FX To Be Revived As A Linear Channel In Poland A Year After It Returned To South Africa On Disney+

Fox Extended (FX) was a general entertainment channel that was operated by The Walt Disney Company. It served as a sister channel to the defunct FOX brand alongside current entertainment channels National Geographic and Wild alongside Disney Channel and Junior.

Some of the shows seen on the channel included American Dad, Family Guy, The X-Files, Tyrant and The Bridge. Most of which were reverted to FOX brand after the channel was replaced by female based channel FOX Life in 2016.

FX was revived last year when Disney+ launched in South Africa with its own tile under the streaming service. Literally a year after we got the Disney XD of FOX, it was reported that more FOX channels in Europe would be axed.

Folks in Poland were alerted by The Walt Disney Company that FOX would be axed out not like what was seen in Africa and most parts of Europe where it was a complete annihilation. Instead, the brand would be supplemented by FX and not Star as seen in most Portuguese territories.

By November, these channels FOX and FOX Comedy would be known as FX and FX Comedy which just brings out a lot of mystery behind the future of The Walt Disney Company's remaining linear offering viewed in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

As some are aware, most of the companies remaining linear offering reside within these regions with Africa expected to retain these channels through 2024 as announced in 2021. Could it be possible that these channels will stick around for a while longer maybe?

If there's anything to learn about from their business in Latin America, don't trust that a simple change in paint secures the future of these channels. Unlike Africa, FOX was rebranded to Star with a lineup of content from Disney+ available to view and after a year that was ripped away.

Pending Development: Annekan Die Swa Kry + Ramo + Net 20 Minute + Chrysalis + More Coming Soon To eExtra

Below is a list of shows that we were announced on eVOD one of which were announced in 2022 and have yet to be seen on eExtra. With eMedia Investments trying to limit to rollout of these content on their linear platforms it's safe to say that eExtra has got it's hands full.

New Series

1. Chrysalis: It follows Nalan a beautiful young woman who earns everyone's love at first sight with her warmth. As the only child of the family enlarged hand baby, baby roses, lived in the existence of life and Nalan graduated with honors the best schools, Turkey finds's largest hotel chain, which Koroglu company as an architect at running than himself Sedat Koroglu' with marriage Eve.

2. Ramo: The series tells the extraordinary story of Ramo, inspired by a real person, a man who goes against his superiors…It’s a story that encompasses the deep conflicts of family, justice, revenge, friendship and love. The series stars Murat Yıldırım, Esra Bilgiç, İlker Aksum and Yiğit Özşener.

3. Annekan Die Swa Kry: The story revolves around four siblings who lose their parents due to unfortunate circumstances and try to build their lives together. But soon the truth surrounding their parent's death slowly starts to unravel and nothing will remain the same.

4. Net 20 Minute: It tells the story of a mild-mannered history teacher. Ali, who is thrown into a World of action and intrigue when his beloved wife Melek is arrested for the attempted murder of a young man. Ali must abandon his books and find inner strength and courage that he did not know he had in order to free his wife and reclaim his family life.

Returning/Cancelled Series

1. Die Put: Koçovalı Family are faced with the biggest pain of their lives. Because of Yücel's trap, one of Yamaç or İdris Koçovalı had to kill the other. While Akın Koçovalı takes control of Çukur, where nothing will be the same as before, the step of Baykal's daughter Efsun to Çukur will cause the cards to be redistributed. While Efsun's plan, who collaborated with Yücel, Azer, and Timsah, is eagerly awaited, it will be a question mark how Akın will led the neighborhood.

2. Doodsondes: Six months have passed since the explosion and nothing is the same anymore. As Yildiz's life evolves in a completely different direction, Ender's arrival will help her cope with the problems she is experiencing. Yildiz's next-door neighbor, Kumru, who has just entered her life, falls into everyone's lives like a bomb with her different character.

3. Elif: Macide's sister, Kiymet comes after 30 years to revenge her. In the past, her husband abandoned her pregnant and married Macide. Together with her son Mahir, they make evil plans against the Haktanir family.

In other developments, eMedia Investments acquired broadcasting rights to the Turkish romcom Aşk Mantık İntikam of which details regarding its distribution on the platform remains a mystery. Sources mention that the drama is currently slated for 2023.

Recap To The Week: Warner Bros. Discovery Adds Unicorn Warriors Eternal And My Adventures With Superman From Adult Swim To Cartoon Network In Latin America And Canada

Last year, Warner Bros. Discovery write off several productions such as Little Ellen and Scoob: Holiday Haunt! while remaining content such as My Adventures With Superman and Unicorn Warriors Eternal's future remained quo as these series were meant to launched much earlier.

During the year, it was learnt by Warner Bros. Discovery that the latter My Adventures With Superman and Unicorn Warriors Eternal would move to Adult Swim. Considering how Cartoon Network has evolved over the years this news doesn't come as a shocker.

Following the release of these series, Warner Bros. Discovery made this content accessible to Cartoon Network in Latin America and Canada. And to expand further on my previous statement, Cartoon Network has scooped up shows like We Baby Bears and Lego Monkie Kid.

Content I wouldn't say is geared toward a mature audience I mean for a while now some consumers would say Cartoon Network has gone soft but I would say the brand is adapting to the current climate and this differs in various territories so it seems.

In the Phillipines, Cartoon Network was seen airing The Simpsons at one point and this is a brand that brought on shows like Samurai Jack which if you look at it will probably be deemed inappropriate for children's TV so henceforth we look at another brand, Adult Swim.

Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled plans to invest more time on the brand as consumers in select territories that view Cartoon Network are adults which I'm assuming is the case for Latin America and Canada and the fact that restrictions are differ in those regions.

In South Africa, I'm not expecting these shows to be made available on Cartoon Network particularly for those restrictions if anything the latter is currently streaming on Showmax seeing as they licence content from HBO, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

Development Alert: Jodha & Akbar To Make It's Freemium Debut On Zee One

Jodha, a fiery Rajput princess is forced to marry the hard-hearted Mughal emperor Akbar when he conquers her father’s kingdom. Her reluctant marriage makes her one of many wives in a palace filled with many enemies, but her loathing melts away when she sees that she might just be the one to transform her husband from being a vicious ruler into a compassionate one. 

It is a historical love story that was produced by Ekta Kapoor under Balaji Telefilms for Zee TV. It starred Rajat Tokas and Paridhi Sharma in leading roles, it was a successful show with praises for its cast performances.

Alongside Zee TV, the drama was made available on Zee World and is one of the few shows to be made available in local languages. 

During its run, Jodha & Akbar has accumulated several achievements including Best Historical/Mythological Show, Best Actor in Negative Role, BIG Star Most Entertaining TV Show (Fiction), BIG Star Most Entertaining TV Actor and Best Director.

Jodha & Akbar is set to rollout on Zee One in the coming months.

New Series Alert: Goodbye, My Princess Coming Soon To eExtra

Goodbye My Princess follows a naive, petulant little princess with an unusual amount of independence, and her perfect life gets turned completely upside-down and her innocence, so to speak, ripped away from her.

Having received overwhelming love and admiration as the 9th Princess, Xiao Feng is forced to leave the life that she has known in order to become the Crown Princess. Her husband, the black-bellied Crown Prince, holds the highest position, second only to one, the Emperor. However, the Eastern Palace is the most dangerous place to be.

Goodbye, My Princess is a 2019 Chinese drama series that was broadcast on the Asian streaming service, Youku and was said to come with a 250 million yuan budget (R528 million). It starred Chen Xingxu, Peng Xiaoran, and Shawn Wei in leading roles.

Based on the novel of the same name, the drama has earned positive reviews since its premiere, due to the outstanding performance of the cast, beautiful costumes and fitting props; as well as high-quality cinematography. It walked away with numerous achievements majority were directed at the series and Peng Xiaoran who served as one of the leading actresses.

Goodbye My Princess airs weekdays at 17:30 from 20 July on eExtra replacing Battle Through The Heavens.

Recap To The Week: AMC Networks International Launches New Content Group Across UK & EMEA

AMC Networks International UK (AMCNI0UK) has forged a new Content Group across the UK and EMEA and promoted Sam Rowden to run it.

Rowden, who currently oversees the company’s programing strategy for the CBS channel portfolio, becomes VP of the Content Group.

She will oversee linear and content strategies across the UK and EMEA with oversight of joint venture channels CBS Justice, CBS Europa, CBS Reality, RealityXtra, Legend, HorrorXtra as well as channel brands AMC and SundanceTV.

The weighty new remit also includes AMCNI-UK’s AVoD and FAST portfolio consisting of the AVoD player CBS Catchup Channels UK and FAST channel True Crime from CBS Reality that has recently launched with Amazon Freevee and Rakuten TV, and which is also available via ITVX. Additionally, Rowden is now also responsible for content acquisition and content partnerships including the relationship with Paramount Global for both the UK and EMEA joint ventures as well as content management including compliance.

“Sam has been the driving force behind the continued success of AMCNI-UK’s joint ventures with Paramount Global, both in the UK and in EMEA, including the development of our highly successful true crime originals effort since the beginning,” said Kevin Dickie, EVP and MD for AMNCI UK.

“With her leadership skills and expertise developing brands that appeal to a wide range of audiences, she is perfectly placed to assume this key role as we further integrate our linear and streaming efforts.”

Rowden joined AMCNI around 15 years ago.