Three DStv Channels Possibly Closing Soon

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MultiChoice is set to go undergo further restructure as French conglomerate Canal+ had completed its acquisition of the South African company. The merged company are currently re-evaluating their strategy in the African market with more details expected in the first quarter of 2026.

Aside from MultiChoice, several entertainment brands who are currently contracted with the company are also doing some restructuring of their own. The first induction Bravo had launched in the African market as Comcast looks to fold E! and MSNBC under a separate company, Versant.

Fact of the matter is that NBCUniversal can't distribute E! as they no longer own the brand and Bravo was the only option under the restructured company. Besides that, E! had allocated several shows from the channel ahead of its launch.

Following E! in a not so distant future could be BET and MTV Base as Paramount Global following its corporate buyout by Skydance Media is looking to reduce operational costs. This includes shuttering it's local operations in South Africa which might affect MTV, Comedy Central and Nicktoons.

According to The Sun, Paramount is looking to close all of its international music channels except for the ones in the US. MTV Base would join a long list of UK/Pan-European feeds which are set to be shuttered by the end of December.

As for BET, several factors contribute to its potential demise in Africa firstly similar to MTV Base, it was the brand in which Paramount put most of its local aspirations. In Brazil, such channels are shutting down as they aren't financially feasible.

Paramount intends to retain MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Nicktoons pushing their focus on core brands. BET for sometime has been pivoting toward streaming with the company's president calling it a building block to its streaming strategy.

 

Continuing on Paramount's reign of destruction would be CBS Reality that the company operate alongside AMC Networks International. The channel has seen a decline in carriage across Europe and very much like E! reduced programming and a zombified lineup.

It's not clear whether this could affect CBS Justice which would serve as the African equivalent of True Crime as AMC Networks International is still licensing content for the brand.

Warner Bros. Discovery Rejects Paramount's Initial Bid For The Company

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Warner Bros Discovery Inc. has rebuffed Paramount Skydance Corp.’s initial takeover approach for being too low, according to people familiar with the matter.

Warner Bros. rejected Paramount’s offer of around $20 per share in recent weeks, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private.

Paramount, led by David Ellison, has several options in its pursuit of Warner Bros., including boosting its bid, going directly to shareholders or finding additional backing through a financial partner, they added.

CNBC’s David Faber reported last week that the companies are in talks about a deal but are in disagreement over price and that Paramount could make its offer public to shareholders to pressure Warner Bros.

Representatives for Paramount and Warner Bros. declined to comment.

Warner Bros. shares closed at $17.10 on Friday, giving the company a market value of $42.3 billion. Paramount shares were at $17 a share, valuing it at $18.6 billion.

Ellison, the son of billionaire Larry Ellison, took over Paramount, the parent of CBS, Nickelodeon, MTV and the namesake movie studio, in August after completing an $8 billion merger with his film production company Skydance Media.

Paramount has been in talks with alternative asset manager Apollo Global Management about backing its bid, Bloomberg News reported last week.

Ellison said at the Bloomberg Screentime conference last week that he couldn’t comment on Warner Bros. specifically, but he did make the case for more industry mergers.

Warner Bros. plans to split into two businesses, one focused on cable TV and the other on streaming and studios, in a deal expected to be completed next year.

Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav believes he can get a hefty premium for his streaming and studios businesses once they’re separated from the debt-laden cable networks, Bloomberg News previously reported. To clinch a deal, Ellison will have to convince him that he isn’t leaving money on the table by selling before that happens.

November 2025 On Disney Channel And Disney Junior Across Africa | Channel Premiere For Vampirina: Teenage Vampire | Returning Shows Including Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ | More

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Disney Channel

* for consumers outside of South Africa

* Phineas And Ferb S5 - New Episodes

Starts 3 November

Monday to Wednesday at 08:05 CAT

Phineas and Ferb are back, and Candice is determined to BUST them while their pet platypus, Perry works to thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

Kiff S2 - New Episodes 

Starts 17 November 

Monday to Friday at 16:30 CAT

* Starts 10 November 

Monday to Wednesday at 06:00 CAT

Kiff and Barry’s adventures take them ever-deeper into Table Town and beyond! Here, they navigate life, school, relationships, and the quirks of their eccentric world.

* Big City Greens S4 - New Episodes

Starts 17 November 

Monday to Thursday at 06:50 CAT

Follow the offbeat adventures of 10-year-old Cricket Green, a mischievous and optimistic country boy. His older sister Tilly, father Bill and Gramma Alice. Cricket’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm lead him and his family on epic journeys.

Vampirina: Teenage Vampire - New Series

Starts 18 November

Monday to Thursday at 17:00 CAT

Vee leaves Transylvania for boarding school to chase her musical dreams. As she keeps her vampire identity a secret, unexpected obstacles threaten to return her to the shadows.

Zootropolis+ - New Shorts 

Starts 21 November 

Fridays at 16:50 CAT 

A return to the metropolis of mammals to discover some intriguing characters, including Fru Fru, the Arctic shrew, Officer Clawhauser, the greedy cheetah and Flash, the surprising sloth.

Zootropolis - New Movie 

Airs 14 November 

Friday at 17:00

When Judy Hopps, a rookie officer in the Zootopia Police Department, sniffs out a sinister plot, she enlists the help of a con artist to solve the case in order to prove her abilities to Chief Bogo.

LEGO: Disney Princess Villains Unite - New Movie 

Airs 21 November 

Friday at 17:00

After Ariel, Moana, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Snow White thwarted Gaston's plan to take over all of their kingdoms, he calls upon Ursula, Jafar, and the Evil Queen to help take the Princesses down once and for all.

Disney Junior

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ S1 - New Episodes 

Starts 17 November

Monday to Friday at 09:30 CAT

Mickey and his pals welcome everyone back to the clubhouse they know and love for all-new adventures filled with games, songs, laughs, and of course, handy helping, and fun new surprises!

Iron Man And His Amazing Friends S1 - New Episodes

Starts 10 November

Monday to Friday at 16:00 CAT

Marvel’s Iron Man and his Awesome Friends” follows the adventures (and misadventures) of best friends and super geniuses, Tony Stark, Riri Williams and Amadeus Cho as they work together to solve problems both big and small and protect their city.

Netflix Set To Bid For Champions League Rights

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Streaming giant Netflix is set to bid for UEFA Champions League rights for the 2027/28 season. They are thought to be interested in the ‘global first pick’ package, which will give exclusive rights around the globe for the leading game in each round.

UEFA will attract around €5 billion per year in the next round of bidding, an increase from the current package, which brought them in €3.3 billion.

Champions League Showcases Best Teams in Europe

The UEFA Champions League is considered the premier football competition in Europe, so it is no surprise that Netflix want to be part of the action. They will be hoping to feature the likes of Real Madrid, PSG and Arsenal, three teams flying high in their respective leagues this season. The latter top the Premier League standings ahead of their visit to Fulham in a London derby. They are 1/2 favourites in the Fulham vs Arsenal odds for the game.

In the Premier League betting this season, Liverpool are 11/4 to defend their title. The six-time Champions League winners are hugely popular around the world, so Netflix will be keen to frequently feature Arne Slot’s side if they secure the ‘global first pick’ package.

The Champions League changed its format in 2024 to include a 36-team league in the opening phase of the competition. This has helped to pit the bigger teams against each other earlier than usual, increasing the viewing figures for the group stage.

Amazon Already Involved in Champions League

One of Netflix’s direct competitors, Prime Video, already streams Champions League matches as part of the current package. They share the rights in the UK with TNT Sports, with Amazon broadcasting 17 matches.

Amazon, Apple and Disney are expected to bid along with Netflix for the ‘global first pick’ package from 2027. UEFA will be hoping that with four streaming giants involved, it will drive the auction to record numbers.

The winner of the auction may need to increase the cost of their packages to their customers to fund the expenditure. They will be hoping to attract new subscribers who are keen to watch the Champions League.

Boxing Has Proved a Big Success for Netflix

Should they win the rights to the UEFA Champions League, it won’t be the first sporting event that Netflix have streamed. They have already shown some major boxing events on their platform.

Netflix hosted the exhibition event between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson in 2024. It was watched live by over 60 million households. The company also shot content in the lead-up to the fight to sit across their platform.

More recently, Netflix won the rights to the huge clash between Saul Alvarez and Terence Crawford. That was billed as one of the biggest clashes this decade in the sport. Over 41 million households watched that fight live from Las Vegas.

If they can win the right to the Champions League, it will be a boost for Netflix, who are keen to be more involved in some of the leading sporting events in the world.

Spinners,’ The South African Sports Drama From Canal+ And Showmax, Returns For Season 2

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“Spinners,” the South African extreme sports action drama, is returning for a second season that brings back the creators, writers and cast of the hit drama set in Cape Town.

Co-produced by African streaming service Showmax and Canal+, season 2 of “Spinners” shot on location in South Africa with showrunner and co-creator Benjamin Hoffman. Back in the director’s chair is Jaco Bouwer, whose credits include the SXSW prizewinning eco-horror movie “Gaia.” Also back are Matthew Jankes and Sean Steinberg who penned season 2.

Joachim Landau is once again producing the gritty crime drama for Federation Middle East Africa & Caribbean, alongside Ramadan Suleman (“Zulu Love Letter”) who is co-producing through his South African full-service company Natives at Large.

Studiocanal, whose sister company Canal+ commissioned the series, is unveiling a first look of season 2 in the run up to Mipcom. The show illustrates creative synergies between the French TV group and Showmax, the streaming service of MultiChoice, the pan-African pay-TV operator that’s now fully owned by Canal+ and operates across 50 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It will roll out on both Canal+ and MultiChoice platforms, Showmax and DStv.

The first season of “Spinners” make history as the first African show to take part in Canneseries’ main competition in 2023 and went on to win awards at Dakar Series, and the Shanghai TV festival, as well as garnered three nominations at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA).

The first season followed 17-year-old Ethan (Cantona James) seeking a way out of the Southside’s bloody cycle of gang violence through spinning, a South African extreme motorsport that features drivers performing daredevil stunts. Season 2 sees is set two years after Ethan and his friends escaped the violent grip of gang life and have become spinning stars in the big city. “Fame, love, and happiness finally seem within reach—until a brutal ambush, orchestrated by Ethan’s old gang, shatters their peace. Desperate, Ethan turns to the Maseko clan for help but their protection comes at a heavy cost,” the synopsis reads.

Cantona James and Chelsea Thomas reprise their leading roles, along with Brendon Daniels – who starred in “White Lies” opposite Natalie Dormer, and local star Dillon Windvogel (“Blood & Water”). Cameos include Kayla Olifant, a top female spinner who was recently featured in the National Geographic series “David Blaine: Do Not Attempt.”

New cast members are also joining season 2 of “Spinners,” including Clementine Mosimane (“How to Ruin Christmas”), Mondli Makhoba (“Shaka iLembe”) and rising star Luyanda Zwane (“Sibongile and the Dlaminis”) and Aphiwe Mkefe (“Nkuleko”).

The production of “Spinners” season 2 reflects the ambition of Canal+ which aims at ramping up its pipeline of Canal+ original series in Africa to eight shows per year hailing from all over Africa.

Since 2018, Canal+ has produced 35 Canal+ series with African talent in 11 different African countries. These include “Invisibles,” “Agent,” “Cacao,” “Mami Wata,” “Eki,” “Or Blanc,” “Niabla,” “Ewusu” and “Lakantane.”