Gqeberha: The Empire Cancelled After Two Seasons On Mzansi Magic

After two riveting seasons of drama, passion, and unforgettable storytelling, Mzansi Magic is preparing to close the chapter on its acclaimed telenovela, Gqeberha: The Empire. But fear not! Mzansi’s home of local entertainment, is bringing more top-tier content in this slot - staying true to authentic Mzansi vibes.

 

Since its premiere, Gqeberha: The Empire has enchanted audiences with its storytelling and the stellar performances of its cast. From Anele Matoti’s portrayal of the funny yet complex Msimelelo to Unathi Guma’s portrayal of the strong-willed Funeka, the series has consistently delivered compelling characters. Nozuko (Kay Bikitsha), Thulani (Thembinkosi Ngcukana) and Season 2’s addition of Bongile Mantsai as the menacing Hlumelo Mxenge have only deepened the show’s storylines. Its ability to track the growth of characters and weave intricate storylines has captured viewers' imaginations from the start.

 

Shirley Adonisi, Director of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net, lauded the team behind the series: “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the producers, cast, and crew of Gqeberha: The Empire. Their unwavering dedication and exceptional talent have delivered spellbinding storylines in one of the most fiercely competitive primetime slots. As we approach the grand finale, we eagerly anticipate witnessing the culmination of this extraordinary journey.” Adonisi expressed deep gratitude to the Eastern Cape Provincial Government for their crucial support, which has helped the production flourish. She highlighted the stellar work of multi-award-winning production company, Tshedza Pictures and the entire cast and crew, whose delivery have kept viewers interested since the show’s inception in January 2021.

 

In the lead-up to the finale, watch Hlumelo grapple with the fallout of his poor choices and seek help from those he wronged. Meanwhile, Nozuko faces her overwhelming loss. Will Hlumelo and Nozuko's relationship survive, and will anyone ever find peace and true love?

Tune in to Mzansi Magic for the epic build-up to the conclusion of Gqeberha: The Empire, weekdays at 21:00. Don’t miss the dramatic conclusion to a series that has captured the nation’s heart.

 

Zee World To Debut New Series "Love Unbound" Soon

Set in Punjab, the female protagonist Heer played by Tanish Mehta firmly believes in doing good and being good, has her life turned upside down when one day she accidentally shoots someone. She then encounters the male lead Avinesh Rekhi, who believes she is innocent and a love chemistry will develop between them. 

Love Unbound showcases the rich essence of the background in Kapurthala, Punjab and the rich Punjabi culture and heritage. Then comes in Tanisha Mehta's character a girl who believes that good should happen to everyone and prays in the Gurudwara but ends up shooting someone one day. However, she encounters (Avinesh Rekhi's) character who is the male hero who is going to save her from the abrupt violence aimed at her. 

It starred Avinesh Rekhi as Ranjha aka Ranjeet, Tanisha Mehta as Heer Grewal, Monika Khanna asTejinder Kaur (Teji) in leading roles. Manish Khanna, Maleeka R Ghai, Romil Chaudhary, Manoj Chandila, Jaideep Singh, Poonam Jangra and Soniya Kaur serve as recurring.

Love Unbound was broadcast on Zee TV from 21 November as Ikk Kudi Punjab Di with 165 half hour episodes having been filmed during its run on the network. Dome Entertainment and Morani Brothers served as producers whose work includes Ra.One and Chennai Express both of which went on to become box office successes.

Love Unbound is expected to replace Our Heroes for Zee World consumers in Southern Africa in the coming months.

TLNovelas To Debut New Series "The Path Of Love" Across Africa

Memo Santos Pérez makes a living driving his trailer. In addition to being loving to his family, he wants to form a home with Úrsula, a woman with a dark past whom he has just proposed to. When his life plans are underway, Olivia, his ex-girlfriend, on the verge of death, confesses to him that they had a daughter and asks him to look for her at the home of Daniela Gallardo and Fausto Beltran, Isabella's adoptive parents. Memo goes to the Beltrán family's house to meet his daughter, where he is mistaken for Daniela's new assistant.

Daniela is successful a landscape designer who has been unable to fulfill her dream of carrying a child in her womb. Memo decides to work with Daniela to be close to Isabella, while he confirms with a DNA test that he is her father. Thanks to the daily coexistence, Memo becomes Daniela's confidant and that is how he discovers the loneliness she lives in her marriage and that her only reason in life is Isabella. Daniela and Memo begin to fall in love, but they decide to keep their feelings quiet in order to respect their commitments to their partners.

Based on the Chilean telenovela El Camionero, The Path Of Love premiered on Las Estrellas in Mexico from 7 November 2022 to 12 March 2023 as Mi Camino Es Amarte. It starred Susana González as Daniela Gallardo, Gabriel Soto as Guillermo "Memo" Santos Pérez, Mark Tacher as Fausto Beltrán, Ximena Herrera as Karen Zambrano, Sara Corrales as Úrsula Hernández and Mónika Sánchez as Amparo Santos.

The series premieres across Africa from 25 November replacing My Secret once it comes to an end with Telemundo scheduled to air a new Colombian series from RCN Television titled Ana's New Life later in the month. Both brands hit a repetitive slope for most of the year and these shows continue to serve as the only few primetime shows with Telemundo also offering Queen Of The South.

SuperSport And SABC Agree On Sub-Licensing Terms Of PSL Broadcast Rights

SuperSport and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) have reached an agreement regarding the sub-licensing of Premier Soccer League (PSL) broadcast rights ahead of the start of the new Betway Premiership season.

 

The move comes after strong relations between the two South African broadcasters following the agreement of sub-licence agreements for the MTN8 tournament as well as the Currie Cup semi-final match which was contested this past weekend and upcoming final match.

 

The PSL saw the dawn of the new Betway Premiership last Saturday, 14 September 2024, with millions of fans seeing their favourite team content the biggest prize in South African football.

 

SuperSport CEO Rendani Ramovha said “The latest sub-licence agreement with the SABC is another step towards a strong relationship with the public broadcaster, for the benefit of the millions of football lovers across the country and the African continent. The PSL has proven itself time and again to be the most coveted football product among South Africans and we look forward to delivering another outstanding season of football action on Your World of Champions, SuperSport.”

SABC Group CEO Nomsa Chabeli said: “We are pleased with this acquisition, and it is another demonstration of our commitment to delivering exceptional sport content to our diverse audiences. Our rights package includes a total of 51 matches comprising of 23 Betway Premiership matches, 10 Carling Black Label Cup matches, 12 Nedbank Cup matches, and 6 National First Division matches. We will broadcast league matches every Saturday on SABC 1 during the league season, ensuring our audience has access to exciting live local football”.

 

 

 

Ms Chabeli further stated that “We will also be enhancing our coverage by strengthening the analysis team. This move will ensure that we provide insightful commentary and in-depth analysis for our viewers. The added new members to the team are Itumeleng Khune, Jabu Mahlangu as well as Coach Thabo Senong who will be joining our resident analysts Doctor Khumalo, Simphiwe Dludlu and Hlompho Kekana in studio”.

Canal+ Is Shutting Down In Ethiopia By The End Of December, Could DStv Follow?

During the week, it was revealed that both Canal+ and Bruh Entertainment PLC that launched a rival platform to StarTimes in Ethiopia back in 2021 will be closing down by 31 December 2024. This is due to the dominance of free-to-air operators in the region with the French broadcaster putting more focus on existing agreements with BeMedia.

This means channels like Canal+ Gebeta and Canal+ Jumbo will cease to exist unless another company was looking to revive these endeavors for consumers in the region. Other channels like Star Life, KIX, Cartoon Network and Trace Urban can be viewed on DStv with Canal+ also looking to acquire it's parent company MultiChoice which is awaiting approval from local legislation.

If this takeover succeeds, what happens to MultiChoice's operations within Ethiopia do those suffer the same fate or is Canal+ departure from Ethiopia having to do with the acquisition in general. This happened to be the only part of French broadcaster's operations that wasn't actually based in Francophone Africa and Canal+ is looking to merge their operations with MultiChoice Africa.

MultiChoice Africa hasn't been profitable in a long time which is likely the area Canal+ will manage and what could as well happen is the possible demise of DStv within the region and maybe MultiChoice through Canal+ will only seek to partner up with local broadcasters or license select content from MultiChoice Studios I mean it wouldn't seem far fetched.

Disney+ launched back in 2019 and there's still various markets within Europe and Africa that had been excluded from it's offering despite Disney cutting back on content. Even Netflix despite being a giant in it's current field doesn't have any local presence in Japan, Russia, Syria and North Korea.

Instead of having a DStv, there could be instances where the only reminisce of MultiChoice would be some of the local offering seen on M-Net another could as well be Showmax. Then there's that stake with African pay-tv operator MC Vision they could explore more partnerships/mergers in an attempt to stabilize MultiChoice's operations outside South Africa.

Statement from Canal+ regarding it's closure in Ethiopia

CANAL+ and Bruh Entertainment PLC have been partnering since 2021 to develop a satellite Pay TV distribution business in Ethiopia. Both companies have jointly decided to close the satellite pay-TV distribution business in Ethiopia this year, in a dynamic market led by a strong penetration of free-to-air channels. Broadcast for CANAL+ offers existing subscribers will continue until December 2024.

CANAL+ has decided to set new strategic directions for its activities in Ethiopia and will keep on investing in content production activity through various partnerships with BeMedia.

CANAL+ wishes to continue supporting Ethiopian artists, producers, and media professionals as a purchaser of content and services from Ethiopian companies, and other future opportunities in the country.

CANAL+ appreciates the contributions of its institutional and commercial partners over the last four years, and is committed to an orderly winding up process which respects all stakeholders. We warmly thank the staff of Bruh Entertainment for their remarkable work over the last three years.