Paramount, Home To MTV And Nickelodeon Reportedly Up For Sale or Merger

Recently, Paramount, the parent company of Nickelodeon and Paramount+, has been looking to sell some of its assets and make cuts to others. Now, according to a report from CNBC, Shari Redstone, president of National Amusements and controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, is open to a merger or selling the company if the price is right.

Shari Redstone owns roughly 80% of Paramount Global voting stock and was reportedly the main force behind merging CBS and Viacom back in 2019. That merger resulted in the company we now know as Paramount.

Paramount holds a lot of assets that would attract many potential buyers. Its local affinities and the CBS network alone are highly attractive, especially for their NFL contract. However, the company has a lot more to offer, including Nickelodeon, Paramount+, MTV, Pluto TV, Comedy Central, Showtime, and more. This also includes popular shows and franchises like SpongeBob SquarePants, Star Trek, South Park, and more.

In recent years, most media companies, including Paramount, have been struggling with the growth of  cord cutting. Paramount’s market capitalization has reportedly dropped to $7.7 billion as 2023 hit many media companies hard. That is the lowest level it has been at since the 2019 Viacom and CBS merger. That drop could make the company a target for a merger or a sale.

According to CNBC’s sources, any potential deal for Paramount would have to be at a good price or the Redstone family wouldn’t accept it. Exactly what that price is was not disclosed in the report.

Paramount has a lot going for it right now, with Paramount+ hitting 61 million subscribers, a number that other major streaming services could only dream of. It also has very lucrative sports deals, including the NFL, March Madness, and a new deal with the Big Ten that will see more college football and basketball games on CBS. This could help Paramount outlast any further drop in the market, but it also makes it very attractive to potential buyers.

Some outsiders have said they believe Paramount is too small in the long run, though, to compete with Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, and a growing number of streaming companies like Amazon along with Apple. Even with its large catalog of shows and networks Paramount is facing massive companies like Disney and the newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery.

For years we have heard predictions that there would be consolidation in the market because of cord cutting. Disney’s deal to buy 21st Century Fox was likely only the start of what could be a number of big mergers. We also saw Discovery and Warner Media merge recently. Now, there are rumors that Warner Bros. Discovery and even NBCUniversal could be interested in buying up some or all of their competitors. Could that mean they are looking at Paramount? For now, we will have to wait and see.

Colombian Actress Alejandra Villafañe Who Starred In The Chosen Granddaughter And Nurses Dead At 34

On the afternoon of Saturday, October 21, the world of Colombian show business and entertainment was shocked after learning of the death of actress Alejandra Villafañe due to severe cancer that had been afflicting her for a few months. 

You may be interested in: Alejandra Villafañe's boyfriend announced a tribute to the actress: 

“The only thing left to do is honor her life” After her departure, her boyfriend, also an actor Raúl Ocampo, decided to say goodbye to her with a short but heartfelt dedication through social networks, where he also He shared several photographs of the last moments he lived with Alejandra. 

Ocampo accompanied his girlfriend Alejandra Villafañe until her last moments of life on Instagram. In the photographs revealed by the actor who played Carlos in the production Café con Aroma de Mujer, they reveal the love that united them and how Ocampo and Villafañe enjoyed his last moments alive. 

Almost immediately, the comment box of the publication made by the artist was filled with messages of condolence, support and solidarity from family, friends, colleagues and followers of the couple, who also wished them a lot of strength for the difficult time they are now going through. 

Juliette Pardau, Lorna Cepeda, Verónica Orozco, Carla Giraldo, Natalia Jerez, Carlos Torres, among others, expressed their pain and mourning over the death of the 34-year-old actress. It is worth mentioning that before confirming the news that mourns the acting world, Raúl Ocampo rode a bicycle and went up to the traditional Patios sector, in La Calera, as he showed in his stories, because he has always shown that this sport is another of his passions. 

#BoycottingPlayRoom: Could Play Room Fill Up The Void Left By Da Vinci Kids When It Exits Both DStv And Possible GOtv In November?

During the day, it was reported that Da Vinci Kids would be exiting both DStv and GOtv platforms in November as the channel continues to be broadcast on StarSat. Prior to the termination, MultiChoice would be adding another kids channel to their platforms, Play Room.

Play Room is basically "an eToonz for Africa" featuring animated shows like CoComelon, Paw Patrol and Jabu's Jungle alongside live-action shows like Play Room Live and Game Shakers. It is operated by Ngwato Nkosi Group who manage Newzroom Afrika and Movie Room.

Da Vinci Kids was a factual based children's channel which like carried animated shows like Wild Kratts, Mily Miss Questions and Pincode alongside live-action shows like Operation Ouch, Horrible Histories and Odd Squad. It was described as the Curiosity Channel of children's television.

The minor setback with Play Room would be the programming despite catering for the same demographic none of the content match to that of History, BBC Earth or National Geographic but to the likes of brands like Cartoon Network, Disney Junior and JimJam.

In short, if you wish to view the content from Da Vinci Kids then you need StarSat and a similar offering can be found on as mentioned National Geographic and BBC Earth. Play Room competes with brands like Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and as mentioned Cartoon Network.

Channel Termination: Da Vinci Kids Will Stop Airing On DStv And GOtv From 14 November, Play Room Will Be Added Soon

After almost cutting the channel back in 2022 for Moonbug, MultiChoice has decided to end the carriage of the factual and kids entertainment channel, Da Vinci Kids. With the channel set to go dark across various DStv and GOtv platforms by 14 November 2023.

Da Vinci Kids featured various animated series such as Mily Miss Questions, The Deep and Superhero Galore alongside live-action shows like Operation Ouch, Treehouse Stories and Bajilionaires. The latter which would now only be viewable on StarSat as MultiChoice makes space for Play Room.

Following the on/off relationship with eMedia Investments, MultiChoice has been battling with transponder constraints that often when a new channel would roll out on their platforms it would result in the termination of an existing channel as seen with Novela Magic and Maisha Magic Movies.

Play Room is described as an "eToonz for Africa" type children's channel featuring locally produced and international shows. The channel will go live from November 6 carrying live-action shows like Game Shakers and Play Room Live alongside animated shows like Jabu's Jungle, CoComelon and Paw Patrol.

We're awaiting confirmation on Play Room for the rest of Africa particularly on GOtv. We believe the channel could be made available to these consumers we're not sure if it will be made available to the rest of Africa at the same time due to the local dubs to some animated shows.

Considering that Da Vinci catered to Access consumers, Play Room will most likely be made available to the consumers of Da Vinci. Of course, a lot of channels to have exited DStv during the year were local channels making Da Vinci the first international brand.

In other developments, HONEY is also scheduled to be exiting the DStv and GOtv platform by the end of October which would coincide with the expansion of TRACE Urban to DStv Access. MultiChoice is also rumoured to be rolling out a new general entertainment channel from Zambezi Magic.

Development Alert: Arendsvlei Cancelled After 6 Seasons On kykNET&Kie, Final Episode Slated For June 2024

This series, which revolves around the semi-private school, Arendsvlei High School, managed by the Cupido family, made its debut on 1 October 2018.

Arendsvlei was initially planned for one season only. Due to popularity among viewers and two SAFTA Awards for the first season, it was renewed for a second season. As viewership numbers continued to grow, the show grew from two to four episodes a week - an extraordinary achievement for a show in this genre.

“From the very beginning, Arendsvlei blew our viewers away. As the first fully-fledged Afrikaans telenovela, it proved so popular that one season turned into six,” says Waldimar Pelser, M-Net Director of Premium Channels.

Three SAFTA Awards in six years is proof of the hard work and creativity of the production team and talent that made Arendsvlei a household name in South Africa. On 11 December 2023, the team will celebrate its 1 000 episodes milestone.

“The team behind Arendsvlei are incredibly proud of the rich storyworld that has become a part of our viewers’ daily lives. kykNET thanks Penguin Films, every actor, and every member of the production team who taught us to take Arendsvlei High’s motto to heart and ‘aim high’,” says Pelser.

Roberta Durrant, the creative producer of the programme, adds: “We are proud of what we have achieved with Arendsvlei over the past six years. It has resonated with many people across the country, and its storylines touched them deeply.

"Arendsvlei is not a soap opera - it’s a telenovela. It was always meant to come to an end. That the show still captivates viewers after six years is a remarkable achievement. We are grateful that we can end Arendsvlei on a high note.”

“We are grateful to kykNET for trusting us with the production of Arendsvlei, and we hope to work on future projects with the writers, actors, and production team after Arendsvlei comes to an end,” Durrant concludes.

kykNET is already planning more exciting content for kykNET&kie to launch early next year.

Prior to its cancellation, 7de Laan would be airing it's final episode on 26 December after its 24 year run on SABC 2. There's rumours going around that it might not be replaced with another soap opera meaning consumers would have to flee to kykNET and eExtra's Kuiertyd for more content.

As for kykNET & Kie, they rolled out their international slate in 2022 with Kind Van Die Noodlot and In Die Ysterhand Se Greep. Seeing as there's no mention of a replacement we presume that the cancelation of Arendsvlei will accommodate these shows as kykNET promised consumers an additional international telenovela.