Reminder: Season 5 Of Magnum P.I. To Premiere On Universal TV On 21 February

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Universal TV (DStv 117) has announced the return of the popular series, Magnum P.I., with Season 5 premiering on 21 February 2025. The twenty-part crime drama is set to captivate audiences with new episodes airing every on Friday at 8 PM, until the series finale on 20 June.

 

Thomas Magnum (Jay Hernandez) is back on the case in the action-packed fifth season of this modern spin on the classic series. The former Navy Season turned private investigator tackles thrilling cases in beautiful Hawaii as the series revs up for a new era with more romance and emotion than ever before. This season finds Magnum and Higgins (Perdita Weeks) starting a romantic relationship at long last, while diving deeper into the lives of the beloved Magnum P.I. ohana, including Rick (Zachary Knighton), TC (Stephen Hill), Katsumoto (Tim Kang) and Kumu (Amy Hill).

 

The action-packed reimagining of one of TV’s most iconic series, Magnum P.I., sees Jay Hernandez (Suicide Squad, Bad Moms) star as title character Thomas Magnum. Perdita Weeks (Ready Player One) supports as Juliet Higgins. They are supported by Zachary Knighton (Happy Endings) as Orville ‘Rick’ Wright and Stephen Hill (Law & Order: SUV) as Theodore ‘TC’ Calvin. Tim Kang (The Mentalist) as Detective Gordon Katsumoto and Amy Hill (Fifty First Dates) as Teuila ‘Kamu’ Tuileta round out the cast.

 

From CBS Television Studios and Universal Television, Magnum P.I. is executive produced by Eric Guggenheim, Barbie Kligman, John Davis, Justin Lin, John Fox, David Wolkove, and Gene Hong.

 

Season 5 of Magnum P.I. premieres on Universal TV on 21 February at 20.00, with episodes airing every Friday until the series final on 20 June.

ID Africa To Air Exclusive Interview With Former Assistant To Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Expanding The Four-Part Docuseries Of The Fall Of Diddy

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Investigation Discovery Africa announced it will air an exclusive sit-down with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ former assistant, Phil Pines, expanding the finale of ID’s four-part docuseries THE FALL OF DIDDY. The 30-minute interview, conducted by journalist Mara S. Campo, who is also a featured contributor in THE FALL OF DIDDY, will premiere on Sunday, 16 February @ 22:50 following the conclusion of ID’s highly anticipated docuseries.

 

Filmed Wednesday, January 22 in New York City, the interview with Phil Pines, who served as Senior Executive Assistant with Combs from 2019 to 2021, addresses allegations he made against the hip hop mogul in a December 2024 civil suit, providing intimate details of his time working for Combs. Pines will speak, for the first time on camera, at length about his experience in Combs’ employment - including being allegedly tasked with setting up and cleaning up Combs’ ‘Wild King Nights,’ some of the alleged behaviour he witnessed, and the alleged manipulation he experienced under the fear of Combs’ retribution and power.  

 

The exclusive interview sit-down will premiere following the conclusion of ID’s four-part docuseries, THE FALL OF DIDDY. From Maxine Productions (the producers behind Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV) and Rolling Stone Films, the docuseries features exclusive, never-before-heard accounts and never-before-seen archival footage, offering personal insights into harrowing allegations of violent behaviour and illegal activity that have shadowed the music mogul. Spanning Combs’ decades-long impact on music and popular culture, from his early days as a talented creative to his 2024 arrest, the docuseries uncovers the insidious and terrifying allegations of sexual assault, abusive behaviour, violence, and other disturbing claims that lay beneath his success. The first two episodes of THE FALL OF DIDDY aired on Sunday, 9 February, and the final three on Sunday, 16 February, at 21:00 on ID, DStv channel 171.

Growth In Africa And Beyond: Canal+'s StudioCanal Talks Expansion Plans, Pending MultiChoice Buyout And Glen Powell's Revenge Thriller Huntington

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Anna Marsh, StudioCanal CEO, says the group is looking to expand in Africa with a focus on English-speaking countries. Canal+, which has had a strong presence in French-speaking Africa for decades, currently owns a 45.2% stake in the continent’s leading platform MultiChoice.  “There are ongoing discussions to increase our ownership in that company,” she says. 

Presently, Canal+ Group’s pay-TV platform operates in 52 countries, with more than 26.4 million subscribers, of which two-thirds are from outside of France. Adding MultiChoice’s nearly 16 million (mostly English-speaking) subscribers, would mean the multi-billion acquisition would place the French company among the top five biggest entertainment companies in the world and the biggest outside of the U.S.

“It’s an incredible opportunity, not only for the Canal+, but also for Studiocanal when it comes to our growth and production strategy,” says Marsh. “Just being able to tap into that incredible English-speaking subscriber base really opens things up.” 

She stresses that “investing in local content is really important” to the group, noting that the move will allow them to tap into South Africa’s local industry. Canal+ and MultiChoice co-produced TV series Spinners, which Studiocanal distributed around the world. The company also recently shot John Patton Ford’s revenge thriller Huntington, starring Glen Powell, Ed Harris and Margaret Qualley, on location in South Africa, using local crew and tapping into the nation’s 25% plus tax incentive. 

There are plans to make “many more projects” in the country, says Marsh, and the company is already in development on “one massive South African story” which it is making as a feature film and will announce soon. 

Canal+ has also been aggressively investing in Southeast Asian streamer Viu, where it owns a 36.8% stake, and also has a 29.3% stake in Swedish streamer Viaplay. 

There are also plans to move more into the elevated genre space. Last year, the company tapped Jed Benedict to head up new in-house genre label Sixth Dimension. Reporting to Studiocanal EVP of Global Production Ron Halpern, Benedict will look to identify high concept horror, thriller and science fiction films that the group can develop, produce, acquire and distribute. The label recently announced its first title, a reboot of 1984 slasher Silent Night, Deadly Night, which the company will distribute in its own territories and shop to buyers at EFM. 

In addition to Benedict, Studiocanal made a number of key hires in 2024, including M-K Kennedy as Executive Managing Director for Worldwide TV Series and Isabelle Pain as Head of Global Acquisitions and Analytics. Anne Chérel was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer while Chloé Marquet was promoted to Head of International Sales for Films and TV series and Françoise Guyonnet was upped to CEO of Studiocanal Kids and Family

March 2024 On Universal TV And E! Entertainment Across Africa | Channel Premiere: Parish | Returning Shows Including NCIS | More

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Universal TV 

PRISH

Season 1 – Territory Premiere

Thursdays from March 20th at 8pm

Following the brutal murder of his son, ex-hood Gray

Parish (Giancarlo Esposito) returns to New Orleans’

underworld, hired by the head of a Zimbabwean crime family (South Africa’s Bonnie Mbuli).

HUDSON & REX

Season 7 – Territory Premiere

Tuesdays from March 18th at 8pm

Along with their team in the major crimes unit of St.

John’s, Detective Charlie Hudson (John Reardon) and his canine partner Rex work to bring law and justice to Canada’s easternmost point.

FAMILY LAW

Season 4- Territory Premiere

Continues Tuesdays, season finale

March 11th at 8pm

Abigail Bianchi (Jewel Staite) and her family legal firm tackle more difficult cases as Season 4 of the Canadian courtroom drama series continues.

NCIS LOS ANGELES

Season 14 - Channel Premiere

Continues double billed Thursdays, season finale March 13th at 8pm

Season 14 comes to its explosive climax as the NCIS agents deal with the theft of military-grade weapons and multiple killings in broad daylight, while Callen and Anna plan their wedding.

E! Entertainment

Snoop Dogg’s Fatherhood: Cori And Wayne’s Story

Sunday 23rd March at 19:05

“Snoop’s Fatherhood: Cori and Wayne’s Story” follows Cori Broadus, entrepreneur and daughter of globally recognized superstar Snoop Dogg, and her fiancé, Wayne Duece, as they plan the wedding of the century.

E! Live From The Red Carpet: Oscars 2025

Sunday 2nd March at 22:00

Join E! at the annual event celebrating the crème de la crème of movie making and check out who’s wearing what as the stars gather for Hollywood’s most glittering night.

LicenceCo: The New Owners Of M-Net, SuperSport And DStv In South Africa

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In a move that is set to shakeup the television landscape, DStv in South Africa will be spun off away from Canal+'s MultiChoice grasp to comply with local regulators' 20% cap toward foreign ownership. As alleged from previous years, MultiChoice will be surrending it's pay-tv company to the French.

With Canal+ that will exist as a minority will entrust the future of DStv in South Africa to LicenceCo as MultiChoice retains Showmax alongside various other assets like SuperSportBET, Irdeto and Namola.

LicenceCo (working title) is a new company that comprises of MultiChoice's Phuthuma Nathi scheme alongside black based companies Identity Partners Itai Consortium from Sonja De Bruyn, Afrifund Investments from Sipho Maseko and Worker's Trust. They'll be responsible for the livelihoods of SABC News, eNCA and Newzroom Afrika.

Although Canal+ won't manage LicenceCo, they are getting financial incentive from these endeavours which amounts to 49% compared to StarTimes 65% from StarSat SA. Regardless of the structure, MultiChoice is still the legal holder of DStv outside of South Africa where restrictions are very minimal.

DStv hasn't been doing so well in recent years with its consumer base standing at 7.6 million (previously 8 million) by September 2024. In the end, DStv continued to be a profitable business for MultiChoice and under LicenceCo that won't change as yet.

But with new management and Canal+ taking the helm, MultiChoice promises an enhancement to technology and other services. We've heard this story a hundred times already and as consumers as had seen in the past year enhancements aren't easy to come across unless something is thrown as collateral.

If there's one thing new management can do is review the finances of DStv and manage the contracts with channel providers. Diving onto sports, Canal+ had flexed that companies who overspend on sports die so one has to wonder if LicenceCo plans to reduce what's accessible on SuperSport.

Speaking of LicenceCo, kind of curious what the DStv standalone company will be referred to in retrospect my guess M-Net Group seeing as this was the initial name for MultiChoice before diversity hit. Another option would be Canal+ Group/SA with the French maintaining the 20% cap associated with foreigners.