Reminder: Glow TV Goes Dark On The Openview Platform By The End Of February

eMedia Investments:
- SABC+ Vs. eVOD: The Consequence Of Free-To-View Television
- MultiChoice and eMedia Investments plan to combat load shedding get a lot of attention
- Ultraview Pride and Ultraview Indian coming soon to Openview

Glow TV launched in October 2013 as South Africa's dedicated community channel owned by Urban Brew Studios before Nismedia took majority stake in 2016 celebrated the life of India with reality shows, music, drama series, movies and local productions.

In March 2018, Glow TV viewers were outraged after MultiChoice announced plans to dump the channel by the end of that month. 5 years after the removal on DStv, eMedia Investments also made plans to dump the channel by the end of that period.

Since then, MultiChoice allocated Star Life in place of Glow TV on channel 167 on the DStv platform in that same year while as eMedia Investments allocated Zee One on channel 111 through the Openview platform in 2021.

As Glow TV bids farewell to Openview consumers, eMedia Investments is prepping up a new Indian bouquet for their soon to be launched pay-tv platform, Ultraview. Of which details about the supposed channels and pricing have yet to be mentioned.

Although, Glow TV will go off air on the Openview platform by the end of February viewers can still view the channel on StarSat which comes with a fee of course as well as the StarTimes app.

Troubled times awaiting the local channell

According to sources, most of the channel's audience reside on the Openview platform meaning their revenue will likely plummet meaning they'll have to possibly cut back on programming and also staff for sustainable.

New Series Alert: Three Sisters Coming Soon To Novela E

eMedia Investments has seen success with Kuiertyd's telenovela lineup some of that includes Gebroke Harte, Dokter Ali, Elif and Doodsondes but that doesn't mean they're the only source to Turkish entertainment. Apparently another broadcaster Novela E has snatched rights to Three Sisters (Üç Kiz Kardes).

Based on the novel with the same Turkish title, the series follows the tale of three sisters and the obstacles they must overcome. With Turkan's marriage, dark clouds will begin to hover over the family, and nothing will be the same as before.

It stars Iclal Aydin as Nesrin Kalender, Reha Ozcan as Sadik Kalender, Ozgu Kaya as Turkan Kalender Korman, Almila Ada as Donus Kalender, Melisa Berberoglu as Derya Kalender, Berker Guven as Somer Korman, Nazli Senem Unal as Mine and Veda Yurtsever as Ruchan Korman.

Everyday Novelas:
- TLNovelas unveils a bold new look
- Die Put S3 to stream on eVOD this March
- Zee World to add an additional 3 shows to their lineup
- Second Chance and Hart Van Goud coming soon to Zee One and eExtra respectively

Since the series debut in February 2022 on Kanal D, Three Sisters has accumulated over 13+ episodes each with a duration of 150 minutes with more expected to rollout in the coming future so to speak.

Interesting to note, Kanal D will also be rolling out another program in the African market titled Roekeloos Dade (Hayat Şarkısı) for the eExtra channel. The network also supplied other shows in the region including Begeertes (Siyah Beyaz Ask) and Wrede Stad (Zalim Istanbul).

Three Sisters airs weekdays at 19:00 CAT from March 15th on Novela E. In South Africa, Roekeloos Dade a sibling to the program in discussion rolls out in the market by April.

Recap To The Past And Present: Is TNT Africa The Next Channel To Exit The African Market On DStv, GOtv And StarSat??? As Warner Bros. Discovery Appears To Be Repositioning The Brand

During the week, Warner Bros. Discovery announced the introduction of TNT Sports in the UK basically their outlet to premium based sports. There is Premier League, WWE, Olympic Games, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and Premiership Rugby.

In an interview it was outlined that TNT Sports fits into their focus on running a global business. The channel has already established its presence in Latin America and since 2023 the main TNT channel in the U.S. had bolstered it's offering following the bloodshed of original programming.

TNT comes in the form of a movie brand in the African market pulling close to 10 million households following the addition of TNT Hits featuring blockbusters like Venom, Suicide Squad and Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. It is also home to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Since 2021, Warner Bros. Discovery has been using an intermediary brand Warner TV for most if not all their content in parts of Europe with questions about a potential duplication in the African market remaining as quo in the time of these events.

Prior to the rollout of TNT Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled the Cartoonito Channel for the African market and through a virtual presentation it was confirmed that the decision to convert the channel had partially to do with the developments in other territories.

Warner Bros. Discovery:
- Boomerang to exit the African market from next month
- Prediction: DMAX launches as a free-to-air channel in the African market
- Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney spending more on original content

Before we even got official word on Cartoonito, Warner Bros. Discovery remained silent on further attractions for Boomerang and even converted several shows from the brand to Cartoonito and shifted it's schedule on a monthly basis.

As for TNT, Warner Bros. Discovery has shared several details about upcoming attractions for the second quarter of 2023 for all their brands ranging from Discovery Channel to Cartoonito but for some reason TNT is the only channel they have yet to release.

TNT has been performing well in the region and after attending that virtual event Warner Bros. Discovery seems more committed in keeping these channels open for fans as opposed to The Walt Disney Company's plans to end the lifespan of their brands.

Sports Entertainment:
- Could the rumoured SuperSport Schools replace another DStv channel?
- SuperSport Schools coming soon to DStv
- What you need to know about the NFL Superbowl 2023?

Warner TV has been getting a lot of attention across their platforms in other countries and if this happens to be the name they opt for the channel. It will be very much different to the versions seen in other countries as Warner has deals put in place for their content.

* Take to account, nothing is official as this could be nothing

New Series Alert: As Expected, Roekeloos Dade Is Rolling Out On eExtra In The Coming Months

Last year, I drew up a list of series recommendations for Istanbul and fast forward to 2023 it was revealed that a portion of them were potential new content including Om Elke Draai for the brands that reside on Everyday Novelas including kykNET and eExtra.

Few weeks or months after those lists were released, we recieved word from our sources that eMedia Investments the same brand that picked up Om Elke Draai will be rolling out another show from our list Hayat Şarkısı now titled Roekeloos Dade for eExtra.

Based on the Korean drama Flames of Desire, Roekeloos Dade follows Hulia, a poor girl who pretends to be strong, aims to make enough money to help her sibling pursue her studies and lead a decent life despite all the challenges they face.

It stars Burcu Biricik as Hülya Çamoğlu Cevher, Birkan Sokullu as Kerim Cevher, Tayanç Ayaydın as Hüseyin Cevher, Ecem Özkaya as Melek Çamoğlu Cevher, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan as Bayram Cevher, Seray Gözler as Süheyla Cevher and Deniz Hamzaoğlu as Kaya.

Everyday Novelas:
- TLNovelas unveils a bold new look
- Die Put S3 to stream on eVOD this March
- Zee World to add an additional 3 shows to their lineup
- Second Chance and Hart Van Goud coming soon to Zee One and eExtra respectively

Kanal D has produced a number of shows including eExtra's Begeertes, Wrede Stad and Soete Wraak alongside eVOD's Chrysalis and Leke. Other shows on Kanal D include Yargi, Afili Ask, Azize and Matter Of Respect, Seversin and Asi.

Roekeloos Dade follows Hart Van Goud as another batch of content expected on the channel in the coming months with eMedia Investments currently filming another show known as Aşk Mantık İntikam with an undisclosed title for Kuiertyd.

Roekeloos Dade airs daily at 19:30 on eExtra from April 26th replacing #DisComplicated when it ends in that month.

New Channel Alert: TNT To Get A Dedicated Sports Channel In The UK

The U.K. and Ireland sports joint venture of Warner Bros. Discovery and telecom giant BT Group has unveiled TNT Sports as the name for the premium sports brand that it will launch later this year to bring together the partners’ collection of sports rights under one service.

The unveiling of the new brand name is “another important step towards the launch of a simpler and even more compelling offering for sports fans in the U.K. and Ireland,” said Andrew Georgiou, board member of the joint venture and president and managing Director, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe. “The TNT Sports name is already synonymous with premium live sport in a number of countries around the world and a further sign of the global scale and expertise that Warner Bros. Discovery brings to its partnership with BT.”

Marc Allera, CEO BT consumer division and chairman of the joint venture, said: “We’re delighted with the progress being made on the joint venture. This change marks the next logical step for BT Sport, as well as the broader transformation of our consumer business. Once launched this will become a hugely exciting new premium sports offering for customers in the U.K. and Ireland.”

Warner Bros. Discovery:
- Boomerang to exit the African market from next month
- Prediction: DMAX launches as a free-to-air channel in the African market
- Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney spending more on original content

The TNT Sports brand wants to reflect “the fan-first approach for which BT Sport has become renowned,” but “the name already has a strong association with premium live sport in other territories and under Warner Bros. Discovery’s family of brands,” the venture partners said. “This includes being home to top-level domestic and European football in a number of countries in Latin America, while live sport has been a longtime staple on the TNT network in the U.S, including the NBA, NHL and NCAA.”

Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Allera emphasized one key goal of the rebranding process. “The thing we want to ensure is minimal customer disruption and maximum excitement,” he said.

Georgiou told reporters about the key thoughts behind the decision to go with the TNT Sports name. “The new brand has to honor the essence of what BT Sport and Eurosport have built in this market,” he explained. “BT Sport in particular, because it has content which is more broadly engaging to the audience here, it has got a broader content proposition. They speak to a large number of local consumers and making sure we don’t lose that was the number one priority. The second part is the brand has to be flexible enough to capture both portfolios. It has to signify an expansion and…change. And the third criterion was that it has to be local. So making sure that there was a clean slate, if you like, for what this is was an important part of the decision-making process.”

For Warner Bros. Discovery, the TNT Sports brand fits into its focus on running a global business. “We are a global content and entertainment business, and we are, through the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, thinking about our business globally and what global scale, strength and capability can bring.” Georgiou also mentioned: “We think there is some value in having global consistency around a sports brand that is synonymous with sports, and premium sports in particular.”

Sports Entertainment:
- Could the rumoured SuperSport Schools replace another DStv channel?
- SuperSport Schools coming soon to DStv
- What you need to know about the NFL Superbowl 2023?

Bringing together two content portfolios, TNT Sports will “provide one of the most extensive lineups of live sports coverage for fans in the U.K. and Ireland, including the Olympic Games, the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Premiership Rugby, MotoGP, UFC, Boxing, WWE, tennis Grand Slams, cycling Grand Tours and the winter sports season,” the partners said.

“The clean slate promises to simplify the overall sports experience for fans in the long term,” PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore said about the branding update. But he noted the “numerous challenges in the short term of managing a multi-brand strategy, which the new joint venture is fully aware of and will need to navigate carefully.”