Recap To The Week: Paramount Is No Longer Selling BET

Paramount notified bidders late Wednesday night about its decision to conclude the BET Media Group sale process, said a person familiar with the decision who was not authorized to speak publicly. The person said the company determined maintaining a heavy stake in BET creates more value for Paramount than any of the proposals after consulting with a couple highly-experienced financial advisors.

Some popular suitors included actor-director Tyler Perry, music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and businessman Byron Allen. At one point, some considered Perry as a leading contender based on the two successful series, “The Oval” and “Sistas,” airing on the network. He also owns a minority stake of the BET+ streaming service.

Along with BET, the deal would have included the cable channel VH1.

BET was originally started by Robert and then-wife Sheila Johnson in 1980. Robert Johnson created BET from the basement of his Washington home after securing a $500,000 loan from longtime cable executive John Malone and eventually built the brand into the leading TV network for Black Americans.

Johnson expanded BET by creating smaller digital networks geared to fans of jazz, gospel and hip-hop along with being a publishing house and event production firm. The network was initially led by popular shows like “Bobby Jones Gospel,” “Rap City,” “ComicView,” “Lift Every Voice” and “Teen Summit.”

In the early 1990s, the network became the first Black-controlled television company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

BET has seen a decline in subscribers and revenue over the past decade. Subscribers fell to an estimated 66.3 million in 2022 from 89.5 million in 2014, a peak year for cable television, according to S&P Global. S&P said the cable network’s annual profits have fallen from an estimated peak of $319 million in 2013 to $188 million in 2022.

Source: Hip-Hop DX

#BoycottingKuiertyd: Was Zee Zonke Meant To Be The Final Nail To The Coffin For eExtra On DStv?

Last month, it was reported by eMedia's team that their 4 Openview channels would be exiting the DStv platform. It's been a year since these channels were reinstated and MultiChoice has remained committed to move forward with the additions of Movie Room and DreamWorks.

As outlined in 2022, eExtra was the only brand that wasn't replaced with another channel instead M-Net attempted to duplicate the offering on kykNET & Kie with Kind Van Die Noodlot and In Die Ysterhand Se Greep both hail in Istanbul were the channel's first competitors.

Earlier in the year, that offering was crammed to a 1 hour timeslot and kykNET assures fans that another Turkish drama would be allocated but considering the recent schedule adjustments I honestly doubt that as consumers flee to e.tv for Annekan Die Swa Kry in the affected show's timeslot.

During the month, Zee Entertainment Enterprises unveiled a new Zulu dubbed Bollywood channel, Zee Zonke. Unlike its counterpart on Openview, Zee Zonke will come with its own programming or better yet import shows from Zee TV's Zee Marathi with 4 shows added to the lineup.

As seen through several ads, Zee Zonke was slated to air this month on channel 169 but I'm told by sources that the brand would only rollout by September which brings out many questions as to the delay of Bollywood brand.

Last year, MultiChoice outlined that they were battling with transponder constraints so they'd often be removing channels to make space for other channels. Particularly brands that were non-performing or lacked originality for which eMedia's 4 channels resided.

Another could be that Zee TV is planning some grand event similar to Disney Star's Star Life when it entered the market. As mentioned, Zee Zonke is not a catch-up channel much less a spinoff to Zee World but rather a Zulu duplicate to the Zee Marathi channel in India.

Recently, eMedia Investments had recieved another extension by the Competition Tribunal. As mentioned, Zee Zonke was meant to rollout this month but around the time this news came up it got delayed out of the blue.

TOLDJA! e.tv's 4 Channels Were Meant To Go Dark On DStv By August But Were Extended, Might To Go Dark By The End Of 2023 If Not Early 2024

Last month, eMedia Investments' 4 Openview channels on the DStv platform were meant to go dark as the team advised consumers that eExtra, eToonz, eMovies and eMovies Extra would be booted and would remain exclusive to the Openview platform with eExtra on StarSat.

Fast forward to the present, these channels are still onboard the DStv platform and through an enquiry it was revealed that eMedia Investments had got another months extension (possibly the rest of 2023) by the Competition Tribunal - you'd think they'd let this matter rest.

And also it was mentioned that eMedia Investments had tried to get an extension on DStv but MultiChoice refused which led them to run through the Competition Tribunal for help once again.

Amidst this extension, MultiChoice was looking to launch further channels like the Zulu dubbed Bollywood channel Zee Zonke later this month (possible replacement to the Afrikaans offering on eExtra) but was delayed to September likely due to this matter.

Last year, MultiChoice had mentioned that they were battling with transponder constraints which partly led to the cancellation of eMedia's offering while the other party claimed they had plenty of space for more channels. But it's possible MultiChoice's case was accurate as they closed several channels in the previous financial year.

With this extension you kind of wonder if the upcoming offering would make it to DStv or likely get scrapped as seen with Media24's Via duplicate for Access consumers. Aside from e.tv, other channels whose future are in question include National Geographic and Disney Channel.

As outlined through my research, Disney Channel (and if possible Disney Junior) might be the next channels to exit the platform as further content will be folded under another streaming platform if not Showmax as Disney is looking to streamline the business.

New Series Alert: He's Into Her Coming Soon To Novela E Plus

Novela E Plus, a general entertainment channel distributing content from Latin America, Turkey and Asia had acquired rights to the Phillipine teen comedy, He's Into Her.

It follows Maxpein is a spunky provincial girl raised by her grandmother and uncle, after her mother died moves to Manila with her newly discovered wealthy

father where she's treated as an outsider at the Benison International School by the varsity captain and love interest, Deib.

Based on the 2012 novel of the same name, it starred Donny Pangilinan as Deib Lohr Enrile, Belle Mariano as Maxpein Zin D. Luna, Jeremiah Lisbo as Randall "RJ" Echavez, Jr., Kaori Oinuma as Michiko Sil Tarranza and Vivoree Esclito as Melissa "Ysay" Baylon.s

Since the series inception, He's Into Her spawned 2 seasons with a combined total of 26 episodes. It accumulated various accolades including one for Best Fiction, Digital Series Of The Year and Best Drama Mini Series.

He's Into Her would make its highly anticipated debut on weekdays at 21:40 from August 30th.

News Shorts: Disney+ Might Be Excluded From Certain African Markets Ahead Of Channel Closures, More Timeslot Changes Coming To eExtra Ahead Of Annekan Die Swa Kry's Debut On e.tv And MultiChoice To Cease Transmission Of The DStv Platform In Malawi

Disney+ is undergoing changes

During the month, it was learnt by Disney's CEO Bob Iger that Disney+ would be reviewing their portfolio in several countries with some limiting the amount of content produced within that region if not shut down alongside most of their linear platforms across the world.

Since Disney+ inception in 2019, there's still various markets in Europe, Africa and Asia without Disney+ and Bob Iger was able to confirm why some of these markets haven't been seen with the streamer. As seen in the last months, they're looking at regions which can make the streamer profitable.

Unfortunately most of Africa doesn't fit that description so various content like Only Murders In The Building, Loki and Solar Opposites will likely be folded under existing brands like Multichoice's Showmax, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as opposed to getting a seperate platform as seen in South Africa.

It is believed by analysts that Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery are doing something similar with consumers in other regions.

Winter Son and Annekan Die Swa Kry are doing a switcheroo

Last month, eExtra underwent a schedule change which saw various repeats move to the Power Up leaving the channel to air repeats to past programming alongside other content already viewed on both eReality and eXposed.

In recent developments, e.tv will be allocating a new Turkish drama known in Afrikaans as Annekan Die Swa Kry in place of the first season to Roekeloos Dade. As seen through an updated programme guide, the channel will be moving the 17:00 shows in which this new series resides to Winter Son's timeslot on eExtra at 12:25.

Winter Son airs weekdays on eExtra at 19:00 with repeats 2 and a half hours later at 22:30. The Heir gets burned off to midnights, possible indicator that the channel might be phasing out the Bollywood part of the brand.

MultiChoice to close shop in selected territories

MultiChoice Africa Holdings (MAH) said its decision followed an injunction issued by the High Court in Lilongwe in a matter between MultiChoice Malawi (MCM) and the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) prohibiting an adjustment to the DStv tariffs.

MAH has argued that its local subsidiary is not responsible for setting prices for the service, which are set by the parent company independently. MultiChoice Malawi does not offer DStv to the Malawi public. The local outfit is responsible for the digital-terrestrial GOtv offering, for which it applied and received approval from the regulator for price adjustments.

Having argued repeatedly that the Malawi operation was not responsible for the DStv service, MAH said the subsidiary was incapable of complying with the court order to implement MACRA’s ruling on prices.

Since failure to comply could have “grave consequences for the directors and management of MultiChoice Malawi, including imprisonment”, it said it was withdrawing DStv from the country.