Paramount Global’s Board Is Preparing To Fire CEO Bob Bakish As Soon As Monday Morning,

The board is expected to lean on company division heads in lieu of a CEO while it negotiates a possible merger with Skydance Media. Paramount Global has set up a special committee to explore the deal. The companies are in exclusive talks to pursue a deal until May 3, though that window could be extended.

Bakish has lost the trust of Paramount Global controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, according to people familiar with her thinking. Redstone wanted to make a move to oust Bakish before Paramount Global’s carriage negotiation with Charter Communications, which is pivotal for setting a value for the company in its merger talks with Skydance, the people said.

A spokesperson for Paramount Global declined to comment.

Paramount and Skydance have been making headway on a final deal, under which Bakish would leave Paramount, reported Thursday. Skydance intends to name its CEO David Ellison to helm Paramount, according to people familiar with the matter.

In private, Bakish has dissented against the merger, claiming that it could dilute common shareholders, according to people familiar with the matter.

Under the deal terms, almost 50% of the merged company would be owned by Skydance and its private equity partners, reported April 5. Common shareholders would own the remainder of the company, which would continue to trade publicly.

Development Alert: KykNet&kie Gets A New Schedule In May With Binnelanders Moving To 17:30 And Moederhart At 20:00 Replacing Skerpioen

Since the first broadcast on 9 April 2013, kykNET&kie has not only shown the cream of kykNET's programs, but also provided new content produced exclusively for kykNET&kie. The award-winning Suidooster, winner of the Safta in 2022 for the best soap opera, and the telenovela Arendsvlei brought real South African stories to viewers, put a host of new talented actors in the spotlight and made for a huge injection into local TV - operation taken care of. Then there are programs like Say your say, KLOP! and the dubbed Turkish telenovelas that keep viewers buzzing.

kykNET&kie's schedule change in May will give viewers the luxury of sitting back and relaxing with excellent entertainment in the evening.

So, put down that remote control and enjoy prime viewing in premium time.

• Binnelanders' twelfth season starts on Tuesday 7 May at 17:30. The series is broadcast from Mondays to Fridays.

• Deep Waters' first season can be seen from Tuesday 7 May at 18:00. In the first week, an episode is also broadcast on Friday 10 May, but after that it is on air from Mondays to Thursdays.

Suidooster is still on the box from Mondays to Fridays at 18:30.

• Arendsvlei remains in the 19:30 time slot from Mondays to Thursdays. The last episode of this boundary-pushing telenovela, which ran for six seasons and 160 episodes, will be broadcast at the end of June. It is directly followed by a new telenovela, Skemergrond, which starts on Monday 1 July at 19:30. Skemergrond takes place in Gemoedsdrif, a small town in the Western Cape, and revolves around the Louw family and their beautiful flower farm.

The Turkish telenovela Skerpioen's last episode will be broadcast on Monday 6 May at 20:00. Moederhart, which currently airs Mondays to Thursdays at 17:30, moves to the 20:00 time slot from 7 May, but is still on air from Mondays to Thursdays. Keep an eye on the news for an announcement about a new Turkish telenovela that starts when Moederhart comes to an end.

Other programs on kykNET&kie that belong on every good watch list include:

• Medical (Tuesdays at 9.30pm)

• KNOCK! (Sundays at 18:00)

• Have Your Say (Sundays at 7pm)

• Super Rugby (Mondays at 9pm)

• Toks & Tjops (Fridays at 20:00)

• eNews (daily at 19:00)

 

Superrugby, Toks & Tjops and eNuus are also broadcast simultaneously on kykNET (DStv channel 144).

Spoilers: Velma Likely Cancelled On Max Following Season 2 Finale

Velma is an American adult animated mystery television series based on the character Velma Dinkley from the Scooby-Doo franchise. Developed and created by Charlie Grandy for HBO Max, it stars executive producer Mindy Kaling as the voice of the titular character, with Sam Richardson, Constance Wu and Glenn Howerton in supporting roles. 

The series revolves around Velma Dinkley and the other human members of Mystery Inc. before their official formation, making it the first television series in the franchise to not feature the character Scooby-Doo.

Since its inception, Velma had received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the voice acting and animation, but were divided towards the humor and criticized its meta storytelling , characterization, writing, and departures from the traditional Scooby-Doo format. 

Despite the massive backlash that the show has taken, Velma was Max's most-watched animated original show in 2023. The [hate] streaming was probably what contributed to a second season and the fact most programs from the Scoobiverse are two seasons long.

Max released the second season of Velma which too was dismayed by Scooby-Doo fans for its directionless storyline and puns inserted throughout but what caught the attention was the season 2 finale which welcomed back a classic character, Scrappy-Doo.

SPOILERS

Like the other characters that first got their start in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, Scrappy isn't like the original iteration of the talking puppy. In Velma, Scrappy is created as a part of "Project Scooby" by the military in an effort to infiltrate "meddling kids".  

Unfortunately for the government, their experiment falls out of their control and Scrappy begins going on a murder spree for all those responsible for the project. For those looking for more spoilers, season two ended with quite the bang. 

Scrappy attempts to kill Velma and company, only to be killed himself as the titular character becomes a ghost and takes control of his body. Velma is left deceased when the season two finale comes to an end with no third season confirmed.

But judging by the finale, it wouldn't seem far fetched if the show had concluded with this episode. Considering all the hate Velma got, Scrappy-Doo kind of redeemed himself after serving as one of the most disliked characters in the franchise. 

Canal+ Increases Stake In MultiChoice To Almost 42%

French media group Canal+ today announced it has acquired additional shares In MultiChoice, the operator of Africa’s biggest pay-TV – DStv.

Following a significant increase in its ownership stake, Canal+ has triggered a mandatory offer to minority shareholders of MultiChoice Group. This action was necessitated after surpassing a predefined threshold established by the JSE.

In accordance with JSE regulations, when an individual or entity acquires at least 35% of a listed company, a mandatory offer must be extended to other shareholders under terms agreed upon with the main exchange.

Canal+ has put forth a mandatory offer to acquire all outstanding shares of MultiChoice Group not already held by the conglomerate. The proposed purchase price stands at R125.00 per share, payable in cash, signaling Canal+’s commitment to further consolidate its position within the media landscape.

Today, Canal+ announced it has increased its shareholding to 41.60% in MultiChoice.

Canal+ has acquired in on/off market transactions, a further 3,374,668 MultiChoice Shares, as follows:

• On Thursday, 18 April 2024, Canal+ acquired 18,633 MultiChoice Shares in on/off market

transactions for an average consideration of ZAR 116.00 per MultiChoice Share

• On Friday, 19 April 2024, Canal+ acquired 101,468 MultiChoice Shares in on/off market transactions for an average consideration of ZAR 115.99 per MultiChoice Share

• On Monday, 22 April 2024, Canal+ acquired 1,618,032 MultiChoice Shares in on/off market

transactions for an average consideration of ZAR 116.42 per MultiChoice Share

• On Tuesday, 23 April 2024, Canal+ acquired 342,678 MultiChoice Shares in on/off market

transactions for an average consideration of ZAR 116.83 per MultiChoice Share

• On Wednesday, 24 April 2024, Canal+ acquired 1,293,857 MultiChoice Shares in on/off market

transactions for an average consideration of ZAR 117.59 per MultiChoice Share

After the aforementioned trades are implemented, Canal+ will hold an aggregate of approximately

41,60% of the MultiChoice Shares in issue.

“Canal+ confirms that these acquisitions have already been disclosed to the Takeover Regulation Panel (TRP) as required under the Companies Act No. 71 of 2008 (Companies Act) and Chapter 5 of the Companies Regulations, 2011 (Takeover Regulations).”

Just weeks after revealing that Imtiaz Patel would remain as chairman to manage a potential deal with Groupe Canal+, MultiChoice Group has now announced Patel’s immediate departure from the position.

This decision arises amidst growing worries about corporate governance within the broadcasting company, currently under a takeover proposal by France’s Canal+.

In an unexpected turn of events, MultiChoice disclosed on April 2nd, after a board meeting ahead of the Easter weekend, that it was retracting an earlier statement regarding Patel’s planned resignation. The board had previously announced that Elias Masilela would assume the chairmanship starting April 1st.

“In view of the recent ruling by the Takeover Regulation Panel that required Canal+ to make an immediate mandatory offer to all MultiChoice shareholders…the MultiChoice board has reached an agreement with Imtiaz Patel to remain on as chair,” the company said at the time.

New Series Alert: Ajooni, eExtra's First Series From Star Bharat Debuts In May

eExtra, a general entertainment channel operated by eMedia Investments that is home to international dramas from Turkey, Asia and India is set to rollout a new series titled Ajooni. eMedia has yet to release further details about the show.

But from what we presume here this could be a reference to the drama from Star Bharat. Of course, the reason we've been doubtful pertains to the misinformation regarding Broken Bonds and This Is Love.

The story Ajooni is set in Haryalipur, where the titular character and Avinash are to be engaged but then she accidentally meets Rajveer in the market and he falls for Ajooni - love at first sight. He starts stalking her and breaks her engagement with Avinash.

It starred Ayushi Khurana as Ajooni Bagga, Shoaib Ibrahim as Rajveer Singh Bagga, Drisha Kalyani as Meher Vohra, Pankaj Dheer as Ravindra Singh Bagga and Shraddha Singh as Harman Ravindra Singh Bagga.

Ajooni aired from 26 July 2022 to 23 August 2023 on Star Bharat with 316 episodes filmed each with a 22 minute duration. Now the series is slated to rollout on eExtra daily at 13:45 from 8 May with an 18+ age restriction, could censorship be included?

Development Alert: Dora Renewed For Season 2 On Nick Jr. And Paramount+

Paramount+ has renewed the animated preschool series Dora for a second season. The iconic Latina heroine returned this month in the CG-animated revival series produced by Nickelodeon Animation. 

Dora, based on the original series Dora the Explorer, follows everyone’s favorite bilingual explorer, Dora (Diana Zermeño), and her best monkey friend, Boots (Asher Colton Spence) as they embark on epic adventures in a fantastical rainforest. Guided by trustworthy Map (Anairis Quiñones), Dora and her friends must work together to overcome many obstacles while being challenged by the sneakiest fox, Swiper (Marc Weiner). Kathleen Herles, the original voice of Dora the Explorer, voices Mami.

“Kids and family programming is consistently one of the most popular genres on Paramount+ and we’re thrilled that our audience has already embraced Dora,” said Jeff Grossman, Executive Vice President, Programming, Paramount+. “It’s an incredible opportunity to introduce this beloved character and iconic franchise to a whole new generation.” 

Dora is currently available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and also on Nick Jr. internationally.

Dora is produced by Nickelodeon Animation in Burbank, California, and created by Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes. Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Rich Magallanes serve as executive producers. Henry Lenardin-Madden serves as co-executive producer, and Alejandro Bien-Willner serves as story editor. Marielle Kaar is Nickelodeon’s Executive in Charge of Production for the series. Dora the Explorer was created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner.

“Our audiences have embraced the new Dora series with open arms, and it’s incredible how she continues to capture the imaginations of preschoolers around the world with her extraordinary rainforest adventures,“ said Ramsey Naito, President, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation. “We can’t wait for kids to discover all of the new fantastical places and colorful characters in the second season while learning and playing along with their good friend Dora.”

Bomber Shorts: NickMusic Being Burned Off On Weekday Mornings On Nicktoons, Guddan Unexpectedly Resurfaces On Zee World And A Rebroadcast Of Ana's Revenge And El Baron Launch On Telemundo Across Africa m

NickMusic's demise on weekday mornings 

NickMusic is a basically a youth oriented version to the current MTV that features a mixture of local and international hits catered toward a younger demographic. Internationally, it operates as a programming block (if not TV show) and 24 hour channel.

Since its inception on Nicktoons, the show has been going through numerous timeslot changes and in recent months getting phased out from the lineup. Usually Nicktoons would restart NickMusic from the beginning but now it can go unnoticed for several months. 

As some readers are aware, NickMusic airs daily at 16:10 and from May 6th these episodes will air in its repeat slot at 09:00. I don't get why they'd want to air new episodes that early when a majority of the channel's viewers aren't tuning in.

Another why let The Casagrandes get another timeslot as the channel had become bloated with its repeat alongside SpongeBob SquarePants. Is this the channel's way of axing shows perhaps or another way to view it as a liability?

Zee World to hit a new low with a rebroadcast 

A rebroadcast of the first season of This Is Fate was currently airing on the channel weekday afternoons at 3pm. Zee World suddenly decides to yank the show of the schedule for a rebroadcast of Guddan from the third season. 

Now why let Guddan back on the channel particularly from season 3 considering this is the first time reruns come on it would have made a lot more sense to restart from season 1 unless the channel has something else on the cards.

Telemundo is offering double the Zee-nanza

Unlike Zee World, Telemundo is no stranger to rebroadcasts as primetime had continued to plummet on the channel with 22:00 remaining the sole survivor with Come Back To Me. As two reenter the channel for a share of repeats, Ana's Revenge and El Baron.

Ana's Revenge followed a young woman who decides to avenge the death of her mother.

El Baron followed a young Mexican dreamer and rebel helps Pablo Escobar change the world of drug trafficking forever.

Ana's Revenge will air daily at 21:00 replacing The Chosen Granddaughter while El Baron replaces Queen Of Miami at 23:00 from 7 May.

Ultraview's Future In Doubt As OUTtv Proud Launches On eVOD With The OUTtv Channel Coming Off Openview By The End Of April

OUTtv will be coming off the subscription Ultraview platform on Openview at the end of April. eMedia Investments has yet to mention a replacement for EDGE consumers unless that's being discontinued as FUSE would be the only TV channel currently priced at R75 per month.

Ultraview launched as a pay tier to the current free-to-view Openview platform comprises of two packages each with their own set of entertainment. Spice TV is a Bollywood package offering Zee Family and Star Select from India's largest broadcasters while EDGE is youth oriented for OUTtv and FUSE.

eMedia Investments has yet to disclose any further details on subscriber numbers for Ultraview but it is believed to be small bunch. Majority coming from Spice TV due to the existing involvement from Zee One and Star Life which serve as sister channels to the channels in question. 

EDGE would air in the later nights between 9pm and 11pm where consumers are either watching Uzalo on SABC 1 or Isitha: The Enemy on e.tv. Besides that viewership within these hours particularly for such channels are usually low.

Although OUTtv would be signing off from Openview this isn't necessarily a goodbye as the latter would be allocated on eMedia Investments other platform, eVOD. Similar to MultiChoice and NBCUniversal's endeavors with Showmax its likely that further content will surface on eMedia's other channels.

Prior to the introduction of OUTtv Proud, there were rumours flying around that OUTtv would be debuting a streaming service in the market. As companies are looking to consolidate and further reduce spending costs this was the probably the best chance OUTtv had in terms of survival. 

Press statement about OUTtv Proud

OUTtv Proud is proud to announce its exciting new home on the popular eVOD streaming platform. eVOD users can now see the popular and colourful OUT tv content at no extra cost.

After captivating audiences on Ultraview, OUTtv Proud is taking its critically acclaimed slate of content to the ever-growing world of streaming. eVOD viewers can now enjoy a wide range of colourful programming, from captivating dramas and comedies to thought-provoking documentaries and reality shows on South Africa’s first FAST channel.

“OUTtv Proud is already highly popular in the United, States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom and we look forward to building on that success in South Africa,” said Brad Danks, CEO of OUTtv. “South Africa has a rich, dynamic and vibrant LGBTQ+ community and we are excited to partner with eMedia to bring the world’s best LGBTQ+ TV series, movies and documentaries to them.”

New Series Alert: Jhanak Coming This May To Star Life

Star Life, a general entertainment channel operated by Disney Star that is home to various Bollywood drama series and movies all of which are dubbed in English is set to rollout another series in the coming months titled Jhanak.

Jhanak follows the titular character as she faces many challenges and obstacles in her life due to her poor background, but she never gives up on her passion. She meets Anirudh, who offers her support and encouragement, but fate separates them. 

It stars Hiba Nawab as Jhanak Raina, Krushal Ahuja as Aniruddha Bose, Chandni Sharma as Arshi Mukherjee, Dolly Sohi as Srishti Mukherjee, Sachin Verma as Shubh Basu and Kajal Pisal as Tanuja Basu.

The Hindi drama debuted on November 20, 2023 on StarPlus and 80 episodes have reportedly been filmed. It was met with a lot of praise by viewers and even surpassed the rankings of Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin better known as Lost In Life.

Jhanak will air daily at 18:00 CAT from 24 May replacing Faltu which comes to a close days prior. Zee One is also slated to air a new show titled Never Late For Love in the month.