Could Da Vinci Kids Have Been Axed In Favor Of More Local Programming On DStv And GOtv?

Last month, it was reported that Da Vinci Kids would be exiting the DStv platform from 14 November and not only that but some parts of Africa lost the channel months prior. In place of these channels would be Teen Africa TV for consumers in West and Eastern parts of Africa with Play Room in Southern Africa.

Play Room is a children's channel which looks to combine fun and learning with live-action shows alongside popular animated shows in isiZulu. The channel is operated by Ngwato Nkosi Group who also manage Newzroom Afrika and Movie Room across Africa.

Teen Africa TV is Africa's first dedicated TV channel for teenagers "and their families" featuring locally produced shows and films. The channel was founded by Nigerian filmmaker Charles Novia and is also viewed on StarTimes under a separate agreement.

As outlined sometime ago, Play Room and Teen Africa TV are both looking to build the local offering for consumers in Africa. While Teen Africa TV is producing originals like Culture Connect and Listen, Play Room on the other hand is licencing animated content across Africa.

These include shows like Akili And Me and uBongo Kids which are based in Kenya with Bino And Fino residing within Nigeria.

As seen, MultiChoice doesn't outline a reason toward the cancellation of Operation Ouch and Pet Rescue from these consumers but if we had to guess it may have to do with the content. Prior to the introduction of Moonbug, Da Vinci Kids was set to be scrapped from the platform.

But due to overwhelming feedback from a majority of DStv customers about the content Da Vinci Kids remained onboard the platform for a forseeable future. After a year, history would repeat itself as MultiChoice plans to ripped away Da Vinci Kids from DStv and GOtv.

Consumers wishing to see more factual entertainment and wildlife would need to tune into National Geographic, BBC Earth and History for a similar offering.

Recap To Last Year: A Swahili And Hausa Dubbed Version To Zee Zonke Was Said To Be In Development, No Word On Amharic

During the year, MultiChoice and Zee Entertainment Enterprises unveiled South Africa's first Zulu dubbed Bollywood channel, Zee Zonke. Based on Zee Marathi, the channel would complement and also rival with the existing offering seen on Zee World and Star Life. 

Zee Zonke is applicable to consumers in South Africa and across Southern Africa particularly Botswana, Namibia and Malawi meaning the Western and Eastern parts of Africa such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda don't have the channel.

Prior to its debut, Zee Entertainment Enterprises had been dubbing numerous shows from Zee World in local languages such as Jodha And Akbar and Twist Of Fate. On top of that, the company was rumoured to rolling out a general entertainment channel in the Swahili and Hausa language.

Considering that Zee Alem caters for Ethiopia with Zee Zonke catering for Southern Africa. It wouldn't seem far fetched if MultiChoice Africa and Zee Entertainment Enterprises were looking to get more local localised versions of Zee Zonke to these regions.

Zee Alem already operates in Ethiopia dubbing various content from Zee World in Amharic so content from Zee Zonke could as well just migrate the channel if not form a separate channel as seen in Southern Africa.

Recap To The Year: More Channel Changes Coming Soon To DStv And StarSat??? As Spectrum And Soon DirecTV Look To Cut Down On Secondary Channels

A few months ago, the Charter Communications and Disney struck a deal after a heated carriage dispute to keep channels like FX and ESPN while as making Disney+ and ESPN+ freely accessible. This led to the demise of Disney XD, Disney Junior, Nat Geo Wild and Freeform.

According to Global Market Intelligence analyst Scott Robson from NextTV, Spectrum could look into dropping more channels and this includes secondary channels already seen on DStv and StarTimes such as E!, CNBC World, Nicktoons, Nick Jr. and Boomerang.

Similar to what MultiChoice has been doing in recent years, Spectrum is streamlining their portfolio and putting more emphasis on core brands. DirectTV is said to be ongoing a similar route by 2024 with Disney's linear offering which coincides with MultiChoice's pending agreement.

As seen with Spectrum, the channels to have been affected reside within DStv and StarSat and this included the preschool brand Disney Junior and factual channel National Geographic Wild while the animation centric Disney XD was axed in most parts of Europe years prior.

Disney XD hasn't gotten original content following the launch of Disney+ while the 24 hour Disney Junior channel serves as catch-up to the primetime block on Disney Channel. National Geographic Wild alongside the two brands had all seen a decline in cable households.

The decline in cable and also carriage for these channels could lead a brand like Disney to further downsize their portfolio as seen in most parts of the world where the latter is streaming exclusively on Disney+.

Cable remains a necessity in Africa as a majority of households can't afford to bulk Disney+, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video under one subscription. As mentioned, Spectrum is looking to make such platforms accessible and as more households use these platforms it further reduces the linear offering.

Recap To The Week: Disney's Festive Advert Launches 'May Your Wishes Come True' Campaign

Disney has launched a holiday campaign called ‘May Your Wishes Come True’ focusing on the power of wishes for its 100th anniversary. The campaign includes the first live-action festive ad, titled ‘A Wish For The Holidays,’ which takes inspiration from the soon-to-be released Walt Disney Animation Studios’ movie Wish and will launch in more than 50 countries.

 

The ad is directed by Grammy Award-winning Nigerian/British director Meji Alabi and was fully shot in Cape Town, South Africa and features scenes representing six geographical locations and languages. It tells the stories of families and friends from around the world, who are united by a universal wish to be together with their loved ones during the Holidays, recognising a range of festive traditions.

 

Director Meji Alabi said: “I feel lucky to have collaborated with such a diverse group of people on Disney’s Holiday campaign this year. There were so many stand-out moments for me during the filming, but I think the most memorable was watching the South African kids choir sing their lines. It truly gave me goosebumps.”

 

The ad includes the globally recognisable song ‘A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes’ from Cinderella, rearranged to enable multiple performers to come together with one united voice. English-language voice of Asha and Academy Award-winning actress and singer Ariana DeBose delivers the opening line in the English version, and voice actresses in markets around the world sing it in other languages.

 

The ad has been globally produced by Ridley Scott Associates across the US, UK and South Africa and developed in collaboration with the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products internal advertising agency Yellow Shoes.

 

Joss Hastings, VP Global Marketing, Disney Consumer Products, Games & Publishing, said: “Holiday traditions may look different around the world but however and wherever you’re celebrating, we all share the wish to be with the ones we love during this special time of year. Inspired by Walt Disney Animation Studios’ new movie ‘Wish,’ the advertisement brings voices from around the world together as a global choir for a powerful rendition of the iconic ‘A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes.’ We hope fans enjoy the new twist on a Disney classic as we celebrate 100 years of storytelling and the integral role that music has played.”

 

The global premiere of the advert comes hot on the heels of the recent unveiling of a co-branded celebratory aircraft livery in collaboration with LIFT airlines, to kick-off “May Your Wishes Come True”. With a host of surprise elements for customers planned, the Disney-inspired plane is currently serving customers and routes between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Travellers are encouraged to share their pics on social media, using the hashtag #DisneyandLIFT and tagging @DisneyAfrica and @LIFT__SA.

 

“Following the collaboration with LIFT airlines, what better way to continue the launch of our biggest retail campaign to date in South Africa than with this locally-shot advert.” Says Luke Roberts, General Manager, Consumer Products, Games and Publishing, The Walt Disney Company Africa. “Inspired by the universal truth that they wish to be together during the holidays, we look forward to celebrating with South African families and fans throughout the festive period.”

 

This holiday season, Disney’s “May Your Wishes Come True” will offer the perfect opportunity to stock up on those gifts for every member of the family – bringing stories and characters to life through innovative products across multiple categories: from toys and apparel to jewelry, technology and consumables, including brand-new products from the movie Wish, including Lego and figurines.

 

South African shoppers can also look forward to various activations at shopping malls around the country, including Disney-plush-adorned Christmas Trees. Proudly presented in association with VISA and Investec, with support from Toys R US, the trees will feature the opportunity for visitors to give back through donations to Reach for a Dream.

 

With much more to share, this festive season is set to be an unforgettable one as we wish together for the holidays.

 

#MayYourWishesComeTrue

Omens Inks New Global Sales Deals For Leo The Wildlife Ranger

Singapore-based prodco Omens Studios has signed a trio of new international distribution deals for its CG-animated preschool series Leo the Wildlife Ranger.

AMC International Networks has snapped up the wildlife show’s first season (60 x 11 minutes) for the Middle East and Africa, and has picked up the rights to air season two (52 x 11 minutes) across Europe. Turkish public broadcaster TRT will air both seasons of Leo on its 24/7 children’s programming channel, TRT Çocuk. Rounding out the deals is Fairfax County Schools Districts, which will broadcast the series’ second season in the US via its elementary school channel, Red Apple 21.

To date, Omens has secured more than 50 sales for the first season of Leo the Wildlife Ranger worldwide. The toon airs on linear networks including Globo (Brazil), Canal+ (Myanmar) and Warner Bros. Discovery (EMEA), as well as VOD platforms Kidoodle.TV (Canada) and Amazon Prime (US).

Earlier in March, Singapore’s national pubcaster MediaCorp commissioned Omens to produce a refreshed version of Leo the Wildlife Ranger that puts more focus on action and character development. The story takes place after the events of the original series’ second season, and the new episodes are scheduled to launch in the first half of next year.

Omens is also expanding the Leo IP on the digital side. In May, the studio developed and launched its mobile app Leo the Wildlife Ranger Games. To date, more than 10,000 users have downloaded the app on the Apple App Store worldwide. To increase its user base further, Omens is adding three additional content packs, and will launch a Spanish version of the app before the end of the year.