Paramount’s AVOD Pluto TV, Africa’s SVOD Showmax and LA-based AVOD Kanopy buying just the first season.
Friday, May 26, 2023
eMedia Investments And MultiChoice Renew Carriage Agreement For eNCA Through 2027, Still Silent On eMedia's 4 Other Channels Currently Seen On DStv
Yesterday, eMedia Investments revealed in their annual financial results that it secured a five-year extension with MultiChoice to carry eNCA on DStv. It also sold exclusive rights to carry its flagship news channel, blocking its own platforms like Openview from carrying it.
eMedia said it maintained its prime-time audience market share of 34.5% across E-tv, Openview, and eNCA — up slightly from 34.1% on March 2022. E-tv’s prime-time market share dropped back to.21.4% after increasing from 21.8% in 2021 to 23.7% last year.
eNCA is the most-watched news channel in South Africa among the nation’s wealthiest demographic and the second most-watched news channel among “All Adults”. This is despite the channel not being offered on all DStv packages, whereas its competition is, eMedia said.
Last year, the company was embroiled in a carriage battle with the pay-tv company for their 4 channels: eExtra, eToonz, eMovies and eMovies Extra. Since August 2022, the channel remained onboard on the platform following pending investigation.
Of course, eMedia Investments remained silent at the time of publication so we assume these channels might as well be a gonner as MultiChoice isn't looking to carry these channels full-time while eMedia Investments hopes to see them continue on the platform.
As for eNCA, we can only assume that the only way you can get this on Openview is through the pay tier, Ultraview. But majority of Openview consumers can't afford or aren't willing to pay for the the bouquet with some comparing it to the likes of DStv.
Schedule Alert: Kung Fu Panda: Legends Of Awesomeness And Dora The Explorer To Rollout On e.tv And eToonz In The Coming Weeks
In the past week, it was reported that eMedia Investments acquired rights to one of Nickelodeon's most popular series, The Loud House. Now it seems as if Nickelodeon will be making a comeback on the red brand with Kung Fu Panda and Dora The Explorer.
Synopsis for Kung Fu Panda: Legends Of Awesomeness:
Kung Fu Panda: Legends Of Awesomeness tells the story of a panda named Po who must learn to combat the evil forces that threaten to destroy peace. Along with making mistakes, Po also learns a lot more about kung fu during his many endeavours.
The series debuted in 2011 on Nickelodeon and has spawned 80 episodes within 3 seasons. It has also conceived two spinoffs, the short-lived Kung Fu Panda: The Paws Of Destiny on Amazon Prime Video as well as Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Night on Netflix.
Synopsis for Dora The Explorer:
Dora The Explorer follows the titular character, a seven-year-old girl of Latin American descent, embarks upon numerous adventures in the wilderness with her friend Boots, a monkey, and a variety of fun and useful tools such as Backpack and The Map.
The series debuted in 2000 on Nickelodeon and happens to be one of the brand's most popular series to date with 200 episodes between 7 seasons. With a reboot currently in development, the series has also conceived prequels, Go! Diego Go! and Dora And Friends.
Kung Fu Panda: Legends Of Awesomeness will be made available on e.tv every Monday at 15:20 from 5 June. Dora The Explorer will be made available from Tuesday at 14:00 on eToonz from 6 June.
Monday, May 22, 2023
Could e.tv's Youth Block Craze Also Be On The Chopping Block Following The Rollout Of Takalani Sesame And Revised eToonz Offering?
Last year, eMedia Investments was in a carriage dispute with MultiChoice regarding e.tv's 4 channels on the DStv platform which still remains as quo. Following the demise, eMedia Investments had begun boosting primetime on their least viewed channel, eToonz.
eToonz, a children's channel offering animation and live-action was basically a graveyard for most of e.tv's offering on their youth block, Craze. As mentioned, the channel has seen a growth in entertainment with the addition of live-action like Backstage and Hank Zipzer.
Content which has yet to be seen on e.tv as the only notable live-action show to date is Power Rangers and just like most of eMedia's channels they too provide content that hasn't been made available to the main channel so would it be shocking if eToonz followed.
As mentioned, there's been a lot of questions regarding the future of e.tv's youth offering as the latter serves as rebroadcasts from the SABC and eToonz with eMedia Investments limiting the international offering as seen this past week with The Goldbergs.
e.tv serves a free-to-air entertainment channel offering a mixture of local and international productions. Just like the SABC, they also follow a mandate which requires them to serve news which they initially intended to get out of the way alongside kiddies entertainment.
With that in mind, e.tv will continue to supply a lineup of kiddies content. Of course, this doesn't exclude the possibility of them revamping the block's current offering as seen during the year with Takalani Sesame.