Recap To Last Month: Insidus Plus Is Now Offline With Regular Nick: Games To Follow On New Year's Eve

As mentioned, Insidus Plus and Regular Nick: Games will go offline from 31 December 2023 with further content now residing on Insidus. Currently working on filing up the void for these brands particularly Regular Nick: Games which has now reverted back to Insidus Games.

Reverting the name back was one way we could limit the conflict with our current offering Regular Nick which is reserved for kids and families. Insidus Games has a page of its own known as Cartoon Games which isn't ad-free - not like that portion was reversed for reading.

But it's only the page that comes with ads, through Entertainment Zone which is what Insidus Plus reserved has a watered down version of the offering (no ads) alongside other content which include a range of documents, YouTube videos and the best of Insidus.

Unlike Insidus Games, we reduced the Plus brand name even further now it will be a way to promote selected content from existing brands like Everyday Novelas, Video Entertainment, Sports Entertainment and Regular Nick. Initially, it would have been retired to its entirety.

Besides that, Insidus Plus was always an Insidus 2 platform where it would leverage existing content and build up the line-up for some of our brands. Or at least that's how it was viewed initially so not much expansion or replacing to go around there as seen with Insidus Games.

For those browsing the Cartoon Games page would notice there's only 5 options and it shuffles when a page is reloaded. As soon as we do manage to build the offering we will crank up the numbers. For now, Insidus Collection is available on the menu bar and we took the liberty of adding a script "for more... content" which will redirect you to your destination.

Insidus Collection will feature various content we will look to promote on the site with more content still awaiting clearance. If you click on the platform you'll notice a folder known as Insidus Library now this is what we promoted on Insidus Plus but didn't feel garnered much traction like Insidus Games.

To those who think Insidus Library will be boring trust me it's more like Regular Nick: Games or at least what we're aiming for we have bibles from SpongeBob SquarePants and Adventure Time and even Marvel documents from the webslinger himself Spider-Man.

Trust me when I say 2024 will be revolved on filing the blanks of the two affected brands and also we are expanding our horizons at the same time without jeopardizing the reputation of Insidus.

New Series Alert: New Buddy Comedy Popularity Papers To Rollout On Nickelodeon Across The UK And Italy In The Coming Months, Might Launch Elsewhere

Based on the award-winning scrapbook-style middle-grade book series by author Amy Ignatow, Popularity Papers follows middle-school besties Julie and Lydia as they seek to demystify one of life’s greatest questions: what makes someone popular? Every social experiment they test out comes with unexpected lessons about the value of friendship, kindness, and confidence, helping guide our characters through the struggles of middle school with humour and heart.

Popularity Papers is a single-camera, live-action comedy series (26 x 30′) adapted for the screen by Corus Media-backed Aircraft Pictures ( Roxy Hunter , Bruno & Boots franchises), the Oscar-nominated producers behind The Breadwinner, and Emmy-nominated production company WexWorks Media. On top of the financial participation of the Canada Film Fund, BBC Studios co-funds and handles the international distribution rights for the show.

The series currently airs on YTV in Canada and is also slated to debut on Nickelodeon across Italy from 11 December 2023 while UK & Ireland is slated for 8 January 2024. It might surface on various international Nickelodeon channels (including Africa).

The original book series, for which the first installment was selected as a top-10 title of 2011 by the American Library Association’s Rainbow Project and won the 2010 Gold Award from the National Parenting Publications Association, tells the story of two best friends, Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang, who are on a mission to crack the popularity code and dismantle the social construct for middle-schoolers everywhere. Using the scientific method, the girls conduct social experiments on their peers with hilarious results.

The Popularity Papers is executive produced by showrunner Vivian Lin ( Holly Hobbie, Hudson & Rex) and co-created for television by Lin and Amanda Brook Perrin (The Croods: Family Tree, Fast Layne). Matthew Wexler of WexWorks Media executive produces, along with Amelia Johnson at BBC Studios together with Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen of Aircraft Pictures.

Possible Rebrand??? BBC's UKTV Announces Creation Of ‘U’ - A New Brand To Unite Its Free TV And Digital Portfolio

UKTV today announced its intention to launch 'U' next year - a new masterbrand that will unite its family of free-to-air channels and its free streaming service.

Launching in Summer 2024, the move will see its current streaming service UKTV Play transition to U and UKTV's family of free-to-air channels will become U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&YESTERDAY and U&W.

Penny Brough, UKTV's Chief Marketing Officer, said:

For 30 years, UKTV has had shows that people are passionate about - crime, drama, witty comedy and more - but until now it's felt disconnected. We want to make sure our audiences can enjoy the full value of our free and wonderfully diverse offer, so we're making it easier for them to navigate. U is the glue that enables us to do this: it means we go to market with a bold, simple and distinctive identity for our streaming service. U makes it easy for people to connect the dots between the streaming service and our family of TV channels - all while keeping hold of each channel's unique personality and fame. This is now a family that's fit for a digital future. It's simple, but still full of personality because it's all about U.

The U streaming service, created in partnership with global brand consultancy Wolff Olins, will become home to thousands of hours of free content from a raft of genres, including: drama (Annika, Holby City, Madam Secretary, Sister Boniface Mysteries, A Million Little Things), comedy (Meet the Richardsons, Red Dwarf, Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, We Are Not Alone), entertainment (Big Zuu's Big Eats, David Mitchell's Outsiders, QI, Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable, World's Most Dangerous Roads), and factual entertainment (Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, Masterchef Australia, Katie Piper: Jailhouse Mums, Secrets of the London Underground, Bangers & Cash). U will also give viewers access to exclusive shows, award-winning originals, premiere acquisitions and iconic programmes from the BBC.

David Stevens, Executive Strategy Director at Wolff Olins, said:

The entertainment market is so awash with confusing and bizarrely named offers, so we wanted to strip back, reduce the noise and present this family of brands in a clear, crisp, singular way. The new 'U' name is a nod to UKTV's heritage, while emphasising that this new viewing experience is all about you. We're excited about creating a bold brand that will stand out but won't get in the way. We wanted to unite an eclectic portfolio, but hold onto the personality, and help you to lose yourself in what you love.

UKTV has an ambitious growth strategy, focussed on supercharging its streaming service and growing its linear channels. A key driver of this is connecting and better leveraging the brands within UKTV's estate. The launch of this new masterbrand supports this strategy by making it easier for users to navigate both online and on-air, as well as creating a halo effect in brand marketing across the portfolio and ultimately building equity into a more unified family of brands. The simplicity of the new U brand architecture also retains the names and equity of the existing channel brands that are well-known and loved across the UK.

As part of the company's transformation plans, UKTV Play has already evolved into a digital streaming destination with a plethora of free content to suit all tastes. Its popularity has propelled the service to grow views by 69% since the start of the year (Jan-Aug), and with FAST channels set to debut on the service in 2024, viewers have even more choice to look forward to.

The new U visual identity and brand architecture is set to be unveiled in 2024. Wolff Olins is working alongside UKTV's own in-house Creative team on a suite of assets for the rebrand, which will simultaneously launch across UKTV's free-to-air channels and its streaming service next year.

UKTV's pay channels Alibi, Gold and Eden will transition to U&alibi, U&GOLD, U&eden at a later date, uniting the full network under the U brand.

News Shorts: People's Weather Loads Up On New Documentary Guardians Of The Forest, Divya-Drishti Gets A New Release Date On Star Life And Warner Bros. Discovery Scraps Tooncast And TCM From Brazil By The End Of 2023

People's Weather is travelling to Zambia

People's Weather, an environmental and wildlife channel currently viewed on DStv and Openview had announced the launch of a new documentary Guardian Of The Forest from Tuesday 5 December.

Explore how the magnificent Luangwa Valley in Zambia is working to protect its forests, biodiversity and livelihoods. With investable carbon offsets, the Luangwa Valley is making Africa shine by helping save the planet by reducing emissions through the proper management of forests, surrounding communities and their interaction with nature. 

Star Life is giving the run-around

During the month, Star Life was initially slated to launch the supernatural drama Divya Drishti but to many viewers surprise the current rebroadcast to A Magical Love Story would take up its timeslot daily at 23:00 with repeats still at 17:00.

Through an updated EPG, Divya Drishti is anticipated to replace Mismatched at 22:00 from Sunday 24 December - exactly as I anticipated. Of course, we take "premiere dates" on both Zee World and Star Life with a grain of salt and rather focus on the program in general.

Sky boots two WB channels

Through a viewer in Brazil, it was announced TCM and Tooncast would be exiting Sky on 31 December 2023. It's currently unknown whether this affects Latin America but prior to the termination consumers across Europe would be losing Discovery Turbo Xtra and Discovery Science.

Tooncast was a Latin American adaptation to the current Boomerang and Boing channels seen globally as the channel would leverage content viewed on Cartoon Network while TCM was viewed as a retro movie channel home to films from the 60s to 00s.

Before TCM's exit in Brazil the channel was shuttered across the UK and if one had to guess the reason for these terminations. Warner Bros. Discovery is probably removing non-performing channels as they've seen a decline in relevance from advertisers and viewers.

Bulldog Licensing To Represent Banijay’s Totally Spies! Reboot

UK agency Bulldog Licensing (Sesame Street, Care Bears) has come on board to oversee consumer products in the region for Banijay Kids & Family’s Totally Spies! franchise just months ahead of the brand’s series reboot (26 x 22 minutes, pictured) premiering on France’s Gulli and Discovery Kids Latin America. 

Targeting six- to nine-year-olds, the 2D-animated series was greenlit in 2022, and Warner Bros. Discovery has also picked it up to launch next year on Cartoon Network (US) and Max (EMEA).

Totally Spies! originally debuted in 2001 on ABC Family (now Freeform) in the US and ran for six seasons until 2013. The anime-inspired toon about three female teens balancing spy missions and high school drama has since been sold into 220 territories and is currently available in 60 languages. 

Over the years, the brand has built and maintained a strong digital presence on YouTube, where 351 million hours of episodes have been streamed, according to Banijay. 

Given the original series’ cult following among Millennials and Gen-Z, Bulldog plans to initially tap into the “strong adult nostalgia market” before moving on to product categories for kids. To begin with, the company is eyeing apparel (daywear and nightwear), fashion accessories, health & beauty, stationery and tech products.

Bulldog’s strategy aligns well with a broader industry trend to serve the lucrative “kidult” demographic, which was responsible for  nearly US$9 billion in sales last year, according to The Toy Association.

Bulldog managing director Rob Corney says the company will start courting potential licensees soon, on the heels of observing a “great reaction” to the Totally Spies! brand at this year’s Brand Licensing Europe event.