Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Important Notice: PBS KIDS Will End Its Run On DStv With Peep And The Big Wide World
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Channel Closure: PBS Kids Will Stop Airing On DStv And GOtv Across Africa By 31 August 2024
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
PBS International Partners With Brands & Rights 360 To Expand Global Presence In Kids Markets
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Could PBS Kids Be The Next Channel To Exit The DStv And GOtv Platform?
Monday, February 26, 2024
PBS Kids Unveils Slate Of Content Including New Series ‘Tiny Time Travel’ and ‘Milo,’ Movies Based On ‘Wild Kratts’ And ‘Nature Cat’
Sunday, February 18, 2024
News Shorts: SuperSport Motorsport Opens Up To DStv Compact And Compact Plus Customers In Time For The F1 Season, Undercover Billionaire Returns On Discovery Family For Season 2 And PBS Kids Loads Up On Civics And Media Literacy With New Shorts
Sunday, December 31, 2023
2024 On Regular Nick (Upcoming Kids And Family/Animated Series) | Cartoon Network | Disney Channel | Nickelodeon | More Brands Including DreamWorks, Netflix, eToonz And Play Room
Thursday, November 9, 2023
PBS KIDS Greenlights Its First Series Built Around Autistic Characters
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
PBS KIDS-MAS! PBS KIDS South Africa Offers A Santa Sack Full Of Christmas Content For The School Holidays
Sunday, October 1, 2023
Development Alert: Wild Kratts Encourages Empathy For Animals During World Animal Month Across Africa On PBS Kids
Friday, September 8, 2023
Recap To The Week: Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Returns To South African Screens For New Episodes On PBS Kids
Friday, July 7, 2023
Why PBS Kids Africa Is Behind With The Rest Of The World?
PBS Kids owned by the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) is the most trusted educational brand for children aged 2-8. Since 2021, the brand has operated a number of blocks and linear channels in the United States, Africa and formerly Australia.
For those residing outside the United States may have noticed some rather bizarre variations from the American feed. I mean you have shows like Dinosaur Train currently in its fifth season with the Africa still wrapping up the second season I know shocking.
On top of that there's a lot of shows some fresh that have yet to be broadcast on the channel such as Let's Go Luna, Splash And Bubbles, Xavier Riddle And The Secret Museum, Ready Jet Go! and Clifford The Big Red Dog.
From what's understood here, consumers don't have longevity with PBS Kids as seen with Cartoon Network and Disney Junior globally. Despite the fact that some of this content such as Dinosaur Train and Cyberchase have been viewable in these markets.
Generally, PBS Kids hasn't got much credibility for these as the content is funded by taxpayers and foundations which just leads to curiosity as on how much ownership the main PBS brand has over this content.
I for starters don't mind how out of fashion PBS Kids may appear to some audiences. It's one of the few brands that acknowledge their much older properties I mean it debuted in 2019 across Africa airing shows like Mister Rogers Neighborhood and Time Warp Trio.
Aside from that, the main feed is repetitive and perhaps them introducing this content to newer audiences is another way to help build their offering. The international feeds doesn't focus solely on older content as there's shows like Donkey Hodie and Hero Elementary.
PBS Kids can be entertaining to the young and old.
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Development Alert: Childhood Favourite Arthur Returns To South African Screens For It's Final Rounds Thanks To PBS Kids
The much-loved cartoon Aardvark is returning to South African screens with Season 17 premiering Monday 3 July on DSTV channel 313 at 4pm.
The premier will be a nostalgic moment for many parents who grew up watching ARTHUR and his many friends, and will now be able to introduce the adored character to their own children, continuing the legacy.
The animated series is aimed at viewers aged four to eight, helping foster an interest in reading and writing, encouraging positive social skills, and models age-appropriate strategies problem-solving strategies.
The show chronicles the adventures of ARTHUR (an eight-year-old aardvark) through engaging, emotional stories that explore real issues kids face. The comedy-like series tells stories from a kid's point of view without moralising or talking down. Situations on ARTHUR develop in realistic ways and don't always turn out as Arthur or his friends might expect.
It has also been honoured with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and three Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Children's Animated Program.
Since its premiere, the series has been accessible through closed-captioning to viewers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. In addition, ARTHUR made history in 1997 when the series became the first daily program to be described for viewers who are blind or visually impaired.
Monday, June 5, 2023
Confirmed: PBS Kids To Close In Australia By The End Of June
PBS Kids is an educational brand operated by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) targeting children aged 2-8 years. It operates as a programming block on PBS in the United States and also a linear channel currently viewable on MultiChoice's DStv and GOtv in Africa.
Last month, Foxtel in Australia sent out a notice to consumers that they would be losing out on shows such as Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie, Wild Kratts and Hero Elementary as the PBS Kids channel would be going dark by the end of June after 2 years.
It means that Africa would once again be the only international territory to package PBS Kids as Australia was one of the few territories to actually offer a 24 hour service. Foxtel highlights viewership as one of the contributing factors to the channel's demise.
“We constantly review the performance and popularity of this content and have made the decision to close our PBS Kids channel. PBS Kids will be available to customers until 30 June 2023.”
A Foxtel spokesperson said, “Foxtel Group offers a wide range of popular kids content via DreamWorks, Cartoon Network, CBeebies and Boomerang including popular returning and premiering titles: Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Boss Baby: Back in Action (DreamWorks), Teen Titans Go! (Cartoon Network), Hey Duggee (CBeebies) and Batwheels (Boomerang).
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
New Series Alert: It's A Big Big World Coming Soon To PBS Kids Africa
PBS Kids, the most trusted brand for educational content for children aged 2-8 years home to shows like Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger that launched on the DStv platform later in 2019 is set on introducing to African audiences one of their older shows, It's A Big Big World.
The show revolves around a group of animals living in "The World Tree" in the rainforest along the Amazon River with the Pico da Neblina mountain background. The main character and host is Snook the sloth (performed by Peter Linz).
It's A Big Big World was broadcast on PBS Kids in the United States from January 6, 2006 to January 8, 2010 with a total of 47 episodes divided within 2 seasons. The series was created by Mitchell Kriegman, the creator of the Muppet television series, Bear in the Big Blue House.
The first season commences Tuesday 16 May on PBS Kids with a second season following almost a month from that day on 13 June.
During the month, PBS Kids rolled out new episodes of the puppet musical Donkey Hodie. It the second spinoff of Rogers' television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood after Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood under Spiffy Pictures and Fred Rogers Production.
Friday, April 7, 2023
Recap To The Past: Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman Was Removed From PBS Kids Lineup Ahead Of It's Linear Debut On MultiChoice's DStv
Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman was an educational game show with featured animated host Ruff Ruffman alongside real kids facing real challenges. The kids would do random tasks even play games mostly in the maths and sciences in order to win prizes.
The show was an instant hit with audiences and received critical acclaim. The New York Times praised the series, writing "The show’s creators have written in all the sarcasm and amazingness of a more sophisticated and harder-edged show, but not in a way that condones such behavior.
The series ran for five seasons and 100 episodes from May 29, 2006, to November 4, 2010, on the adult oriented, PBS. Prior to its demise, the series recieved an Emmy for Best Original Song which too is named after the program.
During its run, PBS Kids was a programming block hence the PBS. No 24 hour kids channel was available until at least 2017 and MultiChoice bundled Fetch! alongside various other content from the PBS brand in 2018 on the DStv app under the tile PBS Kids - experimental.
In May 2019, MultiChoice in partnership with PBS extended the agreement for the PBS Kids channel giving more consumers access to #1 trusted for educational content with shows like Arthur, Pinkalicious And Peterrific, Time Warp Trio and Postcards From Buster.
As seen through various promos and ads, we got to see a variety of programs some of which still remain to be unseen on the channel e.g. Super Why, Splash & Bubbles and Ready Jet Go. Of course within these adverts, Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman isn't credited any of them.
Not only that it was removed from 24/7 channel and other shows which were seen on the DStv app came as a double bill amidst the removal which begs the question as to why such a popular show would get screwed over in such a manner.
In a Fetch! With Ruffman Fan Page, it was revealed PBS Kids lost rights to the program and this dated back the same year it was slotted on the DStv app. Taking that to consideration, it's likely that PBS had wanted to remove the program from the DStv app much earlier but couldn't.
So they were only able to do so once the year long agreement was expired and PBS Kids not taking to account that not everyone cares or can afford to use the DStv app removed Postcards From Buster before it could even wrap production for those who couldn't see it.
As for Fetch!, although it can no longer be seen on PBS Kids it can however be viewable on other platforms for starters there's YouTube. I mean a lot of PBS Kids content is viewed freely on that platform.
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Recap: PBS Kids Has Yet To Rollout The New Logo In Other Countries
PBS Kids is a brand name in which the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) gives to their children's content. Trusted as the #1 educational brand, it offers content to help improve children's creative thinking while as engaging in the maths and science.
Some of the programming offered by the brand include Wild Kratts, Pinkalicious And Peterrific, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Nature Cat, Cyberchase, Elinor Wonders Why, Hero Elementary and Donkey Hodie.
As of 2019, the 24/7 version of PBS Kids can be seen across Africa and Australia while as other regions might as well be viewing various content. Prior to that it was merely a programming block which you could stream on YouTube or the app of the same name.
Last year, PBS Kids retired their mascot Dash in their official logo and opted for something more bland and simple kind of close to the current adult PBS logo. As the company seems to be onboard with the streaming wave which has changed the media landscape.
Insidus Games:
- Buzz Lightyear Star Command
- Pink Panther: Pinkadelic Pursuit
- Spider-Man Toxic City
- Baby Felix Halloween
Although, we have yet to see any of these changes surfacing in other countries. It is very much known at this point that the current international feeds are very much behind which isn't entirely a bad thing if you take certain matters to account.
Firstly, not a lot of people are familiar with PBS Kids, the other is the 24 hour component in the main market is repetitive and lastly the inability to catch-up kind of helps to build up the channel's lineup in these regions although it's a dumpster fire in that regard.
Regular Nick:
- Disney renews 3 adult animated series through 2025
- CoComelon to get yet another spinoff
- Moonbug Kids To Distribute New STEAM Focused Series, Ocean Explorers
- New Bear Grylls series is coming soon to Da Vinci Kids
Last year, Nature Cat and Martha Speaks latter seasons rolled out before it's previous seasons on PBS Kids. I mean Wild Kratts and Daniel Tiger are on the channel and are very behind to date all of this pointing to a reshuffle in their offering.
Maybe the reason PBS Kids hasn't updated their lineup has to do with the changes in the main market. Maybe, they're looking to introduce a more modern version where shows like WordWorld and Peg + Cat are probably phased out for more Daniel and Pinkalicious.
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
PBS KIDS Announces New Toons ‘Lyla In The Loop’ & ‘Weather Hunters’
At the Television Critics Association Press Tour, PBS KIDS announced the production of two new engaging and educational animated series: Lyla in the Loop, a comedy introducing youngsters to computational thinking concepts, and STEM series Weather Hunters, starring Al Roker.
“Lyla in the Loop focuses on the important skills of creative thinking and problem solving through a thoughtful and adventurous approach that meets children in a funny and relatable way,” said Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS. “We’re so excited to be partnering with Mighty Picnic and Pipeline Studios to bring this inventive new series to families across the country.”
DeWitt added, “We’re so excited to be working with Al Roker and his team to bring important weather and Earth science lessons to kids through Weather Hunters. We know that parents and kids are looking for content about weather and climate; this show is fresh, funny and forward-thinking, and will help kids understand how weather affects their lives every day.”
Insidus Games:
- Fix It Fun! Bob The Builder
- Blue's Alphabet Book
- Buzz Lightyear Star Command
- Bugs Bunny & Lola Bunny: Operation Carrot Patch
Lyla in the Loop
Aimed at kids 4-8, Lyla in the Loop is created by Emmy-winning producer Dave Peth (Odd Squad, Peg + Cat, Scribbles and Ink, Design Squad), founder of media production and consulting company Mighty Picnic. Pipeline Studios, the Emmy-winning children’s content studio (Elinor Wonders Why, Alma’s Way, Bubble Guppies) is animating the series. Funding was provided by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and a grant from the U.S. Department of Education as part of the Ready to Learn Initiative. The series will be complemented by digital content for kids, families and teachers.
“The message of Lyla in the Loopis that everyone has what it takes to be a creative problem-solver,” says Peth. “If you keep asking questions, trying new things, and working together, you’ll find more solutions than you could have imagined – and have a lot of fun along the way.”
Series executive producer & head writer Fracaswell Hyman adds: “In a world where representation matters, Lyla in the Loop features a Black girl who feels there is no problem too big or too small to solve. Lyla leans in when problems occur or obstacles appear. She is curious, imaginative and although she sometimes dives in head first without looking, her tenacity and creativity when it comes to problem-solving makes it clear that she will eventually resurface triumphant. Lyla’s loving family, friends and fantastical companion, Stu, create a warm environment that will attract viewers and invite them to emulate Lyla when challenges come their way.”
Synopsis: Lyla in the Loop centers on Lyla’s family and diverse community. In addition to Lyla, the show features her mom, dad, 5-year-old brother Luke, 12-year-old twin sisters Liana and Louisa, and best friend Everett Phan, who all live in an apartment building and neighborhood bustling with activity. Stu, a fuzzy blue creature with a big smile helps Lyla tackle all kinds of challenges — like building the best-ever train set for her brother Luke, creating an extra-special sandwich for her family’s restaurant, Loops Lunch, and searching for a missing package sent by an Auntie in Jamaica (with delicious spice buns and other traditional treats inside!).
In every adventure, Lyla and Stu introduce and explore foundational computational thinking concepts, leading to some comedic disasters and creative solutions, all while helping others in their community. The series will support a wide range of learners, modeling flexible approaches to finding and designing solutions, and creative self-expression.
“Lyla is a character I would’ve loved to see on television when I was seven,” says series story editor Monique D. Hall. “She’s a little Black girl who isn’t afraid to be her full, smart, and silly self. She and Stu get into all kinds of fun messes, but they always manage to find clever ways out of them — even if it takes a few tries. You’ll definitely want to be in the loop for whatever adventure Lyla, Stu and the rest of the Loops Crew get into next!”
Series advisors for Lyla in the Loop include Dr. Amon Millner, Assistant Professor of Computing and Innovation at the Olin College of Engineering directing the Extending Access to STEM Empowerment (EASE) Lab, series Curriculum Director; Nermeen Dashoush, PhD and Clinical Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Education, Boston University, Lead Advisor; Yenda Prado, PhD, Education Researcher at University of California, Irvine, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) advisor; V. Scott Solberg, Professor, Department of Counseling and Applied Human Development, Boston University, Career Pathways and World of Work Advisor; Cosette Strong, Strong Consulting Group, DEIA Advisor.
Weather Hunters
Weather Hunters is a new animated science series for kids ages 5-8 from Al Roker Entertainment (ARE), the production company led by beloved Emmy-winning TODAY weatherman and host, Al Roker. The series is designed to support kids’ understanding of PBS KIDS Announces New Toons ‘Lyla in the Loop’ & ‘Weather Hunters’ through adventure and comedy as it follows eight-year-old Lily Hunter, a weather detective who shares her investigations with her family — including dad Al Hunter, voiced by Roker.
“Weather Hunters has been a labor of love and a passion project for more than a decade and I cannot think of a better partner than PBS KIDS to make this dream come true,” says Roker. “When it comes to Weather Hunters , I predict increasing animation with downpours of family friendly storytelling and a rising understanding of weather and climate on your local PBS station, pbskids.org, and the PBS KIDS Video and Games apps.”
Each 22-minute episode of Weather Hunters will explore kid-relatable STEM-based activities and themes, highlighting the wonder of weather within the broad field of science in terms that all learners can understand. Topics include observing and tracking weather patterns, exploring why weather changes can be different around the country and the world, and the connection between humans and the environment. The series will reinforce key weather, climate, and environmental concepts to provide building blocks for further learning. Digital content for kids, parents and teachers will launch along with the series to reinforce the show’s key messages and encourage further engagement.
Regular Nick:
- Phineas And Ferb to get 40 additional new episodes on Disney Channel
- Iwayu set to debut on Cartoon Network by 2024
- Could Universal Kids be the next channel to close down from NBCUniversal?
- The Twisted Timeline Of Sammy And Raj coming soon to Nickelodeon
Created by Roker, Weather Hunters is being produced by New York-based Al Roker Entertainment. Tracie Brennan and Lisa Tucker (ARE) serve as executive producers, along with four-time Emmy Award-winning animation industry veteran, Bill Schultz (The Simpsons, Garfield, Clifford the Big Red Dog). The original series brings together an amazing team of artists and writers for the new 40 half-hour series, including notable animation director Tyree Dilihay (Bob’s Burgers), animation producer/director Jerry Brice, head writer John Semper (Static Shock, Fraggle Rock) and three-time Emmy winner and writer, Carin Greenberg (Tumbleleaf). The production is made possible with funding from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies and PBS.
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Here Are Other Ways To View The Latest Content On PBS Kids
PBS Kids is an educational brand owned by the Public Broadcasting Service which caters to children aged 2 to 8 years with a mixture of animation and live-action to help improve on their maths, literacy and other curriculum based activities.
At the time, there wasn't a linear offering on top of the fact that not a lot of viewers were aware of the brand but could get some idea of what its about with the likes of Arthur, Zoboomafoo, Peep And The Big Wide World and Dinosaur Train.
Regular Nick:
- The Twisted Timeline Of Sammy And Raj coming soon to Nickelodeon
- Predictions: Nicktoons and Boomerang's untimely demise
- Avatar to return with new animated series on Nickelodeon
- Best & Bester coming soon to Nicktoons
In 2019, PBS Kids made its international debut in Africa on DStv from May 22nd offering original series such as Arthur, WordWorld, Peg + Cat, Wild Kratts and Martha Speaks alongside other content such as Cyberchase, Time Warp Trio and Pinkalicious And Peterrific.
Fast forward to 2023, the channel still has a lot of catching up to do while other outlets like Netflix or Showmax confine them to a paywall with the PBS Kids Video App you can view these shows for free with just a push of a button.
Insidus Games:
- Tom And Jerry: Infurnal Escape
- Tom And Jerry: The Magic Ring
- The Wild Thornberrys Movie
- The Wild Thornberrys: Chimp Chase
The PBS Kids Video app gives kids and parents access to thousands of free videos, including full episodes and clips from top PBS KIDS series. With this app, kids can watch their favorite PBS KIDS shows anytime, anywhere!
The app provides a safe, child-friendly viewing experience for all ages. Kids can easily browse and watch videos at home, on the road, or anywhere with a mobile or WiFi connection.
Stream the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel on the app for free (no subscription or login required). You can also stream on YouTube but best advice get a Virtual Private Network (VPN) if any of these alternatives restrict access.
Friday, November 4, 2022
Roundups #108: PBS Kids Banks On Civics And Shorts, What To Expect In December 2022 On Comedy Central Africa? And Turkish Adaptation To New Amsterdam Launches In 2023
PBS KIDS has greenlit a new series of animated shorts focused on teaching kids about civics
City Island (20 x three minutes) will put a spotlight on topics such as city planning, how communities work and conflict resolution. New York-based Augenblick Studios and Future Brain Media are producing the shorts, which will launch on PBS KIDS in December 2022 and January 2023.
Aaron Augenblick (The Jellies! ) created the 2D-animated series for ages six to 10. Episodes follow the young lightbulb Watt as she learns about how cities run, what roles businesses like libraries and airports play, and how to solve problems.
Civics is a growing trend in the kids industry, with Netflix ordering the animated musical series We The People (10 x three minutes) from Chris Nee and executive produced by the Obama’s Higher Ground Productions. Launched in 2021, it features original songs that break down concepts like taxes and the first amendment for kids and teens. Meanwhile, the Jim Henson Company is developing Citizen Squad, a live-action one-off that encourages kids to be good citizens in their community.
What to expect this festive season on Comedy Central?
SPECIALS
MARTIN LAWRENCE LIVE: RUNTELDAT
SATURDAY 20:00 31 DECEMBER
Join Comedy Central for a night of laughter with famous Comedian and Actor Martin Lawrence in his concert film : Martin Lawrence's RunTelDat tour, it showcases his take on critics, sex and his 1999 brush with death in a filmed concert performance.
SEASON 28
THE DAILY SHOW WITH TREVOR NOAH
TUESDAYS - FRIDAYS
1 – 16 DECEMBER @ 23:30
South African born host, Trevor Noah delivers satirical news related to the international and American political matters in an entertaining way. This will be the final episodes of The Daily Show with Trevor as the host.
HOLIDAY MOVIE FESTIVAL
ENJOY A RANGE OF COMEDY AND CHRISTMAS MOVIES
EVERY SATURDAY
@ 20:00 THIS DECEMBER
SISTER ACT
BAD COMPANY
A HIP HOPFAMILY CHRISTMAS 1 & 2
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS
CURSED FRIENDSFOREVER
A DIVA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL
RENO 911 –IT’S A WONDERFUL HEIST
NBCUniversal in association with 03 Medya welcome a new medical drama
The Turkish adaptation Hayat Bugün, meaning “Life Is Today,” will be produced by 03 Medya in association with Universal International Studios. Original show creator David Schulner is consulting on the series. It is scheduled to air in Turkey on Show TV in 2023.
The series will follow Dr. Bariş, the newly appointed chief of medicine at one of Turkey’s most famous and oldest public hospitals, as he works to reform the neglected facility by tearing up its bureaucracy to provide exceptional care to patients using creative solutions.
The original New Amsterdam was inspired by Dr. Eric Manheimer’s memoir Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital and his 15 years as medical director at the hospital. It was created for television by Schulner, who has also served as executive producer alongside Peter Horton. Produced by Mount Moriah, Pico Creek Productions and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.