New Channel Alert (Rumour): Could MultiChoice Be Adding Boing As A New Channel To The DStv Platform?

Boing is a children's channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery that is home to various shows formerly seen on Cartoon Network and Boomerang (now Cartoonito). Some of the shows include Total Drama Island, Adventure Time, Wacky Races and The Jungle Bunch.

During the year, Warner Bros. Discovery held a virtual conference for Cartoonito where it was mentioned that the channel had been garnering popularity within the market particularly for shows such as Dexter's Laboratory, Uncle Grandpa and Clarence.

It's kind of clear that the channel is in high demand particularly for consumers who grew up viewing these shows on Cartoon Network and at the time Boomerang. Another being the crowded lineup of preschool channels onboard the platform.

Over the years, MultiChoice has been restructuring repeats seen across the platforms and Boing does come off as a channel that would likely join existing brands such as kykNET Lekker and BBC UKTV.

Similar to Nicktoons and in some capacity Discovery Family, Warner Bros. Discovery has been licencing content that you wouldn't come across on Cartoon Network much less Cartoonito. On top of that, Boing has often been used to continue shows these brands axe.

Over to DStv, rumours of the brand's possible entry to the platform first started when Warner Bros. Discovery supposedly promoted Puffy AmiYumi as Cartoonito and now The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy joins the list now with including Cartoon Network.

Next month, schools will be closing so maybe Boing will be announced by then as The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy is listed under Warner Bros. Discovery's upcoming attractions for June 2023.

Again nothing is official considering MultiChoice already supply a large selection of channels from Warner Bros. Discovery the idea of Boing joining that list doesn't seem far fetched. As the brand in some form or manner can fill the void left by Boomerang.

Drafted Version: What To Expect On Warner Bros. Discovery Africa In June 2023?

Discovery Channel (DStv channel 121):

Hoffman Family Gold
Gold Rush: Parker's Trail
Naked And Afraid: Alone
Salvage Hunters
Alaskan Bush People

TLC (DStv channel 135):

Generation Drag - New Show
Love In Paradise
1000lb Best Friends
Awake Surgery - New Show
The Book Of Queer - New Show
Love Of The Grid - New Show
Our2Moms - New Show

Discovery Family (DStv channel 136):

Street Outlaws: Fastest In America
Alaskan Bush People

TNT (DStv channel 137):

Dating & New York - TNT Original Movie
Monsterpieces stunt featuring Godzilla
Forever Young stunt

Real Time (DStv channel 155):

Still A Mystery
I'd Kill For You

Investigation Discovery (DStv channel 171):

Undercover Underage
Murder In The Heartland
Body Cam

Food Network (DStv channel 175):

Spring Baking Championship
Kitchen Crash
Alex Vs. America
Guy's Ultimate Game Night - New Show

HGTV (DStv channel 177):

Fix My Flip
The Nate & Jeremiah: Home Project
Rock The Block
Hometown Takeover

Travel Channel (DStv channel 179):

Conjuring Kesha - New Show
Ghosts Of Devil's Perch - New Show
Mountain Monsters

Cartoon Network (DStv channel 301):

Ninjago: Dragon's Riding - New Show
Jade Armor
Lego & DC Justice League
Lego & DC's Shazam: Magic And Monsters

Cartoonito (DStv channel 302):

Interstellar Ella - New Show
Masha And The Bear
Cheese Day stunt featuring Tom And Jerry

Recap To The Year: Boomerang Africa Troubleshooting Switch To Cartoonito

Boomerang was folded under Cartoonito across Africa by the end of March offering shows like Toads And Friends, Batwheels and Bugs Bunny Builders alongside former Boomerang shows like Looney Tunes Cartoons, Masha And The Bear and Zig & Sharko.

The switch has been met mixed reviews from consumers outside the residing region for keeping something like Looney Tunes Cartoons aboard a brand acknowledged for the preschool market while others point toward the troubled switch out of Boomerang.

It's no secret that Cartoonito's rollout in the market was met with some technicalities while France took a few days to switch out of Boing. In Africa, it took Cartoonito several weeks to erase Boomerang from across their channel and months if you include Facebook.

As seen a few days ago, the last place Boomerang reside which was Facebook has officially switched to Cartoonito as seen with the 24 hour platform on DStv as well as YouTube.

Although consumers may not see it now, these changes will likely have an effect on the lineup. Take to account, Boomerang was another TCM which was very slow in updating their offering and Cartoonito appears to be another rendition of Cartoon Network.

Warner Bros. Discovery is currently working on a lot of content for Cartoonito including Jessica's Big Little World, Tom And Jerry Time, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends and Barney's World. On top of that, the channel is taking on Disney Junior and CBeebies.

Reminder: Doodsondes Returns For A Fifth Season Likely After Roekeloos Dade On e.tv

Announced in 2022, Doodsondes (Yasak Elma) is being eyed as one of the most anticipated shows of 2023 set to launch on e.tv after the new series Roekeloos Dade. It stars Şevval Sam, Eda Ece, Biran Damla Yılmaz and Murat Aygen in leading roles.

In season 5, Cagatay cheats on Yildiz with Kumru, a model and their neighbor. Yildiz is disheartened after she learns of this. She starts making her own shampoo and wins an award for it. At the ceremony she publicly disgraces Cagatay and Kumru. She divorces Cagatay and marries Doğan, Kumru's father, this is a paper marriage to teach a lesson to Kumru and Cagatay.

Doodsondes currently has 6 seasons with the final season set to debut in Turkey later in the year and with season 5 later in the year on e.tv it's likely that the final season will only be made available by 2024.

Doodsondes launched in 2019 on eExtra for the first two seasons with later seasons being made available to e.tv. Since it's launch, it happens to be one of the longest series on e.tv and second longest running series on eExtra behind Elif which has 500+ episodes.

The series was produced by FOX, the only known international feed from the Disney to produce originals seen on eExtra and eVOD including Dokter Ali (Mucize Doctor), #DisComplicated (Sen Çal Kapımı), Daai Crazy Somer (Son Yaz) and Om Elke Draai (Her Yerde Sen).

CuriosityStream Boasts Sub Growth Via International Distribution

CuriosityStream in the first quarter saw progress in its direct-to-consumer business, bolstered by new distribution agreements with international launch partners.

As with its Q4 2022 earnings, Curiosity didn’t reveal its total paid subscriber count (in Q3 it reported total subs dropped to 23 million). But CEO Clint Stinchcomb said on an earnings call the company added “several million paying subscribers” through bundled distribution partnerships across five continents.

New launch partners include Amazon’s Prime Video Channels in India, Mexico’s Izzi Telecom, Fetch TV in Australia, and Ziggo, the largest MVPD in The Netherlands, among others.

Curiosity didn’t go into too much detail about the individual agreements, but Stinchcomb noted these distribution deals are typically multi-year agreements with a fixed fee.

“We expect meaningful improvement in our revenues from distribution partners moving forward as our full product set – from localized channels to integrated app offerings to direct licensing – creates a range of monetization paths for both us and our partners as we connect with audiences across the globe,” said Stinchcomb.

Curiosity also has a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel – Curiosity Now – that launched last spring with LG as its initial distribution partner. Stinchcomb said the company has “dipped [its] toe” in the FAST space and eventually intends to launch Curiosity Now internationally.