Major Shake-Up. e.tv Moves House Of Zwide, Kelders Van Geheime And More Shows To New Timeslots

For weeks, eMedia Investments had been teasing viewers with some breaking news and now the cat is out of the bag. The broadcaster will be making changes to e.tv's local portfolio in 2026 with some shows like e.tv news airing almost two hours early at 18:30.

This is the timeslot currently occupied by Amalanga Awafani on SABC 1 and by moving news here means they'll be minimal division amongst viewers. 

The most shocking for some viewers will be Kelders Van Geheime as e.tv built up some Afrikaans block which paired up with Yosef and rebroadcast of eExtra's Viola. Now Kelders Van Geheime will be airing 30 minutes later at 19:00.

House Of Zwide and Scandal! will be airing 30 minutes later at 19:30 and 20:00 respectively. Isitha: The Enemy will be airing an hour earlier at 20:30 with Smokes & Mirrors remaining at 21:00.

eMedia Investments hasn't stated why they're adjusting their schedule once again but several scenarios could come into play. Kelders Van Geheime's move was probably their way of trying to group all their local content together.

Isitha: The Enemy's move to an earlier timeslot could stem from the Zulu dubbed drama Uzozisola: Regrets. With TAMS dead, we can only assume this Indian drama had become a flop in its current timeslot so e.tv is burning it off at 21:30.

Current schedule 

18:30 Kelders Van Geheime 

19:00 House of Zwide

19:30 Scandal!

20:00 e.tv News

20:30 Uzozisola: Regrets 

21:00 Smoke & Mirrors

21:30 Isitha: The Enemy

Upcoming schedule from January 19th, 2026

18:30 e.tv News

19:00 Kelders Van Geheime 

19:30 House of Zwide

20:00 Scandal!

20:30 Isitha: The Enemy

21:00 Smoke & Mirrors

21:30 Uzozisola: Regrets (rumour)

From Kartoon Channel To DocuBox: Could MultiChoice Be Eyeing These As Potential Suitors For Cartoon Network And Discovery Channel?

As some consumers have heard, MultiChoice might be removing TNT alongside Warner Bros. Discovery's other TV channels on DStv. It does appear like a probable scenario as the DStv Upsize promotion had been extended until 31 January 2026.

It's likely we'll start the new year with 16 less channels and DStv Upsize promotion is expected to serve as a distraction. But consumers on the high end packages to family won't handle the potential losses without a fight.

Warner Bros. Discovery had stated that 49% of kids viewing on DStv comes from Cartoon Network and Cartoonito. They also operate the #1 movie channel and #1 lifestyle channel making MultiChoice's situation complicated.

Now under French hands, MultiChoice had stated that they are more than willing to fill the entertainment gap. But the media is kind of skeptical about how they'd replace Cartoon Network and TLC.

As mentioned, MultiChoice is under the management of French giant Canal+. They operate their own production company StudioCanal, Dailymotion their video sharing app and have pay-tv services in Europe and Asia.

You can only assume some of these alternatives MultiChoice seemed to be hinting at must come from corporate's operations within these markets.

For Cartoon Network, only two options would come to mind the first would an anglophone version of Canal+ Kids. In most markets in which Canal+ operate in they do have a dedicated children's network and in some way this would mark M-Net's re-entry in the kids space.

Second option would be the Kartoon Channel which houses classic shows like Dennis The Menace, Inspector Gadget and Dino Squad alongside other animated shows like Superhero Kindergarten and Rainbow Rangers.

For Cartoonito, MultiChoice might as well reintroduce ZooMoo to the lineup after launching it as a pop-up channel in 2020. It was described as a wildlife channel offering a mixture of educational and entertaining programming.

Another comes from Disney and has been viewed as an afterthought to the brand following its acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Baby TV.

For TNT, there's FilmBox Africa from Netherlands's SPI International in which Canal+ had acquired. It is described as a complementary movie channel with genres ranging from adventure, action, drama and romance, it also offers international series.

 

For Discovery's cable networks, several brands do enter the equation for this one.

There's the Amsterdam based entertainment group Insight TV that specializes in real-life, story-driven content, focusing on genres such as action sports, lifestyle, adventure, and science & technology. It comprises of several linear channels like Infast, Inwonder, Inwild and Intravel.

Viasat World, a Swedish based entertainment company creating, curating, and distributing content around the world. It brings history to life and tell nature’s greatest stories with brands like Viasat History, Viasat Explore and Viasat Nature.

Expanding from SPI International, DocuBox offers an unforgettable collection of fascinating, award-winning documentary features and TV programming exploring the mysteries and beauty of the planet.

Love Nature is a Canadian specialty television channel owned by Blue Ant Media. The channel broadcasts documentaries and television series related to wildlife and nature.

Travelxp is the world's leading travel channel, OTT platform which is based in India and the leading influencer for travel enthusiasts. It offers series focused on adventure, culture, heritage, cuisine, and global destinations.

For CNN, it would be the French based news channel France 24 that MultiChoice had been distributing in some African markets. It's headquarters may be in France but it also has news coverage from Africa particularly french speaking Africa.

Catch Me A Killer, Showmax Original Series, Launches On Canal+'s Polar+ In France Starting January 5th

“Catch Me A Killer is the true story of the first serial killer profiler in South Africa,” says lead actress Charlotte Hope, who played Myranda in Game of Thrones and headlined Starz’s The Spanish Princess as Catherine of Aragon. “She is called Micki Pistorius and, frankly, she’s amazing.” 

South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) winner Rene van Rooyen (Oscar entry Toorbos, Alles Malan, Summertide) agrees. “Living in South Africa amid a wave of violence, we have all been asking for a superhero, and here we have the true story of a superhero in the 1990s,” says Rene, who alternates directing duties with SAFTA winner Brett Michael-Innes (Fiela Se Kind) and Tracey Larcombe (Silent Witness). 

Adapted from Pistorius’ memoir of the same name, the 10-part series follows Pistorius, a newly qualified forensic psychologist, as she tracks down South Africa’s most feared killers. Each episode looks at another of her cases, from the Cleveland Killer to Stewart ‘Boetie Boer’ Wilken, taking viewers across the country. 

“Catch Me A Killer is about Micki’s experience of trying to understand the psychology of serial killers, but it’s also more than that,” says Charlotte. “On one hand it’s a true crime: every week we have a different episode, a different serial killer and a different case to solve. But it’s also a character study. This is a woman who goes through a huge emotional journey; in understanding the psychology of the killers, she's also aware of what’s happening psychologically to herself.”

As her character says in the series, “Whoever fights monsters should see that in the process he does not become a monster too.”  

A co-production between Showmax and Germany’s Night Train Media, Catch Me A Killer is also a classic underdog story: Micki is the only female profiler in a predominantly male police force, many of whom are deeply suspicious of the whole concept of psychology and think trying to understand the killers is a waste of time and resources. 

The series is also a time-capsule for 1990s South Africa: when the optimism of the country’s new democracy was undermined by a string of serial killers. 

SAFTA winner Amy Jephta (Oscar entry Barakat, Devil’s Peak, Showmax Original Skemerdans) is the lead writer, alongside the likes of Sarah Hooper (Shameless), Jessica Ruston (Harlots) and Oliver Frampton (Sister Boniface Mysteries). Among other episodes, Amy scripts the two-part pilot, which tells the story of the Station Strangler. 

“The series opens in the place that I come from, Mitchell’s Plain,” says Amy. “I was in grade 1 at the time of the Station Stranger killer and my mother was a police officer at the same station that Micki was assigned to in 1994. I was in and out of that police station. So I remember the fear in that community and what it felt like to be a kid at a time where there were these boys being abducted. So I could draw a lot on my first-hand feeling.” 

“It’s not a whodunnit; it’s a whydunnit,” adds Amy. “You’re inside the perspective of these killers and the victim’s families as much as you are inside Micki’s perspective. Can she get to the heart of understanding the mind of the killer she’s tracking? Why did these people commit these acts? It’s a fascinating cat and mouse story.”

Apart from Steven Ward (One Piece) and newcomer Donna Cormack-Thomson as series regulars, the supporting cast changes each episode. Look out for the likes of Lemogang Tsipa (Shaka iLembe), Waldemar Schultz (Die Byl), Ivan Zimmermann (Alles Malan), Frank Rautenbach (Lioness, Summertide), Silwerskerm winner Carel Nel (Gaia), and SAFTA winner Louw Venter (Swartwater), not to mention SAFTA nominees Albert Pretorius (Spinners) and Sean Cameron Michael (Fried Barry) as Stewart ‘Boetie Boer’ Wilken and FBI profiler Robert Ressler respectively. 

Has Cartoonito Become Irrelevant To DStv?

Cartoonito is a preschool channel operated by Warner Bros. Discovery offering fun, engaging and comedic content. It is home to shows like Tom And Jerry and Batwheels alongside third party shows from Grizzy And The Lemmings and Cocomelon.

It was to meant to serve as some successor to Boomerang and since it's inception there's been a lot of mixed feelings about the brand. 

Boomerang was basically the Comedy Central of children's television with various content from Looney Tunes, Tom And Jerry and Scooby-Doo. All this was kind of trimmed down with Cartoonito in favour of more age appropriate shows.

The thing is preschool was never really the problem or at least not entirely. For DStv consumers there was plenty of this on JimJam, Cbeebies and Nick Jr. there was no need for another preschool channel.

Boomerang was preschool inclusive and the existing offering on the channel gave this content some elevation. But too much of it led to Cartoonito's rapid decline in popularity as older audiences felt alienated by the increased age appropriate shows.

In recent months, Warner Bros. Discovery had moved several shows from the brand to Cartoon Network including Looney Tunes Cartoons and Scooby-Doo And Guess Who?. By doing that, consumers would just further distance themselves from the brand.

MultiChoice Vs. Warner Bros.. Discovery: Who Is The Real Winner Here?

MultiChoice and Warner Bros. Discovery are at opposite ends of the rope when it comes to the fate of BBQ Brawls on Food Network and Mr. Bean on Cartoonito. One company following a buyout is trying to remove all its splinters while the other reaches uncertain times.

Consumers in summary feel a mixture of emotions some express fear regarding TLC's exit on the platform. If you're South African consumer, there really is no other means to catch Dr. Pimple Popper, Death By Fame or Bad Skin Clinic.

Others anger over the potential loss of Investigation Discovery and Discovery Family, Paramount will be closing CBS Reality and 3 other channels soon. These were suppose to be the few other means to watch detective shows and other factual content.

MultiChoice had already put up a notice to DStv consumers about the affected channels potentially closing on 31 December 2025. It should be noted that negotiations remain ongoing and as long as a comprise hadn't been reached its farewell to Cake Boss reruns.

All anyone can hope now is that an agreement can be reached as there's 19 more days into the year. I believe a comprise can be reached perhaps for select channels I mean MultiChoice can do without Discovery Family and Travel Channel.

But it should be noted that a comprise is in the interest for both companies.

For MultiChoice, the failure to renew this transaction would result in fast paced decline in DStv subscriptions. They can do without the extra weight (e.g. Travel Channel) but if you want to show consumers you care replace the affected channels.

For Warner Bros. Discovery, this is your biggest client in the African space and the loss of My Lottery Dream Home would affect your earnings. This comes at a time of an uncertainty as a portion of your brand might be folded under the letter "N".

MultiChoice had been seen as the biggest loser as consumers switch to online viewing but the part that deals with Food Network and CNN has been viewed by analysts as a failing business amidst cord cuts.