Development Alert: Disney Nordic Announce The Closure Of Disney Junior In Denmark While VH1 Is Being Replaced By NickMusic

Disney is closing more channels

After Disney closed and merged the Scandinavian feed of Disney Channel within EMEA/Southern Africa by 2023. It is was revealed through Digitalt.TV that the company will no longer distribute Disney Junior in Denmark by the end of February with content folded under Disney Channel.

Considering this was a decision made by Disney in the Nordic countries it's likely that Disney Junior could be going off air in Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Of course the pay-tv operator was based in Denmark so nothing can be confirmed as yet.

As mentioned, Disney Channel's feeds in these regions are all aligned with Southern Africa and if anything it's possible that Disney Junior's days for the rest of Europe could be numbered.

Although, it's just mere speculation Disney Channel has been running low on content following cancellations of Bunk'd and The Ghost And Molly McGee. It's basically become a graveyard for Disney+ programming such as Chip 'n Dale: Park Life and Cars On The Road.

NickMusic expands to Denmark

VH1 was an international entertainment channel which was basically a mash up of MTV and BET. It is operated by Paramount Global and over the last decade the company had been dismantling the trademark with various channels closed in most parts of the world.

After a viewer in Denmark had spotted VH1 with no EPG, it lead some to believe in the possible demise of the channel. Now Norlys is reporting that VH1 will fold under Nick trademark with NickMusic despite the existence of MTV.

Nick Music already has a presence in parts of Latin America and Europe broadcasting a large selection of music videos and music-related content for the whole family. By the end of March, Denmark will join these territories as VH1 exits the region.

News Shorts: VH1 To Cease Transmission In Italy And Possibly Denmark, A Rebroadcast Of The Scent Of Passions Launches Across Africa On Telemundo And Warner Bros. Discovery To Rollout A Rebranded Max Streaming In Latin America By Early 2024

VH1 is closing down in more countries

VH1 was an international entertainment channel which was basically a mash up of MTV and BET. It is operated by Paramount Global and over the last decade the company had been dismantling the trademark with various channels closed in most parts of the world.

Through an electronic programme guide by a viewer in Denmark, VH1 schedule will run until the end of New Year's Day. Thereafter, the channel will no longer have a 24 hour schedule available for consumption leading some to believe the possible demise of the brand.

Considering that the channel will be shutting down in Italy a few days after Denmark's possible closure. It wouldn't seem far fetched if the same fate awaited these consumers as Paramount Global had been exploring a potential sale of the brand under the BET Group.

Telemundo welcomes its third rebroadcast

During the month, it was reported that Telemundo will be increasing the timeslots for the on/off again series Case Closed and Decisions. Also within the new year will be the launch of a new series Game Of Lies starring Maria Elisa Camargo and Arap Bethke.

Prior to its debut, Telemundo will be adding a rebroadcast of The Scent Of Passions in Law Of The Heart's current timeslot from 8 January.

Sebastián Vallejo, a member of the rich family that owns the Casablanca coffee plantation, falls in love with the nice and honest coffee picker Teresa Suárez, known as La Gaviota; their romance is full of difficulties.

Max expands to Latin America

A statement presented by Costa Rican cable operator Tigo confirmed that HBO Max will be relaunched as Max in the next month of February, at a close yet to be defined. The rebranding plans were originally scheduled for the end of 2023 in our region, since the platform has made the change in the United States during the last month of May. 

The new identity of the streaming platform sets aside the characteristic color painted by a powerful new blue, and will bring with it the content of the Discovery+ platform, which was never launched in Latin America except Brazil, as a product of the merger between Warner Bros. Discovery. 

Latin America will be the first region at an international level in which HBO Max will make the switch to Max, as at the moment it was the first territory outside the United States to launch the service. Also in 2024, Max will reach Europe and Southeast Asia. This last region is especially relevant, as HBO Max never reached it.

Tyler Perry To Take Control Over BET And Likely VH1

Tyler Perry (Madea, Gone Girl), founder and CEO of Tyler Perry Studios, will take control of BET, The Streamr has learned. The deal comes as a relief to Paramount Global, who I have learned is “hemorrhaging money”, according to a source, to the tune of more than $400 million. For reference, Perry’s net worth was recently stated by Forbes as $1 billion.

This new deal, valued at an undisclosed amount, will give Perry, a veteran champion of content aimed at the African American demographic, control BET Media Group, which also owns VH1. 

TYLER PERRY, BET, AND STREAMING

BET+, the streaming service for the cable channel, is a joint venture between Paramount Streaming and Tyler Perry Studios. Launched in 2019, the service established a 4 year relationship between Paramount and Perry.

CEO of Paramount Global, Bob Bakish, previously explored a sale of a majority stake in the company. CNBC reported that insiders at Paramount believed selling to a group of wealthy black investors could “unlock opportunities and value”. 

From Perry’s side, he previously expressed interest in the acquisition in March 2023, stating to ETOnline:

“Rumor? No, it’s not a rumor, I’ve been there for four years now and had tremendous success. I wasn’t expecting this to happen, so, yes – if that is possible, I’m very, very interested in taking as much of it… If it’s possible, I’m gonna take as much of it as I can.”

Reps for BET Media Group and Perry did not respond to our multiple requests for comment at the time of publication.

[UPDATE: REPS FOR BET DECLINED TO COMMENT ON THE STORY AND REPS FOR PERRY HAVE RESPONDED; WE WILL UPDATE WITH FURTHER DETAILS]

WHY IS TYLER PERRY BUYING BET?

We have also had confirmation that speculation of a buyout came about once a number of projects for BET suddenly had funding pulled as soon as last week, including some in Atlanta. Speaking to Yahoo Finance in 2021, CEO of BET Media Group Scott Mills said that, “BET generated nearly 100% revenue growth in 2021 from BET+, and 50% subscriber growth over the same period,”. However, after aiming to spend a reported $17 billion in content production over 2022, and with ongoing issues such as the WGA strike, a niche service with simply “more than 3 million” subscribers after 4 years of launch simply couldn’t cut it. 

It is not yet known whether BET+ will continue on, now operating under Perry’s sole purview, but the service has plans to continue into the era of ad-tiers. Announced in May 2023 for a June 25th launch, the ad-tier to combat BET+’s (now reasonable) ad-free price of $9.99/month will come in at $5.99/month. 

BET has produced titles such as Being Mary Jane and First Wives Club, as well as Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. Tyler Perry Studios has housed the production of titles like Hawkeye, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and A Madea Homecoming.

Paramount Is Moving Around A Number Of Its Unscripted Shows From VH1 To MTV

VH1 series including Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, Couples Retreat and Caught In The Act: Unfaithful are moving to MTV.

The company said it was looking to find new audiences for these shows, which are all being produced by Lashan Browning’s Antoinette Media, which Paramount recently invested in. The move comes as it is exploring a sale of BET Media Group, which now includes VH1, meaning that it will keep a number of its biggest titles on its other network.

The biggest move involves Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, which is going in to its 11th season. It premiered on VH1 in 2012.

Season 11, which will air this summer, is being rebooted and will follow a more “docu approach to storytelling” as it documents the lives of women who have built their empires in Atlanta.

The series is now produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and Antoinette Media, which the company recently invested in and is exec produced by Sitarah Pendelton and Jubba Seyyid for MTV Entertainment Studios and Lashan Browning, Donna Edge-Rachell, Paris Bauldwin, Daniel Wiener, Alissa Horowitz, Mimi Adams, Gavin Lee Jones, and John Crenny for Antoinette Media.

“On the heels of launching Antoinette Media with Lashan Browning, we’re thrilled to continue fueling our robust unscripted slate of hits on MTV and introduce new audiences to the cultural phenomenon Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta as well as fan favorites like Couples Retreat and Caught in the Act: Unfaithful,” said Nina L. Diaz, Chief Creative Officer and President of Content, Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios.

Kicking off the block later in the year is Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta “Run it Back”, a clip-show, where cast members of the reality show rewatch moments from the first season of Atlanta and share behind the scenes stories.

It will be followed by MTV Couples Retreat, which has previously run for two seasons as VH1 Couples Retreat. The series follows couples attending a retreat, who are putting all of their chips on the table in Vegas, and they will be forced out of their comfort zones to rediscover each other with the help of unconventional, high-octane guest experts. This includes ziplining through the Vegas Strip, survivalist training in the wilderness with an expert ninja survivalist, trapezing with former Cirque du Soleil performers, to herding cattle and untamed bulls.

MTV Couples Retreat is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and Antoinette Media and exec produced by Sitarah Pendelton- Eaglin and Jubba Seyyid for MTV Entertainment Studios and Lashan Browning, Donna Edge-Rachell, Paris Bauldwin, Daniel Wiener, Mimi Adams, Michael Carrozza, Gavin Lee Jones, Alissa Horowitz, and Michelle Kongkasuwan for Antoinette Media.

Finally, also launching in the year is the second season of Caught in the Act: Unfaithful, which also debuted on VH1. The show follows host Tami Roman as she continues to help suspicious lovers catch their cheating partners in the act. Once the investigation is complete, the suspicious lover can choose to team up with their partner’s other lover or take them both down in an undercover ambush.

Caught in the Act: Unfaithful is executive produced by Sitarah Pendelton-Eaglin, Jennifer Aguirre, and Executive in Charge of production Liz Kim for MTV. Lashan Browning, Donna Edge-Rachell, Alissa Horowitz, Daniel Wiener, Maricarmen Lopez, and Rich Allen are executive producers for Antoinette Media. Tami Roman also serves as consulting producer.

VH1 Is Making A Comeback On International Shores Through BET

VH1 started life as a music channel for older demos but gradually shifted towards reality TV, and more recently has targeted the African American audience. Bakish said:

“This strategic alignment will ensure VH1 − a leader in multi-cultural programming and the second largest US cable network for Black viewership − is best positioned for future success as a key part of the powerful BET ecosystem under the leadership of Scott Mills. Scott and his team continue to drive the evolution and growth of BET by building an interconnected set of leading platforms – linear, streaming, digital and studios – centered around the Black Community, Black Culture and Content.”

Bakish acknowledged the contribution of the MTV Entertainment Studios team under the leadership of Chris McCarthy and Nina L. Diaz, “who, for the past five years, have rebuilt the VH1 brand and produced powerful hit franchises from Black Ink Crew and Love & Hip Hop to RuPaul’s Drag Race. As Chris and his team continue to focus on integrating SHOWTIME and globalising the Media Networks Group, they’ll also partner with the BET teams to continue producing several of the existing hit shows on VH1.”

VH1 reaches approximately 90m households in the US but has gradually been phased out or rebranded with MTV variants around the world. BET, however, is going strong as a channel and streaming brand. Streaming service BET+ was launched as a JV between Paramount and Tyler Perry Studios in 2019, and has been growing fast.