Roundups #15: Paramount+ Working On Seal Team Movie, Knuckles TV Series And NCIS: Sydney

Seal Team Getting A Feature Film And Another NCIS Spinoff Is In Development

Just days after SEAL Team was renewed for Season 6 by Paramount+, the military drama also has received an order for a stand-alone movie from the streamer. Additionally, NCIS: Sydney, an offshoot from the venerable crime drama franchise, has been commissioned by Paramount+ Australia and the country’s ViacomCBS-owned Network 10. The projects, announced during the ViacomCBS Investor presentation, come from CBS Studios which is tapping into the studio’s IP to expand two of its current series/franchises.

NCIS: Sydney, which is slated for 2023, marks the first time one of CBS Studios’ global drama franchises is getting an international spinoff. The series, which will be filmed in Sydney, will feature local stories and Australian actors and producers, led by one of the most decorated alums of the NCIS franchise, NCIS: Los Angeles creator and former NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles executive producer/showrunner Shane Brennan who now lives in his native Australia. His exact capacity is TBD. NCIS: Sydney is being developed specifically for Paramount+ Australia as one of its first original series; it could also play in other territories, including U.S., as ViacomCBS’ streamer expands worldwide.

Also read: 
- Possible cutbacks from Warner Bros. Discovery
- Could G4 launch on DStv perhaps to replace a channel like Ginx Esports TV?
- Cartoonito launches on Boomerang across Europe possibly as a trial run before scrapping the channel
- NCIS: Los Angeles might get cancelled
- Lifetime could be on the chopping block on DStv
- Could ESPN close alongside National Geographic and Disney Channel?
- February on ViacomCBS Africa channels
- BBC Kids launches in the United States, could Africa be next?

The SEAL Team standalone movie, which will not be a bridge between the recent fifth season and the upcoming sixth season, comes from the series’ creative team of star/executive producer David Boreanaz, executive producer Christopher Chulack and executive producer/showrunner Spencer Hudnut. Its concept is still being developed.

‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ Universe Expands As Sega And Paramount Sign Off On Third Film And ‘Knuckles’ Spinoff Series At Paramount+ With Idris Elba Reprising Role

Paramount and Sega have commenced development on a third feature film installment to the franchise, while Sega and Paramount+ are developing the first-ever original live-action
Sonic series, to launch in 2023. It will feature the character Knuckles, with Idris Elba returning to voice the role after it debuts in the sequel movie that bows April 8.

The announcement was made during Tuesday’s Viacom Investor Event where Brian Robbins, President and CEO, Paramount Pictures & Nickelodeon; Chief Content Officer, Movies, Kids & Family – Paramount+, delivered the news during the presentation.

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- The last FOX Life available in the United States closes down in March
- National Geographic ending in the UK and several other markets
- Disney closing multiple channels in Latin America
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?
- February on Cartoon Network and Boomerang

“We are delighted to announce that the third Sonic theatrical film and the first live-action Sonic series for Paramount+ are being actively developed. We’ve got a remarkable partnership with Paramount, and we are excited to continue expanding the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise with them,” Sega CEO Haruki Satomi said. “2022 is shaping up to be a significant year for the franchise with the second film being released this April, as well as Sonic Frontiers , the highly anticipated video game title, coming this holiday. Sonic has been beloved by fans across the world for over 30 years and we look forward to continuing to bring memorable moments and experiences to them for many years to come.

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Roundups #14: Paramount+ Expands Kids and Family Programming with New Slate of Films and Series from Nickelodeon Studios

Paramount+ announced a new slate of exclusive original kids and family programming including new movies and series. The announcement was made by Brian Robbins, chief content officer of movies and kids and family for Paramount+, during the ViacomCBS Investors Event.

Drawn from Nickelodeon’s stable of globally popular franchises, and following the success of Paramount+’s kids and family original series like RUGRATS, KAMP KORAL: SPONGEBOB’S UNDER YEARS and STAR TREK: PRODIGY, this new slate of content produced by Nickelodeon will add further momentum to the service’s popular kids’ content offering.

Additionally, in the wake of the new iCARLY’s success last year, Robbins also reviewed plans to further serve the young adult (13-34) audience with a slate of forthcoming YA original movies and series.

“As we’ve known with Nickelodeon’s long-standing success, the kids and family audience is incredibly loyal, and we see that on Paramount+ as well, with kids and family ranking as one of the strongest genres on the service in terms of both engagement and subscriber acquisition,” said Robbins. “So, as they stay for our shows and look for even more of them, we’re doubling down on giving them what they want by expanding the universes of the characters they love the best.”

Also read: 
- Possible cutbacks from Warner Bros. Discovery
- Could G4 launch on DStv perhaps to replace a channel like Ginx Esports TV?
- NCIS: Los Angeles might get cancelled
- Cartoonito launches on Boomerang across Europe possibly as a trial run before scrapping the channel
- Lifetime could be on the chopping block on DStv
- Could ESPN close alongside National Geographic and Disney Channel?
- February on ViacomCBS Africa channels
- BBC Kids launches in the United States, could Africa be next?

“Our kids and family content is not only bringing young audiences to Paramount+. It’s also a key component in retaining our existing subscriber base and expanding their viewership habits,” said Tanya Giles, chief programming officer, ViacomCBS Streaming. “Paramount+ is a service for the whole household, and we’re now seeing nearly half of our subscribers engaging with kids and family content on the service, a double-digit gain over last year.”

Robbins announced several new franchise-expanding titles for Paramount+, including:

IN ANIMATION:
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: Following the success of KAMP KORAL on Paramount+ and THE PATRICK STAR SHOW on Nickelodeon – the first season of which will soon be available to stream on Paramount+ – a further expansion of the “SpongeBob” universe is coming exclusively to the service, with three brand-new movies based on the show’s original characters, the first dropping in 2023. In addition, a fourth “SpongeBob” release from Nickelodeon Animation is currently in development for theatrical release.
TRANSFORMERS : Previously announced UNTITLED ANIMATED TRANSFORMERS film, with Josh Cooley attached to direct, will debut in theaters on July 19, 2024 for Paramount Animation and eOne, Hasbro’s entertainment studio.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES : A new era of TMNT-mania takes over in 2023 with a new animated take on the Turtles coming to theaters, produced by Point Grey Pictures’ Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Jeff Rowe. Nickelodeon Animation will follow that film with a series of exclusive movies for Paramount+ beginning in 2023, each centering on one of the property’s storied villains in never-before-told tales.

IN PRESCHOOL:
DORA THE EXPLORER: The preschool return of the groundbreaking Latina heroine in an all-new CG-animated series produced by Nickelodeon Animation, and featuring the beloved characters, plus key modernization to the storytelling, debuts in 2023.
BLUE’S BIG CITY ADVENTURE: The now-announced animation/live-action hybrid title to this brand-new “Blue’s Clues & You! ” movie from Nickelodeon Animation is set to premiere later this year and follows hosts Josh and Blue as they head to New York City, with the help of Steve and Joe, to audition for a big Broadway musical.

IN LIVE ACTION:
DORA THE EXPLORER: In addition to the character’s animated preschool return, now in development from Nickelodeon is the first-ever live-action DORA THE EXPLORER series, inspired by the tone of Paramount Pictures’ 2019 DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD theatrical release, with this new version for Paramount+ targeting the tween demo.
During the event, Robbins also underscored the opportunities and anticipation surrounding recently announced titles for Nickelodeon, like a live-action MONSTER HIGH musical movie and animated series in partnership with Mattel; a BABY SHARK feature-length film in development for 2023, co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation and the Pinkfong Company; and a theatrical PAW PATROL movie sequel – a Spin Master Entertainment production in association with Nickelodeon Animation, with distribution by Paramount Pictures – complemented by the first-ever PAW PATROL television series spinoff.
In addition to Paramount+’s new kids and family programming, Robbins remarked during the Investors Event on the service’s opportunity with the substantial and influential YA audience, given the performance of the new, young-adult-focused iCARLY and Awesomeness Studio’s success as producers of top YA franchises.

Also read:
- Could Moonbug Kids replace Disney Junior on DStv and Baby TV on StarSat?
- Baby TV could be on the chopping block
- The last FOX Life available in the United States closes down in March
- Disney closing multiple channels in Latin America
- National Geographic ending in the UK and several other markets
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?
- February on Cartoon Network and Boomerang

With additional new movies and series to be announced, Paramount+’s previously announced YA titles coming to the service beginning in 2022 include:
FANTASY FOOTBALL: This new original live-action movie for Paramount+ follows 16-year-old Amber Coleman (Marsai Martin, “Black-ish”) who discovers she can control her professional football player dad’s prowess on the field through her video game. The movie will be produced in partnership with Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films, LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company, and Marsai Martin and Joshua Martin’s Genius Entertainment.
HONOR SOCIETY: A live-action comedic film that follows Honor (Angourie Rice, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Mare of Easttown”), an ambitious high school senior whose sole focus is getting into Harvard, assuming she can first score the coveted recommendation from her guidance counselor, Mr. Calvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, “Kick-Ass,” “Superbad”). Honor concocts a plan to take down her top three student competitors, until things take a turn when she unexpectedly falls for her biggest competition, Michael (Gaten Matarazzo, “Stranger Things,” “Prank Encounters”). Additional cast members include Armani Jackson (“Chad,” “Palm Trees and Power Lines”) and Amy Keum (“Evil”).
HUSH HUSH: A new original live-action film adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novels by Becca Fitzpatrick, HUSH HUSH is a supernatural romance story about the forbidden love between a girl and a fallen angel. Production is slated for 2022 in partnership with BCDF Pictures and Entertainment 360.

Shoutout to NickALive

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Big Brother Mzansi Records Its Lowest Viewership On DStv

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- Kwara TV might launch on StarSat internationally

TAMS ratings are out with more info being uploaded to the site later in the week of love. In the mist of this love fest it seems like MultiChoice might not enjoying theirs as Big Brother Mzansi records its lowest viewership which was 529K versus Gamoras million views.

The hashtag #BringBackChannel198 started trending last month on social media after MultiChoice took away the Big Brother pop-up channel from DStv Family and DStv Access subscribers as it was made available to Compact customers with highlights existing on packages lower.

Since returning from their six year hiatus, the show was met with criticism over a couple of aspects including their lack of diversity as seen in previous seasons.

The issue here lies on the viewership as mentioned with their 500k the Nigerian adaptation was able to pull to become the most watched in that region implying that it was able to a million views monthly.

If Big Brother Mzansi was a success then it would be sitting within the Top 5 and not below the Top 10. To think part of this had to do with exclusion of family and access customers as the content is deemed expensive for those customers as seen with some instalments.

Also read:
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- Mzansi Magic Music gets a makeover
- Lifetime could be on the chopping block on DStv
- The last FOX Life available in the United States closes down in March
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- tvN pushing to become a permanent linear channel in Africa
- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?

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Celebrate St Patrick's Day This March With An All New Documentary Embracing The History Of This Monumental Day On Curiosity Channel Africa

Every year, millions of people celebrate St Patrick's Day. But few are aware of the enormous impact he actually had on the history of civilization. Author Thomas Cahill reveals the little known story of how St Patrick helped preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians.

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- NCIS: Los Angeles might be cancelled after 13 seasons

The documentary airs 17 March at 19:00 CAT on DStv channel 185.

Still ahead in the month of February for History lovers is The Tomb Of Genghis Khan: The Secret Revealed and Hi$tory while History Channel dishes an all new season of Abandoned Engineering and Secrets In The Ice.

Also read:
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- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?
- February on WildEarth
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Mzansi Magic Music Unveils New Look

Also read:
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- Baby TV could be on the chopping block
- Lifetime could be on the chopping block on DStv
- The last FOX Life available in the United States closes down in March
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- tvN pushing to become a permanent linear channel in Africa
- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?

MultiChoice and M-Net have updated the look of its Mzansi Magic Music (DStv 321) channel with the change that came into effect on Monday 14 February with the channel proposition that is also shifting to be "synonymous with Afro Soul and home of the classic tunes".

Shirley Adonisi, M-Net director of local entertainment channels, says "Evolution is essential for growth hence the decision to refresh the look and feel and improve the schedule to meet the needs of our audience. Mzansi Magic Music's new look is something we are excited to unveil and we are sure our viewers will love it".

Programming wise Mzansi Magic Music will debut the 13-episode second season of Lounge Series on Saturday 19 February at 19:00 consisting of "intimate studio performances in front of a socially distanced live audience" with stories and performances from Lady Zamar, Simmy, Blaq Diamond, Langa Mavuso, Mandisi Dyantyis, Lebo Sekgobela, K.O and Khuli Chana.

Also read: 
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- Cartoonito launches on Boomerang across Europe possibly as a trial run before scrapping the channel
- SABC registered three channels: SABC Parliament, SABC Children and SABC Encore
- Lego launches dedicated kids channel
- BBC Kids launches in the United States, could Africa be next?
- List of K-dramas and reality shows TVN will likely air if they return to DStv

Mzansi Magic Music Specials with presenters Stoan and LootLove are also returning on Saturday 19 February at 18:00 with revealing interviews with guests ranging from Bongani Fassie, Zahara, Mr Jazziq, Rapulana Seiphemo, Israel Matseke Zulu, Thembi Nyandeni and Thembi Seete.

The gospel show VIP Invite is on the channel on Sunday afternoons from Sunday 20 February at 17:00 and includes praise and a worship sermon, together with real-life testimonies from audience members and musical guests. It once again has the gospel star Hle as the presenter, with second season guests who will include Khaya Mthethwa, Keke, Sbu Noah and Ayanda Ntanzi.

Also read:
- Will Multichoice ever make Big Brother Mzansi available to all packages?
- Could ESPN close alongside National Geographic and Disney Channel?
- Tellytrack will stop airing on DStv
- Free State will likely get linear channel by 2025
- Multichoice won't be adding anymore community channels
- Kwara TV might launch on StarSat internationally
- Limpopo TV no longer launching on StarSat but could roll out on SABC's DTT

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