Could StarSat Bid Farewell To Yet Another Two Local Channels?

During the week, StarSat announced they'd dub various telenovelas from Mexico, Asia, Turkey and the Phillipines in local languages in their newly launched voiceover studio and this comes after the rollout of Zee TV's The Heir and TFC based drama Blood Sisters in Zulu.

In the midst of these announcements, StarSat once again cut down on a further two channels OnseTV and InPas TV which are set to go off-air by the end of September with no confirmation of a replacement joining a hundred other channels to go off air in the same manner.

In July, kykNET opted to distribute two Turkish dramas to kykNET & Kie but this came at a time MultiChoice opted to scrap eExtra alongside eMedia's other 3 channels before being reinstated onto the DStv platform.

Point being made, MultiChoice had mentioned how these channels offered a lot of rebroadcasts and eExtra had the least amount but with kykNET's offering it is believed that anyone can duplicate eExtra despite the variation in content.

StarSat opting to resort to such extent for their channels has me to believe that maybe eExtra won't be as much of a priority to them in the near future as they'll build eExtra across various brands on top of it launching a pay version of the Openview platform.

OnseTV and InPas TV were likely removed as part of a cost cutting measure with the funds used to build up more African dubbed International series. So would it be shocking if StarSat were to follow MultiChoice's footsteps in the downfall of eExtra.

Glow TV another local channel seen on the platform has seen a decline in audiences with the increased number of competitors in the market it is basically what Mpuma Kapa TV and Cape Town TV on DStv are - dependant.

Viewers on the Openview platform got a scare last year after the channel suddenly went dark with the owners Nismedia having to resort to legal matters to fix the issue as eMedia breached the agreement set up between them.

Although the channel still operates on the platform for at least a couple of months and Glow TV isn't on the dependant stage. The channel is set to face even more challenges in the future should eMedia opt to not supply Glow TV.

As most of their audiences reside on the platform meaning a loss in revenue which could lead to a cutback in staff and programming and with the number of losses on StarSat it's only a matter of time till it is announced Glow TV will no longer be accessible on the platform.

When you think of the word dependant you find plenty of that on DStv's channel 251-299 as several parties had mentioned needing DStv in order to survive and such isn't often seen on a platform like StarSat as it is the closest anyone has to local is SABC 1.

This year, StarSat lost out on the retarded community/prophets channel Tshwane TV with Afrikaans stations OnseTV and InPas TV now joining the set of locals to exit the platform.

Roundups #97: Harley Quinn Renewed For Season 4 On HBO Max, Till Jail Do Us Apart Currently Streaming On Peacock And Brie Larson On Returning As Captain Marvel

Harley Quinn is bringing on the action

HBO Max has renewed the (very) adult animated DC series for a fourth season, a few weeks ahead of the Sept. 15 finale for season three. The series will also have a new showrunner in season four: Sarah Peters, who has written for Harley Quinn throughout its run and is currently a consulting producer, will serve as executive producer and showrunner, taking over for Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker.

“Patrick Schumacker, Justin Halpern and their incredible team of artists and writers have created something so explosively funny and original, and we are thrilled to continue this journey with them and the show’s legion of fans,” said Billy Wee, senior vp comedy and animation at HBO Max. “It has been amazing to watch the show grow and evolve this season and we could not ask for a more talented and dedicated team of collaborators.”

Season three of Harley Quinn has followed Harley (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) as they return to Gotham as the new power couple of DC villainy. “Harlivy” strives to become the best version of themselves while also working toward Ivy’s long-desired plan of transforming Gotham into an Eden paradise.

Kate Del Castillo starring in a new Peacock drama series

Kate del Castillo, Roselyn Sánchez, Sylvia Sáenz and Jeimy Osorio star in the new Peacock series, “Til Jail Do Us Part.” The  drama, out Sept. 15, which shows the wealthy women’s husbands unexpectedly getting arrested for being linked to the same criminal organization.

Accustomed to a life of abundance, the four women reluctantly move in together as their previously carefree and luxurious lives are turned upside down. As they begin to get interrogated by detectives in hopes that they tell their husbands’ secrets, they have to get along to get by.

Originally filmed in Spanish, “Til Jail Do Us Part” was dubbed in English by the four leads, “elevating the viewing experience regardless of language preferences,” the press release states.

The future of Captain Marvel

Brie Larson is not sure whether she will be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) after The Marvels. In a recent interview, the actor revealed that she is uncertain about her future as one of the strongest Avengers.

Brie was introduced to the MCU in the 2019 release Captain Marvel. Upon its release, both the movie and Brie received a fair bit of trolling and hate. In fact, the reviews were also largely middling at first. It now has a 79 per cent rating by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience vote reflects a poor figure of 45 per cent.

Speaking about the Marvel movies and her own participation in it, Brie said, “I don’t know. Does anyone want me to do it again? I really don’t know. I don’t have the answer to that.”

 

[Missed Opportunity]: Expanding The Reach Of Novela Magic Or Telemundo To DStv Easyview

eExtra was ripped off from the DStv platform for at least a month and was reinstated shortly after alongside eToonz, eMovies and eMovies Extra on the DStv platform following pending investigation by the Competition Tribunal which will take at least 6 months to resolve.

MultiChoice appears to have moved on although they don't put it in writing recent additions like DreamWorks and Movie Room has led me to believe that the pay-tv company has no plans to keep these channels past 6 months or at least a portion of channels.

As outlined by MultiChoice, eMedia Investments bulk of content doesn't fit into their 5 year content strategy for which the brand had stated consumers are viewing more DStv content than actual original programs although 2 appear to fit that description.

On top of that, they had mentioned that they won't be able to launch as much channels as they used to in the past year due to transponder constraints so whenever a new channel comes it usually has to occupy the space taken away from another channel.

In court, MultiChoice stated 3 SABC channels would accommodate for the 4 e.tv channels in the coming future but that's the thing. If anyone is similar with the SABC then you can already imagine how the content would differ.

Instead of Postman Pat you get Words And Numbers and Die Put is supplemented by past episodes of 90 Plein Street and although some of this content can benefit some audiences it's completely different.

The package I'm targeting for this article had to be Easyview cause as seen by several consumers it's one of the least valuable packages in the market with few exceptions being wrestling on TNT alongside the lifestyle and factual entertainment viewed on Real Time.

On top of that, the package isn't fortunate with additions and at times replacements for whenever a channel is removed from the DStv platform which was the case with eMedia's 4 channels of which the package inherited just 2 channels.

When they were unexpectedly scrapped from the DStv platform. Multichoice rather just add 1 channel to supplement for 2 worse is when the channel doesn't cater to a lot of viewers, PBS Kids.

MultiChoice could have done a lot for the package especially since they lost another notable brand in 2020, SABC Encore which was one of the few watchable channels on the platform and although there's plenty of channels for adults than kids as outlined only a few are worth the value.

Novela Magic or Telemundo would have done better to fill the void MultiChoice left for fans of Kuiertyd. Although, they wouldn't be better Elif, Doodsondes or Stiletto Vendetta these channels have something in common character driven content.

Aside from the content, these channels have a high level of repeats although NBCUniversal doesn't see it the channel has fallen in terms of quantity while as Novela Magic repeats from other M-Net local channels would have given them some outlet to view the bulk of local content.

Recap: The END OF NICKTOONS AFRICA??? Here's What We've Seen So Far (Extended Edition)

Nicktoons is an international kids channel owned by Paramount which is home to various past animation on Nickelodeon. It is also a nickname in which is given to their animated productions which garnered popularity that it became a standalone channel.

As it the channel has become a pushover except for the African counterpart of the channel which initially served as the Nickelodeon Rewind and overtime grew to become independent with third party productions alongside Nickelodeon originals like NickMusic and Horrid Henry.

For several months, the channel has seemed out of tune with reality as Paramount appears to be alienating the channel with mostly rebroadcasts (take into account I did say that there was less of a dependency but that's not the case). So we dive down onto some of the facts that make Nicktoons a wasteland.

1. Outdated EPG

For several months, Paramount hasn't bothered to provide an updated schedule as the channel still lists The Loud House despite Middlemost Post and It's Pony taking up their place.

2. The programming

Most if not all the content consists of shows that have either been cancelled or ending soon such as The Casagrandes, It's Pony, Horrid Henry and Lego City Adventures. Let's not take into account the batch of former exclusive Nicktoons being divided between Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. such as Peppa Pig and ALVINNN!!! And The Chipmunks.

3. The duplicate Nick Jr.

Before becoming a channel in Africa, there was a programming block on Nickelodeon which moved over to Nicktoons only for the block to resurface on the main brand meaning Nick Jr. is on 3 channels.

4. Silent developments

Paramount opts to share upcoming attractions for Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. but when there is time to supply Nicktoons consumers are redirected to Nickelodeon which is a problem for South African consumers as the brand is a premium channel.

5. The similarities

Most of the ads used to promote the attractions from the channel reside from Nickelodeon if anything it's usually re-edited to not mention the main channel but you come across ads such as Rugrats and Kamp Koral despite not airing on Nicktoons.

6. False advertising

Take into account that Nicktoons might have been merged to form a globalised feed with the German English Casagrandes alongside ads for unseen content such as Kamp Koral and Rugrats but that's not what makes it false advertising entirely.

Last year, MultiChoice held a showcase where they unveiled upcoming attractions and Big Nate was listed for Nicktoons but just like the promo mistook Discovery Channel for Discovery World it's possible the same happened with Nickelodeon and Nicktoons which brings us to item #7.

7. Media sitings

Paramount Africa operates a website which gives details on each brand and when you head over to Nicktoons page it is listed as Nickelodeon in the descriptor while the main page has become a tombstone never to be used again.

8. Potential expansion of Nickelodeon

From what was seen in each point, Paramount has been putting more emphasis on Nickelodeon when referring to Nicktoons. Is it possible that Nickelodeon in South Africa will become less premium cause that's where it's sitting at right now in neighbouring markets.

Most of the content on the channel is Paramount+ originals making them less exclusive at this point.

9. For the love of NickMusic

At the moment, the only thing that seems to remain active about the channel is the famous music brand which took up the whole of the Latin American feed of Nicktoons.

This is pretty much the only time anyone utters the word of Nicktoons or at least with Nickelodeon.

10. The Paramount Global Purge

Paramount has made several adjustments to their linear offering which includes the reduction of localised feeds. As it is MTV and Nick Jr. have both been aligned to their global counterparts while as Nicktoons has been excluded despite having such a feed elsewhere.

In October 2022, Nicktoons Global will be airing new episodes of The Loud House and Middlemost Post. None of which came to pass on the African feed.

 

What To Expect On The New Addition To DStv's School Of Laughter, Moonbug Kids?

During the week, Moonbug Entertainment and MultiChoice unveiled the new preschool channel which is scheduled to launch in October alongside a jazz infused channel Qwest TV by Quincy Jones. Thanks to sources we're finally able to confirm the following.

Moonbug Kids will apparently occupy a much distant channel number far away from other kids brands like Cartoon Network, Disney Junior and JimJam as it slotted to launch on channel 360 of course in North Africa the brand is on the same number so maybe it's a typo.

But if not questions amount to the reason in the channel number, is it possible that another channel may be exiting the platform soon and 360 is a temporary number or could Moonbug just be joining the other batch of channels such as WWE Channel and Ginx TV to grow further apart from their genres.

Honestly, the channel number kind of seems downhill as most of the content sitting above the music channels don't generate that much viewers or at to those who'd watch Cartoon Network and PBS Kids. I mean there was literally a space open on channel 314 but for some reason it's channel 360 which kind of resembles a degree.

Worst of all there's no companion to compliment the stellar lineup as seen with WWE and Ginx TV, TLC and Discovery Family.

Viewers must just pull in the extra muscle to view just 1 channel, here's a lineup of confirmed shows for the brand:

- CoComelon
- Blippi
- Little Baby Bum
- Supa Strikas
- ARPO
- Morphle
- Little Angel
- Oddbods
- Gecko's Garage