TOLDJA!!! Canal+ Launches Novelas+ As A Replacement Channel To TLNovelas On DStv

TelevisaUnivison's TLNovelas channel was removed from the DStv platform earlier in the year and was first victim to Canal+'s aggressive cost cuts at MultiChoice. This meant that DStv consumers were left with Telemundo's repetitive lineup.

But that will no longer be the case as Canal+ will be debuting Novelas+ as its first TV channel in MultiChoice territories following it's acquisition of the company in 2025. 

The channel will feature a wide variety of telenovelas and drama series from Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, and many other countries, bringing viewers even more captivating stories, romance, drama, and unforgettable characters.

Confirmed shows for the channel include Avenida Brasil, Ada Masali and Domenica Montero.

Novelas+ is already available in Poland with it's French equivalent Novelas TV residing in France and French overseas. So it's inclusion on DStv doesn't come as a surprise as it was speculated months after TLNovelas removal on the platform.

Since it's inception, Novelas+ has been serving as a distributor of TelevisaUnivison's telenovelas or as they put it some of the best shows from the world. Africa is basically a hotspot for these shows taking to account brands like Telemundo and eExtra.

Novelas+ will be available to DStv Premium, Compact+, Compact, Family and Access customers on channel 133 from 1st July.

US Regulators Approve Paramount's Buyout Of Warner Bros. Discovery

The Justice Department has signed off on Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing the way for a merger that will unite two historic Hollywood studios and reshape the American entertainment industry.

In a statement, the department said it determined that the massive merger was “not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers.”

The Justice Department said it reached that conclusion after receiving extensive feedback.

“Over the course of a rigorous eight-month investigation led by the Division’s career staff, the Division received from the Parties over two million documents,” it said in a statement. It also said that it heard “extensive” advocacy from third parties during the process.

The news was first reported by Politico.

Paramount owns a 114-year-old film studio, the Paramount+ streaming service and the CBS broadcast network. Warner owns a 116-year-old film studio, the HBO Max streaming service and a suite of cable channels, including CNN.

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has vowed to “honor the legacy of two iconic companies while accelerating our vision of building a next-generation media and entertainment company.” The 43-year-old media executive is the son of technology magnate Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle and an ally of President Donald Trump.

But the deal has faced blowback from some Hollywood professionals and government regulators.

In an open letter released in April, more than 1,000 entertainment professionals said the deal would “further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it.”

The merger could draw legal challenges from state attorneys general. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has said his office is investigating the tie-up, and a person familiar with the matter said New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office is part of that probe.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who has publicly advocated against the deal, said the Justice Department’s green light was “terrible news for every American.”

“This fight isn’t over,” Warren said in a post on X. “State AGs must block this merger.”

Bonta’s office said its investigation was ongoing and otherwise declined to comment on the Justice Department’s move.

European Union officials are reviewing the merger over the deal’s financial backing from three Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds. In an April filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Paramount said its acquisition of Warner is backed in part by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Abu Dhabi’s L’IMAD Holding and the Qatar Investment Authority.

In recent weeks, Ellison’s Paramount has been under scrutiny over major shake-ups at CBS News, where his appointed editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, fired multiple “60 Minutes” correspondents at the end of the most recent season.

StudioCanal Announces New Production "Home Safety Hotline" With Filming Set To Commence In South Africa By 2027

Los Angeles-based genre label Spooky Pictures, Abu Dhabi-based studio Image Nation and L.A. and UAE-based production company Longevity Pictures have secured a financing deal with prominent European production/distribution banner Studiocanal — through its in-house genre label Sixth Dimension — for their upcoming horror thriller “Home Safety Hotline.”

“Home Safety Hotline,” which is set to start production in South Africa in early 2027, is based on Night Signal Entertainment’s critically acclaimed puzzle video game of the same name. Durban-born Michael Matthews (“Love and Monsters”) (pictured above) will direct from a screenplay written by Nick Tassoni (“Lure”). The film is being produced by Steven Schneider (“Late Night With the Devil”) for Spooky Pictures, alongside Majd Nassif (“Mercy”) for Longevity Pictures and Kameek Lucas Taitt (“Love and Monsters”).

For Studiocanal, boarding “Home Safety Hotline” underlines the company’s commitment to the South African industry following the recent acquisition of local pay-TV outfit The MultiChoice Group by its parent company Canal+.

The executive producers on “Home Safety Hotline” comprise Image Nation’s Ben Ross (“Watcher”), Jakob Pollack (“Weapons”) of Spooky Pictures and Jed Benedict, who is head of Sixth Dimension.

The film, set in the U.S., “will follow an unemployed loner who must take a job as a phone operator at a mysterious home security company, only to realize they specialize in protecting customers from horrific monsters that come out at night,” according to the synopsis.

“Home Safety Hotline” will now be co-developed and co-financed by Sixth Dimension, which will also handle worldwide sales and release the film theatrically across Studiocanal’s territory footprint of the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand.

“What we love about Home Safety Hotline is how it takes the most ordinary corners of a home: the walls, the basement, the thing in the attic, and turns them genuinely terrifying, then runs the whole nightmare through a struggling company and the unlikely people holding it together. It’s fun, it’s scary, and it’s unlike anything out there,” said Longevity Pictures president Nassif. “Alongside our partners at Spooky Pictures and Image Nation, and with the support of Studiocanal’s Sixth Dimension, we’ve found exactly the right team to bring it to life.”

Commented Sixth Dimension head Benedict: “Just as every night I hope the eerie humming downstairs comes from my cheap refrigerator, every day I hope a project like ‘Home Safety Hotline’ crosses our radar. From the moment our good friends at Spooky Pictures, Image Nation and Longevity Pictures first spoke of Night Signal Entertainment’s cult game (of the same name), we knew we wanted to be involved. And when we learned that Michael Matthews would be directing — an exceptional filmmaker and a proven monster-whisperer himself — with Nick Tassoni devising our handbook through hell, it became impossible to resist.”

DStv Easyview Falls Out Of MultiChoice's Streaming Endeavours

DStv Easyview serves as the cheapest package amongst MultiChoice's DStv offering carrying mainly provincial and news channels. It has been in operation since 2008 and rivals with the likes of PremiumFree and eMedia Investment's Openview.

In recent months, MultiChoice had been gradually phasing out this offering from across their platforms. As potential DStv consumers who would go through the DStv website to check what's on offer only see the company's 5 other packages.

By selecting “Get DStv” on their website, consumers are presented with only 5 packages: Premium, Compact Plus, Compact, Family, and Access.

According to Canal+, the decision to do away with DStv Easyview on their website aligns with the streaming endeavours for which one isn't offered for the package. Hence, the reason why these consumers are able to see other packages.

A few months ago, Canal+ decided to do away with Showmax as part of its cost cutting endeavours at MultiChoice. The streamer has been described as "expensive failure" following it's revamp in 2024, with Canal+ that folded it under DStv Stream.

Although DStv Easyview can still be obtained from their call centre and WhatsApp by minimising it's visibility you're basically reducing its reach. When there's less demand for a service a company doesn't see any point in offering such service.

Canal+ is planning to use DStv Stream to deploy its own streaming app in MultiChoice markets and if you've seen what the broadcaster did with FilmBox. They're likely going to try and align whatever seen in DStv Stream with the decoder offering.

Aside from DStv Easyview, MultiChoice doesn't even offer a streaming option for its DStv Indian and Portuguese offering.

We can only assume Canal+ is eyeing potential growth from these other packages and the latter isn't as competitive. These are packages in which MultiChoice doesn't put much 

Disney+ Quiz Nights, In Collaboration With Quiz Nights SA And Tiger’s Milk, Return This Winter

Disney+ has officially confirmed the return of its much-loved Disney+ Quiz Nights, bringing fans together once again for an unforgettable celebration of storytelling, competition, and entertainment.

 

In collaboration with Quiz Nights SA and Tiger’s Milk, the fan-favourite activation returns from 24 June 2026, rolling out across venues nationwide during June and July, bringing A Lifetime Of Great Stories to life beyond the screen.

 

Quiz Nights: A Celebration of Storytelling and Fans

Rolling out across selected Tiger’s Milk venues nationwide, Disney+ Quiz Nights invites fans to gather their teams, claim their tables and put their knowledge to the test in a lively, social setting.

 

From long-running favourites like Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family and The Simpsons to buzzy Disney+ Originals and global hits, the evening promises a fun, easy-going quiz experience that’s as much about the vibe as it is about the trivia.

 

Whether you're in it for the bragging rights, the laughs with friends, or just a great night out, Quiz Nights is all about celebrating the stories that bring us together.

 

Fans can expect an immersive evening packed with iconic moments, nostalgic favourites and unexpected questions all designed to spark conversation, connection and a little bit of competitive spirit, not to mention exciting prizes up for grabs.

Participating venues include:

Gauteng:

Bryanston • Appleton’s • Waterfall • Melrose • Harvest Place

 

Western Cape:

GrandWest • Green Point • Claremont • Muizenberg • Century City

 

KwaZulu-Natal:

Pavilion • Suncoast • Ballito (24 June ONLY) • Umhlanga

Paramount May Be Forced To Sell Cartoon Network

Paramount is currently under scrutiny by European regulators regarding its buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery. While the two companies would have small market share, regulators are scrutinising the deal due to overlapping assets.

Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito would fall under the same umbrella as Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Nicktoons. Paramount wants to keep all these assets with no plans of closing or spinning them off.

The European Union usually pay close attention to deals if the market share exceeds 30% and while the combined company is set to be under 20%. Fact is pairing Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon already pushes this above 40%.

Paramount had expressed willingness to spin-off or sale it's broadcasting license for Nickelodeon alongside its local feeds viewed in Europe and Africa. This excludes the feeds that would have been viewed in the US, India and Canada.

Whomever is owning the broadcasting license of Nickelodeon, Nicktoons and Nick Jr. would have to license shows like SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora as those would remain under Paramount.

It's also possible that if the European Union gives the greenlight, Paramount would likely form an agreement that excludes Cartoon Network. They wouldn't be involved in the daily operations of the brand or have access to financial records.

But the deal could be a major win for Nickelodeon as this would give it access to IPs such as Uncle Grandpa, Powerpuff Girls and Ben 10. It would also give Nick Jr. more of an edge against Disney Junior with Batwheels and Baby Looney Tunes.

In the same scenario as Nickelodeon, if a buyer were to emerge for Cartoon Network and Cartoonito's European feeds. Paramount will be charging them for The Wonderfully Weird World Of Gumball and the upcoming series, Adventure Time: Side Quests. 

Is KykNET NOU! And VIA In Trouble???

Since Canal+ has taken over MultiChoice there's been a lot of fear within the industry of what comes next. As the French giant has company making cuts which include the discontinuation of Winter Olympics on SuperSport with HBO on M-Net.

Several producers and other people delivering services at MultiChoice have talked about contracts not being renewed as yet or waiting on payments for certain services at the company.

Although Canal+ had committed to securing content from MultiChoice markets and that reduction of local content wouldn't fit in the company's overall structure. That doesn't mean there won't be cuts or reduction in salaries.

Take for instance Showmax, MultiChoice had lost billions after relaunching it as a joint venture with NBCUniversal. Now plans are set in motion to consolidate this onto DStv Stream and later Canal+.

Now there's reports that they're targeting local commentators figure indicators that nothing is safe which brings a couple of channels into question, KykNET NOU! and VIA.

Canal+ was asked what is going to happen with M-Net, Africa Magic and KykNET, and responded to say "we love SuperSport". Further indication that tough times could be ahead for DStv which is where KykNET NOU! and VIA come in.

Both of these are Afrikaans channels, KykNET NOU! does the music while VIU handles the foodies, fashion and home decor. It offers shows like

Similar to the local commentary and Showmax, if Canal+ feels there's not much people tuning into these channels. They could look to scaling back on its offering and redirecting these efforts onto KykNET and we have our reasons.

A majority of KykNET viewers likely have access to Netflix, Spotify and Disney+. In retrospect, this could as well reduce their dependency on these brands.

If we had to look at past instances, there was StarSat who at one time offered OnseTV and InPas TV before shutting those down. Then there's 7de Laan on SABC 2 and Nuusdag Om 8pm on eExtra which also got the boot.

KykNET NOU and VIA are niche brands and compared to KykNET and it's other sister channels. The viewership on these channels are a lot smaller but one has to hope amidst this cord cutting that somehow Canal+ can still reciprocate the costs.

If not these channels could join Showmax and form part of Canal+'s turnaround plan at MultiChoice.

The Queen Of Me, Brand New Female Led Drama Launches On Zee World

Zee World, a Bollywood based channel operated by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that airs English dubbed content has announced the addition of a new series, Queen Of Me. Known in India as Bas Itna Sa Khwaab, it launches on June 12 across Africa.

Based on the series Tu Chal Pudha, it starred Rajshree Thakur as Avani Trivedi, Yogendra Vikram Singh as Shikhar Trivedi, Bhumika Gurung as Shagun Trivedi and Sandeep Sharma as Vidyut Sharma.

Synopsis for Queen Of Me

The story centers on Avani Trivedi, a dedicated housewife and mother from Kanpur. Her middle-class family shares a major, long-term dream: saving up enough money to buy a luxury home.

Wanting to support her husband and fast-track their dream, Avani decides to step outside her comfort zone and earn an income. However, her family is highly skeptical, believing a housewife lacks the skills to survive in the business world.

Defying their doubts, Avani revisits a buried talent and successfully opens her own beauty parlor. The narrative follows her transformation into an independent woman balancing intense family obligations with professional external pressures.

The drama chronicles her hurdles with family judgment, a deceptive mistress/antagonist named Tamanna, and financial crises. Ultimately, Avani manages to prove her worth, unite her family, and achieve financial security.