CBS Boss Alec Botnick Has Been Named President Of Nickelodeon Animation Studios

A longtime CBS exec, Botnick will lead the studio into its next chapter while continuing to serve in his current role as Executive Vice President (EVP) of CBS Studios Comedy Development, Head of Animation and Alternative.

Additionally, after BET Studios in December became a label of CBS Studios, the same is now being done with Nickelodeon Animation Studios, which also will function as a label within the David Stapf-run TV studio going forward.

With that, all production units in Cheeks’ expanded portfolio after the Skydance merger are now being consolidated into one, CBS Studios.

As the head of Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Botnick will help the studio reinvent its approach to reaching preschoolers and evolve into a multi-platform brand. He’ll also take charge of Nickelodeon’s unscripted arm, which includes the Kids’ Choice Awards. Of course, he will also guide the development of new TV series while overseeing Nickelodeon’s most important franchises like SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and PAW Patrol.

A former WME agent, Botnick joined CBS Studios in 2015 as Vice President (VP), Comedy Development and was upped to executive vp in 2021. 

While at CBS, Botnick has helped develop scripted series including for animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, Everybody Still Hates Chris and Digman!, along with live-action comedies Ghosts, The Neighborhood, and the upcoming vampire comedy Eternally Yours, as well as Paramount+’s Australian comedy Colin From Accounts. He also developed Dead to Me, and American Vandal at Netflix. He will continue to develop scripted comedies and alternative titles for CBS Studios while maintaining oversight of animated development across the CBS, Comedy Central and MTV brands.

In more executive news, Ashley Kaplan, who previously served as Nickelodeon’s EVP of Unscripted and Digital Franchise Studios, will shift into a consulting role on Monday, April 13, supporting the TV Media division on special projects through the end of the year.

Kaplan had been co-running the animated studio with Botnick for the past four months. Back in November, three months after former CBS President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Cheeks added oversight of Paramount cable brands such as MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET in his new role as Paramount’s Chair of TV Media, he unveiled leadership for most divisions.

Kaplan and Botnick were tapped at the time to oversee Nickelodeon Animation Studios. Over her seven-year tenure at Nickelodeon, Kaplan has shepherded the company’s large YouTube output in form of short-form content, including Kid Cowboy.

Jules Borkent, EVP of Global Commercial Partnerships and Operations, will continue to oversee the business and strategy of Nickelodeon Kids & Family.

Read Cheeks' memo in its entirety below:

Team,  

I’m excited to announce that Alec Botnick has been appointed President of Nickelodeon Animation Studios. Alec will lead Nickelodeon Animation Studios into its next chapter, while also continuing his current role as EVP of CBS Studios comedy development, alternative & animation. Similar to BET Studios, Nickelodeon Animation Studios will now operate as its own label for television within CBS Studios.

For Nickelodeon, Alec will oversee the animation studio and its evolution across digital, TV and streaming as we reimagine how we meet today’s kids and families. Alec’s leadership will be essential in shaping our next phase as Nickelodeon reinvents how we reach preschoolers, starting where discovery happens first and evolving into a true multi-platform brand. He also will lead Nickelodeon’s unscripted programming for television, including the Kids’ Choice Awards, while also guiding the development of new series and overseeing our long-running hits, ensuring Nickelodeon remains home to the world’s most iconic kids’ franchises like SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, PAW PATROL and more.  

Alec will continue to develop scripted comedies and alternative projects for CBS Studios, as well as maintain oversight of animated development across the CBS, Comedy Central and MTV brands for owned and third-party platforms. Series and projects Alec has helped develop include GHOSTS and ETERNALLY YOURS for CBS, the critically acclaimed Australian comedy COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS for Paramount+ and the animated series “Odd Jobs” for Prime Video.  

I also want to share that Ashley Kaplan will transition to a consulting role beginning Monday. In this capacity, she will support the TV Media division on special projects through the end of the year. We are grateful to Ashley for her years of leadership and appreciate her continued partnership.  

Jules Borkent, executive vice president of global commercial partnerships and operations, will continue to oversee Nickelodeon Kids & Family’s business and strategy, working in partnership with Alec and other key stakeholders to maximize the Nick brand.  

Please join me in congratulating Alec on this well-deserved role. I’m excited for what’s ahead as we continue building the next chapter of Nickelodeon.  

All the best,  

George

Development Alert: Electric Bloom Cancelled On Disney Channel After One Season

Electric Bloom is an American musical comedy television series created by Alex Fox, Eric Friedman, and Rachel Lewis that premiered on July 10, 2025 on Disney Channel. The series stars Lumi Pollack, Carmen Sanchez, Ruby Marino, and Nathaniel Buescher.

Synopsis for Electric Bloom

It follows a famous pop music group called "Electric Bloom" consists of Posey Parker, Jade Castillo, and Tulip Aoki where they named their group over the fact that they have flower-based names. Electric Bloom reflects on their story on how they became the biggest band in the world on their "Ask Us Anything" livestream, starting from the day they met in 9th grade at Edison County High School and became a school band.

According to Production Weekly, Disney Channel had renewed Vampirina: Teenage Vampire and Wizards Beyond Waverly Place for further seasons. In these strings of shows, Electric Bloom was apparently left out leading to speculation it got the axe.

In recent years, Disney Channel hasn't been upfront about the status of most of their shows as the focus has shifted to streaming. The company now relies on Disney+ to determine whether any of these shows sink or swim.

Historically, Disney had often adhered to a "65-episode rule," where many shows were ended regardless of popularity to keep the brand fresh and manage costs. Today, this has evolved into a "soft cancellation" strategy where underperforming shows are simply left without updates.

With the cancellation of Electric Bloom and the final season renewal of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. This would leave Vampirina: Teenage Vampire and the upcoming series Coven Academy as the only live-action to broadcast on Disney Channel.

Development Alert: Lente Na Die Storm Will Be Making It's Linear Debut On eExtra, Maanligsprokie And Uzozisola - Regrets To Follow On e.tv

After being allocated on eVOD last year, Lente Na Die Storm will now be allocated on eExtra from Sunday 24 May. The company recently published it's ratings card where details of potential new shows was revealed.

Also joining the lineup will be the newly added Maanligsprokie from eVOD alongside Uzozisola - Regrets both of which are slated for e.tv. With Uzozisola - Regrets that will be returning on eExtra in the coming weeks.

A rebroadcast of Chrysalis S3 will also be allocated on e.tv weekdays at 09:30.

It should be noted that eMedia Investments hadn't provided dates to any of the broadcasts on e.tv but these shows appear on their ratings card each with a timeslot inserted on them. We can only assume it will come into effect between April and May.

Synopsis for Lente Na Die Storm 

It follows the dramatic journey of a devoted housewife who rediscovers her self-worth after a medical emergency forces her to reevaluate her life. Bahar graduated from medical school 20 years ago but sacrificed her career to be a devoted wife and mother.

She is married to Timur Yavuzoglu, a successful and well-respected surgeon. From the outside, they appear to have a happy and comfortable life. Bahar's world is shattered when she suddenly collapses and is diagnosed with a severe liver illness.

As she faces a life-or-death situation, Bahar discovers that her husband, Timur, and his mother have been hiding a terrible secret from her. Bahar also learns that Timur has been having an affair with his colleague, Rengin, for many years.

A liver transplant is her only hope for survival, and tests show that Timur is a compatible donor. However, he is unwilling to donate his liver and tries to convince Bahar's doctor to let her die. 

After surviving, Bahar decides she will no longer be a victim. She returns to the hospital to complete her medical residency. She must navigate the difficulties of working with her estranged husband their resident son, and Timur's affair partner, Rengin.

Less Brands, Less Confusion, More Simplicity, Cheaper Packages And Cheaper Decoders. - Canal+ S.A. On DStv

Canal+ unveiled its financial year results ending 31 March 2026 and gave some indicators on where things stand for them with MultiChoice. They acquired the company last year with plans to its rollout its streaming service in place of Showmax.

Unfortunately, Showmax will go dark by the end of April and Canal+ plans to move further shows onto DStv Stream as consumers await for their dedicated app.

Also on the cards is a further restructuring to the DStv services as it was mentioned by the company that MultiChoice way too much. Aside from DStv Premium to Easyview, there's also AddMovies, Insurance and the Explora Ultra.

Showmax formed part of this as it offered a Premier League subscription and a discounted rate for DStv consumers. With it being shuttered, this is one way they're trying to make simplier for consumers.

Canal+ plans to deploy a 1000 salespeople in MultiChoice markets and help them get commission if they're able to push DStv decoders to homes. It appears the focus has shifted toward their mass market or should I say lower paying consumers.

Not long ago, it was that Canal+ might have shelved yet to launch DStv Ultra decoder as it was deemed too expensive for the African market. These sales people aren't pushing Explora type decoders into Africa but DStv ones as they're affordable.

Some consumers probably noticed that Canal+ also brought down the prices to some of MultiChoice's services in the market. The plan is to duplicate this onto DStv packages across Africa and there's no word on how they plan to do all this.

According to Thinus Ferreira, Canal+ outlined it's plans as so: less brands, less confusion, more simplicity, cheaper packages and cheaper decoders.

If you look at how all of this is being worded out, the only way I can see them achieve this level of simplicity is to restructure DStv packages. There's massive overlaps between DStv Family and Compact as well as Premium and Compact+.

Maybe Canal+ will look to merge it's Compact+ and Premium offering into one package with Compact and Family forming the other. There had been talks since last year about unbundling SuperSport from the DStv offering maybe that will be factored in.

MultiChoice also offered a Chinese, Bollywood, French and Portuguese package. I'd imagine Canal+ would want to deploy Tout Canal+ in place of DStv French and likely scrap the Chinese package with further reductions to Bollywood and Portuguese.

In South Africa, MultiChoice even consolidated it's Portuguese offering onto remaining DStv packages. For all we know, Canal+ could look to duplicate this in more African countries. 

April 2026 On Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Real Time And Discovery Family Across Africa | Brand New!!! The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story | Returning Shows Including Texas Metal | More

Investigation Discovery

The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story

Brand New

A mother's breakdown. A cult's grip. Events that shock the world. Discover how a preacher fuels the Yates family’s tragedy.

First TX: 5 April

TX Day: Sunday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 5 April

Hunt For The Missing: Chicago S1

Brand New

Retired Detective Pam Childs reignites investigations into Chicago’s most gripping missing person cases.

First TX: 10 April

TX Day: Friday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 15 May

Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger

Brand New

An elite Texas Ranger with a reputation as a serial killer whisperer gets stunning confessions to unsolved murders across the country.

First TX: 16 April

TX Day: Thursday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 4 June

Dog Detectives S1

New to Channel

Meet the unsung heroes of the crime-fighting world

First TX: 26 April

TX Day: Wednesday

TX Time: 22:00

Last TX: 1 July

Travel Channel

Returning shows include House Hunters International S137, 138 on 1 April at 06:00 and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives S5 on 7 April at 13:30.

Discovery Family 

Bad Chad Customs S1

NEW TO CHANNEL

A master builder and his tight-knit team can turn metal from the junkyards into award-winning cars.

First TX: 2 April

TX Day: Thursday

TX Time: 17:35

Last TX: 7 May

Returning shows including Gold Divers S7 from 1 April at 19:15, Fast N' Loud S6 from 1 April at 14:10 and Texas Metal S6 from 3 April at 16:45.

Real Time

My Lottery Dream Home International S1

NEW TO CHANNEL

British designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen joins European lottery winners on their search for a dream home.

First TX: 6 April

TX Day: Weekdays

TX Time: 14:35

Last TX: 24 April

Returning shows including Murder Comes To Town S5 from 4 April on 23:20, Tiny House Hunters S4 from 6 April at 15:25, Girl Meets Farm S6 & S7 from 9 April at 12:55 and Guy! Hawaiian Style S1 from 13 April at 12:05.