Insidus: Entertainment Inside Us

Former StarSat Channel Home To Inside The Factory And Air Warriors Is Closing Down In The UK

The Smithsonian Channel is an international channel operated by Paramount Global which is home to factual shows such as Inside the Factory, How Did They Build That?, WWII Battles in Color, Air Warriors, Ocean Super Predators and many more.

The channel was available in Africa alongside Love Nature a while back on StarSat as a replacement to National Geographic and National Geographic Wild as the pay-tv platform got into a bit of a disagreement with their suppliers, The Walt Disney Company.

Prior to that, The Smithsonian Channel was also allocated on the East African platform Zuku TV but I prefer to credit StarSat since consumers are more familiar with the platform.

Anyways, The Smithsonian Channel what can I say I'm not too familiar with the brand and I only knew of existence when it was introduced by StarSat but what was more shocking was that it's owned by Paramount that are home to various popular brands most of which are on DStv.

But considering how they screwed over VH1 I'm the least bit shocked that they'd be another channel lurking around the same corner.

StarSat:
- Delayed SABC channel launch on StarSat explained
- Russia Today to launch South African hub
- StarSat trying to be DStv friendly
- BYUtv should be added onto StarSat
- StarSat to offer more African dubbed telenovelas
- Could StarSat be losing two more channels?

From what I can establish no actual reason was given for The Smithsonian Channel's exit in the African market my guess on StarSat has to do with costs as they've scrapped over 40 channels most of which weren't even replaced to date.

But considering the times both Love Nature and The Smithsonian Channel both left the platform it's possible that may not be the case as Zuku TV fell prey to similar circumstance.

During the week, officials announced the exit of The Smithsonian Channel in the UK with consumers having to rely on Paramount+ for more factual entertainment which has just got me thinking. Is it possible that the termination in Africa may have something to do with what's already seen in the UK?

I mean I kind of suggested that theory a while back that The Smithsonian Channel's demise had to do with streamlining efforts.

I've got nothing to say about The Smithsonian Channel except for the fact that a lot of viewers depend on the channel but I think part of the reason it got scrapped had to do with the rivalry with National Geographic and Discovery both of which offer similar entertainment.

The Walt Disney Company:
- The Good Doctor getting a female led spinoff
- King Kong Series in development
- The Walt Disney Company to extend the reach of Star Channel
- DStv Streama now offers Disney+
- List of scrapped spinoffs for The Simpsons
- Disney Television Animation unveils Kiff!

National Geographic is about to undergo a similar fate leaving Discovery and from what I've seen Curiosity and BBC Earth to cater for these audiences or at least in Africa.

Paramount+ besides carrying content from The Smithsonian Channel will also leverage from MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, CBS and many more. Although I have yet see them streamline their linear offering I had noticed that they've been closing irrelevant or non-performing channels.

The Smithsonian Channel was neither but I do feel it's presence on Paramount+ will help the brand gain more acknowledgement.

Recap: We Baby Bears Is Currently The Only Original Program On Cartoon Network

During the year, WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. merged into Warner Bros. Discovery and since then stirred up a lot of scrutiny following the cutback in original programming part of which included current Cartoon Network shows like Summer Camp Island and upcoming shows like Batman: Caped Crusader.

Now the channel is just down with 1 original program We Baby Bears as Craig Of The Creek became the latest victim to get axed from this merger with the final season alongside movie to be made available in the coming year with questions amounting to their last remaining original.

Yes, I'm very much aware of Unicorn Warriors Eternal, Invincible Fight Girl and Adventure Time: Fiona And Cake and something the internet doesn't talk about The Adventures Of Ivanhoe but this is directed at We Baby Bears.

We Baby Bears serves as a spinoff to We Bare Bears as it follows Grizzly, Panda and Ice Bear in their childhood as they embark on a series of adventures as they struggle to find a place they can settle down and fit into.

Insidus Games:
- Nicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy
- Garfield 2: Royal Adventure
- Legend Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
- Sonic Advance 3
- Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends: Cheese Phone's Home
- Wheres Waldo Now?

Created by Daniel Chong, the series debuted on Cartoon Network earlier in the year which took a U-Turn from the original We Bare Bears as the crew use their imagination to escape the hardship of their reality and try to see the positivity in everything.

As much as I feel a sense of discomfort for the show and I'm referring to the Yabba Dabba Dinosaur kind the concept makes a whole lot sense. We Bare Bears was kind of depressing and often enjoyable especially with those Baby shorts.

All I'm saying is you know what when I watched We Bare Bears I often felt sad looking at the bear's early lives and We Baby Bears doesn't do as much of a good job covering it up to older audiences as myself as it does with their demographic.

If anything, it's good to know that within the bear's childhood they were able to find some form of happiness even if it wasn't real. While some would choose to let the world eat them up it's good that these bears were able to forge their own path in the midst of it all.

Regular Nick:
- Best & Bester coming soon to Nicktoons
- Moonbug Kids gets a dedicated cameo account
- January on Disney Channel
- January on Disney Junior
- January on Da Vinci Kids
- The concept of Cartoonito and Boomerang (review)

What To Expect On Curiosity Channel Africa In January 2023?

SUPER SCIENCE MONDAYS

Breakthrough Artemis: First Launch
New Episode Premieres 02 January 2023
CAT: 18h00
Episodes: 1 x 30 mins
This is an inside look at NASA's groundbreaking Artemis Program, the spacecraft and the people who will bring humanity one step closer to the moon, Mars and beyond.

The Origami Code
New Documentary Special Premieres 02 January 2023 CAT: 19h00
Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
Everything that develops and changes in nature is folded: mountains, blossoms, the brain…Life is an unending series of folding and unfolding. Researchers in robotics, medicine and nanotechnologies, are embracing this “origami philosophy,” trying to understand and duplicate nature’s folding principles.

Great Moments in Evolution
New Two-Part Documentary Special Premieres 02 January 2023 CAT: 20h00 and 21h00
Episodes: 2 x 60 mins
Over the course of nearly four billion years, a single cell evolved into the diversity of life that surrounds us today.

Space Probes
New Series Premieres 09 January 2023 CAT: 20h00
Episodes: 6 x 30 mins –ends 23 January 2023
They’re out there, all alone in the vastness of space. Join the space probes, and their parents back on Earth, to explore our solar system.

Becoming Martian
New Series Premieres 09 January 2023 CAT: 21h00
Episodes: 3 x 30 mins – ends 23 January 2023
To survive Mars, our species will need to evolve how we eat, drink, and build our homes. Will we need our genes to evolve as well?

Mars: The Journey
New Documentary Special Premieres 09 January 2023 CAT: 21h30
Episodes: 1 x 30 mins
The faint red glow of Mars has intrigued those watching it from Earth for centuries. Now space exploration has begun to lift the veil on "The Red Planet," and upcoming missions to Mars are looking at Mars as a potential habitat for humans. Can we move to Mars in the next decade?

HISTORY LOVER TUESDAYS

Berlin 1945
New Series Premieres 03 January 2023 CAT: 21h00
Episodes: 3 x 60 mins – ends 17 January 2023
Berlin 1945 time-travels in cinematic style into the city’s most fateful year through the eyes of those who experienced it.

DStv Flex:
- The Heartless coming soon to TLNovelas
- What to expect this January on The Home Channel?
- Reyka renewed for season 2 on M-Net
- What to expect this January on Qwest TV?
- Reviewing major changes coming soon to the SABC
- What to expect this December on TNT?

Hitler’s People
New Documentary Special Premieres 03 January 2023 CAT: 22h00
Episodes: 2 x 60 mins – ends 10 January 2023
This two-part documentary is an intimate and revealing portrait of the German people under Hitler.

War Gamers
New Series Premieres 24 January 2023 CAT: 21h00
Episodes: 6 x 60 mins –ends 28 February 2023
World War II. The British Royal Navy turn to a retired wargamer and an unlikely group of young women to develop tactics and sink the German U-boats.

WILDLIFE WEDNESDAYS

Ocean Heroines
New Documentary Special Premieres 04 January 2023 CAT: 21h00
Episodes: 2 x 60 mins –ends 11 January 2023
Six daring women are on a mission. They want to save our planet’s life support system: The Ocean.

The Tracker’s Diary: Bears of Katmai New Series Premieres 18 January 2023 CAT: 20h00 and 20h30
Episodes: 6 x 30 mins – ends 01 February 2023
Join filmmaker Casey Anderson as he embeds in the Alaskan wilderness to follow the largest terrestrial carnivores in the world.

Animal Arms Race
New Series Premieres 18 January 2023 CAT: 22h00
Episodes: 3 x 60 mins –ends 01 February 2023
Every animal on the planet is armed with a weapon of some kind.

HISTORY LOVER THURSDAYS

Ancient Engineering S2
New Season Premieres 05 January 2023 CAT: 20h00
Episodes: 10 x 60 mins – ends 26 January 2023
A fascinating look at how modern-day structures and engineering technologies have been inspired by ancient discoveries.

Peru: Sacrifices In the Kingdom of Chimor
New Documentary Special Premieres 05 January 2023 CAT: 21h00
Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
An unprecedented archaeological discovery of hundreds of sacrificed children in Peru unlocks the secrets of one of the most powerful and mysterious civilizations in South American history.

DStv:
- DMAX expands to Africa
- MultiChoice pinning SABC and e.tv
- Could Russia Today be removed from the DStv platform?
- Qwest TV coming soon to Showmax
- eMedia's 4 channels to go dark on the DStv platform
- VH1 making a comeback on DStv

Lost Kingdoms of Africa -S1
New Series Premieres 12 January 2023 CAT: 21h00
Episodes: 4 x 60 mins – ends 26 January 2023
A four-part series reveals the pre-colonial history of some of Africa’s most important kingdoms.

HUMAN STORIES SATURDAYS

Birdmen Chronicles
New Documentary Special Premieres 07 January 2023 CAT: 20h00
Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
Wingsuitingis an activity that probably comes the closest to realizing man’s age-old desire to fly. Participants don a specially designed jumpsuit that adds surface area to their bodies, enabling a significant increase in lift and controlled flight. They literally fly like birds.

Dangerous Waters S1
New Series Premieres 07 January 2023 CAT: 21h00 and 22h00
Episodes: 10 x 60 mins – ends 04 February 2023
Follow the Dangerous Waters crew members as they embark upon an epic adventure riding their JetSki personal watercraft around the world.

Roundups #120: Lioness Returns For A New Season On M-Net, The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder Gets Season 2 Renewal And BritBox To Add Two New Doccies To Their Lineup

Another local drama gets a season 2 renewal

Shannon Esra returns to TV screens as Samantha Hugo when M-Net's (DStv 101) edgy thriller drama, Lioness, returns for its second season next year.

Lioness returns for season 2 on 16 January. It follows the story of a woman fresh out of jail for fraud and returning to a life even more fractured than when she left.

"After the cliffhanger finale of season 1, season 2 picks up with Adrian Hugo's (played by Jacques Bessenger) second wife (played by Carla Classen) in desperate search for her missing husband," a press statement reads. "The fiercely protective mother (as the titular "lioness") that she is, Samantha must shield her son Liam (played by Joshua Eady), no matter the cost."

The Proud Family is back on Disney+

The Proud Family: Louder & Prouder fans rejoice as the Proud Family revival gets renewed for season 2!

But, before we delve deeper into what we know about the upcoming new season on Disney+, we have to mention that the series is unquestionably making its mark as it recently won the Outstanding Casting for An Animated Program award at the first Children’s & Family Emmy Awards.

Season 2 of The Proud Family: Louder & Prouder will hit the airwaves in February and is expected to feature a stellar list of new guest stars. According to JustJaredJr.com, here are some of the voices that we can expect to hear in upcoming new episodes and the names of the characters that they will portray.

- Gabrielle Union as Talia Rouge
- Chance the Rapper as Darrius St. Vil
- Normani as Giselle
- Leslie Odom Jr. as Kwame
- Anthony Anderson as Ray Ray
- Gymnasts Dominique Dawes, Gabby Douglas and - Laurie Hernandez as themselves
- Holly Robinson Peete as Dr. Lord
- Maury Povich as himself
- Storm Reid as Emily
- Courtney B. Vance as Merlin Kelly
- Liana Mendoza as Singing Judge

BritBox picks up two British actor documentaries

The Ghost of Richard Harris debuted in September 2022 at the Venice Film Festival. The actor is known to modern viewers best as the Original Dumbledore, but he had a long career before Harry Potter, including starring in the Oscar-nominated This Sporting Life and Camelot. However, he was even better known for his hard-partying ways, with a reputation for drinking and riotous behavior.

The documentary will feature his children, who followed in his footsteps to Hollywood, including Jared Harris (The Crown), Jamie Harris (Carnival Row), and director Damian Harris (Brave The Dark), as well as co-stars Vanessa Redgrave and Dick Cavett, and his late wife, Elizabeth Harris.

Peter O’Toole – Along the Sky Road to Aqaba only just debuted recently at the end of November 2022 in Spain. Directed by Jim Sheridan, who ironically also appears in The Ghost of Richard Harris, the documentary is structured into four acts, each introduced by a quote from or about the Lawrence of Arabia star to encapsulate that period of his life.

Nominated seven times for Best Actor, the new documentary covers everything about O'Toole from his self-belief to his alcoholism, using his own words, gleaned from 100s of hours of footage, allowing him to act as a narrator for his own life. It also includes interviews with O’Toole’s family, artists, actors, and directors, including Sir Kenneth Branagh, Brian Cox, Stephen Fry, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and Sir Derek Jacobi.

YouTube Premium:
- VH1 is making a comeback to international shores through BET
- DStv Streama bundles Disney+
- The Walt Disney Company to expand the reach of Star Channel
- Acorn TV shutting down in South Africa
- TelkomOne rebrands into SABC+
- New Spider-Man series coming to MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video

What To Expect On DreamWorks Africa In January 2023?

NEW EPISODES: POSTMAN PAT
Each story features Postman Pat and his black and white cat Jess and their adventures in the village of Greendale. Pat is more than just a friendly postman delivering the mail. He is always ready to lend a willing hand to all the people he meets on his rounds. Everyone looks out for his bright red post van and he is warmly welcomed with a smile and the odd cup of tea!
From Monday 2nd January 2023
Weekdays at 9:30am, 11:30am

NEW EPISODES: DRAGONS RESCUE RIDERS
In a faraway corner of the vast and exciting Viking world, live ten-year-old Dak and his twin sister Leyla and five young dragons named Winger, Summer, Cutter, Burpleand Aggro. Raised among these dragon friends, Dak and Leyla have also developed the unique ability to understand and speak with dragons. Together the twins and their dragons go on exciting adventures, rescuing, defending and protecting other dragons while also helping out around their adopted home of Huttsgalor!
From Monday 2nd January 2023
Weekdays at 9am, 11am

NEW EPISODES: CLEOPATRA IN SPACE
Cleopatra in Space is the untold story of Cleopatra's teenage years when she is transported to a future galaxy that is ruled by talking cats and discovers that she is the prophesied savior. In order to prepare her to be the savior, she is sent to an elite academy where she has to train to take on the bad guys, figure out how to eventually get herself back home to Egypt, and tackle the highs and lows of being a teenager in high school.
From Monday 2nd January 2023
Weekdays at 7pm, 11pm
Weekends 2pm, 7pm

MOVIES
Fridays at 5.15pm
Saturdays at 9am
Sundays and 9.30am

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3
Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th, Friday 13th January
Join your favorite monster family as they embark on a vacation adventure on a luxury monster cruise ship so Drac can finally take a break from handling everyone else's vacation at the hotel. It's smooth sailing for Drac's Pack as the monsters indulge in all of the shipboard fun the cruise has to offer, from monster volleyball to exotic excursions, and catching up on their moon tans. But they hit rocky waters when Mavis realizes that Drac has fallen for the mysterious captain of the ship, Ericka, who hides a dangerous secret that could sink their plans for a dream vacation.

THE SMURFS
Saturday 14th, Sunday 15th, Friday 20th January
After the evil wizard Gargamel has chased the little blue Smurfs out of their village, they stumble from their magical world into the human world - and end up in the middle of Central Park. Now the Smurfs must quickly find a way back to their village before Gargamel can track them down.

SMURFS 2
Saturday 21st, Sunday 22nd, Friday 27th January
Evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties hoping they will let him harness the magical Smurf-essence. However, he soon discovers that he needs the help of Smurfette, who knows the secret to turning the Naughties into real Smurfs. When Gargamel and his Naughties kidnap Smurfette from Smurf Village and bring her to Paris, it’s up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchyand Vanity to reunite with their human friends, Patrick and Grace Winslow, and rescue her!

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE
Saturday 28th, Sunday 29th January
In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does. Embarking on a rollercoaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history!