Coming Up In March 2020 On Lifetime Africa

Brand New and Exclusive
LEAH REMINI:
SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
SEASON FINALE
On 2nd March, Monday at 21:55 CAT
In the season fnale of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Afermath the series gives a voice to victms of the Church of Scientology despite public atempts to discredit them. Each episode features stories from former members whose lives have been afected by the Church’s harmful practces, even well afer they lef the organisaton. Along with a team of former high-ranking Scientology insiders who understand the inner workings and policies of the organisaton, Leah gives the victms a chance to be heard.

Brand New Season
ESCAPING POLYGAMY
Starts 9th March, Mondays at 21:55 CAT Escaping Polygamy follows the work of three sisters who lef the “Kingston Clan”, a secretve polygamist group based in Salt Lake City, Utah, known as “The Order”. Each episode focuses on the dramatc work of three sisters as they help other young men, women and children to escape, preferring to face hell than spend another day inside.

Brand New Season
MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT AUSTRALIA S4
Starts 27th March, Fridays at 20:05 CAT Season 4 of Married at First Sight Australia is bigger than any series before it. This year the experiment is twice as long. Over the course of two months, the couples will be challenged in ways we’ve never seen before. In eight intense weeks, these relatonships are put through what most couples experience over the course of one year and the results are mind blowing!

Stories of Real Women
LIFETIME ORIGINAL MOVIES
Weekends starting 01 March at 19:20
THE SIMONE BILES STORY: COURAGE TO SOAR
Exclusive
1st March, Sunday at 19:20 CAT
Based on her book, The Simone Biles Story: Courage to Soar. The movie follows Simone Biles through the sacrifces and hard work that led her to win 19 Olympic and World Championship medals and ultmately cemented her stake as one of the greatest gymnasts of all tme. Afer a feld trip to a gymnastcs training centre when Simone was six years old, she caught the eye of a local coach who recognized that Simone had a remarkable gif for the sport. But pursuing her dream of becoming an elite gymnast also meant giving up high school football games, prom or startng college at UCLA. With her parents Ron and Nellie Biles and younger sister Adria supportng her every step of the way, Simone’s journey from foster care to the Olympic podium with all its triumphs and heartbreaks can serve as an inspiraton for every litle girl with a dream.

I AM SOMEBODY’S CHILD: THE REGINA LOUISE STORY
Exclusive
8th March, Sunday at 19:20 CAT
In the 1970’s, a judge rules that it is illegal for a young, unmarried, white social worker, Jeannie Kerr, to adopt her black, thirteen-year-old client, Regina Louise, who was rejected from multple foster homes. This is the shocking exposé of a “throwaway” child inside America’s adopton system, her resilient spirit in the face of overwhelming odds and her epic, years long quest to fnd the only person who made her feel loved.

TRAPPED: THE ALEX COOPER STORY
Brand New and Exclusive
15th March, Sunday at 19:20 CAT
Based on a harrowing true story, when 15-year-old Alex revealed she was gay to her devout Mormon parents, they feared so deeply for her soul that they took her from their Southern California home and placed her in a conversion therapy home against her will. Trapped for eight months with strangers, Alex faced horrible punishments and beatngs that were intended to “cure” her homosexuality. Afer realizing she would have to submit to their rules to survive, Alex was eventually allowed to atend school, where she became friends with a boy that was the president of the gay-straight alliance. He helped Alex get in touch with an atorney, who later helped orchestrate her escape.

ESCAPING THE MADHOUSE: THE NELLIE BLY STORY
Exclusive
22nd March, Sunday at 19:20 CAT
Inspired by a true story. On a mission to expose the deplorable conditons and mistreatment of patents at the notorious Women’s Lunatc Asylum, investgatve reporter Nellie Bly feigns mental illness to be insttutonalized to report from the inside. The movie delivers an intense and fctonalized account of actual events surrounding Nellie’s stay beginning. Afer Nellie has undergone treatment, she is lef with no recollecton of how she came to the asylum or her real identty. Nellie’s unwillingness to submit to authority results in unspeakable torture at the hands of the head nurse, Matron Grady. When Nellie captures the atenton of Dr. Josiah who tries to help her, Grady’s barbaric tactcs only intensify, leading Nellie to queston if she does belong in the asylum afer all. Nellie Bly’s expose was the frst of its kind in America and inspired the global reformaton of mental health care.

I AM ELIZABETH SMART Exclusive 29th March, Sunday at 19:20 CAT This Lifetme flm chronicles the true story of the June 2002 abducton of 14-year-old Elizabeth Ann Smart. She was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City by a religious fanatc Brian David Mitchell. Mitchell brought her to a hilly encampment where, alongside his twisted accomplice Wanda Barzee, he held Elizabeth captve. Over the course of her nine-month captvity, she was starved, drugged, raped and subjected to bizarre religious rituals untl she enabled her own rescue. Elizabeth herself serves as a producer and on-screen narrator to explore how she survived and confronts the truth and misconceptons about her captvity.

Coming Up In March 2020 On Discovery Channel (Africa)

Expedition Unknown
From Tuesday 3 March at 20:00
Adventurer and avid explorer, Josh Gates, continues his epic mission to investigate the truth behind the world's most iconic and captivating legends in this globe-trotting series. Interviewing key eyewitnesses and uncovering recent developments in the story, Josh embarks on a fully immersive exploration to lead him closer to the truth behind these unanswered global enigmas. Coming up, four years after Josh went on a journey to find the lost heart of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, he travels to the newly rediscovered town of Turbek for some shocking new revelations about the case. And, breaking news forces Josh to race across the globe – back to his home town of Boston, where one of the puzzles from the 1982 book, The Secret, may have been solved.

Street Outlaws: Fastest in America
From Friday 13 March at 20:55
It's time to rev up the engine and hit the accelerator as best of the best descend on Memphis in the ultimate street race. Eight of the fastest teams in the US compete for the winner-takes-all cash prize of $100,000 - the highest payout in street racing history - and the prestige of being called the baddest on the streets. Hand-picked by JJ Da Boss, street racing bosses from South Carolina, St. Louis, Kentucky, Mississippi, Detroit, NOLA, Texas and the Northeast - each claiming to be king of the streets - have assembled their teams in Memphis for the chance to prove their racing prowess. With both small and big tyre cars, these racers quickly learn it's not a matter of how fast their car goes or what's under the hood - but how much they know about the street and its surface. High intensity, insane pressure, and extreme emotions rule in this ultimate showdown, and only the best street racing team will make it to the finish line.

Gold Rush: Parker's Trail
From Monday 16 March at 20:00
Having tackled the rugged and dangerous trails of the Klondike, the hostile jungles of Guyana, and the wilderness of Papua New Guinea, Parker Schnabel is ready to take his hunt for gold down under. As another Klondike winter shuts down Parker's gold-rich mine site, the 25- year-old prodigy miner is determined to expand his operation and find new ground that extends his season year-round. Following his gut and a few solid leads, Parker and his friends head to Australia, home to record-sized nuggets and the largest untapped gold reserves in the world. There, the team prospects and explores across the island continent in a quest for gold and adventure that could forever change Parker as a miner.

Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars
From Saturday 28 March at 20:00
Renowned antiques dealer and self-confessed petrol head Drew Pritchard is back on the road with automotive guru Paul Cowland in search of iconic cars to buy, restore and sell on. In this series, the quest for hidden motoring gems takes them round the UK - and beyond. They head to the outskirts of London to check out a classic city car: the original Fiat 500. But 40 years of British weather has left its mark on the vehicle; can they give it a fashionable new look? Drew also hits the road in Barcelona, where he falls in love with an early, two-door Range Rover. But the honeymoon may be over when it arrives in the UK and Paul and Drew can't agree on how to restore it. With Drew driven by passion and design while Paul tries to make the numbers add up, the pair don't always agree, but with help from Britain's army of automotive craftsmen they're determined to create special and bespoke cars that will earn them a handsome profit.

What Viewers Can Look Forward To On Teen Africa TV

As stated earlier Teen Africa TV owned by Charles Novia is set to go live on DStv (and possibly GOtv) later in March not only that but over 40 shows have been greenlit so here's a list of programs you might across on the channel just note this list consists of confirmed or rumored programs:

WEEKDAYS
Teens Breakfast Club
Teens Street Live
Trivia
Not much detail is given about the three but from what I've seen regarding these type of programs you should expect a variety of things including educational segments, competitions, celebrities, news, gossip not to mention music, games and other fun activities. Teen Street Live will take up a 1hr slot.

OTHER PROGRAMS
-Culture Connect
-Teenalysis
-Talk Am
-Cypher
-Fashionista
-Cooking Something
Some of these shows like Fashionista are YouTube based. Any show falling under this section is not necessarily a daily series like TSL but a type of series that increases the Lineup and 6

MOVIES
According to Teen Africa TV, they are shooting teen themed and family-friendly movies which they like to call Telemovies (telenovela with 1 long episode) which will be broadcasted every Sunday evening.

RUMORED, SPECULATED AND CONFIRMED SERIES
-Unplugged
-When I Was A Teenager
-The Debaters
-The Voice Kids Nigeria
-Untitled International Adaption
-Hey, Mr VJ
-Teentro
Sleepover
-Naija High School Musical
-Teen Glitz And Fashion
-A TATV documentary
-Teen Africa Launch Partyk
-Teen Vibes
Before the channel's official launch TATV promoted some programs that might not be available when the channel launches on DStv. The series offer music, reality, real life stories and many more.

Africa's First Teen Channel Expected To Debut In March On DStv And Possibly GOtv

Teen Africa TV (TATV), Africa's first ever niche television network for teenagers aged 13-15 is expected to go live on March 30th on DStv and possibly GOtv across Africa. No channel number or package has been issued when it is we'll let you know.

TATV is owned by Nigeria's very own Charles Novia the channel was originally going to be called Teentube but another company already had that name so they went for TATV. The channel is expected to carry series, movies, fashion, lifestyle and more. Since it is a youth based channel expect some educational content in the mix.

This channel was created to promote current and upcoming stars from Nigeria soon to be Africa. There is a bunch of programming confirmed for this channel including When I Was A Teenager, The Voice Kids Nigeria, Unplugged and a lot more in production.

It took 13/4 years for Charles to get this channel of the ground what started as a YouTube channel began to grow into what it is known today.

This channel has potential and I can see it having a major impact across the market and if it succeeds it could face other global brands like Nickelodeon. This isn't the only youth channel launching on DStv apparently there's two one which I'll leave untitled while other is called SA Youth TV judging by the name it's only for South Africa.

Budget Cuts Will Not Solve BBC's Problems

The retrenchment of the BBC’s news behemoth has been a long time coming but is no less welcome for all that. The Corporation has been forced by financial considerations to take a long, hard look at what its core news functions should be.

The cuts announced by Fran Unsworth, director of news and current affairs, envisage slimmed down news schedules and greater pooling of reporters to end the practice of separate teams of journalists covering the same stories for different outlets.

The award-winning Victoria Derbyshire morning magazine show has been axed and others are to be reduced in scope. Newsnight will make fewer films.

The aim is for the news operation to save £80 million out of the £800 million in overall savings earmarked by the BBC by 2022. It will involve the loss of 450 editorial jobs which the Corporation hopes to manage mainly through voluntary redundancy.

There is an old saying at the BBC that whenever there are difficulties, “deputy heads will roll”. The sense that the legions of managers earning six figure salaries are always immune from such economies runs deep. It is essential that other parts of the Corporation take a lead from the news side and weed out duplication and inefficiency. But the strategy behind the cuts is hard to discern.

Ms Unsworth told staff that they had to move away from traditional broadcasting towards digital. This in order to attract a youth audience who the BBC data say once watched the news but don’t anymore. But it is questionable whether they did so in the past or were waiting for something else to come on the television while the news was on. The younger generation today no longer watch the BBC at all let alone its news output.

But they will as they get older, which is why the BBC needs to produce good quality programming that appeals to anyone of any age. It must be possible for the Corporation to cut its spending without reducing the quality of its output. Setting out in pursuit of a youth audience, whose digital interests are often fleeting and demotic, risks replacing good journalism with “click-bait” stories that are of no interest to the audience that is interested in news.

Whatever reforms the BBC makes to save money, though, cannot be uncoupled from the bigger debate about the future of public service broadcasting and the licence fee.

Some Details Regarding The Long Awaited Channel, Limpopo TV

Limpopo residents are excited about a new television channel that will be launching soon. The channel will be known as Limpopo TV and its content will be a mixture of local and international programmes with a modern flair, aimed at entertaining, educating and informing.

Limpopo TV is a unique multi-cultural & ethnic platform for news and information created for Limpopo Community, Africa and the World, Free to Air and subscription television’s most dynamic, high growth, and loyal consumers!

Limpopo TV is the nation’s first channel to fill this significant void and provide True Limpopo viewers news, information,
entertainment and educational content focused on their interests and needs on a day to day.

Limpopo TV's purpose is to be a news organization that gives voice to the varied experiences, issues, points-of-view and priorities that matter and relevant to Limpopo Community. The network will empower Limpopo Community and address the issues of the day in a way that is fresh, bright, complete, inspiring and empowering to its audience.

Some residents share their opinions on this new channel.

-Pam Ditshego says she is excited that there will finally be a channel telling their, stories which most people don’t know about.“It’s about time we show our talent to the world, and our indigenous languages will be heard,” she says.
-Mpho Kolonyane says many Sepedi-speaking people don’t know their culture, so this is an opportunity for the younger generation to learn more of where they come from.
-Lekoetsi Thosago says she is happy and believes the new TV channel will assist with youth development.“The entertainment industry does not really recognise people in Limpopo because most TV programmes are in Zulu; now it’s our time to shine and show our diverse cultures.
-Paballo Kolonyane says she is delighted and believes her dream of being an actress is about to come true.
-Thabiso Mathe says it’s about time to discover the hidden talent of people in Limpopo.“This is an opportunity to raise our voices in our own languages,” he says.
-Muzzy Bhila says this will give artists an opportunity and platform to showcase their work.
-Jimmy Medupe says the TV channel is good for job creation and it will include more local talents and skills.“I see this channel as a way to fight poverty and I hope the municipalities will work with the station so it can have a longer life,” Medupe says.
-Luyanda Rams says Limpopo TV will unearth the talent of people living in the province.

Fox Life Africa Must Fall Takes Flight

Sick and tired of complaining to FOX Africa and MultiChoice regarding FOX Life good news there's a petition going around to have it removed from the platform. Show your support by clicking the link 'FOX Life Must Fall'

CANIMAF With African Animation Network

We begin our retrospective with our very first special guest from CANIMAF, Nick Wilson. His participation in this 3rd edition allowed the many festival-goers and professionals in attendance to appreciate the immense opportunities that the animation industry offers to the economy, culture and the technology industry. Nick is the head of the AAN which is one of the partners of Tousanime and its festival Canimaf. 

Together with the AAN, he pilots large-scale projects that contribute to the development of animation in Africa. Here are some of his successes.

The African Animation Network (AAN) is a pro-profit, talent-driven, social enterprise with a core mission to empower African animation professionals and build a sustainable animation industry. AAN believes that this can be achieved through 3 key pillars:
1.) Talent Identification & Skills Development
2.) revenue-generating Access to Audience
3.) & (with these in place) we believe direct Investment will follow.

AAN has developed a series of Open Network Platforms to facilitate the 3 pillars. Nick was responsible for building the institutional & industry partner networks as well as developing the content delivery strategy & platforms to drive expansion & revenues across the open network platforms.

Key industry partnerships brokered:
AAN is a brand custodian of Animation du Monde Pan-Africa in partnership with Annnecy Int. Animated Film Fest. & Market/MIFA. By geographic footprint, AAN runs the largest leg of the premiere animation pitching competition in the world.

In partnership with Basic Lead, AAN runs the animation programme (workshops & panels) & hosts the animation pavilion at Africa's premiere content trade shows DISCOP Markets (Abidjan, Joburg, Cairo).

AAN has a co-publishing partnership with Animation Magazine, the most prestigious animation-centric publication globally. Top African news items are published on Animation Magazines digital & social platforms & reach over 180,000 people globally.

AAN has partnered with the top kids animation broadcaster Cartoon Network Africa. In 2018 AAN ran the Rest of Africa PR for Creative Lab with a 26,000% ROI.
AAN has partnered with SSTREAMM to create an AAN mobile SVOD channel on MTN Shortz.

AAN has partnered with Baboon Animation (27 Emmy's) & Toonz Media Group (produce +10,000min/year) to create DISCOMICS IQEMBU. IQEMBU means "group" or "cluster" in isiZulu.

AAN, in partnership with Imira and Basic Lead, will launch the first African-owned linear 24hr kids' animation & pop culture thematic channel.

Thank you again for your excellent participation in this 3rd edition of CANIMAF

NBCUniversal Launches A New News Channel Called Sky World News Globally, Question Arise On Whether This Channel Will Replace Sky News On DStv?

A new NBC Sky World News channel will go live this summer across global TV networks, as well as on the Peacock streaming service which will not be available in South Africa.

The channel will mark Comcast’s first effort to unite its brands since its $30 billion acquisition of Sky in 2018.

Andy Lack, chairman of NBC News, told the FT that the service will target English-speaking audiences, and will draw on a 3,500-strong combined workforce and hire 100-200 dedicated staff. Ten new bureaus will open worldwide, extending the NBC-Sky reporting footprint by some 50 per cent.

The operation will be led by British TV executive Deborah Turness, who ran NBC News between 2013 and 2017 before being given responsibility for developing its international arm.

On launch, the television channel will reach an estimated 130 million households, and will seek to take on the likes of CNN and BBC in the global world news market. Since then MultiChoice and Sky News have been silent on the matter.

“We’ve longed for an international channel,” Lack said to the FT . “Going back to the Gulf war when CNN essentially came on to the scene, we knew then at NBC that if you weren’t in the 24-hour news business globally, you weren’t really in the news business. So when I first went to NBC in 1993 it was like, goddamn, how do we get one of those?” That opportunity seemingly finally arose following the acquistion of Sky.