Featured Discussions

DStv Stream Expected To Merge Into Showmax Replacement App

Could Hamster And Gretel Also Have Been Cancelled By Disney Channel?

Hamster & Gretel is an American animated superhero comedy television series created by Phineas and Ferb co-creator Dan Povenmire that premiered on Disney Channel on August 12, 2022. It featured the voices of Michael Cimino, Beck Bennett, Joey King and Matt Jones.

It followed the life of a 16-year-old boy named Kevin must work with his sister Gretel when she and her pet hamster are given superpowers by aliens and become a superhero duo dedicated to protecting their city.

The first premiered on August 12, 2022 on Disney Channel initially commissioned for 20 episodes got 10 additional episodes bringing it to 30. By June 2023, a second season was announced as part of an overall deal with Dan Povenmire and Disney Branded Television. 

During the week, Disney attended Annecy International Animation Film Festival where a lineup of content was unveiled including The Doomies and Kindergarten: The Musical. It was also there where it was revealed the production of a fifth season to Big City Greens.

Disney also announced a third season to Kiff on their social platforms and quietly removed any mentions of the show. Similar to Hailey's On It, speculation is going around that both Kiff and Hamster And Gretel will end after their current seasons. 

Both shows were renewed as part of an overall deal with Disney Branded Television and weren't part of Annecy like Big City Greens. With Dan Povenmire open to doing a crossover between Hamster And Gretel and Phineas And Ferb if a third season is considered. 

According to insiders, the reason Disney Channel has been canceling shows or slowly renewals has to do with the effects of the actor's strikes. The fate of these shows is dependant on their ratings through Disney+ as more households abandon linear TV.

July 2024 On Cartoon Network And Cartoonito Across Africa | New Series Alert: Care Bears Unlock The Magic | Returning Shows Including We Baby Bears | More

Cartoon Network 

• We Baby Bears (New Episodes): Join the Baby Bears Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear on their adventure to find a new home! After wishing upon a shooting star, the Baby Bears box transforms, gaining the ability to take them to different worlds!

• BrickFlicks Week: LEGO based films on Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Justice League.

• Gumball Games: A sports themed stunt featuring episodes of The Amazing World Of Gumball 

Cartoonito 

• Care Bears Unlock The Magic (New Show): When a new adventure takes them to a strange world, the Care Bears have to lean on each other more than ever; through friendship, courage and a little belly badge magic, they continue their mission to spread caring and sharing to the world.

• Bugs Bunny Builders (New Episodes): Bugs, Lola, Daffy, Porky and Tweety use their amazing vehicles to take on the looniest construction builds while learning valuable lessons -- they never give up, because The Looney Builders always get the job done.

• Lamput S4 (New Episodes): A clever orange nutcase, Lamput, escapes from a hidden laboratory, thus sending scientists Slim Doc and Fat Doc in a frenzy as they try hard to capture him. However, Lamput always manages to escape.

• Cartoonito Games: A sports themed stunt featuring episodes of Zig & Sharko, Mr. Bean and Bugs Bunny Builders. 

Should we get more details on a date and time, you'll find them here

BENOIT. Wrestling With The Horror That Destroyed A Family And Crippled A Sport (PDF)

Featuring the Canadian WWE wrestler Chris Benoit. Over a 3 day period ending on June 24, 2007, Benoit killed his wife Nancy, strangled his 7yr. old son, and subsequently hanged himself. The personal and the public remifications; the fallout for "sports entertainment" and sports in general; the role the media has played and whether professional wrestling as we know it will survive the scrutiny of fans and lawmakers alike - in this book four of the industry's most respected commentators weigh in on the horrific murder-suicide that outraged the nation, making wrestling's macho but fake cartoon world all too vulnerable and chillingly real.

Becoming Batman The Possibility Of A Superhero (PDF)

Battling bad guys. High-tech hideouts. The gratitude of the masses. Who at some point in their life hasn't dreamed of being a superhero? Impossible, right? Or is it? Possessing no supernatural powers, Batman is the most realistic of all the superheroes. His feats are achieved through rigorous training and mental discipline, and with the aid of fantastic gadgets. Drawing on his training as a neuroscientist, kinesiologist, and martial artist, E. Paul Zehr explores the question: Could a mortal ever become Batman? Zehr discusses the physical training necessary to maintain bad-guy-fighting readiness while relating the science underlying this process, from strength conditioning to the cognitive changes a person would endure in undertaking such a regimen. In probing what a real-life Batman could achieve, Zehr considers the level of punishment a consummately fit and trained person could handle, how hard and fast such a person could punch and kick, and the number of adversaries [...]that individual could dispatch. He also tells us what it would be like to fight while wearing a batsuit and the amount of food we'd need to consume each day to maintain vigilance as Gotham City's guardian. A fun foray of escapism grounded in sound science, Becoming Batman provides the background for attaining the realizable -- though extreme -- level of human performance that would allow you to be a superhero.

If Not DStv And Showmax, Could M-Net And SuperSport Rebrand Under The Canal+ Trademark?

Canal+ is a French based pay-tv provider operated by Vivendi that distribute various films, series and TV channels. It is also one of MultiChoice's biggest shareholders and as reported sometime ago are set to merge their operations within Africa 

As some readers are aware, Canal+ has acquired numerous stock in the recent years in an attempt to expand their operations. They currently own French broadcaster Orange SA's film and TV studios alongside M7 Group that is based in Europe. 

Most of these assets are being credited as "A Canal+ Company" if not rebranding to Canal+ as yet. Of course, there's questions as to whether a similar fate could be awaiting the DStv and GOtv parent company, MultiChoice.

During the month, Canal+ Group CEO was approached by journalists where he addressed several matters regarding MultiChoice. As reported, he's been given the greenlight to acquire the remaining shares and is currently drawing up a proposal to appease legislation. 

"So, you don't discard assets. Unless you have to." What is true is that we're only facing companies [like Netflix, Apple, etc.] that have one brand. And it makes them stronger. But if you ask me today, what would you do? You know, I would definitely not change the brands. They are very strong brands.

As implied these endeavors don't have to happen right away as there was a matter in Austria where HD Austria had rebranded to Canal+ Austria. The fate of DStv and Showmax will probably be dependent on where they stand with audiences in the coming years.

But from the other portion of the statement, it is also possible that DStv will remain as DStv. Even if they were to subject it to a rebrand, it will probably be what Elon Musk did to Twitter (Now X) majority referring to it as DStv another being the rapid decline in viewers. 

There wouldn't be much to salvage if your audience hadn't shown any signs of improvement. The only reason you'd hide under another identity would be cover up those losses as seen with MultiChoice in regards to their premium numbers.

Although DStv and Showmax wouldn't be subject to a rebrand one would need to turn their attention to what comes on these platforms. We don't envision them rebranding KykNET or Mzansi Magic but crediting various shows and films as StudioCanal.

If there's a brand I'd probably wonder about now it would be M-Net as their international endeavors had been reduced in recent years. They had closed 1Magic and Me earlier in the year as the latter had been merged with Showmax (which wind up with 1Max).

If this was M-Net's way of transitioning to Showmax this would be an appropriate time cause unlike SuperSport it's struggling to retain its consumers following increased competition from Netflix and Disney+.

It is true that only two things drive subscriptions, he added. Discounts and sports. When there's a specific game that everyone wants to watch, Canal+ sees a spike of thousands of subscribers.

"(But) not one movie will drive subscriptions. Still, people who like sports, they like cinema. The opposite is not true."

Movies are seen as a prerequisite for subscribers. "And the economics work because you kind of amortise one over the other," says Saada.

Canal+ Group had mentioned that discounts and sports drive subscription cause when one game comes broadcasts the subscription numbers spike but when a movie comes on not one drive in subscription. One of those reasons we should question M-Net's fate.

If anything, M-Net could become Canal+ Premiere with the group of local channels continued to be referred as M-Net. Or like SuperSport it remains on air and Canal+ looks to launch separate TV channels under the company name as seen in other markets.