Reminder: Play Room To Debut Brand New Series "Rainbow Rangers" In November

Kartoon Studios, a leading media company that creates, produces and licenses children's multimedia entertainment content and products for global broadcast, digital and retail distribution, has licensed broadcast rights for season one of its new CGI-animated production, Rainbow Rangers, to Play Room. 

Rainbow Rangers, which is expected to air on Play Room in November, boasts a unique and highly-accomplished team of creators from the animated motion picture world, including Rob Minkoff (Disney's The Lion King director), Shane Morris (Disney's Frozen co-writer), Tim Mansfield and New York Times Bestselling author and Emmy-nominated writer Elise Allen (Dinosaur Train, Lion Guard, Barbie specials) who is serving as head writer and co-creator. Kartoon Studios' Chairman and CEO and multiple Emmy-winning producer of more than 5,000 episodes of children's programming, Andy Heyward, serves as executive producer, with legendary Disney alum Ruben Aquino creating key designs. Aquino is responsible for the design and animation of many of Disney's most iconic characters from award-winning films including "The Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast," "The Little Mermaid," "Mulan" and "Frozen."

"We've assembled an unprecedented team of creative talent to bring Rainbow Rangers to life and are committed to selecting partners of the same caliber that have a shared passion for the brand," said Heyward.

Rainbow Rangers is an empowering, exciting, behind-the-curtain peek at the real lives of superheroes -- Earth's First Responders. The series seamlessly blends fantasy and action-adventure with relatable, accessible stories about friendship and saving the environment. The Rainbow Rangers -- seven girls, each a different color of the rainbow, each with her own wildly unique personality and powers -- band together to save the day whenever there's trouble for the people, animals or natural wonders of the Earth. Every storyline is designed to show viewers the importance of working together and that actions both big and small can make the world a better place.

Aside from Rainbow Rangers, Play Room had obtained rights to Batwheels from Warner Bros. Animation Studios which following its rollout had been popular addition joining the likes of Teen Titans GO!.

News Shorts: A Rebroadcast Of eKasi: Our Stories Replaces Current Affairs On e.tv As The Latter Moves Back To Late Nights, Play Room Lands In Gotham City With The Batwheels And TLNovelas Africa Is Now Slated To Air Cancelled Soap Shadows Of The Past

e.tv hits a new low with a rebroadcast of eKasi: Our Stories 

In a not so surprising move by the broadcaster, The Last Word With Shahan Ramkissoon, Devi and Checkpoint will now air 2 hours later at 22:30 as primetime is set to be bombarded with repeats of eKasi: Our Stories. We can only assume similar to Isiphetho: Destiny even the 20:30 slot is a danger zone.

By this time, Uzalo is broadcast on SABC 1 and seeing as e.tv and SABC 1 are targeting the same viewers you can only assume that a majority have a preference to long form soaps. Unlike Isiphetho: Destiny, these shows were commissioned by eNCA so there's a strong chance it will remain on the air.

But with the number of times they've changed their schedule I wouldn't be shocked if e.tv scrapped current affairs from weekdays as they've got these batch of shows like uMbali and Splintered Pieces on eVOD. None of which have yet to be added on eMedia's linear platforms and e.tv has already seen constraints in their schedule.

Batwheels expands to DStv Access

Produced by Warner Bros Animation, the series follows a group of sentient super-powered crime-fighting vehicles defending Gotham City alongside a host of DC superheroes. Brought to life by the Batcomputer to help defend Gotham City, the heroic Batwheels are thrust into hilarious hijinks and jaw-dropping action while learning important life lessons.

Led by Bam the Batmobile, the Batwheels must navigate the challenges of being a newly formed super team as well as the growing pains that come with just being a kid. The relatable and aspirational series follows the team’s journey as they thrill and entertain with their heroic adventures, as well as demonstrate to preschool kids the value of self-confidence, friendship and teamwork.

After being made available on Cartoonito by March 2023, Play Room had acquired rights to superhero themed preschool series following its rollout on Netflix in September. The series is slated to air from 1st November at 18:15 and it's rollout on the channel coincides with Cartoon Network as they will be celebrating Teen Titans GO! 400th episode milestone with a bunch of DC themed content.

Shadows Of The Past now slated to rollout on TLNovelas

After failing to rollout on the channel earlier in the year, TLNovelas is now slated to include the former FOX soap Shadow Of The Past by December replacing the current rebroadcast of Timeless Love. Similar to Telemundo, it appears primetime is now being revived as the latter gripped to 1 timeslot.

Based on 2001 telenovela El Manantial, it follows Two very different families live in the village of Santa Lucía who are involved in a whirlwind of passion, pain, and revenge. From those opposite sides, Aldonza and Cristóbal meet and a bond that will face hurdles is formed.

Michelle Renaud and Pablo Lyle stars as the protagonists, while Alexis Ayala and Alejandra Barros stars as the antagonists. There is a special participation of Susana González and René Strickler, with Alfredo Adame, Cynthia Klitbo and Manuel "Flaco" Ibáñez.

Play Room Adds Three New Shows "The Jungle Book" In Isizulu Alongside "Super Sema" And "Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn"

Play Room is a South African based children's channel operated by Movie Room and Newzroom Afrika makers Ngwato Nkosi Group. The channel offers a mix of locally produced content with Play Room Live and Cocomelon dubbed in Isizulu alongside other content like Henry Danger and Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures.

The channel is slated to rollout three series in the coming weeks such as "The Jungle Book" and "Super Sema" both of which will form the local portion of Play Room while "Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn" joins the international slate.

Details on The Jungle Book

"The Jungle Book" is about the adventures of Mowgli, a human foundling raised by Akela's wolf pack, and his best friends, fatherly bear Baloo and playful panther Bagheera. They live in the Indian jungle where many dangers lurk, such as the mighty Bengal tiger Shere Khan. The inquisitive Mowgli often gets himself into trouble and can't resist helping animals in danger or solving other problems.

Based in France, "The Jungle Book" will be made available in Isizulu alongside existing shows such as "Akili And Me", "Supa Strikas" and "Cocomelon". New episodes will be broadcast daily at 08:15 from 23 September.

Details on Super Sema

“Super Sema” follows the world-changing, STEAM-fueled adventures of a brave and heroic 10-year-old girl, Sema, and her twin brother, MB, as they protect their African village from the villainous Tobor and his bungling robot army. A heartless, artificially intelligent ruler, Tobor meets his match in Sema, who learns that with determination, creativity and a helping hand from the amazing worlds of science and technology, anything is possible. 

Exec produced by Oscar-winning actor, Lupita Nyong’o, (“12 Years a Slave,” “Black Panther,” “Us”), “Super Sema” is written by four-time BAFTA winner, Claudia Lloyd (“Charlie & Lola,” “Mr. Bean,” “Tinga Tinga Tales”). CAKE comes on board as international distributor. 

The series will broadcast daily at 09:15 from 16 September.

Details on Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn

"Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn" follows the adventures of the 12-year-old Harper quadruplets Nicky (Aidan Gallagher), Ricky (Casey Simpson), Dicky (Coronel) and Dawn (Lizzy Greene) who don’t have much in common, except their birthday, but know they can do anything when they stick together. Rounding out the cast are Allison Munn (That '70s Show) who plays the Harpers' mother Anne, Brian Stepanek (The Loud House) as their father Tom, Kyla-Drew Simmons as Dawn's best friend Mae.

It ran for 84 episodes over four seasons between September 13, 2014 and August 4, 2018, and was a consistently strong ratings performer during its broadcast on Nickelodeon. The first season will be broadcast daily at 17:30 from 23 September.

News Shorts: Supa Strikas To Be Dubbed In IsiZulu For Play Room, Zee World Is Living Every Moment With New On Air Look By June 17 And Zambezi Reloaded Might Be Relaunching On DStv In The Coming Weeks

Supa Strikas goes local

As reported, Play Room had acquired rights to Supa Strikas after being made available to multiple kids channels on DStv already. The channel will add a new spin toward the animated series by dubbing the show in Zulu being the first for older viewers.

When Play Room launched later in 2023, it was only the preschool offering that received such treatment with Cocomelon and Akili And Me. With the soccer stars set to join this trio daily at 17:00 from 17 June.

Zee World is lighting your viewing experience 

Zee World was launched back in 2015 and has since then become one of the leading destinations for Bollywood entertainment. It's success led to the additions of Zee One, Zee Alem in Ethopia and the recent Zee Zonke in Southern Africa. 

Now the channel is gearing up for a new campaign titled Living Every Moment from June 17 with Zee World that is set to rollout updated graphics. 

Fan favorite channel makes a comeback

Zambezi Reloaded was added onto MultiChoice's DStv as catchup channel to Zambezi Magic. This was only applicable to consumers in Malawi after MultiChoice had its DStv license suspended with consumers having to catchup on past episodes during the festive season. 

Now MultiChoice appears to be looking at possibly reviving the channel for the second time of course the intentions for this iterations has yet to be mentioned. 

News Shorts: Supa Strikas Now Has A Release Date On Play Room With Ambani Tech Squad, Black Tax To Make Its Freemium Debut On e.tv With A Season 2 And Via Allocates Two New Afrikaans Series In August

Play Room is now a Supa Striker

Last month, it was reported that Play Room had acquired rights to Supa Strikas (currently seen on Moonbug) although not announcing it officially. They gave viewers a teaser on their social platforms and it didn't take long to link the logo with Supa Strikas.

Now the series is slated to air daily at 17:00 from 17 June with a third season. In other developments, the channel will be rolling out an educational segment Ambani Tech Squad (through Ambani Africa) dwelling on technological concepts.

Ambani Africa, an award-winning EdTech powerhouse that uses augmented reality, captivating animation, and exciting gamification to enhance the learning journey for students, parents, educators, and organizations alike.

More DStv repeats on e.tv

BET is a general entertainment channel operated by Paramount Global that celebrates black culture through films and series. It is home to locally produced shows such as Redemption, Queendom, Isono alongside international shows like Basketball Wives.

For several years, eMedia Investments had been distributing various content from the broadcaster on their linear platforms and even co-produced some content with e.tv now slated to rollout Black Tax at 19:30 from 15 June.

Black Tax is a comedic series that follows Thuli as she is brought up in a tightly-knit black community and grows up to be successful. However, as her family starts growing she questions the importance of the black tax.

Upcoming shows on Via

Die ontwerpers

Season 1

1 August – 24 October 2024

Thursdays 17:30

In each episode of this show, an interior designer takes the viewer on a tour of three spaces: One they designed themself, one that inspires them, and – finally – their own home.

Wie was dit?

Season 1

2 – 30 August 2024

Fridays 20:30

A new competition show for lovers of true crime and police dramas. We all know someone who's good at solving the fictional crimes they see on TV. In this show, we'll set out to see if these "couch detectives" are truly as smart as they claim to be. Four "couch detectives" will check into a hotel in a sleepy countryside town and, in each episode, they will be presented with a fictional crime that they need to solve. The contestant who cracks the most cases by the end of the season, is the winner. This season will feature celebrity contestants.

Klankbank

Season 5

2 August – 25 October 2024

Fridays 20:00

In each episode of this game show, three contestants go head-to-head to test their knowledge of popular music. How much money can they collectively bank for the ultimate winner to take home in the end? Hosted by Arno Greeff.

News Shorts: The Caring Friend Circle Coming Soon To Play Room, A Rebroadcast Of The Impostor Launches On Telemundo Across Africa And WildEarth Extends Its Reach To Freeview In The UK

More Sesame Street on Play Room

Not long ago, Play Room had scooped up rights to more educational content from Sesame Workshop with Math Adventures. Now the channel will continue its investment toward the franchise with the rollout of The Caring Friends Circle.

Elmo learns something super important about himself. The Caring Friends Circle plays a game where they say something they like about themselves while passing a ball. But when it is Elmo's turn, he is not sure what to say. 

It will air daily at 06:15 from 14 June.

Telemundo hits the snooze button

Based on the Chilean telenovela Cerro Alegre, The Impostor follows a young waitress with a great ability for imitation and acting, has to pose as a millionaire investor to infiltrate a very powerful New York family in order to uncover a hidden truth.

It starred Christian Bach as Raquel Altamira, Sebastián Zurita as Eduardo Leon Altamira, Lisette Morelos as Blanca Guerrero, Manuel Landeta as Adriano Ferrer and Armando Silvestre as Don Leónidas Altamira.

The series will replace Betty In New York daily at 19:00 from 14th June.

WildEarth goes abroad 

WildEarth's live and interactive shows aim to recreate the thrilling experience of being on a safari vehicle in remote African locations. The focus is on capturing serendipitous moments of unscripted magic, rather than relying on dramatic animal behaviour, to create an emotional connection between viewers and the natural world.

Online, the platform attracts seven million global monthly unique viewers and now those daily live broadcasts are available on TV in the UK.

Emily Wallington, Co-Founder of WildEarth, expressed her excitement about the partnership with Freeview, saying: "'WildEarth' is all about connecting people to nature in a real and unscripted way – in effect we are the largest safari vehicle in the word. This helps viewers to understand nature for what it really is and to see why we need to conserve our beautiful habitats. This partnership with Freeview in the UK is a major step in achieving this as we reach British viewers who love nature and care about the planet.”

New Series Alert: Math Adventures And Barbie: Dreamtopia Coming Soon To Play Room

Play Room, a South African based children's channel operated by Ngwato Nkosi Group that offers fun and learning with a mixture of locally produced content part alongside international shows is set to debut two new series, Math Adventures and Barbie: Dreamtopia. 

Produced by Sesame Workshop, Math Adventure is an educational TV show that seeks to help children improve on numbering skills. It featured Zoe, Elmo, Cookie Monster and Big Bird.

Barbie: Dreamtopia follows Chelsea Roberts as she finds herself touring her own make-believe land known as Dreamtopia with her big sister, Barbie. There, they discover a whole new munch-able world and swim through rainbow rivers with small mermaids.

Math Adventures airs daily at 06:40 and this would be followed by Barbie: Dreamtopia at 20:10 from 11 June.

Sesame Workshop is home to shows like Abby's High Flying Fairy School, Abby's Amazing Adventures and The Big Feeling Explorer. Other shows like Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures and Barbie: Magic Touch are all owned by Mattel Television. 

News Shorts: Play Room Acquires Broadcasting Rights To Cave Club, Baby Cele Joins Season 2 Of Sibongile And The Dlaminis And Raid The Cage Delayed On SABC 2

Cave Club is now part of the Play Room family 

Welcome to a land of adventure, exploration, and even dinosaurs. Join five fearless friends as they discover the unexpected origins of some of today's most popular trends and tackle relatable issues. These B.F.F.s will be the first to see and do everything-starting with the first-ever best friends' group, Cave Club.

It will air daily at 07:30 from 6 June.

Baby Cele Joins Season 2 of Sibongile & The Dlaminis

Baby Cele is joining season 2 of Sibongile & The Dlaminis as Samkelisiwe, Bab’Ntombela’s sister, and it looks like she is set to shake things up for her former friends Deliwe and Phetheni.

The three met as young women and connected over their shared experience of being scammed, but she got the short end of the stick in this friendship trio, which sets her on a path for revenge.

Baby Cele is one of the extremely talented actors in Mzansi and she has showcased her talent on productions like Mzansi Magic’s Ring Of Lies, Saints and Sinners and recently Shaka Ilembe. Watch her as she returns to Ixopo and turns some people’s lives upside down on the new season of Sibongile & The Dlaminis on Mzansi Wethu (DStv Channel 163) from 29 July at 6:30pm.  

SABC 2 delayed Raid The Cage

In late March the SABC at a programming upfront in Johannesburg rolled out podcasters Sol Phenduka and Mac G on stage before stakeholders and announced them as the co-presenters of Raid the Cage South Africa that the public broadcaster said would start on 27 May on SABC2.

According to insiders, the SABC made the announcement about Raid the Cage and other shows without various contracts having been signed yet. 

Raid the Cage SA for SABC2 is another one of the shows acquired by Primedia Studios and done for the SABC and is one of the new crop of localised format shows produced by Anele Mdoda and Frankie du Toit's Rose and Oaks Media like The Masked Singer SA and Ready, Steady, Cook for SABC3. 

New Series Alert: Play Room Reportedly Acquires Broadcasting Rights To Supa Strikas With eExtra Set To Rollout Weekly Rugby Talk Show BÔll And Ôll

Play Room teases new series 

During the week, Play Room shared a cryptic post of an upcoming show to viewers on their social platforms. It didn't take long for viewers to quickly guess Supa Strikas as the logo is visible within the background of the character's sock.

There's also the matter of the font color for "COMING SOON" which matches that of Supa Strikas. Taking to account, Play Room also licensed shows from Moonbug including Oddbods and Cocomelon. 

From our initial guess, the series will likely rollout in June most presumably at 17:00 replacing Sanjay And Craig.

eExtra greenlits new series with weird title

BÔll & Ôll is a new weekly rugby talk show focusing on the pulse of South-African rugby, namely, the community. The show will put the emphasis on the Club, the Player, the Game, and the Community.

Hosted by radio and TV presenter JP Keyter and rugby legend Ashwin Willemse, who will unpack, discuss, and analyse all things rugby in South Africa – bringing to the fore nostalgic SA Rugby events and happenings.

 

BÔll & Ôll premieres on Openview eExtra Sunday 26 May at 18:30. The show will repeat on e.tv every Saturday at 18:00.

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News Shorts: Play Room Acquires Broadcasting Rights To Rockabye Island, Zee World Launches Its First 30 Minute Slots With Sister Wives And Force Of Attraction And Via Launches A New Show Gesels In June

Play Room travels to the UK in Rockabye Island

Each day, Sean and Roisin hop on board their school-boat with their school friends and head off to a magical preschool, where they meet their teacher, Mister O’Dear, who just happens to be a deer!

Through imagination, adventure and teamwork, the children learn about their world and how it works, all with the support of their many animal friends on the fantastical and enchanting Rocka-Bye Island!

The series airs daily at 09:00 from 27 May.

Zee World also pulling a Star Life 

After Star Life opted to make all their primetime shows ran half an hour it appears Zee World is also dwelling in the 30 minute offering with Sister Wives and Force Of Attraction. These shows air daily at 21:00 and 21:30 despite the rest of Africa receiving it as 1 hour.

If anything, is it possible Zee World is looking to follow Star Life and make all their programs half hour. Honestly, there are shows on there which deserve that treatment like Radha Mohan and Twist Of Fate considering how often you'd hear those words "new season".

This isn't the first time Zee World had made rather odd changes aside from separate feeds. There was a case where films were viewed on one feed but excluded from the other so I guess this will be the new norm with the channel.

June and July on Via

Gesels

Season 1

22 June – 14 September 2024

Saturdays 18:00

46 minutes x 13 episodes

Genre: Talk show

Gesels is an energetic lifestyle talk show where advice and inspiration are shared to address different facets of our lives. Creating space for ourselves, for others, and for community is apparently the secret to happiness. Viewers will get the sense that they are privy to the coolest conversations where they leave with fresh insights and a list of new things to try.

Hier sit die manne

Season 5

6 July – 28 September 2024

Saturdays 17:00

46 minutes x 13 episodes

Genre: Talk show / Magazine show

A male-interest talk show hosted by Frank Rautenbach. In each episode Frank interviews a guest who is relevant to the market. Additional inserts will focus on popular male interests such as cars, fishing, hunting, investing, travel, rugby, and more.

Die Babbelbende

Season 2

21 July 2024 – 19 January 2025

Sundays 07:30

23 minutes x 25 episodes

Genre: Kids' entertainment

In this children's entertainment series, we answer all the questions curious kiddies may have. Paloeka, Palawa and their bestie, Bibi, hang out in their tree house while their friends Ben visits all kinds of interesting places. For children ages 4 through 10.

New Series Alert: The Day Henry Met And Earth To Luna Coming Soon To Play Room

Play Room, a South African based children's channel operated by Ngwato Nkosi Group that offers fun and learning with a mixture of locally produced content part alongside international shows is set to debut two new series, The Day Henry Met and Earth To Luna.

The Day Henry Met follows a charming, inquisitive Irish lad, meets something new like the knight or a whale, it becomes the focus of his journey of discovery and adventure, ultimately teaching viewers about real-life objects and occupations.

The series was allocated on Nick Jr. by September 2017 and since then has won numerous awards the first for Best European Work at Cartoons at The Pulcinella Award. This was followed by Best Animation award at the Irish TV Gala Awards. 

Earth To Luna follows the adventures of Luna, a young girl who is in love with science, her little brother Jupiter and their pet ferret Clyde. Unlike The Day Henry Met the series targets a wider spectrum between the ages of 4-9 year olds.

The series debuted in the United States by 2014 on Universal Kids and Discovery Kids. Since then over 200 episodes had been filmed across eight seasons each with a duration of 15 episodes.

The Day Henry Met airs daily at 11:00 on Play from 14 May and Earth To Luna airs daily at 17:15 from 20 May.

News Shorts: Explore The Wilderness With Peak Zoo On Play Room And eExtra's Primetime Slot Plummets With A Repeat Of Forbidden Passion

Play Room is going Scottish 

Peek Zoo is an Irish animated children's television series based on a book series by Kevin Waldron. The show follows the life of zookeeper Mr Peek and his children Jimmy and Violet, who solve problems and mysteries with the help of the animals in the zoo.

The series airs daily at 08:30 replacing one timeslot of Magic Cellar or at least in the daytime. We presume the show will be in English which is why they're evading from airing it in the night as the channel has a one hour block for languages. 

eExtra loads up on the reruns 

As if it isn't enough that Annekan Die Swa Kry and Kelders Van Geheime is telecast on both e.tv and eExtra. The channel has even reduced the Asian offering to merely one timeslot which too is repeats now the Indian offering is set to undergo further downsizing. 

Beyhadh is currently airing on the channel at 13:45 and from 8 May this offering will be axed in favor of Forbidden Passion which ended earlier in the year.

Similar to Telemundo and TLNovelas who both saw a drop in primetime during the course of 2024. It appears that eExtra is undergoing a similar procedure but with the guilty pleasure timeslot home to English dubbed dramas from Asia and India. 

Could Canal+ Kids Expand Its Operations Through MultiChoice's DStv Or Showmax?

Canal+ Kids is a French based children's channel operated by the Canal Group that offers imported alongside locally produced content. It is known for shows such as Elvis Riboldi and Mush-Mush And The Mushables shows picked by Warner's kids networks.

With Canal+ looking to acquire Africa's largest pay-tv company MultiChoice with an announcement anticipated in the coming days. Several things await the possibly merged companies one of which is downsizing of staff and merger of assets.

As seen since the course of 2023, MultiChoice Studios expanded their local portfolio to the kids market with the addition of Jay Jay: The Chosen One. This serves as the first animated project with promises to expand the lineup if it proved to be favorable. 

By 2024, MultiChoice Studios has managed to launch an additional two titles Twende and Hero Space: Trust Your Inner Hero. The plan at the moment is to do more short form depending on their performance as the plan is to expand this to other countries. 

Canal+ Kids which is situated in French speaking countries had already followed on similar endeavors basically serving as a rival. With Canal+ looking to acquire MultiChoice its likely that Canal+ Kids could expand their portfolio to include other countries. 

I mean the idea wouldn't seem far fetched as Canal+ has an active presence in the kids circuit in parts of Europe. Through Poland, some content is distributed by Teletoon+ and in Africa this would be considered the equivalent of Play Room.

New Series Alert: Showmax's Twende To Make Its Linear Debut On Play Room, SABC 2's Magic Cellar Also Added To The Lineup

Play Room, a South African based children's channel operated by Ngwato Nkosi Group that offers fun and learning through live-action and animated shows dubbed in Zulu will be expanding the local lineup during the school holidays with Twende and Magic Cellar.

After launching on Showmax in 2023, Twende will be making their linear debut on Play Room. It's not shocking cause after M-Net axed K-TV this content needed a platform and despite M-Net having no management of Play Room do provide funding through MultiChoice. 

SABC's influence on the channel is expanding with the inclusion of Magic Cellar. It would join other shows to have been offered by the public broadcaster including Akili And Me, Bino And Fino and Jabu's Jungle.

Twende follows a pangolin of the same name, the slowest moving animal in the savannah. He believes life is about the journey, not the destination’ and is constantly at odds with his job as a boda boda driver in the bustling, fictional East African city of Milima.

Produced by MultiChoice Studios, Twende is voiced by Junior Nyong’o, while June Gachui plays his best friend and navigator, Nuru – a smart bird who always looks out for Twende, even if his chilled-out vibe drives her crazy sometimes. 

Magic Cellar is a long-form 3D animated series based on African culture which focuses on folktales, partially collected via interviews with elders in villages. It featured a multicultural cast of characters, with the principal character being an African girl.

Since its inception, Magic Cellar won 42 international awards, including Gold and Silver World Medals at the New York Festivals, a Platinum REMI Award and First Prize at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (CICFF).

Twende will air on weekdays at 17:00 replacing Total Dramarama from 25 March and Magic Cellar likely dubbed in Zulu will replace Akili And Me on weekdays at 08:15 on Play Room. 

New Series Alert: Play Room Expands The Sesame Workshop With Abby's Flying Fairy School And Amazing Adventure

Last year, eMedia Investments acquired rights to Takalani Sesame a South African adaptation of Sesame Street after SABC held rights for over a decade. Now Play Room will be adding more shows from the franchise with Abby's Flying Fairy School And Amazing Adventure.

Synopsis for Flying Fairy School

Fairy Abby Cadabby visits the flying fairy school with her friends Trautsichnicht and Blögg. Teacher Frau Funkelnase teaches her students all kinds of interesting facts. Together, students and teacher use educational rhymes and songs to solve the problems.

The nine-minute segments focus on rhyme, reasoning, problem-solving, and cooperation. It debuted in season 40 and ran through season 45, though season 43 was the last to feature any new editions.

Synopsis for Amazing Adventure:

"Together with their magical basket, they take off on amazing adventures to incredible locations, learning all about different careers. With a new job mission at each place, Abby—who’s got a brand-new, updated look—uses her confidence and humor as she and Rudy overcome obstacles and persevere until their mission is complete." 

Amazing Adventures debuted by season 49 and is the first animated series to be produced entirely by Sesame Workshop's in-house animation team.

Abby's Flying Fairy School will broadcast on weekdays at 06:15 while Abby's Amazing Adventures airs 25 minutes later at 06:40 on Play Room replacing Thomas And Friends and reducing the timeslot of Oddbods.

2024 On Regular Nick (Upcoming Kids And Family/Animated Series) | Cartoon Network | Disney Channel | Nickelodeon | More Brands Including DreamWorks, Netflix, eToonz And Play Room

Cartoon Network/Max/Cartoonito

• Ijanu: Child Of Wonder: A teenage orphan girl with no recollection of her past who suddenly discovers that she has hidden powers that rival the Divine Ones themselves. 

• Hero Inside: The adventure begins after Scott, a cartoonist and free spirit, mysteriously vanishes after drawing 100 superheroes across 100 comic books, without ever publishing. His proofread books scattered across San Francisco, triggering odd occurrences.

• Totally Spies!: The anime-inspired toon about three female teens balancing spy missions and high school drama

• Invincible Fight Girl: The series follows Andy, a young girl who dreams of becoming the greatest pro wrestler of all time.

• Tiny Toons Looniversity: Babs, Buster and friends enroll at Acme Looniversity, the premier institution of higher hijinx learning.

• Jessica's Big Little World: Jessica navigates her way through a world where everything seems much bigger than she is; inspired by the grown-ups around her, she persists in conquering monumental children's tasks.

• Barney's World: Set in a local playground, Barney is joined by dinos Billy and Baby Bop and their three kid best friends. Throughout silly and imaginative adventures together, Barney helps kids explore big preschool emotions and shows them how to love themselves and other.

• Silly Sundays: A feel-good comedy series, full of heart and deeply rooted in familial themes, everything centers around Sonia, Hugo, Mel, Mom, Dad and Granny as they create unforgettable memories together during their weekend gatherings. • Spookies: Set in Castle Ravenrock, Spookies stars three wee ghosts who discover something new behind every cobwebbed corner and dusty stairwell.

• Lana Longbeard: Lana is a super-feisty, forward thinking and passionate 11-year-old girl, who is also the heir to her father's adventuring ship, the Mighty Windbreaker.

• New Tom And Jerry Shorts: the first ever Asian produced Tom And Jerry series, featuring the famous cat and mouse duo as they take their rivalry to Singapore.

• Karters: Set in a fantastical island world, the game lets players collect and tame mystical creatures called Temtem, which can be used for battling, trading with friends and breeding to create offspring with new powers.

• Kite Man: Hell-Yeah!: Kite Man and Golden Glider take their relationship to the next level by opening a bar in the shadow of Lex Luthor’s Legion of Doom. 

Disney Channel/Disney Junior/Disney+

• Pretty Freakin Scary: After her sudden demise, Frankie Ripp, a 14-year-old girl, agrees to a deal with the Grim Reaper that she would go back home but accompanied by her underground parents.

• Ariel: It follows eight-year-old mermaid princess Ariel as she and her friends embark on fun-filled, action-packed underwater adventures throughout their Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica and beyond.

• Marvel Zombies: Re-imagines the marvel universe as a new generation of heroes battle against an ever spreading zombie scourge.

• StuGo: an original animated series about six overambitious middle schoolers who are tricked into attending a fake academic summer camp by a mad scientist. 

• Dragon Strikers: When the world’s most popular sport combines with magic, awesomeness escalates quicker than a dragon-powered strike! 

• Doomies: When best friends Bobby and Romy mistakenly open a gateway to another world, they turn their sleepy coastal town into a hotspot for terrifying creatures of doom. 

• Cars On The Road: Lightning McQueen and his best friend Mater head east from Radiator Springs on a cross-country road trip to meet up with Mater's sister.

• Princess Sam: this CG-animated show stars a girl who travels to a magical planet to learn how to control her powers and defeat evil villains.

• X-Men' 97:  It serves as a revival of X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–97), and the plot will continue where the original series left off. 

• Tiana: Tiana continues to explore New Orleans in a musical series.

• Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man: will be a unique take on one of Marvel’s most famous superheroes, with surprising connections to the MCU. 

• Princess Sam: this CG-animated show stars a girl who travels to a magical planet to learn how to control her powers and defeat evil villains.

• Moana: The Series: Moana and her friends continue to explore the South Pacific in this musical animated series.

• Playdate with Winnie the Pooh follows a young Pooh Bear as he enjoys playdates with his friends. Set in the exciting outdoors of the Hundred Acre Wood, these musical shorts emphasize collaborative play and the joy of spending time with others. 

Nickelodeon/Nick Jr/Paramount+

• Erin & Aaron: Teenage stepsiblings navigate their new lives after their parents' marriage, and find strength in their shared passion for music.

• Hamsters of Hamsterdale: This series, produced by Nelvana, follows a motley crew of hamsters, the heroic protectors of their 8-year-old owner Harry, who they mistake as their King and beloved ruler of their elaborate colorful-tubed kingdom.

• HexVet And Magic Pets: follows unlikely best friends Nan and Clarion as they navigate life's weird and wacky challenges, while apprenticing to be magical veterinarians for fantastical creatures.

• Super Duper Bunny League: centers on a diverse group of bunny friends who must battle danger as they defend their city and the world from their archnemesis. 

• Avatar: The Last Airbender: The series will be an authentic adaptation of the award-winning and beloved Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender reimagined as a live-action adventure.

• Rock, Paper & Scissors: Follows 3 roommates on their hijinks, ridiculous adventures and shared love of wacky nonsense.

• Dora: The series, tentatively titled ¡Dora!, is described as a reimagining of the classic animated show which “promises to strike the perfect balance between the comfort of the familiar and the excitement of the fresh.” 

• Live-Action Dora Series: Nickelodeon's beloved Latina heroine is returning with a brand new live-action series! Not much is currently known about the show, however, it'll be aimed at kids 6-11, and will be in the vein of the 2019 live-action feature film Dora and the Lost City of Gold, which follows an older Dora!.

• Zokie of Planet Ruby: This buddy comedy, produced by Nelvana, follows quirky 10-year-old vlogger Ruby and her space alien best friend ZJ Sparkleton.

• Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Turtles, as teenagers, deal with their new life as heroes while also dealing with the pressures of going to high school in New York City.

Other

• Lyla in the Loop (PBS Kids): is a funny and engaging new animated series for kids ages 4-8 about Lyla Loops and her fantastical blue sidekick, Stu, who use creative and strategic problem-solving and critical thinking skills to help their family, friends, and community!

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (eToonz, Play Room): After getting exposed to a mutant substance, four turtles become giants and start speaking and walking upright. They are trained by a wise rat, Splinter, in order to defeat an evil man, Shredder.

• Power Rangers (Play Room): It revolves around a team of youths recruited and trained by a mentor to morph into the eponymous Power Rangers, able to use special powers and pilot immense assault machines, called Zords, to overcome the periodic antagonists. 

• Pokémon Horizons: The Series (Cartoon Network, eToonz): This series introduces two new protagonists, Liko and Roy, who team up with the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of adventurers that explore the Pokémon world and visit various regions, including the Paldea region.

• Dragon Ball: Daima (Cartoon Network, SABC 2): new canonical mainline anime set around the same time as when Super takes place. Fans also get a look at the apparent upcoming antagonists for the anime, who’ve seemingly been watching the Z Fighters and all their past struggles this entire time.

• Masters of the Universe: Revolution (Netflix): Skeletor's final assault on Castle Grayskull caused his own demise, put an end to He-Man , and damaged the source of all magic in existence. After their battle fractured Eternia, Teela must solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power to prevent the end of the Universe. 

• Carl The Collector (PBS Kids): follows the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things. His talents – a laser-focus pursuit of his goals, attention to detail, and a distinctive way of looking at and experiencing the world around him.

• Hazbin Hotel (Amazon Prime Video): The series follows Charlie Morningstar (Erika Henningsen), the princess of Hell, as she sets about fulfilling her seemingly impossible dream of opening a hotel called the "Happy Hotel," which aims to rehabilitate sinners.

• PeekeeBoo (Moonbug): The preschool project, featuring 2D animation with CG-animated backgrounds, will star three tiny creatures (Pea, Kee and Boo) who are enthralled by all of the sights and sounds of nature.

• Moonrise (Netflix): A young man from Earth enlists in the army to attack rebels on the Moon, only to find that his former best friend has become his enemy.

• Noah's Park (Play Room): The little animals have left Noah's Ark and find each other sharing fun and adventure, and a few life lessons in NOAH'S PARK.

• Game Shakers (eToonz): Babe and Kenzie create a popular application named Sky Whale. However, rapper Double G threatens to ruin their business because he finds out they have been using his song without permission.

• Time Patrol Bon (Netflix): The story focuses on Bon Namihira, a teenager who becomes part of a team of time-traveling agents tasked with saving people's lives during major historical events that happen across different eras and locations around the globe.

• Tomb Raider: The Legend Of Lara Croft

Asterix (Netflix): The series will be adapted from one of the classic volumes, Asterix and the Big Fight, where the Romans, after being constantly embarrassed by Asterix and his village cohorts, organize a brawl between rival Gaulish chiefs and try to fix the result by kidnapping a druid along with his much-needed magic potion. I’m not giving anything away when I tell you, it doesn’t go as planned.

• Dee & Friends In Oz: A young girl named Dee discovers a wonderful magical land of Oz, where she meets new friends and is challenged to save the day, and save Oz!.

• Hot Wheels Let's Races (Netflix): Follows the newest generation of racers as they experience mind-blowing races, extreme stunt contests, and thrill-seeking challenges.

• Megamind's Guide To Defending Your City (DreamWorks): The series will chronicle the new hero's quest to become a social media influencer and a true superhero. 

• Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (DreamWorks): Tells the story of dinosaur fanatic Darius Bowman, who visits Camp Cretaceous and, as per all prior Jurassic movies, the dinosaurs manage to get loose and cause untold chaos and destruction.

• Mighty MonsterWheelies (DreamWorks): Which reimagines classic characters as half-monster, half-truck vehicle heroes who team up to use their special powers to serve and protect the all-vehicle city of Motorvania from troublemakers like Phantom Freeze and Invisible Van.

• Exploding Kittens (Netflix): An eternal conflict reaches epic proportions when both, God and the Devil, are sent to Earth in the bodies of chunky house cats.

• Devil May Cry (Netflix): is an upcoming American adult animated dark fantasy action streaming television series based on the video game franchise of the same name by Capcom and part of Adi Shankar's Bootleg Multiverse.

• Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation (Netflix): Monsters follows Ryuma, a samurai from Wano, a country also featured in the One Piece universe. In a world disrupted by a menacing force, Ryuma must navigate the chaos caused by a powerful dragon with the ability to bring catastrophic havoc.

Could MultiChoice Be Looking To Add Play Room On DStv And GOtv Platforms In Southern Africa And Likely The Rest Of Sub-Saharan Africa As A Replacement To Akili Kids??? Here's Why

Last month, MultiChoice and Ngwato Nkosi Group unveiled Play Room as a new kiddies channel to DStv. The channel combines fun and learning for children with a mixture of locally produced and international series with titles like Akili And Me and CoComelon dubbed in Zulu.

There are plans to include more languages of course it's not known how many languages Play Room is looking to incorporate to its line-up.

It was also confirmed by the channel themselves that Play Room will for now be available in South Africa. At the moment, it's not viewable in Nigeria, Ghana, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi and other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Play Room served as a replacement to the factual based children's channel Da Vinci. In ROA, Da Vinci was substituted by Nigeria's Teen Africa TV which had since then following the closure of the factual brand expanded to 40 African countries (including MultiChoice's GOtv).

That only leaves Southern Africa without a replacement, as seen with past additions Zee Zonke and NWTV. These brands are all being filtered for Southern Africa despite incorporating local languages while Play Room is being excluded from the the rest of Africa.

MultiChoice had inserted test cards for Play Room in Southern Africa of course questions amount to why these appear in the region if the brand would be tailored only for South Africa like eToonz. If we had to guess, MultiChoice could be looking to launch a localised feed in Southern Africa.

Similar to the likes of Nickelodeon, this feed would come with a varied offering/language with some content sharing between and this includes the bulk of international shows like Paw Patrol, Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures and Total Dramarama.

With Play Room taking centre stage on channel 300, we presume the feed in Southern Africa would take up channel 311 - just a hunch. But that can only happen if eMedia Investments' free-to-view eToonz gets booted seeing as we do use the same frequencies.

As for ROA, there appears to be some conflict pertaining to the content e.g. Akili And Me (Akili Kids, Kenya) and Henry Danger (Nickelodeon). It would make sense to remove some channels like Akili Kids if the plan would be distributing the exact content in local languages.

Akili Kids which is the East African version of Play Room serves as a multilingual children's channel with content like Akili And Me and Wild Kratts in Swahili. It also offers both fun and learning something that Play Room could look into building for these markets.

News Shorts: Telemundo Africa Enters The New Year With More Decisions, Noah's Park To Make A Landing On Play Room And Celebrate Valentine's With Mpho Popps And South Park On Comedy Central

Decisions enters the new year

During the month, Telemundo unveiled the highly anticipated series Game Of Lies after failing to launch it in 2023. As reported already, the series will replace Lord Of The Skies by January 15 although the late night series would come to a close by 31 December 2023.

With that in mind, Decisions would take up the timeslot for Lord Of The Skies and later Law Of The Heart. We assume Game Of Lies will take up one timeslot of Law Of The Heart which had been distributed as a double bill while we wait on the follow up series.

Queen Of The South was initially set to replace Lord Of The Skies and if I had to guess the series will most likely replace Prisoner Of Love once it ends in February 2024 and another series slated to end in that time is Cennet: The Power Of Destiny.

Play Room rolls out it's first new show in the year

Last month, MultiChoice added Play Room as a brand new multilingual children's channel offering fun and learning with a mixture of locally produced and international content. It serves as eMedia's eToonz first ever rival as it too is based from South Africa.

According to media outlets, Play Room will be rolling out Noah's Park this January after failing to rollout in the channel's launch line-up with Akili And Me taking up its position. The show might air in a different timeslot seeing as it's former timeslot is proven favourable by viewers.

Dreamer the rhinoceros, Honk the camel, Stretch the giraffe and five of their animal friends left Noah’s Ark and set off on a great journey to find a new home. The live-action puppet show consists of 14 episodes which have been weirdly been divided between 2 seasons.

February on Comedy Central

MOST RIDICULOUS WITH MPHO POPPS

5 FEBRUARY @ 21:00 WEEKDAYS

South African celebrities join Mpho Popps for a laugh-filled adventure as they share their reactions, stories, and banter about the funniest clips from the internet.

South Park Valentine Stunt

Wednesday 14th February @10pm

Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy

Tweek x Craig

Proper Condom Use

Bebe's Boobs Destroy Society

Raisins

Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset

Follow That Egg

Cartman Finds Love

Development Alert: Tish Tash Is The Latest Entry To Play Room's Line-up, Ella Bella Bingo Set To Follow In The Coming Weeks

In less than a month, Play Room has managed to add at least two series to their line-up Rastamouse and Total Dramarama. Now the channel will continue to be building up its preschool line-up with the addition of two shows, Tish Tash and Ella Bella Bingo.

Tish Tash follows the adventures of a young bear called Tish, her bear family and her larger-than-life imaginary friend Tash, as they learn about the world around them. It is currently every weekday at 6:30 in place of Cocoland.

It consists of 48-52 episodes each with a duration of 11 minutes. It was also viewed on CBeebies in the UK, ABC Kids in Australia and lastly EBS1 in Korea.

Ella Bella Bingo follows the adventures of happy-go-lucky Ella and her friends. Each 7-minute episode is about how Ella uses her boundless creativity, infectious enthusiasm, and a never-give-up attitude to solve everyday problems in innovative ways.

The Singapore based animated series will be replacing one of the few locally produced shows on the channel, Bino And Fino. It airs weekdays at 08:45 from Monday 18 December.

Development Alert: Play Room Acquired Broadcasting Rights To The Canadian Animated Series Total Dramarama, Undergoes Timeslot Changes

During the week, Play Room broadcast the first season to Total Dramarama currently viewed on Teletoon in Canada and various Cartoon Network feeds in other countries. It sets as another prequel to the Total Drama franchise and also crosses over to 6teen.

Total Dramarama re-introduces some of the original "Total Drama" characters in an alternate universe where they are aged down from teenagers to toddlers, being taken care of by Chef Hatchet. Each episode features dream sequences, visual jokes, confessionals, and flashbacks.

Produced by Corus Entertainment and Fresh TV Inc., it debuted by September 2018 and spawned over 3 seasons with a total of 152 episodes each consisting of 11 minutes. Play Room will distribute them as half hour episodes basically making it only 76 episodes.

Total Dramarama airs on weekdays at 17:00 a timeslot that was once reserved for Nickelodeon's live-action series Henry Danger moves to 16:30 while Game Shakers' will only air at 16:00 with Sanjay And Craig serving as a complimentary retaining its 17:30 timeslot.

Although, this came last minute Play Room was initially meant to distribute Game Shakers in a 30 minute timeslot and Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures and Enchantimals was meant to compliment Sanjay And Craig but for some reason the latter was moved to weekday mornings.