E! News Nightly Show Has Been Cancelled On E! As The Brand Pivots Toward A Digital Future

E! News has been canceled as a linear television show, a source with knowledge of the decision. It will officially end on Sept. 25; the nightly entertainment-news program launched in 1991. The show had a two-year hiatus during COVID. E! News will continue on as a digital brand.

Employees learned of the cancellation news yesterday. Tonight’s show will be a repeat; new episodes will resume next week. Access Hollywood and Access Daily will continue on as normal from their production facility at Terrace Studios.

Some E! News correspondents will follow the channel to Versant (formerly referred to simply as SpinCo.), the source said, though those roles are as TBD.

NBCUniversal has split itself in two. The NBC broadcast network, the studios, Peacock and Bravo will stay as key pieces of NBCU; all of the rest (USA Network, Syfy, E!, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen and Golf Channel, plus digital businesses Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes and Golf Now) will make up new company Versant.

Versant will be led by CEO Mark Lazarus, chief financial officer and chief operating officer Anand Kini, and chairman David Novak; other senior executives will be plucked from the ranks of NBCUniversal.

Cable channel E! still airs (some) original programming, like Botched Presents: Plastic Surgery Rewind and Honestly Cavallari: The Headline Tour, as well as acquired content. The network recently announced upcoming series Kimora: Back in the Fab Lane and E!’s Dirty Rotten Scandals. The network remains a destination for red-carpet coverage as well as January’s Critics Choice Awards.

Competition Tribunal Approve Canal+ And MultiChoice Merger Deal

The Competition Tribunal has agreed to support the acquisition of MultiChoice Group by London-listed Groupe Canal+, removing a major hurdle to their deal being consummated.

The tribunal approved the proposed transaction, subject to conditions agreed earlier this year by the merging parties.

“As was previously disclosed, the agreed conditions include a robust package of guaranteed public interest commitments proposed by the parties. The package supports the participation of firms controlled by historically disadvantaged persons (HDPs) and small, medium and micro enterprises in the audio-visual industry in South Africa. This package will maintain funding for local South African general entertainment and sports content, providing local content creators with a strong foundation for future success.”

The approval by the tribunal “concludes the competition review process in South Africa” and followed a “positive recommendation” by the Competition Commission in May.

“The parties remain on track to complete the mandatory offer by Canal+ within the timeline announced on 8 April 2025, and prior to the long-stop date of 8 October 2025.”

In a statement, Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada said the approval by the tribunal is “a hugely positive step forward in our journey to bring together two iconic media and entertainment companies and create a true champion for Africa”.

MultiChoice Group CEO Calvo Mawela added: “The announcement marks a significant milestone and is a major step forward for both companies.”

The merging parties will now undertake the process needed to implement the structure as previously announced in February. This structure “meets the requirements of all applicable laws, including the restrictions on foreign ownership and control of South African broadcasting licences contained in the Electronic Communications Act”, the companies said. “The structure includes MultiChoice (Pty) Ltd, the entity which contracts with South African subscribers, being carved out of MultiChoice Group and becoming an independent entity, majority owned and controlled by HDPs.”

Paramount Global Looking To Shutter Both BET And MTV Base Africa In Major Restructure

Paramount Global‘s Africa offices may close, local channels may be shuttered, and staffers’ roles could be impacted, company executives told employees in the region on Tuesday.

The company has been prioritizing investments in its growing streaming business and core global content as it navigates shifts in audience behavior and the macro-economic environment. As part of that, it is reviewing its international pay TV strategy and considering adjustments to its linear channel portfolio in international markets, with a focus on cable brands. Management has also signaled a focus on businesses and regions with the most opportunity for revenue growth.

Tuesday’s news comes as Paramount continues to wait for FCC approval of Skydance Media’s deal to acquire it. THR understands that Paramount has fewer than 100 employees in Africa between its offices in Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria.

“We are at a point in our journey where we are facing immense industry disruption,” Monde Twala and Craig Paterson, co-general managers of Paramount Africa, said in a staff memo obtained by THR. “Our team is not immune to potential changes as our organization evaluates its pay TV strategy and local channel footprint here in Africa.”

In June, Paramount unveiled further U.S. workforce cuts to the tune of 3.5 percent, following a 15 percent reduction last year. As of the end of 2024, Paramount Global had 18,600 employees worldwide. Co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins said in a June memo that the focus was on U.S. headcount but the moves “may also result in some impacts to our workforce outside the U.S. over time.”

Twala and Paterson acknowledged in their staff memo: “Today was incredibly difficult. We want you to know your greatness is seen. We reach out with a heavy heart, but also with immense pride. Your dedication to excellence, creativity and passion for leveraging the power of our content have been the driving force behind our many accomplishments.”

They concluded: “We understand the coming weeks may be tough and feel unsettling. Through it all, please know your efforts are valued beyond measure.”

He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe And Steven Universe Future Launches On Play Room

Later in the week, Play Room is set to allocate two new animated shows to the lineup the first He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe launched on Netflix in 2021. The second is a mini series Steven Universe Future which is based on the animated series Steven Universe from Cartoon Network.

Synopsis for He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe 

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, a dazzling CG-animated series that reimagines the thrilling heroic adventures of the Guardians of Grayskull for this next generation of fans. It introduces an all-new He-Man for kids to call their own, one they can meet the very first time he holds aloft his magic sword and says, “By the Power of Grayskull, I have the Power!”

He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe, produced by Mattel Television™ and premieres on July 21 at 18:00 on Play Room, brings a fresh stylized take on the world of Eternia, designed to reflect the sensibilities and aspirations of today’s kids, while celebrating the evergreen core truth of Masters of the Universe: we all have the power to become the best version of ourselves.

Synopsis for Steven Universe Future 

In Steven Universe Future, after saving the universe, Steven is still at it, tying up every loose end. But as he runs out of other people’s problems to solve, he’ll finally have to face his own. Haunted by the past and lost in the present, Steven begins manifesting new, uncontrollable powers that the Crystal Gems have never seen from him before. What does it all mean, and what does Steven want for his future?

The series is created by Emmy and Annie Award-nominated writer Rebecca Sugar, and produced by Cartoon Network Studios. It premieres on July 21 at 15:00 on Play Room and not long ago, it was reported another spin-off is in development titled Steven Universe: Lars Of The Stars.

Recap: MultiChoice Showed Signs Vulnerability At First Hearing When Talking About Showmax

MultiChoice and Canal+ began talks with the Competition Tribunal on its first day of the hearing in which various topics were uncovered. But here's where things got more interesting:

Showmax, Africa's leading streaming service that was recently revamped in partnership with Comcast's NBCUniversal. From what we know, NBCUniversal owns a 30% stake which has helped Showmax bolster it's international portfolio and user interface.

MultiChoice was hoping to almost double DStv's subscriber numbers through Showmax in a few years and while they still haven't revealed subscriber numbers. Showmax on top of making a loss isn't living up to their expectation on subscriber count.

If it weren't for Canal+ (at least from what was implied), they wouldn't need outside help (NBCUniversal) to bolster Showmax with MultiChoice open to selling more shares in the streamer.

The interesting part was when they brought up Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. As some know, their consumer base exceeds 200 million subscribers for which MultiChoice brought up its dismal number of 14.5 million DStv subscribers.

MultiChoice had implied that DStv fees could have been a lot lower if they had reached such magnitude with their subscribers. Even going as far comparing figures with the streamer, for every Shaka iLembe that was launched MultiChoice invested R250,000 while Netflix with Blood And Water invested R2 million.

For every Shaka iLembe that was added to Showmax, Netflix could