Another International Channel On DStv Might Be Getting Demolished Soon

Last year, Comcast's NBCUniversal decided to spin out a majority of its cable networks under the entity, Versant. This led to the demise of Universal Kids which served as the American variant of DreamWorks Channel.

Another change that was brought to viewer's attention was the sudden removal and discontinuation of kids programming on Peacock.

Very much like Showmax, Peacock was burning a lot of cash to produce shows like Where's Waldo, Trollstopia and The Croods: A New Age. We can only assume NBCUniversal made various cuts which affected the show's lineup on the streaming service.

They retained existing licensing deals with Netflix for shows like Mighty MonsterWheelies and The Bad Guys: The Series with Bearbrick on Apple TV+.

As for the linear networks that too is also getting the hammer as it was discontinued by Bein (MENA) and Asian providers like SkyCable, Astro and Blast TV. It continues to operate in Africa (through DStv) and select Asian providers like Unifi TV and Starhub TV.

Then again remaining feeds for these channels are kind of in a delicate state if you look at past examples like BET, CBS Reality and so forth. This channel is in a zombified state leaning towards reruns of All Hail King Julien and Boss Baby.

After Comcast decided to spin off NBCUniversal I think the goal had shifted to core assets which are Telemundo, NBC and Bravo.

The only reason Universal TV and Studio Universal remain on air to me is because they offer plenty of ad revenue. A majority of their audience is reliant on linear television unlike DreamWorks Channel which had to compete with YouTube and TikTok.

This licensing deal NBCUniversal has with Netflix and Apple TV+ implies to me that the company might be restructuring and leaning towards these companies. With the DreamWorks Channel being managed within Asia eyed as another disposable.