Would Comcast's NBCUniversal Have Been A Better Suitor To MultiChoice?

Since late 2025, Canal+ managed to complete it's acquisition of MultiChoice and have begun slashing costs at the company. This is the norm for a majority of mergers and acquisitions and consumers have already seen the after effects.

M-Net had a licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery for titles like Penguin, The Peacemaker and Euphoria. In their last carriage deal, Canal+ let that deal die as it retains Cartoon Network and Warner's other cable networks.

Even SuperSport wasn't immune to costs as the merger lead to the loss of World Darts Championship, Winter Olympics and Philly's Games.

Showmax is expected to suffer the most from this ordeal as Canal+ admitted that the streamer has a commercial failure and only worsening MultiChoice's finances. Since last year, they've been engaging with Comcast about it's viability.

NBCUniversal bought a stake in the streamer a few years ago and this led to various enhancements for Showmax. This included additional catalogue from NBC, Telemundo Studios, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation.

Post the takeover, MultiChoice and NBCUniversal had also been locked in to various partnerships including that of Universal+ on DStv Stream. They've even provided Universal TV, Studio Universal and Telemundo to DStv consumers.

Some outlets even speculated that a merger between NBCUniversal and MultiChoice was another endeavour on the cards. Although we're less likely to see how this would have turned out the outcome would probably have been different.

NBCUniversal spun off majority of its cable networks under a separate company, Versant. For all anyone knows, this probably would have been the outcome for M-Net's local portfolio either that or sale and best guess on a buyer would be Canal+.

Canal+ has a 30+ year presence in the African space and have been growing their portfolio in the market and prior to MultiChoice they bought Nigeria's ROK Studios and Rwanda's Zacu TV. So it would only seem logical for them to snatch these assets.

NBCUniversal would probably retain M-Net and likely make it an equivalent the main NBC network in America. Another brand they would likely keep is SuperSport and maybe all if not most of these recent cuts would have been avoided.

As for DStv, this would probably go 50/50 while Canal+ retains MultiChoice's entire operations. NBCUniversal could have looked into shutting down some of MultiChoice's operations or keeping the profitable ones as seen with Sky in Germany.

‘Casper’ Live-Action Series In Works At Disney+

In a very competitive situation involving a five-way bidding war, Disney+ has landed a new series take on Casper the Friendly Ghost.

The live-action project comes from Rob Letterman and Hilary Winston, executive producers of another Disney+ supernatural series, Goosebumps; Steven Spielberg, who executive produced the 1995 Universal movie Casper starring Christina Ricci; and UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.

There are no details yet about the new Casper, described as a modern update on the classic ghost story, which is in the early stages of development. It is believed to have a dark edge to it the way Wednesday tackles the Addams Family lore.

Letterman and Winston are writing, with Letterman set to direct. The duo are executive producing with Spielberg.

Casper originated as an affable translucent ghost featured in a string of animated movies by Famous Studios released between 1945 and 1959. That’s when the character was acquired by Harvey Comics, which had published Casper comics since 1952. Since then, Casper has headlined a slew of comic books, five animated TV series as well as Universal Pictures’ 1995 live-action feature Casper, produced by Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and The Harvey Entertainment Co. 

In 2001, Harvey Entertainment was acquired by Classic Media. In 2012, Classic Media was bought by DreamWorks Animation, which in turn was acquired by Universal Pictures parent NBCUniversal in 2016, explaining why the potential Disney+ series is a co-production between DreamWorks Animation TV and UCP.

Like was the case in the 1995 Casper movie, which starred Ricci, Bill Pullman as well as Malachi Pearson as the voice of the title character, the new live-action series is expected to feature CGI effects.

If Casper, which has a premium development deal, goes to series, it will be Universal Studio Group’s first on Disney+. I hear that was a consideration when choosing the winner in the bidding war as having shows on all major streamers has been a goal for the studio. USG’s Universal TV has several series on Netflix, including A Man on the Inside, The Four Seasons as well as new medical drama Lovesick starring Claire Danes, which just landed there with a straight-to-series order, also in a competitive situation.

On Prime Video, the studio has We Were Liars, at Apple TV the upcoming Cape Fear and at HBO Max Hacks and The Gilded Age. At Hulu, UCP recently produced Murdaugh: Death in the Family, and Universal TV just sold for development bodyguard drama Close Protection.

In 2022, UCP set up for development at sibling streamer Peacock a different Casper live-action series, written/executive produced by The Ghost Bride head writer Kai Yu Wu, which ultimately did not go forward.

This is a rare Disney+ series project based on famous IP that is not from within the Disney ecosystem or derived from books. If Casper goes to series, the character will co-exist on the platform alongside famous Disney ghost characters, including The Nightmare Before Christmas‘ dog Zero.

Letterman developed the 2023 Goosebumps, based on the book series by R. L. Stine, with Nicholas Stoller. Letterman, who had directed the 1995 Goosebumps feature, was an executive producer/director and Winston an executive producer/showrunner on the series, which ran on Disney+ and Hulu for two seasons. Letterman’s feature credits include Monsters vs. Aliens and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, which he co-wrote and directed. He is repped by UTA, Untitled Entertainment, and attorney Eric Sherman.

Winston serves as an executive producer and co-showrunner on the current second season of Fox’s comedy series Going Dutch. Her writing-producing credits also include Krapopolis, Community, Happy Endings, My Name is Earl and well as CBS’ Bad Teacher, which she developed. Her feature writing credits include The Lego Ninjago Movie and The Bad Guys. Winston is repped by UTA, Rise Management and Yorn Levine Barnes.

Madagascar: A Little Wild, Brand New Series Launches On Play Room

Play Room, a South African based children's channel offering animated and live-action content is launching a new series, Madagascar: A Little Wild. This will be their second show from DreamWorks Animation following Fast And Furious: Spy Racers. 

Madagascar: A Little Wild will broadcast daily on Play Room at 10:25 from Monday 11 May. The series had already been broadcast on DreamWorks Channel, eToonz, Netflix and Showmax.

Filled with original music and dance worthy songs, Madagascar: A Little Wild captures the beloved personalities of the Zoo Crew — Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo — reimagined as kids residing in their rescue habitat at the Central Park Zoo. They might be small, but like everybody who lands in New York City, these little guys have big dreams.

From executive producer Johanna Stein (Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny) and co-executive producer Dana Starfield (Monster High: Welcome to Monster High), Madagascar: A Little Wild features the voices of Tucker Chandler (I Lost My Body) as “Alex,” Amir O’Neil (Mann and Wife) as “Marty,” Shaylin Becton (Fast & Furious: Spy Racers) as “Gloria,” Luke Lowe (Big City Greens) as “Melman,” Jasmine Gatewood (Animal Kingdom) as “Kate” and Eric Petersen (Kirstie) as “Ant’Ney.”

Spanning four feature films that have made more than $2.2 billion at the worldwide box-office, cherished shorts, holiday specials and the Emmy Award-winning series All Hail King Julien, the Madagascar franchise has been a global fan favorite for the past 15 years.

Canal+ Adds Serie A To It's African Offering, Launches BBC Earth In French

Canal+ Afrique following it's parent company Canal+ acquisition of MultiChoice is expanding its SuperSport offering with Africa 2. This will give consumers access to the Italian top-flight with the rollout of Serie A.

This brings the number of SuperSport channels available on Canal+ Afrique in francophone markets to 7, which also includes Premier League, LaLiga, Football Plus, Football, WWE, and Action.

In addition to that, BBC Earth also will be making its debut on Canal+, in French. The channel is already available on DStv for South African viewers with shows like Planet Earth, Dynasties, Banded Brothers and Eden Untamed Planet.

BBC Earth will debut on channel 203 while SuperSport Africa 2 airs on channel 727.

Canal+ is currently in the process of deploying its streaming app in MultiChoice markets after being made available in Francophone markets. The streaming service is set to replace Showmax which will be going dark across Africa by the end of April.

Warner Bros. Discovery And StarTimes Expand Carriage Deal To Include TNT Africa And Cartoon Network

A few years ago, TNT ended it's distribution on StarTimes platforms across Africa due to a carriage dispute between the operator and Warner Bros. Discovery. Since then, TNT was only distributable MultiChoice platforms and Canal+ Afrique.

During this time, StarTimes had revived it's ST Movies brand in place of the movie channel. With TNT set to be reinstated on their platforms from 1st May with Cartoon Network to be included as a new offering to viewers.

It will join Investigation Discovery, TLC, Discovery Channel, Toonami and Boing bringing the number of channels from Warner Bros. Discovery on the platform from 5 to 8 channels. 

Tailormade for African fans, TNT offers the best of contemporary and Hollywood blockbusters, with programming built on an action-driven, pulse-raising slate, mixed with romantic gems and hilarious comedy.

It is the exclusive home of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in Africa, broadcasting AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage weekly.

Cartoon Network is a premier children's television channel offering animated series, including Teen Titans Go!, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Craig of the Creek. It ranks as #1 children's channel and is responsible for 50% kids viewing on DStv.

The channel actively produces and showcases African content, such as CN to the Rescue and Garbage Boy and Trash Can. Since late 2025, the channel has been multilingual giving viewers the option to watch select shows in IsiZulu.

May 2026 On Disney Channel And Disney Junior Across Africa | Channel Premiere: Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy | Returning Shows: Spidey And His Amazing Friends | More

Disney Channel 

Vampirina: Teenage Vampire | Season 1

MON - THUR AT 17:00 CAT

Vee leaves Transylvania for boarding school to chase her musical dreams. As she keeps her vampire identity a secret, unexpected obstacles threaten to return her to the shadows.

Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy

MON - THUR AT 16:30 CAT

The entire Star Wars Galaxy gets completely mixed up when an ordinary nerf -herder, Sig Greebling, unearths a powerful artifact from a hidden Jedi temple.

Lego Star Wars: Pieces of the Past

MON - THURS AT 16:30 CAT

Our heroes will make unlikely alliances as they traverse new and dangerous parts of the hilariously mixed-up galaxy in an effort to stop the growing threat Solitus poses to all they hold dear.

Star vs The Forces of Evil

WEEKDAYS AT 16:30 CAT

Star Butterfly is an unusual princess, a feisty girl who is sent by her parents to Earth from another world for safety, and changes the lives of all around her, while also fighting the baddies.

Our Weekly Movie Spot

FRIDAYS AT 5PM

Zapped

FRI 01 MAY AT 5PM

(2014) Shake It Up’s Zendaya stars in this hilarious film as a bright student and talented dancer struggling with changes in life, including a new family and school, who finds a phone app that controls boys!

The Suite Life Movie

FRI 08 MAY AT 5PM

(2011) In their first feature film, Zack and Cody are approached to join a research project about twins. They find themselves connected in ways they've never been before, which proves very dangerous…

Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation

FRI 15 MAY AT 5PM

(2012) In this all-singing, all-dancing Disney Channel Original movie a young musician writes a song for the girl he loves. He wins a contest but his friend gets the credit. Will he get the girl too?

Toy Story 2

FRI 29 MAY AT 5PM

(1999) The toys are back in town as Tom Hanks and Tim Allen star in a toy-rrific sequel. Woody is kidnapped, so Buzz and friends rush to the rescue, in another delightful animated adventure.

Disney Channel 20th Anniversary Stunts

Throwback Block

MON-THU AT 17:50 CAT

06 - 30 APRIL

A Live-Action block for both kids and adults alike! Vote on social media:

Hannah Montana S3 vs Shake It Up.

Electric Bloom Weekend Stunt

SAT 02 & SUN 03 MAY

FROM 11:55

A curated collection of favourite Electric Bloom episodes.

Vampirina: Teenage Vampire Stunt

SAT 09 - SUN 10 MAY

FROM 11:55 CAT

A curated collection of favourite Vampirina: Teenage Vampire episodes.

Disney Junior 

Iron Man and His Awesome Friends Season 1

MON - FRI AT 08:05 CAT

"Marvel’s Iron Man and his Awesome Friends” follows the adventures of best friends and super geniuses as they work together to solve problems and protect their city.

Spidey And His Amazing Friends Season 1

MON - FRI AT 09:00 CAT

The Spidey heroes take to the high seas with their new Water -Web suits and their new friend, Jeff the Land Shark. Together, they protect the sea and the city.

Canal+ To List On JSE As Revenue Continues To Plummet

CANAL+ has reported broadly flat revenues for the first quarter of 2026, as the group moves into the operational phase of its post-acquisition strategy following the addition of MultiChoice Group.

Total group revenues reached €2.17 billion, down 0.4% on a comparable basis including MultiChoice, but up 1.8% to €1.57 billion when excluding the African business. On a reported basis, revenues increased 41% reflecting the enlarged scale of the group.

CEO Maxime Saada said the company had made a “solid start” to the year, with execution of its strategy now underway and early synergies from the MultiChoice deal being delivered in line with expectations.

In Europe, revenues fell 1.6% to €1.13 billion, following the end of the distribution of DAZN in France, as well as the divestment of the DTH subscriber base in Hungary in 2025. However, Poland remained a bright spot, with continued growth in OTT subscriptions and advertising revenues. The OTT business in Austria also made a strong start.

Africa and Asia revenues rose sharply to €889 million due to the inclusion of MultiChoice, though on a like-for-like basis revenues declined slightly, reflecting ongoing pressure on the South African operator’s non-subscription income. Subscription revenues remained broadly stable at constant currency.

The group confirmed that its MultiChoice turnaround plan is now in motion, including expanded sales operations and revised pricing strategies. At the same time, CANAL+ is progressing with cost synergies, targeting €250 million in savings in 2026.

Streaming also remains a key area of transition. The group will phase out the Showmax OTT service by the end of April, migrating content and users onto MultiChoice’s DStv platform as part of a broader platform consolidation strategy.

Content production arm STUDIOCANAL delivered a strong performance, with revenues up 9% driven by box office success across multiple territories and continued growth in content licensing.

Elsewhere, video platform Dailymotion reported advertising growth, particularly in the US, alongside expansion of its professional services offering.

CANAL+ reiterated its full-year guidance, expecting flat revenues and adjusted EBIT of €735 million, with free cash flow above €250 million.

The group is also preparing for a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on 3 June, marking a key milestone following its expansion into African markets.

How eVOD And SABC+ Manage To Survive The Streaming Wars?

Showmax shuttered its doors in Africa as MultiChoice was losing a lot of money by keeping it on the air. The streaming service that served as a joint venture with Comcast's NBCUniversal and Sky was hoping to become Africa's version of Netflix.

The problem part with these endeavours is that Africa isn't seen as a booming economy for streaming. This is due to low broadband in some markets as well as high data costs.

While consumers can trust that eMedia Investments and SABC will continue funding the local economy through its eVOD and SABC+ streaming service. Fact of the matter is because of these challenges seen in Africa they need to diversify.

Subscriptions and advertising alone can't help sustain its operations while it may work for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as they're bigger brands. SABC+, eVOD and even Showmax had to subject themselves to these obstacles in Africa.

eMedia Investments and SABC still have to rely on their cable networks to re-coperate the costs. In some instances, they have to find a partner that is willing to help them build their content slate.

Amazon Prime Video was at one point a Showmax competitor commissioning content in Africa now they just license finished content. While Netflix continues funding the local economy these endeavours had been reduced.

MultiChoice, SABC and eMedia Investments continue to be the lifeline for these endeavours in South Africa. If one of them were to go six feet under, it's less likely that Netflix will just step up and fill up the gap left by DStv.

If you look at DStv, they have Mzansi Magic, Moja Love, Via, KykNET, SABC News and WildEarth. Netflix is not going to produce content to that scale if MultiChoice were to shut down especially if it's not going to make them money.