January 2025 On Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV And Food Network Across Africa | Channel Premiere: Marooned With Ed Stafford | Returning Shows Including Guy's Ranch Kitchen | More

Discovery Channel 

Marooned with Ed Stafford S1

BRAND NEW

First TX: 8 January

TX Day: Wednesday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 12 February

Ed Stafford pushes his survival limits as he strives to thrive in some of the worlds' toughest environments without food, water, or tools of any kind. Two episodes are filmed in Namibia (specifically the Erongo Mountains & Cuando/Kwando river).

High Speed Chase S1

NEW TO CHANNEL

First TX: 21 January

TX Day: Tuesday

TX Time: 21:55

Last TX: 25 February

Get in the driver's seat for some of the most extraordinary police chases ever captured on camera -- with never-before-seen footage, it's a fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled window into a world where criminals will do anything to escape.

Returning shows include Ghost Adventures: House Calls S2A on 11 January at 21:55.

TLC

The Culpo Sisters S1 (Africa)

NEW SHOW

First TX: 21 January

TX Day: Tuesday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 25 February

Former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo and her sisters, Aurora and Sophia, take on social media stardom while dealing with relationship snafus, family mischief and constant advice from millions of followers.

Returning shows include 90 Day: The Last Resort S2 on 8 January at 21:00 across Africa and at 20:00 in South Africa with other developments for TLC SA include My 600-LB Life S10C on 25 January at 21:00 and Dr Pimple Popper: This is Zit S5 on 3 January at 20:00?

HGTV

Buying the Beach S1

NEW SHOW

First TX: 25 January

TX Day: Saturday & Sunday

TX Time: 12:00

Last TX: 2 February

Life on the beach can be paradise, and that’s what

these homebuyers want. From small bungalows to

private islands, the search is on for properties on

some of the most beautiful beaches around the

country.

Returning shows include Christina In the Country S2 on 23 January at 21:00, Lakefront Bargain Hunt S12 on 19 January at 22:00.

Food Network

Returning shows include Beat Bobby Flay S35 on 6 January at 16:05, Chopped S59 on 15 January at 16:05, Guy's Grocery Games S32 on 26 January at 17:00 and Guy's Ranch Kitchen S7 on 26 January at 16:05.

My Holiday Card To Readers: A Prediction Of What's To Come In 2025

 SOUTH AFRICA

• Canal+ gets the greenlight to acquire MultiChoice 

- MultiChoice rebrands to MultiChoice: A Canal+ Company.

- Canal+ is given control over M-Net, SuperSport, DStv and GOtv while other shareholders manage the brands licenses in South Africa and focus on Showmax, Namola and SuperSportBET.

- Canal+ looks to reduce DStv's linear offering as they look to extend the reach of France24, Zacu TV and W-Sport. 

- M-Net Movies 3 and 4 merge into one channel as M-Net continues to simplify it's offering. 

- Canal+'s Novelas TV extends its reach to Anglophone countries on DStv and GOtv replacing Telemundo and also offers content in local languages.

- Cartoon Network West and East African feed is made available to consumers in Southern Africa (not South Africa) on channel 313.

- Play Room gets a branded block on Mzansi Wethu and extends its reach to other African countries.

- eMedia's 4 channels eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz exit the DStv platform with further content on Openview.

• Free-To-Air Households 

- eMedia Investments discontinues Zee Family and Star Select from the Openview platform.

- Muvhango gets cancelled for the second time on SABC 2, Isidingo revival/spin-off is being developed.

- Netflix acquires rights to SA's Got Talent previously held by the SABC and Family Feud SA from e.tv.

- SABC looks to launch two separate divisions one targeted on their archives and SABC+ with the other comprising of SABC 1-3 and Sport. They look into reducing commissions on these channels as they explore possible partnerships with VIU and Netflix.

GLOBAL

• Canal+ looks to acquire Senegalese based company Marodi TV and Nordic pay-tv provider Viaplay with MC Vision rebranding to Canal+ Mauritius.

• Star on Disney+ rebrands to Hulu 

• We Baby Bears cancelled on Cartoon Network after 2 seasons alongside Kiff on Disney Channel and Rock, Paper & Scissors on Nickelodeon.

• Skydance gets approval to acquire 77% stake in Paramount Global making them majority shareholder

- Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon fold under the division MTV Entertainment Group away from Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios.

- Pluto TV and Paramount+ are merged to one streaming service.

- BET Media Group and The Smithsonian Channel are put up for sale.

• Comcast finalizes transaction with proposed spin-off

- Comcast continues to license various content to new company which comprise of E!, USA Network, Oxygen and Syfy.

- Sky Group becomes an independent company and retains its pay-tv services and studios in parts of Europe.

- New company looks to acquire some assets from Warner Bros. Discovery.

- Universal Kids is closed down in the United States as further shows move to Peacock alongside Telemundo in Africa.

- MSNBC and CNBC retain their trademark but retract the Comcast logo.

- Last minute: Universal TV and Studio Universal undergoes a rebrand and closes down in some countries.

Zee One To Debut New Series "My Daughter's Keeper" In January 2025

Zee One is a Bollywood entertainment operated by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that distributes a mixture of series and films all of which are English dubbed. With the year to reach a climax, Zee One is looking to rollout it's first series in 2025 titled My Daughter's Keeper (Alor Kole).

Synopsis for My Daughter's Keeper

Aditya's first wife Alo dies and he is judged to be her murderer by the media and by his daughter Pupul. Alo's soul has not yet achieved salvation so she is left wandering the family home, looking over and protecting Pupul. Aditya's stepmother, Indira, wishes for him to remarry and chooses her friend's daughter Megha to marry him. 

Meanwhile, we are introduced to Radha, a girl from Navadeep, who saves Pupul several times and stays as a guest in the house. Aditya eventually agrees to marriage with Meghan for the sake of Pupul, but the marriage is cancelled by Ali, Radha, and Pupil. Finally, under pressure from Alo, Aditya marries Radha, but says that he is unable to accept her as his wife, since he only loves Alo.

Based on the Tamil TV series Yaaradi Nee Mohini, the supernatural drama stars Somu Sarkar, Rishita Nandi, Swikriti Majumder and Koushik Roy in leading roles. It premiered on Zee Bangla from 27 November 2023 and concluded on 22 June 2024 with 174 half hour episodes.

My Daughter's Keeper will air daily from 26 January 2025 prior to its rollout Zee One will be importing more shows from Zee World including Ruzia Sultan, Married Again, Curse Of The Sands, Fire & Ice and Age Is Just A Number.

"New Paramount" May Be Looking To Discard Cable Networks Like MTV, Comedy Central, BET And Nickelodeon

The landscape of television is undergoing a seismic shift, with streaming services increasingly dominating the entertainment industry. This transformation is forcing media conglomerates to re-evaluate their strategies, and for Paramount, this means a potential downplaying, or even outright disposal, of once-iconic cable networks like MTV and Comedy Central.

According to a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter, these networks, along with Nickelodeon and BET, are “simply not as high a priority” for the incoming Skydance regime following the anticipated merger with Paramount. This news raises serious questions about the future of these channels, which have played a significant role in shaping pop culture over the past few decades.

The report suggests that CBS is the only television asset considered completely safe under the new leadership. Incoming company president Jeff Shell has previously referred to CBS as a “crown jewel,” indicating its central importance to the merged entity. This prioritization of CBS comes at the expense of other networks within the Paramount portfolio.

The signs of this shift have been evident for some time. Paramount has reportedly entertained numerous bids for BET, including offers from prominent figures like Tyler Perry and media mogul Byron Allen. This willingness to consider selling BET demonstrates a clear shift in priorities away from these formerly key cable assets.

Perhaps the most alarming indicator of this deprioritization was the recent wiping of digital archives for networks like MTV News and Comedy Central. This erasure of digital history suggests a lack of commitment to preserving the legacy of these channels, further fueling speculation about their future.

The current strategy of bringing established sitcoms like “Friends” and “The Big Bang Theory” to MTV raises further questions. This move suggests a reliance on established, syndicated content rather than investment in original programming, potentially signaling a decline in the network’s focus on creating new, cutting-edge content. This is a far cry from MTV’s earlier days as a trendsetting music and youth culture channel.

The Hollywood Reporter cites a December 19 Bank of America research report from Jessica Reif Ehrlich, which predicts a trend of media companies divesting their cable TV network assets. The report suggests these assets would be “better positioned as a consolidated, linear-focused vehicle with scale benefits that can drive affiliate and advertising negotiation as well as synergies.” This analysis points towards a potential consolidation of remaining cable networks as a way to maintain some level of competitiveness against the streaming giants.

The potential decline of MTV and Comedy Central raises broader questions about the future of cable television as a whole. As streaming continues to gain momentum, traditional cable networks are facing an existential crisis. The convenience and on-demand nature of streaming have proven highly attractive to viewers, leading to widespread cord-cutting.

Whether these legacy networks can survive independently or face extinction remains to be seen. However, the winds are clearly blowing in the direction of streaming, and media conglomerates are adapting accordingly. The anticipated Skydance and Paramount merger is likely to accelerate this trend, potentially marking the beginning of the end for some of television’s most iconic cable brands. The focus on “synergies,” as mentioned in the Bank of America report, suggests that any remaining cable assets may be bundled together or sold off as a single entity, further diminishing their individual prominence in the media landscape.

How Google Is Becoming Another DStv?

Not long ago, I reported that Google blacklisted thousands of independent and small sites prioritising big brands, affiliate links and forums such as Quora and Reddit. Insidus forms part of those sites that were affected by Google's core updates but alas they don't owe us anything in the end.

Remember when eMedia Investments was fighting to retain their 4 Openview channels on DStv. Think of it like this we were eMedia we made several changes to try and enhance reader's experience but in the end MultiChoice who is Google haven't acknowledged these updates.

MultiChoice has stated in court that eMedia has Openview for those looking to watch Elif and Teletubbies but the reality revenue wise would lead a company to scale back on content. This is what happened in Insidus, although all keywords I ranked on were axed the only search queries are those linking back to our website.

Simple terms: User A would type "eExtra" or "SABC" then several pages from my website would come on now that's been reduced to the website name and link which BTW made up a fraction. While some users would discover a brand by name a majority rely on content which is what Google killed off.

When a user types "Bloedspoor eVOD" in the search engine the first thing to pop-up will be videos of Isitha: The Enemy and Kelders Van Gehieme. Although all three are distributed by the same company it has nothing to do with Bloedspoor.

Now the next results are very accurate with the search term but the problem this comes from social accounts two of which are mine but the reality how many Googlers will even click those links. There has been a talk amongst publishers about zero click results.

In recent months, Google has filled it's pages with ads, affiliate links and sponsored content that there has barely been much visibility for actual content outside Quora and Reddit. This is what consumers have felt about DStv's entertainment offering as MultiChoice cuts channels and continues inflating costs.

Similar to how various outlets had stated DStv is losing its prestige as Netflix banks on NFL and WWE with DAZN that acquired FIFA. Google is facing competition from ChatGPT and TikTok as these platforms have found simpler ways to distribute information and aren't clustered with ads.

Even X (Formerly Twitter) could be branded as off as a Google competitor as it's the top platform for micro blogging a sector which Google is destroying and following Musk's takeover offers monetisation features and Grok that would rival with AdSense and Gemini.