News Shorts: eMedia Investments Allocates Two Radio Stations Jacaranda FM And Smile FM To Openview, Disney Channel To Launch Third Local Production Across Africa Wandi & Kabz And SoundCity Scoops Up Several Nollywood Films From Trybe TV

eMedia Investments is expanding the audio lineup on Openview

Jacaranda FM is a South African radio station, broadcasting in English and Afrikaans, with a footprint that covers Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West Province. The station's format is mainstream with programming constructed around a playlist of hit music from the 1980s, 1990s and now.

It is available on channel 602

Smile 90.4 FM is a bilingual (English and Afrikaans) adult contemporary radio station, broadcasting to the greater Cape Town Metropole and surrounding areas, including Paarl, Stellenbosch and Somerset West. Smile 90.4FM’s listeners are affluent, family orientated, enjoy a healthy lifestyle and care for their community at large.

It is available on channel 609.

Disney Channel to allocate more local content in the coming month

During the month, Disney Channel unveiled two local productions Kiff and Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (streaming on Disney+ prior to its debut) with Disney Junior geared up to rollout their first local production Kiya And Kimoja Heroes in the coming month.

Also joining Kiya And Kimoja Heroes in September will be a 5 minute educational segment on the Disney Channel titled Wandi & Kabz.

Neither Disney or MultiChoice were able to provide further details about the segment but from what we've gathered it's likely a historical or biographical segment highlighting selected individuals with the first episode revolved on political activist Charlotte Maxeke.

SoundCity scoops up content from Trybe TV

SoundCity was launched in 2009 by Consolidated Media Associates as a Pan-African urban music and lifestyle channel. Beginning as a TV show promoting local musical acts, the brand was added to MultiChoice's DStv in 55 markets across Africa.

Consolidated Media Associates reaches 100 million households with brands like Spice TV for consumers across Africa alongside West African brands like Trybe TV, Televista, VillageSquare TV, OnTV Nigeria, OnMax, Urban96 Radio Network, Access 24 and Televise TV.

During the week, SoundCity registered several projects from Trybe TV including Top 5 Stars, Director Profile, One On One, Upclose and Personal, Behind The Scene, Morili, Heroes and Long Game. It's currently unknown why some of Trybe TV's titles is being listed under the channel.

Maybe it's CMA's way of trying to make their content accessible in other countries. Another could be that MultiChoice is looking to cut down on more channels in the last months several local channels like Novela Magic, ROK GH and Maisha Magic Movies (SA only) were axed.

MultiChoice Updates: SuperSport Motorsport Has Been Made Available To More DStv Customers, Consolidated Media Associates Limited's Offering Seen On The DStv/GOtv Platform Including SoundCity And Spice TV Goes Dark And M-Net Movies Action Returns For A Limited Time On AddMovies

More sports entertainment awaiting these consumers

More viewers on DStv will be able to enjoy the return of the Formula 1 World Championship, with SuperSport opening the Motorsport channel to DStv Compact Plus subscribers for the first three races of the 2023 season. SuperSport is definitely your #HomeOfSport and the ultimate destination for motorsport fans.

Stay connected or upgrade to DStv Compact Plus and not long ago Compact to take in Pre-Season Testing late in February, followed by the first three races of the 2023 season, running from early March to early April and taking in stops in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia.

The 2022 F1 season saw Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominate proceedings, with the Dutchman claiming his second successive drivers’ championship. He won a record 15 races through the course of the year, though he insists that he is not thinking about the chance to become just the fifth driver to win three successive titles, alongside Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

More channels go black on your platforms

For several days, consumers on the platform had noticed that SoundCity (channel 327) and Spice TV (channel 190) alongside Televista (channel 194), Trybe TV (channel 195) and Onmax (channel 257) went dark in the previous month.

According to the information provided, the channels in question all of which are owned by Consolidated Media Associates Limited are currently experiencing technical difficulties with no details as to the duration of the matter.

M-Net to relaunch former brand

In September 2020, M-Net decided to restructure their M-Net Movies channels by further reducing them from 6 to just 4 channels. Currently priced at R79p/m, the offering also consists of pop-up channels from M-Net Movies and 2 Bollywood movie channels.

As seen this past week, MultiChoice has conducted tests on M-Net Movies' first pop-up channel in 2023, M-Net Movies Action HQ which is expected to rollout later in the coming weeks.

M-Net Movies Action HQ appears to be M-Net and MultiChoice's way of bringing back the M-Net Movies Action brand name which was the second longest running brand behind All-Stars and also most popular amongst consumers before their termination.

Some of the content expected for the channel in the coming weeks includes Mercury Rising, Greenland, Fast And The Furious 9 and Hunter's Killer.