Development Alert (Rumour): CineMagic To Get A Duplicate Channel On The DStv Platform

During the month, Novela Magic was ripped away from more consumers across Africa with consumers wondering why they're paying more money if they're getting less channels and this comes almost 4 months after its exit from the South African market.

As seen in selected territories, MultiChoice allocated the general entertainment channel Magic Showcase and film channel CineMagic to low tiered consumers who weren't able to access or view the local content seen on M-Net and Mzansi Wethu.

In short, MultiChoice is done adding channels like Discovery Family or at least to top tier consumers who could already view the shows on Discovery Channel, Food Network, Investigation Discovery and HGTV.

As seen for the past couple of weeks, MultiChoice might be from what appears to be rolling out a duplicate CineMagic of course details on it's capacity remains very much a mystery.

From what is seen on the duplicate very similar to CineMagic is Trevor Noah: Nationwild, The Kandasamyms: Wedding, Stand Up Africa 2016 basically repeats of content already viewed across M-Net platforms and also an alternate lineup from the original.

There's chances that this may be a seperate feed the pay-tv platform wants to introduce to selected territories as the schedule looks somewhat drafted as most of the films that appear when this test card was put up appear in its post production stage.

With that in mind, maybe this is MultiChoice's way of making up for Novela Magic in the affected regions but as seen in regions where the channel already exists only selected consumers particularly those without M-Net or any of the Magic channels can view them.

Rumour: The Home Channel To Become The First TV Channel To Go High Definition On DStv


The Home Channel (DStv 176) is a South African based TV channel owned by Arena Holdings alongside Ignition positions itself as the home of the latest decor trends and home improvement ideas. It was the market's first channel dedicated for home based programming.

Since it's inception in October 2007, the channel has produced a number of original content including Colour with Panache, Finest Homes and Nadiya's Time and sourced a number of shows such as Selling House, My Dream Home and Coast Vs. Country.

Since 2022, The Home Channel is currently operating on the Openview platform through The Home Channel+ in a seperate agreement with eMedia Investments.

Later that year, MultiChoice had begun work on a high definition feed for The Home Channel. Other channels involved were TLNovelas (DStv 133) and TBN (DStv 342). Since then only TLNovelas was made HD but plans for that fell flat to consumers in South Africa.

As seen a while ago, MultiChoice resumed production of The Home Channel HD as they have the 24 hour lineup available which is very much identical to the SD feed and this could be an indicator that the pay-tv platform could be rolling it out soon.

Interesting enough when TLNovelas was switched to high definition it was made available to more DStv customers in the rest of Africa on top of being one of the only 4 pop-up channels at the time to remain onboard on the platform in place of AMC International's EVA.

Zambia's Power TV was also upgraded to HD and made available to more African consumers which could mean that more news might accompany The Home Channel or as seen earlier in the month Ignition's expansion to DStv Access amidst the price hike.

Schedule Alert: A Rebroadcast Of Queen Of The South S2 Is Coming To Telemundo Africa

 

During the month, the channel announced the return of Nurses for a fourth and final season after being introduced last year with Queen Of The South 2 slated to air in the coming months. The first season debuted back in 2014 a year after the channel made its debut in the market.

This season revolves around Teresa Mendoza nine years after the events of the first season. Hidden from the rest of the world, Teresa now lives an idyllic existence in Italian Tuscany, but the kidnapping of her daughter forces her to reintroduce herself into the underworld of drug trafficking and once again confront her old enemies and the past she tried to leave behind.

The series stars Kate Del Castillo, Raoul Bova, Paola Núñez and Mark Tacher.

Queen Of The South 2 replaces Ana's Revenge on Monday 8 May at 22:00 CAT/21:00 WAT/23:00 EAT with season 3 rumoured to follow immediately after.

What To Expect On Warner Bros. Discovery's Africa Bouquet Of Channels In May 2023?

Discovery Channel (DStv 121):

* Deadliest Catch: Fishermen experience deadly dangers, uncertainty and discomfiture in the Bering Sea aboard fishing vessels during the Alaskan king crab, snow crab and bairdi crab fishing seasons.
* Salvage Hunters: Treasure hunter Drew Pritchard travels the length and breadth of the country in search of elusive gems and other magnificent objects.

TLC (DStv 135):

* 7 Little Johnsons: The Johnstons are an average of seven American families pursuing the American dream. Papa Trent and Mama Amber have five children under the age of 16, all with achondroplasia dwarfism.
* Dr. Pimple Popper: Sandra Siew Pin Lee Rebish, also known as Dr. Pimple Popper, is an American dermatologist and YouTuber based in Upland, California. She is known for her online videos and her TV series Dr. Pimple Popper.
* Introducing Selma Blair: A deeply intimate and raw portrait of Selma Blair after she is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and tries to slow the progression of her disease.
* You, Me And My Ex: Matt's ex moves in, upsetting his current girlfriend. Alex's ex wants to be godfather to Alex and Caroline's baby. De'Andre plans a trip with his ex, Rowan.
* Seeking Brother Husband: Documenting the ups, downs and everything in between as polyandrous relationships navigate boundaries and life-changing decisions while working to add additional husbands to their families.

Discovery Family (DStv 136):

* Street Racing Fastest In America: Eight of the fastest teams in America fight for a winner-takes-all purse of $100,000 – the highest payout in street racing history.

Real Time (DStv 155):

* The Great Food Truck Race: Seven teams of mobile chefs are put through a gruelling test where they travel to cities and sell their food items from their truck. The team that sells the most food items wins the competition.

Investigation Discovery (DStv 171):

* Uprooted: Follows Sherri, as she tries to find the truth behind the unsolved death of his brother Keith Warren in 1986.
* The Real Death In Paradise: British residents love to escape Britain's miserable weather for sunny skies and sandy beaches. However, occasionally these trips to paradise turn into a murderous bloody nightmare.
* The Tetris Murders: A look at the unsolved murders of Vladimir Pokhilko, who was involved in the development of the puzzle-based video game Tetris, and his wife and their young son in their Palo Alto, California home on September 22, 1998.

Food Network (DStv 175):

* Outchef'd: Confident home cooks who think they are arriving for an audition get the surprise of their lives when they find out they're actually about to begin a head-to-head competition against a world-class chef.
* Grudge Match: Tournament of Champions sideline commentators Chef Justin Warner and Chef Simon Majumdar are going head-to-head in this second grudge match.
* Pioneer Woman: Ree Drummond prepares delicious down-home dishes that can be cooked by beginners and shares shortcut tips for saving time while cooking.
* Restaurant Impossible: Chef Robert Irvine sets out to salvage restaurants on the verge of shutting down with just USD 10,000 and two days to help the owners get back into business.
* Girl Meets Farm: Food blogger Molly Yeh shares her love for cooking by preparing a variety of delicious dishes. Simultaneously, she shares insights into her life in the countryside.
* Beat Bobby Flay: A talented chef hosts a cooking showdown wherein culinary experts battle it out to win the ultimate culinary duel. The winner gets a chance to compete with Bobby Flay.

HGTV (DStv 177):

* Build It Forward: Improvements With Impact. This five-part series introduces HGTV viewers to individuals across the US — five local heroes who were part of special projects in their communities — and who were selected for a surprise home renovation of their dreams.
* Houses With History: A trio of Massachusetts natives comb Plymouth County and the surrounding wooded areas south of Boston to transform 18th and 19th-century homes into brand new ones, all while preserving their history.
* Home Town: Ben and Erin Napier work with each other to change old homes into dream homes.
* Extreme RVs: Extreme RVs features rolling mansions with incredible amenities and designs that put most homes to shame.
* The Flipping El Moussas: Follows couple Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae El Moussa during their personal and professional journey of newlyweds and real estate experts.
* Married To Real Estate: Real estate broker and designer Egypt Sherrod, alongside her husband, builder Mike Jackson, juggle their busy professional and personal lives while helping clients land their perfect home in a dream neighbourhood.
* Rico To The Rescue: Rico León steps in to help Denver homeowners salvage renovations that have gone off the rails; driven by his parents' past experience with a crooked contractor, Rico advocates for families who need an expert to fix their stressful situations.

Travel Channel (DStv 179):

* Beyond The Unknown: Take strange occurrences, weird events, and unexplained happenings and put them all together. That is what you get with Beyond the Unknown. Each episode shows you something different.
* Ghost Brothers Lights Out: Three brothers with different personalities visit various haunted locations across the United States to debunk supernatural lore and phenomena.
* Kindred Spirits: Paranormal investigators, Amy Bruni and Adam Berry, help families troubled by supernatural activities in their homes and help them find peace.

Cartoon Network (DStv 301):

* Ivandoe (New Show): The series follows the adventures of Ivandoe, the young prince of the forest whose father, The Mighty Stag, sends him on a quest for the magical Golden Feather of the fearsome Eagle King.
* Teen Titans GO!: The superheroes Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy love saving the world. But after they decide to stop fighting crime, things do not go as planned.
* Ben Gen 10: When Ben meets a young Generator Rex on the run from a hostile Providence, he must work through a series of misunderstandings, and defeat the dark wizard Hex in order to save the world.
* Ben 10 AlienXtinction: After the Tennysons are attacked by a villainous, dimension-hopping Omni-alien known only as Alien X, they meet a parallel universe version of Max, who opens the door to hosting multiple Bens and Gwens, forming an army to combat this threat.

Cartoonito (DStv 302):

* Toads And Friends (New Show): The story of two friends, a frog and a toad, based on the popular children's books by Arnold Lobel.
* Looney Tunes Cartoons: Cartoon shorts featuring cherished characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Taz, Marvin the Martian, and Beaky Buzzard.
* The Adventures Of Little Penguin: Follows the hectic and exciting adventures of Oscar, a young penguin who is setting out to explore the world.
* Sing With Cartoonito: learn about rhyming and numbers with CoComelon, Dino Ranch, Masha And The Bear and Thomas And Friends.

Sneak Peek: What To Expect On Nicktoons And Nick Jr. Africa In May And June 2023?

Nick Jr:

NEW EPISODES
BABY SHARK’S BIG SHOW
1 JUNE AT 4:45
Baby Shark and his best friend, William, embark on fun-filled adventures in their community of Carnivore Cove.

PAW PATROL MARATHON
17 JUNE AT 8:15
Six brave puppies, captained by a tech-savvy ten-year-old boy, Ryder, work together to accomplish high-stakes rescue missions to safeguard the residents of the Adventure Bay community.

BEAR-ATHON!STUNT
24 JUNE AT 8:15
It features Blaze And The Monster Machines, Paw Patrol and Paddington.

Nick Jr. is available on DStv channel 307

Nicktoons:

NICK SPONGEBOB
29 MAY AT 17:00
It features SpongeBob SquarePants and The Patrick Star Show.

NEW EPISODES
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS
5 JUNE AT 14:00
A single dad has his hands full raising six rambunctious chipmunks in this animated comedy.

NEW EPISODES
THE TWISTED TIMELINE OF SAMMY & RAJ
12 JUNE AT 13:30
With a mysterious time-altering app at their fingertips, two cousins pause, rewind, fast-forward and slow-motion their way into a whole host of rowdy laugh-out-loud exploits and reality-bending adventures.

NEW EPISODES
LEGO CITY ADVENTURES
26 JUNE AT 10:15
Welcome to LEGO City. A modern metropolis filled with the fiercest firefighters, the cream of the crop cops, and so many BLOCKHEADS. Every citizen will assemble together for the most awesomely awesome adventures.

Nicktoons is available on DStv channel 308