Could M-Net Become A Dumping Ground For Canal+?

As some readers are aware, Canal+ and MultiChoice are currently finalizing terms of the acquisition as they seek approval from local legislation. With lingering concerns surrounding the fate of MultiChoice's linear offering once Canal+ gains ownership.

M-Net is a pay-tv channel curated exclusively from MultiChoice that offers a mix of content international and locally produced. Founded in 1986, it offers original shows like Reyka and Carte Blanche alongside third party shows like House Of Dragons and Euphoria. 

Despite its continued efforts to supply fresh of the cinema releases, M-Net has been struggling to retain audiences and this is due to increased competition from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.

Prior to Canal+ attempts at MultiChoice, the French broadcaster had been gobbling up stakes in the company and also co-produced/licensed several shows for M-Net. This included Blood & Psalms, Spinners, Midnight Sun and Ride Upon A Storm. 

Seeing as Canal+ broadcasting license would be required by law in South Africa to be limited at 20%. It means the only hope they have own investing locally would be growing organically meaning launching their own channel(s) for these endeavors. 

M-Net being one of those TV channels with the most Canal it wouldn't seem far fetched if they started there. While the channel relied on third party content for a vast majority of its lineup these endeavors could see it getting further reduced.

As mentioned, M-Net is struggling to retain its audience in the world dominant by Netflix. In America, this had led to TV channels getting closed if not less original or imported content while others like 1Max promote the bulk of content from Showmax.

Unlike Mzansi Magic, M-Net endeavors wouldn't stem from South Africa entirely as Canal+'s StudioCanal had been filming Huntington in Cape Town which ensembles international stars Glen Powell (Hit Man), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrection) and Ed Harris.

DELAYED. Op Dun Ys Will Now Stream On eVOD In October With Een Wit Leuen Added To The Platform

Op Dun Ys was originally slated to stream on eVOD later in the week but due to unforseen circumstances it was delayed to October. Instead eVOD will be rolling out another family drama titled Een Wit Leuen (known in Turkey as Benim Tatli Yalanim).

Abandoned by his wife, Nejat is lying to his daughter not to be upset. But as Kayra grows, these lies become unbearable and as he is trapped in the corner meets Suna. With Suna's entry into their lives, both Nejat and Kayra's world is completely changed.

Produced by O3 Medya for Star TV, debuted in 2019 and was Turkey’s top-performing drama series in the summer of that year, according to Eccho Rights. Several adaptations had been filmed by Markiza (Mom For Rent, Slovenia) and Open TV (Like A Lie, Greek).

It starred Furkan Palali as Nejat Yilmaz, Asli Bekiroglu as Suna Dogan, Lavinya Ünlüer as Kayra Yilmaz, Gonca Sariyildiz as Hande Eymen, Asli Inandik as Saniye Dogan and Cem Zeynel Kiliç as Hayri Hicdurmaz.

In other developments, Scandal! will also be airing on Saturdays and Sundays at 19:30 extending new episodes to 7 days a week. Making them the first broadcaster in South Africa to do so with Zee World, Star Life and Telemundo hailing from a third world country.

Development Alert (Rumour): Global TV News Channel Coming Soon To DStv

Global TV Abuja is established as a private media organisation in 2023 by Bagauda Private Media Broadcast Limited, and incorporated under the Companies & Allied Matters Act 2020, with company registration No.1988705.

Having also satisfied the conditions laid down by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Bagauda Media Broadcast Limited was granted license to operate direct satellite broadcasting service (DBS) for an initial term of five years, subject to renewal commencing from 02/03/2023-01/03/2028.

Global TV broadcasts nationwide, while “building the nation” is its motto. With this in mind, the station has the mandate to provide impartial television broadcasting services in current affairs, with the aim of providing the general public with access to information, education, sports and entertainment.

Some of the segments currently viewed on the channel include Global Morning, Big Talk, Midday Discourse and News Prime.

Serving 20 million people, Global TV Abuja currently resides within StarTimes channel 276 with several outlets reporting a possible rollout on DStv later in the month. The channel is said to be taking up the 365 frequency for consumers in Nigeria. 

New Series Alert: Harvey Street Kids And Kipo And The Age Of Wonderbeasts Coming Soon To DreamWorks Channel Across Africa

After streaming on Netflix and Showmax years prior, Harvey Street Kids and Kipo And The Age Of Wonderbeasts both of which are produced by DreamWorks Animation are slated to air on the DreamWorks Channel across Africa in the coming months. 

Harvey Girls Forever!, originally titled Harvey Street Kids in its first season, is an animated comedy television series produced by Brendan Hay and Aliki Theofilopoulos for DreamWorks Animation Television, and is based on comic book characters from Harvey Comics.

From long kickball games through the many flavors of ice cream to an impressive climbing tree, most days on Harvey Street feel like a weekend. Energetic Audrey, intelligent Dot and kindhearted Lotta are BFFs and the street's guardians. They try to keep Harvey Street great and start their wacky afternoon adventures.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is an animated television series created by Radford Sechrist and developed by Bill Wolkoff, adapted from Rad's 2015 webcomic Kipo. The series is produced by American company DreamWorks Animation Television and animated by South Korean studio Mir.

It follows a teenage girl named Kipo Oak, who is searching for her father Lio after being forced to flee from her burrow by a "mega monkey", a colossal, mutated spider monkey. And must explore the post-apocalyptic surface world ruled by mutated animals to find him. 

Ahead Of South Africa, Canal+ Exploring A Possible Listing In The UK

Media conglomerate Vivendi SE’s Canal+ is exploring a potential listing on the London Stock Exchange, according to people familiar with the matter.

The French company, controlled by billionaire Vincent Bolloré, is working with advisers including BNP Paribas SA to work on the spinoff of the broadcaster, the people said. A listing could take place as soon as the end of this year, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. The spinoff comes as Vivendi is looking to speed up its long-awaited breakup plan which has been in the works since last year, the people said.

Deliberations are ongoing, and no final decisions on timing and venue have been made, the people said. Other listing venues, such as Amsterdam, could still be considered, they added. Representatives for BNP Paribas and Vivendi declined to comment, while a representative for Canal+ didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Shares of Vivendi surged as much as 6.3% and touched the highest level since June 2022, after the Bloomberg News report.

Vivendi has said it is studying a plan to split into four listed units to extract better value from its assets — which span from pay-TV to advertising, music and publishing — and to boost its share price. The proposal would create standalone listings for Havas and Vivendi’s publishing arm, besides Canal+. The French company listed its most valuable business — Universal Music Group NV — in 2021 in Amsterdam. The stock has since risen 9%, valuing it at about €50 billion ($54 billion), which is bigger than Vivendi’s €11 billion market value.

Canal+ has evolved from a French TV channel to a studio that creates entertainment content and a distributor of third-party channels and platforms such as Bein Sports, Netflix and Disney+, according to its website. It has 26.4 million subscribers in more than 50 countries. Its revenues rose 4.3% to €1.5 billion in the first quarter, accounting for about 36% of Vivendi’s total revenue.

London is a more attractive listing destination for Canal+ as the broadcaster becomes more international. The company has been expanding in new markets, with investments in Swedish player Viaplay Group AB and Hong Kong-based streamer Viu, which focuses on Asia and the Middle East. It has proposed to acquire South Africa’s MultiChoice Group, the continent’s biggest pay-TV company.

For London, a major listing will be a much-needed victory after a drought of initial public offerings for years having lost major names like chip designer Arm Holdings Plc to New York, and listed firms such as CRH Plc also seeking to tap the deeper investor pool across the Atlantic. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority on Thursday announced new rules for listings to try to attract more issuers to the city.