Entertainment Inside Us (Insidus)

Friday, January 22, 2021

What To Expect On Media24's New Pan-African Lifestyle Channel For DStv (UPDATED)

In November 2020, MultiChoice unveiled a new lifestyle channel for DStv customers called Honey. The channel is owned by Media24 the brains behind the Afrikaans lifestyle channel, VIA.

Honey is set to launch February 12 for DStv Compact, Compact+ and Premium customers.

It looks like the channel with only start with 5 programs however there's more content in the pipeline from various companies including Zambia's Media 365 Productions, South Africa's Media Club Productions and Nigeria's Rucksack Productionz.

The following shows will be available on the channel at launch:

African Farming (South Africa)
Genre: Lifestyle
A show that highlights successful black farmers in South Africa, and educates new entrants to agriculture.

Hoot, Cook, Go (Nigeria)
Genre: Cooking
Three teams have an hour to prepare a meal that shows who they are, When they hear the hooter, it's time to go off the next setting. A ton of exploration of Africa's diverse food culture and relationships.

Love Swap Africa (Nigeria)
Genre: Romance
Two couples who don't know each other meet up: While making a healthy meal, they swap partners for an intimate view of each other's relationships. The kitchen gets hot - and we aren't talking about the oven.

Pastor's Wives
Genre: Reality
We meet the women who keep it together in well-known religious households. This reality show reveals all the opulence, difficulties and drama that you are wondering about.

Yes! Ndio! Beeni!: Kenya
Genre: Reality
A top team of event planners help a man propose to the love of his life.

Other programs which have yet to be confirmed, please note this is note the complete list:

MEDIA CLUB PRODUCTIONS
Untitled wedding show
The show will uncover the story behind the love story through the eyes of the couple as well as their family and friends.

MEDIA 365 PRODUCTIONS (ZAMBIA)
The Perfect Plate (title is subjected to change)
Mother and Daughter-In-Law have to prepare a meal for man of the household.

Ehe! It's A Match: Zambia

One person gets a chance to introduce their two single friends to each other. While the host plays chef and Cupid.

Matchmaking (title is subjected to change)
In this one, random people go on a blind date to find their perfect match.

Untitled home show
In this show, people will be giving your house or flat a makeover.

Untitled food program
Make a meal in 1 hour and also judge your contestants food.

Untitled wedding show
In this show, someone is trying to purpose marriage on someone else.

Husband Vs. Father (title is subjected to change)
Men put their cooking skills to use.

Email regarding content: honey@mediaclubproductions.co.za (South Africa), production@media365.co.zm (Zambia), info@rucksackproductionz.com (Nigeria), info@nusu-nusu.com (Kenya) and info@burntonion.co.za (South Africa)

Predictions: The Rest Of 2021 Through Early 2022 On Telemundo Africa With A Dash Of EVA

During the festive season, Telemundo hit the rewind button leaving El Final Del Paraiso (The End Of Paradise) to do all the labour kind of like what EVA is doing Bold And The Beautiful.

Next month, Telemundo will be introducing a new Colombian telenovela, Laws Of The Heart/La Ley Del Corazon (that's sure to keep viewers busy for about 8 months) alongside the second season of Close Enemies.

In March, Betty In New York comes to a close and it's rumored that a new telenovela 100 Días Para Enamorarnos (starring David Chocarro and Erick Elías) replaces the show from 22nd of that month from 8pm CAT/7pm WAT/9pm EAT.

New and returning telenovela for 2021/2 include Anonima (Anonymous), La Suerte De Loli (The Luck Of Loli/Loli's Luck), Buscando A Frida (Looking For Frida), Operación Pacífico 2 (Operation Pacific 2), Falsa Identidad 2 (False Identity S2), Café Con Aroma De Mujer (Coffee With A Woman's Fragrance), El Chema and La Reina Del Sur 2 (Queen Of The South 2). The brand will obviously unveil more titles later in the year.

Well-known repeats for 2021/2 include Marido En Alquier (Husband For Hire), Tierra De Reyes (A Passion For Revenge), Un Poquito Tuyo (Almost Yours), La Doña (Iron Rose), Reina De Corazones (Queen Of Hearts), Vuelve Temprano (The Son I Never Knew), La Querida Del Centauro (Prisoners Of Love) and Pasion Prohibida (Forbidden Passion). Yep, a hundred more familiar titles within two years.

Now it's runner-up EVA, has been on life support since last year. Their media page went from promoting repeats to hyping about their only new show on there which is Bold from CBS. They even went as far as deleting comments regarding repeats from the little viewers they have left.

Since it's launch, EVA has been overshadowed from the likes of Telemundo even when the repeats were piling up on that channel a lot of viewers didn't see the brand as tough competition of course EVA+ has been getting recognition perhaps due to accessibility.

If this channel shuts down, it wouldn't be a complete loss as fans of Spanish telenovelas can tune into Telemundo and TLNovelas.

Now the problem would be that viewers won't get the exact content. EVA has got Caracol Television (Colombia), TV Azteca (Mexico) and Telefe (Argentina) while the stars there will be incorporated onto Mexico's TLNovelas America's Telemundo.

Since 2017, Telemundo has supplied content from those other regions and it's grown over the years. What sets it back is those shows have to share a timeslot with their own programming.

TLNovelas is kind of a mystery when it comes to the basis of foreign programming for now I'd expect them to continue airing their own content.

In short, for more EVA or something similar to EVA tune into Telemundo (DStv and GOtv) and TLNovelas (DStv and StarTimes).

e.tv Acquired Broadcasting Rights To Winx Club Season 8

The show has been on hiatus for 4 years. During that time they managed to spawned a second animated series titled World Of Winx with its first live-action series titled Fate: The Winx Saga currently in development all of which are Netflix exclusives.

During that time, Nickelodeon's Nicktoons and e.tv's eToonz broadcasted reruns of the last 3 seasons. As of 2020, only eToonz has been airing reruns of the show.

Now e.tv will be airing the eight season of Winx Club which seems strange as SABC 1 broadcasted the first four seasons while e.tv shoved the last 3 seasons at the time on eToonz but when I did further research it turned out that this season is catered for preschoolers so it's pretty much a hit miss for the adolescence.

eToonz, is a children's channel catered for kids aged 2-12 and operated by eMedia Investments. Ever since e.tv discontinued their live-action series for Craze back in 2019 the lineup changed constantly. It went from more reruns and leftovers (preschoolers and adolescents) to just reruns and less leftovers (preschoolers) to just reruns.

This change could have something to do with the pandemic which led to a shut down of several channels and change in viewing experience. Perhaps e.tv kids block Craze pulls more viewers than eToonz. After its the least talked about, advertised and watched channel from eMedia Investments portfolio. On the bright side, e.tv can't repeat most of the shows there so eToonz is your go to amusement park for that.

On the first episode of Winx Club season 8 titled Night Of The Stars'. The Winx travel through all the galaxies of the Magical Universe until they arrive in Lumenia, the most brilliant of all stars. A great mystery involving an old acquaintance of the Winx is endangering the brightness of all the stars. A new magic will help the Winx figure out who's behind it.

Catch Winx Club every Tuesday at 15:30 from February 2nd

Rumored: e.tv and Timeless Dizi Channel Acquired Broadcasting Rights To Kuzgun

Its been speculated that both e.tv and Timeless Dizi Channel (English) have acquired broadcasting rights to a romance and action drama series, Kuzgun from Star TV (not the Indian one).

The series could have aired on Timeless Dizi Channel (Turkish) which is currently available on StarTimes (Starsat). Yes, both StarTimes and MultiChoice have seperate versions of the channel except it looks like the one on StarTimes is often ghosted.

Kuzgun, follows the titular character's family life when it changes completely as a result of the caliper held against his father, who is a police. Kuzgun will fall into a bondage, pain, anger, and struggle that will last 20 years. Baris Arduç, Burcu Biricik and Hatice Aslan take up the lead roles.

The series ran for 2 seasons during the course of 2019. It managed to achieve a rating of 7.7/10 on IDMB and considered favourable amongst females.

Both e.tv and TDC offer a selection of telenovelas. If you want to view them in English get DStv, if you want to view them in the original language with English subtitles get StarTimes (Starsat) and if you want to watch it freely in Afrikaans get Openview.

Read Also:
- Rewind adds 2 "NEW" shows, Is a rebrand coming soon for OpenView subscribers?
- AEW Dynamite is coming to TNT Africa

February 2021 On Curiosity Channel Africa | Super Science Mondays | History Lovers Tuesday | Wildlife Wednesdays | Human Story Saturdays | Best Of...

SUPER SCIENCE MONDAYS

GENETIC REVOLUTION
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 01 February 2021

CAT: 21:00

Genetic Revolution is a documentary that explores the exciting, rapidly evolving world of genetic engineering. It follows a group of scientists from across the globe as they use powerful new gene editing technologies in ways once thought unimaginable and is witness to a tipping point, recording scientific moments destined to change the world. The film also tackles the philosophical and environmental implications of this technology.

Technologies like CRISPR are making it possible to quickly and cheaply change the DNA of all living things, including humans. Genes can be edited almost as easily as words on a computer screen. This new ability to alter our DNA holds the promise of curing disease, saving threatened species, solving world hunger and maybe even obtaining human perfection. But will the promise be fulfilled?

HISTORY LOVER TUESDAYS

WOMEN WHO MADE HISTORY
Brand New Series – Premieres 16 February 2021
CAT: 20:00

From Cleopatra to Elizabeth I and Sophie Scholl –they’re all women from vastly contrasting eras and backgrounds, but with one thing in common: they are some of the most influential women in history. Powerful and helpless, popular and scorned, determined and desperate –each one of them stood out from her peers in some way.

This dramatized series portrays these remarkable women in unprecedented detail and examines their lives, both in a contemporary context as well as from a historical perspective.

WILDLIFE WEDNESDAYS

MY WILD BACKYARD
Brand New Episode - premieres 03 February 2021

CAT: 19:00

When traveling in unfamiliar territory, what better guide than a local? My Wild Backyard highlights some of the most pristine wildlife environments throughout the world. Journey around the globe as some of the best up- and-coming wildlife filmmakers take you on a locals-only tour of their home countries. This CuriosityStream original series goes beyond the iconic animals you may know and uncovers some of the other extraordinary wildlife that also call these countries their home. The series was filmed in continents across the globe: from California to New York City, the fabled mountains of Patagonia, the brush of South Africa, and the deserts of Mexico. Shot entirely by locals, the compact film crews were able to shoot fascinating animal behavior sequences and produce stunning new content.

POLAR BEARS
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 03 February 2021

CAT: 20:00

The ultimate icons of polar wilderness, able to withstand the harshest environments and remain a top predator; the lives of polar bears are nothing short of remarkable!

VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 10 February 2021

CAT: 20:00

Valentine’s Day, the most romantic night of the year. If you’re feeling uninspired as you prepare to woo your intended, how about looking to the animal kingdom for a few ideas? Whether taking them to a dance, offering a bouquet or running them a bath, there’s a lot the natural world can teach us about love. You might think humans are the only animals to fall in love, but romance can come in all shapes and sizes. Most animals go for one night stands, and there are others that have brief, but intense, flings. Then there are some that take love more seriously, putting on the moves, giving gifts and performing for attention. It’s often a remarkable spectacle, but it can also be the tender beginnings of a lifelong bond. Animals might not write many love poems, but there are many other ways to ensure your next Valentine’s gets wild!

WORLD FROM ABOVE
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 17 February 2021

CAT: 20:00

Looking down on our world from above, we might see the incredible diversity of landscapes, the opportunities for wildlife, and gain an understanding of the interconnectedness of all life.

MAGIC OF MANGROVES
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 24 February 2021

CAT: 20:00

Mangroves are one of the most important habitats on Earth, vital to many of the planet’s most extraordinary, wonderful, and endangered species. Everything from shorebirds and sharks to monkeys and manatees relies on mangroves for their survival.

HUMAN STORY SATURDAYS

PLANE RESURRECTION
Brand New Episodes - premieres 06 February 2021

CAT: 18:00

Climb into the cockpits of historic planes and meet the craftsmen who dedicate their time to bring these aviation icons back to life.

WILDEST ISLANDS
Brand New Series - premieres 06 February 2021

CAT: 19:00

Islands can be home to the most extreme examples of life, as nature evolves in the most dramatic way. Sometimes isolated for hundreds of thousands of years, pockets of individuals adapt to survive, fueling a rapid and continuous development of new species.

Some of the Zanzibar archipelago’s bizarre creatures have developed to an enormous size. The world’s largest crab scales trees in search of coconuts, and clouds of giant bats fill the skies at dusk. Under the cover of darkness, giant leatherback turtles visit Trinidad’s beaches to lay their eggs. Dominica’s volcanic heritage gives it fertile soils, making the island rich in flowering plants. Situated 1,000km west of Ecuador, the Galapagos archipelago has been so little exposed to humans, it allowed Charles Darwin to study and rethink the laws of nature.

BEST OF CURIOSITY SUNDAYS

BESIEGED FORTRESSES
Brand New Series - premieres 21 February 2021

CAT: 19:00

Built at strategic points, and fitted with impressive fortifications, fortresses are thought to be impenetrable.

Novela Magic Will Be Added Onto DStv Access

As part of M-Net and MultiChoice’s ongoing commitment to broaden the accessibility and entertainment value of its content offerings, Novela Magic on DStv channel 165 will be made available to DStv Access customers from Friday, 22 January 2021 at 18:00. That means, together with DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact, and Family customers, DStv Access viewers can now experience the best of Africa.

Launched last year in November, Novel Magic celebrates Africa’s love for storytelling as well as the local creative talent by showcasing a variety of unique local stories with themes that resonate and engage with the viewers. The channel is MultiChoice and M-Net’s first-ever African only telenovela channel.

Along with the expansion to DStv Access customers, the exciting telenovela channel continues its mission of delivering the best African stories with the launch of Enakhe and Riona on Friday, 22 January.

Read Also:
- Will Paramount Network replace Comedy Central and MTV?
- Cartoon Network could become a second tier channel, what does this mean for Boomerang?

- AEW Dynamite invades TNT this February

- SABC, e.tv and DStv ratings for December 2020
- Will Star replace FOX on DStv?
- Will Magnolia Network rollout in Africa? perhaps to even replace Travel Channel
- EVA might be the next channel to go off air on DStv

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Is Star Plus, Star Vijay And Star Life In South Africa And The Rest Of Africa Following Europe By Taking Down The Star Branding?

The news of the Star brands demise came at the end of 2020 through Netherlands. There's no details as yet on whether it will affect Star India in general.

It's been confirmed that all the Star TV channels in the UK & Europe, will rebrand from Friday 22nd January – the channels will be rebranded to:

■ Star Plus HD will now be Utsav Plus HD (Sky 705, Virgin Media 803, Yupp TV)
■ Star Gold HD will now be Utsav Gold HD (Sky 717, Virgin Media 801)
■ Star Bharat will now be Utsav Bharat (Sky 704, Virgin Media 802, Yupp TV)

The Star branding isn't completely dead besides India it will be used as an international adaptation for Hulu as a standalone service with some launching a dedicated channel for it on Disney+. It's even a placeholder for the FOX branded channels.

Gaurav Jandwani, Senior Vice President & Business Head (UK, Europe & SOUTH AFRICA), “As much as the past year has been challenging for all of us, it has equally brought out a sense of gratefulness and celebration for all things positive. To reiterate this sense of optimism, it gives me great pleasure to announce the brand refresh of our network from the 22nd January 2021 with the same promise of touching lives through our inspirational characters.”

The network says, “Since its UK launch over 2 decades ago, Star has established a special relationship with its loyal viewers through a string of hugely successful iconic shows. These shows have gripped viewers with countless hours of premium entertainment, with the addictive K-series dramas of early years to glossy A-List chat show Koffee with Karan, the renowned ‘Masterchef India’, the innovative ‘Satyamev Jayat’e or the recent staggering success of ‘Anupamaa’, to name a few. This special relationship has catapulted the Star Network to No.1 in the UK’s official TV ratings (BARB) for over a decade.

“As we move forward in 2021 with a sense of hope and optimism, there could not be a better time to reflect the same spirit in our brand. We are thrilled to announce that Star will rebrand its channels to Utsav’ (meaning celebration) on 22 January 2021 in the UK and Europe to celebrate positivity and energy reinforced through our loved characters. The Utsav logo, infused from the Star logo, signifies stability and progress while the trademark swoosh pays homage to the insurmountable human spirit.”

Disney Africa supplies FOX and 3 Star channels (StarPlus, Star Vijay and Star Life) under Star India. It would make more sense to replace Indian channels so that it doesn't cause a riot the day FOX adapts to the Star branding.

Disney+ is not available in Africa as they're still rolling out in other parts of Europe so viewers might get the service by 2022. They could take even longer to roll it here due to existing contracts with other suppliers for their content. These changes won't wait for Disney+, Turn to the defunct channels, Disney XD and FOX Life as a prime example.

The switchover will likely occur before the year ends I wouldn't be shocked if it happened within the next 3 months. These channels can all be found on DStv with portions on StarTimes (Starsat) and Openview.

Update: Star Vijay rebranded into Vijay so that channel will be excluded from Utsav

Read Also:
- Rewind adds 2 "NEW" shows, Is a rebrand coming soon for OpenView subscribers?
- Will Paramount Network replace Comedy Central and MTV?
- Starsat removed several channels without notice
- Cartoon Network could become a repeats graveyard for HBO Max, what does this mean for Boomerang?
- SABC, e.tv and DStv ratings for December 2020
- Will Magnolia Network rollout in Africa? perhaps to even replace Travel Channel
- Honey rolls out next month on DStv
- EVA might be the next channel to go off air on DStv