Regular Nick Shorts: Cartoon Network And Max Acquired Rights To Lana Longbeard With Tara Duncan Loading Up On Disney Channel And Gamebox To Rollout A 60 Minute Ghostbusters Game

Zephyr Animation

2D-animated comedy Lana Longbeard has landed its first presales, with Warner Bros. Discovery (EMEA), Super RTL (Germany), Gulli (France) and CBC (Canada) claiming it for their regions. Co-produced by Zephyr Animation (APC Kids’ production arm) and Canadian studio Copernicus, the 52 x 11-minute series for six to nines tells the story of a courageous teen girl who sets sail on her father’s viking ship on a quest to become a famous adventurer. APC Kids has the global distribution rights.

Superights

Animated adventure series Tara Duncan will be distributed worldwide (excluding China) by Paris-based Superights. Produced by Princess Sam Pictures and based on a 15-book series by Sophie Andouin-Mamikonian, this CG-animated show stars a girl who travels to a magical planet to learn how to control her powers and defeat evil villains. Princess Sam has already sold the first season (52 x 13 minutes) to buyers including Disney (France, Belgium, Japan, Africa and the Netherlands), Rai (Italy) and RTE (Ireland), and a second 52-ep season is currently in production.

Columbia Pictures Location Based Entertainment

Who you gonna call? A Ghostbusters VR game is in the works at Columbia Pictures Location Based Entertainment and Immersive Gamebox. Based in London, Immersive Gamebox operates experiential game rooms where content from popular entertainment brands is projected onto the walls for kids to interact with through touch-screens and motion-tracking. The techco is gearing up to launch a 60-minute Ghostbusters: The Cursed Collection game at its 20 locations in the UK, EMEA and US later this year. In the experience, kids will explore haunted streets and battle ghosts from the ’80s movie franchise.

Cameroon Threatening To Suspend The Distribution Of Several Channels On DStv For Broadcasting Homosexual Content

Cameroon's media regulator threatened on Tuesday to suspend distributors of television channels, particularly foreign ones, that broadcast "scenes of homosexuality", in a country that punishes same-sex relations with imprisonment.

In a text entitled "Warning", dated Monday and circulated in the media on Tuesday, the National Communication Council, a government body, stated that it had noted "the proliferation of programs promoting homosexual practices", "generally broadcast by foreign editors".

These programs "are increasingly to be found in cartoons aimed at children and minors", says the text.

"The CNC calls on the promoters of channels broadcasting programs showing scenes of homosexuality in Cameroon (...) to immediately withdraw these programs, which violate the law, morality and customs of our country, on pain (...) of the outright suspension of the media concerned".

The CNC does not name any of the media it is criticizing. However, an official from the body, who requested anonymity, assured AFP that "for the moment there is no question of this or that company being named because the volume of programs concerned is too great to name them all".

Cameroon, like many other African countries, receives many foreign channels via subscriptions to the packages offered by the French group Canal+ and the South African group DStv, as well as a number of other small private operators selling access to foreign channels by satellite.

The nine members of the CNC are appointed directly by decree of President Paul Biya, 90, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for more than 40 years.

Sexual relations between people of the same sex are punishable by prison sentences ranging from six months to five years in Cameroon.

In May 2022, the international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced the "violence and abuse" regularly suffered by LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex) people in this Central African country.

"The criminalization of homosexuality has created a climate in which Cameroonians and the security forces can assault and abuse LGBTQI people with impunity", HRW deplored.

During the week, Telemundo was one of the first channels to pause production of Nurses with Until Money Do Us Part which serves as the only primetime series on the channel drawing to a close leaving Telemundo to become a wasteland for old content.

Development Alert: The Fairly OddParents And My Little Pony: Pony Life Coming Respectively To eToonz And Possible New Channel On DStv Boing Africa

During the year, eMedia Investments had (re)acquired various content from Nickelodeon including Kung Fu Panda: Legends Of Awesomeness, Dora The Explorer and The Loud House. Now the brand is set to rollout their fourth series from the brand, The Fairly OddParents.

Synopsis for the show:

The Fairly OddParents follows Timmy Turner, a 10 year old kid who was given his own fairy godparents Cosmo and Wanda who grant his every wish which at times comes with disastrous consequences. Butch Hartman known for Danny Phantom serves as content creator.

Since the series inception, The Fairly OddParents serves as Nickelodeon's second longest running series behind SpongeBob SquarePants. It has also spawned several live-action films and one series alongside various video games, theme park attractions, figurines and toys.

Recently, Nickelodeon had filed a trademark for The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish for entertainment, sporting and cultural services. Not much info is available about it on whether it will be a TV series or film for the brand or through Paramount+.

This comes after the removal of The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder on Paramount+.

Boing, a children's channel operated by Warner Bros. Discovery funneling shows from Cartoon Network and Cartoonito (formerly Boomerang) is set to broadcast the first season to one of the brand's forgotten shows, My Little Pony: Pony's Life.

Synopsis for the show:

Based on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, the series explores comedic, slice of life stories that Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy experience, primarily while hanging out at Sugarcube Corner.

The series was picked by Cartoonito (formerly as Boomerang) in 2021 and ran for two seasons. Unlike Friendship Is Magic, the series uses a different art style and each episode is 11 minutes long, consisting of two five-minute segments.

During the year, various content from Boing had been registered under DStv Catch-Up (including My Little Pony: Pony Life). According to reps, there are no plans to add Boing to DStv but that doesn't explain its appearance on Catch-Up maybe it will be added later on.

My guess a replacement for Disney Channel or Nicktoons if not a new channel on the platform.

The Fairly OddParents airs Fridays at 16:30 from 30 June on eToonz while My Little Pony: Pony Life is slated to launch later in July on Boing.

Everyday Novelas Shorts: Overcoming The Past Launches On TLNovelas Africa In The Coming Months While A Rebroadcast Of Almost Yours And Siddhi Vinayak Rollout On Telemundo Africa And eExtra Respectively

The long-awaited third installment is coming to TLNovelas

Overcoming Fear was unveiled in 2021 and amidst the launch it had already been confirmed by the channel that they picked up rights to other two instalments which were made available in Africa prior to release, Overcoming Heartbreak and Overcoming The Past.

Anticipated to rollout after Sightless Love from August 6, Overcoming The Past follows the lives of four women dealing with many issues such as digital bullying, abuse of social media, and abortion. It stars by Angelique Boyer, Sebastián Rulli and Erika Buenfil.

Marjorie De Sousa stars in the Mexican telenovela Almost Yours

Until Money Do Us Part is scheduled to end in the coming week and the channel was initially slated to air the law based drama, Law Of The Heart. But as seen with most of their schedule these plans have been scrapped with Almost Yours taking its place from June 20.

The series revolves around the life of Antonio Solano (Jorge Salina). Antonio is a good and hardworking man whose family abuses him. They only want him to provide for them. However, this changed upon meeting Julieta Vargas (Marjorie de Sousa).

Guilty Pleasure on eExtra hits a new low with this &TV original

Siddhi Vinayak is an Indian television series starring Nitin Goswami and Neha Saxena that aired from 26 October 2017 to 18 January 2019 on &TV. The series was made available on eExtra in 2021 with a rebroadcast set to replace Dare To Love from June 26.

The romantic thriller follows two childhood sweethearts, Siddhi and Vinayak, grow up to hate each other and become enemies until they begin to fall in love. It is produced by &TV the same network behind Begusarai on Zee One and The Heir on eExtra.

Genius Brands International Becomes Kartoon Studios

US-based children’s entertainment company Genius Brands International has changed its name to Kartoon Studios and will transfer its listing from the Nasdaq Capital Market to the NYSE American exchange.

The LA-headquartered studio, which owns the rights to certain IP created by comic book writer and Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee, said the move heralds the label’s “next phase of growth” in the production, distribution and licensing of kids’ content.

The rebrand comes after the company has made several acquisitions over the past year, including taking a majority stake in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment, plus acquiring Canada’s Wow! Unlimited Media and its subsidiaries Frederator Studios, Frederator Network and Mainframe Entertainment.

“We now have capabilities to do everything in-house, from content creation to production, distribution and global merchandising,” said Andy Heyward, Kartoon Studios chairman and CEO.

Kartoon Studios produces content such as Shaq’s Garage for Pluto TV and Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten for its own Kartoon Channel.

The company caused controversy earlier this year for using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to make shows like Kidaverse Fast Facts. As reported by C21, some children’s TV producers blasted the development as “horrifying” and “downright scary,” but the company defended the use of AI as a “digital assistant.”

The 2023 Eco-Logic Awards To Broadcast On People's Weather By October 2023

The Eco-Logic Awards identify individuals, organisations and communities that positively contribute towards a sustainable world – and we encourage consumers to support them by purchasing  their products and services.

These Awards have since grown into South Africa’s most Glamorously Green eco-calendar event, receiving extensive TV, radio, print media and online coverage.

Each year, individuals and organisations are told to submit their eco-logical products, services, projects or initiatives under 13 environmental categories to be evaluated  by a panel of highly respected and environmentally aware Judges.

Finalists are invited to join an exclusive group of Green VIP’s and thought leaders at the annual Eco-Logic Awards Gala event.

The 2023 Eco-Logic Awards is scheduled to air on People's Weather by October 2023.