News Shorts: StarTimes Debuts New Channel Rembo Plus, Vuyo Ngcukana And Zola Mhlongo Join Mzansi Magic’s My Brother's Keeper And An Iron Rose Rebroadcast Launches On Telemundo Across Africa

St Rembo to get a second TV channel 

Rembo was launched back in 2019 as a rival offering to M-Net's Maisha Magic offering content catered to East Africa. Most of the content would be broadcast in Swahili with other portions of the lineup made available in English and other indigenous languages. 

Now StarTimes looks to duplicate this offering on a separate TV channel known as Rembo Plus. The channel is set to go live from 1st July with content already viewed on other StarTimes channels such as Brothers, Viral Scandal and The Iron Heart.

New faces enter My Brother's Keeper

Vuyo Ngcukana, will join the telenovela as Menzi, a newly widowed attorney who meets Fakazile when she hires him as her attorney. Menzi is a bulldog in court but a loveable teddy in his personal life. Vuyo, is fresh off another production 1802: Love Defies Time (1Magic) and is also famously also known for his role as Schumacher on The Queen.

Also joining the MBK world is Zola Mhlongo who will play the role of Nkosazana, a former associate of Donga’s who he met through his tendering business. Nkosazana is a working girl, in waiting to be a kept girl! She smells like money, attracts money, money loves her and she looks set to turn someone’s world upside down. Zola has appeared on various productions such as How To Manifest A Man and Showmax’s Adulting.

To see what twists these two bring to the production, tune in to My Brother’s Keeper on Mzansi Magic, DStv Channel 161, weekdays at 19:30.  

Telemundo continues its eternal slumber

During the week, it was reported that a rebroadcast of Until Money Do Us Part and Case Closed will be added on Telemundo in the coming weeks. These comes ahead of the new series The People's Doctor set to take up Come Back To Me once it ends in July.

Now Iron Rose is also set to join the lineup but in place of El Baron weekdays at 23:00 from Saturday 6 July. 

Worlds collide and lives shatter when Altagracia, a powerful and elegant businesswoman, plots a twisted revenge while falling in love. With the help of her aunt who trains her in the art of manipulation and seduction, while pursuing the men who murdered her parents.

New Series Alert: My Journey To You Coming Soon To Zee World

During the month, it was reported that Zee World had undergone yet another rebrand as part of a new campaign, Living Every Moment. Now the channel is set to introduce its first ever series as part of these endeavors My Journey To You (Kaise Mujhe Tum Mil Gaye).

My Journey To You follows the lives of Amruta Jayesh Chitnis, a banker seeking a suitable and understanding partner, and Virat Singh Ahuja, a disillusioned man who has lost faith in love and believes relationships are driven by financial motives.

It stars Sriti Jha as Amruta Bhavani Chitnis, Arjit Taneja as Virat Singh Ahuja, Kishori Shahane as Babita Singh Ahuja, Aashish Kaul as Dildar Singh Ahuja, Hemangi Kavi as Bhavani and Iqbal Azad as Jayesh Chitnis.

The series premiered on Zee TV from 27 November 2023 with 207 episodes having been released so far. This serves as one of various ongoing shows by the Hindi broadcaster alongside Radha Mohan, Twist Of Fate and Unfortunate Love.

Now My Journey To You will serve as another entry to the channel daily at 21:00 from 1st July replacing Undercover Love. This will be the only 30 minute show on the channel alongside Sister Wives for consumers across Southern Africa. 

DirecTV Shuttered Audience Network Channel 101 After 21 Years Of Operation, Could This Be What Awaits M-Net Following The Canal+ Takeover?

Audience was an American based TV channel operated and curated exclusively for DirecTV consumers. For those aren't familiar with the channel, it carried a similar structure as M-Net offering a mix of original and acquired series, specials and feature films.

Some of which had already been made available to South Africa include Kingdom, Rogue and even the former e.tv soap, Passions. 

In 2020, the parent company AT&T announced plans to cease transmission of the channel and to merge all its efforts on Max. This was part of AT&T's to streaming endeavors as more consumers continue to opt out of linear television. 

Some insiders are concerned that M-Net could be subjected to a similar fate once Canal+ acquisition of MultiChoice is complete by April 2025. M-Net has been struggling to maintain consumers following increased competition from Netflix and Disney+.

Earlier in the year, M-Net's secondary offering Me and 1Magic were discontinued as the latter merged with Showmax. With M-Net serving as a premium tier, Me catered to low income households by giving consumers a portal to premium entertainment. 

1Magic was M-Net's BET channel which brought local talent like Sindi Dladu against Hollywood stars like Viola Davis.

Now questions amount to what could Canal+ do once this acquisition is complete and its likely M-Net could be kept in its current position. As for brand names, it wouldn't seem far fetched if it were to get the corporate name, CANAL+ PREMIERE.

M-Net and Canal+ have been working on original shows for a while now Spinners, Blood Psalms and Devil's Peak. Eventually you would anticipate that the Canal+ portion would take up the whole chunk of M-Net similar to how Boomerang folded under Cartoonito. 

This endeavors would be reflected on M-Net Movies seeing as it not only license third party films from Disney, NBCUniversal and Paramount but also distribute local content for which memory served were credited as M-Net.

The Bala Family Returns To Mzansi Magic For Another Drama-Filled Season

It was rated by viewers as one of the best reality shows in Mzansi and topped the trends list week after week. Now The Bala Family is set to make a much-anticipated return to Mzansi Magic from August, and this season promises even more family drama.  

Siblings Pinky, Zwai, Loyiso and Phelo and their mother, Mama V, will again be taking viewers into their lives. Following the passing of Tata Jafta, family matriarch, Mama Vuyiswa, is taking it upon herself to foster unity between the Bala and Jafta families as a way of honouring his memory. This includes having to provide for his children and especially his grandchildren, a matter which Zwai and Pinky are opposed to.

The siblings are looking at acquiring a family home and as a family, they are united in a decision to purchase a home for Mama V, marking their inaugural family residence. The question remains though; how do they sort out the financial aspect of this plan?

Also, on the cards this season is the decision to revive The Bala Brothers, who haven’t collaborated in years. Some in the family see the group’s reunion as an opportunity to help finance the new family home, while others have other ideas.

“The first season of The Bala Family was a huge success and positively welcomed by our audience. We are excited for the second season and in the same breath, saddened at the loss of Bab’ Jafta who has since passed on,” says Shirley Adonisi, Director for Local Entertainment Channels. “We continue to grieve with the family, honour Bab’ Jafta for his contribution to the show and we dedicate this season to his memory.”

There is so much more to see on this season of The Bala Family so be part of witnessing how they go about navigating their family and individual challenges. The new season premieres on Mzansi Magic, DStv Channel 161 from Sunday 04 August at  19:00.

Kartoon Studios To Launch “Winnie-the-Pooh” Megabrand On Amazon Prime Video Alongside Nationwide Retail Program in Partnership with Alliance Entertainment

Kartoon Studios today announced its most ambitious project in the history of the company, Kartoon Studios’ “Winnie-the-Pooh.” Plans include an animated holiday movie, five holiday specials, and a four year/104 episode series, to premiere on Amazon Prime Video, via Kartoon Channel!’s subscription service on the platform. Concurrently, Alliance Entertainment (NASDAQ:AENT), a leading distributor of physical entertainment that supports major nationwide retailers, including Walmart, Target, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, will debut new merchandise through a nationwide retail program, in conjunction with Kartoon Studios rollout of a global consumer products campaign.

Kartoon Studios’ “Winnie-the-Pooh” is based on the designs and stories of one of the most successful brands of all time, A.A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh,” a property that has generated over $80 billion in sales over the last four decades and is estimated to currently generate $3-$6 billion per year for The Walt Disney Company. The total lifetime revenues exceed those of “Barbie,” “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” “Mickey Mouse,” “Peanuts,” “Ninja Turtles,” “Power Rangers,” “Marvel,” and almost every major brand in the world.

“Disney created an iconic and tremendously successful global brand with ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ that we have all admired so much over many decades.  When the property went into the public domain, we knew we could only undertake creating Pooh for a new generation if we could bring a completely new, different and unique look that was contemporary, protectable, and gave voice to the characters and stories created by A.A. Milne, as has never been done,” said Kartoon Studios’ Chairman & CEO Andy Heyward. “We are thrilled to launch with Amazon Prime Video and Alliance Entertainment to deliver unique and  exceptional content, as we build out a new iteration of this entertainment brand and ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’-branded consumer products to the global marketplace.”

Pre-production has already begun on the animated holiday movie, set to premiere December 24, 2025, on Amazon Prime Video, through Kartoon Channel!’s subscription distribution agreement with them. Concurrently, the global retail program will kick off with the debut of products featuring an array of special features, distributed through Alliance Entertainment Corporation.

Kartoon Studios’ “Winnie-the-Pooh” animated content is being developed with a unique ‘yarn- based’ design and palette for the characters and backgrounds, along with original modern stories inspired by Milne’s beloved classic books. The beautifully imagined yarn gives the characters a depth and warmth.  Additionally, the stories will be told in a ‘Seussian style’ rhyme to provide an enriched dimension to the stories.

“In designing Kartoon Studios’ ‘Winnie-The-Pooh,’ we combined the best of both AI and human creativity to arrive at the unique look of the characters and backgrounds that could not have been imaginable prior to the advent of AI in our industry,” commented Heyward.  “Our use of our AI platform will enable us to bring a level of efficiency, speed-to-market, and creativity, to the production heretofore not possible,” said Heyward. “At a time when our world can be confusing for children, Pooh is an oasis of goodness, grounded in family, friendship, kindness, and love.  Those are the exact values our version of Pooh will showcase as we focus on building Kartoon Studios’ “Winnie-The-Pooh” into a long-term global megabrand, through which the simple and comforting values A.A. Milne originally imagined, will endure forever.”

Heyward added: “We think this is a generational opportunity to capitalize on one of the greatest properties ever created, with a proven track record.  Audiences around the world are demanding healthy, positive, family-friendly stories that will inspire and entertain kids, alongside a new line of products, from toys to books, videos to apparel, and more, that are steeped in these enriching values.”

The series is being financed through Joint Venture Production financing of $30 million provided by WTP SPV 1, a subsidiary of Catalyst Venture Partners.  It is non-dilutive, production financing.

Steven A. Horowitz, Sr. Managing Director  of WTP SPV and its parent company, Catalyst Venture Partners, stated: “We have committed to provide $30 million to the Special Purpose Joint Venture for this exciting new version of A.A. Milne’s ‘Winnie the Pooh’ from Kartoon Studios, which is non-dilutive to any of TOON’s existing stakeholders.  Being able to participate in a timeless and proven children’s classic such as Milne’s ‘Winnie-The-Pooh,’ through the production of original animated content and the licensing of consumer products from those proprietary character designs and stories, is a unique opportunity we are very excited about.  Andy Heyward and the team at Kartoon Studios have a long history of producing hit properties for children.  An all-star array of award-winning talent across development, production, marketing, consumer products, and distribution has been assembled to manage the brand launch, and we are excited to be a part of what we are confident will be a hugely profitable and enduring business.”

“Capitalizing on the enormous equity inherent in A.A. Milne’s ‘Winnie-The-Pooh,’ the unique designs and storytelling, as well as the production efficiency by harnessing AI, Kartoon Studios’ new iteration of the timeless brand will have an exceptional array of attributes that we believe can lead to extraordinary profitability for the company,” stated Heyward.    

Former Hawaii Five-O And Magnum Pi Star Taylor Willy Has Died

Wily’s death was confirmed by KITV 4 Island News in Hawaii. Musician Lina Girl Langi, who had been close friends of Wily and his loved ones, announced the news on her lifestyle show, “Island Life Live.”

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of a Hawaii celebrity who was also a family friend,” Langi shared on the broadcast on Thursday. “Taylor Wily, former wrestler, MMA fighter and actor passed away today in Hurricane, Utah.”

She added: “He would look physically menacing until you just folded right into a hug, and that was it. My heart is breaking.” 

Her co-host, Davey D, described Wily as one of the “kindest” and “gentlest souls.”

His cause of death has not been revealed.

Wily — whose real name was Teila Tuli — played Kamekona on the CBS drama for 171 episodes for 10 seasons between 2010 and 2020. He reprised his role for seven episodes in “Magnum P.I.”

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1968, Wily also appeared in the 2008 romantic comedy “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” which starred Jason Segel, Kristen Bell and Paul Rudd. Other credits included “Radical,” “MacGyver,” “North Shore” and “Marker.”

Off-screen, Wily was a sumo wrestler under the name “Takamishu.”

According to TV Insider, he won his first 14 matches before becoming the first foreign-born wrestler to win the championship in the third-highest makushita division. In 2000, he lost to fighter Gerard Gordeau in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

He is survived by his wife, Halona, and their two children.

Recap To The Week: Zee World Unveils Brand Refresh With New Tag Line "Living Every Moment"

Zee World, known for its captivating entertainment is thrilled to announce its much-anticipated enhanced channel offering.  The refresh which comes with a tag line Living Every Moment rolled out on Monday 17 June 2024.  The channel features new graphics and airs ‘everyday’ people sharing their thoughts and feelings on ‘living every moment’.

This rejuvenation celebrates the legacy of Zee World while refreshing it for audiences across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.

‘It is important for us to remind our viewers who we are at the core while extending it out to all age groups and cultures across Africa.’ said Somnath Malakar, CEO of Zee Africa. The tagline ‘Living Every Moment’ represents what Zee has always stood for and continues to be the inspiration that the brand endeavours to deliver to its audiences’.

Living every moment while being immersed in Zee World is not merely about escapism; it’s about finding meaning in the ‘right here, right now! It’s about embracing the magic of storytelling, which has the power to transport us to worlds beyond our own, keeping us connected.

To amplify the refresh, Zee World is expanding its programming schedule with more variety of series. Prime time now kicks off at 5pm, allowing viewers to indulge in their favourite shows sooner, with new titles at 7:30pm and 8:30pm.

It does not stop there! In July from 5pm to 10pm there will a total of eight shows, ensuring non-stop entertainment.

“Our channel refresh represents our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment that resonates with viewers across the continent, and we are doing it with flair.’ said Desiree Pillay, SVP Content & Marketing at Zee. “A brand-new logo, a brand-new tagline and a whole lot of brand-new shows, we invite our viewers to join us in ‘Living Every Moment’ on Zee World as we embark on this exhilarating new chapter together.”

Tune in to Zee World, DStv 166 and immerse yourself in the excitement of our new channel offerings. Get ready to embrace change, embrace the new, and start Living Every Moment.

Development Alert: Sharkdog Formerly Exclusive To Netflix To Make Its International Debut On Nicktoons, The Nick Jr. Block Loses Its Daytime Slot For Nick In Your Language

A few months ago, it was reported that Nicktoons would be airing the Nickelodeon produced show Sharkdog from Netflix in May. But that was never the case as Nicktoons began to rebrand their offering with Sharkdog serving as the first initiative from the rebrand. 

A user known as Narq uploaded a Polish promo for the preschool show on his YouTube channel with the series slated for June/July premiere. This can only confirm that Sharkdog instead of serving as an African premiere will be more global/European. 

Sharkdog follows 10 year old Max and his best friend Sharkdog - half shark, half dog, all appetite. Blissfully unaware of his own strength, stealth and general sharkiness, Sharkdog often leaves a trail of chaos in his wake. But, like all good half-dogs, he's Max's BFF and Max is his.

It is created by Singaporean creator Jacinth Tan and produced by Paramount Global's ViacomCBS International Studios, in partnership with Singaporean based CGI animation studio One Animation.

Although a release date has yet to be confirmed, Nicktoons does however a timeslot vacated from 1st July at 17:00 which is where new Rock, Paper, Scissors was seen. So maybe Sharkdog will just swoop in within that timeslot since that timeslot is known for premieres.

Nick Jr. get less airtime on Nicktoons 

As seen later in the month, Nicktoons introduced Nick In Your Language which is basically Nickelodeon’s way of connecting to a local audience. By that we mean dub various shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants to IsiZulu and Afrikaans. 

Following its popular inception to the channel, Paw Patrol was the second program to get locally dubbed for the channel. This came at the price of the Nick Jr. block whose timeslot is being used to handle these shows with the only other means of viewing it at late nights.

The news doesn't come as a shocker to some as the late night preschool block was more productive than its daytime slot. Then there's also this thing of Nickelodeon supplying the block with Nick Jr. also having its own channel for most of the content. 

Development Alert: A Rebroadcast Of Case Closed And Until Money Do Us Apart Launches On Telemundo Across Africa Ahead Of The People's Doctor

During the month, it was reported that Telemundo would be airing a new anthology series in July, The People's Doctor. The first Christmas Miracles dealt with festivities, Decisions dealt with daily dilemmas with The People's Doctor entering the medical issues.

Zombie TV as some would already know is what you'd call the current status of Telemundo and most other TV channels. As more households continue to switch to dump their TV sets the likes of NBCUniversal will reduce the amount of content for their channels.

My Heart Beats For Lola and Ana's Revenge which serve as the many rebroadcasts will be ending in the coming days. Cased Closed will replace My Heart Beats For Lola from 29th June with Until Money Do Us Part from 2nd July replacing Ana's Revenge. 

Until Money Do Us Part follows poor salesman Rafael and wealthy business executive Alejandra are two strangers who suffer a car accident that changes their lives and intertwines their futures. It starred Carmen Villalobos and Sebastián Martinez.

Case Closed dealt with family laws as specialist Ana Maria Polo acts as a judge to mediate conflicts and disputes between two parties.