New Disney Channel Original Premieres Across Africa Alongside Marathon Of Fan-Favourites This Month

• Brand-new instalment of the Descendants franchise as “Descendants: The Rise of Red” premieres on channel

• Popular Z-O-M-B-I-E-S franchise welcomes an animated series

• Celebrate Miraculous Day with back-to-back episodes and the Miraculous World DCOMs

 

Disney Channel fans are in for a right royal treat this September as the channel welcomes brand new content, marathon events of fan-favourite series’ and a whole day dedicated to everyone’s favourite superheroes, Miraculous Ladybug & Cat Noir.

The mega-hit “Descendants” franchise which features the teenage progeny of iconic Disney heroes and villains, sees a triumphant return to our screens with Descendants: The Rise of Red on Friday, 27 September at 17:00 CAT on Disney Channel, DStv channel 303. “Descendants: The Rise of Red” follows Red (Kylie Cantrall), the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe (Malia Baker), Cinderella’s perfectionist daughter. When the tyrannical Queen of Hearts incites a coup against Auradon, polar opposites Red and Chloe must join forces and travel back in time to undo the traumatic event that set Red’s mother down her villainous path.

In addition to Cantrall and Baker, the film stars a new ensemble of VKs (Villain Kids) and legacy characters, including singer Brandy as Cinderella, Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts, Dara Reneé as Uliana, Ruby Rose Turner as Bridget/Young Queen of Hearts, Morgan Dudley as Ella/Young Cinderella, Joshua Colley as Young Hook, Peder Lindell as Morgie, Grace Narducci as Fay/Young Fairy Godmother, Jeremy Swift as Principal Merlin, Paolo Montalban as King Charming, and Leonardo Nam as Maddox Hatter. China Anne McClain is back as fan-favorite Uma and the new principal at Auradon Prep. Melanie Paxson also reprises her role as Fairy Godmother.

True to the “Descendants” tradition of music-driven stories, this fourth instalment features seven new original songs, two reprises and a cover of “So This Is Love” from the classic animated “Cinderella” film that will engage viewers and bring them along on the emotional journey with our bold new characters.

Fans will also be delighted to find a Descendants Movie Special from Tuesday, 24 September to Thursday, 26 September from 15:00 CAT, leading up to the premiere of The Rise of Red.

Disney’s “ZOMBIES” is a music- and dance-filled story set in the fictitious world of Seabrook, a cookie-cutter community brimming with perky conformity 50 years after a zombie apocalypse. The popular franchise follows Zombie Zed and human Addison who meet at school and become friends.

ZOMBIES: The Re-animated Series sees Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim reprise their roles as Seabrook’s star-crossed zombie/cheerleader couple, Zed and Addison, in Disney Branded Television’s next iteration of the hit “ZOMBIES” franchise. Fans can catch the Seabrook crew in animated form ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series premiering on Monday, 16 September at 16:30 CAT on Disney Channel. Previous offerings Zombies 2 will screen on Saturday, 21 September and Zombies 3 on Sunday, both at 10:40 CAT.

Mark your calendars for 30 September – it’s Miraculous Day! Fans of Miraculous Ladybug & Cat Noir can look forward to a day filled with their favourite crime-fighting teens. From 06:00  - 16:00 CAT on Monday, 30 September, you can expect back-to-back episodes of Season 5 of the series as well as all three Miraculous World movies. Catch Miraculous World: New York United Heroez at 11:05 CAT, Miraculous World: Shanghai, The Legend of LadyDragon at 12:05 CAT and Miraculous World Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir at 13:10 CAT. 

Reminder: Telemundo To Debut New Series "Ana's New Life" In Africa

Ana Ocampo is a 50-year-old woman who will have to face a divorce, after she discovers that her husband, Horacio, is unfaithful with a much younger woman, Adelaida Gómez. In the midst of her loneliness, Ana discovers that the end of her marriage will become a second chance for her as she enjoys her new life and becomes a stronger woman. She ends up meeting Joaquín Cortés, who, after meeting Ana, assures her that she is the woman of his life. Meanwhile, Horacio realizes that ending his relationship with Ana was a mistake.

It starred Paola Turbay as Ana Ocampo, Sebastián Carvajal as Joaquín Cortés, Jorge Enrique Abello as Horacio Valenzuela, Laura Archbold as Adelaida Gómez, Judy Henríquez as Dolores Viuda de Ocampo, Ramistelly Herrera as Emma Valenzuela, Carlos Báez as Pedro Valenzuela, Ilenia Antonini as Florencia Valenzuela and Adriana Romero as Genoveva Serrano.

With Queen Of The South set to return on the channel for a third and final season on Telemundo. The channel had opted to sought out the assistance of Colombia's RCN Television for Ana's New Life (also known as Ana De Nadie) in an attempt to retain daytime audiences as Teresa Mendoza's entry will be restricted to late nights at 22:00 with Ana's New Life airing an hour earlier at 21:00.

RCN Television is no stranger to the Hispanic based channel as they've worked together on shows like Until Money Do Us Part and The Scent Of Passion. The channel had even sought to license other content like The Chosen Granddaughter, Nurses and Law Of The Heart with some of this currently seen on their lineup.

What's mind boggling about these premieres is that The People's Doctor instead of falling off the lineup follows Decisions and a select number of shows and serves as a filler to the daytime as Queen Of The South commences 9th September. Ana's New Life will only air 21 days after Queen Of The South on September 30th giving consumers free time to check the load of repeats on E! Entertainment.

Barney's World Premieres In October On Cartoonito Across USA And EMEA

Mattel, Inc. and Warner Bros. Discovery announced today that Barney, Mattel’s iconic purple dinosaur, will return to television screens for the first time in 14 years. Barney’s World, a new animated series featuring original music and updated takes on Barney classics, will premiere Monday, October 14 on MAX followed by a linear premiere on Cartoon Network starting on Friday, October 18. The show also launches on Cartoonito in EMEA and APAC, and Discovery Kids in LATAM.  Select episodes of Barney’s World will be available on YouTube, where the first episode will debut early on October 11 in specific countries.  

MEET BARNEY, BABY BOP, AND BILLY!

The new Barney’s World is set in a playground, where Barney is joined by dinos Billy and Baby Bop and their three kid best friends David, Mel, and Vivie. Through action-packed, music-filled adventures together, Barney helps the kids and audiences explore big preschool emotions, showing them how to love themselves, others, and their communities.

Originally launched in 1988, Barney quickly became a global sensation, captivating audiences with the friendly dinosaur and his larger-than-life personality. The Barney & Friends series aired on top broadcasters globally, including 14 seasons on PBS in the United States, with its final episode airing on November 2, 2010.

While Barney’s World was developed for preschoolers, viewers of all ages will feel nostalgic singing along with Barney and his friends again. Today’s parents, many of whom grew up with the lovable dinosaur, can now create memories with their own children as they experience this new take on a beloved classic.

Barney’s World premieres with 52, 11-minute episodes featuring familiar faces and new characters alike, including:

• Jonathan Langdon (ZOMBIES) as Barney - A singing and dancing purple dinosaur who embodies love, Barney is a great listener who helps his friends work through challenges in a way that is caring to themselves and others.

• Bryn McAuley (Hotel Transylvania: The Series) as Baby Bop - A charming and opinionated dinosaur who is an advocate for all feelings, no matter how big or small.

• Jonathan Tan (Rubble & Crew) as Billy – An energetic dino who loves action and loud sounds. With a strong sense of self awareness, Billy encourages kids to express their feelings and care for themselves. 

• Jayd Deroché (Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures) as David – An empathetic, self-aware, and caring kid, David loves giving big hugs and has an infectious laugh that he shares with his friends, older brother, and younger sister.

• Diana Tsoy (CoComelon Lane) as Mel – Mel is active, competitive, and always up for a challenge. She is multiracial from Korean and Mexican heritage, speaks three languages, and loves to share her culture with her friends. 

• Ella Paciocco (Vocal Star) as Vivie - Vivie is wildly creative and loves to paint and perform. She lives with her Nonna, and together they enjoy cooking, sharing Italian traditions, and caring for their friends and family.

“The goal of Mattel Television Studios is to develop and distribute episodic and long-form content that expands Mattel’s characters and storylines across linear and streaming platforms worldwide,” said Josh Silverman, Chief Franchise Officer, Mattel. “Barney nurtures the power of love in all of us, and we are thrilled to bring him back to fans all around the world. We hope this modern revival leaves an impression on young audiences, imparting lessons that will positively influence them as they grow up.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Mattel to bring a fresh, imaginative new take on Barney that resonates with today’s preschoolers and their families around the world,” said Vanessa Brookman, General Manager Kids, Global Streaming and International Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery.  

“This new animated series aims to blend nostalgia with modern storytelling, ensuring that the world’s beloved purple dinosaur continues to inspire, educate, and delight young audiences.”

Barney’s World is co-produced by Mattel Television Studios and Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana. It is executive produced by Michelle Mendelovitz and Josh Silverman for Mattel and by Athena Georgaklis, Doug Murphy, Mellany Welsh, and Pam Westman for Nelvana.

Zee Zonke – SA’s No. 1 Pay TV Channel Presents An All New Local Show, “Amaqhawe – Our Heroes”

Zee Zonke is thrilled to introduce its first original local show, isiZulu Amaqhawe (Our Heroes), premiered on 14 September 2024 at 5 pm on DStv channel 169. Since the channel’s launch in August 2023, Zee Zonke has ranked number one in the Pay TV space. This is the channel’s first local foray, spotlighting the extraordinary stories of South Africans who have made notable contributions across various sectors.

In a world where remarkable achievements often go unnoticed, Amaqhawe shines a light on those who have defied the odds to make meaningful socially, economically, or culturally meaningful impacts. These unsung heroes make a difference in several lives in their fields of music, arts, literature, entertainment, medicine, education, politics and business.

Experts selected 28 individuals from hundreds to feature in Season 1. Each episode will delve into the lives of these achievers, exploring their challenges, perseverance, and successes. Through interviews, dialogues, and interactions with family members, friends, and communities, Amaqhawe seeks to inspire viewers in a manner never seen before.

“At Zee Zonke, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect, inspire, and uplift communities. With Amaqhawe, we are proud to honour the outstanding individuals who have made a difference. We are thrilled to partner with Absa, which reinforces our commitment to celebrating the diverse and impactful stories that shape our nation.” said Somnath Malakar, CEO of Sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean Islands.

Hosted by the charismatic and ever-popular duo Phindile Gwala and Luthando’ BU’ Mthembu, the show promises to be vibrant, entertaining, inspirational and aspirational, with stories that truly resonate.

“Content is at the core of what Zee does, so we created this local show. We understand how important it is for people to tell their own stories, which can shape and empower communities. We also want to do the best we can for our audiences, where they get to see themselves on screen, which adds to the enjoyment that locally resonant storytelling provides.” said Desiree Pillay, ZEE SVP: Content & Marketing, Sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean Islands.

Daniel Munslow, Managing Executive for Group Communications at Absa, says, “We are thrilled to partner with Zee Zonke on Amaqhawe (Our Heroes), a groundbreaking initiative that marks our first local foray into spotlighting the extraordinary stories of South Africans who have made significant contributions across various sectors. Amaqhawe aligns seamlessly with our strategic objective of ‘Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together, one story at a time.’ Through this partnership, we proudly celebrate the heroes who inspire us and drive progress within our communities.”

Tune in for the premiere of Amaqhawe on 14 September 2024 at 5 pm, exclusively on Zee Zonke, DStv channel 169.

Important News Dated 15 September

As some of you have already noticed, I haven't posted in a couple of weeks as I ran into some personal setbacks that was beyond my control. So with the help of a notepad I had to type whatever I had to publish and trust me it was frustrating being away from everyone and this lost time had led me to miss out on various deadlines for which I apologize as all this came last minute for me.

But during this time I got to do some thinking and with the forever changing landscape we have to make some adjustments to our platforms to cope with this. This includes content on DStv Flex, we could look into simplifying some of this into a new segment of course those details are still underwraps and to limit the amount of duplicate content.

As for the sites, we feel that the current format is sort of crammed or bloated we may look into modifying some of these areas. We already offer floating widgets, this could as well become the areas of our site where you find upcoming and featured attractions taking up positions of course nothing can be final as it all depends on how users interact with these gadgets.

MultiChoice Is Working On A SuperSport AM/PM Channel

During the week, several consumers had noticed that MultiChoice is working on a sports channel known as SuperSport Variety AM/PM. There is currently no details on when the mysterious TV channel will be announced but from the esteemed outcome it could be another pop-up channel. 

AM/PM could imply a TV channel that constructs its content in a particular order during certain hours of the day only to repeats this format throughout the day. 

This channel is currently using the frequencies of Ginx eSports TV which could be the likely cause for the channel's description eSports/Gaming. From the lineup, AM/PM features a lot of highlights from the paralympics alongside some actual events with Premier League as an overflow. 

MultiChoice with the inclusion of this channel is probably trying to do what SWITCH'D ON and Zambezi Reloaded is doing and trying to accommodate viewers different preferences and schedules. This would further maximize its viewership and reach and engage with viewers at different times.

SuperSport AM/PM is basically a mashup of SuperScreen and Olympic News as it offers highlights from the Paralympics. It also broadcasts sporting events mainly opening and closing ceremonies or events which range from football, rugby, archery and swimming. 

How Showmax Has Become A DStv Competitor To Canal+?

Showmax is African based streaming service operated by DStv parent company MultiChoice which is in the process of being acquired by French broadcaster Canal+. It takes on other streamers in the market like Netflix, SABC+, eVOD, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Disney+.

Since late 2023, NBCUniversal obtained a 30% stake in streaming service which gave consumers access to content from Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation and Telemundo International. This also helped the company extend the reach of Peacock after being constant to America. 

After licensing various channels like Studio Universal, Universal TV, DreamWorks, E! Entertainment and Telemundo to DStv consumers in Africa. They even curated OTT version of these channels known as Universal+ through DStv Stream with plans to get their DStv Glass service scrapped. 

MultiChoice sites the current economic climate as the reason this product had been shelved but some believe it may have to do with the possible takeover by Canal+. As the CEO of Canal+ had mentioned at some point that their prime focus is being allocated onto content and content distribution. 

MultiChoice has all these other ventures such as Namola, Showmax, SuperSportBET and Irdeto part of which just seems like a waste now based on its financial performance. Not long ago, they had reduced their stake on DStv Insurance to 25% with the rest allocated to Sanlam. 

Canal+ was able to brief the media in on the plans awaiting MultiChoice one of which having to do with another subsidiary, Showmax. With Netflix taking over how people consume content, MultiChoice had to trim the entertainment on DStv down to a point where Me had been axed.

Me was being built up as open window to M-Net for Compact consumers similar to how Mzansi Wethu wad tailored for Access. Now that portal had been closed and merged to what Compact+ consumers alongside Premium view as 1Max.

Canal+ offers the same content on different platforms through MyCanal it is basically how DStv Stream is with the DStv platform which is multimedia. Giving consumers different ways of accessing the very same content but this stopped being the case with DStv and Showmax. 

When Disney+ launched all of its existence was built around its linear offering same with Paramount+, SABC+ and eVOD. But with Showmax that changed as you get content like Chucky: The Series on Showmax but not through DStv yet M-Net has to fold all their content on Showmax.

DStv has to rely on sport to get any attention nowadays but when it comes to entertainment from Zee Zonke for instance those don't make much of an impact with Showmax. Hollywood Reporters even did an article on how content from Telemundo and TLNovelas is under siege from these platforms.

Similar to how M-Net is ramping up its local offering and going as far as partnering with international studios a similar outcome awaited Telemundo and TelevisaUnivison. In the end, these brands are trying to sustain themselves in a world where Netflix can control how you view them.

New Series Alert: UKube Ngangazi Coming This September To Zee Zonke

The story revolves around Srivalli, a simple girl full of life and energy, so positive in her outlook that she tries to find the good aspect in everything that happens in life. In fact, even after being considered unlucky by her family, she wishes to marry a charming and understanding man who shares her personality traits.

In a twist of fate she meets Samrat, an egoist and a chauvinist who doesn’t respect women. In fact, even his mother Bhavani fears her son a lot. However, it is this unusual union of two starkly different personalities that is bound to create conflict and drama, and it will be interesting to see what happens as they decide to get married!

It starred Yashwanth as Samrat, Chaitra Sakkari as Srivalli, Nirosha Radha as Bhavani, Vara Prasad as Raghupathi, Vijay Durga as Avanthika, Siddu as Goutham, Pratyusha Ponnapalli as Kamala, Sree Piya as Nandu, Sravan as Lavangam and Archana as Meenakshi.

The series premiered on Zee Telegu from May 2023 as Devathalaara Deevinchandi and has since then accumulated 444 half hour episodes. The broadcaster is home to shows like Umakoti Oyintandokazi and Uthandolwani both of which are currently airing on Zee Zonke.

Now Zee Zonke is looking to add its third show from the broadcaster under the name UKube Ngangazi from 5 September. It's sister channels are also looking to add new content with Ringside Rebel and Amulya's Wedding on Zee World with 36 Reasons and The Pain Of Loving You on Zee One.