BBC Upfront + Other Rumored Developments For DStv

BBC held a virtual upfront today to discuss details relating to the new agreement they had with MultiChoice and also unveil a bunch of programming for their channels. Here's the scoop (part of it mentioned earlier):
- MultiChoice made the decision to remove BBC First (they didn't mention it but it gave it away) and BBC is trying to get viewers hooked onto BBC Brit which will be the new hub for content that was available on First.
- BBC Brit will broadcast the new anthology miniseries, Small Axe this summer in South Africa. The 5-episode Small Axe drama series revolves around stories focused on the experience of black people in Britain, with the cast that includes John Boyega.
- Production of the latest 6th season of Come Dine with Me South Africa produced by Rapid Blue TV on BBC Lifestyle shut down because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic but will restart soon for the last few episodes of the season that will then be shown.
- BBC Earth will broadcast Perfect Planet, with Sir David Attenborough as the narrator. Two new series filmed in Africa, will be Work On the Wild Side, and Waterhole: Africa's Animal Oasis. Other upcoming series include: Age of Nature and Ades Climate Pioneers.
- CBeebies which was available only on Premium and Compact+ will now be available on DStv Compact, Family and Access presumably around the time Disney XD stops airing on the platform.
- BBC Lifestyle will be available in high definition.

Rumored developments that have nothing to do with BBC:
- More channels are rumored to get pulled off these include regional channels.
- Nickelodeon will be open for a limited time to celebrate the launch of Danger Force.
Packages: Access, Family and Compact
- fliekNET will be available for 3 days in October.
Packages: Compact+
- M-Net Movies 2 will be open from 6:00-18:00
Packages: All packages
- EVA and National Geographic will be opened for a limited time
Packages: Access
- Telemundo will be added onto DStv Easyview from 19 October (with the deduction of new telenovelas it wouldn't shock me if it dropped from three to just two current telenovelas)
- SABC Education will be added soon you just need to wait on SABC to provide those details.
Packages: All packages
- There's been rumours that MultiChoice changed the availability for the 4 remaining channels before you'd need Compact to watch all 5 new channels now that's been adjusted in some markets. There's also been talks of expanding current channels.

Read Also:
- Limpopo launches first commercial channel
- KIX, the ultimate destination for action movies
- Is MultiChoice planning to remove EVA as well
- Discovery EMEA streamlining channels
- Zoomoo kiddies lineup
- Scrapped channels on DStv - their status is still unknown

The Candidate Moves To FOX Africa This November

The show was set to air back in August to lifeless sister channel FOX Life but was delayed more likely due to the fact that Disney was planning to remove to the channel for a while now due to the realignment of their channels and not necessarily on covid19.

The Candidate (La Candidata), looks into the personal side of the world of politics through the life of a Mexican presidential candidate. The series is also produced by Televisa.

Silvia Navarro, Rafael Sánchez Navarro and Susana González are the main protagonists in the show with Víctor González (Leo, Pasion Morena) and Nailea Norvind playing the lead antagonists.

This means that FOX will once again start airing telenovelas before they aired shows from Azteca TV (which Eva on DStv was doing) now they're airing a telenovela from Televisa the same company that also supplies a channel which can be found on both DStv and Starsat/StarTimes.

According to sources, there might be more telenovelas added onto the channel for now it's just a rumour. To make it worse there might be more FOX Life added onto the channel.

The Candidate airs Monday 16 November at 15:05 CAT/14:05 WAT/16:05 EAT with an omnibus on Sundays at 07:05 CAT/06:05 WAT/08:05 EAT on FOX

Read Also:
- The real reason for Disney XD termination on DStv (there's another link on that other link if you want to read more and gain a better understanding of the situation)
- Disney was the first company to streamline their entertainment
- FOX Life deserved to be removed and here's why (the channel doesn't need replacing and the link will tell you why)
- Alternative channels that might take up 304 with Disney XD absence from DStv (this doesn't imply that the channel will be similar to Disney XD or carry the same quality or purpose as the channel for now customers will get Zoomoo and CBeebies)

A Call For A Hero Coming Soon To Star Life

Star Life is set to introduce another telenovela in October called Call For A Hero which will also joins the long awaited series My Identity as they both launch in October.

Call For A Hero (Koi Laut Ke Aaya Hai) the action thriller follows Rishabh Shekhari, a blind heir to his Rajput family lives with his sister Geetanjali, stepmother Ratna and half sister Kavya. Geetanjali falls in love with military officer Abhimanyu Rathore. Rishabh refuses for this alliance. Geetanjali disobeys him and marries Abhimanyu. Outraged, Rishabh later accepts Abhimanyu who dies in a car crash.

The series made its debut back in 2017 on StarPlus with a total of 33 episodes in partnership with Sphere Origins and starred Surbhi Jyoti (Qubool Hai).

Call For A Hero airs weekends at 7pm CAT/6pm WAT/8pm EAT on Star Life which can be found on OpenView, DStv and Starsat/StarTimes.

My Identity Has A New Premiere Date On Star Life

Star Life was suppose to introduce My Identity and Evil Eye back in May that was until a lockdown was enforced in several countries forcing several channels along with Star Life to delay airing of almost all their shows and all of this was due to covid19.

My Identity (Naamkaran) is the story of an illegitimate 11 year old girl, Avni Ayesha, who tries to give herself a legitimate identity despite cruel obstacles by her own grandmother Dayawanti Mehta. Aditi Rathore and Zain Imam take up the lead role with Reema Lagoo set to follow.

Details on Evil Eye is still unknown at this point if there is a date I'll post it for now viewers have to wait on that one.

The series replaces Geet on 16 October at 22:00 CAT/21:00 WAT/23:00 EAT

You can find this channel on OpenView, DStv and Starsat/StarTimes

Disney Junior's 'The Rocketeer,' Showcasing A Young Girl Taking On The Mantle Of The Beloved Flying Superhero, Premieres Monday, 28 September On Disney Junior

Disney Junior's "The Rocketeer," a new comedic, animated adventure series featuring a young girl named Kit Secord, who takes to the skies to protect her community after becoming the surprise recipient of a rocket-pack that gives her the ability to fly, will premiere Monday, 28 September on Disney Junior, DStv channel 309 at 17:00. Inspired by Dave Stevens' beloved superhero comic books and Walt Disney Pictures feature film, the series stars Kitana Turnbull ("A Series of Unfortunate Events") as Kit, and Billy Campbell and Kathy Najimy as her parents, Dave and Sareena Secord. Campbell is best-known for starring as Cliff Secord in "The Rocketeer" film.

Set in the idyllic small town of Hughesville, each episode of "The Rocketeer" is comprised of two 11-minute stories that follow Kit as she embarks on a high-flying adventure to help save her community and its residents from trouble -- usually brought on by the many comedic villains who will be featured throughout the series. As with most superheroes, Kit has a team to help her pull off her heroic adventures and keep her identity hidden from the masses. Her best friend, Tesh, serves as Ground Control when Kit takes to the skies and is also the inventor of the hi-tech gadgets and upgrades for her rocket-pack; and her grandfather, Ambrose Secord, works at the Hughesville Airport and serves as her mechanic. Also along for the ride is Kit's loyal bulldog, Butch.

In the premiere episode, Kit receives a surprise package on her birthday containing The Rocketeer's helmet, which Grandpa Ambrose immediately recognizes as belonging to the famed superhero. With that, he unveils the rocket-pack which he was told to hang on to until the next Rocketeer was chosen. As Kit learns the ropes of becoming a flying superhero, Grandpa Ambrose and Tesh help with her training. Upcoming guest stars include Tony® and NAACP Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad (Disney•Pixar's upcoming "Soul") as May Songbird, a famed stunt pilot who Kit helps overcome a fear of flying after a fall from grace; Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody Award winner Marlo Thomas ("That Girl") as Kit's grandmother, Sitti, who comes to visit for the town's annual food festival; Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Annie Potts (Disney•Pixar's "Toy Story") as Dave's younger sister and aviation test pilot, Scarlett; Rahul Kohli ("iZombie") as Tesh's dad and Hughesville Trailblazers troop leader, Mr. Cheena; and D'Arcy Carden ("The Good Place") as Ava, a self-flying airplane.

In addition to Turnbull, Campbell and Najimy, the series stars legendary voice actor Frank Welker ("Scooby-Doo") as Grandpa Ambrose and Butch the bulldog; Callan Farris (Disney Channel's "Gabby Duran & the Unsittables") as Kit's best friend, Tesh; and Navia Robinson (Disney Channel's "Raven's Home") as Kit's flight school classmate, Valerie Valkyrie. Voicing the recurring comedic villains in the series are Maria Bamford ("Arrested Development") and Kari Wahlgren ("DC Superhero Girls") as sister team, Laura and Harley; Maurice LaMarche ("Futurama") as Sylvester Slapdash; Charlie Adler ("The Transformers" franchise) and Parvesh Cheena (Disney Junior's upcoming "Mira, Royal Detective") as The Great Orsino and Deany, respectively; and celebrity chef Ted Allen ("Chopped") as Cast-Iron Chef.

"We are very excited to introduce our young, new superhero 'The Rocketeer' to our Disney Junior audience. It’s a great adventure series, that can be enjoyed by the whole family, while addressing themes of empowerment, critical thinking and problem solving,” says Evert van der Veer, Vice President, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa.

The series is developed and executive produced by seven-time Emmy Award nominee Nicole Dubuc (“Transformers: Rescue Bots”). Michael Kenny (Disney’s “Miles From Tomorrowland”) is supervising director. Emmy Award-nominated Beau Black (Disney’s “The Lion Guard”) is the songwriter, and Annie Award-nominated Dominic Lewis (Disney’s “DuckTales”) is the composer. The series is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Junior.

Read Also:
- Disney pulls the plug on two channels
- Possible alternatives for Disney XD