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Channel Closure: WildEarth Will Stop Airing On DStv By The End Of April, Freeview And ROKU Might Follow Soon

WildEarth is an interactive wildlife channel which brings viewers closer to nature with live safaris within the hotspot of Africa. Founded i...

Showing posts with label Nickelodeon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nickelodeon. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Nickelodeon's Live-Action Slate On Possible Hiatus Following Release Of ID's Documentary Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV

During the week, Investigation Discovery unveiled a new four part documentary series, Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV. With a fifth episode set to rollout in the coming weeks which sees various former Nickelodeon stars talk about their experience on the network.

Episode 3 garnered the most attention after All That and Drake And Josh star Drake Bell came forward to address the abuse he experienced as a minor. Since then, several notable figures came forward to voice their support with talks over the matter still ongoing. 

Nickelodeon had responded to the revelations on Quiet On Set but some child actors feel more needs to be done by the network:

“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct. Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts, and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”

Schneiderverse hold on Nickelodeon 

Following the release of Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV, Nickelodeon has distanced themselves from anything Schneider this includes Henry Danger and Danger Force shows that form part of the Dangerverse and also the last of Dan's masterpieces. 

In 2019, Nickelodeon did an investigation on misconduct in the workplace and fired Dan Schneider after investigation concluded. Although, he has no involvement in any projects from the network he is still being credited amongst properties.

Drake Bell after coming forward on Quiet On Set had criticized the network for keeping these shows on air for several years. It has caused further live-action on the channel to be boycott with their future in jeopardy.

As some readers aware, Nickelodeon currently has only two live-action projects on the air, The Really Loud House and Tyler Perry's Young Dylan. Following cancelations to Danger Force and That Girl Lay Lay, these shows are likely to suffer the same effect if not worse.

We're not saying Nickelodeon won't offer any further live-action but the toxicity that persisted on previous projects would endanger their success rate. If anything, it's possible Nickelodeon could put more attention to their animation slate. 

Something we've kind of seen Disney Channel put more emphasis as they've got a new movie on Big City Greens coming out alongside a new season of Phineas And Ferb. Monsters At Work which was previously a Disney+ first had moved to the network for Season 2.

Although Nickelodeon doesn't have a consistent lineup of content its one of the very few brands alongside Disney Channel to offer anything noteworthy as all other content is streamed these days.

Monday, March 18, 2024

News Shorts: The Equalizer Returns With A Third Season On Universal TV Across Africa, New Original Film The Greatest Hits Unveiled For Disney+ And Zokie Of Planet Ruby To Rollout On International Nickelodeon Channels In May

The Equalizer returns to Universal TV this month 

The Equalizer is set to return for its highly anticipated third season, exclusively on Universal TV. The show stars Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, Lorraine Toussaint as Viola “Aunt Vi” Marsette, Tory Kittles as Detective Marcus Dante, Adam Goldberg as Harry Keshegian, Liza Lapira as Melody “Mel” Bayani, and Laya DeLeon Hayes as Delilah. The new season consists of 18, one-hour episodes airing every Friday at 20:00 (CAT) from 29 March 2024 on Universal TV (DStv 117). Episodes will be available on demand through Universal+ immediately thereafter.

Season 3 picks up after the tumultuous and nerve-wracking season 2 finale that saw Robyn McCall get abducted in front of her daughter Delilah and Aunt Vi. As someone who has worked hard to keep her family and work life separate, she will have to face a whole new set of challenges when she escapes her captors. Donal Logue (Sons of Anarchy, Vikings) guest stars as Colton Fisk, one of the CIA’s most decorated agents, an ex-CIA union chief in the Middle East during the 1990s. Empowered with a Tier 5 security clearance (the highest possible) he was part of the intelligence team that took out Bin Laden, and for many years he ran “The Farm” (the CIA training base in Virginia). The addition of Logue follows Robyn’s mentor Bishop being killed by her longtime nemesis Mason Quinn (Chris Vance). Similarly to Bishop, Colton is a powerful and connected agent who navigates in the shadows. His connection to Robyn is as yet unknown…

The Greatest Hits to stream on Disney+

Harriet finds art imitating life when she discovers certain songs can transport her back in time – literally. While she relives the past through romantic memories of her former boyfriend, her time travelling collides with a burgeoning new love interest in the present. As she takes her journey through the hypnotic connection between music and memory, she wonders – even if she could change the past, should she?

The film stars Lucy Boynton as Harriet, a woman who discovers that certain songs transports her back in time where she relives a past romance, leaving her wondering if she should try to prevent the accident which resulted in the death of her boyfriend two years ago, or move on with her relationship in present day. 

It arrives on Disney+ from April 12.
Zokie and Ruby are coming to Nickelodeon 

In Zokie of Planet Ruby, quirky 10-year-old vlogger Ruby discovers her only video channel follower is a tail-zapping space alien from the planet Pudge named Zokie Sparkleby, and they quickly become best friends. Along with their friend Earl, a talking con-man squirrel, Ruby teaches Zokie about her version of Earth, while Zokie learns to control his unpredictable powers.

The buddy comedy series was produced and owned by Nelvana Enterprises in Canada was greenlit back in 2019 under the working title, Zokie Sparkleton and Zokie Sparkleby. Oddly enough, the first season was made available to stream on Amazon Prime Video by the end of December with no prior announcement. 

Now the series is gearing up for linear debut on Nickelodeon channels globally (excluding the US) from May 6.t

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Schneiderverse In Hot Water: Former Nickelodeon Star Drake Bell Details Sexual Abuse He Experienced As A Teen In New ID Documentary Quiet On The Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV

Drake and Josh star Drake Bell is the biggest former child actor to allege having faced toxic workplaces at Nickelodeon while performing on Dan Schneider’s hit TV shows sets as part of Investigation Discovery’s docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

For the first time, Bell shares his story of alleged abuse at the hands of Brian Peck, his former dialogue coach, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a Nickelodeon child actor in 2004. Bell is not alone.

The ID four-parter probes the toxic environment claims on sets run by Schneider, who created Nickelodeon hit programs like The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious and Sam & Cat and helped launch the careers of Kenan Thompson, Amanda Bynes, Victoria Justice, Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy and others. 

Here are some of the revelations about allegations of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate behavior involving underage stars and crew and alleged predators at the network, as set to be revealed in Quiet on the Set, which premieres across two nights on ID on March 17 and 18.

Dan Schneider allegedly ran or tolerated toxic workplace conditions on his hit show sets at Nickelodeon.
Former creatives and crewmembers who worked with Schneider on or behind the camera claim they endured toxic workplaces. “Working for Dan was like being in an abusive relationship,” Christy Stratton, one of only two women writers on The Amanda Show, along with Jenny Kilgen, tells the docuseries. What’s more, Stratton and Kilgen had to split a normal staff-writer salary to get hired. And it wasn’t long before Stratton recalls being told by Schneider “he didn’t think women were funny.” Kilgen adds: “He challenged us to name a funny female writer, and he said this to the writers in the writers room.” Kilgen says Schneider allegedly had pornography up on his computer screen and told her he’d put one of her sketches in the show in return for a massage. “He always presented it like a joke, and he’d be laughing while he said it. But you always felt like disagreeing with Dan, or standing up for yourself, could get you fired,” Kilgen claims. She also recounted Schneider one day in the writers room asking Stratton to lean across her desk and simulate being sodomized. “I would not do that today, but I did it then,” a strikingly embarrassed Stratton says on camera.

And for onscreen talent, Schneider was a kingmaker, the one who decided who became a star, including Amanda Bynes, and who would have their lines or even character roles cut from a series. Raquel Lee Bolleau, who appeared on The Amanda Show during its first season when she was 12, adds: “You wanted Dan to like you, because otherwise he was mean to you.” Case in point: Schneider apparently flipped out when he decided a birthday cake on set for Bolleau was too big. Then the jocular Schneider was replaced by a screaming tyrant. “Dan yelled a lot. Dan was like a tornado. He’d show up and you’d say, ‘What just happened?’ Dan showed up. The set wouldn’t feel the same when he’d leave, because everyone was on their toes, scared,” Bolleau claims at one point.

Toxic workplaces in Hollywood are not new, but Nickelodeon sets stood out for being filled with vulnerable child actors.
Kid actors were made to wear suggestive costumes and take part in inappropriate sketches full of physical comedy and hinting at pornographic undertones, the series claims. An example is Leon Frierson, who was part of seasons 4 through 6 of All That, which also starred a young Amanda Bynes. In the doc, Frierson recalls playing the character of Captain Big Nose in a superhero costume of tights and underwear. Besides his prosthetic nose attached to his face, Frierson had matching noses on his shoulders. “You can’t help but notice that it looks like penises and testicles on my shoulders,” he recalled. And as part of the sketch comedy, Captain Big Nose unleashed a giant sneeze due to his allergy to asteroids. The result was a messy goo left on the face of a young woman in his path. “The joke in that sketch is effectively a cum shot joke. It’s a cum shot joke for children,” Schaachi Koul, culture writer, tells the doc in the first episode. Frierson adds: “Looking back, it’s very strange. Frankly, it was just uncomfortable. In the moment, I thought this is what we got to do to stay on the show, to stay in the cast and stay in the good graces of people that were higher up.” And that specifically meant doing right by Schneider. “Being close to Dan could mean an extra level of success. It was important to be on his good side, and he made it known who was on his good side,” he insists.

Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell tells his story of alleged abuse at the hands of Brian Peck when he was only 14 and 15 years old.
The third episode of Quiet on Set centers on Drake Bell graphically recounting how he was allegedly groomed and suffered alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck. In 2003, Peck was accused of molesting a child. He was subsequently convicted of a lewd act against a child and oral copulation of a person under 16, and spent 16 months in prison. Only now do we learn Bell, then a minor at 15 years of age and the star of Nickelodeon shows like All That and The Amanda Show, was at the center of that criminal case and conviction. He recounted waking one morning while on Peck’s living room couch. “I woke up to him. … I woke up, opened my eyes, and he was sexually assaulting me. I froze and was in complete shock. I had no idea what to do or how to react,” Bell recounts. Peck is said to have manipulated Bell’s mother and others to allow himself free reign with a minor. “It just got worse and worse and worse and … worse, and I was just trapped and I had no way out,” Bell adds. It was only when the mother of Bell’s then girlfriend asked why Peck wouldn’t stop calling him that Bell sought therapy, but he was still not ready to share his secret. “Then I realized it was so calculated. You (Peck) moved all the pieces into place. The whole thing was mental manipulation,” Bell says of Peck’s behavior.

It’s a theme many now adult actors claim about their childhood selves on Nickelodeon shows during the Quiet on the Set series: If they spoke up for themselves, or had a parent do so on their behalf, they feared retribution and never being able to work again. But eventually in 2003, Bell talked to the police after finally telling his mother. “I’ve no idea what provoked it, what happened, but I just screamed into the phone everything that had happened to me,” Bell said. He recalled a “brutal” interview with two detectives and having to call Peck to get him to admit his guilt on a tapped phone. He did, with a full confession. Immediately after Peck’s arrest, Bell recalled a phone call from Schneider asking if the case had anything to do with him. “I was close enough with Dan that I was like, ‘Yeah, man, this is what he’s been doing.’ Dan just goes, ‘You don’t need to talk anymore about it. That’s all I needed to hear. Are you OK? Do you need anything from me. Anything you need,’” Bell tells the doc series. Then, when asked whether other Nickelodeon execs reached out to him personally, Bell made excuses: “I’m not really sure how many people knew who it was. It wasn’t really brought up to me a lot, maybe because it was a sensitive subject. But really the only person that I remember being there for me was Dan.” Bell would eventually headline his own series, Drake & Josh, on Nickelodeon.

In a statement, Nickelodeon said, “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward.”

Dan Schneider allegedly tormented and humiliated the cast and crew on his TV sets.
As Schneider grew more powerful as a kids TV producer, his relationships with fellow creatives apparently worsened to the point of alleged abuse, the series claims. “He would come down and yell and scream. There were many times I had to say, ‘You’re creating an atmosphere on this set that is not healthy,’” All That director Virgil Fabian alleges in Quiet on the Set‘s second episode. That toxicity extended to the edit suite. Karyn Finley Thompson, an editor on All That, The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh, claims she and others in production had little life outside work when working with Schneider. “You didn’t eat. You didn’t go to the bathroom. Dan would be, ‘Wait! Wait a minute! Hold it. Can you wait a minute?’“ And she’d give in to the incessant demands. “We all did it, or you got fired,” Thompson adds. She recalls one day keeling over in the edit suite and having to go to the hospital. “As I’m leaving and curled over, I could hear someone saying, ‘How is this show going to get finished?’ And I remember just saying, ‘I’ll be right back!’”

The docuseries argues it took the #MeToo movement to stop Schneider in his tracks at Nickelodeon, not internal controls.
After the #MeToo movement, Schneider and Nickelodeon finally parted ways following years of whispers and rumors. Before that, the network in 2014 launched an internal investigation into workplace conditions on Sam & Kat, which starred Ariana Grande and Jennette McCurdy. The result was Schneider, ever the hands-on showrunner, having to stop interacting with the series cast and stay in his office. That eased any alleged toxicity on set, while also keeping Schneider, the moneymaker, in the Nickelodeon tent, where he created two more shows, Game Shakers and Henry Danger. Until 2017 and Hollywood’s reckoning with hostile workplaces and sexual harassment and assault accusations against Harvey Weinstein and others, “a lot of rumors were circulating around Dan Schneider, and these really exploded online,” Business Insider writer Kate Taylor tells the series in the fourth episode. And a second internal investigation by Nickelodeon, while clearing Schneider of any hint of sexual misconduct, led to his exit in 2018. “It did find evidence of being abusive to others in the workplace,” Taylor reports. And the network changed the locks at the Nickelodeon on Sunset facility, where Schneider ran his empire. “Let’s collectively please not let another Dan happen. He cannot happen again. This is not a joke,” Alexa Nikolas, a Zoey 101 castmember, tells the series.

Schneider shared the following statement with the docuseries, which airs at the end of the four-parter: “Everything that happened on the shows I ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults. All stories, dialogue, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts. A standards and practices group read and ultimately approved every script, and programming executives reviewed and approved all episodes. In addition, every day on set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching us rehearse and film.”

That’s followed at the end of the final episode with: “And in response to producers’ questions, Nickelodeon has stated it ‘investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace… We have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.'”

Separately, Nickelodeon released the following statement pertaining to the docuseries’ allegations: “Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct. Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”

Credits: The Hollywood Reporter

Monday, March 11, 2024

News Shorts: Muhammad Ali Enters The WWE Books As Hall Of Famer For 2024, Dora The Movie 2 Is Reportedly In Development By Paramount Alongside A New Animated Feature Film Based On The Super Mario Movie

Muhammad Ali is now an inductee

As reported by Variety, Muhammad Ali will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

One of the most iconic figures in sports history, the three-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Olympic gold medalist was known around the world for his charisma, his confidence, and his ability to back it up inside the ropes.

Known simply as “The Greatest”, Ali’s influence transcended sports as his work as an activist, artist, and personality established him as one of the most renowned figures in the entire world.
Second Dora movie in the works 

According to Insider Daniel Richtman on Patreon, Paramount is developing ‘Dora The Movie 2,’ titled ‘Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado.’ Isabela Merced and the rest of the cast will not be returning, as the film will feature a whole new cast.

The production is set to begin this fall, with a scheduled release date in 2025. However, the director has not yet been announced.

Recently, Nickelodeon released a new trailer for the CG-animated series ‘Dora,’ comprising 26 11-minute episodes, all of which will be available on Paramount+ on April 12, 2024. The plot follows, “With all-new CG animation and imaginative character-driven storylines, the upcoming DORA series follows everyone’s favorite bilingual explorer, Dora (Diana Zermeño), and her best monkey friend, Boots (Asher Colton Spence), as they embark on epic adventures in a fantastical rainforest. 
New Mario film is hitting theaters

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a huge hit for Nintendo, raking in over $1 billion at the box office, so producing a follow-up movie was an easy decision to make. In a new video, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination Entertainment’s Chris Meledandri shared that the next movie is in development, with a release date set for April 3rd, 2026.

Meledandri says Illumination Studios Paris, which worked on the first film, is storyboarding the movie under the direction, once again, of Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. He added that animation is starting soon. And after the movie’s April 3rd release in the US “and many other markets globally,” it will come to “select territories” throughout the rest of the month.

Miyamoto says that the movie will “have a bright and fun story” that expands on the world established in the first movie.

Friday, March 8, 2024

Could Paramount Plus Have Halted Production Of Original Kids Programming As Further Content Move To Nickelodeon Channels?

During the year, it was reported that Danger Force would end with a season 3 on Nickelodeon leaving only two live-action shows on the network. On top of that, several content from Paramount+ such as Rugrats and Big Nate have new episodes on Nicktoons.

Nicktoons serves as a secondary network filtered on reruns meaning less consumption. In a turn of events, Paramount Global had opted to divert these shows away from Nickelodeon where the latter would get more exposure and burn it off to Nicktoons.

This comes prior to the time when Monsters At Work being a Disney+ exclusive following its rollout in 2021 moved to Disney Channel for a second season. Unlike Disney Channel, this could be worrisome as most shows to have entered Nicktoons are usually axed.

On top of a possible sale, Paramount Global has undergone a restructure laying off 800 employees as part of streamlining attempts. The idea of original kids programming from Paramount+ being purged in this possible shake-up wouldn't seem far fetched. 

Paramount+ hasn't been profitable in the United States due to high level of competition from Netflix and Disney+. It had led them to change their distribution strategy internationally with most markets in Europe and Africa opting on a third party for the content. 

Netflix has been building up Nickelodeon's content slate with the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender based on the animated series of the same name. They even acquired exclusive rights to The Fairly OddParents: Make A Wish and The Casagrandes Movie.

With the lack of new kids content coming as Paramount+ exclusive it wouldn't seem far fetched if Paramount Global had opted to move this to Netflix while other content is accessible on linear platforms.

Recap To The Week: Akira Toriyama Creator Of DragonBall Z Alongside The Backyardigans Creator Janice Burgess Has Passed Away

DragonBall creator has died 

When it comes to the world of anime and Japanese pop culture, many will know and love the Dragon Ball franchise. The manga, which was first created by Toriyama in September 1985, won over the hearts of fans instantly. 

However, news has hit the Dragon Ball community as well as the manga and anime industries at large on March 7, 2024. Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama is confirmed to have died at age 68.

Statement from the official DBZ account:

“We are deeply saddened to inform you that Manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1 due to acute subdural hematoma. It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm. Also, he would have many more things to achieve.”

Backyardians creator had died

Janice Burgess, a longtime executive of the Nickelodeon channel who sought to promote children’s curiosity and sense of play for decades, overseeing popular television shows like “Blue’s Clues” and “Little Bill” and creating her own musical children’s show, “The Backyardigans,” died on Saturday in hospice care in Manhattan. She was 72.

Brown Johnson, a longtime friend and the creator of Nick Jr., the Nickelodeon channel for younger viewers, said the cause was breast cancer.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

April 2024 On Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. And Nicktoons Across South Africa | New Series Alert: Dora | Returning Shows Including Deer Squad And Rubble And Crew | More

Nickelodeon

Young Dylan 
New Episodes
Premier: 01/4 – 11/04
Slot: Weekdays
Time: 18:15
New eps: 410 - 418
Dylan continues to explore his art and his adolescence as he leans on his cousins and. learns from his aunt and uncle. Yasmine, Myles and Viola guide the kids and each other toward what it means to continually grow together as a family.

Monster High 
Premier: 15/04 – 26/04
Slot: Weekdays
Time: 17:00
New Eps: 119 - 126
The series follows Frankie Stein, Draculaura, and Clawdeen Wolf, the respective children of Frankenstein, Dracula and a Werewolf, as well as other children of famous mythical monsters they navigate the hilarity of high school in the hallowed halls of Monster High.

SpongeBob SquarePants 
New Episodes
Premier : 29/04/24 – 09/05/2024
Slot : Monday - Thursday
Time: 15:00
New eps: 294, 295, 298, 299
The misadventures of a talking sea sponge who works at a fast-food restaurant, attends a boating school, and lives in an underwater pineapple.

Nicktoons 

Monster High 
Premiere: 15/04/2024- 26/04/2024
Episodes: 119-126
Slot: Monday- Friday
Time: 17:30
NEW EPISODES
Life gets wild when human girl Clawden discovers Monster High, school where anything is possible

Rock, Paper, Scissor
Premiere: 29/04/2024-10/05/2024
Episode: 101-110
Slot: Monday- Friday
Time: 17:00
Rock, Paper and Scissors are three best friends who share an apartment together and compete over everything. Week to week, they have tiny problems that always get out of hand.

Nick Jr.

TINY EXPLORERS STUNT
Premier: 01/04/2024 – 12/04/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 09:30am/pm, 06:00pm
Including sneak peek of Dora #102
Premier : 05/04/2024 – 12/04/2024
Slot: Friday
Time: 10:15am/pm, 06:45pm
Two weeks with the most curious world explorers.

Featuring Nick Jr’s most beloved series: Paw Patrol, Rubble and Crew, Baby Shark’s Big Show, Blaze and the Monster Machines. Including a very special sneak peek into our newest shows: Dora

DEER SQUAD
NEW EPISODES
Episodes: #311-320
Premier: 01/04/2024 – 12/04/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 07:50am/pm, 04:00am/pm
The Deer Squad are back with more amazing adventures and heroic rescues! In Season 3 the brave squad learn more about spectacular space, discover an incredible Sparkle Island, and travel to the depths of the awesome Sparkle Sea!

DORA 
SERIES LAUNCH
Episodes: #101-110
Premier: 15/04/2024 – 26/04/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 09:30am/pm, 03:10am/pm, 06:00pm

RUBBLE & CREW
NEW EPISODES
Episodes: #121-123, 125-126
Premier: 15/04/2024 – 26/04/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 07:25am/pm, 09:05am/pm,
02:45am/pm, 05:30am/pm
Rubble moves with his family of construction pups to the nearby town of Builder Cove where they live, play, and build whatever the community needs.

News Shorts: Twilight Animated Series In Development With Daria Spinoff Jodie Cancelled, And Avatar: The Animated Series Renewed On Netflix For Season 2 And Season 3 With Monsters At Work Moving To Disney Channel For Season 2

Twilight Animated Series In Development 

Michael Burns, vice chairman of Lionsgate, shared the news during a Q&A at the Morgan Stanley media conference on Tuesday, revealing, “We’re going to go out with the ‘Twilight’ series, an animated series, I think there’ll be a lot of interest in that.”

The animated series would be based on the Stephanie Meyer book series of the same name, which was previously adapted into a film franchise, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.

There were four “Twilight” novels — “Twilight,” “New Moon,” “Eclipse” and “Breaking Dawn” — published between 2005 and 2008. In 2015, Meyer released the book “Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined,” which gender-swapped the two main characters, Bella and Edward. Meyer then released “Midnight Sun” in 2020, which told the story of the first book from Edward’s perspective rather than Bella’s.
Jodie axed on MTV

The long-gestating project first began as a series that would feature Daria and Jodie, and then was narrowed to just focus on the latter character. In 2020, Comedy Central picked up the adult animated show from creator and head writer Grace Edwards and MTVE Studios with hopes to pair it with South Park.

Two years later, it morphed into a movie.

“Jodie will not be moving forward at MTVE Studios,” said an MTVE Studios spokesperson. “We have loved working with Tracee, Grace and the whole team on creating a film that is full of joy and genre-bending fun with an inclusive, diverse, and incredible cast.  We are fully supportive of them finding a home elsewhere and look forward to partnering with them in the future.”
Avatar: The Last Airbender cancelled on Netflix

Netflix announced that it has greenlit Albert Kim’s take on Avatar: The Last Airbender for another two seasons that will “bring The Legend of Aang to its proper conclusion.”  Netflix also shared a new teaser image suggesting that, like the animated series, the live-action show’s second and third seasons will focus on Team Avatar’s adventures in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, respectively.

There’s no word yet on when production on the new seasons will begin or when we might expect to see them on Netflix.
Monsters Inc. coming to Disney Channel 

The second season of the animated series “Monsters at Work” will premiere April 5 on the Disney Channel, and begins streaming on Disney+ May 5 in the United States. With the first reason rolling out in Africa by March 25 on Disney Channel. 

Based on Pixar’s “Monsters” franchise and a sequel to Monsters, Inc., the series follows a maintenance crew at the monsters factory as it transitions from scaring kids to making them laugh to generate energy for the city of Monstropolis.

The first season won an Emmy for Individual Achievement in Animation.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Could Netflix Become The Exclusive/Future Home Of Nickelodeon?

During the year, it was reported that WWE would be exiting linear television by 2025 with Raw, SmackDown and NXT alongside premium live events like WrestleMania and SummerSlam would be streaming exclusively on Netflix with more countries to be added soon.

This has boosted the media's interest on the streamer with some curious about what other projects the brand has in the pipeline. One of the brands I wouldn't really be shocked to see get purged soon would be Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon is an international children's brand operated by Paramount Global. Since it's inception had brought animated shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, The Loud House and Legend Of Korra alongside live-action shows like Drake & Josh, iCarly and The Thundermans.

As some readers are aware, Netflix and Nickelodeon have co-produced shows like Pinky Malinky, Glitch Techs and the upcoming live-action series for Avatar: The Last Airbender. On top of distributing films like Invader Zim: Enter The Flopus and Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling.

There was a point in time when Netflix was looking to acquire Paramount's studios before negotiations fell flat. Not long ago, Paramount announced that they'd be laying off 800 employees due to the effects of streamlining with fear lurking around their linear offering.

With WWE leaving linear television, the idea of more content being purged to streaming particularly Nickelodeon wouldn't seem far fetched a stretch. Disney had closed several channels across the world as most of their content gets integrated with Disney+.

Netflix has been doing a lot of quality control in recent months and looking to get decent content. They recently filmed a live-action series to popular anime One Piece and acquired exclusive rights to The Casagrandes Movie and The Fairly OddParents: Make A Wish.

Development Alert (Rumour): Rugrats (2021 Reboot) Likely Cancelled On Nickelodeon And Paramount+ As Further Episodes Are Burned Off To Nicktoons

Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain. Based on the series of the same name, it featured the voices of Nancy Cartwright, E.G. Daily, Kath Soucie, Cheryl Chase, Tony Hale and Cree Summers.

The series premiered on May 27, 2021, on Paramount+; it is the second Nickelodeon-based series created for the streaming service. As with previous incarnations of the franchise, the series is produced by Klasky Csupo.

Just like the original series, Rugrats focuses on the experiences of a courageous, adventurous one-year-old baby named Tommy Pickles and his group of playmates and other infants. It does come with some minor variations specifically for the character, Betty DeVille.

During the year, Disney made numerous headlines after axing several shows including Bunk'd and The Ghost And Molly McGee. With the future of Hailey's On It, The Villains Of Valley View and Raven's Home still in doubt as their current seasons wrap production. 

Nickelodeon serving as a rival brand to the company had allocated new episodes of That Girl Lay Lay on Nicktoons with reports going around that Rugrats would follow soon. Often, when shows are axed by the network they would fold under secondary networks.

Not long ago, Danger Force wrapped production on Nickelodeon after 3 seasons leaving The Really Loud House and Young Dylan as the only live-action. With a wider line-up of animated shows like Big Nate, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Patrick Star Show. 

Sunday, February 25, 2024

The Fairly OddParents: Enter The Cleft (GBA)

Help Timmy Turner rescue his favorite comic book hero in this wacky platformer game. Battle against various villains in Fairly OddParents! – Enter the Cleft! Transform into Boy Chin Wonder and enter the world of comics and heroes.

Fairly OddParents! – Enter the Cleft is a wacky action platformer based on the characters of the TV animation Fairly OddParents. In this game, Timmy Turner’s favorite comic book hero named the Crimson Chin has been captured by his enemies. Too worried to wait for the next chapter of the comic, Timmy Turner went inside the comic as Boy Chin Wonder with the goal of rescuing his favorite hero. Help Timmy make his way through the end of each comic strips to meet his heroes!

For Gameboy Advance (GBA) emulators you can find it under Spotlight.

Friday, February 23, 2024

Development Alert: Nickelodeon To Launch ‘The Fairly OddParents’ Spinoff ‘A New Wish’, To Stream On Netflix Internationally

Nickelodeon is reimagining its Emmy-winning series The Fairly OddParents by launching the animated series Fairly Oddparents: A New Wish this spring.

The network promises that the new iteration will extend the fairy universe for a new generation while honoring the original series. The Fairly OddParents was created by Butch Hartman and ran from 2001-17.

The 20-episode new series follows Hazel Wells (Ashleigh Crystal Hairston,) a 10-year-old who has just moved to the big city of Dimmadelphia because of her dad’s new job. On top of being in an unfamiliar environment, it’s the first time she’s been without her brother, Antony, who’s just left for college, leaving her lonely and unsure of herself. All that changes when the pink-and-green-haired neighbors next door reveal that they are no ordinary neighbors — they’re fairy godparents Cosmo (Daran Norris) and Wanda (Susanne Blakeslee).

Fairly OddParents: A New Wish is produced by Nickelodeon Animation in Burbank. The series is co-executive produced by David Stone (Teen Titans Go!), Lindsay Katai (Infinity Train), Ashleigh Crystal Hairston (Tiny Toons Looniversity) and Daniel Abramovici (The Peanuts Movie). Fred Seibert (Adventure Time) and Butch Hartman (Fairly OddParents) also serve as executive producers. Production is overseen by Claudia Spinelli, SVP Animation for Big Kids at Nickelodeon, and Kelley Gardner, VP Current Series, Animation.

The series is overseen by Executive in Charge, Neil Wade.  

Fairly OddParents: A New Wish will also be available internationally on Netflix later this year.

Monday, February 12, 2024

Development Alert (Rumour): That Girl Lay Lay To End With A Season 2 On Nickelodeon???

That Girl Lay Lay is an American comedy television series created by David A. Arnold that premiered on Nickelodeon on September 23, 2021. The series stars That Girl Lay Lay, Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, Tiffany Daniels, Thomas Hobson, Peyton Perrine III, and Caleb Brown.

Synopsis for That Girl Lay Lay

Struggling to make her mark at school and needing a best friend to talk to, Sadie wishes that Lay Lay, an artificially intelligent avatar from a personal affirmation app, were real and could help teach her how to stand out. When her wish comes true and Lay Lay is magically brought to life, they navigate life as teenagers and discover who they truly are, all while trying to keep Lay Lay's identity hidden.

The first season premiered on September 23, 2021 and consisted of 13 episodes and surprising the second season premiered July 14, 2022 with 39 episodes set to be produced basically tripling the first seasons commission.

During the week, several viewers had spotted the second season to That Girl Lay Lay on Nicktoons leading some to speculate it's possible demise. Although, there has yet to be official confirmation it's been a norm for Nickelodeon to use their secondary networks when axing shows.

That Girl Lay Lay's possible demise would follow Erin And Aaron and Danger Force as a number of Nickelodeon originals to have been culled in the year. Even fellow competitors Disney Channel's content slate had been cut with Bunk'd and Secrets Of Sulphur Springs.

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Nick Shorts: Erin & Aaron Cancelled After One Season On Netflix, Nick Jr. Enters The Splat Zone Globally And The Thundermans Return To Nickelodeon Africa With A New Movie

Another one bites the dust

Nickelodeon has unfortunately decided to cancel Erin & Aaron and not renew the network's live-action comedy series for a second season. It follows teenage stepsiblings Erin and Aaron as they navigate their new lives after their parents’ marriage, and find strength in their shared passion for music. 

The show's cancellation was announced by Jensen Gering, who played Aaron on the series, on the actor's official Instagram page.

Erin & Aaron premiered on Nickelodeon in the U.S. on Thursday, April 20, with season one featuring 13 episodes. It was available exclusively on Netflix internationally by November 2023. 
Nick Jr. finally goes Splat

Nick Jr.'s finally rebranded after failing to do so in 2023, aside from Africa it also includes Europe, the the Americas (Latin America and Brazil), Middle East, Asia, and New Zealand. The rebrand was also launched on the Nickelodeon Junior channel in France.

Based on Nickelodeon's recently introduced Splat logo, the rebrand includes new on-air graphics, such as lower-thirds, updated BUG/DOG, bumpers, idents, promo endboards, and Curriculum Boards. This only leaves secondary brands like Nicktoons which is also slated for 2024.
The Thundermans return to Nickelodeon

The Thundermans are back! Nickelodeon will premiere The Thundermans Return, a brand new movie based on Nickelodeon‘s hit live-action superhero comedy series, The Thundermans, across Africa on Sunday 31st March 2024!

After three years of fighting crime in their new city of Metroburg, The Thundermans are suddenly stripped of their assignment and sent back to Hiddenville. While Hank and Barb look forward to their return ‘home’, Chloe develops new friend groups, Billy and Nora enjoy a normal school life, and Max and Phoebe are determined to regain their superhero status.”

The film will also airing on various Nickelodeon channels across the world within March.

March 2024 On Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. And Nicktoons Across South Africa | New Movie Alert: The Thundermans Return | Returning Shows Including That Girl Lay Lay And Paw Patrol | More

Nickelodeon

BIG NATE
Episodes: #201-#210
Premiere: 10/02/2024-10/03/2024
Slot: Saturday-Sunday
Time: 11:00

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS 
Episodes: #101-#110
Premiere: 19/02/2023-01/03/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 16:00
Rock, Paper and Scissors are three best friends who share an apartment together and compete over everything. Every week they always have problems that get out of hand.

THAT GIRL LAY LAY
New eps: 201-213
Timeline: 04/03/2024-20/03/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 18:30
Lay Lay is the best friend anyone could ever want, but she is a personal affirmation. When Sadie wishes upon a star Lay Lay is magically brought to life. Now with Sadie by her side these best friends can accomplish anything.

THUNDERMARCH STUNT
Premier: 04/03/2024-29/03/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 17:30

Movie Premiere: The Thundermans Return
Premiere: 31/03/2024
Slot: Sunday
Time: 12:00/16:30

THE PATRICK STAR SHOW
New episodes: 201-205
Premier: 11/03/2023-22/03/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 15:00

Nicktoons

SQUEEZE THAT SPONGE STUNT
Premiere: 19/02/2024-15/03/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 17:00
Including the newest episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants: 278, 280-283.
SpongeBob and Patrick are now best friends! How fun is their life? The squeeze that sponge stunt will reveal the answer!

TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK
Episodes: 116-126
Date: 18/03/2024-01/04/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 16:30
The Malto's Family world is upside down when the Terrans, the first Earth born Transformers robot, sparks to life. The Terrans will forge an alliance between the human Malto Family and the legendary Autobots, uniting them in a shared mission.

Nick Jr.

MIGHTY PUPS
New episode of Paw Patrol and sneak peek to Dora
Episodes: Paw Patrol Mighty Pups #1013; Dora #103
Premiere: 03/03/2024
Slot: Sunday
Time: 12:45am/pm

PAW PATROL
NEW EPISODES
Episodes: #1009-#1012, #1015
Premiere: 04/03/2024-15/03/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 06:50am, 12:45am/pm, 05:00am/pm, 07:05pm

BLAZE AND THE MONSTER MACHINES
Episodes: #714-#719
Premiere: 18/03/2024-22/03/2024
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 12:00am/pm, 03:30am/pm

BLUE CLUES & YOU!
Episodes: #420-#426
Premiere: 25/03/2024-31/03/2024
Slot: Monday-Sunday
Time: 06:30am, 02:45am/pm, 06:45pm

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend Of Lost Spatula (GBC)

The game's story centers on SpongeBob SquarePants, a sea sponge who lives in the undersea town of Bikini Bottom and works for Mr. Krabs as the fry cook of the Krusty Krab fast food restaurant. SpongeBob is destined to become the ocean's greatest fry cook, and must embark on a quest to retrieve a golden spatula from the Flying Dutchman, a pirate ghost. The game features platforming-style gameplay, as well as many characters from the television series.

For Gameboy emulators like My OldBoy or Ultra GBC scroll down under Insidus Lite.

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Byron Allen Looking To Make MTV, Nickelodeon And Comedy Central "Cost Efficient", How Does This Impact Paramount Global's Linear Channels?

Last year, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global were reportedly in talks for a potential merger. Fast forward to the present, Shari Redstone is looking to sell her shares at Amusement Park with Skydance that has collaborated with the company on various films making their bid with Byron Allen topping them.

As reported sometime ago, Allen Media Group made a proposal to acquire Paramount Global for $30 billion (R562 billion) part of which helps them cover up pending debts. Should this deal move forward, they would keep TV channels and the Paramount+ streaming service intact while selling off film studios and other intellectual properties.

The impact on TV channels in the United States

Byron Allen, the founder of Allen Media Group is looking to make these brands cost effective. Selling off "film studios and other intellectual properties" is another way to minimise expenses. It's not really known whether Allen will look to retaining various content from Nickelodeon and MTV.

Similar to CW, it's likely that we'll be seeing Nickelodeon and MTV relying more on third party content and possibly distributing even lesser originals. As mentioned, he was looking to run them on a more "cost-efficient basis". Nickelodeon has garnered popularity for shows like SpongeBob SquarePants and The Loud House, MTV on the other features shows like Teen Mom and Ridiculousness.

The impact on TV channels on a wider spectrum

With Nickelodeon and MTV getting less content, Paramount will likely look into closing channels across the country. This was likely implied when they mentioned selling off "film studios and other intellectual properties" I mean the company in question doesn't have much international presence.

There's always chances that they could retain a portion of channels such as Comedy Central and BET while secondary networks like Nicktoons and MTV Base cease to exist as they won't be much content to supplement the existing line-up of channels.

But then again Sony once offered linear services across the country before closing down most feeds while a few such as the UK were put under different management. Disney had been reducing the carbon footprint for Disney Channel while it continues to operate in the United States.

The future of SpongeBob SquarePants and Ridiculousness

As mentioned, Allen is looking to sell their film studios and it's possible that they could retain the more relevant brands such as Nickelodeon Animation Studios and sell majority of Paramount Pictures. There's been various companies that had their eye on their studios such as Netflix, Skydance, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney perhaps one of them could look into acquiring.

As for the content in general, Paramount's remaining offering could be licenced to various local broadcasters I mean should these channels not have much of a presence globally.

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Live-Action Danny Phantom Film Is Reportedly In Development

An iconic animated series may soon be making its way back to our screens in a new form. According to insider Daniel Richtman, a live-action Danny Phantom film is in development at Paramount.

Danny Phantom is an animated series that first premiered on Nickelodeon in 2004, netting fifty-three episodes across three seasons. Created by Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents), the series followed the adventures of a teenager named Danny Fenton, who gains various superpowers like flight and invisibility after an accident in his ghost-hunting obsessed parents' laboratory. Despite his initial hesitation, Danny eventually learns to embrace his powers and commits to becoming a superhero to defend his family, friends Tucker Foley and Sam Manson, and hometown from the threat of malevolent ghosts from the Ghost Zone.

The show bears many similarities to Sony's Ghostbusters, including some of the equipment used in the series, as well as Marvel's Spider-Man series, with both protagonists forced to juggle the responsibilities of being a superhero along with the everyday mundanities of being a teenager. This timeless formula proved to be a success as Danny Phantom has retained a solid following since its finale aired well over a decade ago.

Although the series ended in 2007, Danny Phantom has remained in the hearts of fans, and has seen a few comebacks in recent years, including most recently as characters in the Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl franchise as well as a graphic novel, "A Glitch In Time".

Ricthman did not reveal any further information about the film, such as a creative team or potential timeline. It seems the project is still in very early development; it may be some time before any additional news regarding the movie is announced. It remains to be seen if the film will receive a theatrical release or premiere on Paramount+.

Interestingly, Grey DeLisle (The Loud House), who provided the voice of 'Sam' in Danny Phantom, hinted back in 2016 that Nickelodeon were planning to make a live-action Danny Phantom movie.

The news also comes as Nickelodeon is revisiting many of its iconic properties, including the recently released Zoey 102 and Good Burger 2 movies, as well as revivals of Fairly OddParents and iCarly. Nickelodeon has also rebooted Rugrats and Blue's Clues, and will be launching its rebooted Dora the Explorer series later this year, along with a The Thundermans revival movie. A Henry Danger movie is also in the works, as well as new Avatar: The Last Airbender projects.

It's important to note that, at the time of posting, nothing official has been confirmed so far, so it's worth taking it all with a pinch of salt.

Sunday, January 14, 2024

Recap To Last Year: How The Merger Of Paramount Global And Warner Bros. Discovery Could Bring The End Of Cartoon Network (And Nickelodeon)?

Last year, it was reported that Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global were in early talks of a potential merger. The news was met with mixed to negative feedback from consumers with some more concerned about the future of Paw Patrol and SpongeBob SquarePants.

Warner Bros. Discovery had further distanced themselves from their 6-12 demographic which is where Cartoon Network falls in order to prioritise Adult Swim. Through a survey, it was revealed that a majority of the network's audience particularly primetime are adults.

Internationally, Cartoon Network continues to operate independently but too has seen some distancing in recent years particularly for content produced by Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe and Warner Bros. Animation.

Paramount Global serving as a successor still prioritise the kids offering with some fearing that Nickelodeon could end up being what remains of Cartoon Network. If not worse a possible merger between these two brands and their programming.

Warner Bros. Discovery offers Boing and Boomerang in parts of the world while Paramount Global offers TeenNick, Nicktoons and NickAtNite all of which could be folded under one hub. But the idea of keeping both brands intact wouldn't seem far fetched.

Nickelodeon has an existing slate of live-action productions something Cartoon Network has been struggling to maintain since it's inception. Perhaps Nickelodeon could prioritise live-action more while further animation is distributed by Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation.

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Regular Nick Shorts: Nickelodeon Rebrands Their Remaining Linear Offering To The Splat, Pretty Freekin Scary Launches On Disney Channel Across Europe, Middle East And Africa And Mickey Mouse-Inspired Horror Game 'Infestation 88' Announced

Nicktoons and TeenNick enter the Splat Zone

After teasing their new logos over the past few months, Nickelodeon today (Jan. 1, 2024) kick-started the New Year by rebranding its Nicktoons and TeenNick channels! The rebrand features the new Nicktoons and TeenNick logos unveiled last year, based on Nickelodeon's recently introduced Splat logo the network introduced early last year, and includes new on-air graphics, such as lower-thirds, updated BUG/DOG, bumpers, idents, promo endboards, and Curriculum Boards.

Both channels use bumpers from Nickelodeon's 2023 rebrand, with TeenNick also using a mix of new bumpers featuring older kids as well as repurposed bumpers from their 2019 rebrand.

Credits: NickAndMore and NickALive!
Disney Channel to rollout a new series

14 year-old Frankie Ripp has a great life until she suddenly gets killed in a freak accident where she fell into a manhole. In the Underworld, she has a heated debate with the Grim Reaper who lets her return home as long as her Underworld guardians Pretty and Scary accompany her. Frankie tries to keep the Grim Reaper a secret from everyone, while at the same time she must work for the Grim Reaper by completing a series of given tasks should she wish to keep her life.

Pretty Freekin Scary launches on Disney Channel across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) from 23 January.
New Mickey Mouse game is in development

Nightmare Forge games has announced Infestation 88, a new 1-4 player survival horror co-op game that aims to infuse nostalgia with terror (in the vein of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey) by twisting the now-in-the-public-domain Steamboat Willie into something much scarier. It's in development for PC.

The developers describe it as such: "In the year 1988, what was thought to be an outbreak of rodents in various locations morphed into something far more sinister." Sometimes you'll need to fight, sometimes you'll need to run, and sometimes you'll need to hide in a locker. You can set traps and utilize CCTV cameras to try and stay one step ahead of the infestation, and item layouts are randomized in order to help keep matches fresh.