Saved Again: Netflix Acquires Rights To The 2019 Season Of The Bold And The Beautiful For Fans Across South Africa

Set in the glamorous world of Los Angeles, The Bold And The Beautiful focuses on the wealthy and powerful Forrester family. Its company, Forrester Creations, is the leader in the fashion industry. Add in the machinations of rival businesses and families, and you've got a classic set-up.

Produced by Bradley P. Bell through Bell-Phillip Television Productions, Inc, The Bold And The Beautiful debuted by March 23, 1987 on CBS.  So far at least 9000 episodes of the American soap with a new seasons being filmed for the 2024-2025 period.

It held the record for most watched in the soap in the world with its audience reach surpassing 26 million viewers. The American soap also holds won 77 Daytime Emmy Awards, including three for Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.

SABC 1 acquired rights to the American soap by the late 90s before moving to SABC 3 over 10 years after its launch due to low ratings. Around this time, SABC 3 was going through an identity crisis and the public broadcaster these two would align better.

Although The Bold And The Beautiful was able to pull a massive following in South Africa. It wasn't bringing in the revenue for the public broadcaster so much that by 2019 the show got axed with the only means to the soap EVA and Vodacom Video Play axed years later.

Following its departure from South Africa, several consumers pirated several episodes illegally through torrent sites while others had to make due with what's seen on their screen. As seen by several subscribers, Netflix has become the exclusive home to The Bold And The Beautiful. 

Netflix has held these rights since October 2023 for consumers in South Africa. After M-Net opted not to acquire the show when it exited SABC 3, the streamer added the first 100 episodes to the 2019 season which coincide with demises of EVA and Vodacom Video Play. 

As Expected, EVA And EVA+ Stop Airing On DStv Later In March

This news doesn't come as a shocker to me I mean since last year both channels hit the repeat button and the only stable thing about the brand was CBS' Bold And The Beautiful.

EVA operated by AMC International launched back in March 2015 as an alternative to Telemundo offering Portuguese telenovelas from companies that didn't have a platform within the market. Two years later they launched EVA+ for those outside South Africa.

Now both of them are set to go off/shut down on March 22nd at 23:59 CAT I was expecting March 31st but this part makes sense since it launched mid March. EVA+ was probably given an open window as that one launched in October.

According to MultiChoice, they no longer have broadcasting rights to the channel and told fans to look out for more novela channels (likely tvN).

So even though EVA and EVA+ will be shutting down and won't be replaced you can find some of its shows on TLNovelas with Telemundo having a similar offering. MultiChoice will likely expand the alternatives to even include Timeless Dizi Channel (TDC), tvN (as mentioned earlier) and Novela Magic.

So basically these channels which I theorized would go off air since last year became the first batch of channels to fly out the window on DStv in 2021.

MultiChoice hasn't bothered to answered viewers on the fate of Bold And The Beautiful I wouldn't be shocked if it surfaced on another channel likely an M-Net channel.

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March 2021 On EVA and EVA+ | Repeats: Into The Unknown

Update: Both channels stop airing on DStv

Yep, this will be the third and probably last month for both channels with Bold being the only stable program on EVA. I know the past two months were about EVA but this is where things seemingly get interesting.

Usually these brands like to promote their repeats but this time that's not the case. The shows have end dates but no placeholder has been advertised.

On EVA+, you have Por Amarte Asi (Loving You) reaching its climax on the 12th of this month and the channel fails to reveal what program takes its place. What that implies is that perhaps one of their current repeats will get extra slots added.

Remember FOX Life, where the channel ended up giving their telenovelas (Rode To Destiny and Along Came Love) double bills timeslot with the only remaining telenovela (Shadows From The Past) getting a triple bill before the channel's departure.

Do you think the same is happening with EVA+?

Another show reaching its climax is Mujercitas (Little Women) but that will only occur on April 13th.

On EVA, everything seems to be running as normal as usual none of the content have end dates quite as yet.

So here's a couple of theories that could occur after March and April:

1.1. EVA+ shuts down and viewers get redirected to EVA therefore moving it to DStv Access and in some countries GOtv. Perhaps MultiChoice even AMC International decided to keep one channel kind of like how there was 2 BET channels and MultiChoice decided to go back to one channel.

1.2. Whatever happened in 1.1. except viewers might not get EVA as it's shutting down at a later stage.

2. Both channels shut down together

3. They're adding new content which I highly doubt why take a year to reload your stock and still let consumers into your shop.

4. They're getting a makeover, the current look is not for me but it fits with the representation of Spanish culture.

5. Absolutely nothing

Both channels are available on DStv and GOtv.

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Predictions: The Rest Of 2021 Through Early 2022 On Telemundo Africa With A Dash Of EVA

During the festive season, Telemundo hit the rewind button leaving El Final Del Paraiso (The End Of Paradise) to do all the labour kind of like what EVA is doing Bold And The Beautiful.

Next month, Telemundo will be introducing a new Colombian telenovela, Laws Of The Heart/La Ley Del Corazon (that's sure to keep viewers busy for about 8 months) alongside the second season of Close Enemies.

In March, Betty In New York comes to a close and it's rumored that a new telenovela 100 Días Para Enamorarnos (starring David Chocarro and Erick Elías) replaces the show from 22nd of that month from 8pm CAT/7pm WAT/9pm EAT.

New and returning telenovela for 2021/2 include Anonima (Anonymous), La Suerte De Loli (The Luck Of Loli/Loli's Luck), Buscando A Frida (Looking For Frida), Operación Pacífico 2 (Operation Pacific 2), Falsa Identidad 2 (False Identity S2), Café Con Aroma De Mujer (Coffee With A Woman's Fragrance), El Chema and La Reina Del Sur 2 (Queen Of The South 2). The brand will obviously unveil more titles later in the year.

Well-known repeats for 2021/2 include Marido En Alquier (Husband For Hire), Tierra De Reyes (A Passion For Revenge), Un Poquito Tuyo (Almost Yours), La Doña (Iron Rose), Reina De Corazones (Queen Of Hearts), Vuelve Temprano (The Son I Never Knew), La Querida Del Centauro (Prisoners Of Love) and Pasion Prohibida (Forbidden Passion). Yep, a hundred more familiar titles within two years.

Now it's runner-up EVA, has been on life support since last year. Their media page went from promoting repeats to hyping about their only new show on there which is Bold from CBS. They even went as far as deleting comments regarding repeats from the little viewers they have left.

Since it's launch, EVA has been overshadowed from the likes of Telemundo even when the repeats were piling up on that channel a lot of viewers didn't see the brand as tough competition of course EVA+ has been getting recognition perhaps due to accessibility.

If this channel shuts down, it wouldn't be a complete loss as fans of Spanish telenovelas can tune into Telemundo and TLNovelas.

Now the problem would be that viewers won't get the exact content. EVA has got Caracol Television (Colombia), TV Azteca (Mexico) and Telefe (Argentina) while the stars there will be incorporated onto Mexico's TLNovelas America's Telemundo.

Since 2017, Telemundo has supplied content from those other regions and it's grown over the years. What sets it back is those shows have to share a timeslot with their own programming.

TLNovelas is kind of a mystery when it comes to the basis of foreign programming for now I'd expect them to continue airing their own content.

In short, for more EVA or something similar to EVA tune into Telemundo (DStv and GOtv) and TLNovelas (DStv and StarTimes).

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February 2021 On Eva | Repeats & More Repeats

As we progress to the second month of 2021, the channel fails to redeem themselves once again. At the moment the only thing keeping it alive is Bold And The Beautiful from CBS.

In February, you have reruns of Tanto Amor (17th) and Corazon Traicionado (11th) fall off the schedule with other reruns such as La Colombiana (12th) and Mis Tres Marias (18th). Just as you thought this channel expand the telenovela selection. It's slowly digging a hole for itself to drop dead.

The channel is up for renewal during February or March on DStv. It's probably best if AMC International cuts the cord since the channel doesn't show any signs of life outside Bold. If it doesn't close in between it's likely to occur at some point.

TLNovelas is airing content that you'd find on EVA such as Anything But Plain and there's chances we could actually see more telenovelas from EVA on that channel. Similar to what FOX Life had with this exact channel now FOX is airing them on a limited basis like really they could have found another distributor that doesn't already run a channel within the market.

When or if that day arrives viewers won't completely be left in the dark as MultiChoice recently added two more telenovela channels with tvN scheduled for an early 2021 launch on DStv.

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January 2021 On EVA | Repeats & More Repeats | Bold And The Beautiful

Throughout the year, Eva has been filled with repeats of past programs already seen on the channel to make it even worse the rest of Africa operate Eva+ which is full-blown reruns channel. They also offer a Portuguese version of the channel.

The only current program on the channel is the ongoing drama from CBS' Bold And The Beautiful.

To start of 2021, Eva will be airing a rerun of La Seleccion (Football Dreams) from January 20. The channel is up for renewal between February and March so I'd look at those months if it doesn't go off by then it could go off at some point.

Sony Channel and Sony Max were lurking around that corner for 2 years with the only relevant program being the popular game show The Amazing Race now that's on M-Net since Sony Pictures International no longer distribute these channels anywhere in Africa.

Even FOX Life joined these set of channels from 2016 up until April 2020 where they introduced 4 new telenovelas which took Africa by storm while rehashing old reality shows and that Cathy Kruger show. In the end, the channel never got to see the light of day due to realignment strategies at Disney.

There is a chance that the channel will look for new suppliers perhaps in other regions but due to the climax of the pandemic that seems very unlikely.

When SABC 3 stopped airing Bold And The Beautiful. M-Net was looking into snatching the show for their channel but already had a packed schedule. The fact they considered the show just makes Eva redundant at this point.

M-Net could pick the show up now that The Kelly Clarkson Show moved to VUZU and the controversial talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show is on production break.

Since the pandemic which has been jeopardizing the release of new content especially movies. What if The Ellen DeGeneres Show ends at some point leaving The Kelly Clarkson Show to takeover on VUZU. This could be their chance to acquire the show like they originally intended.

Even though, M-Net can only be seen on the Premium package there's chances that either VUZU or one of the Mzansi channels would have supplied reruns to Bold and perhaps even takeover the show.

Even if DStv were to do away with Eva there is a chance that AMC International will look into continuing the brand through another platform like Starsat and StarTimes for starters regardless the fate of this channel looks vague I could be wrong but you never know as 2021 is shaping up to be an interesting year for TV.

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The Next Channel Which Might Get Booted On DStv Is EVA

EVA owned by AMC International, is the home of the very best contemporary telenovelas from Latin America and around the world, starring the "newest" and most brilliant actresses and actors form Latin America tv. A potent mix of love, jealousy and betrayal. The channel launched 5 years ago on DStv channel 141 with shows from Azteca TV, Venevision and Caracol Television.

In 2017, MultiChoice Africa (not South Africa) decided to add a second EVA channel (EVA+) for those without EVA kind of like what ViacomCBS had with the two BET channels on DStv. At the time that plus channel had 90% repeats.

AMC International is seemingly neglecting the EVA channels for starters the main channel mostly has double bill of Bold for fresh entertainment other than that it's repeats while EVA+ is a just a catch-up channel. If EVA is still breathing it's more likely for Bold and the Beautiful.

MultiChoice had plenty of channels in EVA's position like Sony Channel and Sony MAX that channel was still relevant for The Amazing Race then there was AMC for Fear The Walking Dead with its successor (Sundance TV) adding some documentaries.

If a company wants to guarantee themselves longevity they should be milking off on a variety of products instead of one e.g. E! with The Kardashians, Zee TV with KumKum Bhagya and CNN with Trump.

Discovery is pulling through despite the changes they had over the years. They manage about 9 channels in South Africa and only 3 are used for repeats. Then there's Nicktoons which was a reruns channel for past animation on Nickelodeon until ViacomCBS decided to give it some exclusive programming it may offer more than the main channel thanks to acquisitions and a block but Nickelodeon is still dominating.

In short if you're going have a +1 channel make sure you have enough programs in your vault like at least 5 years worth of programming and EVA was around since 2015 and only got a second channel after two years. If you're going to expand after a shorter period you must have achieved a lot within that period what did EVA achieve after two years in general.

MultiChoice is adding 2 telenovela channels and 1 Korean channel what are the chances people pay attention to EVA once it's available. The likelihood is that they'll lure viewers away from EVA and a portion from Telemundo. Even FOX Life is hanging around these three channels the likelihood is EVA and FOX Life get canned from the platform with these three new channels keeping viewers occupied.

Two New Telenovelas Debut On Eva In March 2020

VALIENTE AMOR (Brave Love)
● DStv 141
● Starts on Monday 16th March at 14:00 and 20:00. Continues on weekdays. ● Omnibus edition on Saturdays from 11:00 and Sundays from 18:00.
Valentina is a sweet young woman from Cusco in Peru, who experienced the most tragic events early in life: her father abandoned the family before she was born and she witnessed the death of her mother and grandfather in an accident when she was 6. But when love knocks on her door, all her sorrows seem to fade… She meets Alejandro, a handsome student from Lima.

Sadly, this young couple will have to pay for the mistakes of their parents: Gerardo, Alejandro’s father, never told his son he had an affair with a woman from Cusco, and Rita, Valentina’s mother, never revealed the truth about her father. The love between Valentina and Alejandro makes them very happy, but it will bring many problems. Are Alejandro and Valentina brave enough to fight for their love, despite it being against everything?

LA CHUCARA (Rebel in Love)
● Starts on Tuesday 17th March at 15:00 and 21:00. ● Omnibus edition on Sundays from 13:00.
● DStv 141
After years of not visiting home, Laura Muñoz, a beautiful young woman, passes through Fundo Santa Piedad – a farming area - where her mother Carmen and brother Leon work. She meets harsh Vicente Correa, owner of the estate and a recent widower. His wife Piedad Montero del Solar drowned in a river after being drugged by her mother, Adriana del Solar. She is responsible for Vicente’s depressive state after the loss of his beloved wife.

Over time, Laura and Vicente begin a very unstable relationship of love and heartbreak, a union opposed by many people. Laura will have to fight for the love of her life and to survive the poisonous environment created by Gracia, Piedad's twin sister, and her mother. They will do everything to make Laura disappear from Fundo and from Vicente's life.

CONTINUING NEW SERIES
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
Season 31
● Continues on weekdays at 17:30 and 23:30.
● DStv 141
● Omnibus edition on Saturdays from 16:00 and Sundays from 23:00.

For three decades the series has explored the entangled lives, passionate loves, high-stakes battles, loyalties, tragedies and the inspiring triumphs of the Forrester, Logan, Spectra and Spencer families. With romance, sensuality, complex characters and intricate and compelling storylines, The Bold and the Beautiful is, at its core, a gripping tale of high fashion glamour, honor and most importantly, family.

LA COLOMBIANA (The Colombian Woman)
● DStv 141
● Continues on weekdays at 15:00 and 21:00, until 16th March.
Ángela is a young Colombian doctor who moves to Chile with her son, escaping from a bad relationship. She can’t practice medicine in Chile, as she doesn’t have a required license. In the neighborhood where she lives, she is discriminated against by her grumpy neighbor Pedro, who does not like foreigners. He is separated from his wife Trini, a xenophobic and unscrupulous woman, with whom he has two daughters. When she tells him that she will remarry, Pedro realises that he still loves her and is trying to win her back. The new Colombian neighbor is ready to help him, but an unexpected thing happens: can she find happiness with grumpy Pedro?