DStv Viewers Spoilt For Choice With The Best International Content

MultiChoice is ending 2022 with a bang - and will continue to mesmerise its customers in 2023 and beyond - by bringing the best of international shows across its DStv channels, including evergreen BBC Earth, the stylish E! Entertainment, to the gritty Discovery Channel and the innovative Curiosity Channel, HGTV, Universal TV, TLC, ID and a whole lot more.

Currently on M-Net - off the back of one of the most successful shows in the history of television - comes the highly anticipated House of the Dragon. Set two hundred years before the events in Game of Thrones, this new series chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen. We promised you quality international shows Express from the US - and just like a Lannister - we always pay our debts. This is a promise we have kept. We’re thrilled to have the series simulcast with the US, with each episode airing at 03:00, and available immediately on DStv Catch Up - and then broadcast on linear TV at 21:30 the same day.

The best international shows continue to return to M-Net, including Chicago: PD, Fire & Med; FBI: FBI (OG), FBI Most Wanted & FBI International; NCIS: NCIS (OG), NCIS LA, NCIS Hawaii, popular procedurals like Blue Bloods; The Rookie; Law & Order and The Blacklist. Returning most-loved sitcoms include Young Sheldon S6 and Young Rock S3, alongside the best international reality shows, including America’s Got Talent S17; Britain’s Got Talent S15; Survivor US S43 & Australia S9; The Block S16 and MasterChef Australia S14 & 15.

Sunday night blockbusters remain a staple on M-Net. Highlights for the rest of 2022 include Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2 October); The Suicide Squad (9 October); The Lost City (23 October); The 355 (30 October); Uncharted (6 November); Dune (20 November); Moonfall (11 December) and, in January 2023, Jurassic World: Dominion.

On Curiosity Channel, headliner Evolve will be leading the pack of exciting new shows. Evolve will change the way wildlife TV is made. Exploring nature, science, and tech like never before, Evolve dives deep into the emerging world of biomimicry. Biologist and host Patrick Aryee explores how evolution could hold the key to unlocking some of the world’s biggest challenges. Jam-packed with wildlife, stunning locations across four continents and mind-bending futuristic science, this Curiosity original series showcases the best of human ingenuity. Patrick gains exclusive access alongside some of the world’s leading explorers, inventors and scientists who are working wonders in areas from revolutionizing healthcare to transforming transportation.

Narrated by David Attenborough, Frozen Planet II will take audiences back to the wilderness of the Arctic and Antarctica. Ten years on from the original Frozen Planet, the series tells the complete story of the entire frozen quarter of our planet that’s locked in ice and blanketed in snow - on BBC Earth.

Life In Colour with David Attenborough will also air on BBC, giving viewers a front-row seat as he travels from the rainforests of Costa Rica to the snowy Scottish Highlands to reveal the extraordinary ways that animals use colour.
Viewers’ favourites are set to make a welcome return and keep the whole family glued to their screens.

On Discovery Channel, fan favourite Gold Rush returns for a 13th season. Tales From the Explorers’ Club, hosted by Expedition Unknown’s Josh Gates, takes viewers inside the headquarters of the Explorers’ Club to ‘relive the epic adventures of members who have pushed the boundaries of human possibility venturing to Earth’s highest peaks, deepest ocean trenches, the North and South poles and even into outer space’. It will detail the accomplishments of legendary figures such as Ernest Shackleton; Gertrude Bell; Sir Edmund Hillary; Jim Lovell; and even Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

On TLC, 90 Day Fiancé: UK is a new spin-off of the original franchise, which sees couples from diverse backgrounds trying to defy the odds in their quest for true love.

On Universal TV, high-octane conspiracy series, Departure returns for a third season. After the disappearance of Flight 716 in Season 1 and a devastating train crash in Season 2, Kendra Malley (Archie Panjabi) and Dominic Heyes (Kris Holden-Ried) must once again take up the investigation in Season 3, as a ferry sinks on its way to Newfoundland, presenting the duo with a series of mysterious puzzles.

Viewers can also enjoy new seasons of other popular procedurals like Diggstown S3 and Transplant S3 on the same channel.

National Geographic’s offering gets meatier with Appetite For Adventure with Big Moe Cason returning, as ‘Big Moe’ takes his grilling mitts on the road to seek out the planet’s most mouthwatering mythical dishes, cooked over an open flame.

Crime docuseries Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller returns, with the titular award-winning journalist continuing to explore the inner workings of the global underworld's most dangerous black markets. In each episode, she journeys inside a different black market or trafficking network - from drugs and stolen cars to outlaw bikers and Amazon mafias - to meet the players, learn the business and better understand the world’s multi-trillion-dollar shadow economy
HGTV offers exquisite lifestyle shows with celebrity hosts. Brand new show The Great Giveback with Melissa McCarthy will make its debut. McCarthy partners with design-savvy Jenna Perusich to give back to those who give selflessly to others, with surprise home makeovers.
BBC has a string of returning favourites, including popular dance show Strictly Come Dancing, general knowledge gameshow Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? With Jeremy Clarkson and a new instalment of The Weakest Link with Romesh Ranganathan. Ghosts is set to amuse viewers with sharp British humour as the young couple who inherited a grand country house, continue to meet the ghosts of its former inhabitants.

All Creatures Great and Small S2, Midsomer Murders S22 and Miss Scarlet and The Duke S2 all return to BBC Brit as well.

On BBC Lifestyle, Listing Jozi S2 and Come Dine With Me South Africa S8 will also be airing.
This Body Works For Me, a show where empowered women openly talk about how their erotic work earns them an income, will also be available on Honey TV.

MultiChoice is always seeking new ways to deliver content that is specifically tailored for customers, by adding new channels to its platforms.

QWEST TV, a Soul and Jazz channel co-owned by Quincy Jones, will launch later this year. Featuring legends such as Aretha Franklin, Louis Armstrong and Roberta Flack, the channel preserves the richness of history, while reflecting the present-day beauty and reality of culturally and racially diverse people.

Universal+ will give customers high-quality international full box sets, current and back seasons to binge - with the addition of approximately 1 400 titles from E! Entertainment, Telemundo, Studio Universal, Universal TV, Dreamworks, available for longer periods of time on a Connected Explora and the DStv App.
Kids’ content forms an integral part of our DStv offering and we have the best brands to entertain our young audiences.

Kids can look forward to Moonbug, a new channel that will bring joy to the little ones. The channel is home to premium quality kids’ shows like CocoMelon, Blippi and Little Baby Bum.

Cartoon Network is set to dazzle with new shows like Lego’s Monkie Kid; Ivandoe; Jane Armor and fan favourite ratings driver Dragon Ball Super, which will be returning after a 3-year break.

On Boomerang, animated new shows include BatWheels from the DC Universe and Interstellar Ella, a show about a girl who is gleefully testing her limits in a star-filled playground called ‘The Milky Way.’ Ella is a bright-eyed girl propelled by curiosity and ambition who discovers exciting new worlds alongside her best friends.

Kids can look forward to new animated and live action shows on Disney channel, including Hamster and Gretel and The Villains of Family View, which follows a family of raucous supervillains who must somehow beat a path to normalcy in a small Texas town.

Zombies returns for part 3 and the little ones can look forward to new seasons of Gigantosaurus and Spidey and his Amazing Friends, on Disney Junior.

The biggest event on the Nickelodeon calendar, the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, will also be airing in 2023.

“We are extremely proud of how our intentional slate has grown over the years, allowing us to deliver even more world-class entertainment for our customers. We have a diverse audience with different needs and preferences, which is why we continually challenge ourselves to deliver the latest, innovative content in a quest to cater for all our customers,” says Georginah Machiridza, Executive Head of Content Strategy and Third-party Channels at MultiChoice.


 

Warner Bros. Discovery’s Kids’ Channels, Cartoon Network And Boomerang Recognised In Sunday Times GenNext Awards

The results of the 18th Sunday Times GenNext Awards, conducted by Yellowood, have been announced, and Warner Bros. Discovery’s kids’ channels and cartoon shows have once again dominated the television category.

Cartoon Network has, for the seventh year in a row, come in as the #1 ‘Coolest Kids TV Channel’ with Boomerang following closely behind in the #3 spot. Not only has Cartoon Network snatched the top spot in this category, but it has featured as the third ‘Coolest TV Channel’ among kids in this category, and it continues to be the #1 ‘Coolest TV Channel’ among males.

Warner Bros. Discovery's performance went unmatched in the 'Coolest Cartoon Shows' category, with seven shows in the top 10. Boomerang's Mr Bean: The Animated Series took the top spot, and its famous cat and mouse dynamo duo, Tom & Jerry, came in second place. Cartoon Network's The Regular Show, Dragon Ball Z, and Teen Titans took the #3, #4, and #6 spots, respectively, and Boomerang's Masha and the Bear took the overall 8th position in the category!

Both Cartoon Network and Boomerang have proven to be undisputed in the pay-TV kid’s channels in the first semester of 2022, maintaining their ongoing ranking as the number one and two channels, dominating every demographic, reaching on average more than 5,1 million kids (4-14-years-old) every month.*

Ariane Suveg, VP Head of Kids Channels, Warner Bros. Discovery France, Africa and Israel, says: “We are extremely proud of this year’s results! It is wonderful to watch our channels and characters live, grow and thrive – especially in such a competitive environment where audiences are unequivocally spoiled for choice. We have been the number one ‘Coolest Kids TV Channel’ and ‘Coolest Cartoon Show’ for several years. This is testimony that our kids’ channels have entrenched themselves in the South African youth and are seen to be cool and widely loved!”

With a sample of over 12 000 youths aged 8 to 30 years, the Sunday Times GenNext is the leading annual youth brand preference and consumer behaviour survey. It is considered a leading barometer of what South Africa’s kids, teens and young adults find on-trend and aspirational, delivering insights valued by brand management, advertising, and marketing professionals alike.


 

ESPN Africa Boxing Heads To The East Coast This Summer

The Walt Disney Company Africa and Suncoast today announced that they will be bringing a series of ESPN Africa Boxing events to Durban, hosted exclusively at Suncoast. The agreement also sees the Suncoast Towers and Sunsquare Hotel becoming the hotel partner for the series in Durban.

The ESPN Africa Boxing events at Suncoast will take place on 17 November 2022, 26 January 2023 and 30 March 2023 at The Globe, a multi-purpose venue that will play host to what promises to be a thrilling collection of bouts and performances from some of Africa’s leading boxers.

Showcasing a diverse range of the continent’s boxing talent and sanctioned by Boxing South Africa (BSA), ESPN Africa Boxing events take place on the last (or second last) Thursday of every month. The fights are broadcast live on ESPN Africa (DStv 218, Starsat 248) as well as several broadcast partners across the globe.

With five main fights per event, and two undercard bouts on each bill, ESPN Africa Boxing showcases the best of boxing talent from across the continent. In addition, at least one all-female bout is included per event in order to help grow the sport and provide aspiring young female boxers with a platform. Known for its premium broadcast production, ESPN delivers a high-quality boxing viewing experience, complete with all of the fanfare that accompanies high-stakes boxing matchups.

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.

“We are extremely proud to be associated with The Walt Disney Company Africa and for being a part of the team bringing ESPN Africa Boxing to our city. The Globe is a fitting venue to host an event of this calibre and we look forward to welcoming boxers and guests to each exciting event,” says Suncoast Operations Director, Adam MacIntyre.

“With this agreement, we are excited to be collaborating with Suncoast in bringing ESPN Africa Boxing to KwaZulu-Natal, a first for the series,” said Kyle De Klerk, Director: Sports Commercial and Business, The Walt Disney Company Africa. “We especially cannot wait to hear from local audiences who watch and attend these three events, knowing the immense popularity of the sport in the province.”

For updates regarding ESPN Africa Boxing and other sports, fans can connect to @ESPNAfrica on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit https://www.espn.com/. 


 

SHOCKER (MAYBE NOT)!!! Da Vinci Kids Is The Next Channel To Exit The DStv And Likely GOtv Platform Across Africa

From October 15th, MultiChoice will be breaking hearts of several children and family members as Da Vinci Kids is scheduled to exit their platforms after 3 years with the pay-tv operator failing to communicate with the media beforehand about the changes.

Da Vinci Kids was added in 2019 on the DStv platform in the midst of a carriage feud with A+E Networks for Lifetime and History with CuriosityStream (now Curiosity Channel) and CBS Justice added in the midst of that dispute.

The channel was once available on the Openview platform and was much repetitive but thanks to its acquisition in 2020. Da Vinci Kids managed to be an elite with shows like Odd Squad, Animal Rescue, Xploration DIY SCI, Bajillionaires and Detention Adventures.

Unfortunately all of that wasn't enough to retain the channel on their platforms as some sources mention that the channel didn't fit into their 5 year content strategy whatever that is but it's closure brings the total number of terminations on the platform to 9.

Last month, they unveiled a new preschool channel Moonbug Kids home to shows viewable on Cartoon Network and Boomerang like Supa Strikas and CoComelon alongside other content like Oddbods, Mia's Playground and Gecko's Garage.

I guess my hunch was right Moonbug Kids was coming to kill but I'm sure no one expected it to be Da Vinci Kids perhaps JimJam as the content seems out of style while others are duplicated on DreamWorks Channel and CBeebies.

Over whether MultiChoice will use channel 318 for anything similar to Da Vinci Kids that remains very much a mystery I mean there's a couple of channels I'd recommend BBC Kids or Kartoon Channel but as of right now you can view the channel on StarSat or through the app.


 

South African TV And Media Personality Thaamir Moerat Will Star In A German Reality TV Show

South African TV and Media personality Thaamir Moerat will star in a German Reality TV show called "Wo die liebe hinfällt" (Where Love Falls) which will air on the popular VOX channel in Europe.

The show centers around couples whose love is unusual being exposed to society's gaze every day and how they deal with criticism and opposition.

Thaamir currently hosts the lifestyle show Prime Culture in South Africa, Sunday nights on DSTV 345 and is the owner of the global 1-minute film festival.

Wo die liebe hinfällt focuses on his life with German model and TV personality Nadja Cleven in Germany and South Africa, and the difficulties of integrating into a different country and adapting to the German culture and customs.

"When I was approached by the network I just laughed and thought why not. I did reality TV back in South Africa before with the 2 season 13 episode sales show "Sell Hard" years ago, and then again with Mr South Africa "The Journey" where I was head judge in 2013/14. So, I know what I'm getting myself into. Wo die liebe hinfällt will be fun and entertaining as it was a difficult transition for me setting up a base in Aachen with Nadja and our son Naeel. I'm just having a laugh anyways," said Moerat.

Nadja added that she was hesitant to show their lives on national TV but warmed up to the idea eventually.

"Thaamir's life is a reality TV show, and he loves the public persona, but I prefer going about my business and keeping my private life private. I'm very German in that sense," said Nadja.

The show will be filmed during October at their residence in Germany and back in South Africa during November and December and will be aired on the Popular Vox network in Germany during January 2023.

Local viewers will have to wait for the YouTube episodes to be uploaded.