The Possible Damage Awaiting MultiChoice Following The Cancellation Of M-Net's Me And 1Magic On DStv

In a few days, DStv customers will be bidding farewell to two channels, 1Magic and Me. As M-Net further streamlines and consolidate their entertainment offering consumers will be paying more but have less channels at their disposal.

These channels would have joined B4U Movies, Deutsche Welle (DW), People's Weather, Ginx eSports TV, Emmanuel TV, NWTV and One Freestate Televisual to have been axed since the start of the year with WildEarth to follow soon.

MultiChoice in these endeavors have made their closures very distasteful with the lack of marketing to their consumers. Not even a press release on their website to probably explain the matter and what fate awaits the programming on these channels. 

As these channels play an important role in their respective packages and were one of the few reasons anyone would latch on to their consumers. With their inevitable demise,  MultiChoice risks losing more DStv consumers and revenue. 

Amidst these inflated prices, MultiChoice had promised their Compact Plus consumers a rebranded offering. This would see one of their current entertainment channels convert into open window for Showmax originals alongside third party content.

Seeing as it will not launch immediately after 1Magic and Me would depart from several consumers. The channel would have lost an audience as the only means of survival for this brand would be extending its reach to more DStv consumers. 

Not much details has shared on whether the channel would replace Me or if select shows would be accessible on the channel. With the amount of content coming from Showmax not much space would be available to accompany M-Net's existing offering.

Although some programming from Me such as Chicago Med and The Equalizer can be accessible on Universal TV they're lagging behind by several seasons from Me. Aside from that, they haven't obtained nor have plans to broadcast Chicago Fire.

April 2024 On TLC Across Africa | New Series Alert: Curvy Brides Boutique | Returning Shows Including 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After And Bad Skin | More

South Africa 

90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? S8

NEW SEASON

"Cultures clash when Mahmoud joins Nicole in LA, and Emily and Kobe are met with chaos in Cameroon. Manuel's secrecy causes Ashley suspicion. Gino's error means trouble for Jasmine's kids. Ed and Liz embrace their fresh start. Sophie reveals her next step with Rob."

First TX: 11 April

TX Day: Thursday

TX Time: 20:00

Last TX: 6 June

The Bad Skin Clinic S6

NEW SEASON

Dr. Emma Craythorne is on a mission to solve complex skin conditions. She helps people whose lives have been impeded by devastating disorders.

First TX: 27 April

TX Day: Saturday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 25 May

Seeking Sister Wife S5

NEW SEASON

The popular show documents the lives of polygamous families who are searching for a new wife to add to their plural marriages. 

First TX: 27 April

TX Day: Saturday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 3 July

Africa 

The Bad Skin Clinic S6

NEW SEASON

Dr. Emma Craythorne is on a mission to solve complex skin conditions. She helps people whose lives have been impeded by devastating disorders.

First TX: 27 April

TX Day: Saturday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 25 May

Welcome to Plathville S5

NEW SEASON

Frustrated by the rift between Olivia and his family, Ethan hopes time can heal their unresolved issues. Barry gets personal with Micah about the divorce.

First TX: 1 April

TX Day: Monday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 27 May

Curvy Brides' Boutique S1

NEW TO CHANNEL

Situated in rural Essex, fashion partners Jo Cooke and Alison Law design wedding dresses for overweight brides in England.

First TX: 11 April

TX Day: Thursday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 30 May

Development Alert (Rumour): TeenNick To Fold Under The Nickelodeon Teen Trademark In European Countries Including Germany, Austria And Switzerland

TeenNick is a teen oriented entertainment channel operated by Paramount Global and spinoff to Nickelodeon. It is home to various live-action shows formerly seen on Nickelodeon such as Victorious and Zoey 101 alongside animated such as Hey Arnold!.

Although TeenNick is not viewable in most of parts of Africa, the channel has managed to build its presence in MENA, Greece, Israel, Hungary, Latin America, Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Romania.

According to a story on Parabola, Paramount Global had filed a new trademark for the network later in the week known as Nickelodeon Teen. This trademark is already in use by the company in France and from the looks of it could be carried in Europe.

The name change is said to be an effort by Paramount Global to strengthen its core brand among children and young audiences. Of course, what's strange about this is why they opted to incorporate a localized trademark as opposed to TeenNick.

In recent years, global businesses tend to operate independently from their main feed. It's likely that Nickelodeon Teen is being added in these countries due to its success in France and another being a globalization as seen with sister networks, MTV and Nick Jr.

Development Alert: Baby Shark's Big Show Likely Cancelled On Nickelodeon After 3 Seasons As New Episodes Rollout On Nick Jr.

Baby Shark's Big Show! is an animated children's television series based on the " Baby Shark " brand from the South Korean company Pinkfong. SmartStudy, Pinkfong's parent company, co-produces the show with Nickelodeon Animation Studio from the United States. 

In South Korea, Baby Shark's Big Show! debuted on the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) with a Christmas special on December 25, 2020 with the full series from September 2021. In the United States, it premiered on Nickelodeon on December 11, 2020. 

Not long ago, it was reported that Paramount Global had removed various Nickelodeon titles from their lineup. This included Paramount+ originals Big Nate and Rugrats alongside past series like Are You Afraid Of The Dark? and Middlemost Post. 

Paramount Global which is undergoing a possible restructure amidst a possible acquisition had consumed various debts. The latter to have been axed are a part of corporate write offs which sees some of these projects getting erased from existence.

Amidst this shakeup, several consumers had spotted new episodes of Baby Shark’s Big Show on the Nick Jr. channel. As some readers are aware, all primetime titles are usually folded under Nickelodeon with preschool stuff under a dedicated block.

Sister stations for Nickelodeon are usually bombarded with repeats and usually whenever a current program from Nickelodeon is made available on an exclusive basis it usually signals a possible cancellation. 

Although there's no official confirmation, Nickelodeon has been very distant from most of their projects. Nickelodeon serving as co-producer alongside Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) means that the show could be picked up by another platform.

Paramount+ Removes 10 Nickelodeon Titles Including ‘Blue’s Clues & You!’ & ‘Rugrats’ Series

Paramount+ has purged 10 Nickelodeon original series, following the removal of other Nick titles from the platform over the past several months.

The list includes Are You Afraid of the Dark? (2019-2022), Blue’s Clues & You! (2019), It’s Pony (2020-2022), Middlemost Post (2021-2022), Ollie’s Pack (2020), Ryan’s Mystery Playdate (2019-2023), Santiago of the Seas (2020), That Girl Lay Lay (2021-2024) as well as the made-for-Paramount+ Big Nate (2022)and Rugrats (2021).

This is said to be part of content removal addressed in the most recent Q4 earnings call on February 28. Targeting Nick titles is a little surprising as, according to parent Paramount Global, the network’s Kids & Family content consistently ranks among the most watched and re-watched programming on Paramount+.

“In connection with our continued review of our international content strategy, during the first quarter of 2024 we made a strategic decision to focus on content with mass global appeal,” the company said in its 10-K filing. “As part of this, we are rationalizing original content on Paramount+, especially internationally, and improving the efficiency of our linear network programming. As a result, we have reviewed our expansive global content portfolio and are removing select content from our platforms.”

Paramount expects “to recognize additional programming charges that we currently expect to be in the range of approximately $700 million to $900 million during the first quarter of 2024.”