Why Some Consumers Haven't Lost Hope On SABC And MultiChoice Just Yet?

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Through my years of online journalism, you do tend to come across criticism some of these are just troll comments while others come from a good place. This is something that SABC and MultiChoice has been battling with since their inception to the South African market.

As some may have already heard on several occasions, SABC is in financial turmoil relying on bailouts and sponsors to keep them afloat. With their money crisis, it has led to implement several cuts across SABC 1-3 with the government looking to change its funding model which could as well take several years to get into action.

For sometime, SABC has been trying to make an extra buck through MultiChoice by making them collect TV licenses or a household levy. This is because they offer the most watched channels in South Africa (including DStv) and MultiChoice opposes the deal as the broadcaster makes R500 million in advertising with just 4 channels.

MultiChoice is already going through a similar hurdle with its consumer base on DStv and are hoping to get a fresh start with Showmax and the Canal+ deal. Following its split from Vivendi, Canal+ and MultiChoice are hoping to complete this transaction in the beginning of a new financial year April 2025 to help them take on Netflix.

Although Netflix has over 200 million subscribers globally, MultiChoice has 19 million subscribers through DStv and Netflix doesn't have much consumers in Africa which reports estimating these consumers reside in 2 million households by 2023. 

With Canal+ having 8 million subscribers in Francophone Africa with MultiChoice's existing figures it ensures that they are ahead of the competition in Africa.

While some consumers may feel SABC and MultiChoice's services should be rendered redundant these are companies that are helping shape up the local industry and come with history. The unemployment rate is edging close to 50% with 80% of these individuals being youth and their demise will only worsen the problem.

SABC News, eNCA and Newzroom Afrika will be nothing without the funds coming from MultiChoice and although Netflix has been investing locally they're not expected to bulk up to such capacity. In the end, Netflix was only able to garner relevance for its content produced in other countries even with Africa on the map not much would change.

How The MultiChoice Acquisition Might Worsen Things For DStv?

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DStv serves as the largest entertainment entertainment platform in Africa by MultiChoice despite seeing a loss in consumers in recent years with its parent company undergoing a takeover by Canal+. It offers a variety of local and international content from Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and BBC alongside the best in sports.

As reported in 2024, Canal+ is in the process of completing it's acquisition of MultiChoice with South African regulators. Should this deal move ahead, it would give the French broadcaster access to almost 50 million households with close to 30 million residing in Africa which would help them take on giants like Netflix.

Prior to the MultiChoice takeover, Canal+ already offered services in Europe through SPI International, Viaplay, Platforma Canal+ and the M7 Group with V+, VIU and Canal+ Myanmar residing in Asia. With Canal+ facing constraints in France viewed these markets as potential outlets for growth. 

Similar to MultiChoice, most of these properties listed served as start ups for Canal+ before being placed under French control. That was because Canal+ didn't have the expertise or necessary resources to compete in these markets so the other way would be through corporate buyouts or partnerships.

In Francophone Africa, a market in which Canal+ remains the dominant player very similar to DStv has very little to be desired. When it comes to France and Europe, Canal+ has plenty to compare with DStv but in Africa that is all on MultiChoice if Canal+ is dominant in one area it would be local content.

A tie-up with MultiChoice would make Canal+ a  dominant player and give them the scale as seen in France and parts of Europe. Canal+ has licensed numerous channels from DStv such as M-Net Movies, Africa Magic Epic and Zee World for these consumers in french markets and this transaction could lead to more content sharing.

As for DStv, there could be cuts when Disney+ was I  pre-development stages Disney didn't have much content for adults and the FOX acquisition gave them that. But things didn't improve for FOX as the Disney takeover led to numerous FOX channels across the world and studios to close.

On the DStv side, some outlets had stressed about that 20% cap put on foreigners even if Canal+ acquired MultiChoice it's voting rights in SA are minimal. Majority of MultiChoice's services come from South Africa and some fear that part of these services could as well be reduced if not closed even with a third party managing it's licenses.

If you look at Canada, a majority of MultiChoice's content providers are handled by local businesses Corus Entertainment manages Paramount Global with Bell Media handling Comcast. Channels that have still been exempted from this lineup in the region include MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Nicktoons, DreamWorks Channel and E!.

Corus through the Disney Channel has been importing Canadian shows while the global part is still Disney. This could be the case for DStv, where Canal+ the employee or as the stake in South Africa handles various licensing agreements while it's partner handles the financial aspect and whoever handles the finances has more power.

 

This is what happened when StarTimes acquired a 20% stake in TopTV (now StarSat) even though On Digital Media held the 80%, StarTimes decided who they should do business with. On Digital Media in this regard would turn down some businesses that wound up being licensed to other parts of Africa.

Another hurdle awaiting DStv with this takeover is consolidation, when Discovery acquired Warner it was very similar to Disney they were only cuts nothing new or beneficial came out of this deal. Even with their Max streaming service, what they did was use it as a promotional window for Discovery+.

This is where DStv could be heading, Canal+ curated local content in Francophone Africa and with this takeover they'll probably try to give that more exposure. MultiChoice had already done that with Africa Magic and SABC News so it only seems fair if the French implement similar mechanisms.

Who knows maybe this takeover will see M-Net curate and license more content from StudioCanal as this was outlined in the company's prospectus. 

The Eclipse Of Traditional TV: eMedia And MultiChoice Navigate The Streaming Tide

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With Comcast looking to offload its cable networks we turn our sites to both MultiChoice and eMedia Investments whose 2024 was somewhat dismal or dramatic at least for one of the two. MultiChoice ousted 11 channels while undergoing a takeover by Canal+ which is awaiting approval from South African regulators.

eMedia Investments has rounded another year with no additions despite promises to add a few more channels as Ultraview's future is being questioned after OUTtv and FUSE reverted to eVOD.

Let's face it, consumers don't prioritise TV as much in recent years as Netflix has become the hangout spot for shows like Squid Games and Wednesday. MultiChoice has been focused on everything from streaming, insurance and cybersecurity but saving the once dominant DStv platform.

Even the financially challenged SABC's top rated soaps are grasping through straws as their viewership continues to plummet. Uzalo that serves as the dominant player amongst the foe stood at 4.8 million in October 2024 which is a 21% drop from 6.1 million in October 2023.

This is the reason MultiChoice has been selective when it comes to sourcing content take for instance Zee Zonke. The only reason this channel was able to stay afloat is due to Zee TV's existing footprint in the market same goes for SuperSport Schools that established it's presence on YouTube as School Sports Live.

If anything things haven't been greener for eMedia's Ultraview offering as part of its offering had been merged with eVOD, consumers are curious on what's next for the brand. Since it's rollout, it was met with heavy criticism for its pricing and content offering while being compared to DStv so a majority are expecting for it to be dismantled.

When it was introduced, Eskom was going full force with power cuts although that withered DStv hasn't recovered and as for Ultraview it never had a fighting chance. Remember eMedia Investments hadn't disclosed consumer numbers for Ultraview but it's assumed to have under 500 subscribers.

In general, adding new channels has been more riskier in recent years MultiChoice had done that with One Freestate Televisual and NWTV which lasted for about 3 months. Even if the plan were to restructure, SABC has done that numerous times with SABC 3 and it still hasn't saved its fallen viewership.

Could Nicktoons Expand To DStv Access Consumers In South Africa If It Lives Through Another Year?

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During the week, MultiChoice added the last remaining premium kids channels Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. from Paramount Global to DStv Compact consumers in South Africa. This means even less consumers would depend on the scraps from Nicktoons as they get further access to later seasons of SpongeBob Squarepants and DORA.

This would also give them further access to live-action series such as Henry Danger, Tyler Perry's Young Dylan, The Really Loud House and The Thundermans.

Nicktoons in recent years has moved away from being a mirrored version to Nickelodeon's late 90s to early 00s to now serving as a promotional window to most of their fresher shows. For the past 10 years, Family and Compact consumers had been reliant on the channel to get most of these titles from Nickelodeon.

Now that Nickelodeon is no longer a premium channel this only means that while it and Nick Jr. would garner more exposure less attention is going to be poured onto Nicktoons. MultiChoice Africa already distributes Nickelodeon alongside rivalled platforms which sort of widens the reach of the channel.

Nicktoons doesn't have exposure within Africa as MultiChoice distributes it under the Compact bouquet which to some extent can be considered premium. Even with Nick In Your Language, my point still stands who would want to watch weekly episodes of Transformers: Earthspark on Nicktoons if you can get it for more hours on Nickelodeon.

In South Africa, there is a bit of hope for Nicktoons if MultiChoice moved it to DStv Access as Play Room offers a rivalled offering to Nick In Your Language. Then there's CBeebies which very similar to Nicktoons has also been dubbing some of their preschool in local languages.

Skydance Media is currently in the process of acquiring Paramount Global by the first half of 2025 which is awaiting regulatory approval. According to Bloomberg, the plan is to merge MTV Studios with CBS Studios while reducing linear spend which could lead to the closure or merger of various TV channels.

What Happened To Former Barbie's Former Rival Bratz?

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With the resurgence of Barbie dolls through Greta Gerwig's Barbie, the natural next pick would be a look into the world of the Bratz doll. After all, in many ways, Barbie and Bratz became opposing rivals in the toy world for years.

Girls on the playground would often debate the merits of their favorite dolls. Sometimes, though, they would mix the two together and use their imagination to bridge the gap. With a recent look into Barbie, it begs the question: What happened to Bratz?

What happened to Bratz dolls?

Bratz dolls were released long after Barbie, debuting in 2001. But, they were created by a former employee of Mattel, the company that owns Barbie, so the competition between the two was immediate. Over the years, they've faced public backlash and ridicule.

Bratz dolls are still somewhat available, although they've been discontinued a few times. Not shockingly, Mattel slammed them with a lawsuit due to some similarities and copyright issues. After Bratz's parent company, MGA Entertainment, won the case, they lifted a pause that had been put on the brand.

They even launched a 10 year anniversary line with some modifications. In 2014, the line of the time wasn't available in North America and, when the company came back in 2015, they only lasted for a year before being discontinued again.

Why do people hate Bratz dolls?

The issues in regards to Bratz dolls vary depending on the person. Staunch Barbie lovers weren't happy with the seemingly copy cat creation, but their anger was put to rest when the litigation settled.

A major issue that the Bratz dolls faced was red flags about unrealistic beauty standards. Bratz dolls were very glam in nature, often wearing full faces of makeup. Plus, many argued that the body proportions and facial features were pushing a certain type of standard on young girls.

In fact, the last line of Bratz dolls' main criticisms was that the dolls were marketed towards young girls rather than tween and teen markets which were believed to be better suited to the more 'sexy' look. The adult-like portrayal left parents uncertain about handing over the toy to their kids.

Of course, the body standard argument didn't only apply to Bratz dolls as Barbie has often received the same sort of feedback. However, Barbie supporters often argue that her design is typically more reserved in fashion and that her storyline includes aspirational jobs meant to inspire young women.

Issues with Bratz dolls stemmed beyond just the design. The manufacturer was slammed with allegations of paying its factory workers a very low rate, around $0.515 an hour, according to a report from China Labor Watch.

MGA denied the allegations. After that, the company became ensnared in a variety of legal issues. Lady Gaga even took the company to court at one point, alleging that the company purposefully delayed the release of a doll that was supposed to look like her.

Over all, Bratz dolls certainly had their moment in early 2000s culture, but they haven't stood the test of time as well as brands like Barbie. They're still an option for kids today, but not as widespread.

This was originally published by Distractify

The Story Of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)

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Kentucky Fried Chicken, the national fried chicken chain known as KFC, is synonymous with Colonel Sanders, its mascot that appears in the logo and advertisements. In fact, Colonel Sanders is more than a mascot because he's actually based on the fast food chain's founder, Harland Sanders, who started the company and later opened the first KFC franchise restaurant near Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1952.

So, it might come as a surprise that Sanders had a falling out with the chain after he sold its 600-plus locations to former Kentucky governor John Y. Brown Jr. and another investor in 1964 for $2 million and an annual salary of $40,000. He seemingly had a good relationship with the company for a while because he continued to appear in ads and visit KFC locations as the chain grew in the U.S. and Canada. Despite that relationship, Sanders was unhappy with changes in the recipes and opened a new restaurant called Claudia Sanders, The Colonel's Lady Dinner House with his wife Claudia Sanders in 1968.

In 1971, KFC was absorbed by Heublein, and the company wasn't happy about the Colonel using his image with his new restaurant venture. Heublein took Sanders to court, but he ended up countersuing the conglomerate for more than $122 million in 1974. The lawsuit claimed that Heublein prevented Sanders from franchising his new restaurant and that it was unlawfully using his image for products he didn't develop. The lawsuit was eventually settled for $1 million and the couple was allowed to keep their eatery. 

KFC and Colonel Sanders' troubled history

However, that wasn't the only lawsuit between the two parties. During many of his appearances at KFC restaurants, Colonel Harland Sanders made it clear that he wasn't happy with how the chain had changed up its recipes for gravy and fried chicken. According to The New York Times, he allegedly referred to the gravy as "sludge." He even went on record in an interview with The Courier-Journal newspaper (via The Day) describing the chain's chicken breading as "a damn fried dough ball stuck on some chicken" among other insults. He further criticized how KFC made its gravy, referring to it as "wallpaper paste." 

The remarks led the company to sue Sanders in 1975 for libel and defamation. However, the lawsuit was unsuccessful because a judge ruled that his criticism came via newspapers and could not be regarded as direct libel. By then, Sanders and his wife had opened their own eatery under a new name called Claudia Sanders Dinner House, in Shelbyville, Kentucky.

The pair eventually sold the restaurant, though it still operates in its new location where you can enjoy dishes like fried chicken, catfish, and fried green tomatoes. Sanders died in 1980, but if you want to take a bite of his historic fried chicken made with KFC's secret blend of 11 herbs and spices still used today, there are over 25,000 KFC restaurants operating in more than 145 countries as of 2023.

The Origin Story Of DreamWorks' Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron

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An inspiring story of survival, strength, friendship, and freedom, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is an all-time favorite movie for horse lovers of all ages. It follows a wild mustang as he fights for his freedom and that of his herd. The artistry, story line, and killer soundtrack work together to make a horse movie worth watching over and over.

It’s been 18 years since the original animated movie made its debut. You might have every line memorized, but did you know there is a real-life Spirit that inspired the fictional character?

Unlike other animated movies, Spirit is based on reality as much as possible. The horses don’t talk, and generalized events including the expansion of the railroad are based on fact, not fiction. Producers thought it was important to deliver a film that inspired viewers while melding the worlds of animation and real life. Achieving that goal would take more than clever animation. They needed artistry that could tell a story without dialogue and evoke emotions with each movement.

To do that, artists needed a model. They needed a real-life horse that would serve as inspiration and example. After a search, they found a Kiger mustang with beautiful conformation, coloring, and strength. His name was Donner, but these days, that real-life mustang goes by a different name: Spirit.

DreamWorks selected the now-named Spirit when he was a colt. Born to a stallion and mare that had been captured by the BLM in Oregon, Spirit was (and still is) a beautiful example of the Kiger mustang breed. His wide-set eyes and thick, wavy, multi-colored tail and mane became the inspiration for the animated horse that is still stealing hearts all these years later.

Before the 2002 movie made it to the big screen, animators spent countless hours observing Spirit. They watched how his muscles moved when he ran and how his face changed with his mood. With Spirit’s help, animators created an accurate equine character that looks and moves just like their live model.

When the movie was finished, DreamWorks chose Return to Freedom’s American Wild Horse Sanctuary to be Spirit’s permanent home. It’s been almost two decades since Spirit posed for animators, but the beautiful mustang we all love still serves as an advocate for Kiger mustangs and all of America’s wild horses. In fact, he recently celebrated his 25th birthday!

Like his animated character, the real-life Spirit is part of the fight to help wild horses maintain their natural habitats and freedom. While he lives at the sanctuary and loves interacting with people, Spirit is a prominent ambassador for wild horses. He engages youth around the world to learn more about America’s mustangs and every horse’s need for freedom and protection.

He lives on Return to Freedom’s headquarter facility in Santa Barbara County on 300 acres of pristine California pasture. From a young age he learned to be comfortable around people, but those who know him best say he has spunk and spirit similar to that of his fictional character. He’s grown to be an important part of the wild horse sanctuary, and he’s helping educate the public about his breed and ways humans can protect all of America’s wild horses.

With Spirit’s claim to fame, he attracts crowds of fans to his sanctuary home. During these visits, the real-life Spirit helps the sanctuary spread an important message about what’s currently happening to the country’s wild horses and what the public can do to help.

Spirit’s work in inspiring others has been recognized not only by the countless people he has met, but also by the EQUUS Foundation and the United States Equestrian Foundation. The organizations inducted Spirit into the Horse Stars Hall of Fame in 2018, and he continues to influence the sanctuary’s mission even decades after Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was released.

Now 25 years old, the real-life Spirit is busy enjoying life at the sanctuary. He spends his days interacting with a few of his equine friends and enjoying attention and care from his favorite humans. He was born in captivity, but the spirit of independence and the wild west lives in his veins. And thanks to Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, his image will continue to show others that freedom is always worth fighting for.

Michael Jackson's Relationship With Sonic The Hedgehog Explained

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Yuji Naka has put an end to more than 25 years of mystery. The creator of Sonic has been scandalized on his social media before the latest compilation game of the character, the remarkable Sonic Origins, because it changes the soundtrack of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. And why has this detail bothered him so much? Because, as Naka himself admits, the original soundtrack was composed by Michael Jackson!

Michael Jackson in video games

Since the game was released back in 1994, rumors about the link between Michael Jackson and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 have been continuous. The singer was always an avowed fan of video games, appearing for the first time in three different versions of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker released for DOS, arcades and Master System. In these three games, based on the movie of the same name, Moonwalker, the King of Pop signed on as designer and composer. The title was a nice beat'em up with horizontal scroll in which we tried to rescue, through music and dance, several kids kidnapped by the clutches of the fearsome Mr. Big.

But they were not Michael's only cameo in the industry. If in Moonwalker we moved to the rhythm of Beat It and Smooth Criminal, in other games like Space Channel 5 and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 we also did the same thanks to Jackson's different cameos. But not content with his crossovers in his own works and collaborations, the artist also wanted to collaborate with the most popular character of the time: Sonic.

The romance between Sonic and Michael Jackson

An absolute fan of the blue hedgehog, there are many photos of Michael Jackson visiting the Sega offices in Japan. Images in which he appears accompanied by illustrious figures such as Mark Cerny, or playing the great classics of the time, such as Power Drift and Galaxy Force 2.

Considering their interest and that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 featured vintage composers like Bobby Brooks, Brad Buxer, Cirocco Jones, Darryl Ross, Doug Grigsby or Geoff Grace, how on earth did Sega want us to think that Michael Jackson wasn't also approached about the opportunity? The company denied it over and over again, he wasn't even in the credits, but more than a few users found reasonable resemblances between songs like Jam and game tunes like Carnival Night, or Stranger in Moscow and the game's credits.

Michael Jackson didn't like the result of Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Brad Buxer himself confirmed in a controversial interview that yes, indeed, if we noticed the imprint of the King of Pop it was because he had participated in it. "We did compose the music. Michael called me at the time for give him a helping hand on this project, and that's what I did. I've never played and I do not know what the developers have kept the tracks on which Michael and I have worked, but we did compose the music."

Many fans were reluctant to believe him because, then, what was the reason for excluding him from the credits? Why were the game producers denying his collaboration? According to the wonderful article Michael Jackson: The Video Game Conspiracy, it seems that the singer ended up dissatisfied with his work and removed his name from the credits of the game. Jackson didn't like the fact that they had to compress the music to make room for the graphics, as the mix didn't sound the way he wanted it to and he had to cut several tracks where the singer even beatboxed. The report claims that Sega got mad at him for that and started stating from then on that they had scrapped the whole thing.

Yuji Naka's statements close the story. They confirm what the report and Buxter's words told. Both hints seemed solid, but Sega stuck to its guns when they came out and never officially acknowledged the collaboration. The company claimed that both were not proof of anything, but how could they discredit the head of Sonic Team himself? So much for the unknown: the most famous musician in history and the most famous video game mascot of the 90s were best friends.

The story was originally published at Meristation

The Controversial Life Of American Actor Mark Salling

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Mark Salling was an American actor and musician who is best known for appearing on hit TV series Glee. The star died at the age of 35, weeks before he was due to be jailed after pleading guilty to two child pornography charges.

Who is Mark Salling?

Mark Salling was born in Dallas, Texas, on August 17, 1982, and was raised in a "strict Christian home".

He graduated from high school in 2001, before attending the Los Angeles Academy College of Music, where he gave guitar lessons to make a living.

After roles in films Children Of The Corn IV and The Graveyard, Salling was cast in the TV show Glee in 2008, playing American football star Noah "Puck" Puckerman.

During his six seasons on the show, his performances led to Salling being nominated for a Teen Choice Award for male Breakout Star.

What were the child porn charges faced by Mark Salling?

On October 4, 2017, Salling pleaded guilty to two counts of child pornography.

Police found 50,000 "sexually charged" images on the 35-year-old's computer, including pictures containing a pre-pubescent child.

While he was initially facing 20 years jail time, TMZ reported that prosecutors were looking for a sentence of between four and seven years with 20 years of supervised release.

Salling agreed to compensate the children in the photos to the tune of $50,000 each.

He was also required to enter a sex offender treatment programme as part of his plea deal.

The actor was initially caught after police were reportedly tipped off by one of the star's ex-girlfriends and he was arrested on December 29, 2015, but later released on $20,000 bail.

He was charged with receiving and possessing child pornography on May 27, 2016.

The case was referred to federal authorities after investigators realised the scope of the collection.

Lieutenant Andrea Grossman, commander of the LAPD Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, said: "It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, if you hurt a child you will be held accountable."

She added: "These images are more than photographs, they are child abuse."

What was Mark Salling's cause of death?

On January 30, 2018, TMZ reported that Salling had taken his own life, just weeks before he was due to be jailed over child pornography charges.

His lawyer confirmed the death of the actor, who was found dead in a field close to where he lived and near a baseball field after a "welfare check" 911 call at 8.50am.

TMZ reported that a family member reported Salling missing at 3am on Tuesday, January 30.

According to the website, he was found hanged, with a coroner confirming in February 2018 his death was due to "asphyxia by hanging, suicide".

In a statement given to The Blast his family said: "Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistake and errors of judgement.

"He is survived by his mother and father, and brother. The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected."

TMZ also reported that the actor had cut both his wrists in a suicide attempt weeks before his guilty plea.

He reportedly "freaked out" and called for his roommate, who contacted the emergency services.

Salling was rushed to hospital and taken to a rehab facility a few days later.

What did Mark Salling's ex girlfriend say about his death?

Actress Georgie Leahy was with Mark right up until his arrest for child-pornography.

She said she was having a manicure when the news broke.

"I collapsed in the nail salon," Leahy told The NY Post.

"What happened with Mark evoked so many complex feelings," she said.

"I didn't feel like I had permission to hurt because of everything he was accused of."

This was originally published by The Sun

How DStv Easyview Tries To Compete With Openview When It Comes To Sports?

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Despite MultiChoice attempts to lure consumers to their most cheapest package this has proven to challenging as Openview has over 20 channels which incorporate telenovelas, movies, reality shows and drama series. Easyview is still reliant on provincial and news brands despite the inclusion of TNT and Real Time.

One of the main factors that drive people away from Easyview would be sports as eMedia Investments distribute SABC Sport on Openview and all Easyview has got is Blitz their news channel. One could as well establish that Blitz is superior for its news coverage for which SABC Sport lacks but from a consumers perspective live sports is a necessity.

Openview draws over 3 million households of course when it comes to viewership particularly sports it is estimated to reach 50000-100000 viewers and although MultiChoice hasn't mentioned Easyview consumer numbers their lower mass market which include Access and Family amount to 4 million.

When it comes to sports, MultiChoice injects a lot of funding there which is the main factor to the inflation rates on the Premium to Access packages. If or when MultiChoice decides to offer sports on the Easyview package full-time they'd be various challenges awaiting them one would be keeping the rates intact.

DStv Easyview was R39 per month before it dropped to R29 as MultiChoice was struggling to retain consumers and part of the blame went to Openview. As mentioned, despite the package seeing an increase in content is under threat and although being the most affordable it isn't the most attractive of packages.

One way Easyview is able to give a channel like SABC Sport a run for their money would be provincial stations. Despite being the reliant on when it comes to premium entertainment has seen a number of events under their wing including DStv Diski Challenge, World Wrestling Professionals RPT and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

During certain sporting events, SuperSport either launches a dedicated TV channel or temporarily opens up an existing channel to their consumers.

Heck even the movie channel TNT had opted to offer sports with the inclusion of wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling. If anything, I think the only other way MultiChoice can help Easyview compete even further with SABC Sport is by licensing some of its content from SuperSport to Magic Showcase. 

Magic Showcase broadcasts 16-18 hours a day and one way they could help extend those hours would be the inclusion of sporting event like Betway Premiership and compliment this with Jambo WWE. The content would broadcast on Magic Showcase weekly and could as well help them minimize costs.

Why Impact Wrestling (Now TNA Impact!) Failed On Openview?

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After losing rights to WWE a few years ago, eMedia Investments opted to rather put their focus in their remaining lineup which ranged from international movies and series to local content. By 2021, they made a strategic move by supplementing this with Impact Wrestling (now TNA) after SuperSport opted to discontinue carriage of the wrestling promotion from their platforms.

The news of TNA's inclusion on e.tv wasn't met with the best responses from wrestling and sporting fans with some making comparisons to rival WWE. This showed as TNA failed to chart in e.tv's top 20 watched shows likely due to the poor scheduling choices another being competition from both SABC 1 and SuperSport weirdly enough only of the two offered wrestling on the same day as TNA.

If there's another thing, eMedia Investments handled poorly when it comes to TNA was how they'd distribute this content while WWE's flagship shows and PPVs were all allocated on e.tv with eExtra serving as a catch-up platform. With TNA, most of its catalogue was burnt off to Openview while the flagship show was in an on/off relationship on e.tv before moving to Openview exclusively.

If anyone had to guess it's possible that TNA's viewership was rather low on e.tv and they were changing its timeslot consistently in the hopes to attract more viewers but that proved to be challenging. When they decided 4pm would be its permanent timeslot it's likely the viewership continued to plummet that it led to them burning what little was left.

StarTimes eventually snatched those rights from eMedia Investments for their consumers in the African market (including South Africa) which would give TNA's extensive lineup of content more exposure compared to when it was on Openview. 

Now the problems pertaining to TNA have nothing to do with the wrestling promotion as it is one of those top 10 wrestling promotions in the world but rather eMedia Investments. WWE had been gone for so long and viewers who couldn't afford to get DStv were forced to move on and TNA was viewed as the enemy to e.tv's extensive history with WWE.

Viewers weren't accustomed to change and ignoring it was the only way they knew this problem would fade away and eMedia Investments wasn't sports oriented like the SABC so you could say that also played a factor. Again these consumers weren't accustomed to alternative methods this is what happened when Bleach was switched for Yu-Gi-Oh on SABC 2.

Before Naruto and Bleach, SABC once held to Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh but this part of their lineup was discarded for a decade with one being picked up by e.tv so when this format was revived it received very little notice from fans. Dragon Ball was able to rank in the top 10 watched shows on SABC 2 yet Yu-Gi-Oh an old placement long forgotten by fans couldn't even chart in the top 20.

Why Did Zee World Opt To Separate Its Operations Within Africa?

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Zee World is a Indian based entertainment channel operated by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that distributes various films and series in English. The channel imports all its content from Zee TV and following its successful launch in Africa by 2015 have contributed to the creations of Zee Alem (Ethiopia), Zee Zonke (Southern Africa), Zee Bollymovies and Zee One.

As some readers have already seen, Zee World has decided to separate it's operations in parts of Africa with the rollout of Zee World SA and Zee World Africa. This is nothing like TLC varied feeds but more like that of Zee One where Zee Entertainment Enterprises gives both feeds a chance to offer first run content which has even led to a bit of rivalry amongst the feeds.

For instance, Zee World SA follows fellow competitor Star Life and began rolling out their series in half hour timeslots while Zee World Africa was still open to offering these shows in a longer format. Even more baffling was that Zee World Africa had a movie block while Zee World SA didn't so the only way consumers in SA can watch movies is through DStv Indian.

But one question that's been striking everyone's mind was the reason behind the sudden division amongst Africa. There are times where certain scenes would be deemed inappropriate for consumers with certain cultures and norms, it was the contributing factor to the inclusion of Nickelodeon SA and Nickelodeon Africa.

Those viewing Zee World including myself haven't seen anything that would be deemed insensitive to certain viewers as Zee World is culturally diverse and educational in some capacity so if I had to guess where the division originated it may have to do with Dance Naija Dance.

In recent years, Zee World has been investing locally with the inclusion of Zee Zonke and Zee Alem both of which have been culturally diverse in their own rights. Zee World has even been a distributor of various short films from MultiChoice's Talent Factory which could as well have been folded under Mzansi Magic and Africa Magic.

In terms of the division, they probably took a page of MultiChoice's playbook as they had been known to restrict certain content from consumers in certain parts of Africa. This is due to content from Africa Magic getting more exposure from their respective markets as consumers are familiar with the offering as opposed to acquiring it for South Africa where it may not garner traction.

Why Was TLC Moved From Channel 135 To Channel 125 On DStv?

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Last month, it was reported MultiChoice had silently moved TLC from channel 135 to 125 or rather acquired the feed for viewers in the West and Eastern parts of Africa and expanded it to Southern Africa. Similar to the likes of M-Net and Nickelodeon, these endeavours had led these brands to become independent in South Africa.

These days MultiChoice tends to identify these international operations with the tag "Africa". Likely due to the fact that corporate tends to list their foreign business as MultiChoice Africa so this is likely where Paramount Global, M-Net and Warner Bros. Discovery got the names for Nickelodeon Africa, M-Net Africa and TLC Africa.

What's more odd is the variation of graphic designs between Nickelodeon Africa and Nickelodeon South Africa.

As reported sometime ago, MultiChoice and Warner Bros. Discovery gave very little publicity about the switch within Southern Africa causing confusion amongst viewers. Some were wondering why TLC channel 135 had been blocked (and if MultiChoice was looking to close yet another channel) while others why the content on channel 125 is lagging behind.

Through an enquiry with Warner Bros. Discovery this was their response:

As part of MultiChoice’s ongoing efforts to enhance their customers’ television viewing experience and delight them with content that resonates with them, MultiChoice refreshed its TLC channel for DStv on 15 August 2024 from channel 135 to channel 125.

TLC strives to create diverse and inclusive programming that resonates with a wide audience. However, we also respect the cultural and legal norms of each country where our shows are broadcast. Unfortunately, there are instances where certain themes may be restricted due to local regulations and therefore influence the programming in your country. The channel lineup will be adjusted to align with regional preferences. Some shows may be exclusive to a particular region. We apologise for any inconvenience and hope viewers continue to enjoy our other content.

Maxwell Atoms On When Cartoon Network Originally Died: "We Also Had To Cut Ourselves...Which Is When CN Died"

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Cartoon Network is an international children's channel operated by Warner Bros. Discovery alongside TNT and Cartoonito. It is home to shows like Adventure Time, Tiny Toons Looniversity, Craig Of The Creek and Dexter's Laboratory.

As some readers know, one of the channel's remaining primetime shows Jellystone will be having a crossover special. Similar to Teen Titans GO! WB100 special, it would feature a variety of animated characters that had already been viewed on Cartoon Network. 

A fan had asked Maxwell Atoms (creator of The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy) if all animated characters would appear on the show and his response was mentioned below in bold:

We put as much as we could. More than a recommended doctor. But we only used shows made at CN Studios (not Teen Titans GO!). I believe Mixels was an acquisition. We also had to cut ourselves around 2008, which is when CN originally died.

Taking to account that shows like Steven Universe, Adventure Time and Chowder were all conceived after that timeline of Cartoon Network. Atoms views on the network had somewhat got a lot of mixed reactions from former and current viewers.

Even after 2008, Cartoon Network continued having a lot of great shows from what we can gather with Atoms views. That timeline coincides with when he and Genndy Tartakovsky had exited the network as there was a lot of corporate changes behind the scenes.

But even then like I said Cartoon Network was still a go to channel for children and animation lovers alike. If we had to guess when Atoms views materialized on the network it was no less than the 2010s era with the latest residing by 2015/6.

At this time, Cartoon Network was building a wall between shows like Ben 10: Omniverse and Steven Universe as these were their more action-ie shows. With the current slate being dominant around comedic styles with Teen Titans GO! and Uncle Grandpa. 

Following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Cartoon Network has never recovered from the after effects. At the moment, there's only 4 originals with 1 imported from Europe, 2 produced by Warner Bros. Animation and the last being an actual original.

It is believed that this merger had since scared potential animators from associating themselves with the network as they try to navigate the current landscape. 

Additional Afrikaans Voice Actors For Annekan Die Swa Kry, Doodsondes, Chrysalis, Die Put And Elif

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Ayden Cory as Tolga

Pierre Nelson as Ahmet

Amalia Uys as Sevval

Jacques Theron as Burak

Nell Van Der Merwe as Suzan

Wanda Banda as Yasmin

Joce Engelbrecht as Gönül

Marina Botha as Ayla

Tanja Franzsen as Nebahat

Kira Joy Huizies as Layla

Meggan Lee Johnstone as Afra Yildiz

Caleb Felix as Omer

Susanne Beyers as Handan

Hendri Mouton as Sedai

Richard Van Der Westhuizen as Çetin

Juandre Kim Anderson as Kumru Yildirim

Morne Esben as Çağatay

Willie Fritz as Docan

Electra Hartman as Feyza Üstündag

Conradie Van Heerden as Omer

Meggan-Johnston as Canan

Cedwyn Joel as Cavt

Pierre Nelson as Alp

Joce Engelbrecht as Seren

Mario Haupt as Arik

Margo Kotze as Layla

Miche Van Wyk as Burcu

Clarissa Saaiman as Asli

Marunzo Thomas as Mahir

Marissa Claasen as Rana

Margo Kotze as Filiz

Susanne Beyers as Kiymet

This was originally published on Die Afrikaans Voice Actors.Pagie

Weird Development. Canal+ Super Sport Logo Bares Similarities To M-Net's SuperSport Logo

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During the month, Canal+ Group opted to make some minor adjustment to the Canal+ Sport trademark in Poland. The company opted to separate the trademark with Canal+ retaining its linear presence but now as Canal+ Extra with Sport forming Super Sport.

Speculation going around is that brand name derives from the acquired company MultiChoice who used the trademark since its launch in 1986. Similar to Canal+, MultiChoice at some point had stylised the trademark as two separate words as seen above. 

Notice how the spacing from M-Net's SuperSport resembles that of Canal+ for starters. Both logos "Super" is aligned to the left with different font and styling while "Sport" on the other hand is aligned to the right and both are displayed in bold.

As for the linear lineup, Canal+ is now using a blue background for this revamped offering as opposed to when it was green with Canal+ Sport. Interesting to note, SuperSport's font color is also blue while it's previous logo had a blue background. 

Speaking of M-Net's SuperSport, they'd often had been spotted using the 2D "S" logo with some curious on whether a potential rebrand could be on the cards with the latest one in black and white like Canal+ version. 

It kind of seems a bit coincidental that Canal+ Sport arrangements comes around the time Canal+ is finalizing terms of its acquisition of MultiChoice. What's funny is that MultiChoice once owned the Canal+ Premium channel in Poland when it was FilmNet.

Now Canal+ is basically uniting estranged relatives in the hopes to survive a Netflix dominant world. 

Recap To The Year: Zee World Formerly Exclusive To MultiChoice's DStv And GOtv Is Also Available On Canal+ (Africa), Freeview Play (UK) And Rakuten (UK)

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Zee World is an Indian entertainment channel operated by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that distributes various films and series in English. Since its launch in 2015, the channel currently ranks as one of the top 10 watched channels on DStv.

It introduced audiences to the complicated love story of Pragya and Abhi in Twist Of Fate and Bani, Piya and Rano's sisterly bond in The Promise. It also made Africa enter center stage in Dance Africa Dance (now known as Dance Naija Dance).

MultiChoice reserved rights to Zee World for their DStv and GOtv platforms but since Canal+ continued investment toward the company also offers the channel. As reported, MultiChoice will soon be owned by Canal+ as they seek to get approval from legislation. 

Since 2024, Rakuten and Freeview Play both of which are online platforms residing in the UK also package Zee World. Making this the first market outside of Africa and beyond the capacity of MultiChoice/Canal+ to offer the channel.

Lastly, eMedia Investments and StarTimes spun off the brand into a separate channel, Zee One. Described as a lightweight version to Zee World offers content already viewed on the brand while also licensing content that hasn't been viewed on the channel.

"Surprise Coincidence": Canal+ Group Had Also Acquired The Former Pay-TV Brand FilmNet From MultiChoice And Johann Rupert's Richemont

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FilmNet was a premium pay-tv service that was broadcast in parts of Europe between the 80's and 00's. It was a joint venture between MultiChoice and Johann Rupert's Richemont through Nethold which served as European version of M-Net.

Before Nethold acquired FilmNet by 1996, the brand was owned by Swedish company Esselte Video and Dutch film producer Rob Houwer. NBCUniversal, Nielson Holdings and Paramount Global also served as shareholders under the trademark, ATN.

The fate of FilmNet 

FilmNet struggled to make profit before it was acquired by Nethold who in turn sold their shares in the company to Canal+ Group by 1997. Nethold continued operations for the channels in Greece until they were sold to Nova (Formerly ForthNet) by 2008.

Although the brand no longer exists, FilmNet's remains has been scattered through numerous outlets. There's TV4 Group (Scandinavia), Play More (Belgium), Nova (Greece) and Canal+ Group (Poland and Netherlands).

FilmNet's former owner is in the process of being acquired by Canal+ Group 

Not long ago, MultiChoice had granted the French company Canal+ Group rights to its remaining shares in the company. They are seeking to get approval from local legislation and also looking to merge their operations which extends to 30 million households in Africa.

They are also seeking a B-BBEE partner in compliance with local regulations in the market. Although not official, Africa's Rainbow Capital and CAF President owner Patrice Moshepe is reportedly in talks in join the French broadcaster in the takeover. 

Why eMedia Investments Hasn't Made Any Of Its Content On eVOD Accessible On Openview In Recent Months?

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eVOD is a South African based streaming service operated by eMedia Investments that offers a mixture of locally produced and international content. It also serves as a competitor to existing streamers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Showmax.

As some readers are aware, eMedia Investments was planning to invest at least 100 million yearly on local productions for eVOD. Not only that, content viewed on the streamer was said to also be accessible to Openview consumers overtime.

This was usually between a period of 6 months to a year but as some viewers had noticed this had gone on for a much longer duration.

eVOD has been introducing productions like Mother Of All, Splintered Pieces and Net 20 Minute (dubbed program). Instead of these shows being allocated on e.tv or any of eMedia's other channels, they have an alternative lineup put in place.

If we had to guess, eMedia Investments is probably trying to lure consumers to eVOD and rushing their releases on Openview reduces that possibility. Openview is a freemium service and some content in question on eVOD form part of the pay tier.

Another reason could be that eMedia Investments is trying to give eVOD some value and don't want consumers to view it as repeats platform for select content on Openview. But an additional broadcaster as seen with MultiChoice's M-Net and Showmax. 

Elderly People Seen In Titanic Film Were Based On A Real Life Couple

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Not only did the film - starring none other than Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio - recall the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 and deaths of over 1,500 passengers, but the movie also centred itself on the heart-wrenching love story between Rose and Jack too.

However, there's wasn't the only romance to board the ship.

The true story of another couple has since been revealed.

As well as featuring a scene where Jack paints Rose 'like one of his French girls' and a steamy rendezvous in the back of a car, another couple also makes a cut, spooning one another in bed as the water rushes onto the ship - ultimately deciding to die in one another's arms.

While the scene isn't entirely factually correct - the real-life couple actually deciding to hunker down for a hug on the deck opposed to back in their room - the shot is based on a real couple named Isidor and Ida Straus.

Married in 1871, the Jewish couple had seven children together. Isidor was 67 when he boarded the Titanic and Ida the age of 63.

After the Titanic was struck by an iceberg on that fateful day in 1912, the lives of women and children were prioritised on the lifeboats rescuing passengers from the sinking ship.

However, due to the Straus' status - Isidor a co-owner of Macy's Department Store located in New York - his chance to escape followed shortly after.

Despite being offered a seat due to his status and wealth, Isidor turned the opportunity down, stating: "I will not go before the other men."

Ida resolved to not leave without her husband and according to Historical Honey, said: "We have been living together for many years. Where you go, I go."

Isidor's body was recovered after the ship sunk, however, unfortunately Ida's has never been found.

However, their united love lives on in one of the scenes from the 1997 release - not only portrayed as the couple spooning on the bed, but the design for Rose's cabin room onboard the ship inspired by the Straus' actual room which was the best suite onboard the ship.