Insidus

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Is eMedia Investments Slowly Following MultiChoice In Becoming Another SABC?

MultiChoice is currently the biggest monopoly in the entertainment industry. Before only the rich could grace in its local luxuries now even the less fortunate where eMedia Investments resides can bask in its glory.

eMedia Investments like or not has slowly gone down that forgotten and risky path. SABC and eMedia Investments traded places years back on the dominant player.

e.tv had a large catalogue of local content like Mahadi: Lobola, I Love South Africa, Forgive And Forget and Backstage and the closest anyone had to foreign content was through old sitcoms, reality, movies and kids shows then it moved to become a free version of M-Net with the likes of Chicago PD, NCIS and How To Get Away With Murder and it's Mega Movies.

In 2018, eMedia Investments rolled out a 2 hour Afrikaans block called Kuiertyd onto eExtra offering reality, lifestyle, dramas, movies and dubbed telenovelas which became a massive success particularly for the telenovelas.

A year later, e.tv got into the Kuiertyd spirit and dedicated 1 hour to telenovelas which led to constant lineup changes for eExtra which increased Kuiertyd's broadcast hours on weekdays and complicated repeat hours for other programs.

e.tv's mornings used to be filled with reruns of international dramas from eExtra, sitcoms and Days Of Our Lives now that Kuiertyd removed international dramas from eExtra only Days remains in the mornings with Kuiertyd hogging the rest of the slots.

On the kasi side, e.tv attempted to dedicate 18:30 to local dramas and it only took those attempts to find their #1 which is Durban Gen at the moment.

On reality, Family Feud SA swoops on e.tv and becomes one of the top 20 watched shows. Rehashed reruns even dominated the slot as the channel was working on another season instead looking for another show to add variety.

The kids side on e.tv is where things kind of took a toll. For starters, they cancelled a ton of local productions such as Cool Catz, Frenzy and Sistahood then followed eExtra and dubbed some of the kids content particularly preschool (for now) in various South African languages.

SABC has been doing that for years no matter the age. It's amazing how none of this is on eToonz since it is a product of e.tv but looking back the channel didn't house all shows from Craze with included youth-based shows like Frenzy and Sistahood.

The latest local development is on eReality as the channel which only housed international content already viewable on e.tv and certain channels from DStv launched a 1 hour local reality block on weekends, eKasi.

eMovies is currently the only brand that is yet to adapt to this format. None that it hasn't done before just that it you haven't seen it on a full-time basis.

The government wants to enforce a local quota on streaming platforms similar to cable has for over a decade and last I checked e.tv abided by the mandate even before Kuiertyd existed, could this be eMedia Investments' way of saying local is lekker.

June 2021 On E! Africa | 4 Finale Alerts Including Keeping Up With The Kardashians | 1 New & Returning Series

Reunion Road Trip
Starts Sunday 13 June at 21:00
Get ready to hit the road with E! this June, as some of the most iconic TV personalities of the past reconnect to go on a new adventure together, as they reminisce about their most unforgettable moments and dish behind-the-scenes gossip.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Season 20 Finale Sunday 13 June at 19:05
Reunion Sunday 20 & 27 June at 19:05
Over the years the Kardashian-Jenner family have experienced some of the highest highs and the lowest lows - and we’ve been right there alongside them for the ride! Now it’s time to say our fond farewells to the first family of television - and catch up with what’s happening here and now as they chew the fat together in two reunion specials.

Botched
Season 7 starts Sunday 20 June at 20:00
In the quest for perfection, some people’s efforts to improve their appearance can leave them with surprising results. World-renowned plastic surgeons Terry Dubrow and Paul Nassif continue to fix the unfixable, as their seventh season of correcting plastic surgery nightmares begins this June on E!.

Overserved with Lisa Vanderpump
Season finale Sunday 6 June at 21:00
In this half-hour series, Lisa Vanderpump, the larger-than-life restaurateur, author, actress and star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules and Dancing with the Stars, refuses to let lockdown bring down her lifestyle. Each episode, she hosts special surprise guests and throws an elaborate theme party from the confines of her beautiful home.

E! True Hollywood
Story
Season 2 finale Monday 7 June at 21:00
Welcome to Los Angeles! It may be the world’s entertainment capital, but behind the glitz and the glamour there’s another, darker city waiting to be discovered. From show-biz scandals to celebrity secrets, biographies, mysteries and more, the series that tells Hollywood’s most compelling stories is back, providing a voice to the moments that are reshaping popular culture.

Total Bellas
Season 6 finale Sunday 13 June at 20:00
Sisters Nikki and Brie Bella have built their lives and careers together, but nothing they’ve been through before has prepared them (or the men in their lives) for being pregnant at the same time. The Bella Twins are having babies, and everyone’s lives are about to change.

- June on Zee World
- June on Studio Universal

- Zee World launches two new series this June
- Moja Love Is Launching A NEW CHANNEL On DStv?
- June on Universal
- Upcoming developments for FOX, Disney, National Geographic and ESPN
- June on Comedy Central
- June on Telemundo Africa
- June on TLC and Real Time
- June on Discovery Channel and Discovery Family
- June on Investigation Discovery
- June on The Home Channel
- Timeless Love coming soon to TLNovelas
- War Of The World S2 coming to FOX
- June on CBS Reality

June 2021 On Studio Universal Africa | Action Weekends: June Claude Van Damme | Dance Movie Takeover | Father's Day Weekend

ACTION WEEKENDS: JUNE CLAUDE VAN DAMME
No apologies, that’s the name of the stunt!
The Muscles from Brussels in double bills every weekend (Fri-Sun) throughout June, from 8pm:

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER
13th June at 20:00
And here’s another of the big JCVD hits, putting him up against fellow nineties action titan Dolph Lundgren. At the film’s heart is the eponymous Universal Soldier programme, a scheme to bring dead soldiers back to life free of memory and conscience, and use them as easily controlled superhuman killing machines. What could possibly go wrong, eh? But when Van Damme finds out what’s been done to him, he goes on the run with a reporter (Ally Walker), determined to reclaim his life. The military has other ideas, and carnage ensues.

IN HELL
25th June at 20:00
After avenging his wife's death, an American in Russia is imprisoned, and becomes mired in the jail's underground fight competitions. Director Ringo Lam’s other work includes City On Fire, known in the West for its influence on Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, and he made his first Hollywood film with Van Damme. This reprise of their collaboration once again marries the director and star’s knacks for nerve-wracking tension and untrammelled violence. Lawrence Taylor and Marnie Alton also star.

KICKBOXER
26th June at 20:00
One of the key films in Van Damme’s initial rise to fame, Kickboxer saw him influencing a generation’s playground ideas of ultimate toughness by showing off his real-life martial arts skills. He plays Kurt Sloane, a cornerman driven into the ring himself after a malicious opponent paralyses his fighter brother Eric, the US kickboxing champ. But even be- yond the violence in the ring, he soon finds himself caught up in corruption and conspiracy, with Eric’s life on the line.

DANCE STUDIO UNIVERSAL
A dance movie takeover of the channel for one week, 7th – 13th June Every day, all afternoon, including:

STEP UP
8th June at 16:40
Back in his early days, when Channing Tatum was just an actor instead of a beloved institution, he starred in this engaging dance romance as Tyler Gage, a kid from a disadvantaged background who gets sentenced to community service and ends up helping out at the school his tearaway friends just trashed. Here he meets dancer Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan), and ends up standing in for her partner who’s been put out of commission by a sprained ankle. If the two of them can work together, it could end up changing both their lives – and in more ways than they've bargained for.

BRING IT ON
8th June at 15:00
A cheerleading squad discovers its captain stole their routines from an inner-city school, and must scramble to get new ones together in time to compete at this year's championships. A surprise hit that helped kick off a whole subgenre, Bring It On’s success owes much to its cast and crew – debut director Peyton Reed is now firmly ensconsed in the MCU, with two Ant-Man films under his belt, while the stars include Kirsten Dunst and Buffy’s Eliza Dushku. And if that only serves to whet your appetite, four Bring It On sequels also air on STUDIO this month.

DANCE-OFF
10th June at 13:00
Some films do exactly what they say on the tin, and this is one of them! Two dance crews go toe-to-toe as they compete for a $25,000 prize, but the dazzling choreography does need a teensy bit of plot behind it, so what better than to steal from the best and add a dash of Romeo & Juliet? Brandon (Shane Harper) grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and when his poor mother had to move away in a hurry, he never got chance to say goodbye to childhood sweetheart Jasmine (Kathryn McCormick). Now, wouldn’t you know it, they face off from the rival teams!

FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND
A Saturday and Sunday dedicated to dads (19th & 20th, starts @ 2:15pm). Two triple-bills, including two channel premieres:

BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT CUT
19th June at 18:05
Ice Cube and Anthony Anderson return in the third installment of the popular Barbershop franchise. But as befits this American institution’s role as a gathering place for communities, they’re joined by an ensemble cast featuring everyone from Eve and Nicki Minaj to Common and Cedric the Entertainer. The film finds Calvin’s Barbershop now home to a women’s section too, meaning it’s serving a wider section of the neighbourhood – and with their area of Chicago increasingly plagued by gang activity, they’ll all need to pull together to share some laughs and life lessons as they solve their problems.

SAN ANDREAS
19th June at 16:05
The Rock is the biggest action hero in the world today, and it doesn’t get much bigger than this, a disaster movie with most of California on the line. He plays Ray Gaines, an LA helicopter rescue pilot whose skills are suddenly in particularly high demand when the Big One finally hits and a 9.1 magnitude earthquake devastates the West Coast. Even after he’s rescued his wife from a skyscraper rendered unstable by the seismic event, there are still looters, fires and the threat of a tsunami to come.

ZOOKEEPER
20th June at 16:30
Kevin James plays Griffin Keyes, a zookeeper who loves his job – but also loves Stephanie (Leslie Bibb), who doesn’t see herself married to a man in this particular trade. So he considers joining his brother’s car dealership instead – a plan the animals in the zoo don’t much like, so they decide to help him turn his love life around! The voice cast features everyone from Jon Favreau as a bear, through Maya Rudolph playing a giraffe, to Stallone as a lion and Nick Nolte the gorilla.

- June on Zee World
- June on E! Entertainment

Sunday, May 23, 2021

June 2021 On Ignition | 3 New Series Alert! | 1 Season Finale Alert

FULL CUSTOM GARAGE: SPORTS EDITION
New Show Starts 29th May
Ian goes on a journey that no man has dared to go before. Full Custom Garage : Sports Edition follows Ian’s journey as he takes on an in-depth build, where each part of a modern custom car body is handcrafted. The devil is truly in the detail as Ian handcrafts parts of these cars over 13 episodes, each bringing its own design challenges.

Sat: 8:30pm | Wed: 9:30pm | Thu: 6:30pm

RESTORATION GARAGE
New Show Starts 12th June
In a multibillion dollar industry, the Guild of Automotive Restorers tries to get a piece of the pie by completing any task put before it. These guys preserve, restore and sell some of the world's greatest cars. No car is too damage for these wicked wizards !!

Sun: 10am|Mon: 6pm |Fri: 9pm

CAR-CRASH-GLOBAL: CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Season Finale 19th June
Car Crash Global : Caught On Camera features astonishing video footage, including extreme clips from China and the US, the top five biggest show-offs on the road and the most incredible near misses. It’s hold your breath and clench your fists moments all caught on camera!

Sat: 7pm|Tue: 9pm|Wed: 6pm

DESERT COLLECTORS
New Show Starts 19th June
Collecting is not just Australian, it's a universal habit. Desert Collectors travel over 20,000 kms from the desert to the coast, meeting the most unique people from all walks of life. From Janet and Steve and their massive alcohol collection, to Burt and Angie with an incredible number of cars from all over the world. It’s unique characters with some of the most unique stories!

Sat: 6pm | Mon: 9pm | Tue 6pm

Ignition is available on DStv and TelkomOne

June 2021 On History Africa | World War II Extravaganza | New Series Alert! | Returning Show

From 13 June – 25 July

WORLD WAR II
Sundays from 20h15
The HISTORY® Channel Africa presents a series of documentaries and specials showcasing the politcal events and history that led to World War II, the memorie00 and disease.

Brand New and Exclusive
HITLER’S GOLD
13 June – 4 July
Sundays 20h15
Who financed Hitler? Where did he get the money and the backing to achieve power in 1933 Germany? This eye-opening mini-series unearths Hitler’s money trail, and exposes his secret partners, and money managers who enabled him to fnance his success and become the most powerful man in Europe. Hidden treasures, bank accounts, and much more. This series unravels the covert fnancial web that Hitler spun across Europe and around the globe to bankroll his dream of world dominaton.

Brand New & Exclusive
BATTLESHIPS
13 June Sunday 21h05
The story of Germany’s great batleships during the Second World War. With graphic recollectons from veterans of the ‘Kriegsmarine’, this flm depicts the rise of Hitler’s Naval Expansion program, through to the ultmate destructon by the allies, of the Schlesig Holstein, the Scharnhorst, the Admiral Scheer, the Gneisenau, the Graf Spee, the Tirpitz and finally the legendary Bismarck.

Brand New & Exclusive
STORMTROOPERS
20 June Sunday 21h05
The stormtroopers originated in the First World War. The 60 minute program outlines how the Stormtroopers were again used successfully in the Second World War by the Generals of the Wehrmacht in the Lightning War or ‘Blitzkrieg’ period.

Brand New & Exclusive
ON A WING AND A PRAYER
27 June
Sunday 21h05
Presented by Richard Todd, this flm portrays the story of RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. Beginning with its birth as a fedging arm of the Force in WWI, throughout its development between the wars, its rapid expansion at the outbreak of WWII and a complete insight into the strategy, tactcs, personnel, aircraf and operatons during the confict.

Brand New and Exclusive
THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY
4 July
Sunday 21h05
By attacking Midway Atoll, at the far western end of the Hawaiian chain, the Japanese hoped to lure the US Pacifc Fleet into the open sea and destroy it. Instead, due to superb US intelligence and costly Japanese tactcal errors, the atack marked the destructon of the Japanese Fleet and the end of Tokyo’s supremacy in the Pacifc Ocean. This flm portrays the momentous batle in a day-by-day account.

Brand New and Exclusive
HISTORY OF WWII
11 July
Sunday 20h15
World War II was an event that played out globally and has been described as the most horrifc war humanity has ever known. Actor Robert Hardy, famous for his role as Winston Churchill, presents this condensed chronology of WWII. A fascinatng flm which outlines all the politcal history and events leading up to the outbreak of war; and details all the major campaigns and batles fought on very front during the six year conflict.

Brand New & Exclusive
COLDITZ – THE LEGEND
18 July Sunday 20h15 In Colditz – The Legend, surviving soldiers who risked it all to escape Germany’s Colditz Castle prisoner of war camp tell the story of how they achieved the impossible. Colditz Castle was the prisoner of war camp no-one was meant to escape from – but escape they did. This excitng and moving documentary takes a fresh look at the legend, hearing from both Colditz survivors and their families. The escapes are ingenious, brave, excitng and even poignant, but it’s the touching memories of daily life, leters from home, secretly-brewed hooch and staving of the boredom which reveal what it was really like to have been locked up inside the notorious castle.

Brand New and Exclusive
A WAR TO REMEMBER
25 July
Sunday 20h15
World War II was a confict that impacted the world, a war packed with memories of hardship and losses, courage and sacrifce, humour and comradeship. This flm, presented by the late Dame Vera Lynn, tells the story of the 8th May 1845, when the fnal curtain had finally come down on a drama that had been acted out across all corners of the globe, for six long hard years.

OTHER PROGRAMMING

Brand New & Exclusive
SALVAGE KINGS S2
9 June
Wednesdays 20h15
The second series of Salvage Kings featuring the demoliton and salvage teams at Priestly Demoliton Inc. in the fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping job of tearing down buildings and racing against the clock to pull out anything valuable lef behind. There’s never a dull moment as Ryan Priestly – who owes everything he knows about the business to his dad and company founder Vic Priestly – takes any chance he can to smash, trash, and crash some of the world’s biggest and most challenging structures, while Ted and Justn reel in one-in-a-million treasures as the wrecking ball’s about to make its frst swing. All this while teaching Ryan’s nephew Julien, the tricks of the trade so he can one day run the family business.

Brand New & Exclusive
LEGENDS OF THE PHARAOHS
12 June
Saturdays 20h15
Legends of the Pharaohs is an ambitous docudrama series that brings to life extraordinary true stories from the age of the Pharaohs. Based on the most recent research, with dramatc locaton flming, the series captures the energy and immediacy of a living world, the drama of real lives, and the splendour of the most fascinatng civilisaton in the ancient world. This new series will bring back to life Egypt’s great pyramid builders and trace one century of epic constructon, from the frst true pyramid built by Djoser untl the third and last Pyramid of Giza. Today, for the frst tme, thanks to the most up-to-date research, it is possible to shine a new light on personal stories of individuals who took part in the constructon of the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza. This is the gripping tale of how the ancient Pharaohs’ quest to enter the aferlife afected the lives of tens of thousands of people, changed the face of the planet and helped create the world’s first naton.

History is available on DStv

Zee World Is About To Be A Double Bonanza As Two New Shows Replace Ring Of Fire

This June, the double bill episodes of Ring Of Fire will conclude on Zee World thereafter new entries called The Good Son and These Streets.

The Good Son (Rajaa Betaa), follows the story of Vedant who struggles for acceptance when a doctor adopts him against the will of his family. When he grows up, he faces a situation on his wedding night, whether to accept or disown his pregnant wife. Rrahul Sudhir takes up on the lead role.

These Streets (Yeh Teri Galiyan), follows the story of two children, a boy and a girl, who are raised in a brothel and love each other are cruelly separated where one is adopted by rich parents. Vrushika Mehta and Lavin Gothi are to star.

These Streets airs at 19:00 from June 1st followed by The Good Son at 18:00 from June 2nd.

June 2021 On Investigation Discovery Africa

Murder In The Heartland S3B
New Season
Date: 27 June
Time: 21:00 CAT
Day: Sunday
Every episode documents a town and its people through a murder that tore through it. The townspeople not only become our storytellers, but they also hold the clues to the puzzle that has forever changed their lives and how they understand their home.

The Murder Tapes S4A
New Season
Date: 5 June
Time: 21:00 CAT
Day: Saturday
Homicide investigations unfold through dramatic real footage in this groundbreaking series. The series provides an up-close perspective of the case, including footage from bodycam at the crime scene, surveillance video, and interrogation room video.

Signs Of A Psychopath S1B
New Seasons
Date: 8 June
Time: 22:00 CAT
Day: Tuesday
Psychopaths live among us. They can be friends, family members, coworkers, or even lovers. Trying as they may to impersonate normal humans, there are always signs that reveal their true nature: calculating, narcissistic -- and sometimes, murderous.

American Cartel S1
Brand New
Date: 6 June
Time: 21:00 CAT
Day: Sunday
An exclusive account of a routine traffic stop in Burbank that led to the murder of a police officer, an international manhunt, millions of dollars seized, multiple homicides, exposure of government corruption, and a Federal wiretap investigation that revealed a nationwide drug distribution network controlled by a street gang with ties to Mexico's most dangerous drug Cartels.

eMedia Investments Revives eKasi As A Local Programming Block

eKasi is making a comeback 3 years after eMedia Investments replaced it with eExtra in the hopes to bolster their content offering. It also spawned an anthology series known as eKasi: Our Stories.

The brand will be launching as a weekend programming block for 1 hour through eReality and according to sources Rewind.

The block will serve up shows such as Will You Be My Ex, Deadbeats, Beef and Pay Back The Money. They will likely serve up archived content from eMedia Investments as well as content seen on M-Net.

eKasi is the second block introduced to eMedia's stable following the launch of the Afrikaans block, Kuiertyd in 2018 that serves up reality, lifestyle and telenovelas.

Friday, May 21, 2021

New Channel Alert: Moja 9.9. Coming Soon To DStv?

Official logo

(This is not the official logo for Moja 9.9.)

Moja Love might be getting a companion soon. For now it's too early to confirm anything but apparently MultiChoice stacked up some content from this brand on Moja 9.9.

The name originated from one of the shows listed on this "new channel" which is Zodwa that is starting from scratch on this supposed channel.

Other shows listed on this channel include Meet The Khambules and Isencane Lengane both of which aired on Moja Love. That's pretty much the only thing for the channel maybe they'll add more close to its launch.

Moja Love has been around for 3 years and already MultiChoice feels it's okay to launch a rewind channel for the brand but channels such as BET2 and SABC Encore had to be axed.

Since everything on this channel is just a repeat and not that OLD I wouldn't be stunned if it joined KykNet Lekker and is made available exclusively to Access (and Easyview) customers on channel 158/9.

By the looks of it, I wouldn't even be surprised if MultiChoice decided to launch an extra channel for Honey or even revive SABC Encore. Even the idea of them possibly adding Boing and Toonami that serve as repeat channels to Cartoon Network don't seem far fetched at this point.

--------------------------------

MOJA 9.9. LAUNCHES ON DSTV ACCESS

Siyaya TV and MultiChoice will be launching Moja 9.9 (DStv 158) as a spin-off repeat channel of the existing Moja Love channel on 16 June, repositioning and repeating already-seen content of the Moja Love channel for lower-tiered DStv subscribers.

Moja 9.9 will become available to DStv Access subscribers only, with Moja Love that has been available over the past 3 years for DStv Premium to DStv Family subscribers with a popular blend of conflict-driven lifestyle-reality content with a firm tabloid slant.

The name of the Moja 9.9 channel spin-off derives from the slang word "moja" meaning "everything is good" while the "9.9" means confronting truth, similar to the hugely popular Uyajola 99 cheater- tabloid reality show.

Siyaya TV says that the name of Moja 9.9 "is aligned to the content it will deliver, which mainly mirrors what is happening in our communities and resonates with the channel's target audience. The 24-hour channel will be filled with locally produced shows and primarily targeted at women, with a spillover of male audiences". Aubrey Tau, Siyaya TV CEO, says "Ten years ago, our team began to imagine what a channel, inspired by our vision and values, could mean to viewers across Mzansi. In an increasingly crowded landscape, Moja Love has emerged as one of the leading destinations for viewers across TV screens".

"Creating the Moja Love brand and seeing it flourish, supported by the talented team that includes the channel head, exco, executive producers, producers, editors, crews working with a group of the finest storytellers and creators in television, is one of Siyaya TV proudest achievements as a black-owned company."

"We are thrilled about the channel's success and excited about the next chapter, the launch of the second channel, Moja 9.9, in partnership with MultiChoice. We will continue to inspire our viewers with rave, real stories that are relatable and resonate with audience." Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice Group CEO of General Entertainment and Connected Video, says "Moja 9.9 adds to the already vibrant content available on DStv Access and is sure to spark conversations and debates for many viewers".

"DStv customers who are on the DStv Access package can look forward to watching some of South Africa’s most-talked about local shows that were previously on Moja Love (DStv 157). All this great content will only be available to DStv Access subscribers, allowing more South Africans to enjoy the best of local content that DStv has to offer."

Start Somewhere is a new debate show that will start on 16 June and that will be shown on both Moja Love and Moja 9.9 and that will "touch on thought-provoking topics around challenges that young people face".

Moja Love says that young viewers "will be given sage advice from mentors and social influencers on how to pursue their ambitions".