Development Hell: Countdown To The List Of Bollywood Channels Coming Soon

Just going a through a list of concepts which was discussed, rumoured, delayed or potentially scrapped. Some of Bollywood channels currently seen on DStv and Openview were derived from several other concepts.

But I'm not here to discuss that but share a list of other channels and it goes as follows:

 

1. eBella/eBolly
The defunct channel was said to make a comeback as a replacement to one of the current Indian channels on Openview. The channel was said to offer Bollywood films something you hardly get on eMovies and other entertainment.

2. &TV
&TV is a Hindi language entertainment channel operated by Zee Entertainment Enterprises home to shows viewers would have come across on Zee TV such as Begusarai, The Heir and on eVOD Dayan, Destructive Beauty. The reasons for its absence has to do with Zee TV as they licence content from the brand and with both being operated by the same company the two are in sink.

The only known regions to provide it a standalone is the US and Asia.

 

3. Star Maa
Star Maa is a Telegu entertainment channel operated by Star India which broadcasts dramas, reality shows and movies. The channel was said to launch on DStv Indian.

4. Untitled Zee World repeats channel 1
Around the time Zee Bollynova launched on the defunct Kwesé TV and before Zee One existed. Rumour had it that MultiChoice was looking to add a reruns channel for their #1 Bollywood entertainment channel which could have been scrapped for Zee Alem.

5. Star Gold
Star Gold is the brand name Star India gives to their movie channels. This was part of list of possible movie channels on DStv but the channel be viewed on StarSat.

6. Untitled Zee World repeats channel 2
Close to the launch of Zee Alem in Ethiopia, Zee Entertainment Enterprises revealed in an interview that they were open to launching some regional channels. The second repeats channel was said to cater for Zulu, Swahili and Hausa viewers.

 

7. Life OK/Utsav
Disney+ is scheduled to launch in South Africa in the coming month and Star branding has been replaced with Utsav in most parts of Europe where the African feed operates. The question boiled down to the potential brand name for Star Life and its programming.

8. Zee Naija
Unlike most other Zee channels, this brand wouldn't cater entirely to repeats as there was a bunch of local content being planned such as Dance Nigeria Dance, Deceptive Measures and The Passion For Love.

 

9. Untitled Star Life movie channel
Unlike Star Gold, the movie channel would have been dubbed in English and would give the main channel sometime to source out other programming.

10. Bollytunes & Zee Music
Remember that TV show that had no purpose to Zee World as the program aired between shows well it was said to have its own channel one for English audiences another for Indian subscribers on DStv.

11. Untitled eMovies channel
eMedia Investments was rumoured to launch a Bollywood pop-up channel for movies before the pandemic hit and there's been no updates in that regard except that the possibility of a third movie channel.

 

12. Zindagi
Zindagi was the name of a brand Zee Entertainment Enterprises gave to their regional offering. What this channel did was air regional content kind of like the African adaptation of Mehek but it could have been scrapped as the brand is not active.

13. Zee Zest
Zee Zest is a Hindi entertainment channel operated by Zee Entertainment Enterprises and compared to all other channels on the list this one airs lifestyle and reality shows. It was said to launch on DStv Indian when it was known as Living Foodz.

 

14. Zee World and Zee One's replacements
The parent company of the channels are minority owners of the brands and rumour had it that the brands would include more content from Sony Pictures India as well as adapt to Sony branding.

15. Zee News (likely scrapped)
Zee News is a Hindi news channel operated by Essel Group that is also in charge of another news station on DStv, WION.

16. Zee Oldies
A channel for older dramas in the 90s to early 00s

Potential Future: Lifetime Might Relaunch In Africa And The Rest Of Europe On Discovery+

Lifetime was terminated in the UK last year as A+E Networks partnered up with Warner Bros. Discovery to distribute the channel's entire catalogue on Discovery+ and a year prior to the United States.

The channel is set to go off air by the end of May in Africa and the rest of Europe meaning viewers will lose out on shows like On The Case With Paula Zahn, Storage Wars, Marriage At First Sight, Dance Moms and Surviving R. Kelly.

 

Also joining that list of terminations is the brands streaming service, Lifetime Play leaving HISTORY and Crime + Investigation as the only linear channels operated by A+E Networks.

The parent company doesn't state the actual reason for the termination but if I had to guess it probably has something to do with the distribution agreement A+E Networks made with Warner Bros. Discovery for Lifetime in the UK.

Not a lot of people know this but the A+E Networks channels in the Africa, Poland and the rest of MENA are all handled by the UK which has been streamlining their entertainment with the rise of other streamers like Disney+ and HBO Max.

 

So the idea of this deal possibly including the rest of Europe doesn't seem far fetched. Compared to History and C+I, Lifetime has been struggling to gain traction and some would deem it a worthy competitor to TLC's wedding bonanza.

The channel alongside History and Crime + Investigation are handled by major brands The Walt Disney Company (excluding Europe), Sky (UK) and Hearst Corporation (globally) but from what I've seen with several linear channels that have this many owners its hard finding success so Lifetime's fate was predictable.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if The Walt Disney Company sold their shares its not like the content is on Disney+ if it was they'd be no need to run to a competitor to gain some relevancy.

Warner Bros. Discovery would make an ideal buyer Lifetime would merge with TLC for their remarkable similarities, Crime + Investigation with ID as there's not much original content going there leaving History as the only survivor from A+E Networks.

SABC Movies: A Scrapped Dream Journal For The SABC

In 2012, The SABC announced plans to launch their long awaited DTT platform to the market which would consist of 18 channels and some of the channels that were fortunate enough to materialize were SABC News, SABC Sport and SABC Education.

Although, the public broadcaster plans for their decoder fell through several brands have since then resurfaced. Aside from SABC Education and SABC Sport, the public broadcaster registered two other brands SABC Parliament and SABC Children.

 

 

SABC 4, SABC 5 and SABC Movies are the only brands that haven't been picked up.

SABC 4 & 5 are likely dead at this point the two were going to be SABC's version of Cape Town and Soweto TV and such channel has been deemed expensive just not for pay-tv platforms but SABC Movies on the other hand is different.

SABC Movies just like eMovies was set to be a catch-up channel for films broadcast on SABC 1-3 which is the norm for the most free-to-air channels overtime the lineup would shift to appease the audience.

 

 

If successful, the brand would have gotten a second movie channel to help boost the load of repeats.

At the moment, the public broadcaster is looking to source channels other platforms are willing to cover. SABC Movies has no room in the overcrowded field of movie channels or at least for DStv.

Not that they can't launch it but if the SABC wanted the brand on there it would have find its niche even with platforms like StarSat and Openview. It shouldn't duplicate what's already available or air content that is not suited for the modern demographic.

Star Life Was The Most Watched Bollywood Channel While Glow TV's Viewership Begins To Plummet From The Period Of 27 April To 4 May - Viewership Stats For Zee World, Zee One And Glow TV

Zee World

Twist Of Fate (reruns) - 1.0
Married Again (reruns)  - 0.8
My Heart Knows - 2.1
Can You See Me - 1.8
I Do - 1.7
Bridal Material - 1.0
Once There Was A King - 1.2

Total: 7,8 million (excluding reruns)

Notes
- Twist Of Fate reruns lost 0.6 million and remains as the most watched rerun on the channel.
- My Heart Knows increased by 0.2 million and is currently the most watched show on primetime.
- Can You See Me increased by 0.1 million.
- I Do gained 0.7 million viewers.
- Bridal Material is the least watched during primetime.
- Once There Was A King lost half of their viewers from February.

 

 

Star Life

Forbidden Love (reruns) - 1.5
Kulfi - The Singing Star (reruns) - 1.2
Geet (reruns) - 0.9
A New Life - 1.5
Lost In Love - 2.1
Dream Girl - 1.1
Anupama - 3.6
Never Say Goodbye - 0.6

Total: 8,9 million (excluding reruns)

Notes
- Forbidden Love is the most watched rerun on the list and on Star Life.
- Kulfi - The Singing Star is the second most watched rerun on the list and on Star Life.
- Geet's viewership remains intact despite the new timeslot.
- Dream Girl viewership decreased by 0.6 million.
- Never Say Goodbye follows Once There Was A King with a massive drop losing 1.3 million viewers.
- On top of most watched channel, it even has the most views with reruns.

 

Zee One

Bollytunes - 0.2
Movies - 1.5
Snack Attack - 0.1
Grand Trunk Rasoi - 0.1
The Baker's Table - 0.1
Guddan - 2.6
Sacred Ties - 1.5
Mehek - 2.1
Lies Of The Heart - 0.7
My Golden Home - 0.8

Total: 7,7 million (excluding variety shows and movies)

Notes
- Guddan's viewership remains intact and remains the most watched show on the channel.
- Sacred Ties viewership decreased by 0.6 million.
- Lies Of The Heart viewership decreased by 0.4 million.
- My Golden Home experiences a major boost with viewership increasing by 0.7 million.

 

Glow TV

This Is Love (reruns) - 0.6
A Touch Of Love - 0.9
Emperor Ashoka - 0.8
A Love To Die For - 0.8
True Love (reruns) - 1.0

Total: 2,5 million (excluding reruns)

Notes
- True Love is the most watched rerun on the channel.
- A Touch Of Love decreased by 0.1 million and remains as the most watched show on primetime.
- Emperor Ashoka viewership decreased by 0.3 million viewers.
- A Love To Die For viewership decreased by 0.1 million viewers.

Things Go Horribly Wrong On CBS Reality Africa And CBS Justice Africa Welcomes A New Series, Twisted Killers - June 2022 Highlights

CBS Reality:

WHEN LUXURY HOLIDAYS GO HORRIBLY WRONG
Channel Premiere
Saturday 4th June at 07:00 and 20:40. Repeated on Thursday 9th June at 18:55 and 23:20.

The holiday industry is worth a jaw-dropping 45 billion pounds a year. And for those choosing to spend big and go 5 star, only the best will do. From swanky hotels to luxurious cruises, when these holidays go right they're perfect paradises and much needed R&R in the lap of luxury. But when it goes horribly wrong, it can be catastrophic. Actress Glynis Barber narrates this one hour special.
There are first-hand interviews with the real-life people whose holidays ended in disaster. Highlights include chartered accountant Bill and his wife Tanya who shelled out a whopping £11,000 on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to the Bahamas only to end up trapped in the eye of a cyclone. The couple were left horrified as the ship listed at sea, with water leaking into their cabin and chaos all round.
 

Plus, we hear from Iain & Judie Cook whose luxury dream trip to Vegas turned into deadly nightmare. They’d gone to the city of lights to get hitched and celebrate their honeymoon only to get caught up in the now infamous shootings that saw 58 people killed and 851 others injured. Expert interviews include travel presenters Danni Menzies, Scarlette Douglas, Jean Johansson and journalist and broadcaster Simon Calder.

WHEN ALL-INCLUSIVE HOLIDAYS GO
HORRIBLY WRONG
Channel Premiere
Sunday 5th June at 07:30 and 20:40. Repeated on Friday 10th June at 18:55 and 23:20.
Brits spend over 45 billion pounds travelling abroad for a well-earned break each year. For many the only way to holiday is to go all-inclusive. From endless food and drink, to hotels with kids’ clubs and water parks going all-inclusive is supposed to be all about a hassle-free guarantee of fun in the sun.
But for some, going all-inclusive is anything but relaxing. In this one hour special we meet the unlucky holidaymakers whose holidays went horribly wrong.
There are first-hand interviews with the real-life people whose all-inclusive holidays ended in disaster. Highlights include nurse, Julia Vaughan who shelled out over £5,5000 for a relaxing break in Crete for her and her family, only to be confronted by a giant construction site next to their hotel. With work going on from morning until night the family were bombarded by dust and constant construction noise.
 

Expert interviews include travel presenters Sabrina Chakici and Scarlette Douglas, travel journalists Lisa Minot and Cathy Adams, plus Travel Risk Expert Lloyd Figgins. Jan Ravens narrates.

WHEN COSMETIC SURGERY GOES
HORRIBLY WRONG
Channel Premiere
Sunday 19th June at 07:05 and 20:40. Repeated Friday 24th June at 18:55 and 23:20.
Plastic Surgery was once considered taboo, something for only the rich and famous, but with advances in medical technology making the odd nip and tuck more affordable, many people are going under the knife in the pursuit of perfection. It's bigger and more accessible than ever before.
However, as with all surgery, there are risks. In this 90 minute special, narrated by Jill Halfpenny, we have the first hand accounts of people who went under the knife whose lives were scarred by their experience.
 

Highlights include a young Liverpudlian, Delsha, whose routine visit to get her eyebrows tattooed resulted in her ending up 'looking like a clown' with four eyebrows. We have the story of a mother of two, Samantha, who suffered years of back trouble due to her large breasts who, upon undergoing a reduction from a J-Cup to a more comfortable C-cup, ended up in agonising pain and her nipple position far higher than she ever could have conceived.
Expert interviews include TV doctor Tijon Esho, Harley Street celebrity surgeon Dr Aamer Khan, psychiatrist Dr Raj Persaud and celebrities Lizzie Cundy & Danielle Lloyd.

WHEN DIETS GO HORRIBLY WRONG
Channel Premiere
Saturday 25th June at 07:05 and 20:40. Repeated Thursday 30th June at 18:55 and 23:20.

We’ve all been on a diet at one point or other in our lives, and with the rise of social media, there’s no getting away from the fact that we’re all under more pressure than ever before.
 

When done right, diets can have positive health benefits as well as being life affirming. However, when done wrong they can end in disaster. In this 60 minute special, narrated by Claire Sweeney, we have first-hand accounts from real people whose diets ended up deeply affecting their lives. Highlights include a young juicer, Clare, whose body reacted badly to her liquid-only diet. There’s ripped thirtysomething Joe, a young fitness fanatic wound up with kidney stones after extreme ‘bulking up’.
Writer Eve opens up about the pressures of working in the fashion industry surrounded by “perfect” bodies. Her story involves her taking on-board so-called fad diets via social media.
 

Plus, there’s the tragic tale of Eloise Parry, well-documented in the press back in 2018, as she had been addicted to toxic slimming pills containing dinitrophenol (DNP). We have an exclusive interview with her sister Becky who opens up about her late sister’s obsession with her diet.
Expert interviews include GP Dr Ellie Cannon, workout queen Rosemary Conley, fitness expert Kris Boyson and celebrities Nadia Sawalha, Ampika Pickston and former Big Brother star, Josie Gibson.

CBS Justice:

TWISTED KILLERS
Season 1.
Channel premiere.
Weeknights at 19:00 from 6th until 17th June.
The most baffling cases. The most bizarre killers. What drives acts of evil? Twisted Killers tells the shocking stories of some of America's darkest, most unusual murderers. Along the way, a trio of criminal experts, including former NYC DA Beth Karas, retired LAPD Homicide Detective Tracey Benjamin and Forensic Psychologist Kate Termini, provide insight and expertise on how these twisted killers were brought to justice.

 

MARK OF A SERIAL KILLER
Season 3.
Channel premiere.
Weeknights at 19:00 from 20th June until 1st July.
The behaviours and patterns may differ, but some serial killers simply cannot resist leaving a personal mark on each of their heinous crimes. From post-mortem rituals to crime scene mementoes, these perverse trademarks are often meant to taunt law enforcement but can end up providing vital clues that help the investigators bring down the perpetrator. Each episode delves into a different case involving a serial killer's signature, featuring first-hand accounts from the detectives involved as well as interviews with criminal psychology experts and those close to the victims.