Reminder: Superhero Kindergarten Rolls Out On Play Room From Tuesday 11 February At 10AM

Arnold Schwarzenegger will star as Captain Courage in Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, a new animated series aimed at preschoolers and produced by Kartoon Studios International, POW! Entertainment and Schwarzenegger’s Oak Productions.

Schwarzenegger is an executive producer of the series, which he and others are describing as the final project worked on by Lee, the Marvel Comics icon who died in November 2018 at age 95. Lee’s concept for the show was partly inspired by Schwarzenegger’s success in Universal’s Kindergarten Cop, the 1990 comedy directed by Ivan Reitman.

The official synopsis of Kindergarten Superhero

“Many years ago, Arnold Armstrong (Schwarzenegger) was just an average gym teacher who acquired incredible superpowers when the earth passed through the ionic dust left in the wake of a mysterious comet. As a result, Arnold transformed into Captain Courage, one of the earth’s greatest protectors…now, Arnold must serve humanity once again by working ‘undercover’ as a brand-new kindergarten teacher whose main task is to train this unique new generation of super-powered 5-year-olds secretly.”

Executive producing along with The Terminator star are Kartoon Studios chairman and CEO Andy Heyward and POW! Entertainment president Gil Champion. Paul Wachter, CEO of Main Street Advisors, helped broker the deal and will also executive produce. Fabian Nicieza, co-creator of the Marvel Comics character Deadpool, is scripting the animated series. 

Superhero Kindergarten will air daily at 10AM on Play Room from Tuesday, 11 February and this would mark the second preschool series from Kartoon Studios to rollout on the station following the rollout of Rainbow Rangers last month.

VIU's Future In South Africa Likely Revealed Amidst Canal+'s Potential Takeover Of MultiChoice

Since last year, there has been questions surrounding the fate of Showmax as VIU's parent company Canal+ is looking to complete it's acquisition of MultiChoice. Both companies have recently concluded talks with local regulators and are currently awaiting further results.

From what we can understand, Canal+ who is holding 45% is trying to acquire the remaining 55% but local regulations won't allow that even if it were possible they're voting rights would be capped at 20%. They proposed spinning off MultiChoice SA and it's broadcasting license into a separate entity known as LicenceCo.

If you look at it, MultiChoice SA will be retaining most of their assets if Canal+ is able to make this deal get the greenlight from regulators. With Canal+ not having control over the SA board it's safe to say on top of retaining Showmax there won't be any merger of some sorts of VIU.

What might transpire in these regards is content sharing VIU has been commissioning content locally some of which might surface on DStv. Another scenario with it being independent from MultiChoice SA forms pacts with other broadcasters like the SABC they already have Uzalo and a bunch of other SABC shows on their platforms.

All I got through that PDF file between both parties was that they'd be more co-operations or partnerships when it comes to the use of M-Net and SuperSport. These are brands that have a cap on foreigners but MultiChoice has localised feeds for them so that won't matter same goes for SABC News whose offering caters for the whole of Africa.

In the end, this cap is not the end as Canal+ is looking to get a Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listing following its debut on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). Besides VIU, they had been filming a thriller titled Huntington in Cape Town with Glen Powell added to the cast.

So I'd like to think with this acquisition, VIU is getting more content out of this deal they already offer content from SABC and could as well expand this lineup to bundle Mzansi Magic and KykNet. I don't see why not cause Comcast was able to juggle Peacock and Hulu before selling one of the two to Disney.

Even after Canal+ acquired ROK Studios from the Nigeria's iROKO they do have some deal/partnership put in place to ensure the stability of iROKO TV streaming service imagine this is what we'll be seeing with VIU, Showmax and DStv.

VIU is more of a cheap/freemium tiered streaming service so they could opt for M-Net's older collection of shows like Isibaya and The Throne without interfering with its output on Showmax. To me, VIU doesn't seem like an entity that's worried about what it lacks from Netflix but rather following a route of others that seek stability.

Reminder: Brand New Series, The Count: Love & Honor, To Premiere On Telemundo From 17 February

Telemundo has today announced the territory premiere of the highly-anticipated series, The Count: Love & Honor. The new show will air from Monday 17 February at 10 PM (CAT), exclusively on Telemundo.

 

Set and produced in Mexico, this thrilling drama presents a timeless story of love, betrayal, and revenge. The narrative follows Alejandro (Colunga), an attractive and bright foreman who rises from rags to riches to avenge those who wronged him. After finding love with Mariana (Contreras), a beautiful woman from high society, Alejandro becomes the victim of a conspiracy designed to separate them. Wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, Alejandro escapes almost twenty years later, returning as the powerful Count of Montenegro looking for revenge. What unfolds is a dramatic tale filled with passion, treachery, and vengeance.

 

Starring Mexican actor Fernando Colunga (Maria la del Barrio) and Ana Brenda Contreras (Teresa, Dynasty), both making their debut on Telemundo, the stellar cast also includes Chantal Andere (Rafaela), Sergio Sendel (Destilado Amor), and Marjorie de Sousa (The Other Side of the Wall).

 

The cast is completed by Alejandro Ávila, Annie Cabello, Jessica Coch, Érika de la Rosa, Uriel del Toro, Antonio Frotier, Víctor González, Job Huerta, Enoc Leaño, Mario Loria, Andrea Martí, Patricia Martínez, Saraí Meza, Leticia Perdigón, Xabiani Ponce de Leon, Sergio Reynoso, Roberto Romano, Jason Romo and Lu Rosette, with a special appearance by Javier Diaz Dueñas, Omar Fierro, Manuel Navarro and late actress Helena Rojo.

 

In addition to its gripping storyline and stellar cast, The Count: Love & Honor promises high production values with authentic settings and breathtaking costume designs that will captivate audiences and bring the grandiosity of historical Mexico to life, transporting viewers to a world of romance and intrigue.

 

The brand-new series, The Count: Love & Honor, premieres exclusively on Telemundo on 17 February  at 10 PM CAT, with new episodes airing every Monday until the season finale on 23 May.

SuperSport Schools And SABC Sport Announce New Partnership To Expand Youth Sports In South Africa

In a move set to positively influence the landscape of school sports in South Africa, SuperSport Schools, the premier streaming and broadcast platform for schools and youth sports broadcasting, and SABC Sport, a division of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), are excited to announce yet another joint initiative in the growing partnerships between the public broadcaster and SuperSport.

The collaboration will see the launch of a fully curated SuperSport Schools channel on the SABC+ streaming platform, complementing the access South Africans already have to high-quality schools and youth sport, including football, netball, rugby, athletics, hockey and basketball.

The SuperSport Schools streaming channel on SABC+ will carry a selection of content from SuperSport Schools that filmed over 60 000 school matches in 2024 across a variety of sports disciplines.

The channel will showcase a diverse range of schools and youth sport, including football, netball, rugby, athletics, hockey and basketball.

SuperSport Schools has more than a million registered users with some of the content that has been available on it now getting a second window on SABC+.

Rendani Ramovha, SuperSport CEO, says "We want to encourage participation in sports at a grassroots level and reignite interest in sports across all schools in the country. Both SuperSport and the SABC share a common vision of providing young athletes with a platform to shine and inspiring future generations of sportsmen and women".

Nomsa Chabeli, SABC CEO, in a prepared quote, states "We are proud to be part of this life-changing partnership that extends beyond the fulfilment of the SABC’s mandate, by offering South Africans from all walks of life, a platform that nurtures young talent and provides unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional development".

"This partnership allows the SuperSport Schools channel to be accessible on the SABC+ streaming platform, enabling rising stars to gain recognition in the early stages of their lives, which will lead to more opportunities in the future.”

Thandolwethu Bakumeni, head of SuperSport Schools, says "We are thrilled that the SABC is joining us in the promotion of schools' sport".

"This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to nurture young talent and make schools and youth sports a key part of South Africa’s cultural fabric.  After all, World Cups are won 10 years before they are played.”

 

Keletso Totlhanyo, head of SABC Sport, says "SABC Sport is dedicated to providing our viewers with the best local sports content, and this new venture with SuperSport Schools will allow us to bring even more exciting and inspirational content to South African homes".

The curated content on the SABC Schools streaming channel on SABC+ will focus on some of the popular and significant sports in South Africa, including football, netball, rugby, athletics, hockey, and basketball.

eMedia Investments Acquired Broadcasting Rights To Supernatural Drama "Evil Witch" For eExtra

eExtra is a general entertainment channel operated by eMedia Investments that distributes a variety of telenovelas from Turkey, India and Asia. According to sources, the channel had acquired rights to the fantasy drama Evil Witch known to viewers as Pishachini on Colors TV.

Synopsis for Evil Witch

"Evil Witch" which unravels the tale of a family and their encounter with an evil demoness, Rani. An enchantress, she pretends to be a damsel in distress, but eventually entraps people and devours their souls with her enchanting beauty and dark energies. As her frightening shadow falls on the Rajputs, it is Pavithra who senses her demonic presence and chooses to help the family break free from Pishachini’s evil powers.

Produced by MAJ Productions and Shakuntalam Telefilms, Evil Witch premiered on Colors TV from 8 August 2022 and concluded on 13 January 2023 with 114 half hour episodes. It starred Nyrraa M Banerji as Rani, Harsh Rajput as Rakshit and Jiya Shankar as Pavithra.

Evil Witch is scheduled to air at 15:00 from 25 February replacing Broken Bonds once it ends on eExtra. In other developments, Elif will be concluding on the channel after 5 seasons and with be replaced with Gelukbringers which began streaming on eVOD in 2024.

Aside from Evil Witch, Colors TV is well known for other shows like Naagin (with the first 6 seasons already broadcast on eExtra) and Emperor Ashoka.