SABC Cancels Fokus And Shifts Afrikaans Programming Such As Voetspore And 50/50 From SABC 2 To SABC 3

Last year, it was reported that the SABC would be axing the Afrikaans soap 7de Laan after its 23 year run for repeats of Vetkoekpaleis. The public broadcaster had been struggling to acquire new content and update their brands due to financial constraints.

Since then, they have been cutting back on programming for their viewers with uBettina Wethu that was revived on e.tv for season 4. Then there's sort of rumours going around that Takalani Sesame had also been a subject for cancellation with rebroadcasts on e.tv.

Now it has been reported that Fokus, one of the last few Afrikaans shows to have aired on SABC 2 had been cancelled by the network. Not only that they're looking to transition SABC 3 into a multilingual channel by March 2024 with the addition of news, 50/50 and Voetspore.

Caroline Phalakatshela, SABC TV publicist, confirmed to Netwerk24 that the SABC has cancelled Fokus since it "no longer fits in" with SABC2 and the broadcaster's plan to move Afrikaans shows to SABC3 from March as part of a strategic decision.

When you look at it, I can kind of see where SABC was getting by moving Afrikaans to SABC 3. This portion of the channel had been ousted in favour of eExtra's Kuiertyd and kykNET so aligning it with SABC 3 is probably one way to help alleviate the viewership.

SABC has been trying to cater for all indigenous languages and for several years had burdened SABC 2 with 7 languages (including English) while SABC 3 would just cater to one with SABC 1 offering 2 languages.

SABC 3 similar with M-Net hasn't been dominant with the current demographic of SABC 1 and Mzansi Magic. While Uzalo is able to pull around 5 million viewers, Vetkoekpaleis was only able to obtain below 700,000 viewers which is almost half of SABC 3's current audience.

In general, most of the content like Noot Vir Noot and as mentioned Fokus had been pulling similar figures to SABC 3. The channel with a smaller number of viewers has a long journey ahead to try and retain the remaining viewers of Vetkoekpaleis and 50/50.

New Series Alert: A Family Affair Launches On Novela E Plus In The Coming Weeks, Bitter Sweet Love And Titli Coming This March On Star Life

Novela E Plus, a general entertainment channel offering series from Latin America, Turkey and Asia alongside the Bollywood based channel Star Life had announced the launch of new series A Family Affair with Titli and Bitter Sweet Love only set to debut in March.

A Family Affair tells the story of a woman and four brothers are mysteriously entangled in a complicated relationship that tests the loyalties and love they have for one another. The Philippine drama series aired in 2022 under ABS-CBN Entertainment.

It starred Ivana Alawi as Cherry Red Magwayen, Gerald Anderson as Francisco "Paco" Estrella, Sam Milby as Dave Estrella, Jameson Blake as Andrew "Drew" Estrella and Jake Ejercito as Sebastian "Seb" Estrella.

Based on the Bengali series Irabotir Chupkotha, Bitter Sweet Love (Baatein Kuch Ankahee Si) follows Vandana, a family-oriented woman, and Kunal, a practical man, have contrasting personalities but both like music. As they cross paths, a series of ups and downs ensue in their lives.

Debuted on StarPlus by 2023, the Hindi series starred Sayli Salunkhe as Vandana "Vandu" Karmarkar Malhotra, Mohit Malik as Kunal Malhotra, Karanveer Mehra as Vaibhav Joshi and Jazlyn Tanwani as Tara Malhotra.

Titli tells the story of an orphaned girl who is raised by her uncle and aunt that was traumatized after the events of her first marriage. Later, she meets Garv who hired her as a decorator for his sister's wedding, ends up falling in love with her and devotes himself to God to impress her.

Debuted on StarPlus by 2023, the Hindi series starred Neha Solanki as Titli Mehta, Avinash Mishra as Garv Mehta, Rinku Dhawan as Koel Manikant Mehta and Yash Tonk as Manikant Mehta.

A Family Affair launches on Novela E Plus daily at 20:40 from 20 February. This will be followed by Star Life's new series Bitter Sweet Love which airs at 21:30 from 26 March and Titli which airs at 19:30 from 29 March with Zee World's Vani Rani also airing in the month.

News Shorts: SABC 2 Acquired Rights To Football Themed Anime Series Inazuma Eleven, A Rebroadcast Of Queen Of Miami Launches On Telemundo Africa And KykNET & Kie Unveils New Afrikaans Drama Skemergrond

SABC 2 enters the football field

Following SABC's financial constraints, the public broadcaster had been struggling to obtain new content. As such anime on SABC 2 had been on limbo often featuring repeat broadcasts of Yu-Gi-Oh and now the channel is offering new content with Inazuma Eleven.

It follows a talented young goalkeeper tries to revive his school's lackluster team in this anime series based on the hit manga and video game. Currently streaming on Netflix and formerly seen on Nicktoons and Toonami, the series airs weekdays at 17:00 replacing Yu-Gi-Oh.

Another rebroadcast enters the month of romance

After launching rebroadcasts of My Heart Beats For Lola, The Chosen Granddaughter and A Woman Of Steel. Telemundo is set to be recruiting yet another series, Queen Of Miami ahead of the final season of Queen Of The South both of which star Kate Del Castillo as lead.

Synopsis for Queen Of Miami

Traumatized by the events of a difficult life and driven to avenge the betrayal of a husband, Anastasia Cardona will find, in the illicit business of her husband, the wealth which she has always desired. Her thirst for power overrides any limits when choosing her victims.

It replaces Prisoner Of Love from 26 February.

KykNET & Kie announces a new drama series

A new telenovela Skemergrond, set in a small Western Cape town will replace the popular Arendsvlei from July on kykNET&kie (DStv 145) with the new Afrikaans show also produced by Penguin Films and filled with characters "all carrying dark secrets".

Once the cancelled Arendsvlei ends, Skemergrond will also broadcast four episodes weekly from Mondays to Thursdays in the 19:30 timeslot on kykNET&kie. Casting that will include veteran actors as well as new faces is still to be announced.

The new telenovela is set in Gemoedsdrif, a small town in the Western Cape where the Louw family has a flower farm. 

March 2024 On History Channel Across Africa | New Series Alert: Alien Encounters: UFO Exposed | Returning Shows Include Storage Wars | More

Brand New & Exclusive STORAGE WARS S15

4 March 

Weekdays at 18h10 

Catch the latest instalment of the fan-favourite reality series Storage Wars. Season 15 features beloved cast members, many of whom have become show veterans. Darrell Sheets, Brandi Passante, Dan Dotson, Laura Dotson, Barry Weiss, Ivy Calvin, and their children are some of the key cast members of the latest season of Storage Wars. They will once again head to storage units and wait anxiously for the big reveal of what is behind the door, before the frantic bidding begins in the hopes of untapped hidden treasure. Repeat: Next Day 15h00

Brand New ALIEN ENCOUNTERS: UFO CASE FILES EXPOSED

15 March 

Friday at 19h25 

Revelations of military factions invest gat ng UFO sight ngs have opened a new era in the pursuit for the truth behind alien visitations. This documentary explores some of the most mind-blowing cases of recent times, exposing new details behind hidden secrets, suppressed evidence and cover-ups. We examine numerous files, from military encounters to astronaut accounts, abductions, crashed UFO retrievals and alien body examinations. Repeat: Monday 11h45

Brand New ROYAL MURDER MYSTERIES

17 March 

Sundays at 21h05 

What is the truth about the death of the controversial Duke of Kent in a plane crash during World War Two? Was George V murdered by his doctor? What actually became of the daughter of the last Tsar of Russia and how did Prince Albert Victor become mixed up in the Jack the Ripper killings? Do we have evidence that names the killer of the serial adulterer the Earl of Errol in Kenya’s notorious Happy Valley? And why is the death of Ludwig of Bavaria in the 1850s st ll shrouded in mystery to this very day? This hard-hit ng series invest gates all these extraordinary stories, sif ing through the evidence and the facts as it seeks to reach fi nal conclusions. Repeats: Saturday 21h55

Brand New & Exclusive THE UNBELIEVABLE WITH DAN ACKROYD

22 March 

Fridays at 19h25 

Starring Dan Aykroyd, The UnBelievable is the wildly entertaining and smart series that digs up the weirdest people, places, objects, and events in human history. Each hour-long episode will open up our cabinet of curiosit es to reveal the strangest-but-true stories in human history, brought to life through dynamic recreat on, compelling graphics, and arrest ng archival. Did you know that during World War II, FDR launched a top-secret program to at ack Japan with an army of bats? Or that three people once lost their lives thanks to a falling poodle? Have you heard of the island off the coast of Mexico that’s populated by thousands of mut lated dolls? These seemingly tall tales all actually happened, and The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd dives into historical records to tell you how and why. Repeats: Monday 11h45.

Brand New ODYSSEUS RETURNS

31 March 

Sundays at 20h15 

The tomb, the bones and the royal deal of King Odysseus. He was the trojan-horse-building genius in homer’s epic poem, ‘The Iliad’. He was the legendary lost King of the Ithacans who wandered the earth for two decades in ‘The Odyssey’. Scholars have long wondered whether homer’s Odysseus is merely a fiction, or whether he was a flesh-and-blood man. Repeats: Saturday 21h05

Recap To Last Year: Raven's Home Might Have Ended With A Season 6, Could A Spin-off Series/Film Be In Development?

Last month, it was reported that Disney Channel had cancelled The Secrets Of Sulphur Springs, The Ghost And Molly McGee and Bunk'd after their current seasons. With growing fears looming over their remaining offering with Raven's Home being a topic of discussion.

Synopsis for the first 4 seasons

Best friends Raven and Chelsea, both divorced single mothers, are now raising their children in an apartment together in Chicago. Their house is turned upside down when they realize that Raven's son Booker has inherited the same psychic abilities as his mother.

Synopsis for the last two seasons

Raven and Booker temporarily relocate to Raven's hometown of San Francisco to care for Raven's father Victor after he suffers a mild heart attack. While Raven tries to get her father back in shape, Booker must navigate his mother's old school with the help of some new friends and his younger cousin Alice.

Serving as the third spinoff to That's So Raven, the family sitcom debuted by July 21st 2017 serving as the second longest running series on Disney Channel behind Bunk'd. It accumulated 6 seasons with 122 episodes having been produced so far since the series inception.

In the season 6 finale episode titled Whose Line Is It Anyway, Disney Channel seems to have pieced out everything for these characters and closing the chapter to their story with the titular character ending the episode with her iconic catchphrase, "Yup, That's Me".

With Disney Channel remaining silent on the show we have reason to believe that maybe a follow-up project could be in development or the final season to the season finale I mean the idea wouldn't seem fetched.

Disney has been building a stronger fanbase on their IPs I mean they are looking to do a revival series to Wizards Of The Waverly Place. For a while now, they have been digging the corpses of older properties and reviving them in the modern era e.g. The Little Mermaid and Playdate With Winnie The Pooh.