Play Room (Live) Vs. Teen Africa TV: Is Anyone Safe In This Game Of Cat And Mouse?

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Play Room launched in November 2023 offering a mixture of live-action and animated content part of which were dubbed in local languages to consumers in South Africa. Prior to this, Africa's first channel for teenagers Teen Africa TV was introduced offering locally produced content ranging from reality shows, educational content and movies.

This was MultiChoice's second and third attempt at tapping into the local kids space following the demise of K-TV. With companies such as Disney pivoting toward streaming, MultiChoice was hoping to use Teen Africa TV and Play Room as channels to fill that gap.

Play Room had proved to be a popular addition to DStv following the launch of Play Room Live alongside diverse slate of local content with Bino And Fino (Nigeria), Jabu's Jungle (South Africa) and Akili And Me (Kenya). Teen Africa TV had a Nigerian adaptation of the musical La Voz Kids (The Voice Kids Nigeria) with Teen Street Live.

Fast forward to the present, you could say there have been some bizarre developments regarding Africa's Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.

Play Room has been rehashing if not piling up on content with Teen Titans GO!, Batwheels, Rainbow Rangers and Superhero Kindergarten. Not that it's a bad thing (entirely), most channels nowadays are zombified but viewers need consistency for which the channel lacks.

To make matters worse, Play Room Live appears to be in the danger zone with the channel dubbing it Play Room Live 2.0 following the holiday slumber. Not only has Play Room Live Reloaded been axed but now the youth show runs for half an hour.

At this point, I wouldn't be shocked if it got the boot I mean most kids don't rely on DStv nowadays to watch Cocomelon as everything can be streamed. I mean you don't often Hectic Nine-9 on SABC 2 and even K-TV had a youth show that too got the axe.

As for Teen Africa TV, I'd say it's in a much worser state than Play Room (Live) because now it's like Magic Showcase and broadcasts in certain parts of the day. From what I read, there was even some drama with the crew members for not getting paid for their work on the channel.

This is a channel that MultiChoice picked up in 40+ countries and viewers were perplexed by some of the content in hand particularly the dramas and movies. Disney Channel and Nickelodeon would often exempt themselves from any adult themes and this didn't extend to Teen Africa TV.

With very little marketing or much of a social presence, I wouldn't be shocked if Teen Africa TV were to end up like Media24's HONEY that was meant to be Africa's BBC Lifestyle. There's already a reduction in content and for whatever is commissioned barely gets press.

I wouldn't say the Teen Africa TV concept was a bad idea but it doesn't appear to be feasible which is where HONEY resided. This is a youth channel which is being distributed on a platform that caters for adults and this is the only kids channel with this much local content.

Play Room is more like Akili Kids with a reduced slate it's probably the most safest structure for any kids channel in this climate but if I'm being honest it appears Teen Africa TV is walking on eggshells.

Development Alert: Doodsondes Season 6 (Final) Launches In March 2025 On eExtra

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After the final season of Doodsondes got crammed with eVOD following its earlier rollouts on e.tv and eExtra. The Turkish drama is set to bow out with its sixth and final season on eExtra from 10 March which would coincide with Kuiertyd's other longer running series Elif that is ending in the coming weeks.

Synopsis for the 6th season of Doodsondes 

It starts with a 2-year time lapse, Doğan and Yıldız's daughter Yıldız Su is born while Doğan is still in prison. Later, he is freed and him and Ender team up against Yıldız. Zeynep returns from the United States after divorcing Alihan and being married to someone else. She then marries Engin, Handan's poor turned rich brother. Kumru, Handan and Zeynep fall for doctor Selim, but he loves Kumru, so he stops his relation with Handan, her mom. After everything Kumru went through, Kumru is pretending that her name is Ezgi and lies about being poor because she wanted Selim to love her for being her, not because she’s rich. Doğan discovers his ex-wife Handan's relation with Selim, so he with Handan tries to stop Kumru & Selim's love. 

Known as Yasak Elma in Turkey, It starred Şevval Sam as Ender Çelebi, Eda Ece as Yıldız Yılmaz, Biran Damla Yılmaz as Kumru Yıldırım, Murat Aygen as Doğan Yıldırım, Sevda Erginci as Zeynep Yılmaz, Şebnem Dönmez as Handan Kılıç and Berk Oktay as Çağatay Kuyucu.

The show was written by Melis Civelek and Zeynep Gür, with Neslihan Yeşilyurt directing the first three seasons, Murat Öztürk taking over for the fourth season, and Ece Erdek Koçoğlu directing the fifth and sixth seasons.

Doodsondes S6 broadcasts daily at 19:30 on eExtra from 10 March replacing the first season of Blink Kant Bo once it ends.

Canal+ Could Seek To Revive It's Operations In Ethiopia Through Bid To Acquire MultiChoice

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Last year, Canal+ SA made the decision to shutter it's pay-tv services in Ethiopia following its launch in the market by 2021. The French broadcaster had mentioned that they would continue to invest in content production for the region as it looks to complete it's acquisition of MultiChoice.

Africa's biggest pay-tv provider already offered services in the region with Abol TV, Zee Alem and SuperSport Liyu and with this acquisition they would basically supplement the former's local endeavours through DStv. Aside from local channels, DStv also packages various international channels viewed on Canal+ like History, MTV Base and Cartoon Network.

Canal+ SA seeks to be the largest broadcaster in Africa and for several years has made numerous investments within the region including ROK Studios (Nigeria), Zacu Entertainment (Rwanda) and Marodi TV (Congolese). Through this transaction with MultiChoice, they could seek to unite these services through DStv.

Both companies are giving themselves until April 2025 to finalize the transaction which is awaiting approval from South African regulators. If approved, Canal+ SA would extend its reach to over 40 million households giving them more exposure and resources to take on giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Aside from MultiChoice, Paramount Global is also eyeing a potential tie-up with Skydance with the deal set to be finalised within the first quarter of 2025. With more developments set to be underway between Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery who are looking to disinvest in their cable networks currently seen on DStv.

ARD And Canal+ Join Forces For Sherlock Holmes Spin-Off, Baker Street Four

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Production has started on Baker Street Four. The animated series follows a ragtag trio of street urchins – and a cat called Watson – who act as legendary detective Sherlock Holmes’ eyes and ears on the ground.

German public broadcaster ARD has come on board the project, joining the previously announced French pay TV giant Canal+ and teeing up big-ticket European co-production.

The show is based on the successful French comic book series ‘Les Quatre de Baker Street’, written by Jean-Blaise Djian and Olivier Legrand, and illustrated by David Etien.

Folivari and Blue Spirit are making the series, bringing together two award-winning France-based animation houses. News of the series first surfaced at the Annecy animation fest in 2019. With ARD on board it is now full steam ahead on production.

Skewing to a 6-to-10-year-old audience, the series is directed by Francis Canitrot. It will run to 12 parts and hit screens in 2027.

Specifically, Baker Street Four follows three of Holmes’ helpers and is an inside look at some of the group known in the Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories as the Baker Street Irregulars.

From the slums of Victorian London, the Baker Street Four of the series are Billy, who see himself as the brains of the band of urchins, Tom, an acrobat and ace pickpocket, and Charlotte, the resourceful one of the group. Their stray cat Watson completes the quartet.

Folivari International – which is headed by Melissa Vega and was founded last year by her and Folivari founders Damien Brunner, Thibaut Ruby, Sarah Delmas and Didier Brunner – is across sales. Vega is at the Kidscreen confab in San Diego this week as the global rollout of the series takes shape.

“We’re thrilled to kick off production on the series, thanks to ARD’s greenlight,” she said. “We want the children to discover this series as their first co-viewing experience – one that brings the whole family together through thrilling investigations filled with comedy and adventure.”

March 2024 On Studio Universal Across Africa | Running With The Devil On Crime After Dark | Gemini Man On The S Men Of Action | More

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Crime After Dark

3rd – 7th March

Mon – Fri @ 9pm

Crime doesn’t pay, but it does pay to stay in to watch Studio Universal’s star-studded Crime After Dark!

Running with the Devil 

3rd March at 21:00

When a large cocaine shipment goes missing, an

investigation is launched to find out what has

happened to the drugs. The Cook (Nicolas Cage) and The Man (Laurence Fishburne) are sent out to get to the bottom of the situation. While they navigate the complexities of the international drug-trafficking business, hot on their heels are The DEA and The Sniper, who are both working to bring down the drug lords. As the net closes in for all sides, a race against time ensues.

Triple 9

5th March at 21:05

A hardened gang, made up of criminals and dirty

cops, is tasked with getting information on a Russian gangster’s husband. To do this, they fake a ‘999’ or officer-down scenario, with the new partner of one of the gang members as the target. However, their scheme doesn’t go to plan, and before long the finger of suspicion points in their direction. The glittering cast includes Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Gal Gadot, Aaron Paul, Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie and Woody Harrelson.

The Bank Job

6th March at 21:00

Petty criminal turned London car dealer Terry’s life is

far from exciting. He’s married with a family, but

struggling to make ends meet. When a former flame

(Saffron Burrows) walks back into his world with an

offer of a bank robbery that could set him up for life,

Terry jumps at the idea. He puts together a crew to

pull off the heist, only to discover that he’s merely a

pawn in a much bigger, rather more deadly, scheme.

Jason Statham heads the cast, with Daniel Mays and Richard Lintern.

The Next Three Days 

7th March at 21:00

Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks star in this

remake of 2008 French thriller ‘Pour elle’. Banks

plays Lara Brennan, who has been sentenced to a

long stretch behind bars after having been found

guilty of murdering her boss. Lara insists she is

innocent and, when all hopes of justice are

extinguished, her mental health takes a turn for the

worse. Husband John, increasingly desperate to

resolve her situation, decides to take matters into his own hands and break his wife out of prison.

ACTION WEEKEND–THE S MEN OF ACTION

8th – 30th March

Sat & Sun at 8pm

Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Statham, Smith, Snipes, Seagal: these are the “S” Men of Action!

Gemini Man

16th March at 20:00

After his last mission goes awry, ageing elite

assassin Henry Brogan decides to quit working with

the Defense Intelligence Agency and retire. But his

plans are scuppered when he is targeted by a slippery operative who is always one step ahead of him. Brogan is aghast to learn that he is being followed by a younger clone of himself and sets out not only to avoid meeting a sticky end, but to find out who created it and why. Will Smith, Clive Owen and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are among the cast

Rambo III

29th March at 20:00

After having finally hung up his guns, Vietnam veteran John Rambo has found peace of sorts in Thailand, only for his ‘retirement’ to be rudely interrupted. He discovers that Colonel Sam Trautman, his mentor, is trapped behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, where he was helping Mujahideen rebels fight Russian forces. Rambo faces a race against time as he sets out on an unofficial rescue mission, which sees him tangle with the brutal and ruthless Zaysen. Richard Crenna and Marc de Jonge co-star.

The Patriot

9th March at 20:00

An armed stand-off involving a radical militia group

close to a small Montana community is brought to a

peaceful end. However, when at a hearing one of their number spits on a judge, who later sickens and dies, Dr Wesley McClaren (Steven Seagal) soon realises a deadly toxin has been released in the town. Miraculously, McClaren’s daughter (Gailard Sartain) is immune, and while he races to create an antidote, the militia group leader (L.Q. Jones) pulls out all the stops to grab the girl too.

Collateral Damage

30th March at 20:00

Firefighter Gordy Brewer is devastated when his wife

and child are killed in a bombing, orchestrated by

Claudio ‘The Wolf’ Perrini. The official investigation

progresses at a snail’s pace, with government

authorities apparently not interested in pursuing

Perrini. Desperate to have justice for his family,

Brewer takes matters into his own hands, launching

a one-man war against Colombian guerrillas. Arnold

Schwarzenegger heads the cast, alongside Cliff

Curtis, John Leguizamo and John Turturro.