Roundups #120: Lioness Returns For A New Season On M-Net, The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder Gets Season 2 Renewal And BritBox To Add Two New Doccies To Their Lineup

Another local drama gets a season 2 renewal

Shannon Esra returns to TV screens as Samantha Hugo when M-Net's (DStv 101) edgy thriller drama, Lioness, returns for its second season next year.

Lioness returns for season 2 on 16 January. It follows the story of a woman fresh out of jail for fraud and returning to a life even more fractured than when she left.

"After the cliffhanger finale of season 1, season 2 picks up with Adrian Hugo's (played by Jacques Bessenger) second wife (played by Carla Classen) in desperate search for her missing husband," a press statement reads. "The fiercely protective mother (as the titular "lioness") that she is, Samantha must shield her son Liam (played by Joshua Eady), no matter the cost."

DStv Flex:
- The Heartless coming soon to TLNovelas
- What to expect this January on The Home Channel?
- Reyka renewed for season 2 on M-Net
- What to expect this January on Qwest TV?
- Reviewing major changes coming soon to the SABC
- What to expect this December on TNT?

The Proud Family is back on Disney+

The Proud Family: Louder & Prouder fans rejoice as the Proud Family revival gets renewed for season 2!

But, before we delve deeper into what we know about the upcoming new season on Disney+, we have to mention that the series is unquestionably making its mark as it recently won the Outstanding Casting for An Animated Program award at the first Children’s & Family Emmy Awards.

Season 2 of The Proud Family: Louder & Prouder will hit the airwaves in February and is expected to feature a stellar list of new guest stars. According to JustJaredJr.com, here are some of the voices that we can expect to hear in upcoming new episodes and the names of the characters that they will portray.

- Gabrielle Union as Talia Rouge
- Chance the Rapper as Darrius St. Vil
- Normani as Giselle
- Leslie Odom Jr. as Kwame
- Anthony Anderson as Ray Ray
- Gymnasts Dominique Dawes, Gabby Douglas and - Laurie Hernandez as themselves
- Holly Robinson Peete as Dr. Lord
- Maury Povich as himself
- Storm Reid as Emily
- Courtney B. Vance as Merlin Kelly
- Liana Mendoza as Singing Judge

Regular Nick:
- Best & Bester coming soon to Nicktoons
- Moonbug Kids gets a dedicated cameo account
- January on Disney Channel
- January on Disney Junior
- January on Da Vinci Kids
- The concept of Cartoonito and Boomerang (review)

BritBox picks up two British actor documentaries

The Ghost of Richard Harris debuted in September 2022 at the Venice Film Festival. The actor is known to modern viewers best as the Original Dumbledore, but he had a long career before Harry Potter, including starring in the Oscar-nominated This Sporting Life and Camelot. However, he was even better known for his hard-partying ways, with a reputation for drinking and riotous behavior.

The documentary will feature his children, who followed in his footsteps to Hollywood, including Jared Harris (The Crown), Jamie Harris (Carnival Row), and director Damian Harris (Brave The Dark), as well as co-stars Vanessa Redgrave and Dick Cavett, and his late wife, Elizabeth Harris.

Peter O’Toole – Along the Sky Road to Aqaba only just debuted recently at the end of November 2022 in Spain. Directed by Jim Sheridan, who ironically also appears in The Ghost of Richard Harris, the documentary is structured into four acts, each introduced by a quote from or about the Lawrence of Arabia star to encapsulate that period of his life.

Nominated seven times for Best Actor, the new documentary covers everything about O'Toole from his self-belief to his alcoholism, using his own words, gleaned from 100s of hours of footage, allowing him to act as a narrator for his own life. It also includes interviews with O’Toole’s family, artists, actors, and directors, including Sir Kenneth Branagh, Brian Cox, Stephen Fry, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and Sir Derek Jacobi.

YouTube Premium:
- VH1 is making a comeback to international shores through BET
- DStv Streama bundles Disney+
- The Walt Disney Company to expand the reach of Star Channel
- Acorn TV shutting down in South Africa
- TelkomOne rebrands into SABC+
- New Spider-Man series coming to MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video

What To Expect On DreamWorks Africa In January 2023?

NEW EPISODES: POSTMAN PAT
Each story features Postman Pat and his black and white cat Jess and their adventures in the village of Greendale. Pat is more than just a friendly postman delivering the mail. He is always ready to lend a willing hand to all the people he meets on his rounds. Everyone looks out for his bright red post van and he is warmly welcomed with a smile and the odd cup of tea!
From Monday 2nd January 2023
Weekdays at 9:30am, 11:30am

NEW EPISODES: DRAGONS RESCUE RIDERS
In a faraway corner of the vast and exciting Viking world, live ten-year-old Dak and his twin sister Leyla and five young dragons named Winger, Summer, Cutter, Burpleand Aggro. Raised among these dragon friends, Dak and Leyla have also developed the unique ability to understand and speak with dragons. Together the twins and their dragons go on exciting adventures, rescuing, defending and protecting other dragons while also helping out around their adopted home of Huttsgalor!
From Monday 2nd January 2023
Weekdays at 9am, 11am

NEW EPISODES: CLEOPATRA IN SPACE
Cleopatra in Space is the untold story of Cleopatra's teenage years when she is transported to a future galaxy that is ruled by talking cats and discovers that she is the prophesied savior. In order to prepare her to be the savior, she is sent to an elite academy where she has to train to take on the bad guys, figure out how to eventually get herself back home to Egypt, and tackle the highs and lows of being a teenager in high school.
From Monday 2nd January 2023
Weekdays at 7pm, 11pm
Weekends 2pm, 7pm

Regular Nick:
- Best & Bester coming soon to Nicktoons
- Moonbug Kids gets a dedicated cameo account
- January on Disney Channel
- January on Disney Junior
- January on Da Vinci Kids
- The concept of Cartoonito and Boomerang (review)

MOVIES
Fridays at 5.15pm
Saturdays at 9am
Sundays and 9.30am

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3
Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th, Friday 13th January
Join your favorite monster family as they embark on a vacation adventure on a luxury monster cruise ship so Drac can finally take a break from handling everyone else's vacation at the hotel. It's smooth sailing for Drac's Pack as the monsters indulge in all of the shipboard fun the cruise has to offer, from monster volleyball to exotic excursions, and catching up on their moon tans. But they hit rocky waters when Mavis realizes that Drac has fallen for the mysterious captain of the ship, Ericka, who hides a dangerous secret that could sink their plans for a dream vacation.

THE SMURFS
Saturday 14th, Sunday 15th, Friday 20th January
After the evil wizard Gargamel has chased the little blue Smurfs out of their village, they stumble from their magical world into the human world - and end up in the middle of Central Park. Now the Smurfs must quickly find a way back to their village before Gargamel can track them down.

SMURFS 2
Saturday 21st, Sunday 22nd, Friday 27th January
Evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties hoping they will let him harness the magical Smurf-essence. However, he soon discovers that he needs the help of Smurfette, who knows the secret to turning the Naughties into real Smurfs. When Gargamel and his Naughties kidnap Smurfette from Smurf Village and bring her to Paris, it’s up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchyand Vanity to reunite with their human friends, Patrick and Grace Winslow, and rescue her!

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE
Saturday 28th, Sunday 29th January
In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does. Embarking on a rollercoaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history!

Insidus Games:
- Nicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy
- Garfield 2: Royal Adventure
- Legend Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
- Sonic Advance 3
- Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends: Cheese Phone's Home
- Wheres Waldo Now?

New Development Alert: Ultraview Coming Soon To Openview And Here's What We've Seen So Far

BBC UKTV made its free-to-air on MultiChoice's DStv during the week and was initially slated for the Openview platform in October unfortunately that never came to fruition with BBC Studios refusing to comment any further on the matter.

I have no doubt that BBC UKTV will launch on the Openview platform as stated by both parties at the time they were still finalising some details not sure what that means exactly.

But as of this moment, consumers will behind on several shows such as My Family, Casualty and Top Gear from BBC Brit, Come Dine With Me from BBC Lifestyle, Wild Africa and Planet Earth from BBC Earth and Yakka Dee and Andy's Wild Adventures from CBeebies.

To add onto that note, eMedia Investments has begun doing a test run on Openview+ which serves as a pay version to the current Openview platform that won't be made available for viewing until the fall of 2023.

eMedia Investments:
- Prediction: eToonz to get an additional channel
- Could Openview+ lead to 24 hour capability of these channels?
- eToonz schedule explained
- Housewives has been scrapped from e.tv's lineup
- eMedia's 4 channels to go dark on DStv
- Charlize Theron opinion over the Afrikaans language

eMedia Investments 4 channels currently supplied to the DStv platform were scrapped during the year and their future on the pay-tv giant remains uncertain. So this is probably their way of not trying not to rely so much on the pay-tv giant for their survival.

And the fact that analogue is being wiped out by March 2023 which puts a dent in their money bin so at this point it's all about survival.

eVOD has seen plenty of success since it's rollout and it could have been what led them to revisit the pay-tv endeavours.

Openview+ was in the pipeline decades ago just without name and had several eMedia produced channels in the works and just like SABC's initial DTT plans that too was killed off or restructured and with its launch more imminent they're likely to revisit those options.

eMedia at the time felt the market was big enough for only two pay-tv platforms to which one had already sank while the other is trying to save the remaining passengers and hopefully lure more people into the Titanic.

Now the only thing that we knew so far about Openview+ was it's starter up of R150 which to me seems a bit much for a newbie I mean DStv Access costs far less and has over 40 channels and the current Openview platform has less than 25 channels.

Openview:
- MultiChoice to rollout delayed Openview channel
- Openview to come with monthly fees by next year
- Could Openview be losing more channels in future?
- SABC 1 title card has been registered for customers
- MultiChoice attempting to replicate eExtra's Kuiertyd with kykNET
- eMovies and eMovies Extra receive their first competitors on DStv Easyview

But eMedia has been dishing out some very interesting channels such as eXposed, The Home Channel+ and soon BBC UKTV so I'm just saying is it possible that Openview+ just like DStv Premium is quality over quantity.

To be frank, DStv Premium has over 120 channels of which less than 20 channels probably even less than that are available on an exclusive basis and most of the money goes onto M-Net and the existing lineup of content on SuperSport which is less than half of that number.

Honestly, a service like Openview+ will need some time prepping up but from what was seen later in the week I wouldn't be surprised if my theory came to fruition or at least initially.

As mentioned above, eMedia Investments had begun doing some test runs on Openview+ under the banner Ultraview which by my guess is a more advanced version of the latest model of the Openview platform.

They did announce another new decoder would be rolling out soon probably with more features. MultiChoice did something similar already where you had the DStv Explora and few years later you got more premium version, DStv Explora Ultra.

Openview:
- Alternatives to News And Sport Channel
- BYUTV - another alternative to eToonz
- Why Openview competitor is a free-to-view Netflix?
- Openview to come with monthly fees
- Glow TV to be replaced by eBolly (prediction)
- DMAX rolls out in the African market (prediction)

This Ultraview service has begun testing out two channels not really giving details as to what they're about but there is the matter of SABC's two yet to be launched channels and now BBC UKTV. I mean is it possible perhaps one of them will become an Openview+ exclusive.

Depending on when these channels actually launch, I'm not expecting them to place it on a paywall or at least not SABC for that matter. My hunch is that these two will probably be a premium version to the current e.tv and eExtra channels.

While as most of the content on eVOD will usually take up a year or so to be made available on eMedia's set of channels with the first channel I'm expecting it to take the M-Net approach and wait a few weeks or even do simultaneous airings. Even offer series like Seal Team and NCIS.

The second channel would be a telenovela channel sort of a spinoff to eExtra as eMedia has grown quite attached to this type of content. Of course, it would explore Latin America, Europe and parts of Asia and even crossover with the current eExtra channel.

Honestly, I'm not that much of a fan of the format seen on e.tv and the guilty pleasure lineup on eExtra. These channels kind of like what Zee World and Zee One may be rivals to some extent but these two are able to balance each other which is what I'm expecting for these two.

Prediction: What To Expect In 2023 On Zee World, Zee One And eExtra?

For those already familiar with the Zee brand, it has been dominating the market for nearly decade that several broadcasters around the world including eExtra which resides in South Africa can't seem to get their paws off the cookie jar for reasons that are obvious.

As the year comes to a close eye we look at some upcoming productions for Zee World, Zee One and eExtra.

This list features various content part of which were rumoured for a very long time and I'd like to add that this is not the full plan for the coming year as some things are better off announced by the necessary parties.

Initially, we are going to unveil the content in batches but now we opted to supply it in one single post with others being unveiled in due course so here it is a list of content respectively coming to the relevant brands.

Everyday Novelas:
- Prediction: What to expect on Telemundo by next year?
- Prediction: eBolly to rollout on the Openview platform
- The Rebel Princess coming soon to eExtra
- Carmen And Razia Sultan coming soon to Zee One and Zee World
- Laxmi and more content awaiting launch on Star Life
- Daai Crazy Somer coming soon to e.tv

New

* Part of this is dated a while back

Trinayani
Trinayani's ability to foresee the future and the past often lands her in trouble. Despite the setbacks, she strives to use her gift to protect the people around her from harm.

Nakshi Kantha
Shabnam, a talented Muslim girl who aspires to become a doctor, escapes from home on being pressurised to marry. She accidentally comes across Jashojit, a Hindu doctor, and marries him. Thus begins Shabnam’s journey of the struggle of getting accepted by her in-laws, practising her religious beliefs, and pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor.

Kyun Rishton Mein Katti Batti (Fragmented Family)
The show will depict the world of 2 children who try to bring their parents together and rekindle their happy family.

Dayan, Destructive Beauty
Dayan, Destructive Beauty follows Janvi Maurya, a well-educated and family-oriented girl hailing from Ujjain, stumbles upon a dangerous ploy by an evil force as many unusual and mysterious happenings occur in her hometown. With a threat to her life, she must unmask the identity of a Daayan.

Razia Sultan
Based on the real life figure of the same name, Razia Sultan is a historical drama that charts the rise of a remarkable real-life figure, the first woman to ever rule the Delhi Sultanate. It has the typical court intrigue you can expect from "Game of Thrones" type series.

Kaala Teeka (The Jinxed)
Tells the story of Gauri and her father who was on a quest to keep his only daughter safe and protected. He discovers an abandoned baby girl can save his daughter from a familial curse, and he adopts her, naming her Kaali and making her Gauri's "Kaala Teeka". The series starred Simran Pareenja, Sukirti Kandpal, Karan Sharma and Fenil Umrigar.

The Diligent Daughter (Apna Time Bhi Aayega)
The show depicts the dreams and struggles of Ramadheer, a servant in a royal family of Jaipur, and his beloved daughter, Rani. While Ramadheer doesn’t wish for Rani to become a servant, circumstances force Rani to take that path. Will Rani fulfil her dreams, or will she remain a servant like her father?

Mithai
Mithai, a gifted sweet maker, is on a quest to establish her professional identity. What happens when Mithai’s world collides with Siddharth, a software engineer and heir to a traditional sweet making business.

Radha Mohan (Pyar Ka Pehla Naam: Radha Mohan)
In modern-day Vrindavan, Mohan, a charming flute player, loses his spark post a tragedy. Radha, who admires him since her childhood days, decides to remind him of his true love, Lord Krishna.

Inseparable Lovers (Firangi Bahu)
This show portrays the story of the Desai family and their firangi bahu Camili. Featuring key social issues like alcoholism, cultural prejudice, abortion and modern Indian family values; the plot follows the couple from their romantic university days in London to the not-so-ideal reality of a multi-generational household in India, The Desai's.

Our Good News (Hamari Wali Good News)
Set in Agra, Renuka Tiwari and Mukund Tiwari eagerly wait for their grandchildren but were devastated to learn that Navya their daughter-in-law can't conceive due to tubal occlusion. Mukund's step-sister diehard wants Good News from Navya and Aditya so she forces and badmouths Renuka. Also, Mukund berates her for every attempt.

Two Hearts Bound By Love (Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se)
The show traces the lives of two young people, Shivani, the granddaughter of a rich tycoon, and Raghu, her grandfather’s employee. Life takes a drastic turn for Shivani when she gets married to Raghu and is compelled to adjust with a man whom she always thought of as a house help but now has to accept as her life partner.

Ties Of Bond (Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi)
Set in Mumbai, the series focuses on the wealthy Gujarati Virani family where the three daughters-in-law – Savita, Daksha and Gayatri, control the whole family, creating trouble for their wise and kind-hearted mother-in-law Amba.

Ramayan
Ramayan is a timeless classic based on Valmiki’s ancient epic and Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas. Tracing the journey of Lord Rama, the show highlights the ideals and principles that form the crux of Indian culture and upbringing. Centuries after the original epic was first written, its relevance in contemporary times remains unquestioned.

Man Of Honour (Khaki Ek Vachan)
The story traces the journey of an honest cop, who chooses to fight for everyone who has been denied justice. He forms a team of like-minded cops and together, they become a force to reckon with. Khaki – Ek Vachan celebrates the dedication of such brave and selfless police officers, who work hard to keep our society safe.

Teri Meri Ikk Jindri
Beautiful and independent, Amritsar’s resident Mahi falls in love with Jogi, and the duo gets married. However, Mahi refuses to bow down to the rules laid down by her brother-in-law, Pappuji, and struggles to win the much-deserved respect and recognition for her love. With obstacles in abundance, will Mahi be able to win everyone’s heart?

eExtra Updates:
- Die Vertroueling coming soon to eExtra
- Charlize Theron faces backlash over the Afrikaans language
- eExtra alongside the 3 other channels to go dark on the DStv platform
- Vierspel Vuurspel getting a Romanian adaptation
- kykNET Vs. eExtra: MultiChoice purposed attempt at replacing Kuiertyd

Rebroadcasts

* Part of this is premieres for the relevant brands

Surrender In Love (Qurbaan Hua)
The story revolves around the famous chef Neel and the happy-go-lucky girl Chahat and they're mad desire to destroy each other's families.

Unspoken Love (Bin Kuch Kahe)
A light-hearted drama that looks at the lives of the daughters of the Kohli family. This all-women family has an eccentric matriarch, idiosyncratic members and dysfunctional modern-day problems, yet are bound with immense love and warmth. This bittersweet modern tale of love will not only make you smile but also leave a lump in your throat.

Siddhi Vinayak
The story showcases the relationship journey of two childhood friends. Vinayak is the next superstar to hit the silver screen while Siddhi, a hardworking backup dancer in the Hindi film industry, is fated to be a catalyst in his journey to stardom. The show beautifully traces the journey of these two friends who love to hate each other.

Manmohini (Curse Of The Sands)
A witch named Mohini has waited for her unrequited love of 500 years, Rana Saa, who has been reborn as Ram. Ram is a businessman who lives with his wife, Siya, and his half brother, Vivian. Ram and Siya were on the verge of divorce. However, when Siya learns of Mohini, she decides not to divorce Ram to save him.

Begusarai
Set in the land of Bihar, the series focuses on the Takur family where bullets speak louder than words. The series starred Vishal Aditya Singh, Shweta Tiwari, Shivangi Joshi, and Sartaj Gill in lead roles.

Gangaa
Early in life, Ganga meets a tragic turn when she becomes a widow on the day of her marriage. Eventually, her love for Sagar, her childhood friend, is reciprocated, but they must endure separation.

Ring Of Fire
Ring of Fire is a romantic story of a bachelor with two potential suitors. The series sets out the narrative of Anurag, Ragini, and Srishti, who are caught up in a love triangle that gets worse over time and turns wild.

Jodha Akbar
Jodha Akbar is a saga of love between Emperor Akbar, the vanquisher of foes and conqueror of nations, and Queen Jodha, a beautiful Rajput princess, a symphony of beauty and benevolence. After their initial tussle and a bitter-sweet relationship, together they build an empire where love defeats hatred.

King Of Hearts
Siddharth, a hotelier, takes up the responsibility of repairing the relationship between his independent wife, Roshni, and his enterprising mother-in-law, Durga Devi.

Ishq Subhan Allah
A story about the union of two people, who may be poles apart from each other, but want to spend their lives together. This show traces the beautiful journey of Kabir and Zara, two individuals with contrastingly opposite nature, views and beliefs, and the challenges that life throws at them after they are bound in matrimony.

Everyday Novelas:
- Die Vertroueling coming soon to eExtra
- The Heartless coming soon to TLNovelas
- Lord Of The Skies renewed for 8th season on Telemundo
- Chrysalis currently streaming on eVOD
- 3AM coming soon to KIX

Roundups #119: Snoozefest Best & Bester FINALLY Making Its African Debut On Nicktoons, God Of War TV Series Ordered By Prime Video And Stephen Twitch Boss Famous DJ Dead At Age 40

The long forgotten Nicktoon finally gets the time of day

Best & Bester (52x11) is a co-production between London-based studio Eye Present and Finnish studio Gigglebug Entertainment. Nickelodeon International acquired the pre-buy rights to the series in February 2020.

The series follows siblings and best friends obsessed with comparing the best things of all time while enjoying the power to transform themselves into anything they want, once a day – if only they can figure out what the best thing to be actually is!

Nickelodeon channels in various territories are currently airing Best & Bester with Nicktoons scheduled to air the short-lived comedy series by January 2023.

Regular Nick:
- Moonbug Kids gets a dedicated cameo account
- January on Disney Channel
- January on Disney Junior
- January on Da Vinci Kids
- Craig Of The Creek has been cancelled on Cartoon Network
- The concept of Cartoonito and Boomerang (review)

Another video game is being ordered to series

A live-action adaptation of PlayStation’s hit video game franchise “God of War” has been ordered to series at Amazon’s Prime Video, with “Wheel of Time” boss Rafe Judkins set as showrunner.

Based on the massively popular 2018 video game, the show follows Kratos, the God of War, who, after exiling himself from his blood-soaked past in ancient Greece, hangs up his weapons forever in the Norse realm of Midgard, per Amazon’s description. When his beloved wife dies, Kratos sets off on a dangerous journey with his estranged son Atreus to spread her ashes from the highest peak — his wife’s final wish. Kratos soon realizes the journey is an epic quest in disguise, one which will test the bonds between father and son, and force Kratos to battle new gods and monsters for the fate of the world.

“’God of War’ is a compelling, character-driven franchise that we believe will captivate our global customers as much with its expansive and immersive worlds as its rich storytelling,” Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios, said. “We are honored to share in the adventure of exploring the God of War mythology in such a momentous way with Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, and Santa Monica Studio.”

The world bids farewell to another artist

DJ, dancer and producer tWitch, whose real name is Stephen Boss, has died at the age of 40. His death was confirmed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's office and the Los Angeles Police Department.

At around 11:20 a.m. local time Tuesday, officers were dispatched to a motel in the Encino neighborhood on a call of an "ambulance death investigation," the LAPD said in a statement Wednesday. Investigators said Boss' death was a suicide.

Boss and his wife, Allison Holker, are both dancers who appeared on the competition series "So You Think You Can Dance?" and "Dancing with the Stars." The couple married in 2013 and marked their ninth wedding anniversary this week. They share three children.

Google:
- A look into the life of X-Rated Rocky star Sylvester Stallone
- Malverde: Legend or Myth, a look at other patron saints
- 7 things you didn't know about Tom's Diner
- Inside the enduring mysteries of Elvis Presley's tragic fate
- Michael Jackson's Moonwalker became a childhood horror
- How Scooby-Doo inspired a generation of drug junkies?

HBO Max And Discovery+: My Expectations For The Purposed Max Streaming Service

WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. merged to form Warner Bros. Discovery during the year which has been met with a lot of media scrutiny following the cutback on staff and programming and one of the topics already discussed the newly formed company was the merger of their two streaming services, HBO Max and Discovery+.

HBO Max was more of a general entertainment type service as it offered drama series and movies from DC Comics, HBO, The CW and several others with animation coming from Cartoon Network and Crunchyroll. Basically, it made the HBO brand name more valuable.

Discovery+ was more factual and reality based supplying and expanding content from various Discovery brands including Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, TLC, HGTV, Food Network and an endless list of brands.

YouTube Premium:
- VH1 is making a comeback to international shores through BET
- DStv Streama bundles Disney+
- The Walt Disney Company to expand the reach of Star Channel
- Acorn TV shutting down in South Africa
- TelkomOne rebrands into SABC+
- New Spider-Man series coming to MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video

I don't know why these two streaming services are merging soon but it kind of makes sense from a business perspective. HBO Max is lacking in terms of variety it's definitely something I'd recommend to anyone but let's be honest here compared to Discovery+ they have more of the same thing with alternatives.

That's probably why they were even relevant to consumers like me in the first place. The part that mostly turned me on was the anime, DC and Cartoon Network everything else was okay I got to watch certain shows like Euphoria and Flight Attendant.

Discovery+ isn't what I'd call a strong competitor in the market but Discovery Inc. before the merger wasn't putting all their hopes in killing off Netflix but keeping it sustainable in the near future. What can I say there's a lot to explore on the app but it depends on the consumer.

The thing about Discovery is that some of the content can come in the alley of HBO Max which is general entertainment particularly that of TLC and Discovery Channel. You could say Discovery+ offered more than HBO Max in terms of variety so the merger makes all the more sense.

Warner Bros Discovery:
- Boomerang might be rebranding in more parts of Europe to Cartoonito
- Inside Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA kids content strategy
- Warner Bros. Discovery to launch new free-to-air channel in some parts of Europe by 2023
- The history of Fine Living
- Warner Bros. Discovery cancels several animated shows
- Sesame Workshop and Discovery Education launch new channel

Warner part of the service has the audience while the Discovery part has the content all of which will soon be available under one streaming service with the working title, Max.

Max from what other outlets not gonna mention names speculated family and kids wouldn't be part of this new streamer which made absolutely no sense as those are one of the biggest consumers around particularly on Disney+ and the other having to do with the content as brands like Animal Planet are regarded as such.

Taking to all the cutbacks into account, I'm guessing that the proposed Max streaming service will HBO Max come out simply as HBO in one tile with another tile for movies infused with doccies from Discovery+ then you have Cartoon Network also coming as tile under it is content for Cartoonito and Adult Swim with Crunchyroll serving as a seperate tile.

In short, I'm expecting more Discovery to come out of this streaming service not that there won't be any Warner in it but Discovery produced a lot of original content (partially duplicated) while the other had a few brands picking up all the slack with the others getting scraps.

Review On The Potential Name To The Merged HBO Max And Discovery+ Streamer, Max And Also Some Weird Names You See Online

WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. merged to form Warner Bros. Discovery during the year which has been met with a lot of media scrutiny following the cutback on staff and programming and one of the topics already discussed the newly formed company was the merger of their two streaming services, HBO Max and Discovery+.

HBO Max was more of a general entertainment type service as it offered drama series and movies from DC Comics, HBO, The CW and several others with animation coming from Cartoon Network and Crunchyroll. Basically, it made the HBO brand name more valuable.

Discovery+ was more factual and reality based supplying and expanding content from various Discovery brands including Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, TLC, HGTV, Food Network and an endless list of brands.

YouTube Premium:
- VH1 is making a comeback to international shores through BET
- DStv Streama bundles Disney+
- The Walt Disney Company to expand the reach of Star Channel
- Acorn TV shutting down in South Africa
- TelkomOne rebrands into SABC+
- New Spider-Man series coming to MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video

I don't know why these two streaming services are merging but it kind of makes sense from a business perspective. HBO Max is lacking in terms of variety while Discovery+ needs a boost in audiences and who better than Emmy Awarded brand like HBO.

Been keeping tabs online to the merged streaming service which is set to unveiled by mid 2023 with most parts of Europe which is where I reside only getting access to what's left of Discovery+ and HBO Max by 2025/6 due to pending deals on HBO's side with local broadcasters.

Anyways regarding the merged streamer, folks were awaiting on the brand name for several months and I'm more shocked that they haven't shared anything I mean I'm not expecting an official logo which is where Warner Bros. Discovery wants to get at when unveiling it but honestly I'm kind of disappointed.

The justification was already proven when the purposed name for the streamer surfaced the net, Max.

Insidus Games:
- Nicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy
- Garfield 2: Royal Adventure
- Legend Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
- Sonic Advance 3
- Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends: Cheese Phone's Home
- Wheres Waldo Now?

I mean there's nothing wrong with it but is this what everyone was awaiting several months for. The new name was right in front of our faces the entire time regardless it's not a bad name as HBO Max unlike Discovery+ had branded content as Max as to not collide with the current HBO brand.

But Max has been used one to many times so I can clearly see why it's regarded as a working title. I don't have a better option to Max but one way I'd find a suitable brand name is to look into old properties or existing franchises like a certain company did when rolling out Utsav in parts of Europe.

Now some of the names I've seen online for the purposed streamer includes HBO Discovery, Discovery Max (DMAX), WBMax, The WB, The WD and several others.

Warner Bros Discovery:
- Boomerang might be rebranding in more parts of Europe to Cartoonito
- Inside Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA kids content strategy
- Warner Bros. Discovery to launch new free-to-air channel in some parts of Europe by 2023
- The history of Fine Living
- Warner Bros. Discovery cancels several animated shows
- Sesame Workshop and Discovery Education launch new channel

Some of these names seem idealistic such as HBO Discovery but DMAX is a definite no some people are still woke by this merger blaming Discovery Inc. when the truth is WarnerMedia was always hovered with problems.

Max is not a bad idea as it doesn't cause much conflict within the Warner or Discovery better yet it's more of a crossover I mean Max exists as a linear channel in parts of Europe and HBO couldn't have thought of a better time to bring Max up proving my point earlier - crossover.

If Max happens to be what everyone is going for I'll just have to accept it. I mean they are two Discovery one for insurance and another for entertainment the difference is in the logo and the fact one had ended the company name with Inc. so I'm saying only a certain amount of people will know these companies ain't linked.

3M Represented At “World Science Forum” South Africa By Chief Science Advocate

3M was proudly represented at the 2022 World Science Forum in Cape Town, South Africa by Jayshree Seth, Corporate Scientist & Chief Science Advocate at 3M. The 2022 theme for the Forum was ‘Science for Social Justice’ and was held over four days at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, with a wide-ranging program which attracted hundreds of attendees from across a multi-disciplinary range of science backgrounds.

Jayshree Seth is a Corporate Scientist and Chief Science Advocate at 3M and leads Applied Technology Development for Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division. She joined 3M in 1993 after an MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, New York, and she currently holds 76 patents for a variety of innovations with several additional pending.

The World Science Forum 2022 was hosted by the Department of Science and Innovation, Republic of South Africa and has taken place biennially since its establishment in 1999 in Budapest, Hungary. The World Science Forum’s purpose is to foster and maintain a dialogue between the scientific community, society, policymakers, and industry.

3M’s participation in the panel session, titled, ‘Global scientific research as a tool to unlock talent and expand the geographical confines of knowledge creation’ explored the key theme of the 2022 World Science Forum, ‘Science for Social Justice’ and how that can be achieved. The panel was moderated by Kimberly Montgomery, Director, International Affairs and Science Diplomacy, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Kyle Cordova, Executive Director, Scientific Research / Senior Assistant to HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan for Scientific Affairs, Royal Scientific Society. Jayshree Seth represented 3M on the panel, other panelists included, Her Royal Highness Sumaya bint El Hassan, President, Royal Scientific Society of Jordan (RSS) and Sudip Parikh, CEO, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), among others.

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- 7 things you didn't know about Tom's Diner
- Inside the enduring mysteries of Elvis Presley's tragic fate
- Michael Jackson's Moonwalker became a childhood horror
- How Scooby-Doo inspired a generation of drug junkies?

In the session Jayshree spoke about the role industry can play by advocating for science with a societal perspective, driving innovation with an inclusion perspective, promoting representation with a global perspective and committing to social justice with a long-term perspective. Jayshree gave examples of the various initiatives 3M has including State of Science Index and our commitment to promote STEM encouragement, exposure and education in the communities we operate in.

The core values of 3M are to support communities and improve lives and the 3Mgives International Grants program works to create a meaningful difference through social investment, K-12 STEM grants, donation matching, and many other community-building programs.

3M’s footprint in Africa started in 1963, when we first established our office in South Africa. Seventy years down the line, the company has expanded its operations ever since and has offices in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco and Nigeria. For over 120 years, we have been dedicated to science and exploration, taking on global challenges and developing solutions for our customers. As a company, we are guided by our Purpose, Promise, and Principles in the pursuit of creating unique and differentiated value and impact for the greater good in the countries in which we thrive.

3Mgives International Grants were awarded to OLICO, United Way South Africa, and World Wildlife Fund in South Africa. These recipients were chosen to help support the development of STEM and community support programs within South Africa, with a focus on making a sustainable impact and enduring change.

Over 27,700 people in South Africa have been positively impacted by the 2021/2 3Mgives International Grants, with funding aimed at programs improving numeracy, meeting basic needs and environmental protection. The grant recipients are:

OLICO grant – ‘A Maths Tutor in Your Pocket’

‘A Maths Tutor in Your Pocket’ program run by OLICO aims to improve maths performance and to use this success in maths to access quality post-school opportunities. Those who are in need of maths tutoring support can send a simple message on WhatsApp and they can be connected to a maths tutor in real-time. 

Research has shown that school mathematics in South Africa does not meet international standards, with only 16% of Grade 3 learners performing at a grade-appropriate level.

Lost school time in low-income communities is an ongoing issue as learners attend school on a rotational basis. The WhatsApp hotline is an opportunity for learners to work directly with skilled tutors even on the days they are not in school.
From September 2021 to March 2022, over 200 learners per day contacted ‘A Maths Tutor in Your Pocket’ on WhatsApp for maths tutoring support and over 2000 learners per month were connected to 29 part-time maths tutors.

United Way South Africa grant – Food and Hygiene Packs

Through the 3Mgives grant, United Way South Africa was able to provide and distribute food and hygiene Packs that support a family of 6 for one month and there were 300 families that were directly helped through this grant.
United Way South Africa focuses on helping South Africa's underserved, displaced, and stateless people who are affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic and recent unrest and their level of need.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) grant – African Reclaimers Organization (ARO)

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- The truth about Michael Jackson's Stranger In Moscow
- From Elvis Presley to Hugh Hefner: a look at cancelled biopics
- Razia Sultana: The first woman Sultanate of India
- Charlize Theron's opinion over the Afrikaans language

WWF South Africa is working with the African Reclaimers Organization (ARO) to identify, support and scale-up initiatives and activities which will aid in the implementation of the South African government’s waste picker integration guideline and to support waste pickers in Cape Town (Western Cape Province) to organise into strong identifiable structures.

WWF South Africa is working to improve the livelihoods of Cape Town waste pickers and provide them with recognition within the waste and recycling economy, as well as improve recyclable material collection throughout the city and reduce potential leakage of such materials into the environment.

SABC Vs. e.tv: MultiChoice's Attempt In Reducing The Competition

Earlier in the year, MultiChoice attempted to scrap eMedia's 4 channels eExtra, eToonz, eMovies and eMovies Extra currently packaged on the DStv platform which has proven to be unsuccessful as court rulings led to keep the channels for the remainder of 2022.

As some are already aware, MultiChoice had sort out several alternatives such as Movie Room and DreamWorks on top of building their offering through some of the existing brands residing on their platforms.

It's too soon to tell how consumers would react the moment these 4 channels eventually exit the pay-tv regime or in this case for MultiChoice as we got Openview+ rolling out in the coming year and as mentioned the necessary alternatives have been made available to DStv consumers.

eMedia Investments:
- Prediction: eToonz to get an additional channel
- Could Openview+ lead to 24 hour capability of these channels?
- eToonz schedule explained
- Housewives has been scrapped from e.tv's lineup
- eMedia's 4 channels to go dark on DStv
- Charlize Theron opinion over the Afrikaans language

But what I like to point out is the SABC, there was no media scrutiny around the public broadcaster as they do play a part in all this. An associate of MultiChoice had mentioned that 3 yet to be announced channels would make up for these channels.

Take into account, ICASA had put up a new ruling granting the public broadcaster rights to fund their 3 most watched and accessible channels in South Africa to pay-tv platforms for which they couldn't come to an agreement as yet following pending issues for which they plan to address publicly.

I don't want to give actual figures but what I can add is that the SABC and eMedia Investments had their part of the pie on DStv for which MultiChoice cutback for one party in order to compensate for the other for which the remaining party demands more despite already having a huge chunk of the pie.

SABC:
- SABC Movies: another scrapped channel by the public broadcaster
- Why Openview has been excluded from supposed SABC channel?
- Prediction: Mindset TV to be taken over by the SABC
- Prediction: Parliament TV to be taken over by the SABC
- TelkomOne transitions into SABC+ (review)
- SABC Children seemingly enters post production

Unlike eMedia Investments, the public broadcaster has a lot of original productions in the pipeline I'm not saying it's great as there's plenty of crap that isn't worth exploring but when you look at from a pay-tv perspective you can clearly see why SABC is a viable option.

eMedia can have Hawaii Five-O, Bob The Builder and Godzilla on for the 100th time all of which can be seen on various channels already residing on DStv while the SABC compliments that with Uzalo, Takalani Sesame and One Day Leader.

I'm not saying eMedia does a terrible job in selecting their content but it's something that is of no value to a operator like MultiChoice perhaps on a platform like Openview as there's not much alternatives to the above-mentioned content.

DStv:
- Could Russia Today be removed from the DStv platform?
- Qwest TV coming soon to Showmax
- fliekNET to make a comeback this festive season
- Why DStv Premium customers might lose out on a certain new channel?
- eMedia's 4 channels to go dark on the DStv platform
- VH1 making a comeback on DStv

MultiChoice turns to the SABC in the hopes that they'll be able diversify their offering and limit the amount of repetition already viewable on the platform. When most already know that the channels will do exactly that with their own offering