Insidus: Entertainment Inside Us

DStv Without Disney? Bob Chapek Confirms That Disney To Close 100 International TV Channels In 2021

With the international rollout of Disney+ in full swing, Disney has been making big changes to its traditional television networks, as it moves its content over to Disney+.

When Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, they obtained a large number of TV networks around the world including Fox, Star, National Geographic and more, in addition to their own Disney Channels.

Last year multiple Disney Channels were closed down around the world, including in Australia and in the United Kingdom. With Disney also set to close down the Fox channel in the UK next month and another 18 channels in South East Asia later this year.

During a recent interview with Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media And Communications Conference. He was asked if more international cable networks are going to be closing, and he replied:

Well, we closed 30 channels in FY2020 or in 2020. We plan to close 100 in 2021. So yes, we will continue and continue at a robust rate. And then the content to your question, we’ll continue to migrate to Disney+, the great majority of that content will migrate to Disney+. And again, the decisions that we make in individual channels and individual markets, and the timing of such are sort of framed up by existing deals that we’ve gotten some of the constraints we’ve got there, but as you can see, that continues to be a core strategy for us as we pivot towards direct-to-consumer.

There are still many countries within Eastern Europe, Africa, The Middle East and in Asia, that don’t yet have Disney+ available. So we should expect a lot more channels in those regions to be closed later this year, once Disney+ launches in those regions.

Updated (18/06): tvN Might Have Gotten An Extended Vacation On DStv

tvN launched in March on DStv channel 134 after failing to launch November of last year as promised in DStv's upfront and is expected to continue operating until June 20th at least that's what MultiChoice stated earlier.

tvN Africa posted a photo online asking fans which shows they like to see "this year". Now read the inverted part didn't they say it would close later in June.

It's possible MultiChoice and the owners of the brand CJ ENM reached a new agreement giving the channel either a permanent or extended vacation.

Why else would the channel ask such questions and put these 8 shows in particular if there's no reason to it really.

If tvN does happen to be a permanent addition it will be the first out of the four pop-up channels advertised in DStv's upfront.

After all Timeless Dizi Channel was the first to be axed despite the massive followers and ZooMoo which was scheduled to close in March got extended until the end of June leaving TLNovelas as the only undecided channel.

July on tvN:

These shows are set to air during the extended period:

Mr. Queen, based on the original Chinese web drama Go Princess Go, the series is about a man named Bong-hwan from the modern age, being trapped in the body of Queen Cheorin in the Joseon era.

Sixth Sense, in each episode, the cast members, together with a male guest (known as the Sixth Man), visit three different places (or people) of hot issue.

Memorist, with the power to read people's memories, Dong Baek solves crimes as a detective in the police force. When a string of serial murders happen, Dong Baek teams up with talented criminal profiler Han Sun-mi to stop the killer and prevent further deaths.

Tomorrow With You, the story revolves around Yoo So-joon, a CEO of a real estate company, who has the ability to travel through time via a subway; and his wife, Song Ma-rin, who works as an amateur photographer.

tvN has been extended until the end of July.

Could FOX Africa Be Disney's Next Target For Star Following It's Launch In Latin America?

In 2019, Disney took ownership of 21st Century Studios. Since then they've been removing trying to rid themselves of the FOX name by turning 20th Century FOX Television into 20th Television and even going as far as replacing the international FOX Sports channels with ESPN.

FOX might be rebranding sooner than anticipated I mean there was no actual timeframe on when Star would replace more FOX channels since the last the trail went silent in Latin America back in February but the UK might have answered that.

The channel is scheduled to shutdown by the end of June in the UK and Africa could follow around that time if not the exact date the only thing difference here we'll follow Latin America and have a linear version of Star.

FOX turns 11 later in July or maybe it will be replaced before then as the channel started uploading new content but in this case it's coming from Disney+ Star. The second Star original Marvel's Helstorm is rolling out in the same month with the first being Solar Opposites that rolled out in May.

This theory seems very possible last year the UK lost their Disney Channels which came at the exact time Africa lost Disney XD.

Following on XD's demise, the channel began to phase out in groups in other territories within a span of 3 months. So chances are Star could roll out in groups on FOX like it did on Disney+.

It's possible that FOX in Africa won't wait for Disney+ to arrive in the market or even Utsav to take a toll on Star India's channels. For starters, Star's content on Disney+ is distributable and second with India none of their channels are called Star in general so as much as the logos cause confusion it wouldn't be too difficult to tare them apart.

In the end, I could see FOX remain only in the United States and Turkey by the end of the year.

If the rebrand does occur between June or July then Disney just missed the opportunity to inform the media about FOX's demise which wouldn't come as a surprise as they failed to last year to inform the media over the removal of FOX Life and Disney XD.

- DStv and Starsat might be losing more Disney Channels

- tvN might have been extended on DStv

- Moja Love is launching a new channel on DStv?
- Cartoonito is coming back in Europe and Africa as WarnerMedia searches for original preschool content
- Dizi might return to DStv
- Is Boomerang officially dead in Africa?
- Discovery and WarnerMedia set to merge meaning Cartoon Network and TLC join forces
- Will SABC revive plans for SABC 4 and SABC 5?
- BBC and ITV launching a streaming service in South Africa
- Will Paramount+ cancel several linear channels like Comedy Central and MTV?

Is eMedia Investments Slowly Following MultiChoice In Becoming Another SABC?

MultiChoice is currently the biggest monopoly in the entertainment industry. Before only the rich could grace in its local luxuries now even the less fortunate where eMedia Investments resides can bask in its glory.

eMedia Investments like or not has slowly gone down that forgotten and risky path. SABC and eMedia Investments traded places years back on the dominant player.

e.tv had a large catalogue of local content like Mahadi: Lobola, I Love South Africa, Forgive And Forget and Backstage and the closest anyone had to foreign content was through old sitcoms, reality, movies and kids shows then it moved to become a free version of M-Net with the likes of Chicago PD, NCIS and How To Get Away With Murder and it's Mega Movies.

In 2018, eMedia Investments rolled out a 2 hour Afrikaans block called Kuiertyd onto eExtra offering reality, lifestyle, dramas, movies and dubbed telenovelas which became a massive success particularly for the telenovelas.

A year later, e.tv got into the Kuiertyd spirit and dedicated 1 hour to telenovelas which led to constant lineup changes for eExtra which increased Kuiertyd's broadcast hours on weekdays and complicated repeat hours for other programs.

e.tv's mornings used to be filled with reruns of international dramas from eExtra, sitcoms and Days Of Our Lives now that Kuiertyd removed international dramas from eExtra only Days remains in the mornings with Kuiertyd hogging the rest of the slots.

On the kasi side, e.tv attempted to dedicate 18:30 to local dramas and it only took those attempts to find their #1 which is Durban Gen at the moment.

On reality, Family Feud SA swoops on e.tv and becomes one of the top 20 watched shows. Rehashed reruns even dominated the slot as the channel was working on another season instead looking for another show to add variety.

The kids side on e.tv is where things kind of took a toll. For starters, they cancelled a ton of local productions such as Cool Catz, Frenzy and Sistahood then followed eExtra and dubbed some of the kids content particularly preschool (for now) in various South African languages.

SABC has been doing that for years no matter the age. It's amazing how none of this is on eToonz since it is a product of e.tv but looking back the channel didn't house all shows from Craze with included youth-based shows like Frenzy and Sistahood.

The latest local development is on eReality as the channel which only housed international content already viewable on e.tv and certain channels from DStv launched a 1 hour local reality block on weekends, eKasi.

eMovies is currently the only brand that is yet to adapt to this format. None that it hasn't done before just that it you haven't seen it on a full-time basis.

The government wants to enforce a local quota on streaming platforms similar to cable has for over a decade and last I checked e.tv abided by the mandate even before Kuiertyd existed, could this be eMedia Investments' way of saying local is lekker.

June 2021 On E! Africa | 4 Finale Alerts Including Keeping Up With The Kardashians | 1 New & Returning Series

Reunion Road Trip
Starts Sunday 13 June at 21:00
Get ready to hit the road with E! this June, as some of the most iconic TV personalities of the past reconnect to go on a new adventure together, as they reminisce about their most unforgettable moments and dish behind-the-scenes gossip.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Season 20 Finale Sunday 13 June at 19:05
Reunion Sunday 20 & 27 June at 19:05
Over the years the Kardashian-Jenner family have experienced some of the highest highs and the lowest lows - and we’ve been right there alongside them for the ride! Now it’s time to say our fond farewells to the first family of television - and catch up with what’s happening here and now as they chew the fat together in two reunion specials.

Botched
Season 7 starts Sunday 20 June at 20:00
In the quest for perfection, some people’s efforts to improve their appearance can leave them with surprising results. World-renowned plastic surgeons Terry Dubrow and Paul Nassif continue to fix the unfixable, as their seventh season of correcting plastic surgery nightmares begins this June on E!.

Overserved with Lisa Vanderpump
Season finale Sunday 6 June at 21:00
In this half-hour series, Lisa Vanderpump, the larger-than-life restaurateur, author, actress and star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules and Dancing with the Stars, refuses to let lockdown bring down her lifestyle. Each episode, she hosts special surprise guests and throws an elaborate theme party from the confines of her beautiful home.

E! True Hollywood
Story
Season 2 finale Monday 7 June at 21:00
Welcome to Los Angeles! It may be the world’s entertainment capital, but behind the glitz and the glamour there’s another, darker city waiting to be discovered. From show-biz scandals to celebrity secrets, biographies, mysteries and more, the series that tells Hollywood’s most compelling stories is back, providing a voice to the moments that are reshaping popular culture.

Total Bellas
Season 6 finale Sunday 13 June at 20:00
Sisters Nikki and Brie Bella have built their lives and careers together, but nothing they’ve been through before has prepared them (or the men in their lives) for being pregnant at the same time. The Bella Twins are having babies, and everyone’s lives are about to change.

- June on Zee World
- June on Studio Universal

- Zee World launches two new series this June
- Moja Love Is Launching A NEW CHANNEL On DStv?
- June on Universal
- Upcoming developments for FOX, Disney, National Geographic and ESPN
- June on Comedy Central
- June on Telemundo Africa
- June on TLC and Real Time
- June on Discovery Channel and Discovery Family
- June on Investigation Discovery
- June on The Home Channel
- Timeless Love coming soon to TLNovelas
- War Of The World S2 coming to FOX
- June on CBS Reality

June 2021 On Studio Universal Africa | Action Weekends: June Claude Van Damme | Dance Movie Takeover | Father's Day Weekend

ACTION WEEKENDS: JUNE CLAUDE VAN DAMME
No apologies, that’s the name of the stunt!
The Muscles from Brussels in double bills every weekend (Fri-Sun) throughout June, from 8pm:

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER
13th June at 20:00
And here’s another of the big JCVD hits, putting him up against fellow nineties action titan Dolph Lundgren. At the film’s heart is the eponymous Universal Soldier programme, a scheme to bring dead soldiers back to life free of memory and conscience, and use them as easily controlled superhuman killing machines. What could possibly go wrong, eh? But when Van Damme finds out what’s been done to him, he goes on the run with a reporter (Ally Walker), determined to reclaim his life. The military has other ideas, and carnage ensues.

IN HELL
25th June at 20:00
After avenging his wife's death, an American in Russia is imprisoned, and becomes mired in the jail's underground fight competitions. Director Ringo Lam’s other work includes City On Fire, known in the West for its influence on Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, and he made his first Hollywood film with Van Damme. This reprise of their collaboration once again marries the director and star’s knacks for nerve-wracking tension and untrammelled violence. Lawrence Taylor and Marnie Alton also star.

KICKBOXER
26th June at 20:00
One of the key films in Van Damme’s initial rise to fame, Kickboxer saw him influencing a generation’s playground ideas of ultimate toughness by showing off his real-life martial arts skills. He plays Kurt Sloane, a cornerman driven into the ring himself after a malicious opponent paralyses his fighter brother Eric, the US kickboxing champ. But even be- yond the violence in the ring, he soon finds himself caught up in corruption and conspiracy, with Eric’s life on the line.

DANCE STUDIO UNIVERSAL
A dance movie takeover of the channel for one week, 7th – 13th June Every day, all afternoon, including:

STEP UP
8th June at 16:40
Back in his early days, when Channing Tatum was just an actor instead of a beloved institution, he starred in this engaging dance romance as Tyler Gage, a kid from a disadvantaged background who gets sentenced to community service and ends up helping out at the school his tearaway friends just trashed. Here he meets dancer Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan), and ends up standing in for her partner who’s been put out of commission by a sprained ankle. If the two of them can work together, it could end up changing both their lives – and in more ways than they've bargained for.

BRING IT ON
8th June at 15:00
A cheerleading squad discovers its captain stole their routines from an inner-city school, and must scramble to get new ones together in time to compete at this year's championships. A surprise hit that helped kick off a whole subgenre, Bring It On’s success owes much to its cast and crew – debut director Peyton Reed is now firmly ensconsed in the MCU, with two Ant-Man films under his belt, while the stars include Kirsten Dunst and Buffy’s Eliza Dushku. And if that only serves to whet your appetite, four Bring It On sequels also air on STUDIO this month.

DANCE-OFF
10th June at 13:00
Some films do exactly what they say on the tin, and this is one of them! Two dance crews go toe-to-toe as they compete for a $25,000 prize, but the dazzling choreography does need a teensy bit of plot behind it, so what better than to steal from the best and add a dash of Romeo & Juliet? Brandon (Shane Harper) grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and when his poor mother had to move away in a hurry, he never got chance to say goodbye to childhood sweetheart Jasmine (Kathryn McCormick). Now, wouldn’t you know it, they face off from the rival teams!

FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND
A Saturday and Sunday dedicated to dads (19th & 20th, starts @ 2:15pm). Two triple-bills, including two channel premieres:

BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT CUT
19th June at 18:05
Ice Cube and Anthony Anderson return in the third installment of the popular Barbershop franchise. But as befits this American institution’s role as a gathering place for communities, they’re joined by an ensemble cast featuring everyone from Eve and Nicki Minaj to Common and Cedric the Entertainer. The film finds Calvin’s Barbershop now home to a women’s section too, meaning it’s serving a wider section of the neighbourhood – and with their area of Chicago increasingly plagued by gang activity, they’ll all need to pull together to share some laughs and life lessons as they solve their problems.

SAN ANDREAS
19th June at 16:05
The Rock is the biggest action hero in the world today, and it doesn’t get much bigger than this, a disaster movie with most of California on the line. He plays Ray Gaines, an LA helicopter rescue pilot whose skills are suddenly in particularly high demand when the Big One finally hits and a 9.1 magnitude earthquake devastates the West Coast. Even after he’s rescued his wife from a skyscraper rendered unstable by the seismic event, there are still looters, fires and the threat of a tsunami to come.

ZOOKEEPER
20th June at 16:30
Kevin James plays Griffin Keyes, a zookeeper who loves his job – but also loves Stephanie (Leslie Bibb), who doesn’t see herself married to a man in this particular trade. So he considers joining his brother’s car dealership instead – a plan the animals in the zoo don’t much like, so they decide to help him turn his love life around! The voice cast features everyone from Jon Favreau as a bear, through Maya Rudolph playing a giraffe, to Stallone as a lion and Nick Nolte the gorilla.

- June on Zee World
- June on E! Entertainment