June 2024 On History Across Africa | New Series Alert: Hitler’s Handmaidens | Returning Shows Including Pawn Stars | More

WAR STORY SUNDAYS

Starts 2 June – 4 August

Sundays From 20h15

This year marks 80 years since the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. The seaborn invasion and airborne operati ons were the beginning of the liberati on of France and western Europe during WWII. To mark this anniversary the HISTORY Channel Africa brings viewers D-Day: 100 Days To Beat The Third Reich. Other war stories that will be brought to life each Sunday evening in June includes Hitler’s Handmaidens, The Lost U-Boats Of WWII and WWII Air Crash Detectives. 

BRAND NEW

HITLER’S HANDMAIDENS

2 June

Sundays 20h15

The role of women in the rise and implementati on of Nazi Germany is rarely featured in the history of World War II. Hitler’s Handmaidens examines the women who played an influential role in German society under the Nazi regime, from those who supported Hitler’s rise, to the individuals who played an active role in the Holocaust and other atrocities. Repeat: Following Saturday 21:05

Brand New & Exclusive

D-DAY: 100 DAYS TO BEAT THE THIRD REICH THE LOST U-BOATS OF WWII

2 June

Sundays 21h05

For the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing, this documentary will bring back to life the 100 days it took for the Allies to liberate Normandy, to break through the German line and to pave the way towards victory. It tells of 100 criti cal days, both heroic and tragic, that made history. Repeats: Following Saturday 21:55

BRAND NEW

THE LOST U-BOATS OF WWII

16 June

Sundays 21h05

During WWII the Nazis stole billions of dollars in gold, jewels and art. In an effort to hold onto as much of their treasure as possible despite losing the war, the Nazis dispersed the valued goods all over the globe using U-boats. For almost 80 years the treasure laden U-Boats have remained in their watery graves, until now. Famed treasure hunter Darrell Miklos is setting out to complete his lifelong mission of finding the missing U-boats and their multi-billion-dollar cargo. Each one-hour episode follows Darrell and his team of experts as they attempt to locate and lift the missing Nazi U-boats from the bottom of the Caribbean Sea. Repeats: Following Saturday 21:55

Brand New

WWII AIR CRASH DETECTIVES

30 June

Sundays 20h15

Uncovering the truth behind the deaths of thousands of airmen in World War II is investigator Garth Barnard. He reveals the historical events that caused vast destruction and devastation. Not only are stories told of collisions with attacking aircrafts, but the series presents the facts behind dangerous training missions and accidents that occurred. Repeats: Following Saturday 21:05

Brand New Episodes

PAWN STARS S24

26 June

Wednesdays 19h25

From ‘Pulp Fiction’ and Alfred Hitchcock posters to Nike Lebron sneakers and a signed autobiography by Arnold Schwarzenegger, there’s some wheeler dealing in the latest episodes of Pawn Stars. Go behind the scenes in the exciting pawn business, in this long-running and massively popular reality series. Repeats: Next Day 11:45

Recap To The Decade: Legacy Made Its Debut On Magic Showcase On DStv Easyview, Snubbed From Mzansi Wethu On Access

After MultiChoice and M-Net opted to scrap Novela Magic to DStv and GOtv consumers Africa. Content such as Zuba, Arendsvlei and The Throne had seen then been folded under Southern African/Pan-African infused entertainment channel, Magic Showcase. 

Since the channel's inception by November 2022, Magic Showcase has not only been giving consumers content already viewed on Africa Magic and Mzansi Magic but has also been serving as open window to shows viewed on Zambezi Magic and M-Net.

This includes dramas like Legacy and as mentioned Zuba and reality shows like Date My Family Zambia. 

These are content that once had an open window on HONEY and Novela Magic but that window had since then been shattered. Particularly for Legacy, as the only other alternative Me went dark on the platform last month, where does that leave shows like Reyka and Summertide?

Mzansi Magic had further distanced themselves from 1Magic's scraps with The River that moved to an earlier timeslot in favor Champions. Mzansi Wethu hasn't bothered to broadcast any of M-Net's original shows including Legacy leaving only Magic Showcase. 

Considering the outcome of Magic Showcase could it be possible that MultiChoice will look into rolling it out on more DStv platforms. Especially with the lineup of content that has been restricted from selected consumers or is that no longer viewed as a priority. 

Although other DStv customers have access to a lineup of entertainment from Mzansi Magic, Moja Love and KykNET. That wasn't the case for MultiChoice's Easyview consumers as they were hovering around provincial channels for comfort. 

But with various channels like Real Time, BBC UKTV, Mzansi Wethu and Nicktoons having around top to mid tier consumers Magic Showcase could join the lineup with proper restructuring. 

Interesting Fact: Boomerang Would Have Become A Preschool Channel By 2005 Or 2006

Tickle U was Cartoon Network's first attempt at a rival offering with Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. It debuted as a programming block on August 22, 2005 to January 13, 2006 with shows like Peppa Pig, Gerald McBoing Boing, Firehouse Tales and Little Robots.

Very little was known at the time at what led to inevitable demise of various theories did come to mind. One was the rival offering viewed on the as mentioned Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. brands with the other likely dealing with the content in general. 

Tickle U aired lesser known shows and the fact that Warner Bros. Discovery didn't browse their archives at the time. They had A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Krypto The Superdog and Baby Looney Tunes all of which never made it to the preschool block.

However people familiar with the matter had outlined that Warner Bros. Discovery had considered making Boomerang a preschool channel. This would be through Tickle U trademark and with the channel likely to be revolvant on its content.

Despite it not materializing, Boomerang did however did start airing more modernized shows in the later years like Krypto The Superdog and Gerald McBoing Boing. It wasn't long till Warner Bros. Discovery's next attempt at the preschool market, Cartoonito.

Cartoonito was a household trademark in the UK before expanding to other parts of Europe. It formed part of Boomerang's family lineup with shows like Baby Looney Tunes, Interstellar Ella and Lu Lu And The Bally Bunch before taking up the rest of the channel. 

Warner Bros. Discovery And Weigel Broadcasting To Rollout New Children's Channel, MeTV Toons

Classic TV network MeTV is turning its cartoon block into a new network. Owner Weigel Broadcasting Co. announced Wednesday that it will launch MeTV Toons as a new national TV network focused on classic animation, “from Hollywood-era shorts to made-for-television favorites.”

MeTV Toons, which launches June 25, is a collab between Weigel and Warner Bros. Discovery, which has licensed content featuring its animated characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, George Jetson, Top Cat, Yogi Bear, Popeye, Johnny Quest and Fred Flintstone. (MeTV already airs a daily program, “Toon In With Me,” which features a heavy emphasis on Warner bros. animated fare.)

Weigel touts MeTV Toons as “the only TV network destination dedicated exclusively to classic animation” — as Warner Bros. Discovery’s Cartoon Network companion Boomerang, which also runs old Looney Tunes, “The Jetsons,” “The Flintstones,” “Scooby-Doo” and Popeye shorts, also runs some more recent, post-2000 cartoon episodes.

Beyond Warner Bros. titles, MeTV Toons will also feature animated content from other studios and distributors, with properties including Rocky and Bullwinkle, Woody Woodpecker, Casper, Betty Boop and Speed Racer.

“We are honored to work with the amazing team at Warner Bros. Discovery and others on this network and bring together a truly incredible collection of the world’s best known and most loved classic cartoons, creating a new destination for everyone to discover or rediscover the sheer joy of watching cartoons on TV,” said Weigel vice chairman Neal Sabin. “MeTV Toons will be dedicated 24/7 to showcasing the biggest names and most beloved classic cartoons and animated characters. Everyone has a favorite cartoon; it is a universally loved art form. We are thrilled to bring those smiles and memories back to TV with MeTV Toons.”

Sabin added in an executive briefing on Wednesday: “The cartoons offered are going to help make this be the greatest animation network ever. Everybody has a favorite cartoon — just just think about the cartoons that you watched when you were younger and the nice warm, fuzzy feelings that they bring back. We’re going to bring those back to people every day in the MeTV way of doing things and this network is going to appeal to all ages and advertisers. It’s going to be multi-studio, multi-platform and multi-generational. It’s MeTV Toons, and it’s going to be really special.”

As part of the channel launch, animation historian Jerry Beck (whose books include “The 50 Greatest Cartoons,” “The Hanna-Barbera Treasury” and “Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Bros. Cartoons”) will help produce original content related to the MeTV Toons library. Also, character actor Bob Bergen — who has voiced Porky Pig, Marvin the Martian and more, will serve as the signature voice announcer for MeTV Toons.

MeTV Toons will be available for distribution on over-the-air broadcast television, traditional and virtual operators, along with a complimentary offering for ad-supported streaming services. Besides MeTV and MeTV Toons, other Weigel networks include Heroes & Icons, Start TV, Catchy Comedy, Movies!, Story Television, Dabl and MeTV+.

“Neal and the team at Weigel have been long-standing and innovative licensing partners of Warner Bros. content for decades,”, said David Decker, president of content sales for Warner Bros. Discovery, in a statement. “Having some of the Studio’s most iconic animated characters all available in one place is not only great for fans of classic animation, but also just super fun.”

Disney And Warner Bros. Discovery To Rollout Bundled Disney+ And Max Streamer

The companies are aiming to launch the bundle this summer. The exact launch date and the price point have not yet been announced, but plans call for both ad-free and ad-supported versions to be available.

The move creates the first cross-company partnership for any of the top-tier services to come to market as the race to catch up with Netflix began in earnest about five years ago. It follows years of speculation and public musings by top executives about when bundling across the industry might reduce friction and begin to make streaming more cost-efficient for programmers and consumers alike. Pay-TV operators long served as third-party bundlers in the cable age, but while distribution deals with the likes of Roku and Amazon are key to any streaming service gaining traction, it’s mostly every-app-for-itself in the streaming era.

Churn, the industry term for the number of canceled subscriptions in a given period, has been a nagging problem for media companies. For decades, they had grown accustomed to the far more stable patterns of pay-TV, which was built on a foundation of long-term contracts and physical equipment. In the realm of direct-to-consumer internet businesses, a tap of an app can vaporize revenue, one of the many reasons why companies have been looking more closely at bundling, especially with cord-cutting ravaging their pay-TV network holdings.

Viewers, meanwhile, complain of a dizzying landscape of apps and titles filling their screens, making the simple act of finding something to watch a grueling process. The “endless scroll” of Netflix and later imitators has amplified Bruce Springsteen’s fabled lament about “57 channels and nothin’ on.”

Within companies, synergistic bundling has been commonplace for several years, with Disney in the vanguard with its successful troika of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Many players are taking the next step and more fully consolidating services. Max last year rebranded from HBO Max and added Discovery+ programming. Disney has been steadily bringing its flanker services into closer alignment with flagship Disney+, adding a Hulu tile to Disney+ earlier this year and planning an ESPN one later this year.

In yet another sign of the times, Paramount+ and Showtime’s streaming service fully merged in 2023. Paramount Global’s recent travails and efforts to finalize a potential merger have also been accompanied by speculation that Paramount+ would be ripe for the kind of bundle announced by Disney and WBD. Comcast and Paramount had held talks about a Peacock-P+ combo, but those discussions reportedly faltered due to disputes over control.

Disney, despite rolling up all of Hulu in a buyout of Comcast’s one-third stake in recent months, has shown increased interest in joint ventures. It recently teamed with Fox Corp. and WBD on a sports-focused streaming bundle. That still-unnamed service, nicknamed “Spulu,” is due to launch this fall.

Brands to be showcased in the new Disney-WBD bundle include ABC, CNN, DC, Discovery, Disney, Food Network, FX, HBO, HGTV, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar, Searchlight and Warner Bros. The new offering will be available for purchase on any of the three streaming platforms’ websites.

“On the heels of the very successful launch of Hulu on Disney+, this new bundle with Max will offer subscribers even more choice and value,” said Joe Earley, President, Direct to Consumer, Disney Entertainment. “This incredible new partnership puts subscribers first, giving them access to blockbuster films, originals, and three massive libraries featuring the very best brands and entertainment in streaming today.”

“This new offering delivers for consumers the greatest collection of entertainment for the best value in streaming, and will help drive incremental subscribers and much stronger retention,” said JB Perrette, CEO and President, Global Streaming and Games, Warner Bros. Discovery. “Offering this unprecedented entertainment value for fans across all the complimentary genres these three services offer, presents a powerful new roadmap for the future of the industry.”