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

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.

RUMOUR. TeenNick Might Be Replaced By Nicktoons In Latin America

The TeenNick channel recently adopted the new Splat graphic to align with the new global identity of the Nickelodeon brand. According to rumors, Paramount Global could discontinue the commercialization of TeenNick in the region and return to the Nicktoons channel, which is dedicated exclusively to broadcasting cartoons. 

Nicktoons already existed in Latin America, but stopped being commercialized in 2020 to make way for NickMusic, using the American music channel signal until today. Later, it was discovered that the channel never stopped broadcasting in Latin Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. Now, Paramount seems to be reconsidering taking advantage of this signal, which is generated from the European subsidiary of the company. 

The user Nick Latam Promos revealed on X/Twitter that the Mexican cable operator Izzi has a new program for Nicktoons that will go into effect from July 19 at 21:00 hrs MEX, 22:00 hrs COL/PER, 23:00 hrs CHI/ FRI y 00:00hrs ARG . Until now, no other cable operator has updated its programming for the advanced dates of July, so this information should still be taken with caution and not as official.

Nicktoons programming includes series like "SpongeBob SquarePants", "The Loud House", "The Casagrandes", "ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (2012), "The Twisted Timeline Of Sammy & Raj", and "The Patrick Star Show", due to the relaunch of the channel in Latin America, would make its debut on the region's pay TV. the region. 

On the other hand, the programming of Nicktoons from the 19th of July was recently updated in the system, which increases the certainty of the information. 

In addition, the signals of Nickelodeon for Panregional and Brazil will receive a new programming, with fewer hours dedicated to live-actions, similar to the grid of the Mexican signal. This, along with the rumor of the return of Nicktoons, could be part of an effort by Paramount to give greater priority to animated series in the region.

The story was originally published on TVLaint

Development Alert: Sharkdog Formerly Exclusive To Netflix To Make Its International Debut On Nicktoons, The Nick Jr. Block Loses Its Daytime Slot For Nick In Your Language

A few months ago, it was reported that Nicktoons would be airing the Nickelodeon produced show Sharkdog from Netflix in May. But that was never the case as Nicktoons began to rebrand their offering with Sharkdog serving as the first initiative from the rebrand. 

A user known as Narq uploaded a Polish promo for the preschool show on his YouTube channel with the series slated for June/July premiere. This can only confirm that Sharkdog instead of serving as an African premiere will be more global/European. 

Sharkdog follows 10 year old Max and his best friend Sharkdog - half shark, half dog, all appetite. Blissfully unaware of his own strength, stealth and general sharkiness, Sharkdog often leaves a trail of chaos in his wake. But, like all good half-dogs, he's Max's BFF and Max is his.

It is created by Singaporean creator Jacinth Tan and produced by Paramount Global's ViacomCBS International Studios, in partnership with Singaporean based CGI animation studio One Animation.

Although a release date has yet to be confirmed, Nicktoons does however a timeslot vacated from 1st July at 17:00 which is where new Rock, Paper, Scissors was seen. So maybe Sharkdog will just swoop in within that timeslot since that timeslot is known for premieres.

Nick Jr. get less airtime on Nicktoons 

As seen later in the month, Nicktoons introduced Nick In Your Language which is basically Nickelodeon’s way of connecting to a local audience. By that we mean dub various shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants to IsiZulu and Afrikaans. 

Following its popular inception to the channel, Paw Patrol was the second program to get locally dubbed for the channel. This came at the price of the Nick Jr. block whose timeslot is being used to handle these shows with the only other means of viewing it at late nights.

The news doesn't come as a shocker to some as the late night preschool block was more productive than its daytime slot. Then there's also this thing of Nickelodeon supplying the block with Nick Jr. also having its own channel for most of the content. 

The Reboot Of "Ren and Stimpy" Makes Its Global Premiere In July On Comedy Central, Including Latin America, CIS, Africa And Romania

Ren and Stimpy are back. After almost four years since its announcement and several setbacks in its production, the long-awaited (and controversial) reboot of one of Nickelodeon's most iconic animated series from the 90s will finally premiere this July. This news comes shortly after the original series left the programming of Comedy Central's Latin American channel due to a change in operations. Let's briefly review the production chronology of this series.

In August 2020, Comedy Central, owned by Paramount Global and Nickelodeon's sister channel, announced the green light to produce a reboot of "Ren and Stimpy." From the beginning, it was confirmed that John Kricfalusi, original creator of the franchise, would not participate in the new series nor receive financial compensation due to accusations of workplace mistreatment and sexual abuse against two minor women at the time: Robyn Byrd and Katie Rice , who worked at Spümcø, Kricfalusi's animation studio, becoming involved in the production of the original series and Adult Party Cartoon, its canceled successor for a more mature audience. Following the announcement of the reboot, Robyn Byrd started a petition on Change.org to cancel it, although it was apparently unsuccessful and the petition was eventually withdrawn, despite considerable support. Later, it was discovered that Byrd was participating in the production of the reboot. Initially planned as a collaboration between MTV Entertainment Studios and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, with animation handled by the latter, production moved to Awesome Inc. (which made other series such as "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" or "Squidbillies") in October 2021. A month earlier, it had been confirmed that Billy West would reprise his voice roles as Ren and Stimpy.

Throughout much of 2022, there was a dearth of news about the reboot, leading many to speculate that it might have been quietly canceled. However, in September 2022, Snipple Animation Studios ("New Looney Tunes", "Jellystone!") announced its involvement as an animation provider. In turn, Billy West explained that development was significantly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus denying cancellation rumors. And so we arrive at December 2023, the month in which Paramount Global suffered a series of security breaches, leaking fragments of what appears to be the first episode of the reboot. This includes the "Screentime / All About Log" segments. Later, last May, a complete episode, the sixth, was leaked, containing the "Aw Hell No! / Squatters" segments, with clapperboard included and full credits.

Thanks to these episodes, we can confirm that John Kricfalusi is not mentioned in the credits as the creator of the characters, unlike other productions where the creators continue to be credited after facing accusations, such as Chris Savino with "The Loud House" or Justin Roiland with "Rick and Morty." Plus, Vanessa Coffey, the woman behind the ingenious idea of ​​Nicktoons in the early '90s, is back as an executive producer, which is a nice surprise. However, it is unfortunate that much of the series' original team, including Bob Camp (who was initially planned to participate but left the project due to creative differences), is not involved. This means that the reboot has primarily been developed by people with no prior experience with the franchise or the characters. We also do not know if, for the Latin dubbing, Ren and Stimpy will have some of the voices that have given them life over the years (including Alfonso Obregón or Igor Cruz as Ren and José Luis Orozco, Martín Soto or Jorge Ornelas for Stimpy), or if there will be recasting.

But returning to the main topic, Comedy Central Latin America will premiere in its programming the new iteration of "Ren y Stimpy" with the segments "Renhattan / Table for Human / Clear Toilet" this Friday, July 12, around 10:30 p.m. MEX | 22:50hrs BRA | 23:30hrs COL/PER | 00:30hrs CHI/VEN | 01:30 hrs ARG. This date also applies to most of Comedy Central's international signals managed by Paramount Networks EMEAA, including the CIS countries, South Africa (at 10:50 p.m.) and Romania (at 10:00 p.m.). Because the premiere has not yet been officially announced by Paramount Global, it is worth clarifying that the date is subject to last minute modifications. New episodes will continue every Friday, at 10:00 p.m. BRA/MEX | 23:00hrs COL/PER | 00:00hrs CHI/VEN | 01:00 hrs ARG. The titles for Friday, July 19 are "Screentime / All About Log / Milk Pulp", and for Friday the 26th "Bad Stimpy / The Mother of all Yaksmases / Yucky the Mudman" will air. Additionally, starting Friday the 19th, each episode aired the previous week will be repeated right after that night's premiere.

At the moment, there is no set date for its release in the rest of the world, including the United States, its country of origin. Curiously, prior to this long-awaited premiere (except in Romania), Comedy Central will also present on its screens "South Park: The End of Obesity", the most recent Paramount+ original special of the successful adult animation franchise. In the same way, the channel will undergo a new change in its programming for Latin America that will bring back local programs. More details soon. The official synopsis for the reboot reads: "You may have thought you caught them during a misremembered fever dream when you were home sick in first grade, but misfit jester Ren and innocent jester Stimpy are back in an animated series! brand new full of laughter, screams and disturbingly grotesque frames that you can't miss! With new and delicious nightmares to burn into your retinas! In this season, Ren and Stimpy take on human skin, meet a genie, get scurvy, They join a cult, discover the wonders of hair removal, shoot a movie, undergo plastic surgery in a mall, go to hell, discover the true meaning of laquetal, and MUCH MORE! With the return of fan-favorite characters, as well as new characters voiced by actors you probably like."

This article was originally published by TVLaint

‘SpongeBob’ Universe Expands With Three Paramount+ Spinoff Movies, New Theatrical Film

Three new SpongeBob SquarePants character spinoff movies for Paramount+ are in the works at Nickelodeon Studios, in addition to a new theatrical release about the porous resident who lives in a Pineapple-under-the-sea. The news was announced today by Brian Robbins, Chief Content Officer, Movies and Kids & Family for Paramount+ at the ViacomCBS Investor Event.

The first of Paramount+’s SpongeBob character spinoff movies, which focus on different Bikini Bottom residents, will drop in 2023.

The expansion of the SpongeBob franchise follows the recent success of SpongeBob series offshoots Kamp Koral on Paramount+ and The Patrick Star Show on Nickelodeon, the first season of which will be available soon to stream on Paramount+.

Paramount has made three SpongeBob feature movies, the first in 2004, which altogether have grossed close to $471M worldwide. The highest grossing installment was 2015’s The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water which grossed over $325M WW. However, because of the pandemic, Paramount was forced to pull The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run from U.S. release in 2020. The sequel received a Canadian theatrical release in August of that year, making $4.8M, while the film in the states served as the branded launch for Paramount+ in 2021. The pic’s foreign rights, except for China, were sold to Netflix.

“As we’ve known with Nickelodeon’s long-standing success, the kids and family audience is incredibly loyal, and we see that on Paramount+ as well, with kids and family ranking as one of the strongest genres on the service in terms of both engagement and subscriber acquisition,” said Robbins. “So as they stay for our shows and look for even more of them, we’re doubling down on giving them what they want by expanding the universes of the characters they love the best.”

Development Alert: Nicktoons Global (Including Africa) Might Be Debuting Splat Rebrand Soon

Earlier in the month, Nicktoons got the Splat rebrand in the UK after it failed to do so in Africa earlier in the year. Amidst the rebrand in the UK, there were rumours that remaining feeds of the channel would also adopt this new logo within the month.

Surprise, several viewers had spotted the soon-to-be launched logo for Nicktoons between shows. As pictured above, the logo is now in the top right corner as seen with sister channels Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. and from the looks of the graphics these designs are likely from European feeds.

As some readers are aware, most of Paramount’s channels particularly in Europe had been globalized with some brands like BET and MTV Base still seen with local variations. 

Nicktoons' African feed was part of this latter but may not be the case entirely. Sometime in 2023, the channel's older kids lineup matched of Germany, Turkey, Arabia and Asia so it didn't seem that much coincidental that we'd rebrand altogether. 

Several rumours point toward the channel rebranding later in the following week. I mean considering the UK had rebranded much earlier you'd presume other feeds would follow within a 3 month timeframe if not sooner.

Development Alert (Rumour): Transformers: Earthspark Reportedly Cancelled On Nickelodeon And Paramount+ After 2 Seasons

Transformers: EarthSpark is an animated television series based on the Transformers toyline by Hasbro. It was developed by Dale Malinowski, Ant Ward and Nicole Dubuc for the streaming service Paramount+ and also Nickelodeon. 

Synopsis for Transformers: Earthspark 

Fifteen years after the space bridge to Cybertron is destroyed, ending the civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, the Malto family relocates from Philadelphia to the small town of Witwicky, Pennsylvania. There, young Robby and Mo Malto witness the birth of a new breed of Earth-born Transformers called Terrans, who become emotionally bonded to the two via special cyber-sleeves on their arms.

The first season premiered on Paramount+ in the United States by November 11, 2022 and was produced by Entertainment One in partnership with Nickelodeon Animation Studio, with animation services provided by Icon Creative Studio.

In February 2023, a second season of Transformers: Earthspark was commissioned by the network which is set to rollout in the United States by June 7, 2024 and elsewhere sometime in the year. 

According to a user named Protoman, this would be the final season with "someone" working on the next iteration to Transformers. Ratings were reportedly low for Transformers: Earthspark which affected toy sales and other merchandising. 

Taking to account availability of Paramount+, this isn't a streaming service available on a wider scale like Netflix but is more like SkyShowcase in Europe - regional. It's broadcast on Nickelodeon channels was atrocious with very little airtime as they were weekly. 

Now the possible cancellation is being cited as low viewership perhaps with proper marketing the show could have expanded wider as Monster High.

Regular Nick Shorts: SuperSport Schools To Rollout New eSports Series, Angelo Rules Currently On Boing Picked Up For A Season 6 And Nickelodeon Unveils New Series Fairly OddParents: A New Wish

SuperSport expands the eSports bonanza to Africa

SuperSport Schools, Africa’s leading broadcast platform for school sports, is proud to announce a trailblazing partnership with the African Cyber Gaming League (ACGL), a prominent South African esports company specializing in online and LAN tournament administration, management and broadcasting to produce a weekly show.

With a keen focus on interactive marketing, ACGL offers specialised channels to enhance brand awareness and advertising in the dynamic realm of esports. Committed to fostering grassroots talent is evident through the management of the largest school league in South Africa, the nitro ASL, with over 160 schools currently registered and an ever-expanding community.

With this exciting partnership, SuperSport Schools will be broadcasting the launch of GamePlay, a groundbreaking show set to debut on 16 May at 19h00. Hosted by Collins ‘Skarra’ Manyame, a Twitch streamer and ACGL’s Social Manager, the show promises to showcase the best of esports action, analysis and interviews. GamePlay will be accessible to audiences across SuperSport Schools’ platforms and on DStv channel 216, marking a significant milestone in the promotion of esports within Africa.

Angelo Rules renewed 

The animated comedy Angelo Rules has a sixth season in the works to launch in France and Germany in early 2026.

Angelo Rules is a TeamTO production in collaboration with France Télévisions, Canal+ and Super RTL. The latest season brings the total number of 11-minute episodes to 312, along with one Christmas special.

Based on a popular book series by Sylvie de Mathuisieulx and illustrated by Sébastien Diologent, Angelo Rules has aired in over 100 territories on platforms such as Cartoon Network (EMEA, Latin America, Asia), RAI (Italy), Televisió de Catalunya (Spain) and TG4 (Ireland).

Fairly OddParents is back for thirds

“The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish” follows “ten-year-old Hazel Wells [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 Cosmo and Wanda, Fairy Godparents! And they’re coming out of retirement to make all of Hazel’s wishes come true.”

Ashleigh Crystal Hairston will voice Hazel while “Fairly OddParents” alums Daran Norris and Susanne Blakeslee will reprise their roles as Cosmo and Wanda, respectively. The 20-episode series will premiere Monday, May 20 on Nickelodeon USA and will stream on Netflix internationally later this year.

"Enter The Splat Zone": Paramount Rebrands Nicktoons In The UK, Might Rebrand Alongside TeenNick In Parts Of Europe And Africa In The Coming Weeks

In 2023, Nickelodeon revived one of their iconic logos "The Splat" and incorporated it with the current font of the brand. A year after its rollout, there's still various countries that have yet to go Splat as Nicktoons in the UK rebranded earlier in the week.

As reported by NickALive, the rebrand occurred on Worker's Day being May 1st in parts of UK & Ireland. Based on Nickelodeon’s recently launched Splat logo, the rebrand includes new on-air graphics such as bumpers, promos and idents.

Last year, MultiChoice and Paramount had reached a new agreement which would see Nickelodeon in the rest of Southern Africa switch to high definition. This was also accompanied by the revamped Splat logo which was introduced months prior.

At the time, it was also stated that Nicktoons and Nick Jr. would undergo a rebrand before the end of 2023. None of which come to pass as Nick Jr. was only fortunate to go Splat by February of this year (due to globalization) with Nicktoons that has yet to switch.

Insiders report that the designs of Nicktoons and TeenNick's global feeds might be updated by May 20th. Although, that's still awaiting confirmation 

most feeds are aligned or handled within the UK so the timeframe of the rebrand would only seem logical.

This may more likely include the Nicktoons feed in Africa cause as mentioned part of the feed is globalized with some local variations. It was long speculated after the feed had switched from the U.S. graphic designs to the one situated in parts of Europe. 

"Weird Observation": Nickelodeon’s Global Operations Possibly Rebranded To Nickelodeon Global Unlimited

During the week, Nickelodeon unveiled a list of upcoming attractions for the channel alongside Nick Jr for June. This included the new film No Time To Spy: A Loud House Movie for Paramount+ which will likely be exempted from countries.

As some readers have noticed, Nicktoons wasn't included in this lineup of announcements that's because while Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. had been globalized. There's still some parts of Nicktoons which are localized and that include the Nick Jr. block and NickMusic.

Anticipating that these highlights are handled by someone within Africa while the others are situated in Europe. Of course, what got my attention here about Nick's June portfolio was the trademark "Nickelodeon Global Unlimited".

For those aren't aware, feeds for the channel in Africa had been unified with Germany, Poland, Denmark and various parts of Europe. At that time, this was simply known as Nickelodeon Africa before forming with other markets to be known as Nickelodeon Global. 

On the first page of this PDF File, Nickelodeon Global Unlimited had been introduced so if anything could it be possible that Nick Global underwent a name change honestly it wouldn't seem far fetched.

Nickelodeon relaunched Splat with a modernized design in 2023. It would only make sense if other parts of the network were being refurbished I mean "Unlimited" meaning endless sort of expands the channel's structure and makes it feel elite.

The Splat had sort of come at the time the channel had been revisiting past shows and reviving them for modern audiences. This year, Nick Jr. launched a reboot of Dora The Explorer (shortened to Dora) with Fairly OddParents: A New Wish on Nickelodeon.

"Beating A Dead...": Why SpongeBob SquarePants Graveyard Channel Still Serves A Purpose In Africa?

Nicktoons is an international brand operated by Paramount Global and also serves as a sister station to both Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. It was basically a nickname given for the latter's animated productions as the linear channel exists to air archived material.

The channel launched in Africa by September 2014 after NBCUniversal and Corus Entertainment had shuttered KidsCo. It served as the most popular international adaptation of the channel airing animated shows from the 90s to early 00s.

But in recent years this had all changed as the channel was often functioning on autopilot as SpongeBob SquarePants and The Casagrandes takeover the channel. The magic had just vanished as the brand follows a similar pursuit as other international feeds.

As some readers are aware, similar to MTV both Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. are being streamlined at this point using a more unified feed in other countries. This has prevented/minimized the number of local variations to hit consumer's screens.

There are still a few of these feeds available some due to local quotas which expand further to include children's channels.

In Africa, these local investments had been splashed onto Paramount’s remaining set of channels. For instance, MTV Base it has been seen airing MTV's Shuga despite being positioned as a music channel while others like Have Faith air on BET.

Nicktoons was also a result of these endeavors as it currently offers the Nick Jr. block which would often air content that hasn't been seen on the Nick Jr. channel like Munki And Trunk. Same goes with local dubbings of animated shows and NickMusic.

Bomber Shorts: NickMusic Being Burned Off On Weekday Mornings On Nicktoons, Guddan Unexpectedly Resurfaces On Zee World And A Rebroadcast Of Ana's Revenge And El Baron Launch On Telemundo Across Africa m

NickMusic's demise on weekday mornings 

NickMusic is a basically a youth oriented version to the current MTV that features a mixture of local and international hits catered toward a younger demographic. Internationally, it operates as a programming block (if not TV show) and 24 hour channel.

Since its inception on Nicktoons, the show has been going through numerous timeslot changes and in recent months getting phased out from the lineup. Usually Nicktoons would restart NickMusic from the beginning but now it can go unnoticed for several months. 

As some readers are aware, NickMusic airs daily at 16:10 and from May 6th these episodes will air in its repeat slot at 09:00. I don't get why they'd want to air new episodes that early when a majority of the channel's viewers aren't tuning in.

Another why let The Casagrandes get another timeslot as the channel had become bloated with its repeat alongside SpongeBob SquarePants. Is this the channel's way of axing shows perhaps or another way to view it as a liability?

Zee World to hit a new low with a rebroadcast 

A rebroadcast of the first season of This Is Fate was currently airing on the channel weekday afternoons at 3pm. Zee World suddenly decides to yank the show of the schedule for a rebroadcast of Guddan from the third season. 

Now why let Guddan back on the channel particularly from season 3 considering this is the first time reruns come on it would have made a lot more sense to restart from season 1 unless the channel has something else on the cards.

Telemundo is offering double the Zee-nanza

Unlike Zee World, Telemundo is no stranger to rebroadcasts as primetime had continued to plummet on the channel with 22:00 remaining the sole survivor with Come Back To Me. As two reenter the channel for a share of repeats, Ana's Revenge and El Baron.

Ana's Revenge followed a young woman who decides to avenge the death of her mother.

El Baron followed a young Mexican dreamer and rebel helps Pablo Escobar change the world of drug trafficking forever.

Ana's Revenge will air daily at 21:00 replacing The Chosen Granddaughter while El Baron replaces Queen Of Miami at 23:00 from 7 May.

May 2024 On Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. And Nicktoons Across The Rest Of Africa | New Series Alert: Zokie Of Planet Ruby And Sharkdog | Returning Shows Including SpongeBob SquarePants And Baby Shark’s Big Show | More

Nickelodeon 

SpongeBob SquarePants 

Premier : 29/04/24 – 09/05/2024

Slot : Monday - Thursday

Time: 14:00

New episodes: 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.

Zokie Of Planet Ruby

New show

• Episodes: 101-109, 111-114, 116-126

• Premier: 06/05 –06/06

• Slot : Monday-Friday

• Time: 14:15

The series follows creative vlogger Ruby and her alien best friend Zokieas

they film their daily mishaps and adventures around their city.

Monster High 2

Movie

Premier : 19/05

Slot: Sunday

Time: 11:00

As they enter sophomore year at Monster High, Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura and Frankie Stein face new students, new powers, and an even bigger threat that could not only tear their friendship apart, but could change the world forever.

Nicktoons 

AfterToons Stunt 

Premiere: 13/05/2024 – 21/06/2024

Slot: Monday – Friday

Time: 16:00

*including new episodes of Patrick Star Show #201-205

Featuring Nickelodeon’s most beloved animated series; The Casagrandes, SpongeBob SquarePants, Rock Paper Scissors, Patrick Star Show and Sharkdog

Sharkdog

New Show

Premiere: 13/05/2024 - 24/5/2024

Slot: Monday-Friday

Time: 16:30

Nick Jr. 

Baby Shark’s Big Movie

Premier: 04/05/2024

Slot : Saturday

Time : 11:00am/pm, 03:15am/pm

Baby Shark moves, leaving his best friend behind. An evil popstarfish is planning to use magic to steal the power of his song and eliminate all music but her own. It's up to Baby Shark to restore balance to the ocean and save his

friend.

Baby Shark's Big Show 

• New Episodes: #220-226

• Premier : 06/05/2024 - 17/05/2024

• Slot : Monday-Friday

• Time : 08:50am/pm, 12:30am/pm, 03:15am/pm

Baby Shark dive into the salty silliness of Baby Shark, his family, and friends.

News Shorts: Monster High Reportedly Cancelled On Nickelodeon, WildEarth Rolls Out A Pay Service Under YouTube Premium And eSeries Launches Classic Sitcom 30 Rock

Lights go out on another program on Nickelodeon 

Last month, Paramount Global removed several original shows from Nickelodeon as part of a tax write off these included shows like Rugrats and Blue's Clues And You. Prior to their inevitable demise some of these shows were canned on Nicktoons for new episodes. 

Now there's reports going around that Monster High might be getting the two seasons treatment. Not due to these write offs or viewership consumption but the controversy surrounding the live-action department following ID's youth oriented doccie Quiet On Set.

Although there's no official confirmation from the network usually third party shows when axed remain on Nickelodeon. Similar scenario occured with Transformers: Earthspark and Regal Academy probably due to them licensing these shows.

WildEarth launches a pay subscription 

Last month, it was reported that the cash strapped WildEarth would be exiting DStv by the end of April. After the channel tried to obtain carriages fees with MultiChoice settling on a sum of R6 million a year only to get sidelined at the last minute. 

Since then, WildEarth has made several changes to their current offering with the halting of live shows. As they're eyeing potential partners who are looking to invest funds to the business provided that they make some changes to the structure of the channel. 

With WildEarth set to exit DStv soon, they'll be looking to make content cuts as they try to stick around for the foreseeable future. 

During the townhall, it was revealed that they'll be rolling out YouTube memberships basically a subscription service. This will be under YouTube Premium which is priced at R72p/m although consumers will still be access the free service.

New show on eSeries

Liz Lemon is head writer and showrunner of the NBC sketch comedy series TGS with Tracy Jordan (originally called The Girlie Show), produced in Studio 6H in 30 Rockefeller Plaza. She supervises cast and crew, including star Jenna Maroney, her best friend, while working with network executive Jack Donaghy and page Kenneth Parcell. In the first episode, Jack forces Liz to hire the unpredictable Tracy Jordan as co-star.

It starred Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander, Alec Baldwin, Katrina Bowden, Keith Powell, Lonny Ross, Kevin Brown and Grizz Chapman.

The series starts 8 April at 21:40.

News Shorts: New 8-Bit Rugrats Game Available For Pre-Order, ‘Mandalorian & Grogu’, ‘Moana’ Live Action & ‘Toy Story 5’ Stake Out 2026 Release Dates And ‘Quantum Leap’ Canceled By NBC After 2 Seasons

Rugrats: Adventures In Gameland Honors The 8-Bit Era

Adventures in Gameland appears to be an old-school platformer where you need to do a little exploring and a little digging (literally) to find your way forward. My demo ended with a dramatic, multi-screen battle against the boss, "Big Boy" Pickles, the imaginary younger brother of Angelica Pickles from the TV show — a nice nod to Rugrats fans.

Last month, at PAX East at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, I was lucky enough to chat with Tomas Guinan, lead developer at The MIX Games, about what went into the creation of Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland. I was also fortunate to demo one of the game's six levels.

Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland doesn't have a firm release date, but it should arrive by the end of spring, according to Guinan. It will launch on PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and, coolest of all, NES. 

Disney unveils a slate of content 

In big 2026 news, Jon Favreau’s big screen version of The Mandalorian — The Mandalorian & Grogu— is the updated Star Wars title on May 22, 2026. Star Wars films on a theatrical release calendar far far away use to release around Memorial Day weekend. The last one to do so was Solo: A Star Wars Story. No rival wide releases on Mando‘s date.

Toy Story 5 is the title of the untitled Pixar movie on June 19, 2026. Warner Bros/New Line also have this date on hold for an untitled release. The live action version of Moana, impacted by the Thanksgiving release this year of Moana 2, will hulla- dance its way from June 27, 2025 to July 10, 2026. No competitive releases on that date.

The 20th Century Studios Rami Malek thriller, The Amateur, keeps getting kicked around the calendar, it’s moving from Nov. 8, 2024 this year to April 11, 2025. 

Quantum Leap axed on NBC 

NBC has decided not to proceed with a third season of its Quantum Leap reboot starring Raymond Lee. The news comes more than a month after the two-hour Season 2 finale aired Feb. 20.

The development is not entirely surprising as the series, from Universal Television, had been on the bubble. That is in contrast to last season when Quantum Leap received a very early renewal in December 2022.

A follow-up to the original series, which aired on NBC from 1989-93, Quantum Leap is set in present day. It’s been 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now a new team has been assembled to restart the project in the hopes of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.

Development Alert: Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years Cancelled After Two Seasons On Nickelodeon

Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years is an American animated television series created by Stephen Hillenburg and developed by Luke Brookshier, Marc Ceccarelli, Andrew Goodman, Kaz, Mr. Lawrence, and Vincent Waller that premiered on Paramount + on March 4, 2021. 

The series is a prequel and spinoff of Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants, featuring younger versions of the characters as they attend summer camp. The camp is run by Mr. Krabs with Mrs. Puff overseeing camp activities. 

In August 2021, the series was renewed for a 13-episode second which is slated to be released in later in the year. Although, the series hadn't been officially cancelled the second season's commission was halved by the network. 

Unlike Baby Shark’s Big Show and That Girl Lay Lay whose episodes were burned off on secondary networks. Kamp Koral will be having its final prayers on Nickelodeon likely due to the purging of shows due in light of Quiet On Set and corporate write offs.

Nickelodeon's future as a network had since then remained in doubt. As the parent company embarks on a possible acquisition and shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender (live-action) and The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish rolling out on Netflix globally. 

Adventure Time | Pilot | Nickelodeon/Cartoon Network

The short focuses on a boy named Pen (later renamed Finn in the television series) and his best friend, a shapeshifting dog named Jake. One day, Lady Rainicorn, a unicorn-like creature, flies past them in tears; Pen and Jake follow her to an icy domain, where they discover that the Ice King has kidnapped Lady Rainicorn's owner, Princess Bubblegum, in the hope of marrying her. 

Paramount+ Removes 10 Nickelodeon Titles Including ‘Blue’s Clues & You!’ & ‘Rugrats’ Series

Paramount+ has purged 10 Nickelodeon original series, following the removal of other Nick titles from the platform over the past several months.

The list includes Are You Afraid of the Dark? (2019-2022), Blue’s Clues & You! (2019), It’s Pony (2020-2022), Middlemost Post (2021-2022), Ollie’s Pack (2020), Ryan’s Mystery Playdate (2019-2023), Santiago of the Seas (2020), That Girl Lay Lay (2021-2024) as well as the made-for-Paramount+ Big Nate (2022)and Rugrats (2021).

This is said to be part of content removal addressed in the most recent Q4 earnings call on February 28. Targeting Nick titles is a little surprising as, according to parent Paramount Global, the network’s Kids & Family content consistently ranks among the most watched and re-watched programming on Paramount+.

“In connection with our continued review of our international content strategy, during the first quarter of 2024 we made a strategic decision to focus on content with mass global appeal,” the company said in its 10-K filing. “As part of this, we are rationalizing original content on Paramount+, especially internationally, and improving the efficiency of our linear network programming. As a result, we have reviewed our expansive global content portfolio and are removing select content from our platforms.”

Paramount expects “to recognize additional programming charges that we currently expect to be in the range of approximately $700 million to $900 million during the first quarter of 2024.”

Development Alert: The Loud House Resurfaces On Nicktoons After Being Purged Across Africa (Excluding South Africa) In 2023

In 2014, The Loud House alongside several animated shows viewed on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney Channel had been banned from Africa. This was after Paramount Global had opted to censor out any gay content viewed on their channels. 

Since then, The Loud House alongside the affected shows in question were only viewable on the above-mentioned channels in South Africa while the rest of Africa had slotted other programs in place.

By October 2021, Nickelodeon had made past seasons to The Loud House accessible on Nicktoons across Africa. This was accompanied by additional content such as The Casagrandes, Middlemost Post and The Barbarian And The Troll.

After a year on air, The Loud House was silently removed from the channel's lineup. Although it was still listed on the programme guide, the channel allocated It's Pony and Middlemost Post before being subsequently replaced with The Casagrandes. 

Through the programme guide, The Loud House is now listed on Nicktoons at 19:00 from 1st April. Not only will the show return to Nicktoons but it will relaunch in Africa after almost 10 years the only catch these episodes are only on weeknights. 

Paramount Global hasn't responded to the sudden inclusion of but based on the timeslot. They're likely trying to alienate the show from their younger audiences as The Loud House has become more of a TV series for younger adults aged 18.

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.