New Series Alert: The Thread Of Love Coming In July On TLNovelas Across Africa

TLNovelas, a Mexican entertainment channel operated by TelevisaUnivision that is home to various Portuguese dramas will be rolling out a new series in the coming months titled The Thread Of Love, known in Portuguese as Diseñando Tu Amor.

Based on the Portuguese telenovela Meu Amor, it followed Valentina and her sister Nora with a desire to become successful in the fashion world. As they try to reach their dreams, obstacles like family and romance complicate their journeys.

It starred Gala Montes as Valentina Fuentes Barrios, Juan Diego Covarrubias as Claudio Barrios, Sergio Goyri as Guillermo Vargas Mota, Ana Belena as Helena Vargas Reyna and Osvaldo de León as Héctor Casanova Morales.

The Thread Of Love debuted on Las Estrellas 26 April to 7 October 2021 with 120 half hour episodes having been filmed. Before it's rollout on TLNovelas, TelevisaUnivision had licensed the content to various broadcasters in the African market.

The series will air on 22 July replacing The One Who Couldn't Love and prior to this another series My Secret rolls out in June replacing Thinking Of You.

"Weird Observation": Nickelodeon’s Global Operations Possibly Rebranded To Nickelodeon Global Unlimited

During the week, Nickelodeon unveiled a list of upcoming attractions for the channel alongside Nick Jr for June. This included the new film No Time To Spy: A Loud House Movie for Paramount+ which will likely be exempted from countries.

As some readers have noticed, Nicktoons wasn't included in this lineup of announcements that's because while Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. had been globalized. There's still some parts of Nicktoons which are localized and that include the Nick Jr. block and NickMusic.

Anticipating that these highlights are handled by someone within Africa while the others are situated in Europe. Of course, what got my attention here about Nick's June portfolio was the trademark "Nickelodeon Global Unlimited".

For those aren't aware, feeds for the channel in Africa had been unified with Germany, Poland, Denmark and various parts of Europe. At that time, this was simply known as Nickelodeon Africa before forming with other markets to be known as Nickelodeon Global. 

On the first page of this PDF File, Nickelodeon Global Unlimited had been introduced so if anything could it be possible that Nick Global underwent a name change honestly it wouldn't seem far fetched.

Nickelodeon relaunched Splat with a modernized design in 2023. It would only make sense if other parts of the network were being refurbished I mean "Unlimited" meaning endless sort of expands the channel's structure and makes it feel elite.

The Splat had sort of come at the time the channel had been revisiting past shows and reviving them for modern audiences. This year, Nick Jr. launched a reboot of Dora The Explorer (shortened to Dora) with Fairly OddParents: A New Wish on Nickelodeon.

Skydance’s Proposed Deal With Paramount Global Appears To Be Falling Apart

After months of M&A talks, Paramount Global and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone might be going it alone after all — for now.

Insiders tell that the expectation at the company is that neither of the two offers in play — Skydance Media-RedBird Capital Partners and Sony Pictures Entertainment-Apollo Global Management — will come to fruition. And Redstone is said to have reluctantly concluded that a deal with David Ellison’s Skydance, a longtime partner of Paramount Pictures, will not be possible.

As of Friday morning, the special committee established by Paramount Global’s board to evaluate M&A proposals had not notified Skydance one way or the other about its best and final offer, which would involve Skydance acquiring Redstone’s National Amusements Inc. and merging Skydance and Paramount Global, per a source familiar with the talks. The exclusive negotiating window between Skydance and the Paramount Global board’s special committee established to review M&A offers is set to expire at midnight Friday.

Meanwhile, the Paramount board’s special committee will review the joint Sony-Apollo offer, floating a $26 billion all-cash buyout premium, after the May 3 expiration of the Skydance negotiating window. But that may be so the board fulfills its fiduciary duty to consider all credible M&A proposals. Insiders expect the proposal to ultimately be a deal-breaker, given anticipated regulatory hurdles required to complete such a transaction.

Moreover, Redstone — who has final say-so over what deal to accept — is known to be loath to sell her family’s media company to a private-equity-backed buyer. Those familiar with Redstone’s thinking say she remains open to any deal that’s in the best interests of shareholders and that she supports the Paramount special committee’s review of the Sony-Apollo overture. That said, the Sony-Apollo offer appears more attractive to Paramount Global’s Class B (nonvoting) shareholders than the Skydance deal. If the Sony-Apollo offer is deemed unworkable, the most likely outcome is that Paramount Global will not proceed on either front given the threat of investor legal action were the company to move forward with Skydance.

Reps for Paramount Global, Skydance and National Amusements have declined to comment, as has a spokesman for the Paramount board’s special committee reviewing M&A offers. Reps for Apollo and Sony have not responded to requests for comment.

The situation remains fluid, and no definitive decisions have been made about Paramount or Redstone’s next moves.

But if the M&A talks are abandoned, Paramount Global would indeed be run for the foreseeable future by the three-headed “Office of the CEO” — CBS’s George Cheeks, Paramount Pictures’ Brian Robbins and Chris McCarthy, head of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks — after Bob Bakish was shown the door. The trio have told employees they’re prepping a “long-term plan” for Paramount Global. As part of cutting the company’s debt load, insiders speculate that strategic plan might include selling BET Media Group (which media mogul Byron Allen has expressed interest in acquiring) and the famed 62-acre Paramount Pictures Studio lot on Melrose Avenue in L.A. The go-forward strategy might also see the company try to combine the Paramount+ streaming service with NBCUniversal’s Peacock in some way.

At this point, Paramount Global is preparing “to go it alone,” LightShed Partners analysts Rich Greenfield, Brandon Ross and Mark Kelley speculated in a blog post Friday. “While Skydance could come back later in 2024 or next year, we sense National Amusements sees too many legal headaches with proceeding, given the special committee’s view of the proposed transaction.”

Regarding the Sony-Apollo bid, the LightShed analysts noted, “National Amusements does not want to see a breakup of the company and can stop any transaction they do not desire.” They suggested that regulatory approval of such a deal, given restrictions on studio and TV station consolidation and foreign ownership, would take at least 12 months “and potentially far longer if the administration turns over in November.”

Development Alert: AYV's Entertainment Channel To Rollout On DStv Platforms In Nigeria, Might Launch In More African Countries

Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire, under the leadership of CEO Anthony Jr. Navo, has announced the launch of its DSTv Channel 399 in Nigeria. Scheduled for May 6th, 2024, the live opening on DSTv Channel 399 marks a pivotal moment for both AYV and the broadcasting landscape in Nigeria.

AYV Media Empire first made waves in Sierra Leone with its official partnership with DSTv Africa, debuting on Channel 399 on September 17th, 2021. Since then, the institution has been a beacon of innovation and quality programming, captivating audiences across Sierra Leone and beyond.

With its expansion into Nigeria, AYV continues to solidify its position as a leading media entity in Africa. The move not only underscores the empire’s commitment to reaching wider audiences but also reflects its ambition to foster meaningful connections with viewers in diverse cultural contexts.

CEO Anthony Jr. Navo, alongside the management team, views this expansion as more than just a business endeavor. It’s a testament to AYV’s dedication to empowering young people and nurturing talent across the continent. Navo passionately advocates for investment in youth empowerment, emphasizing the transformative impact it can have on societies.

AYV Media Empire’s presence now extends to thirty countries across Africa, with plans to reach twenty-four more in the near future. This rapid expansion demonstrates the empire’s ambition to become a household name, delivering quality content that resonates with audiences of all backgrounds.

As Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr. articulates, the journey doesn’t end with broadcasting; it’s about making a tangible difference in communities and inspiring positive change. By investing in young people and promoting talent, AYV aims to not only create job opportunities but also foster a culture of innovation and creativity that propels Africa forward.

With the launch of DSTv Channel 399 in Nigeria, AYV Media Empire embarks on a new chapter of growth and influence, poised to leave an indelible mark on the media landscape across the continent

Skydance Media Exclusive Talks With Paramount Global Conclude As Apollo And Sony Make Bid To Acquire The Company

Skydance Media is prepared to walk away from its offer for Paramount Global unless it receives a firm commitment from controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, following the latest offer from Apollo Global Management and Sony Pictures, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The exclusivity window for discussions between David Ellison's Skydance, backed by private equity firms RedBird Capital and KKR, and Paramount ends Friday and won't be extended, people familiar with the matter mentioned Paramount shares rose following the report.

The consortium has been waiting for word from Paramount's special committee on whether the panel will recommend its bid to acquire the company to Redstone. Now, with Apollo and Sony formally expressing interest in acquiring the company for about $26 billion, the Skydance group is looking for Redstone to reaffirm her commitment to the deal.

The Skydance consortium is not keen to hang around to be a stalking horse offer for Apollo and Sony, one of the people said. Still, depending on what Redstone says, Ellison may be willing to work with her, a second person said.

Spokespeople for Skydance, Redstone's National Amusements and Paramount's special committee declined to comment on Friday.

Apollo and Sony made their latest offer Thursday, CNBC previously reported. The special committee is currently considering the bid, the people said.

As part of Skydance's latest deal on the table, Redstone may take less than $2 billion for her controlling stake in Paramount, which is lower than Skydance's initial offer. The consortium is contributing additional capital to pay common, Class B shareholders at a nearly 30% premium to the undisturbed trading price of about $11 per share. In total, Redstone and Skydance would contribute $3 billion, with the vast majority going to Class B shareholders, according to people familiar with the matter.

Skydance's valuation as part of the deal remains around $5 billion, the people said. It's unclear if the Apollo-Sony offer gives Redstone the same premium.

Previously, Redstone rejected an offer by Apollo in favor of exclusive talks with Skydance. Redstone has preferred a deal that would keep Paramount together, as Skydance's offer would. A private equity firm is likely to break up the company.