April 2024 On TLC Across Africa | New Series Alert: Curvy Brides Boutique | Returning Shows Including 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After And Bad Skin | More

South Africa 

90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? S8

NEW SEASON

"Cultures clash when Mahmoud joins Nicole in LA, and Emily and Kobe are met with chaos in Cameroon. Manuel's secrecy causes Ashley suspicion. Gino's error means trouble for Jasmine's kids. Ed and Liz embrace their fresh start. Sophie reveals her next step with Rob."

First TX: 11 April

TX Day: Thursday

TX Time: 20:00

Last TX: 6 June

The Bad Skin Clinic S6

NEW SEASON

Dr. Emma Craythorne is on a mission to solve complex skin conditions. She helps people whose lives have been impeded by devastating disorders.

First TX: 27 April

TX Day: Saturday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 25 May

Seeking Sister Wife S5

NEW SEASON

The popular show documents the lives of polygamous families who are searching for a new wife to add to their plural marriages. 

First TX: 27 April

TX Day: Saturday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 3 July

Africa 

The Bad Skin Clinic S6

NEW SEASON

Dr. Emma Craythorne is on a mission to solve complex skin conditions. She helps people whose lives have been impeded by devastating disorders.

First TX: 27 April

TX Day: Saturday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 25 May

Welcome to Plathville S5

NEW SEASON

Frustrated by the rift between Olivia and his family, Ethan hopes time can heal their unresolved issues. Barry gets personal with Micah about the divorce.

First TX: 1 April

TX Day: Monday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 27 May

Curvy Brides' Boutique S1

NEW TO CHANNEL

Situated in rural Essex, fashion partners Jo Cooke and Alison Law design wedding dresses for overweight brides in England.

First TX: 11 April

TX Day: Thursday

TX Time: 21:00

Last TX: 30 May

Development Alert (Rumour): TeenNick To Fold Under The Nickelodeon Teen Trademark In European Countries Including Germany, Austria And Switzerland

TeenNick is a teen oriented entertainment channel operated by Paramount Global and spinoff to Nickelodeon. It is home to various live-action shows formerly seen on Nickelodeon such as Victorious and Zoey 101 alongside animated such as Hey Arnold!.

Although TeenNick is not viewable in most of parts of Africa, the channel has managed to build its presence in MENA, Greece, Israel, Hungary, Latin America, Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Romania.

According to a story on Parabola, Paramount Global had filed a new trademark for the network later in the week known as Nickelodeon Teen. This trademark is already in use by the company in France and from the looks of it could be carried in Europe.

The name change is said to be an effort by Paramount Global to strengthen its core brand among children and young audiences. Of course, what's strange about this is why they opted to incorporate a localized trademark as opposed to TeenNick.

In recent years, global businesses tend to operate independently from their main feed. It's likely that Nickelodeon Teen is being added in these countries due to its success in France and another being a globalization as seen with sister networks, MTV and Nick Jr.

Development Alert: Baby Shark's Big Show Likely Cancelled On Nickelodeon After 3 Seasons As New Episodes Rollout On Nick Jr.

Baby Shark's Big Show! is an animated children's television series based on the " Baby Shark " brand from the South Korean company Pinkfong. SmartStudy, Pinkfong's parent company, co-produces the show with Nickelodeon Animation Studio from the United States. 

In South Korea, Baby Shark's Big Show! debuted on the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) with a Christmas special on December 25, 2020 with the full series from September 2021. In the United States, it premiered on Nickelodeon on December 11, 2020. 

Not long ago, it was reported that Paramount Global had removed various Nickelodeon titles from their lineup. This included Paramount+ originals Big Nate and Rugrats alongside past series like Are You Afraid Of The Dark? and Middlemost Post. 

Paramount Global which is undergoing a possible restructure amidst a possible acquisition had consumed various debts. The latter to have been axed are a part of corporate write offs which sees some of these projects getting erased from existence.

Amidst this shakeup, several consumers had spotted new episodes of Baby Shark’s Big Show on the Nick Jr. channel. As some readers are aware, all primetime titles are usually folded under Nickelodeon with preschool stuff under a dedicated block.

Sister stations for Nickelodeon are usually bombarded with repeats and usually whenever a current program from Nickelodeon is made available on an exclusive basis it usually signals a possible cancellation. 

Although there's no official confirmation, Nickelodeon has been very distant from most of their projects. Nickelodeon serving as co-producer alongside Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) means that the show could be picked up by another platform.

Paramount+ Removes 10 Nickelodeon Titles Including ‘Blue’s Clues & You!’ & ‘Rugrats’ Series

Paramount+ has purged 10 Nickelodeon original series, following the removal of other Nick titles from the platform over the past several months.

The list includes Are You Afraid of the Dark? (2019-2022), Blue’s Clues & You! (2019), It’s Pony (2020-2022), Middlemost Post (2021-2022), Ollie’s Pack (2020), Ryan’s Mystery Playdate (2019-2023), Santiago of the Seas (2020), That Girl Lay Lay (2021-2024) as well as the made-for-Paramount+ Big Nate (2022)and Rugrats (2021).

This is said to be part of content removal addressed in the most recent Q4 earnings call on February 28. Targeting Nick titles is a little surprising as, according to parent Paramount Global, the network’s Kids & Family content consistently ranks among the most watched and re-watched programming on Paramount+.

“In connection with our continued review of our international content strategy, during the first quarter of 2024 we made a strategic decision to focus on content with mass global appeal,” the company said in its 10-K filing. “As part of this, we are rationalizing original content on Paramount+, especially internationally, and improving the efficiency of our linear network programming. As a result, we have reviewed our expansive global content portfolio and are removing select content from our platforms.”

Paramount expects “to recognize additional programming charges that we currently expect to be in the range of approximately $700 million to $900 million during the first quarter of 2024.”

New Series Alert: New English/Afrikaans Dubbed Telenovela "Innocence" Debuts This April On SABC 3

After KykNET & Kie debuted a 2 hour timeslot for Turkish dramas as a rival offering to eExtra's Kuiertyd. The public broadcaster is next to join in the war of Istanbul with the addition of a new daily drama from the 1st April at 16:30 titled Innocence.

Synopsis for Innocence:

The life of Bahar, who leads an ordinary life, will change forever when her daughter becomes a victim of violence. On the night of February 24, a young girl is found who was thought to be dead. Ela Yüksel turned 19 that day. Her mother accuses businessman İlker Ilgaz. İlker is about to marry İrem. With the mother's accusations, İlker and Ela's forbidden love, the bloody truths of all three families will come to light.

Innocence (also known as Masumiyet) starred Hülya Avşar as Hale Ilgaz, Deniz Çakır as Bahar Yüksel, Mehmet Aslantuğ as Harun Orhun, İlayda Alişan as Ela Yüksel and Serkay Tütüncü as İlker Ilgaz. 

It premiered on 24 February 2021 and concluded on 24 May 2021 with a total of 13 episodes on NOW. Formerly known as FOX, the channel is home to shows such as Om Elke Draai (Her Yerde Sen), Dokter Ali (Mucize Doctor), Doodsondes (Yasak Elma).

The news of the channel's first ever Afrikaans dubbed telenovela comes after the public broadcaster had moved further Afrikaans shows to SABC 3. As they look to restructure SABC 3 as a multilingual brand as seen with sister networks SABC 1 and SABC 2.

“We are very excited to launch this slot, and we couldn’t have done it with more apt drama. The story in INNOCENCE is aligned to the times of our modern society as it explores the unfortunate realities of transactional relationships, fame/popularity, cyber bullying, and gender-based violence that plague our modern society. We have seen the staggering increase in popularity of Turkish drama the world over, and South Africa is no exception. We have selected the most recently produced and compelling drama titles to ensure our viewers will be highly entertained on a daily basis”- Sane Zondi, S3 Head of Channel.

Reminder: The Second Season Of High-Stakes Medical Drama, SkyMed, Premieres Exclusively On Universal TV In Africa On 1 April

NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-to-Consumer today announced the territory premiere of the second season of high-stakes medical drama, SkyMed, on Universal TV in Africa. The young medics and pilots flying air ambulances return for more life, death, and drama in the skies of remote Northern Canada. The new season will air every Monday at 20:00 CAT from April 1, exclusively on Universal TV in Africa, with episodes available on Universal+ immediately thereafter.

SkyMed’s second season promises new hookups, heartbreaks, and challenges on the job as the medevac service expands into new territory, throwing the flight crew into intense new emergencies at work and in their personal lives.

The series was inspired by creator Julie Puckrin’s sister and brother-in-law who met flying air ambulances. Returning to SkyMed is Natasha Calis (The Possession, The Firm) as Nurse Hayley Roberts, Morgan Holmstrom (Day of the Dead, I Still See You) as no-nonsense Nurse Crystal Highway, Praneet Akilla (Nancy Drew, October Faction) as First Officer Chopper, “Ace” Aason Nadjiwon (Step Up All In, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce) as golden boy pilot Captain Austen Bodie, Mercedes Morris (Between, Slasher) as First Officer Lexi Martine, Thomas Elms (I Still See You, Timeless) as icy-cool pilot Captain Nowak, and Kheon Clarke (The Magicians, Supermans & Lois) as Nurse Tristan Green. Braeden Clarke (Impulse, Run Woman Run) reprises his recurring role as Crystal’s charming on-again-off-again love interest, Jeremy Wood, Emilia McCarthy (Zombies) returns as Madison and Aaron Ashmore (Ginny & Georgia, Veronica Mars, The Thaw) returns as Wheezer, the wise-cracking big brother that everyone looks up to.

Cast joining the second season includes Sydney Kuhne (Ginny & Georgia) as fiery new flight medic Stef, Ryan Ali (The Hummingbird Project) as handsome young pilot Reese, and Nadine Whiteman-Roden (Faith Heist) as Dr. Yana Noah.

SkyMed is produced by Piazza Entertainment in association with CBC, Canada’s national public broadcaster, and CBS Studios. The series is created by Julie Puckrin, who also serves as executive producer along with Vanessa Piazza and Gillian Hormel. Outside of Canada, SkyMed is distributed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Season 2 of SkyMed premieres on April 1 at 20:00 CAT, exclusively on Universal TV in Africa, with new episodes every Monday. The episodes will also be available on Universal+.