Entertainment Inside Us (Insidus)

BBC Studios in Africa has revealed that its multi-genre channel, BBC UKTV, has attracted record numbers, reaching over 12.9 million people. Viewers have grown by 135 per cent and the channel share has increased by 99 per cent among all individuals since launching on DStv in December 2022. BBC UKTV features a range of genres scheduled for all ages, from Lifestyle programming, Come Dine With Me South Africa S1 and 10 Years Younger to soaps Eastenders, Doctors and Casualty, entertainment Total Wipeout: Freddie & Paddy Takeover, dramas The Mallorca Files, Call the Midwife and Shakespeare and Hathaway and factual series including Life Below Zero. Since launching in 2022, audiences have tuned into the daily schedule and Secrets of the Supercars, Come Dine With Me, Bake-Off Crème de la Crème, The Musketeers (pictured) and The Great South African Bake-Off have become the most viewed shows to date. Pierre Cloete, Commercial Director at BBC Studios in Africa, commented “BBC

In a mega deal in the entertainment segment, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Walt Disney Co have signed a binding agreement to merge their media operations in India, according to a Bloomberg report. As per the agreement, the media unit of Reliance and its affiliates are expected to own at least 61 per cent in the merged entity, with Disney holding the rest. Disney reportedly agreed to sell 61 per cent of its India business to Viacom 18 at a valuation of $3.9 billion. Viacom18 is owned by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani. There were reports earlier this month that Disney had agreed to sell 60 per per cent of its Indian business to Viacom18. The deal is expected to be a significant move in the Indian media and entertainment industry. Last month, Sony of Japan dropped its merger plan with Zee Entertainment ended due to disagreements regarding the leadership of the proposed merged media entity. In the line of fire from activist shareholder Nel

In a news report by Eutelsat Group, the organisation supported the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Regional Office for Central Africa to launch the educational television channel Educa-TV at the African Union Summit of Heads of State in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Educa-TV project aims to help improve access to and quality of education by setting up a television channel dedicated exclusively to teaching and learning in Central Africa. Furthermore, broadcast via satellite, the new channel will be available 24/7, free-to-air, in more than 20 countries on the African continent. Educa-TV is aimed primarily at pupils enrolled in exam classes from primary to secondary school to help them prepare for their final exams. In addition, a non-formal education component aimed at young people and adults will provide training in various fields linked to contemporary challenges, such as health education, education for sustainable development, and

The actor, who was 49, was diagnosed with ALS - also known as motor neurone disease - five and a half years ago. His family said in a statement on Instagram that Mitchell was "an inspirational work of art to all the hearts he touched". Mitchell appeared in a variety of TV shows and films, including Captain Marvel, in which he played the titular character's father, Joseph Danvers. Born in Toronto, Canada, Mitchell was married to actress Susan May Pratt and the pair had two children together. He revealed that he was suffering from ALS in an interview with People magazine in 2020, and said he had been using a powered wheelchair. In the post on Instagram, his family paid tribute to him as "a hope seeker, daydreamer, dream believer, soccer player, beach walker, bear hugger... and more than anything else, a proud father".

Disney is doing another remake Developer Purple Lamp and publisher THQ Nordic announced that their 3D platformer remake dubbed ‘Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed’ will be coming to PC via Steam, PlayStation, Xbox consoles, and the Nintendo Switch later this year. Previously a Nintendo Wii exclusive by Warren Spector many moons ago, this beautiful remake sends Mickey Mouse on an epic journey through Wasteland, a realm of forgotten Disney characters. As Mickey, you will dive into a fantastical world and, armed with paint and thinner, shape your adventure and the fate of this alternate world. Cola Wars greenlit by Sony Sony has stepped up with a seven figure bid to uncap Cola Wars, a movie pitch that tells the true story of Pepsi’s attempt to challenge Coca-Cola’s century-long reign as the world’s top cola, sparking the unforgettable “Cola Wars” of the mid-1980s. This behind-the-scenes account, from Michael Jackson’s fiery mishap to the New Coke debacle, tells the ulti

Real Time starts the next month with premieres Beat Bobby Flay S18 NEW TO CHANNEL Talented chefs battle for the chance to take down Chef Bobby Flay. One is picked to compete against Bobby in his own arena and challenge him with a surprise signature dish. First TX: 1 March  TX Day: Weekdays  TX Time: 11:15 Dead Reckoning NEW TO CHANNEL Some of America's most puzzling murder investigations are recounted as police methodically and meticulously reconstruct events. After studying all the clues the victims left behind, investigators put the pieces together to crack the case and get justice. First TX: 25 March  TX Day: Weekdays  TX Time: 22:30 South Park continues its antics on Comedy Central In April, Comedy Central will be continuing the South Park antics with an April Fools stunt tiled South Park: Joysticks and Jokes at 22:00. This will be followed by another stunt which comes in celebration of Weeds Day with the film Pretty Stoned alongside a South Park maratho

uBettina Wethu moving to eSeries, Isiphethu and untitled drama in development Last year, the public broadcaster decided to make budget cuts by cancelling 7de Laan after 23 years on air with uBettina Wethu that was revived on e.tv. Since its debut on e.tv, the fashion drama had to captivate audiences in both 18:30 and 20:30 timeslots. Unlike Nikiwe, the show wasn't present in the channel's top 20 offering as seen with Scandal, House Of Zwide and Isitha: The Enemy. It wouldn't be shocking if season 4 were to be its last as repeats broadcast at 16:10. As reported on social platforms, new episodes of uBettina Wethu season 4 will air on eSeries at 18:25 with repeats of eKasi: Our Stories on e.tv in that timeslot. The channel is said to be working on two local dramas one titled Isiphethu and the second is in Afrikaans. SABC undergoing schedule changes During the week, it was reported that SABC had cancelled FOKUS one of the few Afrikaans programs on SABC 2

Last year, Warner Bros. Discovery launched Cartoonito as a 24 hour service across Europe, Asia and Africa after launching as a programming block years prior. It was met with positive reception from consumers for the likes of Lucas The Spider and Thomas And Friends. As some readers are aware, Boomerang still resides in the UK and Italy as a 24 hour channel outside of Cartoonito which is a channel of its own. One of which, the UK come with a separate offering as Boomerang revolves most of its content on Looney Tunes, Tom And Jerry and Scooby-Doo.  During the month, it was reported that Bugs Bunny Builders and various other preschool content had been removed from Cartoonito in the Nordic market . Now there's word that Mr. Bean: The Animated Series and Grizzy And The Lemmings had been added to the channel's line-up in the UK. Although this isn't a clear indicator of possible terminaton, Warner Bros. Discovery had been going through various restructuring in recent

Since last year, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global held talks of a potential merger . The news led to media outrage with #blockthemerger trending on X as a merger would lead to more layoffs and reduction in content output. Not long ago, Paramount Global announced that they'd be laying off 800 employees due to the effects of streaming as the company is looking to transform. Prior to this, the parent company Amusement Park was looking to sell their shares in the company. Aside from Warner Bros. Discovery, they also garnered interest from Skydance Media, Apollo Management and Byron Allen Group. As some readers are aware, the formation of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. prevented the company from making any transaction call (merger) for at least another 2 years and with that stipulation set to expire soon it has brought a lot of fear amongst readers. One of which was the possible merger of these two companies and also the exit of Discovery Inc. with the company likely to b