Recommended Games #4: Play At Your Own Risk, The Trainwreck To All Nintendo And SEGA Games Somari

Somari is an attempt to bring the original Sonic the Hedgehog to the 8-bit Famicom. Mario (or "Somari") can run and jump like Sonic, spinning into enemies, collecting rings and running around loops, with the spin dash technique included from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for good measure. The game attempts to mimic the Mega Drive game as closely as possible, though its special stages are based on those found in the 8-bit version of the game (meaning there are no chaos emeralds), presumably due to hardware limitations. Scrap Brain Zone is also missing, though remnants of it exist in the ROM.

There is no ending sequence should the player manage to complete the game - just a single screen showing Dr. Eggman juggling chaos emeralds and some text claiming he will return.

 

As a very early attempt at getting Sonic to run on simpler hardware, Somari is riddled with issues, from poor collision detection and unresponsive controls to game-breaking glitches. Like many unlicensed titles of its kind, the game is very difficult to play, but is infamous, particularly after being rediscovered on the internet, for its low quality presentation and obvious novelty value.

Find Me Here

New Series Alert: Mouse Currently Streaming On eVOD And Soon On eXposed

tvN went off air on the DStv platform in the middle of 2021 and not a day goes by where viewers grief over the loss of the #1 Korean entertainment channel as further content had been folded under MultiChoice's Showmax or eMedia's eVOD streaming service.

It led several consumers to resort other means to follow these stories or something in a similar nature. While others had to pay extra to view the bulk of content viewers on DStv were treated with the likes of eExtra.

Although its timeframe on the platform was cut short, the channel generated a huge following with the likes of Ice Adonis, Two Women and High Society Scandal and was one of the very reasons DStv made sense at this point.

 

The loss of eExtra not only led to the loss of viewers but content as well while kykNET builds their Turkish offering and Zee World and Star Life got Bollywood fans covered there's nothing much for Korean fans to indulge aside from what's already available on eMedia's platforms.

eExtra has Ice Adonis and Twice My Son In Law, eXposed and eVOD both got tvN originals on their plate, The K2 and Mouse.

The K2 formed part of tvN's offering on DStv while Ice Adonis was never picked up with Mouse which was one of the shows tvN had hoped to launch in the African market should a permanent position open up but as seen this past week it's currently streaming on eVOD.

 

Bareum is a novice police officer of Gudong Police office, taking care of all the town's misbehaviors. One day, however, he teams up with a notorious detective Muchi to arrest a psychopathic criminal.

The series is currently streaming on eVOD with the series likely to join eXposed lineup as eExtra acquire longer form series from the looks of the current development.

South Africa Loses Bold Again As Vodacom's Streaming Service To Go Off Air By The End Of June

Vodacom Video Play has become the latest video streaming service to bite the dust in South Africa, with the telecom that has pulled the plug on its multi-million rand streaming venture just short of seven years and getting out of the business of acquiring video content directly, rather letting consumers buy data and watch Netflix or any of the other rival local and international streamers.

Vodacom Video Play, which by the end of March 2019 had 869 000 active users and reached a high point of over 9 000 film and series titles in its content carousel, joins the video streaming scrapheap littered with tried-and-failed streamers in South Africa like Cell C black, VIDI, the Altech Node, MTN's FrontRow (later rebranded VU), PCCW Global's OnTapTV, Kwesé Play and Kwesé TV, and others.

South African video streamer customers have a growing flurry of remaining choices, ranging from Netflix SA, Disney+, MultiChoice's Showmax, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+, to TelkomONE, eMedia Investment's eVOD, PCCW Global's VIU, BritBox SA, Acorn TV and a few more.

 

Meanwhile, the South African public broadcaster plans to launch SABC+ around September this year, as Paramount+ is expected to debut in early 2023, and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is expected to roll out its combined HBO Max and Discovery+ streamer at some point in South Africa as well, with NBCUniversal yet to bring Peacock to the country.

Vodacom had high aspirations for Video Play when it launched in August 2015, with the telecom that said it planned to add further linear TV channels and even its own set-top box. After adding The Bold and the Beautiful American daytime soap to Vodacom Video Play in October 2019, Vodacom said the content was "blowing the lights out".

In November 2020 Vodacom started to offer customers Amazon Prime Video for free for half a year, and in March 2021 Vodacom Video Play snagged its final big get by acquiring the rights to The Justice League Snyder Cut from WarnerMedia before Showmax or M-Net could get it.

 

After Vodacom pulled the Video Play app from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, and removed the Vodacom Video Play website, Vodacom told customers simply to "Please take note that as of 30 June 2022, this service will no longer be available".

Vinnie Santu, Vodacom spokesperson, confirmed that Video Play has been shuttered from 1 July 2022.

"From 1 July 2022, the Video Play service was decommissioned completely, meaning users can no longer access the service."

"Given the rapid evolution of content streaming in recent times, Vodacom has taken a position to become an enabler for consumers to access the growing demand for video and content streaming through our add-to-bill capability and our VodaPay Super App."

"This will enable customers to access quality SVOD services currently available in the market. The move is also aligned to the VodaPay strategy, which promises customers an all-in-one lifestyle marketplace."

 

Vodacom says it has "migrated all its Video Play customers to a free-mode model, with the subscription functionality decommissioned, meaning between the first quarter of 2021 up to 30 June 2022, customers still enjoyed free content on the Video Play platform."

Vodacom didn't want to say what the company's multi-million rand investment in infrastructure, video streaming network set-up and content acquisition for Vodacom Video Play had been over the past seven years.

Vodacom says it started scaling down Vodacom Video Play in 2021. "It was a deliberate gradual decline in users as we implemented our new strategy which included a move away from content acquisitions," says Vinnie Santu.

Will Vodacom be replaced by a new video streaming service, or is the telecom rather going to focus on supplying data for customers to watch services like Netflix SA or Amazon Prime Video on devices?

 

"The discontinuation of Video Play is a strategic decision to no longer be an upfront purchaser of content in keeping up with our launch of VodaPay, which is our lifestyle Super App where we provide access to a variety of third-party content services, and products from over 90 merchants."

"This will see Vodacom move to a subscription service model which will offer our customers a variety of subscription bundles for the large variety of local and global entertainment services through our lifestyle app, VodaPay."

Vodacom says it will continue to offer customers access to other video streamers and services.
"Vodacom's move to a subscription service model promises to offer customers a variety of subscription bundles from a variety of local and international entertainment services offered through the VodaPay Super App."

France’s Canal+ Takes MultiChoice Stake To 20%

French broadcasting giant Groupe Canal+ has again increased its stake in Johannesburg-listed MultiChoice Group, taking its position in the South African broadcaster to 20.1%.

Canal+ began snapping up shares in MultiChoice in 2020. It’s the first time the DStv and SuperSport parent has disclosed a change in Canal+’s shareholding since November 2021, when it disclosed the French group had bought 15.4% of its ordinary shares in issue.

“MultiChoice remains committed to acting in the best interest of all shareholders and to create sustainable long-term shareholder value. While the group regularly engages investors with its strategic partners and maintains an open dialogue with the investment community, its policy is not to comment on its individual shareholders nor on its interactions with them,” it said in Thursday’s disclosure to investors about the Canal+ stake.

 

The two companies have worked together for some time, sharing content between their respective markets Canal+ is owned by French media conglomerate Vivendi.

When Vivendi began buying up MultiChoice shares in 2020, it prompted speculation about the company’s intentions. It also fuelled a sharp rally in MultiChoice’s share price at the time.

MultiChoice first disclosed on 5 October 2020 that Canal+ had acquired 6.5% of its equity.

“Whether it’s Canal+ or someone else, we have a responsibility as directors of the company to do what is in the best interests of shareholders,” MultiChoice Group chief financial officer Jacobs in an interview in November 2020.

 

“Whatever opportunity comes our way, we will try to keep an open mind. We will certainly look at it and say, ‘Is this is in the best interest of shareholders or not?’ If it is, we’d need to embrace it and make the best deal we can for shareholders,” Jacobs said.

Canal+ previously told MultiChoice that it views the stake as a financial investment. The two companies have worked together for some time, sharing content between their respective markets. “We have an ongoing relationship with them in various territories,” he said at the time. 

Roundups #74: Magnum Pi Revived By NBC For Two Seasons, eVOD Welcomes Two New Local Productions An Eye For An Eye And uMbali, And StarTimes Upload New Channel W-Sport

Magnum lives on for another two seasons

NBC has ordered two seasons of “Magnum P.I.” following the drama’s cancellation at CBS in May after a four-season run.

The broadcaster has ordered 20 new episodes of “Magnum P.I.,” which an option for more, and intends to break those up into Seasons 5 and 6 of the series.

The reboot of the beloved 1980’s action series debuted Season 4 back in October on CBS. The show is described as a modern take on the original series centering on Thomas Magnum (Jay Hernandez), a decorated former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator.

 

eVOD loads to two new local productions

Since it's inception in 2021, eMedia Investments mentioned spending R100 million on local productions with 10 movies rolling out on a yearly basis of which 6 have been released with a further 2 being released this month, An Eye For An Eye and uMbali.

An Eye For An Eye scheduled for release on 19 July follows the story of a man who was framed for his brother and police officer's death while uMbali will be released two days after An Eye For An Eye follows the titular character who murdered a man who attempts to raped her.

The movies are said to contain a lot of life lessons and characters viewers can relate to. On top of that, both productions will carry intriguing chapters leaving viewers curious to find out what's happening next.

A new sports making a surprising debut on the StarTimes platform

 

Earlier in the year, the female based sport channel W-Sport was added on the StarTimes app as part of what appeared to be a trial phase as they worked on rolling out the sports channel on other platform.

After 7 months, consumers on StarTimes will get access to England’s Barclays Women’s Super League, Germany’s Frauen Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A, the Netherlands Vrouwen Eredivisie, Australia’s W-League and the recent ICC tournament.

“W-Sport’s vision is to be the global leader in women’s sports broadcasting and to passionately champion equality and diversity. W-Sport’s content will entertain, engage and inspire audiences and the next generation of young female athletes and players” said Kelly Butler, CEO W-Sports.