Could e.tv's Youth Block Craze Also Be On The Chopping Block Following The Rollout Of Takalani Sesame And Revised eToonz Offering?

Last year, eMedia Investments was in a carriage dispute with MultiChoice regarding e.tv's 4 channels on the DStv platform which still remains as quo. Following the demise, eMedia Investments had begun boosting primetime on their least viewed channel, eToonz.

eToonz, a children's channel offering animation and live-action was basically a graveyard for most of e.tv's offering on their youth block, Craze. As mentioned, the channel has seen a growth in entertainment with the addition of live-action like Backstage and Hank Zipzer.

Content which has yet to be seen on e.tv as the only notable live-action show to date is Power Rangers and just like most of eMedia's channels they too provide content that hasn't been made available to the main channel so would it be shocking if eToonz followed.

As mentioned, there's been a lot of questions regarding the future of e.tv's youth offering as the latter serves as rebroadcasts from the SABC and eToonz with eMedia Investments limiting the international offering as seen this past week with The Goldbergs.

e.tv serves a free-to-air entertainment channel offering a mixture of local and international productions. Just like the SABC, they also follow a mandate which requires them to serve news which they initially intended to get out of the way alongside kiddies entertainment.

With that in mind, e.tv will continue to supply a lineup of kiddies content. Of course, this doesn't exclude the possibility of them revamping the block's current offering as seen during the year with Takalani Sesame.

Last Minute Notice: Devi + Checkpoint + Housewives Move To New Timeslots, Crime Watch + The Last Word With Shahan Ramkissoon Rolls Out On e.tv

Yesterday, e.tv decided to move current affairs shows Devi and Checkpoint to Sunday nights at 18:00 and 19:30 respectively without prior notice and unlike most of the changes that the channel has made over the years this takes the icing of the cake.

Devi and Checkpoint had their timeslots rearranged numerous times since their launch and if a show that ran as long as Checkpoint is going to have their timeslot rearranged it can only mean trouble I mean e.tv without Checkpoint doesn't seem far fetched.

They ripped away Days Of Our Lives which will likely resurface on MultiChoice's Showmax streaming service when Peacock rolls out in the market. If they were willing to axe SunRise and South African Morning on eNCA what's stopping them from axing Checkpoint.

I don't see anything good coming out of these changes especially to those who've actually been following Devi and Checkpoint on weeknights as both will be airing in much earlier timeslots where consumers will probably not be tuning in.

Checkpoint's rollout in the 19:30 timeslot also signals the reduction of international content on the channel as sitcoms were viewable on e.tv twice a week in the current timeslot of Checkpoint now the channel reverted back to one sitcom, The Neighborhood.

We can't say this is a shocker as eMedia Investments rolled out eXposed in 2022 and similar to eReality it took most of their international slate so it won't be surprising if the only form of funny on the channel being The Neighborhood suffers a similar fate.

Housewives which launched on Sundays at 20:00 timeslot last year and vanished only to resurface on Mondays 2 hours later at 22:00 is now airing 3 days later Thursdays in the same timeslot as The Last Word With Shahan Ramkissoon airs Mondays to Wednesdays.

Synopsis for The Last Word With Shahan Ramkissoon:

Shahan Ramkissoon talks to newsmakers and reveals his uncensored opinions about what's happening in South Africa. He also brings in some comedy, by looking at the lighter side of news.

This is basically the show that take over Devi and Checkpoint's timeslot and only time will tell if Shahan Ramkissoon will still be getting this much airtime or similar to the above-mentioned have their timeslots rearranged only cause of low viewership.

Crime Watch also launched on the channel Sundays at 18:30 and here's the synopsis on the latest episode:

This week on Crime Watch, we bring you an update on the "Gold Mafia" expose', real crime videos and look at how the demand for self defence training is on the rise as many people are now wanting to protect themselves.

New Series Alert: The Loud House To Make Its Freemium Debut On eToonz

eToonz, South Africa's only free-to-air children's channel home to variety of animated and live-action content part of which is currently viewed on e.tv's youth block Craze has acquired rights to one of Nickelodeon's most popular shows, The Loud House.

Synopsis for The Loud House:

The series revolves around the chaotic everyday life of a boy named Lincoln Loud, who is the middle child and only son in a large family of 11 children. It is set in a fictional town in southeastern Michigan called Royal Woods.

Since the series inception back in 2016, it has spawned seven seasons currently seen on Nickelodeon alongside three feature films two of which are live-action. It has also spawned two spinoffs, The Casagrandes and it's live-action counterpart, The Really Loud House.

In June 2017, the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), headed by CEO Ezekiel Mutua, ordered a ban of the series alongside several shows seen on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Disney Channel for allegedly promoting homosexual themes to minors.

Although, The Loud House can't be viewed in other parts of Africa alongside Nicktoons. It is however very much active in South Africa on Nickelodeon with eToonz set to be a number of alternatives for The Loud House from 1st June at 16:00.

Everyday Novelas Shorts: Shaka iLembe Make It's Highly Anticipated Debut On Mzansi Magic, Galaxy TV Acquired Broadcasting Rights To Si Nos Dejan And A Rebroadcast Of On The Other Side Of The Wall Rolls Out On Telemundo Africa

Shaka Zulu remake is coming to Mzansi Magic

Set in the 1700s, Shaka iLembe tells the story of the making of the iconic African king, with iterations from his early childhood through to adulthood. The production has been six years in the making, consulting historians, academics, and family descendants, including the incumbent King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, as well as the late King Goodwill Zwelithin.

The series premieres 18 June on Mzansi Magic and will be made available on Africa Magic Showcase, Africa Magic Urban, Pearl Magic Prime and Maisha Magic Plus.

Si Nos Dejan expands to more African territories

Alicia Montiel has the perfect family and is married to Sergio Carranza, one of the most respected and recognized journalists in Mexico. They have 3 children and are icons and the synonym of the ideal family in society. Alicia's world falls apart when she discovers that Sergio has been unfaithful to her for the last 3 years with the co-host from his television show, Julieta Lugo.

The series launched on Ghanaian platform UTV back in 2022 and was picked up Galaxy TV during the week.

Marjorie De Sousa and Litzy star in this mother duo drama Al Otro Lado Del Muro

The story follows the lives of two women, one of humble origin and the other a prominent figure, who cross the border from Mexico to the United States for different reasons: one chasing a dream and the other fleeing a nightmare. In this contemporary series, which reflects the reality of many emigrants, both women will have to do the impossible to move their children forward and survive, leaving behind everything they knew until then.

It is expected to replace the double bill slot of Blood And Wine from 28 May at 19:00.

The Real Life Story Of Disney's The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid, a tale that endured over the centuries

This story is certainly one of the most popular cartoons of the 1990s and 2000s. Ariel, a young mermaid, dreams of becoming human and living on the surface herself. With the help of her friend, she disobeys her father King Triton, and trades her precious voice for a pair of legs with the witch Ursula. But once on land, the young woman, who finds the sailor she has fallen in love with, Prince Eric, must succeed in making him fall under her spell in less than three days without the help of her voice. Should she fail, she would end up damned by the witch’s curse. Only a true love’s kiss can save her, and the whole plot of the film leads viewer to hope for a happy ending, which eventually comes.

At least, this is Disney’s 1989 version. And also the one the studio has chosen to use for the release of a live-action version of The Little Mermaid, due May 2023.

The Little Mermaid, a not-so-fairy story

Although Disney opted to make it a love story, this very much not the plot of the original story as written by Hans Christian Andersen. In fact, in 1837, the author of the Danish tale published Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid), a story that is very different from the one retold by the animation studio. In the original tale, the Little Mermaid fell under the spell of a human whom she saves from drowning, but unlike Disney’s adaptation, she was not driven to wish for legs out of curiosity for life on earth, or her love for the princes. In Andersen’s story, the young mermaid learns that the souls of humans are eternal and decides to go to the witch to get legs so that she too can acquire this “ability” by marrying a human. Once again, the Danish author’s story is much less squeamish than Disney’s: the Little Mermaid has her tongue cut out by the witch and the “creation” of her legs is so painful that every step she takes feels as if she is being “pierced by knives.”

Similarly, you’ll find no “happily ever after” for Hans Christian Andersen. The prince falls in love with another woman, and decides to marry her, so Ariel knows she is doomed to have her heart broken, literally, and to be turned into sea foam. In a fit of despair, urged on by her sisters, the young woman decides to stab Prince Eric, her only means of breaking her curse and becoming a mermaid again. But at the last moment, Ariel finally decides to spare him. As she throws herself into the sea, ready to accept her fate, she joins a metaphorical paradise, “the women of the air,” as a reward for her good deed.

No great love story, then. Hans Christian Andersen portrays a young woman who idealises her future and sacrifices everything to get there, without taking into account the risks and warnings. It is not her love for the prince that drives her to leave the ocean, but her desire to be immortal.

The Little Mermaid, a work forever linked to Copenhagen

Hans Christian Andersen died in Copenhagen in August 1875 after leaving his mark on the capital and on Danish culture. Although he may have been mocked by his peers during his lifetime, this great friend of Charles Dickens enjoyed worldwide success in posterity. The Danish capital erected many statues of the author, such as the one in Rådhuspladsen Square or the one at City Hall, but also of his most popular work: The Little Mermaid. In Copenhagen harbour, not far from Churchill Park, there is a bronze statue of the famous character in the waters of the Kattegat.

Outside the capital, you can also visit the writer’s childhood home in his home town of Odense. In the south of the country, in the heart of the Efteling amusement park, the Fairy Tale Wood features many of the local hero’s works in their original setting.