Rumour: Warner Bros. Discovery Will No Longer Be Producing Original Programming For Preschoolers, International Cartoonito Remains Safe

Last year, WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. formalised their merger which lead to the creation of Warner Bros. Discovery which saw properties such as HBO, TNT, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Cartoonito, TLC, Discovery Channel, Investigation Discovery and HGTV fold under one hub.

Of course, this merger had also stirred up controversy as the current CEO of the brand David Zaslav had axed various productions from the Warner part of the brand including Mao Mao: Heroes Of Pure Heart and Batman: Caped Crusader on Cartoon Network and Cartoonito's entire catalogue of original shows.

Cartoonito was introduced in 2021 as rival to Disney Junior and Nick Jr. with Warner Bros. Discovery planning to conceive 50 preschool programs by 2023. So far only Batwheels and Bugs Bunny Builders were introduced alongside the recently launched Jessica's Big Little World.

According to sources on Reddit, Jessica's Big Little World will end after its current season as Warner Bros. Discovery will no longer be producing original preschool programs and this follows last year's move which saw them scrap further production of live-action kids and family shows.

This news doesn't come as a surprise considering the amount of exposure Cartoonito is given on Cartoon Network. Although Warner Bros. Discovery had never disclosed the ratings for the block, Cartoonito's airtime has declined from last year initially 6 hours dropped to 1.5 hours part of which may to do with the purge.

In Africa, Warner Bros. Discovery content from its kids multiplex dominates the Top 20 shows across all kids’ channels. More than 105 000 children watch CoComelon with almost 90 000 watching Interstellar Ella on average. Batwheels and Bugs Bunny Builders rank as the #5 and #6th most watched shows in thez a market.

All of which might not have any impact pertaining to the future of these shows. If it's any consolation, Cartoonito will most likely continue to broadcast in most parts of Europe seeing as it was structured as a family channel which is probably the most safest thing for the brand right now.

Prior to this development, Max acquired rights to Hop (from Marc Brown, creator of Arthur) and Barney's World based from the Barney And Friends franchise. It's likely that Cartoonito will continue (without original programming) or get scrapped before any of this is released.

Reminder: Discovery Cameras Venture Into Controversial Off-Grid Community For New Series The Garden: Commune Or Cult Premiering in Africa On Wednesday, 22 November At 20:00 CAT

An infamous off-grid community that went viral on social media for disturbing allegations is now the subject of a six-part limited series, THE GARDEN: COMMUNE OR CULT, arriving on Wednesday, 22 November at 20:00 CAT on Discovery Channel.

 

On 22 acres of backcountry land in the American South lies The Garden – a community that lives by its own laws, free from the pressures of modern society. They maintain an open-door policy to anyone seeking to join their ranks, but new people must submit to an initiation period. Some barely last a week, others are forced to leave, and a chosen few will call The Garden home for good. Questions continue to arise about the cult-like vibes of the controversial community, but this spring is different. Cameras have been granted unprecedented access to The Garden, documenting its spread to new locations deep in the Ozarks.

 

Founded as a cooperative, ‘leaderless’ community, The Garden could be viewed as a post-apocalyptic wonderland free of societal rules. However, when potential members arrive, they quickly realize there’s more than meets the eye. New initiates include Tyler, a veteran and self-described doomsday prepper; Tisheila, a truck driver survivalist; ‘Oak’, who wants to toughen up after years behind a desk; and Jessica, a former cheerleader looking to reconnect with nature. 

These newcomers have ten days to prove to The Garden that they have what it takes to be part of the community. Did they join a commune working towards a sustainable, off-grid way of life? Or have they just surrounded themselves with members of a mind-controlling cult?

 

Produced for Warner Bros. Discovery by Hot Snakes, The Garden: Commune or Cult airs on Discovery Channel from Friday, 22 November up to Monday, 25 December 2023.

Exciting Saturday Nights Ahead Of Love, Laughter And I Dos On Mzansi Magic As Date My Family And Our Perfect Wedding Return

Mark your calendars, gather your friends and family because Mzansi Magic is bringing back the warmth, laughter, and love with the return of two fan-favourite shows. Date My Family Season 11 and Our Perfect Wedding Season 14 are back to spice up your Saturday nights, starting 11 November at 18:30 and 19:30.

 

Date My Family (DMF) continues with episode 14 and is here to change the way you spend your Saturday nights. DMF offers an alternative twist to conventional dating shows. Here, singletons aren't just finding a date, they're experiencing the full package, one family at a time. By interacting with potential partners' families, they get an insider's look at what life might be like with their future love interest. This season promises more fun, surprising revelations, and possibly the most memorable dates yet.

 

Season 14 of Our Perfect Wedding (OPW) kicks off with episode 9, making a grand entrance. Re-joining the Saturday line-up, OPW allows you to witness love stories ending in the union of hearts. Each episode, one engaged couple takes us on their journey, ticking off their wish list to achieve their dream wedding. And with the vibrant trio of hosts across episodes – Nonkanyiso “LaConco” Conco, Khaya Dladla and Swankie Mafoko –  each segment is guaranteed to be filled with charm, style, and heartfelt moments.

 

Why Saturdays are extra special

Mzansi Magic has always been your home for local entertainment, and with these two shows taking the prime time slots where Idols SA reigned one last time, expect plenty of emotions, drama, and pure bliss.

 

After basking in the love and laughs from DMF and OPW, stay tuned for a local movie at 20:30. We begin with Ubuhle Bendalo by Ingwe Films on 11 November, followed by Ukukhetha from 2 Go 2 Media on 18 November, and uMashaya Othando by Thape Media on 25 November. These films are not just movies, they're journeys into the heart of our culture and storytelling.

 

About Mzansi Magic Saturday movies at 20:30:

Ubuhle Bendalo (11 Nov)

A journalist goes undercover in a beauty pageant to uncover the hidden secrets of the sponsor behind it. The sponsor claims to empower women, but lies and deception lurks beneath the surface.

 

Ukukhetha (18 Nov)

Gog’ Flo, with a chronic disease, relies on her grandson, Jabu, to collect medication for her. However, things change when Jabu starts hanging out with the wrong people.

 

Umashaya Wothando (25 Nov)

A big-money scammer earns a living by influencing women to give him their money and possessions. However, things change when he falls in love, gets caught in his scam, and must own up to the damage caused.

 

With the latest seasons of Date My Family and Our Perfect Wedding, Saturdays are no longer just another day of the week, they're a celebration of love, family, and the joy of togetherness. So, why not spend time with the home of entertainment right in your living room? Let's laugh, cry, and celebrate love with Mzansi Magic.

 

Join us from 11 November, every Saturday night, for a line-up that promises to keep you glued to your screens on DStv channel 161. And if you're on the go, don't forget you can tune in via DStv Stream.

News Shorts: Saturdays Cancelled After One Season On Disney Channel, Telemundo Temporarily Suspends Production Of Original Programming, Redemption Makes It's Freemium Debut On e.tv

Saturdays are about to be retired

 

Earlier this year, Disney launched a brand new single-cam, coming-of-age comedy series called “Saturdays” on the Disney Channel and Disney+. The show takes place on the best day of the week...Saturday! The series revolves around 14-year-old Paris Johnson and her best friends Simone and Ari, who hone their roller-skating skills on the cool parquet floor of Saturdays, a local skating rink in Chicago. Together they form the We-B-Girlz skate crew and are determined to show and prove they have the hottest skate routines on the planet!

Unfortunately, according to TVLine, the show has been cancelled because while, Disney Branded Television was high on the show, it is now focusing on building out its multicam strategy. Disney is also focusing more on shows that are based on Disney-owned IP, and will be focused on creating global tentpole programming.

Telemundo is going on autopilot

Based in the United States, Telemundo is a Spanish language television channel distributed internationally by NBCUniversal. It is home to number of original productions including My Heart Beats For Lola, Betty In New York, Fearless Heart and Aurora.

Due to declining number of TV households, Telemundo joins the lineup of premium TV channels to have lost their viewers on year end for platforms like Netflix and Disney+ and this included NBC, HBO, The CW, TNT, ABC, National Geographic, Freeform and Disney Channel.

This has resulted in the shortage of original productions as Telemundo delays production on an untitled Danilo Carrera series. Prior to that one of their current actors William Levy (Vuelve A Mí) had mentioned having numerous projects from the network taken away from him.

Internationally, the channel had to licence content from numerous studios including Colombian dramas The Chosen Granddaughter and Ana's Revenge from RCN and Caracol Television and Turkish series Cennet: The Power Of Destiny from ATV.

Redemption is coming to e.tv

Prior to the series debut on BET, it was very much announced that Redemption would be made available to e.tv. Following the cancellation of the family drama during the year, we got word that the series will air on weeknights at 20:00 from 19 November.

Set in a mega church, centres on the Zikode family. After the disappearance of Pastor Simon Zikhode (Themba Ndaba), his daughter Faith (Kwanele Mthethwa), who is on the cusp of an international music career, drops everything to come to her family's rescue.

The cast includes Tina Jaxa, Sthandiwe Kgoroge, Seputla Sebogodi, Yonda Thomas, Pearl Modiadie, Sparky Xulu, Nkone Mamejta and Toka Mtabane.

Recap To Last Month: CBS Reality Ends It's Run In The UK As Paramount And AMC Networks Decide To Drop The Last CBS Channel In The Region After 14 Years

CBS Reality is a factual entertainment channel operated by AMC Networks International together with Paramount Global. The channel is home to shows like Judge Judy, Close Calls On Camera, Border Patrol, Haunted Case Files and Random Breath Tests.

In the UK, it was announced that CBS Reality would end its run after 14 years thus bringing an end to CBS brand name. Prior to this announcement, CBS Reality's programming had been altered to feature true crime and also there's a FAST channel resembling it's likeness.

This was something to be expected and also it doesn't really answer any questions regarding the feed seen in Europe and Africa. One theory that comes to mind would be the disastrous ending to CBS Reality seeing as Poland halt production of further original programs.

Perhaps, the plan would be shift more toward true crime as the last original programs to have been produced were all crime skewed. Another would be keeping the non-crime portion of CBS Reality (particularly in Africa) intact and finding supplements.

This change seen in the UK is part of streamlining efforts and as it is AMC+ is not viewable in some of the regions CBS Reality resides in. It's likely that the channels could take up another form if not True Entertainment or True Crime but it does appear they'll remain intact for the time being.