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Featured Posts

Channel Closure: WildEarth Will Stop Airing On DStv By The End Of April, Freeview And ROKU Might Follow Soon

WildEarth is an interactive wildlife channel which brings viewers closer to nature with live safaris within the hotspot of Africa. Founded i...

Monday, June 29, 2020

Da Vinci Kids Ramps Up More Content To Further Boost Their Lineup

Da Vinci Kids owned by Azoomee is adding a further 5 shows to the three recently announced. Bringing the total amount of new content to eight.

Search It Up, is a BAFTA-nominated series of animated shorts designed to help families learn about online safety. Search It Up was created by Azoomee and is supported by the NSPCC, covering topics from cyberbullying to protecting personal information, and much more.

Hope Works, a series of short films to inspire the values of kindness, tolerance and understanding in children around the world. Produced by BBC Studios.

Aliens - The Big Think, the hunt for aliens is on! After a distinguished career in cosmology Professor Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, has taken up the search for extra-terrestrials. Looking for aliens is no longer science fiction - it's a question that's engaging some of the greatest minds in science.

Which Universe Are We In, until very recently the whole idea of the multiverse was dismissed as fantasy. Horizon asks whether multiple universes exist and, if so, which one we are actually in.

Pincode S2, in search of scientific knowledge, the colourful crew zoom through the universe in the Umflier, a craft that moves through space, time, volume and dimension. Every episode deals with a different science topic in an exciting and understandable way.

Da Vinci Kids can be viewed through StarSat in South Africa and StarTimes for the rest of Africa alongside MultiChoice's DStv.

Friday, June 26, 2020

New Channel Alert: Kix Coming Soon To DStv

KIX is the ultimate destination for Asian action entertainment. KIX offers action fans a mix of heart-pumping action movies, fun celebrity game shows, compelling reality series and Asian-focused fight events, bringing on-screen excitement to every home!

The channel is owned by Celestial Tiger Entertainment . Its programming is targeted towards 18- to 45-year-old adults. The channel airs a combination of Asian content (notably Korean shows) with Western programs and attracts a core target audience of international viewers skewed toward male viewers.

This was one of the channels being hyped about from MultiChoice including the the four local channels alongside Netflix and Amazon partnership.

According to the info provided by MultiChoice, they describe it as an action movie channel. So ir might be used for englEng dubbed Japanese action movies or action movies in general. There's no details on when the channel is expected to launch on the platform or channel number

Is Moja Love Running Out Of Content?

Channel 157 Moja Love is bringing back movies

In an effort to reduce the channel’s repeats ratio and increase viewership, Moja Love will be launching Moja Kung FU movies block with latest Asian blockbuster movies dubbed in USA English.

The addition will happen this July

Since the lockdown has began, the viewership for Moja Love has been interesting. Shows like Uyajola 9/9, Single and Mingle, The Way Nginakhona etc. have definitely kept the viewers watching and the numbers keep growing.

However, it wouldn't be pleasant to keep on watching repeats because of content not being available so is the next resort movies ? Old movies perhaps ? This could be interesting.

The Way Ngingakhona has pulled of 826K views just in season 1. The reunion show special hosted by Nomsa Buthelezi has been rated number 3 on the channel behind Mamazala 1,02 million and Single And Mingle at number 1 with 1.01 million viewers.

Hopefully with the movies coming to Moja Love, the views will remain like that.

Disney XD Shutting Down In The UK, How Does This Affect Africa?

Disney has confirmed that, from October 1st, its Disney+ D2C service will be the exclusive UK home for content from Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Junior – effectively ending the carriage of the linear channels by UK pay-TV platforms BT TV, Sky and Virgin Media.

As some are already aware the launch of Disney+ has led several markets to cutback on some if not all Disney Channels mostly Disney XD. The reason Disney's contract wasn't renewed is because the pay-tv operator sees Disney+ as a threat.

Now in Africa, where Disney remains silent on when or if the streaming platform will be made available in the market has experienced similar effects to other markets.

MultiChoice, a South African platform has signed an agreement with Netflix and Amazon but details of the agreements are yet to be announced but this likely reduces the chances of channel cancellations but that doesn't mean that they won't remove a channel.

My likely guess would be that if Disney+ makes its way to the market there's chances it might take away Disney XD  now that Disney has shut production of original content for that channel leaving it with nothing but reruns in the coming future and Disney+ supplies reruns already.

Since 2018, Disney XD alone hasn't brought any new shows all they've done is air new episodes of their remaining shows along with reruns of selected animated series with Amphibia coming from Disney Channel. As some may not know Disney XD Africa is using the same feeds as other countries excluding the United States, Asia and Latin America.

Disney Africa has shown signs of its distance from XD like their YouTube Channel. It stopped being active from July 2017 and since then all the XD shows on YouTube moved to Disney Channel YouTube account while Junior programs have it's branding through that platform all of XD programs have Disney Channel's branding instead. Even in their upfront, they were very silent in presenting new content for the channel.

In most markets that already have Disney+ the main target was mostly Disney XD and viewers were directed to Disney Channel and Disney+ since content from that channel can be viewable on those platforms. So if Disney XD were to shutter in Africa then Disney+ would be the reason for the decision.

It doesn't seem like Disney has plans to to place any long time investments on the channel e.g. Pokemon. The United States and UK both created an animation block on Disney Channel which also does reruns of XD remaining animation and this happened long before the UK announced the channel's termination so how long will it be till Africa follows with XD since this market also manages the channels in Africa as well.

More Factual And Educational Content Will Be Making It's Way To Da Vinci Kids Africa

Since the channel's launch in 2013 through the African market, the channel has managed to make a major impact in the market providing the best in factual and educational content for children. The channel has been described as the kids version of Discovery Family which is currently available through MultiChoice's DStv alongside StarTimes Media and ODM's StarSat platforms.

Da Vinci Kids, was known for being repetitive as well in nature that was until the UK SVOD service Azoome acquired the brand earlier this year. The channel has recieved a boost in content offering.

The channel is set to introduce three new shows including the eighth and possibly final season of Horrible Histories and all this content can be found on Azoomee or better yet they were always available on that platform so yeah Azoomee could be using Da Vinci to repeat content seen on their streaming platform as well.

Marvellous Makes, this kids show brings to life the love and joy of creating things with plasticene and simple household objects. It's not about making things perfectly, but it's about getting creative and having a go! Arts and Crafts.

Horrible Histories, the channel is set to air it's eighth season. A group of British comedians show the sides of history they don't teach you in school. From the 'Savage Stone Age' to the 'Troublesome 20th Century', you see the full side to history.

Clean Eating: The Dirty Truth, Dr Giles Yeo investigates the latest diet craze and social media sensation - clean eating. In a television first, Giles cooks with Ella Mills, the Instagram entrepreneur behind Deliciously Ella, one of the most popular brands associated with clean eating, and examines how far her plant-based cooking is based on science.

Hands Up, a series of digitally accessed art projects for young kids commissioned by the NSPCC. Get your hands up and make some beautiful arts and crafts! Arts and Crafts.

Da Vinci Kids is available on MultiChoice's DStv and GOtv platforms in South Africa and across Africa alongside StarSat in South Africa and StarTimes for the rest of Africa.

July 2020 On JimJam Africa | Guess With Jess S1 | More

Guess with Jess Season 1
Fans of Postman Pat, this is your chance to get to learn more about his cat, Jess. Lucky for us, Jess is able to talk and share his adventures with us. He is joined by many animal friends. Look forward to meeting Willow, a horse who wears a sunhat; Baa, a nervous sheep that lives with Billie, a field mouse who loves to investigate things; Horace the musical frog; and twin puppies, Joey and Jinx. Wednesday 1 July on Jim Jam (DStv 310) at 08:30

Make a Way for Noddy
Based on the beloved character by Enid Blyton, Noddy is back on television with some familiar faces and new friends. Tessie Bear, Big Ears, Mr Plod, Dinah Doll and Bumpy Dog are here to make you smile. But watch out for two crafty goblins, Gobbo and Sly. Saturday 4 July on Jim Jam (DStv 310) at 09:00

Guess How Much I love You
Based on the timeless classic, this series follows the adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare and his father Big Nutbrown Hare through mossy forests and cool rivers. They are joined by Grey Squirrel and Little Field Mouse as they find fun and journeys of discovery. Saturday 4 July on Jim Jam (DStv 310) at 09:30

Caillou
Come on adventures with a 4-year-old boy who finds the world around him fascinating. His imagination takes him to faraway places or traveling on rocket ships and airplanes.  Wednesday 1 July on Jim Jam (DStv 310) at 08:04

Say it with Noddy
Noddy, Big Ears and all their friends go on adventures and face their fears together. Wednesday 1 July on Jim Jam (DStv 310) at 08:53

Bob the Builder
Bob and the Can-Do crew are ready to tackle any project. As part of their teamwork, they include positive thinking, problem-solving and follow-through to get the job done. Don’t forget the number one idea: “the fun is in getting it done.” Saturday 4 July on Jim Jam (DStv 310) at 12:09

July 2020 On TNT Africa | Escape From Pretoria | More

Escape from Pretoria
Get ready to see the former Harry Potter in a new light. Daniel Radcliff tackles a South African accent in a prison break story based on a true story. Set during apartheid, two white South Africans have been imprisoned for helping the African National Congress (ANC). They must work an intricate plan to escape the white man’s version of Robben Island – Pretoria Prison. Saturday 4 July on TNT (DStv 137) at 20:00

National Treasure
Nicholas Cage is Benjamin Franklin Gates, a man who comes from a long line of treasure hunters. Despite his father spending 20 years trying to find an elusive national treasure, Benjamin believes he has what it takes to finally track it down. When the next clue leads to the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin decides to steal it before someone with bad motives gets his hands on it. Friday 3 July on TNT (DStv 137) at 17:45

National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Benjamin Gates is back and this time his treasure hunting takes him on a rollercoaster mission. From discovering that his own bloodline might be linked to the assassination of President Lincoln to a secret writing inside Buckingham Palace, be prepared for a thrilling historical adventure . Friday 3 July on TNT (DStv 137) at 20:00

Gone in 60 Seconds
Memphis Raines is a reformed criminal looking for make a fresh start. When his younger brother gets involved with the wrong crowd, he must return to a life of stealing luxury exotic vehicles to save his sibling’s life. But to get fifty supercars in three days, he will need to put together the right crew.  Friday 10 July on TNT (DStv 137) at 18:00

Con Air
A US Army Ranger, Cameron Poe, returns home to Alabama and accidentally kills a drunken customer at his wife’s bar in an attempt to defend her. He is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and spends time in a federal penitentiary. He is released early for good behaviour but ends up sharing a prison plane with some very dangerous criminals. When they take over the plane and decide to fly out of the country, Cameron must find a way to stop them without their knowledge. Friday 10 July on TNT (DStv 137) at 20:00

Snake Eyes
An Atlantic City cop with political aspirations, Ricky Santoro is assigned to investigate the assassination of the Secretary of Defence. He uncovers a conspiracy that involves his best friend and a mystery woman in white.  Friday 17 July on TNT (DStv 137) at 18:00

Face/Off
In order to stop a bomb from blowing up somewhere in Los Angeles, FBI agent Sean Archer must take a radical step and trade faces with his son’s killer, Castor Troy. Archer, now as Troy, will then meet up with Troy’s brother to find out where the bomb has been hidden.  But the plan turns to chaos when Troy wakes up early and decides to wreck the mission. Friday 17 July on TNT (DStv 137) at 20:00

Matchstick Men
Roy and Frank are small time crooks who make enough money to get by. As an obsessive-compulsive agoraphobe, Roy decides to get professional help when his quirks affect his criminal ambitions. Under the direction of Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runnder) Nicholas Cage does some of the best acting of his career.  Friday 24 July on TNT (DStv 137) at 18:00

July 2020 On Boomerang Africa | Kingdom Force | Boomerang Club | Dog Like Us

Kingdom Force Season 1
Five mighty animals work together to protect five different animal kingdoms. Perfect for kids aged 36 years old, this fast-paced action series is the next big thing on TV. Mondays from 6 July on Boomerang (DStv 302) at 15:10


Boomerang Club
Wednesday mornings are the best time to spend with Boomerang. We feature the best of our line-up with Mr Bean animated, Zig & Sharko, Masha and the Bear, Moka’s Fabulous Adventures and many, many more. Wednesday 15 July on Boomerang (DStv 302) at 06:00


Dogs Like Us
Get ready for back to school with all the best in Boomerang dog shows. Mike and Mighty Mike, Bentley from Taffy, Spike and Tyke and Pat the Dog. Monday 20 July on Boomerang (DStv 302) at 18:20


July 2020 On Cartoon Network Africa | DC Super Hero Girls | Cat Vs Cat

DC Super Hero Girls Season 1


A fun look at what the life of DC comic superheroines would be like as teenagers. They must juggle all the demands of high school with protecting the citizens of Metropolis. Mondays from 20 July on Cartoon Network (DStv 301) at 15:15


Cat vs Cat


Two cat heroes battle it out for title of the best cat hero – with the loser having to stay on as a sidekick. They lead big teams, run crazy adventures, and have the best cat lair. But what will it take to be crowned as the best cat? Monday 6 July on Cartoon Network (DStv 301) at 07:25


Friday, June 19, 2020

MultiChoice's Showmax Adds Gay Content From OUTtv In New Distribution Deal, Could The 24/7 Channel Make A Comeback To DStv

Showmax has added a revolving carousel of gay content in the form of series and films after signing a distribution deal with Canada's OUTtv.

Outside of South Africa, MultiChoice's subscription video-on demand (SVOD) service will block the LGBTQ+ content in countries like Kenya and Nigeria where broadcasting regulators and censorship boards deem the content offensive and don't want it to be seen.

The OUTtv offering will further diversify and strengthen Showmax's content offering that will soon compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as two new over-the-top (OTT) players that will sit alongside Showmax on the revamped interface dashboard of MultiChoice's DStv service as add-in streaming options.

Showmax's OUTtv offering will now also compete with South Africa's existing PrideTV video streaming service offering a catalogue of local and international LGBT films and series.

In October 2018 MultiChoice added the gay-focused OUTtv aimed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community as a month-long linear pop-up TV channel on DStv to try out the content under the South African audience.

After its removal, they mentioned that they'll return with more diverse content in future with local programming. They didn't mention anything about being added onto Showmax. Now it joins Adult Swim on the platform which ran as a programming block on TNT (DStv 137) so a full-time channel for these two brands seem possible on DStv.

Showmax has acquired a catalogue of content including the horror drag reality series Boulet Brothers' Dragula, Trixie Mattel: Skinny Legend and Drag SOS and will add further new OUTtv content on a monthly basis.

"This year our efforts are concentrated on growing the accessibility of OUTtv's expansive catalogue of LGBTQ+ content to global audiences," says Brad Danks, CEO of OUTtv in a statement.

"We're seeing an increasing demand for LGBTQ+ programming and, by partnering with premium entertainment platforms such as Showmax we are able to make our content more accessible to international audiences."

August 2020 On CBS Reality Africa | Court Shows | 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover

JUDGE JUDY
Season 15
Double-bills on weekdays at 10:20 and 20:20.
With her outspoken style, hard-hitting decisiveness and engaging wit, Judge Judith Sheindlin single-handedly reinvented the courtroom genre and in the process has become a pop culture icon. A former New York family court judge known for her ability to cut through a dispute and get to the core of the emotional issue at hand, Judge Judy acts as a true moral compass for people seeking guidance, resolution and common sense in their lives. Judge Judy’s goal is to make a lasting impression that will discourage repeat offenders and help heal families and victims of injustice. There are many imitators, but only one Judge Judy!

JUDGE JOE BROWN
Season 4, Episodes 53 - 173. Channel Premiere
WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER
Premiering episodes continue on weekdays, double bills, at 11:10 and 21:10, right after Judge Judy.
Justice takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to the dynamic, tough-talking, no-holds-barred “Judge Joe Brown”. Brown, who rose from the streets of South Central Los Angeles, applies his trademark “tough love” approach and unorthodox sentencing methods to encourage offenders to learn from their mistakes - or he will make them pay the price for their actions. He also provides audiences with a face-to-face vantage point for witnessing real trials that offer final and binding resolutions. Judge Joe Brown’s passion for justice and his commitment to finding real solutions has enabled him to truly make a difference in people’s lives.

50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER
Episode 1 airs on Saturday, 8th August and and Episode 2 on Sunday, 9th August
at 20:20 and 00:30.
Repeated as a double bill on Friday 4th September at 21:10.
“50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” is a new special that tells the stories of women who get revenge against their lying, cheating men in creative and dramatic ways. There’s a fine line between love and hate, and when that line is crossed, a man’s possessions, his dignity, and even his body parts are fair game.
One of the stories involves a serial cheater named Donessa who has five women caught up in his web of deceit and betrayal, including his wife. When the wife discovers the other women’s pictures on Donessa’s phone, she calls each of them and together they devise a plan to make him pay. One of the women lures him to a local motel for a romantic tryst. After tying Donessa up and leaving him defenseless, the other women burst into the room to confront him. But pretty soon, one of women loses control and takes revenge to the extreme.

August 2020 On CBS Justice Africa | New Scotland Yard Files | The Real Prime Suspect Weekend

NEW SCOTLAND YARD FILES
Season 1. Continuing Premiere
ORIGINAL TRUE CRIME SERIES
Sundays at 20:00, until 16th August
In “New Scotland Yard Files”, current and former New Scotland Yard detectives open their files to tell the inside stories of how they caught some of the capital's most notorious killers by following the ABC of the detective world: accept nothing, believe nobody and challenge everything.

The series is presented by former New Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley, who brings unique insight into the workings of murder investigations, with contributions from the journalists who covered the stories as they unfolded, criminologists who analyse the methods and motives of the murderers and forensic specialists who provide vital evidence to ensure the guilty are convicted.
Episode 4, on-air on 5th July, focuses on death of Michael Menson, who had been part of a successful pop band in the 1980's. When police found him with horrible burns in Edmonton, north London, they assumed he had set fire to himself. But Michael, who had a history of mental illness, told his family he'd been attacked. They campaigned to get the police to investigate, but to no avail. Michael died in hospital 16 days later. Nearly two years after that, New Scotland Yard launched an investigation into his death. Using surveillance techniques previously applied in the conflict in Northern Ireland, they managed to get the evidence needed to convict those responsible. Michael's murder led to changes in the way New Scotland Yard officers treat race and mental illness during investigation process.

THE REAL PRIME SUSPECT WEEKEND
ORIGINAL TRUE CRIME SERIES
CBS Justice celebrates Jackie Malton,
host of “The Real Prime Suspect” during the final weekend of Women’s Month
Back to back episodes on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August, from 16:00 until 06:00.
Season 1, episodes 1-8: Saturday 29th, from 16:00 until midnight
Season 1, episodes 9-10: Sunday 30th, from 16:00 until 18:00 Season 2, episodes 1-6: Sunday 30th, from 18:00 until midnight
WEBSITE
Jackie Malton is a former Scotland Yard detective and an inspiration for the character of DCI Jane Tennison, portrayed by Helen Mirren in the award winning drama series “Prime Suspect”.
Jackie joined the force in 1970 and spent most of her service in the Criminal Investigation Department, probing all aspects of crime including armed robberies, rape, murder, fraud, arson, and blackmail. She served on The Flying Squad as the only female amongst forty men at one point, and is a trained hostage negotiator.
A recovering alcoholic, Jackie has an MSc in Addiction Psychology. For the last thirteen years, she has voluntarily facilitated weekly addiction groups in a male prison, plus 1-1 therapy work. Jackie also continues to support the men in the community and recovery process after their release.
In “The Real Prime Suspect”, Malton gets access to case files and revisits investigations into infamous crimes with the police, detectives, and other professionals who experienced them first hand.

August 2020 On BBC Africa | Warrior Woman | We Hunt Together | Agatha Raisin | Flirting Dancing | More

As the UK's leading international television broadcaster, BBC Studios operates a diverse portfolio of channels around the world, bringing the best British factual, entertainment, children's and lifestyle programming this August.

·       Channels are as follows: BBC Brit 119, BBC Lifestyle 174, BBC Earth 184, BBC First 119

W/c 3rd August

Warrior Woman With Lupita Nyong'o

Monday 3rd August at 19:00 on BBC Earth (1 episode)

Lupita Nyong’o is about to discover the Warrior Women’s incredible secrets.

In this immersive and epic TV documentary, with extraordinary and unique access, Oscar®-winning actress, author, and producer Lupita Nyong’o journeys across Benin, West Africa to uncover the remarkable truth behind the women who helped to inspire the Dora Milaje of Marvel’s film Black Panther.

She discovers that an army of African female fighters actually existed in West Africa and are still remembered there as the ‘Agoji’—or as Europeans labelled them, the ‘Amazons’. As she exclusively reveals in a powerful, emotional, and epic road trip, these real-life warrior women, in armies 4,000 strong, fought African and European powers alike from the 17th to the 19th centuries in the Kingdom of Dahomey, centred in the modern-day country of Benin.

Beautifully shot, this is a searing story of both the past and the present.

We Hunt Together – not confirmed yet

From Wednesday 5th August at 20.00 on BBC First (6 episodes)

We Hunt Together is an audacious new drama about what happens when two profoundly damaged people collide and finally speak the unspoken, giving each other permission and reason to act out their most violent compulsions. A brave new take on a classic cat and mouse story, We Hunt Together explores the intoxication of sexual attraction, the dangerous power of emotional manipulation and how finding a volatile form of solace in another can have dire consequences for those who dare to get in the way.

Freddy (Hermione Corfield) is magnetic, highly intelligent, disarmingly charming…and she might just be a psychopath. Baba (Dipo Ola), on the other hand, is vulnerable, compassionate yet damaged former child soldier, whose chance encounter with Freddy turns his world upside down. He’s desperate to suppress his predisposition for extreme violence, but the pair’s lust for each other takes over and creates a truly deadly duo. Meanwhile, DS Lola Franks (Eve Myles) and DI Jackson Mendy (Babou Ceesay) face their own unconventional relationship, as the pair get thrown together to work on a high-profile murder case and try to catch the killers. Jackson and Lola’s differing opinions cause conflict during their investigation, as does Lola’s inability to deal with her own demons which have the potential to push them both to breaking point.

A psychological thriller and a romance, it explores the dangerous power of desire, what happens when two profoundly damaged people meet and reawaken their latent capacity for violence, and finally, what happens when the honeymoon period is over.

The Persians: A History of Iran

From Friday 7th August at 19.00 on BBC Earth (3 episodes)

Discover the complex and fascinating history of Persia, the world’s first empire.

This series reveals historical and cultural sites across Iran that few westerners have ever seen. Learn about the Shahnameh, one of the most important books in Iran’s history, used by kings as propaganda, but also modern-day Iranians as a way of connecting with their Persian heritage. And see the ancient Zoroastrian fire temple, home to a fire said to have been burning for over 1,500 years. Welcome to a world of kings and invaders, epic poets, and exceptional artists.

Agatha Raisin (Season 3)

From Friday 7th August at 20.00 on BBC First (8 episodes)

Starring Emmy®-nominated actress Ashley Jensen (Catastrophe, Extras, Ugly Betty) and based on MC Beaton’s best-selling novels, season three once again follows a London PR whizz turned amateur sleuth, who becomes entangled in mischief, mayhem, and murder when she opts for early retirement in a small village in the Cotswolds. Drawn into various mysteries, Agatha attempts to solve the crimes… often in rather unorthodox and amusing ways.

Flirty Dancing (Season 2)

From Sunday 9th August at 20.00 on BBC Lifestyle (6 episodes)

Ashley Banjo returns to front the innovative and feel-good hit that puts old school romance back into modern dating as he attempts to plays cupid with a raft of hopeless romantics looking to find love on the dancefloor. Each episode will see him match two couples and choreograph bespoke dance dates that allow them to get to know each other in a totally unique way. They won’t talk, they just dance, and when the music stops they’ll walk away without saying a word. Based purely on the chemistry they feel in the dance, they must then decide if there’s enough of a spark to want to see each other again.

W/c 10th August

Simon Reeve’s Sacred Rivers

From Monday 10th August at 20.00 on BBC Earth (3 episodes)

History, adventure and travelogue combine as Simon Reeve explores three of the world’s major rivers: the Nile, Yangtze and Ganges.

Through the stories of the people who live alongside these great waterways, he uncovers their vast influence, and reveals how they unite, and divide, some of the most extraordinary parts of the world. Travel from the twin temples of Abu Simbel to the Nile delta; down the Yangtze from the giant Buddha of Leshen to the Three Gorges Dam and on to Shanghai; and along the great mother Ganges in a world caught between ancient traditions and astonishing modernity. Full of wonder and breathtaking, magisterial landscapes, Simon Reeve’s Sacred Rivers is a potent mix of revelation and hands-on adventure - a riot of colour, extraordinary spectacle and unexpected encounters.

The Great Pottery Throw Down (Season 3)

From Monday 10th August at 20.00 on BBC Lifestyle (8 episodes)

Melanie Sykes is at the potter’s wheel as the new host, as 12 passionate home potters compete to be crowned the nation’s best.

Master potter Keith Brymer Jones returns as judge, alongside award-winning ceramicist Sue Pryke. Each week the potters face two potting challenges to impress the resident judging duo, as well as guest experts from the world of pottery. The potters tackle everything from homeware to toilets before the judges ultimately decide who becomes Potter of the Week, and who must be sent home. Inspired by and inspiring a new craze for creativity, The Great Pottery Throw Down delights in showing ordinary people creating extraordinary things.

Reggie Yates Meets World

From Thursday 13th August at 20:00 on BBC Brit (4 episodes)

Young people, facing uncertain futures, are being tempted with new ways to better their lives. In this series Reggie Yates enters these worlds to see if they deliver on their promises, or if they have a darker side.

Episode 1: Reggie meets SPAC Nation

With knife crime at all-time high, a new London church is offering young people in gangs a way out of crime. And they don’t hide from controversy, as Reggie Yates finds out during his week with SPAC Nation.

Episode 2: Reggie Meets Pro-Gamers

Playing computer games has moved out of teenage bedrooms and into vast arenas where gamers battle it out for fame and fortune. But with young players devoting their lives to gaming and so many hoping to go professional, Reggie heads to Dallas find out the reality of living and chasing the ESPORTS dream.

Episode 3: Reggie Meets Nollywood

Reggie Yates travels to Lagos, Nigeria to see for himself how the burgeoning film industry, Nollywood, is seen as a way out of poverty in a country with the biggest wealth divide in the world.

Episode 4: Reggie Meets The Influencers

Social media influencers are the new Celebrity and with this fame comes the pressure to keep up. Reggie Yates spends a week in LA to find out how willing influencers are to go under the knife in search of the beauty perfection.

Around the World by Train (season 2)

From Thursday 13 August at 19.00 on BBC Earth (6 episodes)

Tony Robinson is back for whole new epic railway adventure.

He is re-joining the rails and heading around the world again but this time in the opposite direction and through new counties for an eye opening experience. He’ll be heading off the beaten track to see cities and places around globe in his own style. Forget your typical tourist trail, Tony will be doing this his way and stopping to experience things that grab his attention.

He’ll be immersing himself in wonderful local cultures and getting to know the fascinating people he encounters, from French cowboys and Mexican wrestlers to Argentine tango dancers and American Hip Hop clowns. He’ll be doing all this while riding the most luxurious, unusual and spectacular rail routes on earth and stopping off at breath taking places like Machu Picchu. Whether it’s Europe like you’ve never seen it before or a fascinating journey through South America, he’ll be travelling the globe to bring Mexico, USA to Canada and Russia right to your living room.

Primates

From Sunday 16th August at 16.00 on BBC Earth (3 episodes)

From the makers of Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II…

Monkeys, lemurs, lorises, bush babies and, of course, the great apes. Countless faces, one remarkable animal family.

Captured with BBC Studios Natural History Unit’s signature style, with immersive cinematography, emotional storytelling and new insight into the animals we thought we knew, Primates combines celebration with revelation. We meet familiar primates with new stories and new species  rarely seen on screen.

Chris Packham narrates the definitive series about our closest relatives.

At the heart of this ground-breaking series is incredible animal behaviour. New technology has captured primates on their level and in their world, whether that’s in the treetops of a flooded forest, or the tangled undergrowth of the Sri Lankan night.

Semi-Detached

From Friday 21st August at 20.40 on BBC Brit (6 episodes)

Real-time sitcom following the hapless Stuart (Lee Mack) as he struggles through the worst half hour of his life.

When his new girlfriend April (Ellie White) goes into labour, Stuart quickly finds himself having to rely on his ex-wife Kate (Sam Spiro) to get her to hospital. As Stuart thinks he’s getting a handle on the situation, he is forced to deal with a sexually promiscuous father (Clive Russell), a daughter with a newly-shaved head (Sarah Hoare) and the surprise return of his errant brother (Neil Fitzmaurice), who is on the run from some very unsavoury types. And that’s before Stuart has to enlist the help of one tipsy neighbour (Geoff McGivern) to help with another neighbour (Patrick Baladi), who he finds naked and the victim of a DIY circular saw accident.

Saturday, June 13, 2020

MultiChoice To Add Netflix And Amazon Video Prime Streaming Services For Subscribers And Plans To Launch More Channels

MultiChoice will soon add both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as global video streamers to its DStv platform, with the pay-TV operator that continues to show growth - adding roughly another 900 000 DStv and GOtv subscribers over its last financial year.

The subscriber tally according to its latest 2019/2020 financial results released on Wednesday, is now 19.5 million.

MultiChoice already runs Showmax its own subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming service.

By adding international streaming services to it's existing DStv platform MultiChoice has now clearly decided that it will go the "super aggregator" way, similar to what pay-TV services ranging from the United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand have done over the past year.

In this way, existing subscribers get access to further streaming services through DStv, paying their monthly bill in local currency for the add-ons, lessening payment friction and providing one place for subscribers to find and watch the content they like.

"We have long been a content aggregator, and this is proof of our aggregator model at work – providing simplicity, choice and convenience for our customers," says Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice CEO.

"As our industry evolves, we believe that we are well-positioned to benefit from both worlds – a large, growing pay-TV market in Africa, as well as an emerging over-the-top (OTT) opportunity, where our own OTT services and aggregation capabilities can drive success."

MultiChoice has shown a 5% increase in subscriber growth in its 2019/2020 financial year, taking its total pay-TV subscriber base to 19.5 million households.

South Africa still represents MultiChoice's biggest and most powerful market, with 8.4 million pay-TV households, while the rest of Africa combined represents 11.1 million households.

Besides adding two global streaming services, MultiChoice is also getting ready to roll-out and launch its as-yet-unnamed "DStv dishless", stand-alone DStv streaming service that will mimic its existing direct-to-Home (DTH) service but without the need for any installation.

MultiChoice added that over the last financial year it has produced 3 850 additional hours of local content with its local content library that now exceeds 56 800 hours. This means local content now accounts for 40% of its total content spend.

The company plans on doing two new co-productions, Blood Psalms and Rogue, launch four new local content TV channels including a new action movie channel and plans to further ramp up local content production in 2021.

Friday, June 12, 2020

SABC To Treat Sport Fans To Live Tennis Games From This Saturday

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), through its sports channel SABC Sport, has entered into a partnership with the Novak Djokovic Foundation to broadcast the Adria Tour Tennis Series live on SABC TV.

The Adria Tour Tennis Series is the brainchild of the ATP number 1 ranked tennis player, Novak Djokovic.

The tennis series will take place over 4 weekends. The matches will be played on clay court in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Montenegro. The tournament will feature top ranked ATP Tour tennis stars including Djokovic, Austrian Dominic Thiem, Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov as well as Croatian pair Borna Coric and Marin Cilic.

SABC Sport GM, Gary Rathbone says: “The partnership with the Novak Djokovic Foundation allows SABC Sport to bring a world class tennis tournament to all our sports loving audiences. SABC Sport, as a Free to Air sportscaster is a key link between all South Africans and some of the best sports content locally and from around the world. The next four weekends will be nothing short of exciting, exhilarating with end-to-end high impact tennis action and we are putting our fans in the best seat in the house to consume this world-class tennis content,  #ItsTimeForTennis.”

The partnership between SABC Sport and the Novak Djokovic Foundation comes at a time when sport fans around the world have been starved of live high octane sports action due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Adria Tour Tennis series will broadcast live on SABC 3, every weekend from this Saturday till 05 July.

Below is the line-up:

June 13th – 14th in Belgrade
June 20th – 21st in Zadar
June 27th – 28th in Montenegro
July 03rd – 04th in Banja Luka

July 2020 On FOX Africa | Killing Eve S2 | Continuing Episodes | Catch-Up

KILLING EVE S2
Wednesdays at 20:45 from 1 July
Repeats on Fridays at 14:00, Saturdays at 19:25, Sunday at 22:00.

An award-winning spy thriller starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, Killing Eve centres on two women; Eve is a bored, whip-smart, pay-grade MI5 security officer whose desk-bound job doesn’t fulfil her fantasies of being a spy. Villanelle is a mercurial, talented killer who clings to the luxuries her violent job affords her. Killing Eve topples the typical spy-action thriller as these two fiercely intelligent women, equally obsessed with each other, go head to head in an epic game of cat and mouse. 

FRESH OFF THE BOAT S4
Sundays at 13:35 from Sunday 26 July

In the fourth season of this comedy series, the Huang family moves in with Honey (Chelsey Crisp) and Marvin (Ray Wise). Jessica (Constance Wu) realizes her dream of participating in Wheel of Fortune. Meanwhile, Eddie (Hudson Yang) is going through relationship troubles. Emery (Forrest Wheeler) is excited to start a year of school without his brothers around, but is shocked to discover that Evan (Ian Chen) has skipped a grade. Plus, Louis (Randall Park) has to contend with the fact that his kids are growing older and not appreciating his company anymore.

THE RESIDENT (S3) SUNDAYS (Marathons)
Sundays 5 and 12 July, from 11:40

In season 3, Red Rock Mountain Medical has taken over, inserting its own doctors – including new neurosurgeon Dr Barrett Cain (Morris Chestnut – Rosewood) – and nurses into the well-oiled machine that was once Chastain Memorial Hospital, and causing the doctors to fight harder than ever against the corrupting influence of money in healthcare. The hospital is being run like a profit-hungry corporation – reaping huge financial gains, while risking the lives of its patients.

THE SIMPSONS S21 - S23
Monday – Friday at 16:40 [Double bills]
An animated comedy series about a blue collar family – The Simpsons, who live in Springfield. Homer, the lovable father, stumbles apathetically through his family life and work at the local nuclear power plant. Marge, the overbearing, but responsible mother, Bart, the fourth grade underachiever and nemesis to Springfield elementary's principal, Lisa, the brainy and responsible eight-year-old, and Maggie, the oft-forgotten baby, make up the family.

GREY’S ANATOMY S15 (25 x 60)
Tuesdays at 20:45 from 9 June (ends 24 November)
Repeats on Saturdays at 20:15 and Sundays at 19:10

Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital — the toughest surgical residency program west of Harvard was a brutal training ground but now the former students have interns of their own to mentor. The doctors deal with life-or-death consequences on a daily basis — it’s in one another that they find comfort and friendship.

July 2020 On FOX Life Africa | Reality Stunt | Grey's Anatomy S12 | Continuing Episodes

STUNT “THE TRIPLE HUSTLE”
HUSTLE AND SOUL S1 – S2
Monday – Friday, at 9:50, 13 – 17 July (Three episodes at 09:45, 09:50, 11:15)
 
Hustle and Soul follows Chef Lawrence Page, owner and head chef of The Pink Tea Cup (PTC) restaurant. Lawrence resurrected the former West Village landmark and moved to the Fort Greene, Brooklyn on his quest to rise to the next level and score a coveted Michelin star. While Lawrence struggles to find the perfect recipe for success, he and his team will learn that it takes more than just good cooking and a good-looking staff to become Michelin elite. Heading up The Pink Tea Cup crew as General Manager is Lawrence's hot-tempered girlfriend Ana; including Sana, the flighty flirty hostess who is not afraid to stand up to Ana and go after everything she wants; Thandi, the PTC's lead server who is next in line to move up; and Candice, the head bartender who is as sweet as her drinks, but far from Michelin ready. The twins, Dominic and Stef, provide some much-needed comic relief at the restaurant where they can't seem to get anything right.

GREY’S ANATOMY S12 
Monday - Friday at 20:50 from 3 July (ends 5 August)

Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital — the toughest surgical residency program west of Harvard was a brutal training ground but now the former students have interns of their own to mentor. The doctors deal with life-or-death consequences on a daily basis — it’s in one another that they find comfort and friendship.

TELENOVELAS

ALONG CAME LOVE
Monday to Friday at 15:50

Along Came Love follows the beautiful Luciana who, after being deported, returns to the USA to reunite with the only family she has left: her mother and brother. After arriving at the vineyard where both have worked for many years, she meets David, the landowner and finds something unexpected: love.

SECRETS OF THE HOTEL
Monday to Friday at 16:40

A young man of humble origins travels to the Gran Hotel on outskirts of the San Cristóbal Tlaxico village to visit his sister Cristina who works as the floor supervisor. There, Julio discovers that more than a month after being dismissed for allegedly stealing from the hotel, she has disappeared from everyone’s memory. He decides to stay on as a waiter to investigate her disappearance but does not expect the love, mystery, death and betrayal that follow.

SHADOWS FROM THE PAST
Monday to Friday at 17:30

Two rival families living in the village of Santa Lucía, the Mendozas and the Alococers, are involved in a whirlwind of passion, pain, and revenge. Severiano Mendoza and Candela Santana are a rich and powerful couple who live at the ranch, "Las Ánimas", along with their young son, Cristóbal. Roberta and Raymundo Alcocer have a daughter named Alonza. However, they do not enjoy the same luxuries as the Mendoza family, which causes frustration and resentment in Roberta as nothing is enough to fill the inferiority complex that follows her like a shadow.

ROAD TO DESTINY
Monday to Friday at 18:20 

Luisa Fernanda Pérez, a beautiful, 18-year-old student, has two passions: mastering the violin and gardening, a skill she inherited from her father, Pedro, the former groundskeeper of the wealthy Altamirano family's estate. A chance encounter with destiny alters her life when she is injured in a car accident caused by Luis (her biological father), a playboy lawyer. In the process, Luisa falls for his stepson, Carlos, the attractive, young doctor who treats her in hospital.

TELENOVELA WEEKEND OMBINUSES

Saturday: 06:00 – 18:30 and 20:00 – 00:00

Sunday: 06:00 – 18:30, and 20:45 – 00:55

Please see schedule for details

REALITY WEEKDAYS

HUSTLE AND SOUL S1 – S2
Monday to Friday at 19:10 from 28 July (ends 16 August)

VINTAGE Z
Monday to Friday at 20:00 from 2 July (ends 17 July)

JUSTICE BY ANY MEANS
Monday to Friday at 19:20 from 17 June (ends 27 July)

INTERNATIONAL DRAMA

EMPIRE S6
Monday to Friday at 20:50, from3 July (Ends 28 July)

Golden Globe®-nominated EMPIRE enters its sixth and final season as one of television’s most popular and ground-breaking shows. A powerful drama about a family dynasty set within the glamorous and often dangerous world of hip-hop music, the show revolves around the Lyons and their media company, Empire Entertainment.

As Season Five hurtled toward its conclusion, Lucious (Terrence DaShon Howard) was forced to flee New York City, with the Feds hot on his trail. To make matters worse, Cookie (Golden Globe® winner Taraji P. Henson) refused to accompany him, declaring that he and Empire were no longer good for her. Season Six begins with the Lyon family splintered. Lucious is on the run and Cookie is finding success on her own. With Jamal residing in London and Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) starring in "Empire: The Movie," Andre (Trai Byers) finds himself finally sitting on the Empire throne. Faced with threats from all directions, the Lyons will have to reunite to survive. They will have to decide what's most important – Empire, or their family.

ViacomCBS Will Be Launching A New Channel Carrying Content From BET And Showtime, Will This Perhaps Get Added On StarSat Or Serve As A Replacement To BET Africa On DStv?

ViacomCBS is to launch SHO*BET by the end of the year to do that it's taking up Showtime's Showcase channel in the United States.

The company is planning to relaunch the channel, which currently airs films, documentaries and comedy specials, with scripted series from both Showtime and BET.

It is the latest example of synergies between Viacom and CBS since its merger in December.

President and CEO Bob Bakish, speaking on the company’s investor call following its fourth-quarter financials, said, “We see an even bigger opportunity to grow Showtime subscribers by making better use of its plex channels, some of which are currently underutilized. To that end, we will be rebranding and relaunching Showcase as SHO*BET this summer featuring AA scripted series from Showtime and BET.”

He added, “We see this as a compelling value creation play that will allow us to benefit from the growing demand for premium, African American content across platforms.

Now in Africa, where the channel can be seen through MultiChoice's DStv platform. It's currently stuffed with movies leaving less space for all the crappy and decent programming.

BET Africa, has become a strong brand in the market with its local productions like Black Tax and iSono so the chances of them replacing it is very little at the same time these brands merged so anything is possible.

Genius Brands Launches Their Very Own Kiddies Channel Online, Will DStv Or StarSat Perhaps Get It?

Former Fox Kids Networks head Margaret Loesch and former Disney exec David Neuman are to be tasked with growing the soon-to-launch kids OTT.

Genius Brands International announced two new hires as it prepares to launch its upcoming digital channel. Former Fox Kids Networks Worldwide president and CEO Margaret Loesch was named executive chairman of the California-based company’s upcoming Kartoon Channel!, and former Disney Television president David Neuman takes the role of chief creative officer.

Loesch previously held roles with Marvel Productions and The Jim Henson Company. She has also served on Genius Brands’ board of directors since 2016. Neuman, meanwhile, joins Genius Brands from media company Happs, a live-streaming news app. He previously served as president of Walt Disney Television from 1996 to 1998.

In their new roles, Loesch and Neuman will be responsible for building viewership, market share and advertising demand for Kartoon Channel! as well as attracting creative content. Neuman will work closely with Caroline Tyre, who was hired by Genius Brands as SVP of international distribution in June 2019.

Kartoon Channel! will launch in the US on June 15 and target kids ages two to 11. More than 4,000 episodes from shows including Baby Genius, Shark Academy, Dino the Dinosaur and Super Geek Heroes will be available on the channel. The OTT channel will not require a subscription, and will be available through a number of platforms, including Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Roku, among others.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

SABC Envisioned Plan For DTT And OpenView Rise To Glory

Back in the early 2000s SABC and e.tv had plans to launch their own STB which included more channels from these rivals and also more choice in what to watch.

SABC DTT plans started out with 18 channels you had: SABC 1-3, SABC 4, SABC 5, SABC Sports, SABC Movies, SABC Education, SABC News, a children's channel, a SMME channel, a health channel, a parliamentary channel, a music channel, a history channel and timeshift channels (1 show air an hour later).

While e.tv envisioned having 18 channels and never stated how many of these channels will be supplied by them.

Even though only 2 managed to materialize with 1 still on a test phase, SABC was likely to go bankrupt with all these channels in place even if pay platforms were to carry parts of these channels it wouldn't do much to keep all of them since they're likely to waste a fortune trying to build content for these channels.

Back in 2013/4, SABC former CEO Hlaudi implemented a 90% quota on their channels which led to a decrease in viewership particularly on SABC 3 and a loss of income. Due to this local quota most companies severed ties with the station even Disney was part of the back giving SABC access to 10% of the content with e.tv gaining the rest of it. They tried reducing the quota to 80% but that didn't work out for them.

Now imagine if that quota never existed and SABC managed to get all 18 channels running. The problem here would be the amount of money they'll waste on local content. It's proven to be challenging for the SABC to supply local programming on 3 channels imagine doing that with 18 channels especially if you don't charge monthly fees and most of your viewers don't pay TV licence.

e.tv also had plans to grow their channel lineup. They started with eMovies+, eToonz+, eAfrica+ and eKasi+ so far only the first two survived with newcomers eExtra, eReality, News&Sports and Rewind. Back then they had OpenView and their main concern was quantity so they added a bunch of crappy channels and hoped viewers would be glued to their screens that was not until 2017 came that they were more concerned about entertainment which led to decrease of channels in order to give better programming. Along the way they were struggling to make some doe and the viewership was weak so they added some of their channels on DStv for more income and viewership.

Since then, OpenView has managed to get their platform in 2 million homes and it famous in neighbouring countries that people there are using it illegally in order to avoid the entertainment available in their countries. It has become a charity case but this is to ensure that viewers get more entertainment on the platform.

If SABC got 18 of these channels running by now they would have scrapped a couple of them like SABC 4 & 5, children, SMME, movies and music which would bring them to a total of 10 channels. Even though they rely on funding and partnerships, those partnerships are likely to dissolve and those funders are likely going to take their money elsewhere. In the end, SABC new proposed channels are just the useful and not entertaining batch of channels which include education, sports, health, parliamentary and if possible history running which shows that they're trying to the PBS of South Africa. They're struggling to keep viewers glued to their screens so they want channels that other people will see useful in their everyday lives.

SABC Sports might be used to get new faces in sports another use for the channel is to help minimise disruption of sports on the main channels, Parliamentary might be the toughest one for them since it's not another channel for recycled goods, Health and if possible History will curved through partnerships since there's less content in these fields while archived Education channel is just a reruns channel in partnership with the department of education.

July 2020 On Disney XD Africa | Disney's 11 | Stunt | Endless Phineas And Ferb

DISNEY’S 11
Every episode ever
Daily from 1st July to 4th September at 11:00

July sees a big treat for fans of Disney XD’s popular football series Disney’s 11, with every episode ever airing from 1st July. There are three episodes every day from 11:00, repeated at 19:00.

The series tells the story of Gabo Moreti, a teenager with a passion for soccer, who lived with his grandmother in a small town, Álamo Seco. His soccer skills did not go unnoticed by Francisco, head coach of the prestigious Instituto Académico Deportivo (IAD), who decided to grant him a scholarship. The series follows his career at the academy, and the fortunes of his team.

Every episode ever of Disney’s 11 airs on Disney XD on weekdays throughout July, with three episodes a day, starting on 1st July at 11:00 and repeated at 19:00.

DISNEY XD’S SPECIAL BLOCK
Programming event
Weekdays from Monday 13th July from 09:00 to 17:00

Disney XD is kicking off the entertainment with a block of episodes of top shows, every weekday from Monday 13th July, between 09:00 and 17:00.

This immensely entertaining selection of episodes features such popular shows as Phineas and Ferb, Supa Strikas, Lab Rats (including Lab Rats: Elite Force), Big City Greens and DuckTales.
Tune in to Disney XD, for our special programming block every weekday from Monday 13th July, between 09:00 and 17:00.

PHINEAS AND FERB
Every episode ever
Weekends throughout July from 12:30 to 16:05

Perenially popular characters Phineas and Ferb are much loved by Disney XD viewers. Now there is a chance to see every episode of their adventures ever made, in our great new weekend event. Every Saturday and Sunday there is a special block of back to back shows from 12:30 to 16:05, starting with a special on Saturday at 12:30.

The series follows the adventures of Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother, Ferb Fletcher. Each day, the boys and their friends take on some ambitious new project, sometimes to help someone in need, but often just to create some fun. This annoys the boys' sister, Candace, who constantly attempts to get them in trouble by revealing their actions to her mother. Meanwhile, across town, the wannabe-evil scientist Dr. Doofenshmirtz continually attempts to take over the Tri-State area with his various “inator” devices, and Perry the Platypus, the boys' pet and a secret agent, consistently foils his plans on behalf of the O.W.C.A and his commanding officer, Major Mongram. At the end of each episode, the two plots intersect to erase all traces of the boys' project just before Candace can successfully show it to her mother.

In the first of this month’s specials, The Summer Belongs to You (Saturday 4th July at 12:30) Candace is put in charge of Phineas and Ferb while their parents go away on vacation. When she discovers that Phineas and Ferb are going to travel around the world to make the longest day of summer even longer, Candace, against her better judgment, goes along. Buford, Baljeet and Isabella join the trio as they travel to Japan, then France, where they learn in their own way how to believe in the impossible.

Every episode ever of Phineas and Ferb is airing on Disney XD at weekends throughout July from 12:30 to 16:05, starting with a special on Saturday at 12:30.

July 2020 On Disney Junior Africa | Repeats & Repeats

STUNTS
Programming event
Daily throughout July
weekdays: 09:00-15:30 weekends: 11:00-15:00

Disney Junior has plenty of fun-filled shows to keep viewers entertained. We have lots of super specials and blocks of episodes featuring favourite shows every weekday from 09:00 to 15:30 and at weekends from 11:00 to 15:00.

On weekdays we have one of our top specials every day at 09:00. Each week features one or two favourite characters, ranging from Mickey Mouse and P. J. Masks to The Lion Guard and Doc McStuffins. During the first week, as just one of the five great specials that week, we have Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Super Adventure (2nd July). In the second week there’s The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar (10th July), the third week sees Sofia The First – The Floating Palace (13th July), the fourth week has P.J. Masks: Teamwork (21st July) and the last week of the month features P.J. Masks: P.J. Robot (29th July).

Following the specials every weekday are blocks of top shows back-to-back from 10:00 to 15:30. For the first two weeks an episode of Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures can be seen either side of these blocks, which showcase T.O.T.S. and Bluey, P.J. Masks and Fancy Nancy Clancy. Following weeks see other shows featured, including Vampirina.

Weekends follow a similar pattern, with specials at 11:00, followed by blocks of episodes of top shows from 12:00 to 15:30. For the first three weeks the special is followed by six episodes of Doc McStuffins (Saturday) and Vampirina (Sunday). The last two weeks of the month see Sofia the First and Fancy Nancy Clancy take over on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

July is certainly a fun and action-packed month on Disney Junior, with our super stunts containing specials and blocks of top shows every weekday from 09:00 and at weekends from 11:00 to 15:00.

July 2020 On Disney Channel Africa | Gabby Duran And The Unsittables | DCOM | I Didn't Do It

GABBY DURAN AND THE UNSITTABLES
Series premiere
Weekdays from Monday 27th July at 16:35

July sees the launch of a brand new series on Disney Channel, featuring the adventures of a very unusual babysitter! Premiere episodes of Gabby Duran and the Unsittables air on weekdays from Monday 27th July at 16:35.

Gabby Duran constantly feels like she’s living in the shadows of her uber-polished, successful mother Dina, and whip-smart younger sister Olivia. But Gabby finally finds her moment to shine when she lands an out-of-this-world job babysitting an unruly group of very important extraterrestrial children who are hiding out on Earth. Fearless and unapologetically bold, Gabby steps up to the challenge to prove she’s the best babysitter in the galaxy. In the second premiere episode Wesley and the Fischman (Tuesday 28th July at 16:35) Gabby must choose between keeping her new secret alien-babysitting gig a secret or risking it all by confiding in her extra-terrestrial obsessed best friend Wesley.

Premiere episodes of Gabby Duran and the Unsittables air on weekdays from Monday 27th July at 16:35, on Disney Channel.

DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIES
Fridays throughout July at 17:00

Great news! This July we continue June’s treat for movie fans – the chance to see a classic Disney Channel Original Movie every Friday at 17:00, repeated on Saturday at 10:40.

The season starts with High School Musical 2 (Friday 3rd July), continues with How to Build a Better Boy (Friday 10th July), Good Luck Charlie – A Road Trip Movie (Friday 17h July), 18 Wishes (24th July) and. Last but never least, we have Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (Friday 31st July).

In How to Build a Better Boy (Friday 10th July at 17:00), science and math tests are no sweat for Gabby Harrison and Mae Hartley, but fitting in at school doesn't come as naturally. Using design software that belongs to Mae's father, the girls engineer a high-definition version of Mae's fake boyfriend, Albert, who she's dreamt up as everything a high school girl could want in a guy. However, when Albert comes to life as an advanced robotic soldier, the two best friends soon learn that Mae's father works for a top secret military branch, which is now in pursuit of Gabby and Mae, as well as Albert, to ensure he doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

Fans have a chance to see these great Disney Channel Original Movies again on Fridays throughout July at 17:00, repeated on the following Saturday at 10:40.

I DIDN’T DO IT
Weekdays from 6th July at 18:40

July offers viewers a chance to see top Disney Channel comedy series I Didn’t Do It from the beginning, as it airs on weekdays throughout the month, from Monday 6th July, at 18:40.

I Didn’t Do It tells of the hilarious twists and turns in the lives of five teenagers – ultra-competitive fraternal twins and their three best friends. Each episode begins at the end of a predicament, just after an adventure has gone absurdly haywire, and just as twins Lindy and Logan and their friends Jasmine, Garrett and Delia somehow try to explain - with flashback scenes - exactly what happened! In the first episode, Pilot (Monday 6th July at 18:40), Lindy and Logan's parents wonder why the house is covered in foam, why a pizza is falling from the ceiling, how a goat got into the house and what happened to the babysitter?

Episodes of I Didn’t Do It air on weekdays throughout July at 18:40 on Disney Channel.

August 2020 On Lifetime Africa | Court Cam | Women's Month Movies

Brand New & Exclusive
COURT CAM
26 August – 2 December, Wednesday from 20h05
Court Cam takes you inside America’s
most dramatic courtroom moments.
From frightening outbursts to furious
judges, this series brings you back
to where it happened for the story
behind the story. Hosted by Dan Abrams, Court Cam will also include interviews with judges, witnesses and victims to tell the true crime story behind the wildest, most emotional court moments caught on video.

WOMEN’S MONTH MOVIES
Lifetime celebrate Women’s Month by screening some of the channel’s very best biopics and true stories that have women at the fore. Lifetime’s “ripped from the headlines’’ movies which will air on Saturdays and Sundays at 19h20 include; Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, Simone Biles: The Courage to Soar, Harry and Meghan: Becoming Royal, Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story, Abducted: The Mary Stauffer Story, Stolen by my Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story.

August is a jam-packed movie month on Lifetime. The channel will also be featuring these brand new movies:

THE NEIGHBOUR IN THE WINDOW
10 August, Monday at 20h05
When upbeat, outgoing Karen, her husband Scott and their young son relocate to Washington for Scott’s job, Karen looks forward to starting a new life. She soon meets Lisa, her beautiful charming neighbour and they quickly bond. Lisa soon starts lying to Karen, and about Karen to others. Lisa cleverly sets herself up as Karen’s victim, until aspect of Karen’s new life starts to unravel. Karen doesn’t realise how desperate and cunning Lisa is—until things come to a shocking head.

THE SECRET SHE KEPT
16 August, Sunday at 19h20
Tia has just married the man of her dreams and is on the brink of launching a major political campaign when a pattern of erratic behaviour leads her husband to uncover her secret: she suffers from mental illness.

THE COOL MOM
24 August, Monday at 20h05
A budding friendship between their teenage daughters becomes a point of conflict for neighbour moms Tara and Anna. Despite Anna’s insistence that she’s not trying to steal Tara’s daughter, her bizarre actions scream otherwise.

INTO THE ARMS OF DANGER
31 August, Monday at 20h05
A combative phone call with her mom, Laura, results in 17-year-old Jenny getting into a car accident on a desolate stretch of road. Jenny’s call for help is answered by a pair of EMTs who promptly arrive to treat her wounds. But once Jenny is locked in the back of the ambulance, she discovers her “rescuers” are not really paramedics and are NOT taking her to the hospital, but rather to the remote home they share with their mother – a woman insane with grief over the loss of her teenage daughter – a daughter she intends to replace with Jenny.

August 2020 On History Africa | Rouen To Hiroshima | Irish Pickers | Ancient Aliens | WWII Most Daring Raids

Brand New & Exclusive
ROUEN TO HIROSHIMA
2 August, Sunday at 20h15
On 6 August 1945, the B-29 Superfortress bomber Enola Gay, piloted by Paul Tibbets, dropped the first atomic bomb used in combat over Hiroshima, Japan, bringing the Second World War to an end. This story began three years earlier – 17 August 1942, in French skies over Rouen – when the same pilot led the first daylight bombing mission against occupied Europe.

Brand New & Exclusive
IRISH PICKERS
5 August – 7 October, Wednesdays at 20h15
Irish Pickers follows Dublin-based antiques expert and historical dealer Ian Dowling, with his team comprising of Mark ‘Butzy’ Butterly, ‘Vintage’ Vinny Smith and Ali Foy as they discover, buy and sell Irish treasures. Ian and the team head to interesting and historic places, hunting out and buying quirky and unusual objects previously hidden from the world. The Irish Pickers team will travel the length and breadth of Ireland from farms to stately homes, family businesses, private collectors, architectural salvage dealers, and museums looking for amazing items of national and local historical significance. The new series will follow the team as they buy and sell everything from ornaments, street signs, military artefacts, retro games, model cars, shop fittings, prints, posters, adverts and more. If it’s Irish and has a history, they’re interested.

Brand New Season
ANCIENT ALIENS
7 August – 13 November, Fridays at 18h25
ANCIENT ALIENS examine 75 million years of the most credible alien evidence here on Earth, from the age of the dinosaurs, to ancient Egypt, to the skies over the western desert in the present-day
US. Ancient cave drawings of strange creatures, an asphalt-like substance in an Egyptian pyramid made from the remains of unidentified creatures, continued mass sightings in the USA – these are just a few of the strange stories that will be investigated.

Brand New & Exclusive
WWII MOST DARING RAIDS
15 August – 19 September, Saturdays at 20h15
Witness Allied teams leading high-risk operations throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia to fight Hitler and turn the tide of war. WWII’s Most Daring Raids puts you in the heart of the action, giving you a minute by minute account of the most astonishing surprise attacks against the Third Reich.

Friday, June 5, 2020

July 2020 On BBC Channels Africa | Meat | The Restaurant That Burns Calories | Mister Winner | More

Embarrassing Bodies (seasons 3 to 7)
Weekdays from Monday 6th July at 21:00 on BBC Lifestyle

The Embarrassing Bodies BAFTA winning doctors are back, once again aiming to de-stigmatise common complaints that many people would rather ignore than take to their GP. Dr Christian Jessen, Dr Dawn Harper and Dr Pixie McKenna take a look at patients' ailments and discuss treatment plans.

Meat: A Threat to Our Planet
Tuesday 7th July at 19:00 on BBC Earth

Science and wildlife presenter Liz Bonnin travels around the world to investigate the impact that our hunger for meat is having on our planet’s environment.

Liz travels from Texan mega-farms, the Amazon rainforest where she discovers how beef farming is a leading cause of deforestation and, in South Africa, Liz discovers life in our oceans are effected – driving African penguin towards extinction.

Liz also meets the scientists and entrepreneurs urgently looking for solutions and at the end of her journey, Liz starts to assess her own attitude to meat, and questions what we can all do to save our fragile planet.

Dragons' Den, Season 17 Set 2
From Wednesday 8th July at 20:00 on BBC Brit

Dragon’s Den returns with Series 17 where budding entrepreneurs get three minutes to pitch their business ideas to five multimillionaires. But will they be willing to invest their own cash?

The Supervet (Season 6)
From Monday 13th July at 18:00 on BBC Earth

The Supervet returns for another series with Professor Noel Fitzpatrick and his team at Fitzpatrick Referrals changing the lives of some of the UK’s most critically sick and in need pets.

The brand new series includes the likes of 4 year old pug and beagle cross Barney, who is rushed into Fitzpatricks after being hit by a bus. His ankle has been crushed by the wheel and he has lost forty percent of the bone. Faced with the prospect of losing his leg, Barney’s family are praying Noel can come up with a way to save the leg and repair the damage. Worryingly the puggle’s wound is contaminated and is a serious infection risk, so Noel must find a way to fix the ankle without infection spreading. In a world first The Supervet invents a custom implant that holds the ankle together by fitting inside the bone.

The Restaurant that Burns Calories 
Tuesday 14th July at 19:00 on BBC Earth

Perhaps a good idea for post quarantine life?

Welcome to a restaurant like no other. Where behind the scenes is not just the kitchen, but a secret gym and an army of exercisers - aiming to burn off every single calorie the diners eat.

With a three-course meal plus drinks easily coming in at 2,500 calories, it’s going to get sweaty. How will the diners feel when all is revealed? And how will they feel when they have to take a turn on the treadmills? This high-energy stunt combines humour with innovation to reveal the science of calories.

Mister Winner
From Friday 10th July at 20:40 on BBC Brit

This new comedy series follows the ironically named Leslie Winner, a well-meaning optimist who frequently finds himself in the midst of chaos, through a combination of silly decisions and tough luck.

However, the pressure is on now for Leslie to finally pull himself together, as he prepares for his wedding to beloved fiancé Jemma and attempts to win over his skeptical father-in-law to be.

The series poses the question, by the end of the series "will Leslie be a winner or will his surname continue to be ironic?"

Stacey Dooley Investigates: Spycam Sex Criminals
Tuesday 21st July at 22:00 on BBC Brit

Stacey Dooley investigates a new kind of sex crime which is sweeping South Korea.

In a country where pornography is illegal, Molka is a DIY alternative where mobile phones and hidden cameras capture footage of women at their most intimate moments without their knowledge. With 6,000 cases reported to the police in 2018. Stacey meets both the perpetrators and victims of this huge and threatening phenomenon, known as 'molka'.

Over 90 percent of the population of South Korea owns a smart phone, and some users are utilising these and other ever-improving technologies to create pornographic material without people’s consent. As camera technology has improved, it has become easier than ever to hide cameras in public places.

Some of these cameras are as small as the head of a needle. Changing rooms, toilet cubicles and even showerheads can be hiding hidden cameras, some of which are used to live stream pornography to illegal websites.

Wild Tokyo
Sunday 26th July at 17:00 on BBC Earth

Situated on Japan’s largest island, Honshu, Tokyo is the largest and busiest metropolitan area in the world. But behind Tokyo’s concrete curtain are natural refuges where wildlife has adapted and learnt to co-habit in Earth’s most human-dense territory. Home to 38 million people, a quarter of Japan’s population, this is a land where Earth’s tallest towers and busiest streets accommodate some of the rarest animals in the world - and scientists are pouring more time, energy and money than ever before into studying these human-animal cohabitations.

From the mountainous forests of Tokyo’s Okutama region, along the Tama River, through the wild sanctuaries of Tokyo’s city centre and out to its network of volcanic islands - Wild Tokyo features stunning 4K photography, shot by the world’s best natural history cinematographers, this film will reveal an unseen side of Japan’s capital city.

Charles & Di: The Truth Behind Their Wedding
Thursday 30th July at 20:00 on BBC Lifestyle
Find out the truth behind the fairytale wedding of the century which was watched by three quarters of a billion people around the world. But all wasn’t as perfect as it seemed.

At 11:30am on Wednesday 29 July 1981, 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer walked up the aisle of St Paul’s Cathedral towards HRH Prince Charles.

This documentary uses rich archive and interviews with people who knew the couple to tell the revealing, and often, shocking inside story of the seven days running up to the wedding. It compares what the jubilant public saw from the outside to the doubt, fear and heartbreak suffered privately by two individuals propelled by a fate they couldn’t control.