MultiChoice Updates: SuperSport Motorsport Has Been Made Available To More DStv Customers, Consolidated Media Associates Limited's Offering Seen On The DStv/GOtv Platform Including SoundCity And Spice TV Goes Dark And M-Net Movies Action Returns For A Limited Time On AddMovies

More sports entertainment awaiting these consumers

More viewers on DStv will be able to enjoy the return of the Formula 1 World Championship, with SuperSport opening the Motorsport channel to DStv Compact Plus subscribers for the first three races of the 2023 season. SuperSport is definitely your #HomeOfSport and the ultimate destination for motorsport fans.

Stay connected or upgrade to DStv Compact Plus and not long ago Compact to take in Pre-Season Testing late in February, followed by the first three races of the 2023 season, running from early March to early April and taking in stops in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia.

The 2022 F1 season saw Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominate proceedings, with the Dutchman claiming his second successive drivers’ championship. He won a record 15 races through the course of the year, though he insists that he is not thinking about the chance to become just the fifth driver to win three successive titles, alongside Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

More channels go black on your platforms

For several days, consumers on the platform had noticed that SoundCity (channel 327) and Spice TV (channel 190) alongside Televista (channel 194), Trybe TV (channel 195) and Onmax (channel 257) went dark in the previous month.

According to the information provided, the channels in question all of which are owned by Consolidated Media Associates Limited are currently experiencing technical difficulties with no details as to the duration of the matter.

M-Net to relaunch former brand

In September 2020, M-Net decided to restructure their M-Net Movies channels by further reducing them from 6 to just 4 channels. Currently priced at R79p/m, the offering also consists of pop-up channels from M-Net Movies and 2 Bollywood movie channels.

As seen this past week, MultiChoice has conducted tests on M-Net Movies' first pop-up channel in 2023, M-Net Movies Action HQ which is expected to rollout later in the coming weeks.

M-Net Movies Action HQ appears to be M-Net and MultiChoice's way of bringing back the M-Net Movies Action brand name which was the second longest running brand behind All-Stars and also most popular amongst consumers before their termination.

Some of the content expected for the channel in the coming weeks includes Mercury Rising, Greenland, Fast And The Furious 9 and Hunter's Killer.

Peacock To Rollout In The African Market Through MultiChoice's Showmax In A New Partnership With NBCUniversal

African pay TV giant MultiChoice Group and Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky on Thursday unveiled a partnership that “will bring some of the world’s best content and technology to streaming customers across MultiChoice’s 50-market footprint in sub-Saharan Africa at a time when Africa is approaching an inflection point in terms of broadband connectivity and affordability.”

They will form the new Showmax group, which will be 70 percent owned by MultiChoice and 30 percent owned by NBCUniversal. “It will build on Showmax’s success to date and aim to create the leading streaming service in Africa,” the companies said. “Powered by Peacock’s leading, globally-scaled technology, Showmax subscribers will have access to an extensive premium content portfolio, bringing African audiences the best of local and international programming.”

Further details about the new Showmax service, including launch date, content and pricing will be announced at a later date.

The streaming service will combine MultiChoice’s growing investment in local content with international content licensed from NBCUniversal and Sky, third-party content from HBO, Warner Brothers International, Sony and others, as well as live English Premier League (EPL) soccer matches. “The partnership will also provide access to all the best African content, such as Showmax Originals and local content from MultiChoice’s proprietary channels, including Mzansi Magic, Africa Magic and Maisha Magic.”

NBCUniversal and Sky will provide ongoing support through the licensing of both technology and content, the partners highlighted.

“We launched Showmax as the first African streaming service in 2015 and are extremely proud of its success to date,” said Calvo Mawela, CEO of MultiChoice. “This agreement represents a great opportunity for our Showmax team to scale even greater heights by working with a leading global player in Comcast and its subsidiaries. The new business venture deepens an already strong relationship.”

Dana Strong, group CEO of Sky, said: “This new collaboration in streaming and content with MultiChoice, NBCUniversal, and Sky takes our partnership to the next level in one of the world’s most vibrant, fastest-growing markets. Last year, we announced MultiChoice as a customer of the Sky Glass platform, and now we are excited to help innovate its Showmax streaming service.”

Matt Strauss, chairman, direct-to-consumer & international at NBCUniversal, added: “This partnership is an incredible opportunity to further scale the global presence of Peacock’s world-class streaming technology, as well as to introduce millions of new customers to extensive premium content from NBCUniversal and Sky’s stellar entertainment brands.”

 

What To Expect On DStv's Newest Addition, SuperSport Schools?

Immediate focus for both streaming and broadcast will be on The KES Water Polo Festival, the Graeme College 150th festival, Spar hockey from KZN, the St Mary’s hockey festival, the St Andrew’s netball festival, Premier Interschools netball and rugby, the Border Rugby Day, KZN schools football and the Gauteng Development League (GDL).

The GDL is especially appealing and will include age group football matches across 34 weekends from March to November. Comprising 18 clubs and schools, including teams like Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United, plus schools like Rosina Sedibane from Centurion, they will compete in nine head-to-head fixtures across a number of age groups per week.

In addition to the legacy content to be found on the linear channel, the all-new SuperSport Schools vodcast (a podcast that contains video content) will be broadcast. It touches on a variety of school sport subjects and leans towards being entertaining and informative.

Given the wealth of extraordinary achievements that occur on a weekly basis, often in remote areas and small-town schools, the new channel will also seek to highlight these for viewers who may otherwise have missed them.

The channel went live at 8am and is available to subscribers from Premium to Access.

CCTV-4 Is Set To Be The First Official Channel To Exit The DStv Platform By The End Of March

Last month it was reported by Warner Bros. Discovery that the children's channel Boomerang would not only be exiting the DStv platform but the whole of Africa for a new channel known as Cartoonito catering to preschoolers and their families.

Now consumers will be bidding farewell to yet another channel, CCTV-4. It's a free-to-air TV channel from China Central Television, which broadcasts documentaries, music, news, dramas, sports, and children’s shows from the Greater China area.

It is currently available on all DStv packages —from the broadcaster’s cheapest EasyView plan to the top-end Premium bouquet.

According to MultiChoice, the decision for removing the channel had to do with low viewership and the reviewing of channels. There hasn't been any mentions of a replacement but fans of Asian programming can tune into NHK World Japan, KIX and CGTN.

Ahead of CCTV-4 termination on the DStv platform at the end of March, the pay-tv operator recently launched SuperSport Schools with Qwest TV being added back in January and M-Net Movies Action returning out for a limited time only.

Moonbug Entertainment Enters A New Era With A Vibrant And Dynamic Rebrand

Moonbug Entertainment, a subsidiary of Candle Media, unveiled a fresh new look, featuring a new corporate style and logo that will be recognized by families around the world. Moonbug worked with brand agency DixonBaxi to refresh its corporate identity to convey the same energy and fun as its colourful shows and characters, including hits CoComelon and Blippi.

Since Moonbug’s launch nearly five years ago, the company has become a trusted brand for families around the world, known for delivering great entertainment for young kids that is rich in learning benefits and healthy values. While its shows have always had high brand recognition, Moonbug itself is now increasingly growing more audience-facing, such as through its hugely successful and global “Moonbug KIDS” channels. There are 20 SVOD or linear “Moonbug KIDS” channels in different parts of the world and a number of global YouTube channels, which combined have over 79 million subscribers.

“As consumer interaction with the Moonbug brand grows, this is the ideal time for a refresh,” said René Rechtman, CEO and founder of Moonbug. “Our aesthetic will now be as bold and vibrant as our shows and characters, instantly recognizable for children and parents around the globe.”

“We created the Moonbug identity to be bursting with energy, and synonymous with dynamism, excitement, and fun,” said Ditte Marie Lucas, Vice President of Brand and Communications at Moonbug. “This rebrand perfectly captures the spirit and energy of childhood while still maintaining the authority to live naturally amongst the leaders in the entertainment industry.”

Moonbug was created on the basis of acquiring IPs and growing them into fully established franchises. This rebrand marks a shift to move everything under a cohesive Moonbug umbrella, elevating its brand positioning and encouraging industry recognition as the company behind the most beloved shows in kids’ entertainment.

DixonBaxi created a new strategy and creative platform inspired by Moonbug’s bold attitude.

At the heart of the new identity sits a bespoke animated logotype that fizzes and pops with a playful personality, hinting at the all-out entertainment that makes Moonbug content unmissable. A flexible brand system with a fresh colour palette, super-sized art direction and activity-focused icons fill every space with the same bright playful personality.

"It has been a unique challenge to create a new brand that captures the magic of the shows that billions of kids tune in to over and over again, but still feeling distinctly Moonbug.

We feel that we have created a brand that will match Moonbug's ambitious plans without losing what makes them so special," said Harry Ead, Creative Director, DixonBaxi.