Could 1Magic And M-Net's Me Perhaps Merge Into A Showmax Repeats Channel?

Update: the channels will close 31 March 2024 and for an updated statement: click here 

In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery halted original productions for TBS and TNT with further content on HBO leaving the latter to promote content from their Max streaming service. By the end of January, M-Net will become the only HBO as 1Magic is sidelined to streaming based content.

1Magic and M-Net Essentials (Me) were slated to close by the end of this week. But MultiChoice seems to have pumped the breaks as 1Magic introduces Showmax originals Outlaws and Adulting while as Mzansi Magic distances themselves from the channel's remaining shows.

1Magic was originally slated to air Champions in place of The River but that was picked up for Mzansi Magic with the revenge drama moving to 18:30. Prior to that, Adulting was set to air on Mzansi Magic before resurfacing on 1Magic of course that doesn't say much about Me.

Me as a result of this restructure continued adding shows like Tulsa King and A Million Little Things in the form of double bills. Half hour shows like Home Economics air 8 times weekly basically burning them off in a month.

MultiChoice is set to launch their rebranded Showmax streaming service in the month of February in partnership with NBCUniversal. It would recieve a wider variety of programming like The Office and Parks And Recreation alongside new films like Top Gun: Mavericks.

Also interesting to note, similar to how Showmax's local programs had been inserted on 1Magic. Tulsa King and Heels were one of the highlights for the streamer and now it's on Me so if anything it could be that these two channels are being used for "marketing purposes".

I mean if this proves to be the case then there's not much of a future left for the brands and they could as well go dark in the next few months. As both had been doubling up on primetime and further limiting the amount of new content.

With the possible closure of 1Magic, there's no guarantee that The Real Housewives will transmit on M-Net. If it did alongside various shows from 1Magic, it will more likely conflict with M-Net's current offering and rather restrain/reduce the pace of new content.

An alternative TV channel would prove to be favorable as it would lease the responsibility from M-Net and help further expand their offering. With the lack of international content available on linear platforms perhaps this channel could infuse the Me DNA.

News Shorts: CNN Phillipines To Close Down With 300 Job Losses, Fourth And Final Season Of Die Put On eExtra And Final Episodes Of The Ghost And Molly McGee Season 2 On Disney Channel Release Dates Revealed

CNN to close

CNN Philippines is to close down on Wednesday, the company announced on Monday local time. The move means up to 300 jobs will be lost.

CNN Philippines was launched in 2015 under a brand licensing agreement between Turner and Nine Media Network, a Philippines company that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the ALC Group of Companies previously launched by the late Ambassador Antonio Cabangon-Chua.

“CNN Philippines will discontinue operations on all media platforms effective Wednesday, Jan 31, 2044,” the company said in a posting on social media. “A trusted source of news and information CNN Philippines is accessible on free-to-air TV, cable and digital platforms. To our staff, we thank you for your commitment and dedication. To our partners, including CNN Worldwide / Turner Broadcasting Corporation, we are grateful for your support. And to our viewers, our sincerest gratitude for your loyalty and trust over the past 9 years.”

Ramos axed on eExtra

Ramos was made available on eVOD Stream back in 2023 before launching on eExtra. With the season 1 finale on eExtra set for 28 February, eExtra will replace the eVOD Stream exclusive with another which was once exclusive to linear platforms, Die Put S4 from 29 February.

Synopsis for the final season:

With Arık Böke and Cengiz Erdenet joining the game, the Koçovalı Family begin the great war with the Erdenet Family. Cengiz, who will change all the balances in the war between the Koçovalı Family and the Erdenet Family, makes very important decisions about Yamaç. 

We are awaiting an update on the second season of Ramos on eExtra but it if we had to guess it will more likely surface once Die Put ends.

The Ghost And Molly McGee comes to a close

During the month, it was reported that Disney Channel axed both The Ghost And Molly McGee and Bunk'd with final episodes slated for 2023. Unlike Bunk'd, final episodes of The Ghost And Molly McGee was made available on some international Disney Channels before the United States.

Now we've recieved word from sources that these episodes will arrive in Africa from March 18 as a double from 16:05 CAT. Anticipated episodes for this season include Jinx Vs. The Human World and The End - we won't be sharing any spoilers.

Disney Shorts: Disney Enterprises Might Be Looking To Rebrand Disney Junior, Disney's Journey Alongside Dog And Frog Animated Series Rumoured To Be In Development For Disney Channel And Disney+

Disney Junior's new look

It appears Disney Junior might be undergoing their first rebrand following its inception back in 2012 as a TV channel and years prior on Disney Channel. Disney had filed a trademark for this design but it has yet to be seen if this will be applied across EMEA following the channel's rebrand in 2022.

Disney adding another animal based program

Following the rollout of Kiff in 2023, Disney appears to be working on yet another possible animated series for the Disney Channel titled Dog And Frog. Not much is known about the project but Thurop Van Orman, Pedro Eboli and Mark Satterthwaite, Raj Brueggemann and Hannah Ayoubi are tied to it.

Disney adapting Dungeon And Dungeons

Following news of Dog And Frog is another animated project described as a Fantasy/Dungeon And Dragons type series titled Journey. It follows the titular character who is described as “always been a little right-brained, a little messy, a little ‘strange.’ Her interests include “Dungeons & Dragons” and fantasy stories.

Another character confirmed for the show, Tunde is “free-spirited, fun-loving, thrill-seeker with magic skills, living a nomadic lifestyle beyond the Dome with his small crew.” Also described as “a champion of peace and love,” the grid literally likens to Bob Marley.

The Simpson's History With The Gameboy With Game Included

Acclaim Entertainment teamed with Imagineering to release Bart Simpson's Escapes From Camp Deadly in 1991. The summer camp horror story was notable released before the show's intake of this idea in the season 4 episode titled Camp Krusty.

Acclaim Entertainment then also rushed out the continuation of Bart's handheld conflict in 1992 with The Simpsons: Bart Vs. The Juggernauts. The game's designers pulled out the idea from the most sacred of institutions which was American Gladiators.

Later that year, the handled Krusty's Funhouse also by Acclaim Entertainment was shipped on Gameboy. It was an impressively huge puzzle game featuring as many brain twisting levels as the console and computer versions.

It took a short break when the Bart mark started a waver and came back in 1993 with Itchy & Scratchy In Miniature Golf Madness. Surely these kids were clambering to have these two violent characters to play in an orderly game.

Itchy And Scratchy In Miniature Golf doesn't end with a bang but a whimper as Acclaim Entertainment exits the Gameboy with Bart And The Beanstalk in 1993. The game merges the existing universe of The Simpsons television series with the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Uncovered by Bartmania, THQ and Software Developer released what is the most memorable games in the Simpsons franchise titled The Night Of The Living Treehouse Of Horror in 2001. In colour and featuring the entire family released too late to make much of a splash.

The Simpsons made a leap to the Gameboy Advance courtesy of the THQ and Voltron with The Simpson's Road Rage in 2003. Based on the fun and fully 3D, the console game developed by Radical Entertainment plays like the paper craft taxi racing game you never wanted.

In total, The Simpsons managed to immense amount of 7 handheld games which is impressive for any handheld series.

Credits: Noiselandco

Reminder: Seduced To Slay Premieres On Investigation Discovery Channel Across Africa From Friday, 2 February At 21:00 CAT

Seduced To Slay is a gripping new series that delves into the depths of love and how it can lead people to commit unspeakable acts. With renowned psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser guiding us through each episode, we witness eight stories of deadly deceit that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

In the premiere episode, we are taken to Royse City, Texas, where Fire Captain Robert Poynter and his wife Chacey seem to have it all. But when a dramatic physical transformation leads to infidelity and murder, their idyllic small-town life is shattered.

Upcoming episodes promise even more heart-pounding drama, including the story of a power couple in Daytona Beach whose torrid affair leads to a videotaped murder and the investigation into a burned-out car with a body in the trunk that rocks the town of Speedway, Indiana.

Seduced To Slay is produced for ID by eOne and promises to be a must-watch for anyone fascinated by the darker side of human nature. Tune in to the African premiere on ID (DStv channel 171) on Friday, 2 February at 21:00 CAT and prepare to be seduced by the danger and intrigue that awaits.