News Shorts: WildEarth Launches On Samsung TV Plus In The United States, Play Room To Broadcast DC Superhero Girls Following The Inclusion Of Batwheels And Telemundo Hits A New Low With Nurses S1

WildEarth launch on Samsung TV Plus

WildEarth.tv, home of the largest safari vehicle in the world, announced that the channel will officially launch on Samsung TV Plus in the USA on 12 December 2024, just in time for the holiday season.

Samsung TV Plus is the go-to service for free, premium entertainment that allows content owners and advertisers to engage consumers at scale. As a leader in free ad-supported TV (FAST) and video-on-demand (AVOD), Samsung TV Plus is the #1 free ad-supported app on Samsung Smart TVs, with over 3,000 ad-supported linear channels available across 30 territories and over 630M active devices, Samsung TV Plus is exclusively available across Samsung TV, Galaxy, Smart Monitor, and Family Hub

 lineups.

Earlier in the month, WildEarth was reinstated on MultiChoice's DStv this comes after the two had a carriage dispute with WildEarth going on a rant. Since then, the CEO of the channel had issued an apology to MultiChoice regarding their past remarks with both evading questions as to how they've come to an agreement.

The DC Universe enters Play Room

After Play Room acquired rights to the Netflix hit series Batwheels now the channel is set to expand this offering with DC Superhero Girls: Superhero Of The Year. The short series was initially broadcast on e.tv with the more longer format series and films on Cartoon Network.

DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year is an American animated superhero film based on the DC Super Hero Girls franchise, produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It follows seven female students of Super Hero High as they discover their superpowers and fight the evil Dark Opal, who intends to develop a lethal weapon.

It will broadcast at 4PM from 13 December.

A rebroadcast of Nurses S1 replaces Hidden Passions 

Nurses was acquired on Telemundo back in 2022 and serves as one of the longest time productions viewed on the channel by Colombia's RCN who also produced shows like The Chosen Granddaughter and slated to also a return in the coming weeks, The Scent Of Passion.

It was quietly scrubbed from the line-up last year forcing Telemundo to temporarily halt primetime due to a change in legislation imposed in Cameroon and Uganda which prohibited broadcasters from promoting gay content. A censored version of the show was rebroadcast on the channel later in the year.

Now Telemundo is set to rebroadcast the first season of the medical drama from 19 December despite already doing so within the year of course the third and fourth season were left out at the time for unknown reasons.

'Holy History' This December On The HISTORY Channel Across Africa

'Holy History' on DStv 186 ‘Holy History’, every Sunday evening starting 22 December, on the HISTORY Channel (DStv 186), explores the profound intersection of sacred relics, revolutionary histories, and personal narratives that shaped the most transformative figures in religious history. Journey through legendary artifacts like the Holy Grail and Noah’s Ark in Holy Marvels with Dennis Quaid. Then, we uncover the intense political backdrop of Jesus’ life in Jesus Crown Of Thorns and finally Jesus: His Life tells Jesus story through the eyes of those closest to him. Don't miss these fascinating series from 22 December to 9 February. Holy Marvels with Dennis Quaid Sundays at 20h15 Starts 22 December The new non-fiction series Holy Marvels with Dennis Quaid shares the incredible tales tied to coveted objects such as the Ark of the Covenant, Noah’s Ark, the Holy Grail, the Fountain of Youth, the Mayan Calendar, the Philosophers Stone, the Crown of Thorns, and more. Hosted, narrated, and executive produced by Dennis Quaid, each episode combines immersive storytelling with recreations, archival footage, and expert interviews to delve deep into the origins and profound power behind each artifact. Historians, authors, and professors of archeology and religious studies will shed light on the impact of these blessed belongings from cultures and religions around the world. Jesus Crown of Thorns S1 Sundays at 21h05 Starts 22 December This brand-new docuseries shines a new light on the life of Jesus. The series sets Jesus’ life and mission in the context of the intense political backdrop of the time in which he emerged as a revolutionary figure who dared challenge the status quo. Born into a divided land, Jesus and his family are forced to flee a bloodthirsty king, but when they return, Jesus falls under the spell of a charismatic rebel leader ready to risk everything and inherits his radical mission. Jesus: His Life Sundays at 21h05 Starts 19 January This brand-new docuseries shines a new light on the life of Jesus. The series sets Jesus’ life and Explore the story of Jesus Christ through a unique lens: the people in his life who were closest to him; Joseph, John the Baptist, Mary Mother of Jesus, Caiaphas, Judas Iscariot, Ponti us Pilate, Mary Magdalene and Peter. Each figure takes a turn guiding viewers through the emotional and epic story of Jesus’ journey, through his birth, death and resurrection. Utilising some of the world’s most respected biblical scholars and historians, the series weaves together the canonical Gospels and cultural context to create a complete portrait of Jesus - the man and the Messiah.

BBC Studios’ Achieves Record Performance Across Africa And The Greater EMEA Regions

BBC Studios has unveiled record-breaking performance for its linear channel business today, with standout growth in Africa alongside remarkable results across EMEA.

 

In Africa, BBC Studios' linear portfolio on DStv, including BBC Lifestyle, BBC Brit, BBC UKTV, BBC Earth, and BBC News, has expanded its reach by +14% in 2024. This growth marks the highest-ever performance for CBeebies and BBC UKTV, while BBC Lifestyle achieved its best results since 2017. Additionally, BBC Primetime, a bespoke two-hour content block on SABC3, has increased its reach by an impressive 24% compared to the same period last year.

 

The success in Africa complements achievements across other regions:

 

• Netherlands: BBC First, BBC Studios’ premium drama channel in the Netherlands, has gone from strength to strength, with 2024 topping 2023 as its biggest year since launching in 2015. The channel has delivered a 2.3% 4+ market share to date in 2024, up +16% from last year.

• Poland: BBC Studios channel portfolio (BBC Earth, BBC Brit, BBC First, BBC Lifestyle and CBeebies) is also on track to deliver its highest share in 2024 (0.82%, 4+) since the portfolio launched in 2015, with BBC Earth and BBC First delivering the highest annual share ever in 2024.

• Nordics: BBC Nordic, BBC Studios multi-genre linear channel available in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, has ranked as the biggest international channel in its competitive set in Norway in October and November. In November, the channel delivered the highest share since launch (1.2%, 4+), and the channel has seen a +53% increase in Share in 2024 compared to 2023, when it launched.

 

Arran Tindall, Chief Commercial Officer, EVP, EMEA Key Markets, commented, “2024 has been a record year for our channels business in EMEA. We have seen incredible numbers across our whole channel portfolio in the Netherlands, Poland, Africa and the Nordics, and I am extremely proud of the growth we have seen this year. This success is a testament to BBC Studios’ extensive breadth of high-quality content and the careful curation by our teams to deliver engaging schedules that resonate with local tastes and audiences in each of our markets.”

Important Notice: ROK Can Also Be Seen On DStv Family And Access Packages In South Africa Alongside WildEarth On Easyview

MultiChoice has silently added the ROK channel to DStv Access customers after being made exclusive to Compact customers. The channel is owned by ROK Studios that serves as a division of Canal+ who is currently looking to acquire MultiChoice ahead of their split from Vivendi in the coming weeks and only time can tell what awaits Africa Magic.

ROK has become a profilic producer of original content with shows like Festac Town, Khutam, Banks Chronicles and Bloodline alongside Nollywood films like Man Pikin and Strings Of Love. Considering Africa Magic Family is viewable on Access in other African markets we can only assume ROK holds that position in South Africa.

Maybe it won't be over and out for the channel just yet it could as well be restructured into some repeats channel for imports from Africa Magic.

Another development comes from the Easyview package as WildEarth also forms part of their package after being exclusive from Access to Premium consumers. Some tabloids even marked WildEarth as a "new channel" when in reality it only counts if you're an Easyview consumer while others its seen as a relaunch.

Easyview consumers had already lost 4 channels within the year including People's Planet, NWTV, One Freestate Televisual and Emmanuel TV. If anything, WildEarth could as well be interpreted as a replacement to People's Planet as the channel in question had already been distributing content from WildEarth.

This would leave the higher paying consumers being Compact to the full library of children's shows as MultiChoice added Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. to their lineup. According to a statement, the launch on DStv Compact is there to help commemorate SpongeBob Squarepants' 25th anniversary. 

NES: The New Zealand Story + Oopi's Quest + Parasol Stars: The Story Of Bubble Bobble III + Power Blade + Nalleland

The New Zealand Story

The player controls Tiki, a kiwi who must save his girlfriend Phee Phee and several of his other kiwi chick friends who have been kidnapped by a large blue leopard seal.

Oopi's Quest

Oopi has crash landed on an unknown planet. It's up to you to guide Oopie through the different areas collecting nuts to fix his ship.

Parasol Stars: The Story Of Bubble Bobble III

Players follow the adventures of two dragon brothers, Bubby and Bobby, who have now taken on their human forms. Some fans may recall that the two protagonists regained their human forms at the end of Bubble Bobble. Now, they embark on a mission to save their neighboring planets from an evil menace. Instead of shooting bubbles, they are now armed with colorful parasols with magical powers. These parasols are also used to shield against enemy projectiles, stun enemies or just line them up and throw one into the mix for even bigger highscores.

Power Blade 

After years of fighting that took millions of casualties, Earth is recovering from revolts in the 22nd century. In 2191, New Earth has a Master Computer that holds a secret database of the colony-planet's functioning. In wrong hands, the database could prove fatal to the whole planet. 

Nalleland

Nalleland is a short platformer about a bear on an adventure. This bear is equipped with a versatile tool: an enchanted pin. It can be thrown into the terrain and bounced on, thrown at monsters to pin them in place, and more!

For more downloads: click here