'CN To The Rescue', 'Garbage Boy And Trash Can', 'My Cartoon Friend' And More Local Productions On Cartoon Network Africa Likely To Be Axed

Warner Bros. Discovery held a conference call in the past week where they addressed several aspects including the merger of their two streaming service HBO Max and Discovery+ with Africa expected to get before early 2025 another was regarding the content on their platforms.

Apparently, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to ship more content to their streaming service and sell less to local providers like M-Net and e.tv. On top of cancelling several productions from HBO Max like Batgirl and Little Ellen. They'll also be targeting various local productions across the world.

Warner Bros. Discovery operates Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Toonami and Boing across Africa through the likes of MultiChoice's DStv and GOtv, StarTimes' StarSat, Telkom's TelkomOne, Canal+ and Azam TV.

Cartoon Network, Africa's top entertainment channel for children has been hotspot for Warner's local endeavours for almost a decade with productions like Dance Club, Ben 10 Challenge, My Cartoon Friend, CN To The Rescue and Pop-Up Party which are likely to be yesterday's news.

Last month, HBO Max and Cartoon Network greenlit a Nigerian animated series Iyanu: Child of Wonder as seen with the sequel Scoob: Holiday Haunt. They're not only targeting content that's already out in the airwaves but content that has yet to be released.

Bollywood Updates: Starsat To Welcome Zulu Dubbed Version Of Zee TV's The Heir, Zee World Reportedly Postpones Unfortunate Love And Every Girl's Dream And Star Life Welcomes Back Game Of Love And Adds Imile To The Lineup

The news of The Heir's launch on the StarSat platform has garnered mix reaction from viewers as most want to see something similar through the likes of SABC 1 and Mzansi Magic instead of having another eExtra as the channel St Rise has been positioned in the way of these two channels.

Unlike Mzansi Magic, SABC 1 has dubbed several international content primarily kids shows in a variety of native languages so St Rise hopping on the dub wagon doesn't seem far fetched at this point in time.

In other startling news, Zee World still doesn't have a launch date for Unfortunate Love and Every Girl's Dream. The two series were teased later in July with timeslots already allocated for the shows but it seems as if the shows won't come in their respective slots.

Other developments on the channel includes one of their other shows like My Heart Knows which follows Meet In Love to have it's broadcast reduced to compliment Dance Naija Dance which is a spinoff to Dance Africa Dance.

Last development isn't as much devastating as the other two unless you're looking at fan favourite series returning to Star Life, Game Of Love which is just Zee World's Twist Of Fate or Telemundo's Fearless Heart so yeah you can see how irritable that can be.

Good news for audiences of Star Life, the channel apparently picked up rights to another series Imlie which follows the titular character as she is forced to marry a journalist after they seek shelter in a hut during heavy rains. On reaching the city, she realises that her husband is engaged to be married.

Based on the Bengali drama Ishti Kutum, the series stars Sumbul Touqeer Khan, Fahmaan Khan, Mayuri Deshmukh and Gashmeer Mahajani.

The news of Imlie comes just as the channel unveils new series Pandya Store and Night Of Doom.

What To Expect From The Makers Of Newzroom Afrika New Channel On DStv, Movie Room?

Home Affairs: A Christmas Tale
Genre: Family
Starring: Elsabé Daneel, Celeste Loots
Family is the heart of this local Christmas movie, when a family gathers for Christmas, the holiday surprises them with a lot more than just gifts under their Christmas tree.

Nativity
Genre: Comedy
Starring: Martin Freeman and Ashley Jensen
In the film teacher Paul Maddens lies to his rival that Hollywood are coming to watch his school's Christmas nativity, but after the lie gets out of hand, he must resolve the issue fast.

One Night With Kwa Mxolisi
Genre: Drama
Starring: Nyaniso Dzedze, Donovan Goliath
When a once semi-successful rugby player opens a new restaurant, his friends come to celebrate his success. After too many drinks friendships are tested.

Happiness Is A Four Letter World
Genre: Romance
Starring: Mmabatho Montsho, Khanyi Mbau
In this uplifting South African romantic drama, three friends try to find love, happiness and success in Johannesburg.

Season's Feelings
Genre: Comedy
Starring: Kiroshan Naidoo, Natalie Robbie
On their way to a not-so-conventional Christmas party, a band of outsiders collide with themselves and each other as they try to figure out quarter-loves, half-loves and family.

A Boere Krismis
Genre: Comedy
Starring: Lara Toselli, Johann Vermaak
In a chaotic South African Christmas comedy. In Claire's final attempt at becoming an actress-director-writer, she uses her fiance's family in a docu-film to launch her failed career.

Pop, Lock 'N Roll
Genre: Drama
Starring: Steven Pillemer, Eric Uys
An ambitious dancer gets a chance to become famous, but his life takes a turn when he falls in love with his producer's wife.

Herb & Moon
Genre: Family
Starring: Robert Whitehead, Katherine Neethling
When a rebellious grandfather finds out he won't spend Christmas with his granddaughter, he "breaks out" of his nursing home to see her.

Boomerang Vs. Toonami Vs. Boing: Most Likely To Get Chopped

Boomerang, Toonami and Boing are animation brands within Warner Bros. Discovery's portfolio that cater to kids and youth adults but to better understand them it's best to explain each of them individually in detail.

Boomerang is a children's brand that caters to viewers aged 4-7 with shows like Masha And The Bear, Grizzy And The Lemmings and The Happos Family while as carrying content for the whole family to enjoy like Looney Tunes Cartoons, Mr. Magoo and Zig & Sharko.

Toonami is an action driven channel for young adults featuring various animation from DC's superheroes like Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Justice League and Teen Titans. Accompanying the league of DC characters is anime like Hero Academia and Dragonball.

Boing is basically another Nicktoons as it features a classic set of content like Adventure Time, Regular Show, Johnny Bravo and Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends while as being used a brand for CN's forgotten or reject shows like Angelo Rules, Oswaldo and The Jungle Bunch.

In short, Boomerang is the best place for laughter while Toonami caters for comic book fans and people in the mood for some action and Boing travels back in time to the place where it all began with old favorites while blending to the modern society.

Unfortunately with all these traits come some minor flaws of which these 3 all have in common. Although each have a role to play, it's more transparent the more you watch but I feel it's best to bring it up.

On a year to year basis, Warner Bros. Discovery invests a certain amount of airtime on their channels with Boomerang and Cartoon Network getting the most Investment seeing as they're more acknowledged compared to Boing and Toonami.

In terms of content, Boomerang doesn't have a lot of noticable shows just gags which can help pass the time but that's as far as it goes. Just like Toonami, it can be irritating on how these shows rollout and how long it takes before you can get anything worthwhile.

Boing is just another repeats channel if anything it kind of rectifies the errors of Boomerang and Toonami. After all, the lineup adjusts constantly you don't have to wait several months or a year to find something worthwhile but that's just the perks of being a Nicktoons which can be substituted.

If there's any channel that would likely get chopped in this instance, it would have to be these three as it is Warner Bros. Discovery is cost cutting and I'm not saying they won't be much left on these stations or we'll see less content but 2/3 is a Nicktoons with the third being an odd triplet.

Roundups #82: Paramount Provides Outdated EPG For Nicktoons Africa, Dressed For Mourning Coming Soon To Citi TV And StarSat To Double Down On Dubs With Second Zulu Drama Series

Could Nicktoons be on the chopping block?

Although, there's no official confirmation about the channel's demise within the region. Nicktoons has been less toonie as the lineup is jam-packed with mainly current shows from Nickelodeon with a few discrepancies here and there.

Apparently, MultiChoice provides two alternate schedules of the channel same with Nick Jr. but as mentioned the discrepancies are more transparent with Nicktoons as the channel lists Program To Be Confirmed online while DStv's EPG mentions Alvin although it's Horrid Henry.

It's believed at this point that the only reason Nicktoons is just offering a duplicate selection to Nickelodeon is Paramount's way of phasing out the channel and cancelling out potential liabilities like Horrid Henry with NickMusic's fate in question.

Women In Black coming soon to Ghana

Citi TV a Ghanaian channel that features a unique blend of credible, authentic and timely news, current affairs as well as compelling non-news programming will soon introduce the rumoured TLNovelas series titled Mujeres De Negro (Dressed For Mourning).

Mujeres De Negro follows the rich coastal town of Encino Blanco, three married couples spend the weekend at Coral Beach while their husbands go on their already traditional fishing trip on a yacht. Not far from the pier, the yacht suddenly explodes. Only chips remain on the surface. In seconds they lost their husbands, and they have to go on with their lives without them...just as they planned.

The series stars Mayrín Villanueva, Alejandra Barros, Ximena Herrera and Arturo Peniche.

More local dubs are heading your way

eMedia has seen success with eExtra's Kuiertyd that it's consolidated this content onto more platforms only for MultiChoice to ramp up a similar offering on kykNET & Kie with StarTimes doing something similar which is no way competition.

Earlier in the year, StarSat launched its first Zulu dubbed show with Phillipine revenge drama Blood Sisters on St Novelas now they'll be launching a second Zulu dubbed show but this time for the channel St Rise worst part they pick Waaris (The Heir).

Waaris follows Amba, who belongs to a Punjabi family, gives birth to a girl child. However, circumstances force her to hide the gender of her baby and raise her like a boy. The series aired on Zee World, Zee One and eExtra and now it's also launching on St Rise from August 22nd.