Insidus

Thursday, January 12, 2023

What Consumers Should Be Concerned About Regarding SABC's Yet To Be Launched Channels On DStv?

The public broadcaster still lagging behind on many aspects is slated to launch three additional channels to the DStv platform in the coming future with SABC Education currently seen on SABC+ and DTT taking about 2 years to be released.

SABC eKhaya another upcoming attraction by the public broadcaster which is rumoured to debut before the end of the current financial year which is March 2023 serves as a complimentary to the SABC News channel catering to the indigenous languages.

Now the new channels don't really come at the greatest time as MultiChoice was hoping to use them as leverage for eMedia's 4 channels which are currently in a limbo on their platform and with these new channels nowhere in site one has got to wonder how they'd survive with even less channels.

DStv:
- MultiChoice might lose yet another two channels
- Could Russia Today be removed from the DStv platform?
- Qwest TV coming soon to Showmax
- eMedia's 4 channels to go dark on the DStv platform

MultiChoice has already sourced out alternatives or at least everyone should believe with the likes of Movie Room and DreamWorks but seeing as these channels are set to rollout in the coming future where has to wonder if these channels are long-term.

MultiChoice carried SABC Encore at one point and lasted about 5 years before getting culled by the company. According to the SABC, the decision not to continue the channel came from the operator being MultiChoice as they hope to someday revive the channel.

Fast forward to 2017, eMedia's 4 channels being eExtra, eToonz, eMovies and eMovies Extra come along and they too get the 5 year curse endured by SABC Encore with MultiChoice running to the parent company of the former channel for alternatives.

So the question viewers should be asking themselves is whether these channels are here to stay and build a name for themselves as seen with SABC News, eNCA, Mzansi Magic and a few more channels or whether these channels will only be treated as placeholders for other channels.

DStv Flex:
- February on The Home Channel
- February on HONEY
- Reyka renewed for season 2 on M-Net
- What to expect this January on Qwest TV?

No one knows exactly what led MultiChoice to discontinue carriage of SABC Encore but my hunch has to do with productivity. The channel relied solely on archived material now that you have eMovies that yes is airing rebroadcasts from M-Net Movies although not often e.tv it's getting taken away.

SABC Education is just like SABC Encore and likely these upcoming channels should it launch will SABC try to limit the amount of Encore available otherwise face the consequences unless MultiChoice wasn't looking at that after all Nicktoons and Mzansi Wethu already exist.

Why StarSat Doesn't Get Much Attention These Days?

During the week, it was reported that StarTimes had launched three new entertainment channels, CBS Justice, Kartoon Channel and FilmBox Action with details over its expansion to South Africa remaining as quite a mystery for its audience.

As it is, this is the only known outlet to share this news I mean the channels were up and running close to the end of December but no one literally no one thought of doing something for the platform I mean I can't really blame them as there's a lot to the story.

Firstly, StarSat doesn't respond to the media on any upcoming attractions for the platform and sure they are plenty of outlets just like them that don't engage with the media and try to build up a level of trust with consumers.

StarSat:
- CBS Justice to launch on StarSat
- FilmBox Action and Kartoon Channel to launch on StarSat
- The Smithsonian Channel closing down in the UK

But matters only escalated when they removed channels like Love Nature, Investigation Discovery, Real Time, Fine Living, Discovery Family, Discovery Science, DreamWorks, OnseTV, TLNovelas, KISS, SA Music, Soul Music and the list goes on and on.

StarSat promised to replace some of these channels while as sourcing out more entertainment with most of it failing to materialize. Worst of all, some of these channels only existed for about a year or two.

When reports of a new attraction comes to the platform. Most sites aren't that hyped about it as most are just looking thinking that within a year or two these channels will cease to exist and it's not only newbies that are being victimised even some of their older channels like OnseTV.

You can't blame anyone who chooses not to promote anything about StarTimes. They kept their heads high and not in a good way as they censored comments, moved slow in terms of sourcing entertainment and lied to the public about some of the matters.

I'm more shocked that this company hasn't gone bankrupt with all these closures cause it kind of seems that way as they had pending debts with several content unlike MultiChoice which has Canal+ serving as minority owner of the brand with speculation of a merger or takeover.

StarSat:
- Could StarSat pick up BYUTV ?
- Could StarSat bid farewell to two more channels?
- Why fan-favourite sports channel is not on StarSat?

Roundups #129: Perfect Husband Makes It Freemium Debut On Zee One, The Cartoonito Channel To Launch On Boomerang CEE By March 18th And Doodsondes Returns For A Fifth Season On e.tv

Zee World rebroadcast coming soon to Zee One

In 2021, Zee World an international entertainment channel owned by Zee Enterprises acquired rights to air family drama Perfect Husband or as it's called in India Perfect Pati. After a year, more consumers will have access to all the drama in store.

Perfect Husband explores the non-idealistic married life of Vidhita and Pushkar and tries to question the thought that whether an ideal son is capable of being an ideal husband. It stars Farman Haidar, Shamu Akhtariya Moulik and Alok Nath Pathak

It premieres 20th January on Zee One prior to that will be the launch of historical drama Razia Sultan and second family drama Broken Bonds on Zee World.

Everyday Novelas:
- 5 Turkish shows rumoured to rollout in South Africa
- Ramo coming soon to eVOD
- Forbidden Passion season 2 not moving forward on Telemundo

Boomerang CEE will be no more from March 18

Viewers in Balkans, Baltics, Benelux, CIS, Caucasia, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, East-Central Europe and Eastern Europe bid farewell to Boomerang as Warner Bros. Discovery welcome a new channel, Cartoonito.

Cartoonito is a place for preschoolers and their families. They are welcomed with open arms by individuality and originality. The youngest and their parents or guardians can enjoy familiar characters and stories from leading creators, as well as brand new series and lots of laughs. discovery.

Some of the new shows lined up for the channel include Batwheels, Bugs Bunny Builders, Scooby-Doo And The Mystery Pups and Jessica's Big Little World. More feeds are expected to follow.

Regular Nick:
- Boomerang set to rebrand to Cartoonito in parts of Europe
- Could Universal Kids be the next channel to close down from NBCUniversal?
- The Twisted Timeline Of Sammy And Raj coming soon to Nickelodeon

Doodsondes 5 is coming to e.tv this August

e.tv, the most viewed English channel operated by eMedia Investments which is home to various local productions and international content wrapped up the fourth season to Doodsondes last week with the fifth season only being made available by August.

The fifth season goes as follows:

Six months have passed since the explosion and nothing is the same anymore. As Yildiz's life evolves in a completely different direction, Ender's arrival will help her cope with the problems she is experiencing. Yildiz's next-door neighbor, Kumru, who has just entered her life, falls into everyone's lives like a bomb with her different character.

Season 5 ensembles Sevval Sam, Eda Ece, Berk Oktay, Biran Damla Yilmaz, Murat Aygen, Ece Dizdar, Melisa Dogu, Baris Aytac and Serkan Rutkay Ayiköz.

Openview Plus:
- Reviewing major changes coming soon to the SABC
- A look at former NBC soap, Passions
- Die Vertroueling coming soon to eExtra

Roundups #128: Dungeon And Dragons TV Series Has Been Ordered By Paramount+, Kartoon Channel Greenlit New Roblox Inspired Reality Series And Plot Synopsis For HBO Max Upcoming Series Velma Scares Away Potential Viewers

Another video game is getting a TV adaptation

Paramount+ has given an eight-episode, straight-to-series order to an adaptation of Hasbro’s wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game franchise. Red Notice filmmaker Rawson Marshall Thurber wrote the pilot script and is set to direct the first episode of the series which will be a co-production between eOne and Paramount Pictures.

eOne, the lead studio, took the project out in November, garnering interest from multiple buyers, with Paramount+ ultimately landing the show in a competitive situation. eOne and Paramount Pictures are partnering on the Dungeons & Dragons series after also co-producing and co-financing the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie directed by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, which premieres March 31.

At Paramount+, the Dungeons & Dragons series will join Halo, the video game adaptation, which is one of the streamer’s most popular originals. Over the last couple of years, there has been a resurgence in bringing gaming titles to television, and this is the latest example.

Insidus Games:
- Powerpuff Girls Snowboarding
- Baby Felix Halloween
- Looney Tunes Monster Match
- Thor: The Dark World

Roblox TV series is coming to Kartoon Channel

Aimed at tweens, Kidaverse Roblox Rumble (10 eps between eight and 15 minutes long) will follow a group of contestants ages eight to 12 as they compete for a grand prize of US$1,000.

The kids must avoid getting eliminated in each round by winning a variety of physical games, including everything from an arctic obstacle course, to a dune buggy race. GBI will also turn these offline challenges into Roblox games.

Former NFL star Rashad Jennings (pictured) will host the series, which should launch on GBI’s Kartoon Channel! later this year. Jennings is an avid gamer himself, and the author of The Coin Slot Chronicles, a kids book series published by Zonderkidz.

Regular Nick:
- Could Universal Kids be the next channel to close down from NBCUniversal?
- Here are other ways to view PBS Kids
- The Twisted Timeline Of Sammy And Raj coming soon to Nickelodeon
- Predictions: Nicktoons and Boomerang's untimely demise

Velma is receiving criticism from several Scooby-Doo fans

HBO Max’s latest adult-oriented animation Velma will be premiering on Jan. 12 and fans of the Mystery Inc. Gang have been anticipating the Scooby Doo gang origin story (minus the mystery-solving dog). The show is executive produced by Mindy Kaling of The Office and The Mindy Project fame and the star will voice the near-sighted main character as she forms relationships with the rest of the Scooby crew. As the show’s premiere date draws closer, Velma‘s plot synopsis is making the rounds on social media and even the most diehard Scooby fans are not impressed.

A tweet by @LightsCameraPod shared the synopsis, describing it as “certainly something.” Twitter users evidently agreed and quickly began roasting the synopsis which reads as follows:

“At Crystal Cove High School, Daphne (Constance Wu) is a popular mean girl orphan who deals drugs because of a dark family secret. Her boyfriend Fred (Glenn Howerton) personifies mediocre white richness. His mansion holds a dark secret — and he has teeny widdle privates, a subject of much conversation. “Shaggy” has become Norville (Sam Richardson), a school-newspaper striver friendzoned by his beloved Velma. He worries he’s a beta male; remember that lame humor concept from 20 years ago?”

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Press Release: DStv Welcomes The Launch Of Quincy Jones’ QWEST TV Onto Screens This Month

Featuring Jazz, Soul, Blues, Hip-hop, Rnb, Afrobeats, and Dance - available only on DStv

With exclusive access to high-end music, great concerts, documentaries and never-seen archived interviews, the global music streaming platform QWEST TV will officially be DStv channel 330.

Music lovers will now be able to access QWEST TV via the DStv bouquet (channel 330) as well as on the Showmax platform. The Channel will be included in all the DStv packages in 44 countries across the continent.

Available exclusively to DStv customers, the channels offering includes:

- Exclusive concerts from legendary artists as well as Rising Stars from across the globe
- Premium music documentaries
- Archived artist footage
- Unreleased interviews with music icons including Erykah Badu, Questlove, Salif Keita, Gregory Porter, Marcus Miller, Seun Kuti, Kamasi Washington and Fatoumata Diawara

Founded in 2017 by musical genius, the legendary Quincy Jones, alongside TV and music producer and programmer Reza Ackbaraly, Qwest TV plans to bring genre-agnostic musical content to the African continent.

“We are elated to be part of Multichoice family and to launch Qwest TV to the African market. We are expanding our mission to offer high end music to everyone. Africa is a land of traditions and music, and we’re very happy to build such a great partnership on this gorgeous continent !“ says CEO Reza Ackbaraly.

“I’m so proud to announce that Qwest TV is now available on Multichoice, Africa’s leading entertainment network. This means that my friends in South Africa, and forty-three more African territories, will have access to great, genre-defying music, 24/7. From African legends proudly proclaiming their heritage to jazz, classical, electronic and amazing deep-dive music documentaries, Africa is the source of music's heartbeat and the cradle of modern music. I'm looking forward to celebrating diverse sounds with y'all!” explains Quincy Jones, Qwest TV co-founder and music producer.

With the core focus of expanding the content offering for viewers with quality entertainment, Georginah Machiridza, Executive Head for General Entertainment Channels at MultiChoice Group harps on the importance of such partnerships.

DStv Flex:
- What to expect this January on Curiosity Channel?
- 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?

“What is key to us is that, whilst our audiences are driven by an appetite for homegrown content, we also complement it with the best in international content. To this end, we work with a selection of partners to ensure a comprehensive one stop shop for our customers. Our partnership with QWEST TV is one we are thrilled about, and we cannot wait for our DStv customers to experience it,” says Machiridza.

QWEST TV will air on DStv channel 330 from 20 January 2023, for more information visit dstv.com.

New Channel Alert: CBS Justice Coming Soon To StarSat

In 2019, CBS Justice launched across Africa exclusively on MultiChoice's DStv and had proven to be a popular addition to the platform. Four years later, the channel expands outside of MultiChoice's reach and onto the pay-tv rival, StarTimes.

CBS Justice brings you authentic criminal cases and investigations expertly dissected using cutting edge forensic technologies, always factual, always true. Some of the shows include Cold Blood, Coastal Killers, Forensics, Evidence Of Evil and Homicide's Elite.

CBS Justice is currently occupying channel 222 on Super package in several outlets across Africa.

StarSat:
- The Smithsonian Channel closing down in the UK
- Delayed SABC channel launch on StarSat explained
- Russia Today to launch South African hub
- StarSat trying to be DStv friendly

The news of CBS Justice launch on the platform comes at the time where two other channels were already unveiled for the platform, Kartoon Channel and FilmBox Action.

Just like the above-mentioned two channels, CBS Justice will serve as a replacement to Investigation Discovery from Warner Bros. Discovery which was axed by the pay-tv platform in 2021 alongside Real Time and Discovery Science.

AMC International:
- Conspiracy Theory: The Real Reason CBS Reality remains in the market
- The twisted origin story of RealityXtra
- Acorn TV closed down in South Africa
- AMC+ rolling out across Europe later in the year

Interesting enough, CBS Justice was also used as collateral damage when MultiChoice got into a carriage fight with A+E Networks for Lifetime, History and Crime + Investigation of which only Lifetime and History walked out unscathed at the time.

Since last year, CBS Justice has been a subject of speculation following it's termination in the UK and this expansion proves that the channel has more value here than it ever did anywhere else.

The addition of new channels on StarSat just proves that the pay-tv platform remains committed in providing their audiences with the best entertainment but also proves that they're very slow in sourcing out replacements to the 30+ channels they discontinued.

Several consumers had already fled the platform and opted to DStv to enjoy some of the channels axed by the company including Discovery Family, DreamWorks and TLNovelas. While others refuse to give them any kind of attention.

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

New Channel Alert: FilmBox Action And Kartoon Channel Coming Soon To StarSat With Qwest TV On DStv

For several years, StarTimes has been losing a bouquet of premium international channels ranging from The Smithsonian Channel, Love Nature, DreamWorks, Real Time and Investigation Discovery with the much needed alternatives almost nowhere in site.

Now the pay-tv platform seems to be picking up the cracks as they unveiled two new channels for their consumers: FilmBox Action and Kartoon Channel.

FilmBox Action is a general entertainment channel basically SPI International's version of M-Net Movies 2 and KIX with a limited amount of series. Some of the stars include Steven Seagal, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Al Pacino and many others from U.S. and global.

StarSat:
- The Smithsonian Channel closing down in the UK
- Delayed SABC channel launch on StarSat explained
- Russia Today to launch South African hub
- StarSat trying to be DStv friendly

Kartoon Channel is an kids entertainment channel and not to be mistaken for Cartoon Network. It is owned by Genius Brands International with its core audience being 2-12 years with content like Angry Birds, Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten and Rainbow Light Brigade.

FilmBox Action is allocated on channel 140 on the Smart bouquet while Kartoon Channel on 307 and on the Basic package on channel 358. There's no confirmation on whether this includes the South African feed but it might as well launch.

As outlined, StarSat across Africa lost a bouquet of channels and FilmBox Action in a way helps the lossen the pain left by FOX which was scrapped by The Walt Disney Company internationally while Kartoon Channel might as well be a replacement for DreamWorks.

In other developments, MultiChoice will be allocating their first channel later in the month titled Qwest TV which has been in development for several months owned by multi award winning artist Quincy Jones is Jazz infused channel.

It was unveiled alongside Moonbug Kids at the DStv Showcase, according to sources it was meant to launch last year but for some reason that never happened so it's gearing up for an early 2023 to replace MTV Hits in South Africa and serve as an additional channel everywhere else. Qwest TV is said to be accompanied alongside another channel sources won't share.

Disclosure: Kartoon Channel was also rumoured to launch on another platform alongside DStv.

Aşk-ı Memnu: Telemundo's Forbidden Passion From The Beginning

Forbidden Passion (Pasion Prohibida) is a 2012 soap opera produced by Telemundo Studios that told the story of a woman's scorn over her mother after discovering that her she cheated on her father prior to his death so she married the man she chased after there she falls for his nephew.

It starred Monica Spear and Jencarlos Canela alongside Roberto Vander, Mercedes Molto, Rebecca Jones, Henry Zakka, Jorge Consejo and Carmen Aub.

The original produced by Ay Yapım (Turkey) went a similar path with the likes of Beren Saat, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, Selçuk Yöntem, Hazal Kaya & Nebahat Çehre which was set in the contemporary Istanbul instead of the 19th century setting as seen in Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil's 1899 novel of the same name.

Everyday Novelas:
- Forbidden Passion season 2 not moving forward on Telemundo
- Between You And Me now on Zee One
- Eternal Love coming soon to Star Life

Aside from Aşk-ı Memnu (Forbidden Love), Ay Yapım also worked on other productions part of which has already viewed in South Africa such as Fenix (Alev Alev), Impak (Çarpışma), Stiletto Vendetta (Ufak Tefek Cinayetler) and Die Put (Çukur).

Aşk-ı Memnu was broadcast between 2008 to 2010 with a total of 2 seasons and 79 episodes on Kanal D. It pulled 10 million viewers during its premiere with a further 20 million added within the second season proving to be a success for the network.

Telemundo:
- Nurses returns for a season 3
- Prediction: what to expect on Telemundo in 2023?
- Lord Of The Skies renewed for season 8

Sources on IDMB gave it a perfect score and Aşk-ı Memnu was considered one of a kind for the music, storyline and characters. It even walked away with 8 award winners most of which were for Beren Saat and Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ alongside the series.

Aşk-ı Memnu has been viewed in various territories including America, Ethiopia, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, China and several others.

Since it's debut, a number of adaptations have already been filmed with Pasion Prohibida on Telemundo in America, followed by Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara on StarPlus with the latest version Fructul Oprit on Antenna 1 in Romania proven to be the most controversial of instalments.