Insidus: Entertainment Inside Us

OpenView Launches Two Music Channels Without Notice

At this point, both e.tv and OpenView are killing themselves with these last minute announcements and failure to engage with the media. Don't know who told them it was the brightest idea to leave the media out in the cold.

Recently, viewers noticed that there's two music channels onboard which are SA Hits and Soul Playlist.

SA Hits (Channel 135) will feature house music and possibly several other genres from Euphonik, DJ Zinhle, Mahoota, Master KG and more.

Soul Playlist (Channel 136) will feature other genres on top of Jazz with artists ranging from Jamie Callum, Nina Simone, Diana Krall, Billie Holiday and many more.

Both will launch as a pop-up channel on Friday, 4 December. You notice how they don't mention an end date so perhaps they're working towards having it full-time. Expect them to be more repetitive than the ones on DStv and local based as mentioned above.

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This festive season, Openview turns up the volume with two new pop-up music video channels, premiering on Friday, 4 December.

SA Hits will have its home on channel 135 of the Openview Free-To-Air satellite platform. The channel will be a dedicated and dance-inducing mash-up of proudly South African music, the latest in social media culture, local fashion, together with local destinations and brands.

You can expect local mega hits from musicians such as one part of KZN's Finest DJ Tira, Heavy K, Busiswa, Black Coffee, DJ Zinhle, and Euphonik.

Experience nostalgic trips down memory lane with hits from yesteryear by Oskido, Trompies, and Mahoota.

Openview Channel 136, Soul Playlist, is where you head for a dose of relaxation, courtesy of soothing video hits from Mzansi and the world's most renowned RnB, Jazz, and Soul maestros.

Sit back and unwind with Nina Simone, Jamie Cullum, Diana Krall, Billie Holiday, and Ella Jane Fitzgerald.

The Free-To-Air satellite platform has officially surpassed 2.2m household activations, with a steady increase promising to propel Openview to greater heights.

Openview MD, Mmatshipi Matebane is delighted at the premiere of the SA Hits and Soul Playlist pop-up channels, "Our efforts to provide our fans with festive cheer through music are proving to be fruitful. We look forward to families bonding over song, as either one of the Openview channels lends itself to the makings of long-lasting memories. We want to thank all our Openview viewers for the continued love and support and wish them a safe and joyous holiday season," said Matebane.

Openview is South Africa's only free satellite TV service, with 18 TV channels and 9 radio stations.

There are no contracts and no monthly fees, pay once for dish and decoder and enjoy more TV for free, forever.

Unlike The U.S. Counterpart, Paramount Network Still Continues To Rollout In Another Region + It Might Launch In Africa

Hungary became the latest victim in ViacomCBS revamp portfolio. Under these changes the male skewed channel, RTL Spike will convert into the teen based channel TeenNick with The Paramount Channel which was used for movies taking the best of RTL Spike and placing it under the Paramount Network.

Back in September, ViacomCBS in the US announced that Paramount Network will convert into a movie channel next year under the name, Paramount Movies Network. At the time, it was currently unknown whether this would have some effect on the Paramount Networks around the world (guess not).

The likely reason for Paramount Network continuation may have something to do with the upcoming rebrand for the streaming service CBS All Access which is set to be called Paramount+ later in the new year and also rollout in more countries.

It's kind of like what Latin America is experiencing with the FOX branding which is getting replaced with Star. Disney is rolling out a mature version of Disney+ under the banner Star or Disney+ Star.

Now in Africa, Paramount Network doesn't exist yet and certain media outlets have been very curious about the future of the brand here. Even some theorized that it might launch to replace MTV.

My theory would be that Paramount Network launches to replace Comedy Central which is very accessible in Africa. Not only that MTV gets booted with some of its programming moving inbetween Paramount Network, BET and perhaps MTV Base.

Right now, Comedy Central especially BET are very redundant and not tough competitors - they look more like placeholders. Comedy Central case is partly justified since genre based channels can be very repetitive. These two love sharing programs especially with The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.

MTV is the only decent channel amongst the three and channels like that are usually the ones that get most blows. It wouldn't be a complete loss as the channel didn't gain much recognition and acknowledgement like MTV Base.

This is common in Africa, you had channels such as Animal Planet, Crime & Investigation, BBC First and several others get snatched only for the mediocre and useless batch of channels to stay afloat.

Paramount Network launches in Africa carrying and likely rehash MTV shows such as Teen Mom, Ex On The Beach and Geordie Shore. The twist would be the channel actually replaced Comedy Central so if you want to see The Roast Specials and South Park then this will be your station. Paramount Movies Network in the U.S. will be producing movies maybe that will be added as a bonus constellation.

BET gets a boost with MTV shows such as Lasizwe: Fake It Till You Make It, Have Faith, The Code Trilogies and Love And Hip-Hop mixed with their dry lineup of shows strengthening the channel's offering.

At this point, MTV shifts it's focus towards music perhaps all the music award specials and musician based reality shows will be put on the Afro obsessed channel, MTV Base.

2021 is shaping up to be an interesting year for TV with more companies streamlining their channels and portfolios being reviewed.

Ricky Zoom Coming Soon To e.tv

During the festive season, e.tv will be dishing out a new animated series for their revamped Craze block called Ricky Zoom.

Ricky Zoom, the series follows the titular character whose a young motorcycle and his friends, Loop Hoopla, Scootio Whizzbang and DJ Rumbler in the town of Wheelford. They form the "Bike Buddies" and have adventures in their community, and Ricky dreams of becoming a rescue bike just like his parents and his idol, Steel Awesome.

It made its international debut last year with a second season currently in development.

The series is produced by Hasbro's Entertainment One who brought up shows such as Peppa Pig, PJ Masks and Power Rangers.

You can catch the first episode on Tuesday, 15 December at 15:15 on e.tv

Black Money Love Is Back On Another Station

If you're reading then you guessed correctly, Black Money Love returns to Africa once again. The show made its debut on FOX Life (discontinued), eExtra, Novelas E Plus and now Timeless Dizi Channel. You must have a high level of tolerance if you're able to rewatch this whole story again.

Black Money Love (Kara Para Ask), follows the life of Omer (Engin Akyurek) and Elif (Tuba Buyukustun) whose destinies cross after a death of their loved ones. They team up to track down the killer and meet a man who knows their secrets and is one step ahead of them.

Since it's debut back in 2014, the show won 19 awards with 6 of them going to the lead actor and 5 going to the lead actress.

The show's debut shouldn't surprise the media after all SPI International mentioned at their upfront last year and all markets that have this channel will likely get the same content at different times. So other shows that still have yet to air is 20 Minutes, Five Brothers, The End and The 8th Day.

There could be a movie block like a file stated perhaps after the trail period ends on DStv or when the channel manages to rollout enough content.

You can catch this "new" show on Monday 7 December at 19:00 CAT/18:00 WAT/20:00 EAT

Timeless Dizi Channel (TDC) is available on DStv and StarTimes (or Starsat)

Africa: Disney Channels Bring Festive Cheer These Holidays

This festive season Disney brings with it a treasure trove of festive cheer on Disney Channel, DStv channel 303 and Disney Junior, DStv channel 309 starting from 30 November.

Delight the little ones with premiere episodes of some of their favourite shows at 18:00 every day, taking off with a brand-new episode of The Rocketeer on Monday, 30 November. The episode, entitled, The Christmas Star, sees Rocketeer Kit save the town's Christmas when the annual Hughesville Christmas celebration is threatened by Sylvester Slapdash's attempt to steal the town's gifts.

Then on Tuesday, 1 December, everyone’s favourite ghoul girl Vampirina offers up two premiere episodes on consecutive days. In the episode entitled A Gargoyle Carol Vee and family embrace the human ways of Christmas but Gregoria feels differently. Then in Deliver-eek! (Wednesday, 2 December at 18:00) the Hauntleys discover a new delivery service that delivers specialty items from Transylvania.

The perennially popular P.J. Masks provide the entertainment on Thursday, 3 December for another great premiere episode where the pyjama-clad heroes save Christmas after Romeo decides to ruin Christmas for everyone after discovering he's on the naughty list, the PJ Masks partner with Santa Claus to save the day!

The festive fun continues with T.O.T.S. in the first part of a premiere double episode titled Santa Baby on Friday, 4 December, Pip and Freddy teach a magical baby reindeer the joy of Christmas giving.

The week of Christmas premieres concludes with Elena of Avalor on Friday 4th December at 18:30, where a freak snowstorm threatens to ruin Elena's plans of spending a quiet, peaceful Navidad at home.

Additional Disney Junior Christmas programming continues weekdays throughout December with episode blocks featuring three viewer favourites, as well as a daily special. Each weekday from Monday 30th November a block of back-to-back episodes of Bluey from 08:00 to 09:00 will kick things off, with specials such as Minnie’s Winter Bow Show (Monday, 21 December) running from 10:00. These specials are followed by T.O.T.S, from 11:00 to 13:00, P.J. Masks, from 13:00 to 15:00, before another bumper bundle of Bluey from 15:00 to 17:30.

On Disney Channel, The Ross kids are back at Camp Kikiwaka for a fourth year, and their adventures continue on Bunk’d on weekends from Saturday, 5 December at 19:05. In Season 4, Lou adjusts to her new job as camp director, reunites with Destiny, Finn and Matteo and also welcomes new counsellors Noah and Ava, as well as an eccentric new camper, Gwen. In the first of this month’s episodes, Cramped Champions, pool at Camp Champion floods the grounds. Barb and her campers are left camp-less. Lou invites Barb and her kids to stay at Kikiwaka for a week, but immediately regrets it.

Christmas Day holds back-to-back entertainment with Christmas morning for Gabby Duran and the Unsittables at 06:25. In this episode Olivia and Gabby are excited to see their dad for the holidays, but when a snowstorm ruins those plans, Gabby enlists Swift's shapeshifting ability to create a substitute dad.

Bunk’d follows with an episode entitled Secret Santa at 06:55 where Ravi advises Emma and Lou on their gift exchange, but it doesn't go as imagined. Skai, Xander, Jorge and Tiffany run into a man they think is Santa and help him save Christmas.
Seasonal episodes of Stuck in the Middle and K.C. Undercover take centre stage before Phineas and Ferb take the reins at 09:00 with the Phineas and Ferb Family Christmas.
Festive fun is followed by Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, Liv and Maddie and Big City Greens through the rest of the day.

Great new programming will continue into January with Season 3 premiere episodes of Vampirina from Monday 11 – 22 January at 07:00 on Disney Junior and a brand-new Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) Upside Down Magic on Friday, 29 January at 17:00. The movie revolves around 13-year-old Nory who discovers she can flux into animals, and her best friend Reina can manipulate flames, together they enter the Sage Academy for Magical Studies. Reina's expert ability to harness the power of fire lands her at the top of her class of "Flares," but Nory's wonky magic and proclivity for turning into a "Dritten" (a half-kitten, half-dragon)-lands her in a class for those with Upside-Down Magic, otherwise known as UDM. While Headmaster Knightslinger believes the UDM's unconventional powers leave them vulnerable to dangerous and evil "shadow magic," Nory and her fellow UDM classmates set out to prove that Upside-Down Magic beats right side up!

“Both Disney Junior and Disney Channel are the destination for inspirational, authentic, optimistic, inclusive and relatable Disney storytelling with deep emotional resonance, beloved characters, parent-approved developmental values. We are delighted to be bringing such a diverse and entertaining array of family content to DStv viewers this festive period, with a promise that this is only the start for what will be an exciting 2021.” says Evert van der Veer, Vice President, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa.