January 2026 On History Channel Across Africa | Channel Premiere: Hazardous History With Henry Winkler | Returning Shows Including Life After People | More

Brand New & Exclusive

LIFE AFTER PEOPLE S3 

5 January

Mondays 19:25

What would happen if every human being on earth disappeared? This is the story of what happens to the world we leave behind. The series builds on the HISTORY Channel’s documentary special ‘Life After People’. This latest season of the series continues to explore what a world wiped clean of humanity would look like. The series uses the most cutting edge visual effects to provide a detailed picture of a post-human future, revealing the fate of famous structures and investigates the creatures that might inherit the places we once lived. Repeat: Next day 11:45

Brand New & Exclusive

BEYOND SKINWALKER RANCH S3

2 January

Fridays 20:15

To fully unlock the secrets of Skinwalker Ranch - widely considered to be ground zero for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - Dr. Travis Taylor and Erik Bard expand the investigative team and broaden their reach to explore evidence of similar phenomena at sites around the country. Repeat: Monday 12:35

Brand New & Exclusive 

HAZARDOUS HISTORY WITH HENRY WINKLER

22 January

Thursdays 19:25

There was a time, not long ago, when we drank Coca-Cola that was laced with actual cocaine. We smoked everywhere, from airplanes to the doctor’s office. We stored our food in toxic refrigerators and flew down slides that ripped our skin off. We played (unknowingly) with radioactive toys and decorated our Christmas tree with ornaments made from asbestos. And ignorance was bliss. Hosted by the iconic Henry Winkler, each 60-minute episode of this nostalgia-drenched series tells the entertaining stories of the unchecked and unregulated places, people, products, practices, and pastimes from a forgotten era. Fast-paced, informative, and a little bit scary, the series is a running cavalcade of the most careless, reckless and unsupervised tales of irresponsibility in our history. Repeat: Next Day 11:45

Brand New

HITLER’S HOLOCAUST RAILWAYS WITH CHRIS TARRANT 

27 January

Tuesday 21:05

British television personality Chris Tarrant goes on a personal journey to explore the darkest chapter in the history of the railways, their role in the Nazi Holocaust of WWII. Traveling through three countries from Nuremberg to Auschwitz, he explores the history from the first anti -Jewish laws and the Nazi’s quest to build the world’s most powerful railway of war - to the eventual use of that railway network to transport millions to their deaths. Repeat: Next Day 13:25

Amigas Y Rivales (Friends And Rivals) Coming Soon To TLNovelas Across Africa

TLNovelas, a Mexican based entertainment channel by TelevisaUnivision that offers telenovelas in English and Portuguese has announced the addition of Amigas Y Rivales. This translates to Friends And Rivals, the series is slated to rollout in 2026.

Synopsis for Amigas Y Rivales

Amigas Y Rivales tells the story of four women from different social backgrounds. The first is Laura, a studious, sensitive, serious girl from a middle-class family; she studies data processing in a private university because she received a scholarship.

Jimena is the typical rich girl, dissipated and irresponsible, for whom sex is just another amusement. At one point she is kidnapped although she doesn't realize it. She lives with Sebastián, a drug dealer who gives her drugs in exchange for her having sex with men in his home. Ofelia is Jimena's best friend. Like Jimena, she is rich and lives for pleasure and fun, until she gets infected with HIV.

The fourth protagonist is Nayeli, who has a humble background and works as a maid in Jimena's home. Nayeli dreams of being a Hollywood actress, like her idol, Salma Hayek. This dream takes her to the United States illegally, where she meets boxer Johnny Trinidad, who falls in love with her. She is reported to the immigration service and deported back to Mexico.

It starred Michelle Vieth as Laura González Uribe, Arath de la Torre as Roberto "Robertito" de la O Terán, Ludwika Paleta as Jimena de la O Terán, Rodrigo Vidal as Armando del Valle and Adamari López as Ofelia Villada Ruvalcaba.

Amigas Y Rivales premiered on Las Estrellas from February 26, 2001 and concluded on November 9, 2001 after 165 episodes each with a duration of 42 to 45 minutes. It was produced by Emilio Larrosa who is known for shows like Fooled Into Love.

Canal+ Acquires Remaining Stake In MultiChoice Following A Squeeze Out

Multichoice will officially delist from the JSE this week following its acquisition by French media giant Canal+. 

Canal+ has been attempting to acquire control of Multichoice for nearly two years and has now acquired all the remaining shares following a Squeeze-Out of other shareholders. 

The group will not delist the ordinary shares of Multichoice from the JSE and the A2X, effective Wednesday, 10 December 2025. 

This is subject to obtaining regulatory approvals from the JSE, the A2X, and the South Africa Reserve Bank. 

Canal+ said it remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under the conditions set by the South African competition authorities. 

It thus intends to proceed with a secondary inward listing on the JSE within 9 months following the effective date of the delisting.

This aligns with the timetable and procedures envisaged in the relevant regulatory approvals.

The move marks a major change for Multichoice, with the company’s history dating back to 1985, when M-Net was founded. 

With Supersport part of its catalogue, Multichoice was launched in 1995. DStv launched its first satellite service that same year. 

The company would continue to expand into other African markets and launch its own streaming service, Showmax, in 2015. 

In 2019, Multichoice was spun out of South Africa’s most valuable company, Naspers. 

Soon after, its shares began trading on the A2X Markets on a secondary basis on Monday, March 2, 2020

The recent acquisition by Canal+ means that South African investors can no longer own a direct stake in Multichoice, and will only be able to own an indirect stake when Canal+ lists.

Paramount Is Going Hostile With New Bid For Warner Bros. Discovery

Paramount Skydance is launching a hostile bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery after it lost out to Netflix in a months-long bidding war for the legacy assets, the company said Monday.

Paramount will go straight to WBD shareholders with an all-cash, $30-per-share offer. That's the same bid WBD rejected last week, which Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison said Monday never got a response from Warner Bros. Discovery. The offer is backstopped with equity financing from the Ellison family and the private-equity firm RedBird Capital as well as $54 billion in debt commitments from Bank of America, Citi and Apollo Global Management.

"We're really here to finish what we started," Ellison told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" Monday. "We put the company in play."

Shares of Paramount were roughly 5% higher in premarket trading Monday. Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery were up about 6%. Shares of Netflix were slightly lower.

On Friday, Netflix announced a deal to acquire WBD's studio and streaming assets for $72 billion. Paramount had been bidding for the entirety of Warner Bros. Discovery, including those assets and the company's TV networks like CNN and TNT Sports.

Comcast also bid for the streaming and studio businesses, CNBC previously reported.

Paramount has repeatedly argued to the WBD board of directors that keeping Warner Bros. Discovery whole was in the best interest of its shareholders.

Paramount executives also plan to argue their deal will have a much shorter regulatory approval process given the company's smaller size and friendly relationship with the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the matter.

"We've had great conversations with the President about this, but I don't want to speak for him," Ellison said Monday.

Netflix's proposed acquisition has already raised antitrust questions, in particular for combining two of the most dominant streaming platforms. CNBC reported Friday that the Trump administration was viewing the deal with "heavy skepticism," and President Donald Trump said Sunday the market share considerations could pose a "problem."

Netflix agreed to pay Warner Bros. Discovery $5.8 billion if the deal is not approved, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday. Warner Bros. Discovery said it would pay a $2.8 billion breakup fee if it decides to call off the deal to pursue a different merger.

More Bad News Might Be Awaiting DStv Consumers As MultiChoice And Warner Bros. Discovery Square Off

According to some new reports, DStv subscribers may have to brace for more bad news aside from Paramount closing MTV Base and 3 other channels. The fight is on in trying to retain Cartoon Network and TNT as well as The White Lotus on M-Net.

Warner Bros. Discovery and MultiChoice had this carriage dispute for sometime regarding the future of these networks and it's content on M-Net. As reported, Netflix had won the bid to acquire the portion that licenses to M-Net.

MultiChoice under its new owners Canal+ seemingly implied that rates to renew such agreement is higher. And as I've mentioned for a while now things about to get messy from insider's reports that things aren't looking good.

It could imply two scenarios

The first DStv consumers will lose all 12 channels meaning no more reruns of Regular Show on Cartoon Network and Holiday Baking Championship on Food Network. Superman, Green Lantern and Harry Potter on M-Net Movies those are gone as well.

From 2026, MultiChoice will lose DStv consumers at an alarmingly rate as seen in Kenya where it lost 85% of its audience. While they promise to replace the affected channels, none of the content from these brands would form part of the lineup anyways.

MultiChoice will find it hard trying to convince consumers across the DStv bouquet to retain their subscription. Even with replacements, there would be no Sister Wives or AEW Dynamite which is what the paying consumer subscribed for.

Various outlets are putting most of their bet on the first scenario and if you've seen what happened in the week was Netflix's possible acquisition of Warner Bros. Lots of websites placed their bid on Paramount winning as the deal would have included the cable networks.

But I'm putting my cards out for the second scenario where MultiChoice and Warner Bros. Discovery are able to finalise an agreement - eventually.

"Things Aren't Looking Good" could imply instead of 12 additional channels joining the 4 existing channels from Paramount to exit DStv. It could as well be between 4-7 channels and I've stated this before MultiChoice doesn't need all these channels.

Travel Channel had been in decline that even MultiChoice Africa no longer offer it to DStv consumers. HGTV similar to BBC Earth wasn't even licensed to consumers in some African markets making it a strong contender to get the axe.

Under previous management, MultiChoice was prioritising on content which led to the exit of a couple of popular brands like Animal Planet and BBC First. Maybe under French hands, they could look to keep channels with massive appeal and remove ones deemed expensive or redundant.

Popular brands within their stable include Discovery, TLC, Cartoon Network and TNT, with expensive or low rated brands like HGTV, Food Network and Discovery Family.

If theres one thing I believe would be a priority is the part that deals with M-Net and Showmax as a loss would lead to viewer erosion. The part in which M-Net contract with has major IPs under their belt and is a contributor to M-Net's success.

The linear part doesn't even appear in South Africa's 20 most watched channels making the content part a liability. 

The second scenario seems probable although they would lose subscribers it wouldn't be severe if this number went up to 16 channels. MultiChoice can do without some of these brands as it would give them time to calm the masses and seek alternatives.