Britbox Video Streamer To Launch In South Africa Later In The Year With Content From ITV And BBC

Another video streaming service will be launching in South Africa in the second half of 2021 with BritBox, the joint 50/50 streaming venture between BBC Studios and ITV, that announced that it will become accessible to South African consumers later this year.

BritBox, an ad-free subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming service will join the quickly getting crowded video streaming market in South Africa where Netflix SA fiercely compete with the likes of MultiChoice's Showmax, VIU, Vodacom Video Play, TelkomONE, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.

Meanwhile the South African public broadcaster is working on launching its own SABC streaming service, while Discovery+, Paramount+, HBO Max and Disney+ are still to launch in the territory and across the rest of Africa as well.

BritBox will serve as somewhat of a replacement for the ITV Choice channel and the BBC First channel that both shuttered on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform during 2020.

BritBox carries on-demand content in the form of British box sets, drama premieres and live events, as well as new and exclusive original commissions.

South Africa will be BritBox's 5th worldwide territory to launch in, following launches in the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

"The launch of BritBox in South Africa is yet another step in the platform’s trajectory towards international expansion. We’re delighted to bring the service to a brand new territory and continue towards establishing BritBox as a premium VOD brand across the world," says Martin Goswami, ITV group strategic partnership and distribution director, in a statement.

Paul Dempsey, president of global distribution at BBC Studios, says "We know that South African audiences have a real connection to British television and we can’t wait to bring them even more great shows, on-demand, that we know they will love".

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- BBC recognises African animation

Upcoming Shows For Kids Networks In Africa

Now you'll see why critics say Disney Channel is dominating animation and part of them are speculation and the ones in brackets

are for streaming services.

Cartoon Network:
The ones in brackets moved to streaming and are uncertain at this point

- (Tiny Toons Looniversity)

- (Unicorn: Warriors Eternal)

- (Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed)

- (Unlimited Squirrels)

- (Cat The Cat's Show The Show Show With You)
- Batwheels
- Elliott From Earth
- The Heroic Quest Of Prince Ivandoe
- We Baby Bears
- (Infinity Train)
- (The Fungies)
- (Tig N Seek)

Boomerang:
- Lucas The Spider
- The Mysteries Of Master Moley
- Agent Binky
- Mush-Mush And The Mushables
- The Misadventures Of Master Foley

Disney Channel:
Animation and live-action
- Pup Academy
- Hamster And Gretel
- Ghostforce
- School Hacks
- Bia
- Vikingskool
- Best Bugs Forever
- The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti
- The Secrets Of Sulphur Springs
- Disney Fam Jam
- Marvel's Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur
- The Ghost And Molly McGee
- Go Away, Unicorn

Disney Junior:
- Mickey Mouse Funhouse
- Pikwik Pack
- The Chicken Squad
- Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends
- Whisker Haven: Royal Hearts of Fun
- Dino Ranch

Nickelodeon:
Animation and live-action
- Rugrats
- Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years (miniseries)
- Best Bester
- Just Add Magic spinoff
- Middlemost Post
- Club 57
- The Smurfs
- Tyler Perry's Young Dylan
- Spyders
- (Pinky Malinky)
- Side Hustle
- Brendar The Barbarian
- (Glitch Techs)
- Untitled Garfield Show
- Cake My Day
- Star Trek: Prodigy
- Unleashed
- Man Of The House
- Meet The Voxels
- Adventure In Wonder Park
- The Astronauts
- Side Hustle
- Big Nate
- Real Pigeons Fight Crime
- The Patrick Star Show
- Untitled Simon Fuller And Ryan Tedder Musical Series

Nick Jr:
- Baby Shark's Big Show!
- Ricky Zoom
- The Beatbuds
- The Tiny Chef Show

CBeebies:
- Ragdoll Robot
- Monty & Co
- Boogie Beebies
- Andy's Aquatic Adventure
- Bot And The Beasties

PBS Kids in Africa:
- Let's Go Luna
- Ready Jet Go
- Hero Elementary
- Xavier Riddle And The Secret Museum
- Elinor Wonders Why
- Clifford The Big Red Dog
- Donkey Hodie
- Splash And Bubbles
- Nature Cat

eToonz (e.tv):
- Todd World
- Art Attack
- Harvey Street Kids
- The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle
- Inspector Gadget
- Talking Tom And Friends
- The Moe Show
- Treehouse Detectives
- Transformers Rescue Bots (and the sequel)
- Valt The Wonder Deer
- Fifi And The Flowertots
- Roary The Racing Car
- Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug And Cat Noir
- Power Players
- Megaman: Fully Charged
- Space Ranger Roger
- Oswald
- Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!
- Polly Pocket
- The Toy Book
- Angry Birds
- Kitty Is Not A Cat
- She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power
- Rubbadubbers
- Doozers
- Lego City Adventures
- Kung Fu Panda: The Paws Of Destiny
- 3Below: Tales of Arcadia
- Mighty Little Bheem

Da Vinci Kids:
- The Odd Squad

Read Also:
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- eToonz needs more variety

BBC Upfront + Other Rumored Developments For DStv

BBC held a virtual upfront today to discuss details relating to the new agreement they had with MultiChoice and also unveil a bunch of programming for their channels. Here's the scoop (part of it mentioned earlier):
- MultiChoice made the decision to remove BBC First (they didn't mention it but it gave it away) and BBC is trying to get viewers hooked onto BBC Brit which will be the new hub for content that was available on First.
- BBC Brit will broadcast the new anthology miniseries, Small Axe this summer in South Africa. The 5-episode Small Axe drama series revolves around stories focused on the experience of black people in Britain, with the cast that includes John Boyega.
- Production of the latest 6th season of Come Dine with Me South Africa produced by Rapid Blue TV on BBC Lifestyle shut down because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic but will restart soon for the last few episodes of the season that will then be shown.
- BBC Earth will broadcast Perfect Planet, with Sir David Attenborough as the narrator. Two new series filmed in Africa, will be Work On the Wild Side, and Waterhole: Africa's Animal Oasis. Other upcoming series include: Age of Nature and Ades Climate Pioneers.
- CBeebies which was available only on Premium and Compact+ will now be available on DStv Compact, Family and Access presumably around the time Disney XD stops airing on the platform.
- BBC Lifestyle will be available in high definition.

Rumored developments that have nothing to do with BBC:
- More channels are rumored to get pulled off these include regional channels.
- Nickelodeon will be open for a limited time to celebrate the launch of Danger Force.
Packages: Access, Family and Compact
- fliekNET will be available for 3 days in October.
Packages: Compact+
- M-Net Movies 2 will be open from 6:00-18:00
Packages: All packages
- EVA and National Geographic will be opened for a limited time
Packages: Access
- Telemundo will be added onto DStv Easyview from 19 October (with the deduction of new telenovelas it wouldn't shock me if it dropped from three to just two current telenovelas)
- SABC Education will be added soon you just need to wait on SABC to provide those details.
Packages: All packages
- There's been rumours that MultiChoice changed the availability for the 4 remaining channels before you'd need Compact to watch all 5 new channels now that's been adjusted in some markets. There's also been talks of expanding current channels.

Read Also:
- Limpopo launches first commercial channel
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- Is MultiChoice planning to remove EVA as well
- Discovery EMEA streamlining channels
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- Scrapped channels on DStv - their status is still unknown

StarSat Will More Likely Launch A Total Of 10 Channels, Part Of Them Are Currently Active On The Platform

StarTimes Media has upgraded their bouquet offering that will see the introduction of 10 new premium channels across news, kids, movies, fashion, novelas, gaming and esports giving subscribers an enriched content experience at the same affordable monthly subscription for their bouquets of choice. Some of them may take longer to appear on the platform or become a no show.

Consumers will have access to channels Sky News, CBeebies, Gametoon, Timeless Drama Channel (TDC), Tlnovelas, FashionBox HD, SABC Education, FilmBox, Limpopo TV and Toonami will enrich the already existing content genres available to the broadcaster’s terrestrial and satellite television.

Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via a radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. The channel is also available on MultiChoice's DStv.

CBeebies is a British free-to-air television network owned by the BBC through BBC Studios. It is aimed at young children aged 3 and upwards. It manages an international network supported by subscription services. The channel is also carried on MultiChoice's DStv.

Gametoon features interactive gaming/second screen gaming, game reviews, tournaments esports and viral content fueled with best of the Web and much more. The channel gives its viewers a unique opportunity to play dedicated games on their mobile devices and share scores along with social profile pictures on air. The channel is owned by SPI International.

Timeless Drama Channel is a Turkish entertainment channel featuring Turkish drama and Turkish telenovelas with series such as The Uncle in Black, Kurt Seyit and Sura, 20 Minutes, The End and many more. The channel also airs movies and run by SPI International.

Tlnovelas is a Spanish-language pay television network that broadcasts Mexican telenovelas produced by Televisa, the owner of the channel.

FashionBox HD features inspirational, educational and always highly entertaining content on shopping, lifestyle and new fashion trends. The channel is owned by SPI International.

SABC Education is an interactive education channel for the youth that carries programming from the department of education, archived shows from the SABC library, as well as educational programmes seen and available on SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3.

FilmBox is a movie channel that broadcasts a range of Hollywood blockbusters, world movies and local productions.

Limpopo TV is a multi-advertorial channel offering a variety of programs that include magazine style shows, reality shows, local dramas, animation, current affairs, movies, sitcoms and sports, local news, infomercials and local stories.

Toonami is a 24-hour kids channel with the best of DC animation carrying a bit of action, adventure and team work which was available on DStv as a pop-up channel but runs full-time on StarSat. The channel is owned by WarnerMedia.

So far StarSat and StarTimes have launched several of these channels or are still trying to launch them. You need visit their customer care for more details about the channel.

DStv Premium, Extra, Compact Plus & Compact (Outside Of South Africa) Are In For A Treat This July 2016 On Cbeebies

Teletubbies
Series 1
Monday 18 July at 19:10
Staying true to the original series Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po still have their loveable, huggable distinctive features but have been subtly updated to cater for today’s pre-schoolers.

The Teletubbies now have 21st century Touch Screen Tummies which show beautiful live action films shot from a child’s perspective. 

Some familiar characters return, including the Teletubbies’ hoover-like companion Noo-Noo, while a new gadget - the Tubby Phone - will bring the Teletubbies bang up to date with technology, and a twirling, whirling Tubby Custard Ride will provide the characters with endless custardy chaos and fun.

The Furchester Hotel
Series 1 (41 episodes)
From Monday 4 July at 16:35
The Furchester Hotel is a  series for children between the ages of three and six set  in an almost world-class  hotel run by a close-knit  family of cheerfully chaotic monsters. The series, which is designed to encourage creative problem-solving, introduces brand new characters and also welcomes the beloved Elmo and Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.

As guests arrive at the  hotel, they are greeted by monster owner Funella Furchester, her loving husband, Furgus Fuzz, and their daughter, the unflappable Phoebe Furchester-Fuzz. Elmo, Phoebe's cousin, who is on an extended visit and Cookie Monster, who has landed his dream job as room service and dining room waiter, join the Furchester family at the hotel. Completing the ensemble is Isabel, a furry bell monster – and guests won't get any attention until she dings to announce their arrival! 

In series one, Phoebe and Elmo must think carefully to help a lonely porcupine and also stop two howling wolves from keeping the other guests awake all night. Also, the Furchesters hold a ballroom dance weekend - but the floor is so shiny the guests keep slipping on it!

More Entertainment For Dstv Compact On 1 September

BBC Brit is a male skewing channel which is the home of Top Gear and is loved by young adults and women other programming Life Is Toff, Live at the Apollo, Bad Robots and The Classic Car Show

Cbeebies is a preschool channel which was only accessible to dstv premium is now available on dstv compact and will air programs like: The Furchester Hotel, In The Night Garden, Teletubbies and Nina And The Neurons