Warner Bros. Discovery To Launch Free-To-Air Channel In Parts Of Europe By 2023

Asharq Discovery will be exclusively available in the MENA region, and offer a wide range of content from both companies’ portfolios. The channel’s remit will span across pop science and engineering, motoring and turbo, wildlife and nature, adventure and travel, reality and lifestyle, and crime mystery documentaries.

Warner Bros. Discovery and SRMG will also co-produce local programming for Asharq Discovery that will be distributed globally through the Discovery Global network.

The channel is set to launch in 2023 via broadcast, streaming and third-party local apps, with a catch-up facility available on OTT platforms.

Jamie Cooke, GM CEE, Middle East & Turkey at Warner Bros. Discovery said: “The MENA entertainment industry has been undergoing an incredible transformation and exponential growth, posing great potential and offering immense opportunities for content players and consumers.

“Having established our Discovery brand in linear channels and successfully launching our non-fictional streaming service discovery+ last year, we believe launching a new FTA channel in MENA with the homegrown powerhouse, SRMG is a solid step for us to build a 360 ecosystem of entertainment. This partnership will also support our MENA business development strategy to increase our presence in KSA,” says

Jomana Al Rashid, SRMG CEO, said: “Our new strategic collaboration with Warner Bros Discovery will further bolster our ability to deliver dynamic, innovative, and exciting Arabic content, through new multiple formats and platforms. This partnership is a further demonstration of SRMG’s unrelenting focus and commitment to its consumer-centric approach; bringing our audiences engaging and premium content – when, where and how they want it. Discovery has an unrivalled legacy of producing cutting-edge, high-quality documentaries. We look forward to working together to deliver co-commissioned quality content, provide new job opportunities and best-in-class training, as well as tap into a new global network for our growing audiences.”

New Series Alert: After Launching On SABC 3, Orphans Of A Nation Has Been Picked Up By eMedia Investments For Their eExtra Channel

eExtra, a South African based general entertainment channel operated by eMedia Investments which serves mainly telenovelas from India, Turkey and Korea is coming to Brazil for known other the Emmy awarded telenovela Orphans Of A Nation (Órfãos Da Terra).

Created by the Emmy Award winners Thelma Guedes and Duca Rachid tells the harrowing love story set within the modern-day context of refugees and immigrants from around the world who leave their countries for various reasons. Julia Dalavia and Renato Góes take on lead roles.

Orphans Of The Nation was beamed on SABC 3 last year as the public broadcaster was hell bent on reinventing the channel to cater for those who'd view channels like M-Net on DStv and serving as an alternative to eMedia's Kuiertyd offering which has been dominating South African screens with their Turkish offering.

At the time SABC channel's head stated:

"Orphans of a Nation has a great big love story at the centre of it but it also manages to place the drama in the real world of our time," says Pat van Heerden, SABC3 channel head.

"It awakens in us a sense of our connections as a country to the plight of our own refugees in South Africa that too have their love stories and pain from fleeing their native lands."

Now viewers can relive the action on eExtra from October at 13:15 replacing Fatmagul.

MultiChoice Made A Minor Error With Moonbug Kids

During the week, MultiChoice has been sharing several advertisements to the upcoming preschool channel, Moonbug Kids from Moonbug Entertainment and this time it is placed on channel 314 and not channel 360 as originally advertised.

Channel 360 just seemed like a very distant area for a kids channel especially if there's no alternatives sitting alongside so it makes sense to inherit the 314 as most other slots have been filled up by various regional channels ranging from Akili Kids to Edu TV.

But questions amount to who was it fault for 360 could it be MultiChoice as the adverts do mention and credit DStv or could it be the owners themselves Moonbug Entertainment as North Africa also has the brand occupying the channel number.

As seen through various outlets, Moonbug Kids will be rolling out on the DStv platform this October with various shows such as CoComelon, Blippi, Oddbods, Gecko's Garage, Arpo, Morphie and Supa Strikas.

Prior to its rollout on DStv, Moonbug Kids had made several shows accessible to consumers including CoComelon, Oddbods and Supa Strikas to Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

 

Tshwane TV's Website May Be Up For Sale With Outdated GauTV Website Still Visible

Community channels Tshwane TV and GauTV both of which are supplied to MultiChoice's DStv by Zallywood Inc. seem to have gotten themselves in a much deeper hole following the alienation of their audiences for more prophets.

As stated a while back, several community channels from the likes of Soweto TV, Cape Town TV and Mpuma Kapa TV have all been working on improving their offering as we reach a digital era with brands like these becoming a thing of the past but unlike these channels at least there's signs of life unfortunately I can't say the same for these two channels.

Apparently, Tshwane TV's website which was seen as somewhat of an encyclopaedia or wiki has been replaced with spam mail as those who try viewing the website either get directed to ads requiring your phone number or other any scams seen on the defunct website.

But that's not the end of it when searching for their website it writes the domain might be put up for sale. Is it possible that new management could be underway for the channel or is the brand's future alongside GauTV as dark as BopTV.

GauTV's website is still functional if anything it hasn't been outdated in a long while which just leads me to believe that there's a lot of mismanagement happening behind closed doors. It's possible that MultiChoice hasn't picked up on that or has but probably working on something.

From what was stated by the founder of Limpopo TV, the pay-tv brand is in no mood to add another Soweto TV or 1KZN but I believe the impossible is possible. Take for instance, the poorly managed ITV Networks which was supplemented by Hilaal TV taking to account that it is religious.

When adding a new channel or upgrading an existing channel to high definition. Community and religious channels are often last when considered for such setup.

Is it possible that MultiChoice will review the offering in this section as seen with fellow religious channels taking to account the financial circumstances in this scenario?

As outlined by Cape Town TV, several community stations need DStv in order to survive and some like this brand for instance rely on them to help out on several expenses. But if you're anything like Tshwane TV why bother about the details.

Lionsgate Leaning Toward Spinning Off Its Studio Business Instead Of Starz

Lionsgate is now leaning toward spinning off its studio division and selling a minority stake in it, rather than spinning Starz, according to sources.
Lionsgate hasn’t given up on also selling a minority stake in Starz, but there’s more investor interest in the studio business, they added.

Longer term, Lionsgate executives have interest in selling both the studio and Starz, sources said.
The studio business produces films and TV series, and includes a library of more than 17,000 titles, such as “The Hunger Games” and “Mad Men".

This would be a change in strategy for the media and entertainment company, which said in May it expected to finalize a spin or sale of Starz by the end of summer. In recent months, Lionsgate has held talks to sell a 20% stake in Starz to a number of potential buyers, including most recently Vivendi-owned Canal+, the people said, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Those talks haven’t ended, but no deal is imminent, said the people.

Lionsgate is engaged in talks with multiple potential partners about selling a stake in the studio business, said the people. Those talks are likely to more quickly reach a deal Lionsgate is comfortable with than for Starz since there’s more robust interest, the people said. The studio business produces films and TV series, and includes a library of more than 17,000 titles, such as “The Hunger Games,” “The Expendables,” and “Mad Men.”

In a securities filing Wednesday morning, the company confirmed it “remains on a path” toward separating the two businesses and has shifting its thinking toward a studio spin.

“As negotiations progress, we have increased our focus on the possibility of spinning our studio business, creating a number of financial and strategic benefits,” Lionsgate said in the filing. “In that regard, we are continuing productive negotiations with prospective strategic and financial partners on both sides of our business,” the filing said.

Shares of the company rose about 1% Wednesday morning.

Selling a stake in the studio to a private-equity firm or strategic company will set a valuation floor for the business to trade on its own. It would also bring an immediate jolt of capital to Lionsgate, whose shares have plummeted in recent years. Lionsgate’s market valuation is about $1.8 billion, down from nearly $7 billion in early 2018.

Longer term, Lionsgate is interested in selling both the studio and Starz, said the people. The company competes against much larger entities – including Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Apple and Comcast's NBCUniversal – in TV and movie production. Lionsgate executives hope a spin off of the studio and separation of Starz would be first steps toward facilitating a sale of both units to maximize value for shareholders, said the people.

“We’re not going to make a dumb deal on one or both sides of the business,” Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns said during a Bank of America media and entertainment conference last month. “I think our shareholders will be very happy with the outcome.”

Starzplay rebrand
Lionsgate also plans to rebrand its international streaming service, Starzplay, to Lionsgate+, said the people. The rebrand will take place in 35 countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific, including the U.K., France, Germany, Australia and Japan, one of the people said. The company confirmed the change later Wednesday morning.

Starz’s streaming service will keep the Starz brand in the U.S. and Canada, the person said. Starz is in 63 countries and ended last quarter with 26.3 million global streaming subscribers.

Rebranding Starz to Lionsgate+ also keeps a link between Lionsgate and Starz even as the businesses separate.