NFL Streaming Service Expected To Launch In July

The National Football League is expected to launch its own mobile-focused streaming service, NFL+, as early as July, according to a report from the NFL owner meeting in Atlanta by Sports Business Journal (SBJ). The platform will reportedly cost around $5 per month and will feature live in-market games on mobile phones and tablets as well as other possible content, including radio, podcasts and a variety of other team-created content. This is directed at fans who desire a mobile streaming option as a complement to the big screen.

 

NFL+ aims to function independently as a part of NFL Media, which sources say will give the NFL new data on its users. However, on the other hand, there are other reports that the streaming product could be folded into a larger streaming package, wrote SBJ’s Ben Fischer.

Additionally, The Athletic reported in April that the NFL might be looking for a partner that could distribute NFL Media or NFL Films content. While it is unlikely that Netflix will ever cover live sports, we do think that it would be in its best interest, especially since the company is planning to launch a livestreaming option for the service.

 

Despite the saturated streaming landscape, nothing excites viewers quite like the NFL, and it sounds like the league is looking to further capitalize on America’s obsession.

NFL+ is the latest announcement of a profitable year for sports entertainment, and the new streaming product could imply the convergence of sports media at large. Major League Baseball is also hoping to launch its own streaming service in 2023, and FIFA has become a streaming rival as of last month with the launch of FIFA+.

Xtreme Football League Makes A Comeback On ESPN In 2023

The XFL announced a new, global multi-year agreement with The Walt Disney Company (“TWDC”) and ESPN, which includes exclusive broadcast rights for all gameday content, tentpole events and more, for its upcoming 2023 season through 2027. Each season, all 43 games (40 regular season games, two playoffs, one championship) will be featured on a combination of ABC, ESPN networks and FX. Additionally, the agreement includes exclusive content rights across TWDC and ESPN’s digital, social and direct-to-consumer outlets such as ESPN+. The XFL is excited to officially announce its 2023 season will kick off on Saturday, February 18, 2023.

The announcement was revealed at the Disney Upfront, where XFL owners Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson were in attendance and presented the news.

“Without question, we have long admired Disney’s distinct ability to engage an expansive consumer fanbase across verticals, while also maintaining a deeply authentic, nuanced and heartfelt approach to storytelling much like our own,” said Dany Garcia, Chairwoman of the XFL. “To find a partner that honors our foundation and to be able to root our vision of unwavering passion, accessibility and the future of football with Disney as our home, is a dream come true. We are extraordinarily excited to explore the endless possibilities of this partnership – today is surely just the beginning.”

 

“The XFL will tap into sports fans’ deep love of football by emphasizing competitive action while dedicating itself to innovation and entertainment,” said Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content. “You can see a great path to success when you combine the reach and influence of ESPN and Disney with the collective vision of XFL leadership led by Dany, Dwayne and Gerry.”

Dwayne Johnson added, “This is a definitive moment for the XFL and the beginning of an incredible, long-term partnership for the league, building on my longstanding, very successful legacy relationship I’ve had with Disney throughout my career. We’re excited to be working with global visionaries that are aligned with the XFL’s values, are true team players and share our ambitious goals to grow the XFL as a global sports and entertainment business. Through the combined power of Disney, ESPN and the XFL, together we will create a new powerhouse on the sports calendar and bring a dynamic game of football to fans everywhere. Time to ball out.”

 

Gerry Cardinale said, “With today’s announcement, the XFL has launched a truly innovative partnership with The Walt Disney Company and its world-class platforms across media, culture, sports and entertainment.  It is a privilege to join forces with the incredibly talented team at Disney and ESPN and bring Dany and Dwayne’s vision for world-class football and live event entertainment to our fans and players.”

America’s Top Soccer League Premieres On ESPN Africa This Weekend

After the shortest off-season in history, the 2022 Major League Soccer (MLS) season kicks off this weekend. Set to premiere live on ESPN Africa (DStv 218, Starsat 248),  America’s top Soccer league gets underway on Saturday 26 February with Philadelphia Union taking on Minnesota United at 20:00, followed by the clash between Columbus Crew and Vancouver Whitecaps at 22:30 The action continues on Sunday with Orlando City facing CF Montreal  at 20:00 and Atlanta United going head to head with Sporting Kansas City at 22:00 (CAT).

Also read:
- Disney Channel and Junior welcomes back returning shows during the school holidays

This season, an exciting slate of African players will show their prowess on the field. Minnesota United beat off a number of clubs to sign promising Bafana Bafana international striker Bongokuhle Hlongwane from Maritzburg United. South African youth prospect Tsiki Ntsabeleng joins FC Dallas after being selected as the number 28 pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. Ntsabeleng signed a one-year deal with the Texan club, with further club options until 2025.

Yaw Yeboah, capped four times by the Black Stars of Ghana, has signed a three-year deal with Columbus Crew, joining from Polish team Wisla Krakow. Nigerian left winger James Igbekeme has also signed with The Crew, on loan from Spanish club Real Zaragoza. Meanwhile veteran Ghanaian fullback Harrison Afful left Columbus Crew after a seven year spell with the club, to sign a one-year deal with expansion club Charlotte FC.

Also read:
- DreamWorks Channel will be added to MultiChoice's DStv
- Coroner and Tell Me Your Secrets coming soon to Universal TV
- Modern Family is back on Comedy Central with Love And Hip-Hop on MTV
- Kidz Club is back for the March holidays and more on Studio Universal
- In March, E! will also be hosting the Oscars live from the red carpet and launch the cover bands
- More Hoarders on CBS Reality while Justice welcomes back a fan favorite
- Tellytrack will stop airing on DStv
- Celebrate St Patrick's Day only on Curiosity
- Morgan Freeman is coming to History for a new series
- Who Wants To Be A Millionaire coming soon to Africa Magic

Senegalese goalkeeper Clement Diop has inked a one-year deal with Inter Miami while Ghanaian striker Abu Danladi joined Minnesota United on a one-year deal from Nashville SC, his second spell with the club affectionately known as The Loons. 37 year-old striker Kei Kamara, currently fifth on MLS's all-time scoring list, returns to MLS this year after signing a one year deal with Canadian club CF Montreal.

The competition on the field will be fierce as multiple international new signings enter the fray this season. Swiss dynamo Xherdan Shaqiri, nicknamed the “Alpine Messi”, has signed for Chicago Fire while LA Galaxy have added mercurial Brazilian winger Douglas Costa from Italian Serie-A club Juventus. Atlanta United have completed the acquisition of 20 year-old Argentinean prodigy Thiago Almada from Velez Sarsfield. Toronto FC recently announced the signing of Italian Lorenzo Insigne from Napoli who will join the club in June once the European season has concluded. Insigne, who will earn roughly $13 million-per-year, will become the highest-paid player in MLS history.

The 27th campaign of MLS will have 28 teams, with Charlotte FC making their debut as the new expansion franchise. New York City FC will enter the season as defending champions, having defeated the Portland Timbers in MLS Cup 2021. The New England Revolution will enter the season as the reigning Supporters' Shield winners. The entire MLS 2022 regular season will play out over 225 days with the MLS Cup Final scheduled to take place on 5 November 2022, sixteen days prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup taking place in Qatar.

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The Risks of Disney’s Quick Fix for Subscriber Growth

Disney has figured out an ingenious way to jump-start its streaming subscriber growth—give people less of a choice! Since late December, Disney has automatically included Disney+ and ESPN+ in one of its Hulu offerings, at a slightly higher price than it previously charged, we learned today. Ingenious! It’s a reminder that the customer-unfriendly DNA of the television industry still lurks in the genes of companies like Disney.

Also read:
- Could Moonbug Kids replace Disney Junior on DStv and Baby TV on StarSat?
- Baby TV could be on the chopping block
- The last FOX Life available in the United States closes down in March
- BBC Kids launches in the United States, could Africa be next?
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- tvN pushing to become a permanent linear channel in Africa
- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?

There’s only one reason you take this action, and it’s to juice subscriber numbers. The strategy is working so far. Disney executives said the bundling—which they called a “strategic decision,” whatever that means—accounted for half of the surprisingly strong North American subscriber additions for Disney+ in the quarter. And sure, it’s a good deal for consumers right now: Even after the price raise, the bundle implies a hefty discount on all three services. But it’s a slippery slope. Forcing people to take services they don’t necessarily want is how the cable TV became a cash-printing machine, before steady price rises eventually alienated so many customers it went into a decline that is still underway.

Still, TV executives across the industry will surely take heart from Disney’s move. There have been straws in the wind for a while that executives at companies like Discovery—which today said it got regulatory approval to buy HBO Max’s parent, WarnerMedia—would like to offer packages of different streaming services. The current arrangement, low-cost services with lots of programming, is a money-losing proposition. Done right, bundling could offer a solution to streaming’s poor economics. But if it is mishandled—and who would rule out that happening!—it may play into the hands of companies like Netflix and Amazon, which tend to follow a more consumer-friendly approach.

Also read:
- February on Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and more
- Could Moonbug Kids replace Disney Junior on DStv and Baby TV on StarSat?
- More Big City Greens coming to Disney Channel and Disney+
- February on Cartoon Network and Boomerang
- Baby TV could be on the chopping block
- Thomas And Friends: All Engines Go might launch on Boomerang
- Cartoonito launches on Boomerang across Europe possibly as a trial run before scrapping the channel
- Lego launches dedicated kids channel

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ESPN Could Be Bundled Under Disney+ A Few Weeks After WWE Network, Could This Signal The End Of Their Linear Services As Well?

In the past week, there's been several sports-related stories regarding Disney+ globally. In Indonesia, Disney+ Hotstar will be the new home of the WWE Network. At the same time, it was revealed that Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand would be getting a flood of new ESPN documentaries in February. And in a major surprise, three classic ESPN documentaries were released onto Disney+ in the United States, to get fans clued up on the upcoming “Superbowl”.

It was revealed by Helison Medeiros, who has previously revealed many hidden secrets found in the Disney+ code, that a new ESPN event link was added to the Disney+ sitemap. Currently, the link doesn’t work, but it’s a recent addition, showing that something is brewing over at Disney Streaming.

What’s interesting about this event link being added, is that it follows a similar system to how live events are handled on Star+ in Latin America. Star+ is a hybrid between ESPN+ and the Star brand on Disney+, which includes live sports along with general entertainment from Disney’s studios like FX, 20th Century Studios and ABC.

The Walt Disney Company is planning on spending over $33 billion on new content globally in 2022, with a massive portion of that total being spent on access to sports content for its traditional linear networks and streaming services. So it would make sense to utilise this content globally as much as possible.

Also read: 
- StarTimes added W-Sport to their app
- Cartoonito launches on Boomerang across Europe possibly as a trial run before scrapping the channel
- MultiChoice might launch an eLearning channel
- Lifetime could be on the chopping block on DStv
- Xtreme Football League founded by WWE's Vince McMahon returns in 2023, could SuperSport get it?
- A Pan-African tourism channel is currently available in Europe
- TelkomOne reportedly adds two channels: Toonami and Boing
- Zee World becoming a Sony Channel could lead to a name change
- Discovery World revived for 6 seconds on DStv

Disney+ Hotstar in India offers access to some live sports to subscribers, where live Cricket is one of the most significant incentives for many to subscribe to the streaming service. Disney acquired the Indian streaming service when it purchased 20th Century Fox and rebranded Hotstar into Disney+ Hotstar in March 2020, before then launching the service in other Asian countries, including Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

In the United States, Hulu has been sharing many live sports with ESPN+ and most recently, it closed down Hotstar in the US, moving the live sports to ESPN+ and its general entertainment content to Hulu. With Disney randomly adding three ESPN documentaries ahead of the Superbowl, this could be a test to see if there is any interest on Disney+ for sports content.

Disney+ in the United States has been getting lots of criticism over the lack of content for teenagers and adults, so adding more sports content could help fill in the gap.

Until Disney gets control of Comcast’s stake in Hulu, there are legal and contractual issues that can cause problems. And internationally, ESPN is also tied up in some legal matters and contracts with other companies, such as in Canada. So any changes might be tricky to implement globally, but some deals expire, some can be brought out, and over time, things are possible.

Late last year, in the UK and Ireland, lots of sports content started to be added onto Disney, with over 50 ESPN documentaries now available, with more being added almost weekly. And with Disney+ subscribers in Australia & New Zealand getting access to many of those same ESPN documentaries in February, it shows Disney is starting to utilise its library sports content for Disney+.

So far, Disney hasn’t announced when or if Hotstar in the United Kingdom or Canada will be closed and merged into Disney+. For this to happen, live sports is going to be a major issue that needs to be fixed. If Disney is now testing how to run live events within Disney+, it does open up the door for Disney’s Indian sports content to be moved over.
Adding the WWE Network content to Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia is also a huge step. It’s the first country outside of the US to have the WWE Network merged into another streaming platform.
Last year in the US, the WWE was moved within Peacock. Many entertainment trade outlets say this is the first of many WWE announcements coming, as it’s likely that the WWE Network is sliced up internationally and added within other streaming services.

I’d also like to point out that Disney Streaming Services, formerly known as Bamtech, actually launched the WWE Network back in 2014. It doesn’t necessarily mean we should expect to see the WWE Network added to Disney+ globally, but it’s now at least a possibility.

Disney also runs a stripped-down version of ESPN+ across EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) called ESPN Player, which provides access to NHL, NCAA, MLB and X-Games across the region. However, there can be some local differences in what’s available.

Also, this week, Disney announced it was planning on launching Disney+ in over 50 countries and territories across the EMEA region later this summer. Merging the smaller streaming services like, Hotstar and ESPN Player into Disney+ across EMEA could help reduce costs in running multiple platforms. This additional sports content could also provide Disney+ with another boost of content and provide more competition to Amazon, Discovery+, Sky/Now/Peacock, and Paramount+, which all offer some live sports.

Since Disney+ launched, it has continued to evolve. With the streaming service market changing so much, especially with more and more streaming services launching, there is a limit to how many platforms people will subscribe to.
Sport is a significant draw for many subscribers, and in the past week, I have little doubt that we could see some more big changes in the year to come.

Also read:
- Could Moonbug Kids replace Disney Junior on DStv and Baby TV on StarSat?
- Baby TV could be on the chopping block
- The last FOX Life available in the United States closes down in March
- National Geographic ending in the UK and several other markets
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- tvN pushing to become a permanent linear channel in Africa
- As Africa await for their Disney Channels to close in 2024 Latin America starts with Star Life, National Geographic Wild, Disney XD and FX Movies
- Possible terminations and additions on DStv

Until now, live streaming within Disney+ seemed unlikely, since the app didn’t have anything built-in, which is why Disney+ Hotstar had a different app to the global version.

Disney has tried to run two separate streaming services in Latin America, Disney+ and Star+, which isn’t working as well as they had hoped. If Disney+ does start getting live sports, it also opens the door of opportunity for a Star+ and Disney+ merger.

Adding sports content to Disney+ might have some other issues to overcome. This could result in the overall subscription costs rising due to expensive sports rights. There are also technical issues of streaming sports globally. Especially when it comes to advertising and commercials, plus licensing agreements vary between countries. Any major changes could be a while off.
Disney might try adding ESPN+ within Disney+ as an additional add-on for an extra charge, but other streaming services aren’t doing that, so it might be tricky to implement.

But in a changing world, Disney needs to offer variety to keep subscribers engaged. ESPN is a major global brand and could help expand the reach of Disney+ to a different audience.
It’s important to note, this is all speculation and Disney might have some different plans for its live sports content. If you had asked me a week ago, I probably would have said it wasn’t possible, or it could be years off, or maybe that ESPN+ might just launch globally instead.

But in this last week, we’ve seen ESPN content added onto Disney+ in the US, links to ESPN within Disney+ coding and a major deal with the WWE announced. So the chances of live sports being available within Disney+ without doubt increased!

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Xtreme Football League Founded By WWE's Very Own Vince McMahon Returns In 2023 And WWE Nearly Sold To FOX

The revived XFL series commence in 2023

Xtreme Football League (XFL) is a professional American football league founded by wrestling executive Vince McMahon in 2018, as a reboot and successor to the league of the same name he founded in 2001.

McMahon re-founded the XFL to create a league with fewer off-field controversies and faster, simpler play compared to the National Football League (NFL), as well as one without the professional wrestling–inspired features and entertainment elements of its predecessor.

The first season of XFL began on February 8, 2020. The league planned to have a ten-week regular season through April 12, with division championships April 18 and 19, with the XFL Championship scheduled for April 26.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the XFL announced that the league would be cancelling the rest of the season, ahead of the league's suspension of operations and bankruptcy filing a month later.

On December 2, 2021, it was revealed on Dany Garcia's Instagram page that the 2023 XFL season would start on February 18, 2023, along with Training Camp in January 2023, as well as a player combine in June 2022.

XFL was distributed by a lot of Disney stations including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 with Fox, FS1, FS2 being retained by the FOX Corporation. Perhaps ESPN or SuperSport will pick up the new season in 2023.

WWE wanted to be purchased several years ago

Ex-WWE creative team member Freddie Prinze Jr told the media that FOX turned down the chance to buy the company outright back when they were negotiating terms to air SmackDown.

According to one of Prinze Jr's friends, who works as an executive at FOX, Vince McMahon's asking price was just too high - the network knocked back the chance to pursue a full purchase, and instead decided to license SmackDown for a still-hefty sum.

There had been chatter back in 2019 about FOX potentially moving to buy WWE, but it's incredible to hear that McMahon was so willing to cede control of his baby. Freddie also said that he'd been sitting on that story for a while, but couldn't resist telling it "because it has been long enough" since FOX were in the running.

Older wrestling fans may still struggle with the thought of Vince selling WWE. There was a time when that seemed impossible, but it's interesting to learn that he has a (rather high) figure in mind for the organisation.

That number was definitely too big for FOX.

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Read Also:
- National Geographic closing down in the UK and possible EMEA
- The CW could be purchased soon
- Travel Africa not available in the titular region
- Most anticipated terminations from DStv could be from known other than Boomerang
- Discovery World revived on DStv for at least 6 seconds
- What's coming to Disney+ in 2022?
- Tourism is seemingly declining in cable
- Bobby Flay extends his contact with Food Network through 2023
- Investigation Discovery and a set of other brands cover child abuse case of Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard
- What's coming to HBO Max in 2022?
- What's coming to Paramount+ in 2022?
- Moonbug Kids and Kartoon Channel expand to more markets
- tvN expand their offering without DStv

SABC Sport And ESPN Launch A New Partnership

Following eMedia Investments with News & Sport, the SABC has concluded a distribution agreement with Walt Disney Co that will allow it to broadcast local and international live sporting events, news programming and a library of sporting content from ESPN.

ESPN, which is by far the top sports broadcaster in the US – akin to MultiChoice Group-owned SuperSport in South Africa – will provide the public broadcaster with the content for its SABC Sports channel.

This content will include European football matches, the SABC said on Friday. It represents an escalation of an intensifying war for viewers with MultiChoice, particularly as the content will be available on eMedia Holdings’ free-to-air Openview platform, which this week topped 2.5 million decoder activations in the South African market.

“ Dedicated slots will offer viewers a live English Championship match on Saturdays and a Dutch Eredivisie game on Sundays

“Kicking off this weekend is the premiere of two brand-new ESPN-branded football slots that will air each on Saturday and Sunday on the SABC Sports channel at midday during European football season.

The dedicated slots will offer viewers a live English Championship match on Saturdays at 1.30pm and a Dutch Eredivisie game on Sundays at 12.15pm, as well as highlights from US Major League Soccer and premiere football news round-ups from ESPN’s magazine shows, including the popular ESPN FC,” the SABC said.

Other sport
Other sport will include the World Indoor Championships from Serbia (March 2022), World Race Walking Championships from Belarus (April 2022), the World Championships from the US (July 2022) and the Basketball Africa League (selected matches in 2022). It has also licensed live boxing games and boxing content from ESPN’s extensive archives.

“This agreement is going to add significant depth to our current offering on the SABC Sports channel,” said SABC Sport GM Gary Rathbone. “With the addition of long-awaited regular live boxing events, as well more live football, athletics and African basketball, it’s clear that this partnership will deliver right across the board for our viewers.”

The SABC Sports channel is available on Openview as well on the SABC’s digital terrestrial television service. It’s also on TelkomOne streaming.

Read Also:
- SABC and e.tv ratings for last month
- Is Star Life rebranding into Utsav Life?
- SABC Parliament is in development
- Only SABC knows when SABC Education will launch on DStv and StarSat and this is coming from both pay-tv platforms
- BVN stops airing on DStv
- The Goldbergs coming soon to e.tv
- SABC Entertainment and SABC Encore are likely the two entertainment channels for Openview
- e.tv acquired broadcasting rights to Erkenci Kus
- Dokter Ali coming soon to eExtra
- Kamer 309 coming soon to eExtra
- What we might expect from SABC's streaming service?
- Could Star Plus and Star Life be rebranding soon?
- Other shows coming soon to eToonz?
- Nickelodeon returns to e.tv 

Disney Africa Showcase: Here's What You Can Expect On FOX, Disney, ESPN And National Geographic

FOX:
- War Of The Worlds season 2 premieres 24 May
- Marvel's Helstorm premieres 12 July at 8:45pm
Daimon and Ana Helstrom are the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer; the siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity.
- Further seasons of The Resident and Grey's Anatomy

National Geographic (June):
- Storm Rising (new series)
- The Grand African Green Up, Friday 4 at 6pm
The Grand African Green Up tells the story of people across Africa that are restoring their landscapes, from the dry forests of Senegal to the green hills of Kenya.
- Lawless Island season 3, Monday 14 at 7pm
- Impact With Gal Gadot, Sunday 27 at 9pm
National Geographic Presents: IMPACT with Gal Gadot is a short-form documentary series that follows the powerful stories of six women who are making an extraordinary impact on their communities around the world.
- Genius: Aretha, Wednesday 30 at 9pm
Aretha Louise Franklin's relationship with her preacher father C.L. Franklin from a young girl through to adulthood, her marriage to her agent/husband Ted White, as well as her introduction to music producer Jerry Wexler are portrayed.

National Geographic (July):
- Airport Security: Rome season 8, Thursday 15 at 7pm
- Bob Ballard: An Explorer's Life, Wednesday 14 at 7pm

National Geographic Wild (June):
- Kangaroo King, Sky Safari and Wild Australia, Sundays at 6pm
- New season of Alaska Animal Rescue

National Geographic Wild (July)
- New season of The Incredible Dr. Pol
- 9th annual SharkFest
- America's Funniest Home Videos: Animal Edition (new series)

ESPN (June):
- NBA playoffs live
- MLB: Red Sox, Dodgers, Yankees, Mets.
- Australia's National Rugby League (NRL):
3: Dragons/Broncos 11:50
12: Rabbitohs/Knights 9:30
18: Panthers/Roosters 11:55
20: Titans/Sea Eagles 8:05

ESPN (July):
- NBA Finals
- NHL playoffs for new Stanley cup winners
- MLS Atlanta United, LAFC, D.C. United, LA Galaxy to feature in games.
- Australia's National Rugby League

Disney Channel:
- My Magic Is Me premieres 25 May (press release below)
- Movies for June: Kim Possible, Avalon High, Tangled: Before Ever After and Bad Hair Day
- A new live-action movie called SPIN is coming to Disney Channel.
- A new live-action series called Secrets Of The Sulphur Springs is coming to Disney Channel.
- A new Miraculous World Shanghai once-off TV special is coming followed by the fourth season of Miraculous on Disney Channel.

Disney Junior:
- Disney Junior reaches 7 million viewers in South Africa (including 20% of TV kids)
- New season 4 episodes of PJ Masks from 7 to 11 June and 14 to 18 June at 9am
- New episodes of Vampirina from 14 to 18 June at 12:30pm
- New episodes of T.O.T.S from 21 to 25 June at 1pm
- New episodes of The Rocketeer is coming in July followed by Bluey season 2 and Muppet Babies season 3 in August then season 3 of Puppy Dog Pals in October.
- New animated series Chicken Squad airs in September 2021.

Additional info:
- A host of special 9/11 programmes is coming in September, including 9/11: One Day in America.

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DISNEY CHANNEL PREMIERES LOCAL SHORT-FORM CONTENT SERIES

“MY MAGIC IS ME”, THIS AFRICA DAY

Brought to screens in collaboration with FNB, the live-action and animation short series celebrate the diverse and unique stories of young viewers

The Walt Disney Company Africa today announced the premiere of My Magic is Me, a new locally-produced series of live-action and animated short-form content that celebrates every-day kids. Premiering on Africa Day, Tuesday 25 May, the content will play across Disney Channel (DStv, Channel 303) and other channels in the Disney portfolio, as well as on Disney Africa’s social media and digital platforms.

In each of the one-minute live-action short films, viewers will be introduced to one of a group of twelve children from diverse backgrounds, who have been cast as the leads in their own personal story. Each will share what it is that makes them uniquely and extraordinarily them – their interests, their talents, their aspirations, their language, culture, internal and external traits, all creating their own distinctive brand of authentic magic. In addition to these live-action shorts, each child’s story will be further brought to life through a moving original locally-produced animation short that will play across Disney’s social and digital platforms, giving young viewers an opportunity to see their world’s commemorated in true Disney-inspired fashion.

Each episode is themed according to one of Carl Jung’s 12 Brand Archetypes, including the warrior child to the caregiver, creator and mentor. The story begins with each child entering the Disney Story Pod – a magical Afro-futuristic themed space, complete with their own personal touches and decorations, a baobab tree and more. Once settled, each child depicts themselves through artistic drawing at the table of creation as they share their personal story.

Inspired by Disney Channel’s core values of entertaining, informing and inspiring children across the globe, My Magic is Me also aims to strengthen the narrative of self-acceptance and celebration of diversity.

“At Disney we know that stories shape how we see ourselves and everyone around us. We also know that stories are better when the storytellers represent the vast experiences of the people who will hear or see them,” says Evert van der Veer, Vice President, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa. “My Magic is Me is inspired by this ethos and is an opportunity for young viewers to see themselves proudly depicted on screen, and celebrated in a unique way that pays tribute to the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and individuality that make all of them magic.”

My Magic is Me was filmed under the guidance of educational psychologist and play therapist Chery Radley van Staden and is produced in collaboration with Brainbow Conscious Creatives, an African women-owned brand storytelling agency that specialises in creating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) narrative work. Understanding that, in the foundational phase of development, children’s personalities and identities are greatly shaped by their environment and their interaction with family and those around them, the creative teams strove to ensure that not only would children see themselves represented, but also show them that they are valued and accepted as they are.

First National Bank (FNB) has collaborated with The Walt Disney Company Africa to bring My Magic is Me to audiences, as the official sponsor of the short-form content series.

Bonga Sebesho, Head of Sponsorship at FNB says, “FNB is proud to team up with The Walt Disney Company Africa on this fantastic initiative. Our long-term collaboration with Disney, starting with live events, was informed by FNB’s positioning as a family bank and this initiative speaks to children, the heart of families. FNB is firmly committed to the spirit of diversity and encouraging children, in all communities, to be the best they can be.”

My Magic is Me kicks off from Africa Day, Tuesday 25 May on Disney Channel (DStv, Channel 303) and other channels in the Disney portfolio, as well as on Disney Africa’s social media and digital platforms*.

Read Also:

- June on Nicktoons and Nick Jr

- Moja Love Is Launching A NEW CHANNEL On DStv?

- It's official: Star is coming to replace FOX Africa as UK shuts down the channel
- Cartoonito is coming back to viewers in Europe and Africa as WarnerMedia searches for original preschool content
- Is Boomerang officially dead?
- Discovery and WarnerMedia set to merge no details as yet how this will affect their linear channels or streaming services
- Upcoming programs for Paramount+
- HBO Max to rollout in 60 countries
- Cartoon Network is doing live-action again
- New kids programming coming to Cartoon Network

February 2021 On ESPN Africa | NFL Superbowl | Scottish Premiership

NFL (NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE) – SUPERBOWL

The 55th annual Super Bowl will headline ESPN Africa’s February line-up with the event taking place on February 7, 2021*. The annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL) will see the league’s top franchises competing for the top prize in US football. Can Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs defend their title or will another franchise rise to the top?

One of the most anticipated sporting events on the US calendar, the Super Bowl has moved to become a truly global cultural event, becoming as well-known as for the cutting-edge commercial spots and half time show as it is for the actual game.

NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Basketball fans can mark February 2021 on their calendar as the hotly awaited conclusion to the regular season of the National Collegiate Athletic Associations (NCAA). From these fixtures will come the 68 elite college franchises who will make up the teams competing in the “NCAA March Madness” extravaganza, the single-elimination tournament to determine the national championship.

The NCAA college basketball league is a hotbed for developing NBA talent with several African students participating in some of the biggest colleges in the US.

Fixtures and timings to be confirmed in due course.

SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP (SCOTTISH FOOTBALL)

Football fans across the continent can catch up with the latest from the Scottish Premiership, the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL).

The big question is whether local export Bongani Zungu and Steven Gerrard’s Glasgow Rangers can bring an end to Celtic F.C’s 6-year dominance of the Scottish Premiership.

Follow ESPN Africa's media pages for further details

Channel is available on DStv, Starsat and StarTimes.

ESPN Classic, The Former DStv Channel

THE HISTORY OF A FORMER DSTV CHANNEL
ESPN Classic is an American multinational pay television network that is owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns 20%).

The channel was originally launched as the Classic Sports Network in 1995, and was acquired by ESPN in 1997. The network originally focused on carrying classic sporting events, other programs and documentaries, and live specials (such as the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony) focusing on sports history.

By the 2010s, due to the increasing number of sport-, league-, and college conference-specific networks that had assumed rights to the archive content that was historically aired by ESPN Classic, a larger amount of programming was devoted to archive content whose rights were owned by ESPN outright, reruns of recent events from ESPN's networks, as well as ESPN original documentaries, and overflow coverage of events from other ESPN networks.

In 2014, ESPN began to phase out ESPN Classic as a linear service, and transition it to a branded video on-demand offering. A number of major providers, such as AT&T, Altice USA, Comcast, and Verizon Fios dropped ESPN Classic in the years that followed. Due to this change in format, ESPN News and ESPN's digital platforms have supplanted its role as an overflow service.

The channel was available across all packages on DStv before it shuttered down.

ESPN Returning To DStv?

There's rumors surfacing that the ESPN will make a comeback to DStv after being scrapped from the platform and Africa back in 2013.

ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American multinational basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The channel can also be found on StarSat in South Africa and StarTimes in the rest of Africa.

ESPN broadcasts also airs a variety of sports highlight, talk, and documentary- styled shows including: F1, NRL, Olympics, MMA, NBA G League, Tennis, esports, Cycling, and more.

According to one viewer, they saw an ad  stating that ESPN will launch on channel 218 with ESPN 2 launching on channel 219. When it comes to packages my guess would be ESPN will be made available on Compact+, Compact or Family with ESPN 2 being Access and if it's still an option Easyview.

Starsat/StarTimes Silently Return The Disney Channels After Commercial Issues But Fail To Answer The Mystery Question

Disney has quietly returned it yanked FOX channels as well as the two rebranded ESPN channels to the Chinese-run StarSat pay-TV operator after an absence of four and a half months following a commercial disagreement and contract dispute.

The Walt Disney Company removed its entire FOX Networks Group channels set - FOX, FOX Life, FOX Portuguese, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, National Geographic Portuguese, Baby TV, Voyage, National Geographic French, and Nat Geo WILD French – from the Chinese-run StarTimes StarSat with the channels that abruptly went dark without warning in October 2019.

StarSat bizarrely claimed that it decided to remove specifically the FOX channels (although not FOX News) because of alleged "5G cellphone signal testing interference" affecting just these channels. The Walt Disney Company however said that it decided to remove its channels from StarTimes/StarSat since it became fed-up with ongoing commercial issues at the pay-TV operator and decided to pull all of its FOX-supplied channels after negotiations had failed.

In addition, the FOX Sports and FOX Sports 2 channels that were rebranded to ESPN and ESPN following the Disney takeover of 21st Century Fox, failed to materialise as promised in mid-September on StarSat which caused huge embarrassment to both Disney and StarSat.

The FOX channel set quietly flickered back on StarSat on Thursday with no announcement from Evert van der Veer, the vice-president, media networks of The Walt Disney Company Africa or Christine Service, senior vice president of The Walt Disney Company Africa.

Jared Stokes, senior communications manager at The Walt Disney Company Africa said in response to a media enquiry on Thursday from that the company won't issue a press release but that "We can confirm that our channels are currently being provided and are available on StarTimes/StarSat" and referred media enquiries to StarSat.

Disney was asked why the FOX channels and ESPN were returned to StarSat but didn't want to answer the specific questions. In a mobile message sent to just subscribers on Thursday, StarSat said: "Dear Customer, all FOX channels are back on StarSat now". StarSat on Thursday said it would respond with answers posed in a media enquiry but hasn't by the time of publication of this report on Friday morning.

The question remains on what will happen to the supposed replacement channels at the time these Disney Channels went dark Starsat did mention trying to sourcing out alternatives so far you only have Smithsonian and Love Nature that were once replacements for National Geographic. Now, some should wonder if they even sourced out those former replacement channels.

Not only that but Starsat lost Smile of a Child, Trace Africa, Kiss, POP and Animaux so how many of these could eventually be replaced and due to all these Disney Channels will Starsat be able to handle the costs or will they cut back on even more channels and replace some with low standard channels.

Another possible thing is that they could hike the fees like MultiChoice had done this year on some if not all packages and possibly add some more channels to give customers more to indulge and reason to keep subscribing.