Turner Africa's Reach And Ratings Are Stronger Than Ever!

Turner Africa had a successful end to 2018, with the combined kids multiplex and general entertainment channel, TNT, achieving greater reach and rating results than ever before.

In November, Turner Kids celebrated 51 consecutive months in the #1 spot among pay-TV multiplexes in South Africa. Alongside this, Cartoon Network celebrated its highest-ever monthly share, and remained the #1 pay-TV Kids channel among kids aged four to 14-years-old. 

Cartoon Network remains the favourite kids’ TV channel in South Africa, dominating the entire top 15 chart of best performing shows. The most popular shows vary between familiar faces such as Ben 10, alongside new Cartoon Network original hits like Apple and Onion and Craig of the Creek. Original Cartoon Network productions and Warner Bros. content totaled 77% of the most viewed content on the channel.

Cartoon Network continued with its high performance success in December, with the Power Rangers: Clash of the Red Rangers movie viewed by an impressive 239 000 kids aged four to 14-years-old, and the sneak peak of the new Cartoon Network Original Summer Camp Island claiming the second spot.

Boomerang is closing in on Cartoon Network’s ratings, after moving up to rank #2 amongst the pay-TV Kids channels for kids aged four to 14-years-old.

After benefiting from a fresh rebranding in September 2018, TNT Africa had an excellent month in October, with the highest performance ever in ratings (an average of 36 000 viewers). In November, TNT Africa broke a new record with 40 700 viewers tuning in (+13% month on month) and achieved its second highest performance in share (1.14%) since December 2016. TNT ranked #5, ahead of Studio Universal, for a second month in a row.

For the first time ever, not only did TNT dominate the Top 50 competitive movies in November, with seven movies on the Top 10 list, but the channel also secured the top three spots for the month.

For prime-time tune-ins, TNT remained on top of the podium. TNT's great performance was driven by viewers tuning in on weekday afternoons (averaging 83 000 viewers between 3pm and 6pm) and Saturday evenings during prime time (in November driven by the The Schwarzenegger Fan Month stunt). The stunt was a huge success, with the four Schwarzenegger movies, aired at 8pm, gathering an average of 202 000 viewers, resulting in a fantastic 3.8% in share!

About Turner International
Turner International is an entertainment, sports and news company that creates premium content and delivers exceptional experiences to fans whenever and wherever they consume content. It operates versions of core Turner brands, including CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and TCM Turner Classic Movies, as well as country- and region-specific networks and businesses in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. It manages the business of pay- and free-TV-channels, as well as Internet-based services, and oversees commercial partnerships with various third-party media ventures; it teams with Warner Bros. and HBO to leverage WarnerMedia’s global reach. Turner International operates 178 channels showcasing 47 brands in 34 languages in over 200 countries. Turner International is a WarnerMedia company.

Comedy Central Gets A Makeover

The 28-year-old channel has a new look co-created by an in-house team and US-based studio Loyalkaspar, which aims to show off the brand’s range of “comedic voices” and content.

Comedy Central has rolled out its first rebrand in eight years, which aims to place the TV channel’s range of shows and online content centre-stage, rather than “overshadow” it.

Comedy Central was founded by broadcaster Home Box Office (HBO) in 1989 as an American, paid-for cable channel devoted entirely to comedy, then officially launched in 1991.

It is now owned by rival broadcaster Viacom and has since expanded across the world, with localised channels in Europe, Asia, Latin America, New Zealand, the Middle East and Africa. It features a range of shows from stand-up to series and feature films, including the likes of South Park and Broad City.

The rebrand has been completed by New York-based studio Loyalkaspar, alongside Comedy Central’s in-house design team. It features a refined version of the brand’s existing “C” symbol, which is a “C” letterform sat within another backwards “C”, alongside a new wordmark set in bespoke sans-serif typeface, Comedy Sans.

This refreshed logo features alongside a new colour palette, which uses a yellow shade named Summer Ale alongside black and white as its primary colours, alongside an extended palette of red, orange, blue, green and grey to work with different TV shows and content.

This is used alongside updated imagery and promotional videos for different TV shows, and an audio (sound-based) logo, used for Comedy Central’s podcasts, radio shows, and when streamed through smart home devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa.

Previous iterations of the Comedy Central brand The rebrand is the first major visual update the channel has seen since 2011, and Josh Line, executive vice president of marketing and creative at Comedy Central, says the new brand aims to create consistency across the channel’s multiple outlets and show how its offering has "expanded” since its last rebrand.

“In today’s landscape, content is everything and everywhere,” he says. “Comedy Central is now in more places than ever before: linear [regular] TV, digital and social platforms, live events, radio, podcasting, voice and more.”

For this reason, the core idea behind the new branding is “everything is content”, which looked to hero the channel’s shows and allow the brand to take a back-seat, says Anna Minkkinen, executive creative director at Loyalkaspar.

“We set out to redefine a [TV show advert] as an opportunity to create funny content in and of itself,” she says. “Comedy Central is home to many different comedic voices, so we had to create a flexibility to champion these different performers. We weren’t looking for the brand to be funny or quirky in a way that would overshadow the content and limit the variety of comedic expression.”

Line adds that the “flexibility” of the new brand will allow it to be a “blank canvas” to present different content while remaining “recognisable”.

When asked who the target audience is of the brand, Line says it “varies by market” and the overall aim of the rebrand is not to reach a particular demographic but instead “anyone looking to enjoy comedy”.

The new Comedy Central brand is currently rolling out worldwide across all touchpoints,
including TV, digital platforms and social media, radio, print and digital advertising and merchandise.

TNT Africa March 2019 Movies

FFN! ORIGINALS VS SEQUELS
Most of the time, great stories are too short. They leave us wanting more. We would like to know more about their universe or their heroes, we eager to know what happens next. This is why sequel exists. Many of these second parts have even improved the original ones. For that reason, TNT offers its viewers the chance to enjoy originals and the sequels back to back and decide which one is the best. The Mummy, Back to the future or Jurassic Park will be part of the stunt every Saturday and Sunday evening in extraordinary a double feature.
Strategy: stunt build to activate social media interaction and to highlight again a number of important blockbusters.
Saturday 2nd of March
20:00 – First Blood (1982)
21:35 – Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
Sunday 3rd of March
20:00 – Jurassic Park (1993)
22:05 – The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Saturday 9th of March
20:00 – Mad Max (1979)
21:35 – Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Sunday 10th of March
20:00 – The Scorpion King (2002) 21:35 – The Scorpion King 2: The Rise of a Warrior (2009)
Saturday 16th of March
20:00 – Back to the Future (1985) 21:55 – Back to the Future II (1989)
Sunday 17th of March
20:00 – Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 21:30 – Nightmare on Elm Street II (1985)
Saturday 23th of March
20:00 – The Mummy (1999)
22:05 – The Mummy Returns (2001)
Sunday 24th of March
20:00 – Rocky (1996)
22:00 – Rocky II (2000)

NEVER GIVE UP!
On the 21st of March, South Africa celebrates Human Rights day, which established universal human rights on the basis of freedom and justice. Under these premises, TNT gathers a list of films where their characters need to fight in order to survive. They never give up and nothing will stop them. Throughout the day, the channel programs titles related to overcoming the toughest situations. Film such as Born on the fourth of July, Billy Elliot or V for Vendetta.
Strategy: Local link. Take advantage of the bank holiday in order to make a special
programming. Try to stay away from a political point of view.
Thursday 21th of March
11:40 – Billy Elliot (2000)
13:30 – Hart’s War (2002)
15:35 – Born on the fourth of July (1989)
17:55 – The Blind Side (2009)
20:00 – V for Vendetta (2006)
22:10 – 8 Mile (2002)

RUSSELL CROWE FAN MONTH
He has won an Oscar for his lead role in Gladiator and has been nominated in two other occasions. He is a talented producer and musician. Russell Ira Crowe is one of the most versatile and valued stars in Hollywood. His career is filled with diverse roles, from characters based on
real individuals such as the policeman Richie Roberts in American Gangster to popular figures such as Robin Hood. TNT honors his work programming exceptional titles from his career every Monday night of March.
Strategy: continue to consolidate the fan month franchise. Associated one of the most popular names in Hollywood to the TNT brand. The marathon seeks to engage audiences programming three blockbusters in a row.
Monday 4th of March
20:00 – Robin Hood (2010)
Monday 11th of March
20:00 – American Gangster (2007)
Monday 18th of March
20:00 – Gladiator (2000)
Monday 25th of March
17:30 – Gladiator (2000)
20:00 – Robin Hood (2010)
22:15 – American Gangster (2007)

DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS
How many times have we been told that we shouldn’t talk to strangers? People are not
always what they seem. A certain look or a friendly appearance could hide your worst
enemy. And this is the based of this special: danger strangers. Every Wednesday evening
TNT broadcasts two frenetic thrillers. Films like Kalifornia, Misery or Total Recall.
Strategy: Thematic stunt. The strongest film on prime time at 20h.
Wednesday 6th of March
18:00 – Frantic (1988)
20:00 – Kalifornia (1993)
Wednesday 13th of March
18:15 – Pitch Black (2000)
20:00 – Misery (1990)
Wednesday 20th of March
18:10 – Lock Up (1989)
20:00 – Blue Steel (1989)
Wednesday 27th of March
18:00 – Ronin (1998)
20:00 – Total Recall (1990)

New Episodes Of Your Favourite Shows Arrive Next Month On Disney Channel And Disney XD

Disney Channel:
Bizaardvark Season 3 New Eps
TX Details: 25th Feb – 8th March @ 16:40
Synopsis: This fun-filled show features two 13-year-old up and coming musicians, Paige and Frankie, who write and perform comedic songs about their everyday lives.

Disney XD:
DuckTales New Eps
TX Details: Saturdays @ 09:30 from 2nd February
Synopsis: Huey, Dewey and Louie, along with Mrs. Beakley’s granddaughter, Webby, discover long-kept family secrets from Scrooge’s epic past, sending the family on escapades around the world!

Milo Murphy's Law New Eps
TX Details: Weekdays @ 17:00 from 11th February 'til 20th February
Synopsis: New kid Zack finds even a simple trip to school is an adventure when he meets Milo Murphy, a kid who’s prepared for anything, as around Milo anything that can go wrong will.

Disney XD Rebranded As Marvel HQ, Set To Go Live On January 20 In India And There's Worldwide Plans For Marvel HQ

Disney XD, the children's television channel belonging to Disney India Media Networks, has a new avatar. The channel has been rebranded to Marvel HQ, the first-ever Marvel branded television destination in the world. Marvel HQ, an HD channel, is set to go live on January 20.

“We believe it was time to have a home for all things Marvel. Marvel, which is now a pop-culture phenomenon does very well across every single age group and geography. We see this in the response we get to our theatrical releases, consumer products, and television series as well. Hence, the birth of Marvel HQ,” said Devika Prabhu, Executive Director, and Head- Product, Media Networks, Disney India. She said that the idea was to create and curate a special Marvel experience for the viewers.

About 40% of Marvel HQ’s programming will be dedicated to Marvel’s super-heroes, villains, and their epic adventures. “We have animation series such as Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble, Hulk and the Agents of SMASH, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc.” The big tentpole events for this channel will unfold during the summer, just in time to catch the attention of children in the age group nine and above. “In the summer we will introduce four new series: Marvel Future Avenger, a new series on Black Panther (Black Panther’s Quest), Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, and Marvel Disk wars,” said Prabhu. In addition to the Marvel animation series, Marvel movies will also reside at Marvel HQ.

The promise of this channel is going to be “action, adventure, and content that reinforces Marvel brand values,” said Prabhu explaining how the content and programming on the channel will see a shift following the rebranding. “All the content on the channel will focus on optimism, heroism, friendship, and teamwork which are all Marvel brand values. Whatever content we get that complements our Marvel brand values is what we will schedule on the channel,” Prabhu added. For example, shows like Pokemon, Big Hero 6, Digimon, and Beyblade which are not part of the Marvel universe but have the same themes as Marvel content will be broadcast on the channel.

Prabhu said that turning Disney XD into Marvel HQ does not limit the scope of the channel and its programming. “The content and characters in the Marvel universe are already appealing to a large audience,” she said.

Marvel HQ will have multiple audio feeds in four languages - English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. “We will have the same series available in these four languages and I do not think any other channel can make that offering right now.”

While Marvel HQ is first being offered in India, this model will be replicated elsewhere depending on the market demand in other geographies. “Marvel HQ fits very well with the plan that The Walt Disney Company has for Marvel in India. It gives us another extension to reach out to our consumers on Marvel.”

And finally, Prabhu says that the advertisers’ interest in this channel matches the typical excitement people have for Marvel. “Whenever we approach our partners for any association for Marvel we always have a great response,” she said.