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.

Disney Channel Remains Silent On A Season 3 Renewal Status Of The Villains Of Valley View With Some Fearing It Got Cancelled

The Villains of Valley View is an American comedy television series created by Chris Peterson and Bryan Moore that premiered on Disney Channel on June 3, 2022. The series stars Isabella Pappas, Malachi Barton, Reed Horstmann, Kayden Muller-Janssen, James Patrick Stuart, and Lucy Davis.

Synopsis for The Villains of Valley View 

At the center of the story is teenage Havoc, who stands up against the leader of all villains, forcing her entire family to change their identities and relocate to a Texas suburb where she now goes by the name Amy. With the help of her effervescent new neighbor Hartley, she must somehow hide her superpowers and quell her villainous nature in favor of something she's fought against all her life — being normal.

Since its inception, The Villains Of Valley View was met with a lot of praise with Sportskeeda describing as it as a "resounding success" with an interesting premise. This was followed by Common Sense Media which gave it a 3 out of 5 star ratings for its depiction of positive messages and role models.

During the year, Disney Channel had axed Bunk'd which served as the longest running live-action show on the network. This was followed by cancellations of The Ghost And Molly McGee, Saturdays and Raven's Home with fear lurking around The Villains Of The Valley View. 

As some readers are aware, there was an actor's strike last year which caused several productions to go on hiatus if not get cancelled. According to some insiders at Disney, this had contributed the network to go slow on renewals ensuring that the content is successful. 

The Villains Of Valley View's chances of a season 3 is dependent on how many people were tuning in during the second season. Of course chances of that seem to be slim as some of the cast are rumoured to have other projects in development.

Was Toonami Initially Meant To Be The Official Broadcaster Of All Elite Wrestling And Adult Swim In Africa, Here's Why?

Toonami is an animation brand operated by Warner Bros. Discovery that catered for young adults. It is home to DC legends such as Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and Justice League alongside anime like DragonBall and Inazuma Eleven.

It was also home to select shows from Cartoon Network like Secret Saturdays, Symbionic Titans and Ben 10: Omniverse.

As some readers are aware, Toonami once resided in France and since last year had been folded under Warner TV. Although various content from Toonami remained intact, Warner TV isn't necessarily a youth oriented but more youth infused.

Warner TV was being structured as a TV channel for archived material from Warner Bros. Studios and this includes content from Adult Swim. This came in celebration of their 100 year anniversary with expansion plans still underway across Europe.

Now from what some recall here, the same people who operated Toonami (now Warner TV) in France also managed the feed in Africa. By the time the feed transitioned from a children's channel to an adult channel a similar outcome awaited Africa. 

Unlike France, Africa's feed didn't offer any content from Adult Swim or wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling. Toonami was reduced to content from its current trademark, anime and DC shows.

Although the latter skipped Toonami, Warner Bros. Discovery did however acquire rights to these titles for TNT. Estimated guess for this was accessibility, Kwesé TV had exclusive rights to Toonami at the time but it wasn't accessible as MultiChoice's DStv.

Another reason, Kwesè TV had shuttered their doors in 2018 and Toonami was running through laps to retain their presence. It was on Cell C's Black until it closed a year later with MultiChoice and StarTimes that only revived it by 2020.

During this time, Toonami in France had acquired rights to both Adult Swim and All Elite Wrestling. Interesting to note, TNT also garnered rights to Adult Swim (temporarily) within that timeframe with All Elite Wrestling that followed a year after Toonami's relaunch. 

This timeframe could corporate with the possible inclusion of Adult Swim and All Elite Wrestling on Toonami in Africa. 

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.

‘The Thundermans Return’ Gets Spinoff Series At Nickelodeon With Original Series Cast Members

The superhero Thundermans are off to solve more crimes. Nickelodeon Studios has given a green light to a new spinoff series based on characters from the hit live-action movie The Thundermans Return.

The spinoff series will follow Phoebe and Max, played by original series cast members Kira Kosarin and Jack Griffo, who are sent undercover to handle a new threat in the seaside town of Secret Shores and bring Chloe (Maya Le Clark) along to develop her superhero talent. Production will begin in Vancouver in August, with premiere details to be announced at a later date.

In the spinoff, Chloe (Le Clark) forms a bond with two classmates while they investigate suspicious activity coming from the local school, who don’t realize their new friend has secret powers. As the danger increases, the Thunderman trio must stay in town indefinitely, leaving the squabbling twins in charge of raising their younger sister.

The Thundermans Return feature-length movie. based on the hit live-action superhero comedy series The Thundermans, follows the superpowered family as they attempt to live a normal life while using their superhuman abilities to stop crime. It premiered earlier this year to stellar ratings, ranking as the number-one entertainment telecast for the year to date in Live+3 across all cable among Kids 6-11. It reached 1.6 million Total Viewers throughout its premiere weekend (March 7-10) across airings on Nickelodeon and Nick At Nite (4 telecasts).

The Thundermans premiered on Nickelodeon in October 2013 and wrapped its four-season run in 2018, ranking as the number-one series across all TV among Kids 2-11 and Kids 6-11. Created and executive produced by three-time Emmy-winner Jed Spingarn, the scripted half-hour series follows superhero twins with opposite personalities, Phoebe and Max Thunderman, as they navigate their way through school, friends and a family of extraordinary superheroes, all while keeping their true identities a secret. .

The series is executive produced by Jed Spingarn (Big Time Rush, Jimmy Neutron) and Sean W. Cunningham & Marc Dworkin (The Thundermans, Julie and the Phantoms). Kira Kosarin is executive producing. Jack Griffo is also an executive producer on the series. Production of the series for Nickelodeon Studios is overseen by Shauna Phelan, Head of Nickelodeon & Awesomeness Live-Action. Brian Banks serves as Nickelodeon’s Executive in Charge of Production.

"Wizards Beyond Waverly Place": Disney Channel Reveals Official Title For Upcoming Spinoff To Wizards Of The Waverly Place

Selena Gomez revealed the new Wizards Of Waverly Place spinoff will be known as Wizards Beyond Waverly Place during Disney’s upfront Tuesday. She also shared two first-look images you can find below.

The photos give fans a look at grownup Alex and Justin Russo, played by Gomez and David Henrie, who are reprising their roles. A secondary image introduces the spinoff’s new characters: Billie, portrayed by Janice LeAnn Brown, and the Russo family, played by Mimi Gianopulos (Giada Russo), Alkaio Thiele (Roman Russo) and Max Matenko (Milo Russo).

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place follows an adult Justin Russo, who has chosen to lead a normal, mortal life with his family, Giada, Roman and Milo. When Justin’s sister Alex brings Billie to his home seeking help, Justin realizes he must dust off his magical skills to mentor the wizard-in-training while also juggling his everyday responsibilities — and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World.

Premiere Date: From Disney Branded Television, the series is slated to premiere on Disney Channel and Disney+ later this year.

It was revealed in January that Disney Branded Television had greenlit a pilot which was followed by a series pick up in March.

Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas serve as writers and executive producers, along with Gary Marsh, Gomez and Henrie. Andy Fickman directed and executive-produced the pilot and will direct multiple episodes.

Raven's Home Cancelled After 6 Seasons On Disney Channel, Pilot Spinoff Titled Alice In The Palace In Development

Raven-Symoné is extending her relationship with Disney, which she has called home for many years, with a new multi-year overall deal at Disney Branded Television. Under the pact, she will produce, direct, and develop projects across linear and streaming, with a focus on multi-cam comedies.

First off, she will executive produce and direct sitcom Alice in the Palace, which has received a pilot order. It is an Alice-centered spinoff from Raven-Symoné’s Disney Channel multi-camera comedy series Raven’s Home, which will not return for a seventh season. Its most recent Season 6 concluded its run in September 2023.

The deal with Raven-Symoné, which also includes continued acting and hosting opportunities, and the order for Alice in the Palace fits into Disney Branded Television’s strategy of building a new Disney Channel lineup of multi-camera sitcoms. In doing that, the company’s executive team has been leaning into classic Disney Channel IP. The Raven’s Home spinoff follows the pilot order for a Wizards Of Waverly Place followup, executive produced by Selena Gomez, which went to series titled Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.

Alice in the Palace picks up when Alice (Mykal-Michelle Harris), Raven’s young cousin, returns to England and reunites with Duchess Clementine (also portrayed by Harris), a young royal who looks exactly like her. In the process, Clementine gets a taste of the fun side of “normal” life, while Alice gets a taste of the finer side of “regal” life.

Raven’s Home developers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas will write the pilot and executive produce.

“Raven is a true trailblazer who constantly pushes creative boundaries in acting, producing, and directing,” said Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television. “For six incredible seasons, Raven’s Home has been a cornerstone series for Disney Channel, bringing joy, laughter, and tackling real-life issues in a relatable and meaningful way for kids and families. We are delighted to continue our close relationship with Raven for many years to come, starting with new spin-off Alice in the Palace.“

Raven’s Home, a spinoff from Raven-Symoné’s teen sitcom That’s So Raven, earned five Children’s and Family Emmy nominations during its run. Raven-Symoné’s credits also include Disney Channel original movies The Cheetah Girls and Cheetah Girls 2, which she starred in and executive produced. On Broadway, she appeared in Sister Act, and she also starred in feature films A Girl Like Grace, College Road Trip, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Dr. Dolittle and Dr. Dolittle 2. In addition to her work as star, executive producer and director on Raven’s Home, she’s directed episodes of Disney Channel series Sydney to the Max and Pretty Freekin Scary.   

“Disney Channel has been the canvas for my creative expressions since I was 15 years old,” added Raven-Symoné. “After years of telling stories filled with heart, laughter, and togetherness, I’m excited to embark on the next chapter of this creative journey alongside my Disney family.”  

Raven-Symoné has been honored by the NAACP Image Awards, Daytime Emmy Awards, Gracie Allen Awards, NAMIC Vision Awards, Teen Choice Awards, BET Comedy Awards, Kids’ Choice Awards and Black Reel Awards. She is repped by Verve and The Pacella Law Group.  

Development Alert (Rumour): Invincible Fight Girl Commissioned By Cartoon Network Might Be Heading To Adult Swim

Invincible Fight Girl is an upcoming American animated action-comedy television series created by DC Super Hero Girls' Juston Gordon-Montgomery. It follows Andy, a young girl who dreams of becoming the greatest pro wrestler of all time.

Assuming the wrestler alias "Fight Girl", Andy sets out into the bizarre and colorful Wrestling World, determined to make a name for herself. Along the way, she meets cynical retired champ, Aunt P; the endearingly innocent Mikey, a great wrestling analyst-in-the-making; and the unscrupulous Craig, who doesn’t so much love wrestling as he does scheming ways to profit off it. 

The series was greenlit by Cartoon Network in 2021 alongside Unicorn Warriors Eternal and My Adventures With Superman. It had since then through several delays due to corporate restructure which had several already completed films and series being erased from existence. 

There were others like Batman: Caped Crusader and Merry Little Batman that were shipped to rival platforms, Amazon Prime Video. With some positioning being done to Cartoon Network as shows like Unicorn Warriors Eternal and My Adventures With Superman fold under Adult Swim.

Cartoon Network is no stranger to character driven content as there was Samurai Jack, Ben 10 and Adventure Time. But for some reason, it seems like corporate is trying to keep such content away from the channel and focus more on comedic shows. 

During the week, a user on X had mentioned Invincible Fight Girl was being previewed on Adult Swim due to its wrestling plot. This means Tiny Toons Looniversity would be the only original program on the network in 2024 as the latter Inyanu: Child Of Wonder and Totally Spies! are licensed. 

Although, there hasn't been official confirmation it wouldn't seem far fetched considering how originals on both Cartoon Network and Cartoonito has been screwed over in the last months.

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.

Interesting Fact: Boomerang Would Have Become A Preschool Channel By 2005 Or 2006

Tickle U was Cartoon Network's first attempt at a rival offering with Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. It debuted as a programming block on August 22, 2005 to January 13, 2006 with shows like Peppa Pig, Gerald McBoing Boing, Firehouse Tales and Little Robots.

Very little was known at the time at what led to inevitable demise of various theories did come to mind. One was the rival offering viewed on the as mentioned Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. brands with the other likely dealing with the content in general. 

Tickle U aired lesser known shows and the fact that Warner Bros. Discovery didn't browse their archives at the time. They had A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Krypto The Superdog and Baby Looney Tunes all of which never made it to the preschool block.

However people familiar with the matter had outlined that Warner Bros. Discovery had considered making Boomerang a preschool channel. This would be through Tickle U trademark and with the channel likely to be revolvant on its content.

Despite it not materializing, Boomerang did however did start airing more modernized shows in the later years like Krypto The Superdog and Gerald McBoing Boing. It wasn't long till Warner Bros. Discovery's next attempt at the preschool market, Cartoonito.

Cartoonito was a household trademark in the UK before expanding to other parts of Europe. It formed part of Boomerang's family lineup with shows like Baby Looney Tunes, Interstellar Ella and Lu Lu And The Bally Bunch before taking up the rest of the channel. 

Warner Bros. Discovery And Weigel Broadcasting To Rollout New Children's Channel, MeTV Toons

Classic TV network MeTV is turning its cartoon block into a new network. Owner Weigel Broadcasting Co. announced Wednesday that it will launch MeTV Toons as a new national TV network focused on classic animation, “from Hollywood-era shorts to made-for-television favorites.”

MeTV Toons, which launches June 25, is a collab between Weigel and Warner Bros. Discovery, which has licensed content featuring its animated characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, George Jetson, Top Cat, Yogi Bear, Popeye, Johnny Quest and Fred Flintstone. (MeTV already airs a daily program, “Toon In With Me,” which features a heavy emphasis on Warner bros. animated fare.)

Weigel touts MeTV Toons as “the only TV network destination dedicated exclusively to classic animation” — as Warner Bros. Discovery’s Cartoon Network companion Boomerang, which also runs old Looney Tunes, “The Jetsons,” “The Flintstones,” “Scooby-Doo” and Popeye shorts, also runs some more recent, post-2000 cartoon episodes.

Beyond Warner Bros. titles, MeTV Toons will also feature animated content from other studios and distributors, with properties including Rocky and Bullwinkle, Woody Woodpecker, Casper, Betty Boop and Speed Racer.

“We are honored to work with the amazing team at Warner Bros. Discovery and others on this network and bring together a truly incredible collection of the world’s best known and most loved classic cartoons, creating a new destination for everyone to discover or rediscover the sheer joy of watching cartoons on TV,” said Weigel vice chairman Neal Sabin. “MeTV Toons will be dedicated 24/7 to showcasing the biggest names and most beloved classic cartoons and animated characters. Everyone has a favorite cartoon; it is a universally loved art form. We are thrilled to bring those smiles and memories back to TV with MeTV Toons.”

Sabin added in an executive briefing on Wednesday: “The cartoons offered are going to help make this be the greatest animation network ever. Everybody has a favorite cartoon — just just think about the cartoons that you watched when you were younger and the nice warm, fuzzy feelings that they bring back. We’re going to bring those back to people every day in the MeTV way of doing things and this network is going to appeal to all ages and advertisers. It’s going to be multi-studio, multi-platform and multi-generational. It’s MeTV Toons, and it’s going to be really special.”

As part of the channel launch, animation historian Jerry Beck (whose books include “The 50 Greatest Cartoons,” “The Hanna-Barbera Treasury” and “Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Bros. Cartoons”) will help produce original content related to the MeTV Toons library. Also, character actor Bob Bergen — who has voiced Porky Pig, Marvin the Martian and more, will serve as the signature voice announcer for MeTV Toons.

MeTV Toons will be available for distribution on over-the-air broadcast television, traditional and virtual operators, along with a complimentary offering for ad-supported streaming services. Besides MeTV and MeTV Toons, other Weigel networks include Heroes & Icons, Start TV, Catchy Comedy, Movies!, Story Television, Dabl and MeTV+.

“Neal and the team at Weigel have been long-standing and innovative licensing partners of Warner Bros. content for decades,”, said David Decker, president of content sales for Warner Bros. Discovery, in a statement. “Having some of the Studio’s most iconic animated characters all available in one place is not only great for fans of classic animation, but also just super fun.”

Scooby-Doo (GBA)

Zoinks! Mystery Inc. is on Spooky Island!

Now it's up to you to help Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Fred and Daphne solve the mysteries of Spooky Island. Are you brave enough to fend off the villains? Are you clever enough to solve the puzzles? Can you put the clues together to solve the big mystery of this demon-hanuted island? Jinkies! ... Here we go again!

For a Gameboy Advance emulator click Cartoon Extensions on Cartoon Games 

Download Now 

BabyTV Is Adding Four New Original Shows To Its 2024 Lineup

Disney-owned BabyTV, which runs 24/7 commercial-free programming for babies and toddlers, is adding four new original series to its 2024 lineup.

First up on June 3 is Bug ‘N’ Play (30 x five minutes), a 2D-animated series about three bug friends (pictured) who learn to problem-solve while playing with forgotten toys in their yard.

Launching on August 5 is a 30 x five-minute show called Travelers, featuring a mix of live action and animation. In each episode, human hosts Perry and Harley demonstrate how life’s challenges can be overcome with humor and determination.

This will be followed on October 7 by My Robot & I (20 x five minutes), a CG-animated series showcasing the positive relationship between a curious girl and her new robotic companion.

And finally, Olly (30 x five minutes) is due out on November 4, with CG-animated episodes about a playful monkey who learns valuable lessons and problem-solving skills through fun role-play situations with his friends.

All four shows will launch globally on BabyTV’s linear channel first, and then roll out a month later on the BabyTV app. Streaming dates on Disney+ are TBD for now.

The BabyTV linear channel is available in more than 80 countries worldwide, and content on the app is dubbed into 18 languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese Brazil, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch and Norwegian.

Development Alert (Rumour): Tyler Perry's Young Dylan Reportedly Cancelled On Nickelodeon, Could It Be Shipped Elsewhere?

Tyler Perry's Young Dylan is an American comedy television series created by Tyler Perry that premiered on Nickelodeon on February 29, 2020. The series stars Dylan Gilmer, Celina Smith, Hero Hunter, Jet Miller, Mieko Hillman, Aloma Lesley Wright, and Carl Anthony Payne, II.

It followed an aspiring hip-hop artist whose mother doesn't come home one day, his grandmother Viola moves him in with his uncle Myles and aunt Yasmine to have parental figures in his life. His style clashes with the styles of Myles' family.

Since its inception, Tyler Perry's Young Dylan managed to cross through 4 seasons with 72 episodes having being filmed. There were even rumours of a season 5 making it one of the longest running live-action shows alongside Henry Danger. 

But Nickelodeon apparently removed the show from their website and although this is not concrete evidence of cancellation. The network has been known for doing their non-SpongeBob shows dirty as seen with revivals of Blue's Clues and Rugrats.

If our hunch proves to be correct, this would make The Really Loud House the only live-action from the network. From the looks of it, we wouldn't be surprised if that went away as well considering Paramount+ cut a majority of their kids slate with some on rival platforms.

Press Release: Disney Jr's Ariel Premieres This June Across Africa

Disney Branded Television announced the premiere date for the highly anticipated animated musical series “Disney Jr.’s Ariel.” Inspired by “The Little Mermaid,” the series will debut on SATURDAY, 29 JUNE, on Disney Junior at 8:30 a.m. CAT on DStv, Channel 309. Additionally, new recurring cast members were announced, including Yvette Nicole Brown, Melissa Villaseñor and Ron Funches.

To help build excitement for “Disney Jr.’s Ariel,” it was also announced that a new series of shorts titled “Disney Jr.’s Ariel: Mermaid Tales” will be featured across Disney Jr. beginning Monday, 24 June. Each two-minute short will highlight a different aspect of Ariel’s life in Atlantica.

Set in the Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica, the series follows young mermaid princess Ariel (Mykal-Michelle Harris) as she embarks on underwater adventures with her family and friends, including King Triton (Taye Diggs), Ursula (Amber Riley), Flounder (Gracen Newton) and mer-friends Fernie (Cruz Flateau) and Lucia (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro).

Each episode highlights themes of self-expression, curiosity and resourcefulness and celebrates the multicultural elements of the Caribbean through food, fashion, language and folklore. Dr. Patricia Saunders, professor of English and hemispheric Caribbean studies and director of graduate studies at the University of Miami, serves as cultural consultant on the series.

In addition to Brown as Aquatica, Villaseñor as Navi, and Funches as Delfino, the series recurring cast includes Kevin Michael Richardson as Sebastian, Parvesh Cheena as Ravi, Danni Washington as Tantie Chantale, Alanna Ubach as Cristina Cuttles, and Dana Heath and Jessica Mikayla as Ariel’s twin sisters Ayanna and Alanna, respectively.

Music plays an integral role in the series, with original songs inspired by the diverse genres of Caribbean music. The acclaimed songwriting teams are comprised of Anthony M. Jones (Tone), Sofia Quinn, Olivia Waithe, Chantry Johnson, Michelle Zarlenga and Rosemarie Tan. EmmyⓇ Award winner Christopher Willis serves as composer. Sean Skeete, dean of the Professional Performance division at Berklee College of Music, is the Caribbean music consultant.

“Disney Jr.’s Ariel” is executive produced by Lynne Southerland and is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Jr.

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.

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. 

"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.