History's Future Is Up In The Air As It Remains On DStv

History is a factual and reality based entertainment channel operated by A+E Networks (a joint venture between Sky and Hearst Corporation) home to historical infused programs like Mountain Men, Missing In Alaska, American Pickers and Pawn Stars.

As of June 2022, the channel will be the remaining survivor from A+E Networks across Africa as Lifetime will phased out not only in Africa like the former brand Crime + Investigation but the whole of Europe likely in an attempt to streamline.

 

A+E Networks has been a little disorganised with their channels often providing upcoming attractions with different dates or ghosting a brand before its demise I mean with the many owners this was to be expected.

Could History be off its meds?

Just like Lifetime, even History hasn't updated their look following its rollout in December 2021 and with them being owned by the mouse brand in most markets I mean the idea of History being phased or possibly auctioned doesn't seem far fetched.

 

The Walt Disney Company will be closing 100 international channels in the near future with most in Europe and Africa. The media has highlighted several major brands but we've seen a brand like Baby TV get scrapped. Could Lifetime, History and C+I also form those 100 channels?

What if The Walt Disney Company's plan is to stop offering linear stations in general you know the Netflix approach as they're giving them a run for their money and A+E Networks is mixed up in it all.

 

They don't manage the channels in Europe which opens up the door of possibility for History. Unlike Lifetime, the brand is still active in the UK as Sky History perhaps that could be the future for the channel across Europe.

Just like SuperSport's WWE Channel, Sky is in charge of content selection and the airtime meaning they could just supplement another brand should it be phased out unless that possibility is out the door like Lifetime.

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.