New Channel Alert: As Expected, CoComelon Will Be Getting His On TV Channel With The Launch Of Moonbug Kids This October On DStv

MultiChoice will be adding the Moonbug Kids TV channel to DStv in October, bringing content from several well-known YouTube shows to subscribers in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa like Blippi, CoComelon, Gecko's Garage, Arpo, Morphle as well as Little Angel and Oddbods.

The Moonbug Kids channel, run by the British company Moonbug Entertainment, already launched elsewhere in the world, for instance on Sky in the United Kingdom in mid-2020 with many of the Moonbug shows available to stream for free on YouTube.

In an interview with TBI sister title DTVE, Moonbug EMEA and APAC managing director Nicolas Eglau said that the company sees a significant opportunity to launch premium advertising-free linear channels with pay-TV operators, particularly given that Hollywood studios such as Disney have shut down channels in the interests of focusing on their own streaming platforms.

“It has opened up the market because pay-TV operators are now hungry for unique content that we can provide,” he said, citing the example of Asia, where the rapid withdrawal of kids channels opened up an opportunity for Moonbug to launch its first two linear channels in the Phlippines and Malaysia.

Eglau believes that the European market will follow close behind APAC, creating space for new channel providers to fill demand from pay-TV providers.

Georginah Machiridza, MultiChoice head of content strategy and third party channels, in a statement says MultiChoice "constantly reviews its channel offering to ensure we continue to bring our customers the best quality local and international content, and we believe that Moonbug Kids is exactly what our customers have been asking for".

Moonbug Kids will broadcast in English in 45 African countries.

Prior to its launch on the DStv platform, Moonbug Entertainment had been supplying their content to MultiChoice's Showmax and several other third parties such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Even various linear channels in Europe such as Cartoonito.

The launch of Moonbug Kids coincides with DreamWorks Channel another kids channel to have rolled out earlier in year. Of course it came at an auspicious occasion which brings us to this question for the newcomer.

Could Moonbug Kids be rolling out prior to when another channel e.g. JimJam or Nicktoons get phased out as both seem out of touch with reality aside from those transponder constraints MultiChoice kept hyping about.

My estimated guess is that Moonbug will occupy channel 314 as that is the only free space left in the kiddies area with eToonz and Akili Kids taking up 311 in South Africa and Kenya with Ghana Learning and Edu TV occupying channel 315 and 316 in Ghana and Kenya.

 

Laila Harrak Joins CNN International

Laila Harrak is joining CNN International as an anchor at the network’s headquarters in Atlanta. She will anchor Europe morning editions of CNN Newsroom on Saturday and Sunday as well as weekday news programs.

Harrak comes to CNN International from Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, where she spent nine years as an anchor for the network’s Berlin-based world news broadcasts. Most recently she played a pivotal part in its extensive coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, interviewing decision-makers, activists and humanitarians while also focusing on Germany’s response to the war.

Before joining Deutsche Welle, Harrak spent 10 years with the Associated Press, covering the European Union, NATO, war crime tribunals in The Hague, and major stories across the Middle East, West Africa, and in Kosovo.

She began her career in 2001 as an intern for CNN in New York before moving to the Associated Press bureau in Paris.

Harrak studied American Studies at the University of Amsterdam and English at Leiden University. She also attended the School of Journalism at New York University and the department of Linguistics and Comparative Cultural Studies at Università Ca' Foscari Venezia in Italy as part of the EU’s Erasmus program.

Born and raised in The Netherlands, Harrak spent part of her childhood in Tangier, Morocco. She speaks English, Dutch, Arabic, French, German and conversational Italian.

Roundups #96: Madagascar: A Little Wild Makes Its Linear Debut On e.tv, The Really Not So Loud House Makes Its Debut On Nickelodeon And First Look Into Spider-Man: Freshman Year

More animation coming to DreamWorks SA

e.tv, South Africa's free-to-air entertainment channel independently owned by eMedia Investments that is home to locally produced series is set to launch another preschool series from DreamWorks Animation on their kids block Craze titled Madagascar: A Little Wild.

Adapting to the Kamp Koral feels, the series looks into the early lives of Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo, as they grow up in a rescue habitat at the Central Park Zoo.

The series ended its run earlier in the year with a combined total of 51 episodes divided between 8 seasons. It's currently streaming on Showmax and Netflix with e.tv set to join the pack on Wednesdays at 14:55 from 28 September.

Lincoln Loud enters the real world

Produced by Nickelodeon Studios, the series follows the success of the live-action movie, A Loud House Christmas, which became TV’s top kids’ entertainment telecast of 2021 when it premiered on Nickelodeon in November. The 10-episode series began filming in June in Albuquerque, N.M. The series was announced by Brian Robbins, President & Chief Executive Officer, Paramount Pictures & Nickelodeon, and Chief Content Officer, Movies and Kids & Family, Paramount+, at Nickelodeon’s annual upfront presentation held at New York City’s Palladium Times Square in March.

The series is also expected to be available to stream on Paramount+.

“As one of Nick’s most beloved animated franchises, The Loud House has made its way into the hearts of millions of fans across the globe,” said Shauna Phelan, Co-Head of Nickelodeon & Awesomeness Live-Action. “When we brought the animated world of Royal Woods to life with A Loud House Christmas, it instantly became a holiday favorite for both new and loyal fans alike, and I just know that they will love what our amazing creative team is preparing for this new live-action series.”

The live-action The Loud House series will follow Lincoln Loud, an 11 year-old boy with 10 sisters, as he navigates everyday life while living with such a large family. Known as the “Man with a Plan,” Lincoln enlists the help of his best friend Clyde McBride to tackle the obstacles and mayhem that they encounter during their daily adventures.

Spidey is coming to Disney+

Disney Plus animated series Spider-Man: Freshman Year will be released in 2024, Marvel revealed during its animation panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday. The show follows a young Peter Parker in his earliest days as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man, and it's set before his live-action debut in Captain America: Civil War.

It'll get a second season titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year.

The show should answer some of our questions about the web slinger's early days, like the circumstances of the spider bite that gave him his powers and the existence of MCU Uncle Ben. It'll also see him encountering villains like Chameleon, Doctor Octopus, Scorpion, Rhino, Speed Demon and Tarantula. The show will also introduce the MCU versions of Norman and Harry Osborn.

Doc Ock, Norman and Scorpion are fascinating inclusions, since Spidey ran into an alternate universe's Ock and Norman in No Way Home, and Scorpion's comic book alter ego Mac Gargan showed up in Homecoming. Our hero will also team up with Daredevil, who'll be voiced by Charlie Cox, much earlier in the timeline than their civilian identities' encounter.

 

KOODOO.co.za Announced As Official Sponsor Of The ESPN Africa Boxing Series

The Walt Disney Company Africa and KOODOO.co.za today announced that they have entered into a multi-event sponsorship for the ESPN Africa Boxing series. The agreement officially kicks off with the ESPN Africa Boxing 21 event that will take place in Johannesburg on 22 September 2022.

Showcasing a diverse range of the continent’s best boxing talent and sanctioned by Boxing South Africa (BSA), ESPN Africa Boxing events take place on a monthly basis on Thursday evenings. With five main fights per event, and two undercard bouts on each bill, ESPN Africa Boxing features male and female boxing talent from across Africa. The September event is the 21st iteration of the series.

The fights are broadcast live on ESPN Africa (DStv 218, Starsat 248) catering to the immense popularity of the sport on the continent, as well as on several broadcast partners across the globe. ESPN delivers a high-quality boxing viewing experience with premium broadcast production, accompanied by all of the fanfare behind the scenes.

A division of Gamefinity, KOODOO.co.za is an e-commerce channel with the core focus of bringing the world’s leading gaming entertainment content and products to customers. The company represents brands in the gaming entertainment space such as PlayStation, Warner Bros Gaming, Bethesda, Konami, Techland, Milestone, Capcom, SEGA, andNacon.

“Exciting times for us at KOODOO.co.za partnering with The Walt Disney Company Africa and ESPN Africa Boxing Series to bring another dimension of our business to our customers.” comments Nalisha Pillay, General Manager for KOODOO.co.za

“We are delighted to welcome KOODOO.co.za as an official sponsor of the ESPN Africa Boxing series,” said Kyle De Klerk, Director: Sports Commercial and Business, The Walt Disney Company Africa. “As boxing is one of the most celebrated and followed sports, we are excited to be collaborating with this premiere technology company to further elevate our ESPN Africa Boxing series’ presence in reaching more viewers and in-person audiences across the country.

As one of the world’s leading sports broadcasters, ESPN brings an unparalleled portfolio of sporting content and documentaries to its viewers across the world. In Africa, the broadcaster extends this offering by showcasing European football and various other international franchises, such as the English Football League (EFL), Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), Dutch Eredivisie and Major League Soccer (MLS), as well as various African sports tournaments such as the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and the ESPN Africa Boxing series.

 

Comcast Wants to Buy Warner Bros. Discovery, Merge With NBCUniversal

In a breakdown of the financial struggles Warner Bros. Discovery is currently facing by The Hollywood Reporter, an interesting piece of information emerged: Comcast has its eye on acquiring the struggling company and merging it with NBCUniversal. While the unification of Warner Bros. with Discovery seemed to be a beneficial one for all involved, things have quickly gone south. From the cancellation of Batgirl and Scoob: Holiday Haunt to the purging of numerous films and shows on HBO Max to massive layoffs, Warner Bros. Discovery's birth was quickly met with bad press and a legion of angered creatives. The highly publicized moves by new CEO David Zaslav saw WBD's stock plummet, and that's reportedly what has so enticed Comcast.

Per THR, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is eagerly awaiting April 2024, when the legal hurdles preventing the purchase of WBD will be out of the way. Of course, the merger of two massive media companies would still face numerous antitrust concerns, but it wouldn't be impossible for the companies to join together. "Obviously, Peacock sucks," said an unnamed executive familiar with both companies about NBCUniversal's current streaming service. "There are some good synergies. I'm sure [Roberts] is licking his chops because the [WBD] stock is so low. And I think that's Zaslav's endgame. Get the place sold."

Warner Bros. Discovery Is in Financial Trouble
Zaslav has indeed proved shrewd as the head of the new company, with every indication that Batgirl was ultimately shelved as a write-off. What's more, the HBO Max purge is reportedly saving the company millions, money that's sorely needed as it faces $50 million in debt.

"People feel like it's Comcast for sure," said another source. "It's going to be so depressing to lose another major studio [after Disney bought Fox]. And Warners was the Tiffany studio."

The coalescing of Disney and Fox saw similar cancellations and concerns about creative freedom moving forward, and the merger between two more powerful film and television studios would provide creators with even fewer options. But Warner Bros. Discovery insists a sale isn't its endgame. "We are building Warner Bros. Discovery for the long term," a spokesperson said.

Either way, the next two years will present plenty of challenges for the new company and its divisive CEO as they struggle to fix a tainted reputation, win back creatives, and turn DC Films into a viable rival to Marvel Studios.