MultiChoice And eMedia Investments' Anti-Load Shedding Channels Recieve Questionable Reviews Across Social Platforms

During the week, eMedia Investments and MultiChoice trying to help consumers cope with the issue regarding load shedding had launched respective pop-up channels to their consumers, Power Up and SWiTCH'D On which is meant to help consumers catch-up on what they've missed.

Power Up incorporates the best of e.tv and eExtra with shows like House Of Zwide, Imbewu, Durban Gen, #DisComplicated and Elif with Mzansi Magic, Wethu and kykNET & Kie incorporated on the respective SWiTCH'D On channels with Suidooster, Gomora, Lingashoni and The River.

The channel will continue to be made available for as long as the matter regarding Eskom is not resolved which could take several months possibly years even.

eMedia Investments:
Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian coming soon to Openview
More Bollywood coming soon to Openview Ultra
Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?
Glow TV to stop airing on the Openview platform from next month

Since the launch, these channels have gotten a lot of attention. All I can say is this something we REALLY NEED in 2023 especially in an era where SABC+, eVOD and Showmax already exist cause POWER UP will POWER DOWN as much as SWITCH'D ON will be SWITCH'D OFF.

On an Openview perspective, hey it's free doesn't cost anything right??? but it wouldn't have been different had it been DStv. Then you take to account, not everyone has these services but remember even repeats take the plunge with Eskom.

To those having to wait at a random time compared to someone on a streaming service - good luck.

In the end, these channels were never made to be full-time and I'm sure both parties understand how consumers feel about repeats but the longer they're around the more heat they're expected to get especially with monthly fees involved.

DStv:
BBC to close linear channels and move to an internet only digital future
kykNET Lekker Opened To More DStv Customers For A Limited Time
What Consumers Should Be Concerned About Regarding SABC's Yet To Be Launched Channels On DStv?
Press Release: DStv Welcomes The Launch Of Quincy Jones’ QWEST TV Onto Screens This Month

A look at some of the comments:

Just another excuse for them to play even more
repeats. Claire Knoechl

Open view power up is a load of only running 3 programs and it's repeat of repeats....?? Are we so doff in SA....that we need everything on TV to be a repeat....Justin Krause

Or you could just advance to the 21st century by switching to any of the streaming services and avoid load shedding by watching whatever you want whenever you want. Rob Bowden

They didn’t need to launch anything….it’s been standard for years already Malcolm Tonkin

Hey streaming services should try this!!! Oh wait I
just click on what I want to watch and watch it.
Hmmm…how redundant. Cameron Lazarus

We work all day and have families to attend to once home...We can't stick with schedules. We finally have that free time we just want an On Demand Service. Not jump into random stuff everytime we switch on the TV. Is 2023 alot has changed since the 90's cable TV D'Mitri Bailey

It still won't work, because the plugs will still be off
because of loadshedding, duh no electricity no view unless you are fortunate enough to have a generator/solar/inverter, but most SA don't. Yolandy Gibson

Escaping Gibby: A Look Into The Life Of Noah Munck From The Comfort Of His Sadworld

When he appeared on set you knew something funny or strange or downright uncomfortable was about to happen.

Gibby was a chubby, outlandish yet lover character casted on Nickelodeon's most popular live-action series in history, iCarly. Noah Munck is the actor behind the Gibby character. He was originally suppose to be on 1 or 2 episodes but he provided so much comedic value that the producers kept him on as a regular.

Overtime, Gibby got tired of the corny, childish humour and constantly being the butt of the joke brought a lot of ramifications in his real life including people shutting his name out loud to take his shirt off and dance. You'll probably be surprised to find out what Noah's career looks like today which consists of cryptic and esoteric videos alongside an underground music career.

Today, we're gonna look at how Noah's life was impacted by iCarly and how he managed to escape his identity as Gibby.

Noah Munck was a typical Orange County teenager who played football and went to public school. He knew he was interested in arts so he got into acting classes which led to him doing plays and performances. His acting classes would have talent agent auditions where agents would come and look for the next big star.

At 10 years old, he got an agent who got him his first audition which was for the show iCarly. The audition was just for an episode or 2 but the production team realised how valuable he'd be as a goofy side character so he became a regular for 57 episodes.

iCarly was about a young girl who ran a internet blog with millions of viewers. Her best friend Sam is her co host, her friend Freddy is their filmer/tech support and it is all filmed in the upstairs of her brother's apartment.

Regular Nick:
- February on Disney Channel and Junior
The Twisted Timeline Of Sammy And Raj to rollout on Nicktoons in Africa
Moonbug Kids To Distribute New STEAM Focused Series, Ocean Explorers
New Bear Grylls series is coming soon to Da Vinci Kids

Gibby is just a kid that goes to school with them, he's an easy target for jokes and he is someone they can pick on. By the end of season 1, he became more of a friend to them a wacky friend but he has a lot of endearing qualities to him. He's sweet, very friendly, pretty stupid but he isn't someone you want to bully.

He was totally unrelatable consistently doing ridiculous things that you're totally excited for the unpredictability that he would bring next. He was mostly famous for saying his character name as a catchphrase and taking his shirt off frequently that it became a normal thing.

At the time, Noah didn't this as iCarly was his first acting job ever so he was basically willing to do anything. However, Noah was aware of what people were saying about him online. iCarly was a TV show about a web show that actually had a website with blog posts and trivia. Viewers could also leave comments on the website.

Noah said at the age of 10/1 he was reading rude comments about his appearance which made him feel bad. His parents discovered a website for people with fat boy fetishes that he was posted all over. Needless to say, Noah had mixed emotions about the whole taking his shirt off thing.

His parents never forced him to continue acting because it was his passion. They were always around and kept a close eye on him. Noah speaks nothing but the highest of praise for his parents.

In a tweet, it was revealed that Noah and his iCarly co-star Nathan had a love for dubstep. Noah said when he was around 13, one of the iCarly crew members Daniel Gonzalez gave him MF Doom and Dayla Soul mixtapes which drove his love for music and led him to become a music producer/DJ.

The last iCarly episode was filmed later in 2011 and by season 4 and 5, Gibby was the main character, his success and evolution was popular in iCarly that series creator Dan Schneider felt his character deserved his own spinoff TV show of the same name which remains a mystery.

There was a pilot episode filmed and edited according to Dan but never aired or leaked onto the internet. All that was available was the title card and logo for the show alongside the script for the very first episode, photos of the cast and set it was filmed. No one knows what happened, all that we know is Gibby never got his own show and 2012 marked the official end of iCarly.

5 seasons of what people consider to be the best live-action show of all time, Noah stayed busy trying to get roles in other projects. Later in 2012, he got a lead role in Nicky Deuce which is meant to the reboot of The Sopranos which has some of the original cast members.

The film didn't go to theatres and it isn't highly praised or anything but acting alongside those legends was an absolute accomplishment. After this film, Noah was sick of children's TV and the corny humour that he knew it was time to leave that behind.

In 2013, he went back to high school for his senior year, he doesn't consider himself a social outcast but had a difficult time mixing with kids who knew each other their whole lives. He would spend most of his free time on Ableton learning how to make music.

Insidus Games:
Bugs Bunny & Lola Bunny: Operation Carrot Patch
Buzz Lightyear Star Command
Fix It Fun! Bob The Builder
Daffy Duck: Fowl Play

He produced dubstep under the name nobsik then moved on to EDM trap and even experimented with rapping a little bit. It didn't take him long to want to get back into acting luckily he landed a role as Naked Rob in the 1980s based sitcom, The Goldbergs.

Noah acts as a side character that is a best friend to one of the main characters, he's starred in several episodes across 9 seasons and somehow managed to bag shows that managed to last him an average amount of seasons.

However it seemed as if Noah had the ghost of Gibby lurking around him. His new passions were not met up with the utmost praise from fans, he was 18 at the time and a few years removed from Nickelodeon.

Whenever he would post about his new projects or anything he was interested in, he'd be flooded with troll and hate comments, accompanied by people who would make him feel insecure about his appearance. He abandoned the Noah Munck Twitter and Instagram because of trolls and people calling him Gibby.

Gibby was kind of a punching bag in the show so he feels that the fans do it back to him. Not figuring out how to seperate Gibby the character and Noah Munck in real life. Noah doesn't take it too personally but it gets tiring when you want to move on your life and talk about your interests and everyone wants you to remain that thing as you were at the age of 13.

He did also deal with people demanding him to take his shirt off literally yelling across a restaurant while he is eating with his family. One time, a random girl just jumped on his back while he was walking across the street. He started to resent the Gibby character a little bit.

Noah is truly a sweet and wholesome guy, he didn't want to resent his past, it led to an angsty face for him. He really leaned to his passion of SoundCloud rap and producing. He started an obscure YouTube channel called Sadworld Online

Then 20 year old started posting his material which included poorly scripted shitpost comedy that quickly developed a cold fanbase. All the music in the YouTube series was produced by him which helped fans get interested in his music. The raunchy side of humour is something we all needed, the TVMA rated Gibby that no one could make fun of Noah anymore because he embraced his appearance and leaned to it for comedy.

He genuinely built a fanbase of his new art, at one point it bothered him that his embarassing moments were on the internet forever now he looks back at the Gibby character fondly.

Sadly, Gibby did not make a return for the iCarly reboot in 2021 or make an appearance in season 2. A fan asked Jake Hogan, a writer on the iCarly reboot about Noah's absence and replied "we approached him".

This means that they had reached out to him but he denied it could have been a couple of things. He was probably busy working hard on another show and side projects. Another reason similar to how anyone would feel about reboots he wants to leave Gibby in the past.

Only in the past few years did he come to terms with the Gibby character before that he did mixed emotions. He knew that if he had to return for the reboot he had to relive the struggles of Gibby where people will flood social media about his appearance, his acting career would hit the mercy of one character. A lot of actors want to outlive their roles plus we all know that they'd want him to take his shirt off at least once which as a grown man some people may not be interested in.

Noah managed to remove the box of Gibby and now he can look at it as a positive experience all from the comfort of his Sadworld.

What To Expect On Da Vinci Kids Africa In February 2023?

PREMIERES
Operation Ouch! (S10)
SEASON PREMIERE (13 x 30 mins)
From February 11th, Saturdays & Sundays at 17:05

Operation Ouch is turning 10! Join the birthday celebrations as the doctors look back at a decade of intriguing injuries, brilliant bodies, and jaw-dropping lab experiments. Then, get ready for an ouchtastic new season full of brand-new patients and tons of GROSS ALERTS!

Learning focus:S.T.E.M. & Critical thinking
Awards: BAFTA Children’s Award, Best Factual 2013 & 2014
BAFTA Children’s Award, Best Programme 2015
BAFTA Children’s Award Nominee, Best Presenter 2016 & 2017

Hosts: Chris and Xand van Tulleken both trained as doctors at Oxford University, specializing in
infectious diseases and tropical medicine. Chris now works at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, and after travelling all over the world, Xand has settled in New York, where he does research.

Regular Nick:
- February on Disney Channel and Junior
The Twisted Timeline Of Sammy And Raj to rollout on Nicktoons in Africa
Moonbug Kids To Distribute New STEAM Focused Series, Ocean Explorers
New Bear Grylls series is coming soon to Da Vinci Kids

SPECIALS
Safer Internet Day
Tuesday, February 7th at 17:00
Get ready to become a digital superhero! At Da Vinci, we’re on a mission to make the Internet a safer place. Join us for a journey through the online world with the amazing series all about digital literacy, Citizen Code!

FEATURED SHOWS :
Citizen Code
Packed with information, these short videos go behind the scenes of the digital world, showing how our current technology works and how it has developed over time. Each episode contains a different topic, covering everything from cloud computing to the latest video games.

NEW EPISODES
How to Do Stuff Good (S03)
Fridays at 16:05
Hosted by a zany bunch of school-aged kids, each with their own story to tell and lesson to share, this hilarious series demonstrates how to do all manner of amazing things, from arts and crafts to cooking and pranks.

The Pet Rescuers (S02)
Saturdays & Sundays at 18:00
The Pet Rescuers follows the adventures and challenges of a devoted team on a mission to give abandoned pets another chance at a happy life. This heart-warming series will take you on an extraordinary journey and restore your faith in humanity.

Insidus Games:
Bugs Bunny & Lola Bunny: Operation Carrot Patch
Buzz Lightyear Star Command
Fix It Fun! Bob The Builder
Daffy Duck: Fowl Play

New Series Alert: eMedia Investments Acquired Broadcasting Rights To Turkish Romcom, Aşk Mantık İntikam

eMedia Investments, the parent company of brands like e.tv, eExtra and ePlesier which has paved the way for Afrikaans television following the rollout of Kuiertyd will be welcoming another romcom to their stable, Aşk Mantık İntikam.

Based on the Korean drama Cunning Single Lady, Aşk Mantık İntikam follows a couple who gets divorced after several years of marriage. But things change when the man suddenly gets rich, with his ex-wife starts working with him.

It stars Burcu Özberk, İlhan Şen, Zeynep Kankonde, Günay Karacaoğlu, Süleyman Atanısev, Mehmet Korhan Fırat, Ceren Koç, Emir Güler, Sevda Baş, Mehmet Yilmaz, Burak Yörük and Melisa Döngel.

Openview Plus:
- Imbewu has been cancelled on e.tv after 5 seasons
Reviewing major changes coming soon to the SABC
The Game Of My Destiny a brand new Turkish drama unveiled by Global Agency
A look at former NBC soap, Passions

The series was broadcast between 2021/2 with total of 42 episodes each consisting of 2 hours. It joins other programs from the FOX brand including Dokter Ali (Mucize Doctor) and Doodsondes (Yasak Elma), Om Elke Draai (Her Yerde Sen) and Daai Crazy Somer (Son Yaz).

93 of users on Google recommend the show with IDMB giving it a rating of 6.5/10 with Dizilah giving it a rating of 4.5/5.

The series alongside Om Elke Draai are expected to rollout on the platform later in the year. Unlike Om Elke Draai, eMedia Investments hasn't stated whether it would be a new show for e.tv or eExtra or whether it will launch exclusively on eVOD.

eMedia Investments:
Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian coming soon to Openview
More Bollywood coming soon to Openview Ultra
Could SABC be unveiling another two channels for Openview Ultra?
Glow TV to stop airing on the Openview platform from next month

Roundups #134: Hamster & Gretel And Eureka To Make Its African Debut On Disney Channel And Disney Junior, Verdeelde Liefde Returns For A Second Season On eExtra And Netflix To Crack Down On Password Sharing By March

Here are the four developments launching on Disney Channel and Disney Junior respectively

Vikingskool (New Episodes) - February 6th
Erik, Ylva and Ani are budding Vikings, confident that they all have what it takes to succeed in the ruthless Vikingskøøl, but the road to graduation is long.

Hamster & Gretel (New Series) - February 13th
When Gretel and her pet hamster -- named Hamster -- get superpowers, older brother Kevin must work with them to figure out how to protect their city from mysterious dangers.

Mickey Mouse Funhouse (New Episodes) - February 6th
Mickey, Minnie and Funny go on an adventure to the Kingdom of Majestica, where they find out if dragons are friendly beings or not.

Eureka (Girls In Science) - February 11th
It follows a talented young inventor from a fantastical prehistoric world who uses her creative thinking to devise inventions and contraptions aimed at making the world a better place.

Regular Nick:
The Twisted Timeline Of Sammy And Raj to rollout on Nicktoons in Africa
Moonbug Kids To Distribute New STEAM Focused Series, Ocean Explorers
New Bear Grylls series is coming soon to Da Vinci Kids

Zeynep and Mehdi are back for drama on eExtra

Verdeelde Liefde follows the life of Zeynep a young woman whose mother gave her up for adoption in order to have a better life following her brother's death. By fate, she meets Mehdi who at one point from monster become the love of life.

The first season stars Demet Özdemir, Zuhal Gencer, Senan Kara, Fatih Koyunoglu, Elif Sönmez, Hülya Duyar, Naz Göktan, Incinur Dasdemir and Ibrahim Celikkol.

Season 1 is set to reach its climax by the end of the month with season 2 following immediately after the first season.

In season 2, Özlem accuses Sultan of stealing the money in Baris's room. Savas admits he took the money. Ali Riza gathers his family and goes to Sultan's house to apologize. Sultan accepts getting back to work.

Openview Plus:
- Imbewu has been cancelled on e.tv after 5 seasons
Reviewing major changes coming soon to the SABC
A look at former NBC soap, Passions

Farewell to password sharing on Netflix

The time Netflix 'freeloaders' have long feared will soon arrive - password sharing will be banned by the end of March.

The company shared the news in a letter to shareholders, noting that 'widespread account sharing' has exceeded over 100 million viewers.

These individuals, however, will be able to transfer their profiles to a new paid account, allowing them to carry over their preferences.

Netflix said 2022 had been a 'tough year' due to its first subscriber loss in more than a decade - its customer base fell by 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter.

'Today's widespread account sharing undermines our long-term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business.' the company said in its letter.

'While our terms of use limit use of Netflix to a household, we recognize this is a change for members who share their account more broadly.'

YouTube Premium:
- Zoey 102 feature film is coming to Paramount+
- Dungeons And Dragons TV series is coming to Paramount+
- How to view the latest content on PBS Kids?