Clifford The Big Red Dog Is Back With Reimagined Animated Series On PBS KIDS

PBS KIDS announced the production of the newest animated series for kids ages 3-5 based on the beloved Scholastic book series by Norman Bridwell, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG®. The series is inspired by the importance of community and will introduce important foundational social skills, including understanding how to engage in social problem-solving, joining groups, making friends, and including others, as well as modeling how even young children can play a contributing role in their communities. The reimagined buddy comedy centers around Emily Elizabeth, a kid with big-hearted ideas, and her giant best friend Clifford, who turns small problems into gloriously oversized adventures – literally! With 9 Story Media Group (SUPER WHY’S COMIC BOOK ADVENTURES, DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD) producing and the award-winning studio, Brown Bag Films*, animating, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG is slated to premiere on PBS KIDS in 2027.

“Clifford has been a favorite with children and families for generations, and we can’t wait to reintroduce this Big Red Dog to PBS KIDS audiences across the country,” said Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS and Education. “Giving kids the skills, knowledge, and encouragement they need to connect with others and sustain relationships is more vital than ever to prepare them for success in school and life.”

“Since he first filled a page, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG captured the heart of Scholastic and his adventures connected with readers everywhere, creating remarkable, global recognition,” said Iole Lucchese, Scholastic Chief Strategy Officer, President of Scholastic Entertainment and Executive Producer for Clifford. “This new series builds on Clifford’s most endearing traits through fresh storytelling, creating new opportunities for audiences and marking an exciting step in the continued growth of the franchise.”

“With this next chapter, we’re leaning into a more comedic approach that amplifies the scale and playfulness of Clifford, while staying grounded in the warmth and emotional connection audiences have always loved,” said Vince Commisso, President and CEO of 9 Story Media Group and Executive Producer for Clifford. “We’re also proud to once again partner with PBS KIDS, a trusted home for a brand that has resonated with families for generations.”

CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG by Norman Bridwell was first published in 1963 by Scholastic and now boasts more than 135 million books in print in 20 languages distributed worldwide. This new series will include 26 new episodes, comprised of two 11-minute stories, and an interactive game designed to extend the fun and social skill development for preschoolers. These additions join the already expansive and award-winning library of Clifford content currently available on PBS KIDS, including episodes from both the 2019 and 2000 animated series, as well as three games. The upcoming reimagined CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG series was developed by 9 Story Media Group. Jason Hopley (NANALAN’, BIG AND SMALL, CORN & PEG) is Head Writer and Cory Bobiak (PEG + CAT, XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM) is Director. 9 Story holds worldwide distribution and consumer products rights. The series was commissioned by PBS KIDS (US), CBC (Canada), and Sky Kids (UK).

*Brown Bag Films Toronto is a business unit of 9 Story Media Group.

SABC Provides An Update On Pimville Production

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) wishes to provide an update regarding the production of Pimville, currently broadcast on SABC 2.

The SABC wishes to confirm that the broadcaster has duly fulfilled its contractual obligations to Bakwena Productions. The corporation is therefore up to date with payments, underscoring its commitment to the smooth running of productions. It must be noted, that in this case the production company concerned is in breach of the contract with the SABC.

In response to the current situation, the SABC is:

• Actively engaging the production company to remedy the situation.

• Implementing contingency plans to ensure continuity of content on SABC 2

• Exploring alternative production solutions, should this become necessary.

• We have engaged the cast of Pimville today.

The SABC became aware of concerns regarding the production company following the commissioning of Pimville and the contracting of Bakwena Productions. Following this, a set of risk mitigation measures were put in place. While these interventions were intended to safeguard the production and protect the SABC, recent developments indicate that further action is required.

We remain committed to ensuring that all productions adhere to the highest standards of governance, accountability, and fair treatment of all industry professionals.

Could Canal+ Look To Discontinue DStv Easyview?

As some people have noticed in the last months, Canal+ has been cleaning house at MultiChoice after completing it's buyout in 2025. This included the discontinuation of Showmax and reduction in costs for its decoders.

Canal+ had mentioned that MultiChoice charges way too much for its services in Anglophone markets compared to them in Francophone Africa. This is what's causing people to flee their offering with plans underway to rectify this error.

MultiChoice currently offers 17 different packages from DStv Premium to Easyview with various Add-ons from Explora Ultra and AddMovies. Not to mention, there is GOtv which we might discuss later 

Canal+ made it clear that this is not what consumers want and this many offerings drives a lot of confusion. They pivoting and looking to offer less brands, more simplicity, cheaper packages and decoders.

DStv Premium in it's current form could be a goner amidst this restructure I don't think it will die down like Compact+ but in terms of pricing and content that's likely to change. Same goes for its lower entry packages such as DStv Family and Easyview.

Canal+ wants to ensure that MultiChoice remains competitive in the long run and view Africa as the next destination to help in those endeavours. This would include trying to make DStv packages attractive for which DStv Easyview is not.

DStv Easyview serves as the cheapest offering amongst MultiChoice's services which carries mainly provincial and news channels with other content in the mix. This would include SABC 1-3, Soweto TV, SABC News, BBC UKTV and Real Time.

In other MultiChoice markets, this offering is known as DStv Lite which has seen more press and enhancements with SuperSport Variety 4, Mzansi Bioskop, Telemundo and BBC Lifestyle. MultiChoice SA has been fallen behind with other markets here.

We don't know what the final DStv product will look like but if Canal+ sees the audience numbers on Easyview are low - they might discontinue it. MultiChoice has never revealed how many people use Easyview as they usually liked grouping figures.

DStv Easyview numbers went hand in hand with Access and Family, and while they didn't divulge numbers it's clear to some that it has the least subscribers amongst packages.

MultiChoice often treats DStv Easyview like it's failed GOtv pay-tv venture in South Africa. They don't really market the offering as much as other countries do with DStv Lite or curate content exclusively for those audiences.

DStv Access consumers got KykNET Lekker and Moja 9.9. which by all means are not carried on other packages while Easyview inherited Magic Showcase which is also seen on Access.

If Canal+ is able to reverse DStv's growth projection, the question would have to be whether they'd still want something like Easyview. It currently competes with Openview which has two sports channels, three Bollywood channels and only lacking in local news.

Companies like MultiChoice or at least the ones I've seen in other African markets or even MultiChoice Africa don't really offer such package. The cheapest package being DStv Lite costs KSh 750 (R97.50) in Kenya while Access is KSh 1,450 (R188.50).

In some MultiChoice markets either one serves as the cheaper alternative.

What Happened To M-Net Movies Pop-Up Channels On DStv?

M-Net Movies pop-up channels was once a staple on DStv for franchises such as Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Fast & Furious and Star Wars. It served as one of those high profile events for DStv Premium and AddMovies subscribers.

Pop-up channels was once a concept that not only MultiChoice but various pay-tv companies around the world had offered at one point. In some cases, this meant giving viewers a glimpse behind the action with documentaries and interviews.

Instead of launching separate channels, M-Net would rather consolidate this offering on existing channels. One example is the Fan Favourites Festival where DStv viewers can pick what broadcasts on the screen.

This reduces the technical cost of running a dedicated extra channel while still offering that "binge-fest" experience. 

MultiChoice had also shifted their priorities for such events to DStv Stream and Catch-Up. Instead of waiting on a movie to broadcast on a pop-up channel, you can now find these movies under a particular tile or folder through these services.

Now under French hands, Canal+ is looking to simplify packages and rationalize on brands. There's no telling what's to become of DStv Premium and AddMovies as MultiChoice had lost millions of its top paying clients since 2016.

We can only imagine that Canal+ will probably look to merge some packages and bring down the prices for others while closing a couple of channels.

For MultiChoice, they have about 10 movie channels and this doesn't include Mzansi Bioskop, CineMagic, Zee Cinema and Africa Magic Epic. There's no telling if under Canal+ they'd continue having this many movie channels as they're in cost cutting mode.

Recap: May The 4th Be With You As Disney Unveils Themes Events And Programming

- Mando Mondays announced at Comic Con Africa Cape Town In Celebration of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Hitting Cinemas Nationwide on 22 May 

- May The 4th is a beloved commemoration of the Star Wars saga

- Galactic Programming Across Disney Channels and Disney+

- An Array of Star Wars Product from LEGO® to Figurines and Plush Available

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 4 May 2026; In celebration of International Star Wars Day, Disney Africa today has announced Mando Mondays – a fan-driven celebration of the upcoming action-adventure must-see cinematic event from Lucasfilm, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.

In the film, the evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu. Directed by Jon Favreau, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu also stars Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White.

Ahead of the film’s release from 22 May 2026, and as announced at a fan-filled Star Wars face off at Comic Con Cape Town this past weekend, Disney Africa is calling on South African fans to get in on the celebrations by visiting the Star Wars and Disney Studios Africa Facebook and Instagram pages to keep up to date on news and competitions to be announced throughout May. More competitions featuring the latest Star Wars products will be in hand through influencer unboxings and reveals, and there’s a galaxy to discover each Monday exclusively on Takealot, with a live shopping experience today only on Takealot.com. 

Burger King® is bringing the Force to flame-grilling with the launch of a limited-time menu inspired by Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Rolling out from 27 April in South Africa the new menu combines bold flavours, immersive packaging and exclusive collectibles to create a truly galactic experience for fans of all ages.  

This Is The Way… To Binge It All On Disney+

Lucasfilm’s acclaimed and celebrated series Maul: Shadow Lord premiere’s its last two episodes on 4 May and adds to the enthralling story of the iconic Maul, a former Sith, who is plotting to rebuild the Shadow Collective crime syndicate to aid in his relentless pursuit of revenge.

As the home of Star Wars, Disney+ has a galaxy of stories awaiting including the complete Star Wars Saga, original series from Ahsoka and Andor, to incredible animated offerings like The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, to documentaries and specials and much, much more for every Star Wars fan to celebrate on May the 4th and beyond.

Discover Special Programming

Disney Channel (DStv Channel 303) viewers are in for a treat as two LEGO® Star Wars series premiere on the channel. From 4-7 May at 16:30 (CAT), LEGO® Star Wars: Rebuild The Galaxy sees the entire Star Wars Galaxy getting completely mixed up when an ordinary nerf-herder, Sig Greebling, unearths a powerful artifact from a hidden Jedi Temple. Then from 11-14 May at 16:30 (CAT) LEGO® Star Wars: Rebuild The Galaxy Pieces of the Past sees Sig, Jedi Bob, Yesi, Servo and the villainous Dev return and must face off against a new enemy – the powerful and mysterious Solitus. Our heroes will make unlikely alliances as they traverse new and dangerous parts of the hilariously mixed-up galaxy in an effort to stop the growing threat Solitus poses to all they hold dear.

The Most Wanted product in the Universe

Retailers nationwide will stock the latest and greatest collectibles, accessories and toys for the whole family from the exclusive Star Wars: Most Wanted celebration.

Highlights include the LEGO® BB-8 Astromech Droid Building Toy, lightsabers for any Padawan or Jedi and an array of Star Wars plush toys. In anticipation for the release of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, fans can collect a number of fun products from Hasbro including the interactive animatronic figure Star Wars: Adventure Buddy Grogu, Star Wars: Huggin Grogu Figure with motion-activated hugging arms and sound effects as well as the Star Wars: Snacking Grogu featuring expressive movements, sound effects and interactive feeding play. LEGO® will also offer the Star Wars: Grogu™ (Mandalorian Apprentice) building set, a must-add for any collector.

May the 4th Be With You

Say “May the 4th Be With You” out loud and you’ll hear the pun that Star Wars fans worldwide have turned into a rallying cry to proclaim their love of the saga.

Today - 4 May - is the day to say “May the Force be with you” to all and celebrate the beloved Star Wars story that binds our galaxy together. From dressing up as their favourite characters, reliving the classic film moments by holding Star Wars movie marathons, holding Star Wars-themed parties (complete with blue milk and Death Star Popcorn Balls, Wookie Cookies and more) – the only limit is a fans imagination that stretches a galaxy (far, far away)! Discover more: https://www.starwars.com/star-wars-day.