What To Expect On Curiosity Channel Africa In October 2022?

SUPER SCIENCE MONDAYS

Asteroid Rush
New 2-Part Special Premieres 03 October 2022
CAT: 21h00 and 22h00
Episodes: 2 x 60 mins
Every day, hundreds of asteroids fall towards Earth. Small asteroids cause no harm, but large asteroids can have major consequences. There is no doubt that a killer asteroid will one day cross paths with the Earth...and that we will need to be ready to act. Knowing this, the world’s space agencies have set up specialist departments for detecting and exploring asteroids. For the first time in history, they are even planning on changing an asteroid’s orbit to protect the planet. Will we be able to avoid global catastrophe? The countdown has begun.

Engineering the Future S2
New Series Premieres 10 October 2022
CAT: 21h00 and 22h00
Episodes: 6 x 60 – ends 07 November 2022
Narrated by David Oyelowo, this ground-breaking engineering series explores the spectacular technologies that could revolutionize life as we know it. From the metaverse to perpetual power, from the hyperloop to the race to space, a global technological revolution is underway. Passionate, dedicated individuals intent on shaping a better, greener world are pushing engineering to its limits to create extraordinary machines that will help the planet and humankind. This series features exclusive access to large-scale, cutting-edge projects around the globe that combine science, technology and engineering to chart a future that’s closer than we think.

*Weekly premieres air during this timeslot

HISTORY LOVER TUESDAYS

Impossible Escapes: Civil War
New Series Premieres 4 October 2022
CAT: 20h00 and 21h00
Episodes: 6 x 60 mins – ends 08 November 2022
The American Civil War provided a setting for some of the most desperate, most daring stories of escape and survival that the country has ever witnessed. Impossible Escapes: The Civil War mixes tension with triumph and action with rare, firsthand accounts to immerse viewers inside the conflict in ways they have never been before.

*Weekly premieres air during this timeslot

Nazi Secret Weapons
New Documentary Special Premieres 25 October 2022
CAT: 22h00
Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
This program travels into the past to discover the fascinating details of Hitler’s wonder weapons –colossal tanks, suicide bombers, and the first guided missiles. Do the original blueprints have clues to revolutionary potential or fatal structural flaws?

WILDLIFE WEDNESDAYS

Evolve
New Series Premieres 5 October 2022
CAT: 20h00 and 21h00
Episodes: 6 x 60 mins – ends 02 November 2022
Exploring nature, science, and tech like never before, biologist Patrick Aryee sets out on a high-octane global adventure to bring humanity’s future into focus. Jam-packed with wildlife, stunning locations, and mind-bending futuristic science, Evolve dives deep into the emerging world of biomimicry, exploring how the genius of evolution could hold the key to some of the world’s biggest problems. From revolutionizing healthcare to transforming transportation, Patrick joins forces with explorers, inventors, and scientists for exclusive access to the groundbreaking, wild-inspired technologies on the cusp of innovation. Follow along to the forefront of human ingenuity as some of the world’s leading innovators harness nature’s hidden genius to revolutionize our future.
*Weekly premieres air during this timeslot

Last Stand of the Javan Rhino
New Documentary Special Premieres 19 October 2022
CAT: 22h00
Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
Deep within the Javan jungle, an expedition has set out in search of the last stand of the world’s rarest rhino. Once prolific across Asia, the Javan Rhino now exists only in Java, where photographer Toby Nowlanis on a mission to photograph the species in hopes of protecting it from extinction.

FORENSICS THURSDAYS

Inside the Mind of a Con Artist
New Episodes Premiere 6 October 2022
CAT: 22h00
Episodes: 6 x 60 mins – ends 20 October 2022
Have you ever been lied to? Been offered something too good to be true? We’ve all been the victim of a con, but how much of the con artist lies within us? Inside the Mind of a Con Artistreveals the human truths behind some of the most extraordinary cons. From financial crimes and identity theft to art forgery and marriage fraud, go behind the scenes as infamous, real-life con artists are confronted with their crimes. With the help of experts in forensic psychology and neuroscience, discover stunning insights into human behavior, what makes a great con, and why we can be so willing to believe. It just might reveal some uncomfortable truths about us all. In the end, who do you trust?

Innocent Behind Bars
New Series Premieres 27 October 2022
CAT: 21h00 and 22h00
Episodes: 8 x 60 mins – ends 08 December 2022
Cases of wrongful conviction plague the justice system, leading to many decades –and even lives –lost behind bars.

*Weekly premieres air during this timeslot

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE FRIDAYS

Extraordinary Humans
New Episodes Premiere 7 October 2022
CAT: 21h00 and 22h00
Episodes: 10 x 60 mins – ends 04 November 2022
Biologist Thom Hunt goes in search of people with genuine, real-life super- powers that push the known limits of the human mind and body.

*Weekly premieres air during this timeslot

TNets Strategy Comes Into Focus With Lower-Cost, Mass-Appeal Shows As New Chief Kathleen Finch Meets With Creative Community

There probably has been no other division of WarnerMedia more impacted by the Discovery merger than the TNets, which consist of TNT, TBS and TruTV. In the span of a couple of months after the transaction was completed, they got new leadership, with Discovery’s Kathleen Finch adding them to her portfolio, while the previous toppers exited: General Manager Brett Weitz, SVP Original Programming Adrienne O’Riain, and unscripted chief Corie Henson.

The new owners quickly scrapped or ended scripted series such as Chad, Snowpiercer and Kill the Orange Bear, cut a number of unscripted series such as the already completed The Big D, and let go a number of big-ticket development.

As the dust has started to settle, Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer, US Networks Group, Warner Bros. Discovery, recently made an outreach to talent agencies and producers, laying out her plans for what original programming on the TNets will look like going forward.

In response to a request for comment on that outreach and her message to the creative community, Finch issued a statement to Deadline.

“I’ve had some great meetings with agents and production partners to let them know that yes, we’re definitely open for business at TNT, TBS, and at all the brands that make up the WBD US Networks portfolio,” she said. “We’ve spent the past few months evaluating content, our audience make up, which audience groups we want to grow and what kinds of series we need to do that. The content teams are looking at both scripted and unscripted, and have already put some exciting projects into development. Once the deals are signed we’ll be able to share more, but for now the message we want to send to the production community is that we’re bullish on delivering great slates to the fans of these Top 10 networks.”

Finch would not comment further. But according to sources, on the scripted side the focus is on TNT, whose sole current series, Snowpiercer, recently wrapped production on its fourth and final season. On the unscripted side, TBS is believed to be more of the focus, with sibling network truTV leaning in to its Impractical Jokers franchise and spinoffs.***

Scripted Strategy

Snowpiercer, TNT’s post-apocalyptic drama starring Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs, may be the last of the kind of high-end, prestige dramas with big stars and budgets (in the $7 million-$8 million an episode range) that the network has been doing since The Alienist in 2018. TNT is now looking for more cost-effective series that don’t go after A-list movie talent and would complement the tentpole sports/unscripted programming on TNT — as well as the rest of Warner Bros. Discovery’s suite of linear networks under Finch. That could include wrestling-themed shows, as AEW is a major draw on TNT, and scripted series that have the feel of some of the signature Discovery docu reality series like The Deadliest Catch. IP-based/genre series also are being explored, we hear.

Before taking the turn to big-budget, premium dramas under previous programming chief Kevin Reilly, TNT had success with original crime procedurals that complemented its roster of off-network crime dramas, most notably The Closer and its spinoff Major Crimes.

To keep costs low, we hear producers are being asked to find a studio that would handle international distribution, somewhat emulating the traditional indie financing model where international pre-sales bring in the funding needed to make a movie feasible and lower financial risk for its backers. TNets’ sister studio, Warner Bros. Television, which most recently produced TNT’s recently departed drama Animal Kingdom, is expected to continue to be a supplier with the right projects that fit the new business paradigm. As Finch noted, there are a handful of projects currently under consideration.

We hear that TNT was presented to the creative community as the sole scripted brand among the TNets, though Warner Bros. Discovery sources dispute that. TBS, which relies heavily on off-network sitcoms, mainly The Big Bang Theory, currently has two ongoing scripted series in hits Miracle Workers and the animated American Dad!

Unscripted Strategy

As for the unscripted side, TBS has a history of attracting big talent to unscripted such as John Cena co-hosting its reboot of Wipeout and NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade fronting its adaptation of British format The Cube.

In a stronger way than the scripted side, we hear agents and producers have been encouraged to remember that Warner Bros Discovery owns a movie studio, and to figure out if there can be any crossover, be it on talent or IP. For instance, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses, the Warner Bros-produced, Helen Mirren-fronted competition series, performed well for TBS and Cartoon Network.

It was also pointed out that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson acted as master of ceremonies for this summer’s Shark Week on the Discovery side.

However, one of the challenges remains budgets. The TNets have long had higher budgets for its slate of unscripted shows than the Discovery networks, partly down to bringing in higher carriage fees.

Similar to how the scripted side is looking at deficit financing via international distribution, their reality counterparts are looking for “Discovery-style dealmaking” on the unscripted side. In the past, this has meant selling full global and format rights to projects, with producers essentially operating on a work-for-hire basis.

There remains some confusion among unscripted agents and producers as to TNets’ messaging, with one source saying Finch’s comments have been “inconsistent” with remarks from some of its other network executives.

Industry insiders argue that the TNets will need to keep offering desirable originals rather than a slate of repeats of Discovery shows such as 90 Day Fiancé, for Warner Bros. Discovery to justify the significantly higher affiliate fees cable and satellite operators pay for them compared with the Discovery cable networks.

However, the TNets’ main attraction is sports. TNT and TBS boast NBA and Major League Baseball coverage, wrestling, and last year they closed a big, seven-year NHL deal. Additionally, TNT, TBS and TruTV share NCAA men’s basketball games. In today’s environment and proliferation of streaming, live sports is what drives premiums for linear networks, with entertainment considered an additive.

StarSat To Offer More Dubbed Entertainment In Various African Languages

Satellite pay-TV provider StarSat has announced it is doubling down on dubbing foreign telenovelas into Zulu and other indigenous South African languages.

This comes after eMedia’s E-tv and Openview platforms saw success dubbing Turkish telenovelas into Afrikaans.

“Telenovelas continue dominating global television viewing, proving one of the most powerful entertainment genres in modern-day television and on-demand subscription viewing,” StarSat stated.

It said telenovelas are distinct from soap operas.

“Unlike soapies that go on seemingly forever, the running time of telenovelas averages around 120 episodes,” said StarSat.

“Whereas soapies can go on for decades, telenovelas usually run between six months and a year.”

Another key difference is that soap operas often appeal to women, whereas telenovelas are more family orientated, with some exceptions, StarSat said.

StarSat launched its Midrand dubbing studios in 2021 with the objective to adapt its best-performing telenovelas to Zulu and other indigenous South African languages.

“Our dubbing initiative continues to create many new jobs along the value chain,” said ODM CEO Debbie Wu.

On Digital Media (ODM) is the company that owned and operated TopTV. StarTimes bought it out of business rescue in 2013 and rebranded the service StarSat.

“Since the launch of our dubbing studios, we have recruited and trained numerous South African youth as voice actors, directors, translators, editors, and sound engineers,” Wu said.

Following the success of the Zulu-dubbed version Philippine novella “The Blood Sisters”, StarSat has launched a Zulu version of the popular Zee TV novella “Waaris: Indlalifa”.

A broad slate of Zulu dubbed telenovelas of Mexican, Korean, Spanish, and Indian origin are in the works for broadcast on StarSat’s flagship channel StarTimes RISE.

The pay-TV operator also has an app subscribers can use to watch its library of telenovelas.

StarSat also said it would broadcast English novellas, such as the Philippine show “La Vida Lena”, which will be on the ST Novella E Plus channel. It will also broadcast “My Left Side” — a Zee Novella.

StarSat To Kill Off More Channels By The End Of September

StarSat will drop its two Afrikaans channels from the platform on 30 September 2022, the owners of MyTV and OnseTV have announced.

“StarSat, the South African branch of StarTimes Media, has ended Afrikaans on the StarSat decoder after 13 years of broadcast,” said MyTV CEO Jaco Ferreira.

On Digital Media launched TopTV in South Africa on 1 May 2010.

It was South Africa’s first noteworthy DStv contender since MultiChoice launched its satellite pay-TV service.

Ferreira says that ASTV was accepted as the only Afrikaans channel on TopTV in October 2009. It operated out of Rustenburg and was later rebranded MyTV.

On Digital Media soon ran into financial troubles and Chinese pay-TV player StarTimes bought the company out of business rescue in 2013.

OnseTV started broadcasting on 29 September 2017 on StarSat channel 462.

“Because OnseTV management works daily with a wide variety of people in the industry, it was clear from the start that there were no focused channel to cater for the largest Afrikaans-speaking community in South Africa,” Ferreira said.

“It was decided to create a TV channel, specifically for the brown Afrikaans community.”

Ferreira said OnseTV has been broadcasting with great success for the past five years.

“The response from our immediate communities of colour has been and continues to be incredible,” Ferreira said.

Despite this, StarSat informed OnseTV and MyTV that their contracts would not be renewed. The channel operator said it received no reason for this decision.

“OnseTV have become an entertainment home for the brown community. To fully live out their culture and language and thus bridging cultural gaps,” Ferreira stated.

“The untapped talent and talented people present in this community, previously and presently dismissed from mainstream media, are still looking for well-deserved recognition. Something OnseTV gave them for the past five years.”

Ferreira said E-tv’s owners approached him in 2013 and struck a deal to broadcast ASTV on Openview HD.

“After this contract expired, ASTV’s broadcast on OVHD stopped. But ASTV still continued broadcasting on the StarSat decoder,” Ferreira said.

“InPasTV (a Christian channel) was also accepted by StarSat together with OnseTV but was later removed.”

Ferreira said they bid StarSat farewell with a heavy heart.

“We are very grateful for the 13 years we have been able to broadcast on this platform, and we will be forever grateful for the time we were able to spend with the StarSat team,” said Ferreira.

MyTV and OnseTV are now streaming online for free.

“Perhaps we have outgrown our teenage shoes, and it is time to venture into the ‘grown-up world,’” the channels said.

As Anticipated, Openview To Come With Monthly Fees With The Launch Of New Service, Openview+

Several months ago, eMedia Investments unveiled their latest annual results where it was revealed that their free-to-view Openview platform has seen a high rate of growth as MultiChoice has begun to see a bloodbath of dissatisfied Premium and Compact customers.

The likes of streamers like Netflix and Disney+ have been luring several consumers away from the pay-tv platform while MultiChoice now views eMedia Investments' Openview platform as a DStv killer as consumers fled the package following the carriage battle with both parties.

eMedia Investments had stated in court the demise of their channels on DStv would see a plummet a revenue which is what they used to bring most of the content seen on eExtra and eToonz now with their channels reinstated they've begun planning for the year ahead.

Openview has been successful for nearly a decade after generating 3 million subscribers that eMedia Investments had decided as predicted to use the platform to ramp up their pay-tv offering with rumours swirling about the upcoming channel possibly being a preview.

Cable has its flaws as seen with DStv there's plenty of rebroadcasts and unwatchable content and the same can be said about the Openview platform. I mean there's no monthly fees but that doesn't mean viewers haven't complained about the current setup of the platform.

Most of the e.tv channels have limitations while pay-tv outlets opted for the brands broadcast on a 24 hour basis perhaps this new service coming to the Openview platform will rectify that likely expand from that.

The new service Openview+ is said to cost R149p/m which is more than the current amount for DStv Access package and considering how expensive it is or at least for the current audience it will likely come with additional services which will be exempted from those viewing Openview freely.

Openview+ was the initial name for eVOD now we see why they chose not to use it and rather seperate e's and Openview. Idea of pay came decades ago and eMedia was rewarded a licence but felt the market was big enough for two pay platforms so opted for eNCA.

StarSat owned by ODM and StarTimes has appeared to be dense even in neighbouring markets following the losses of Discovery Family, Real Time, DreamWorks and FOX so I'm saying they let the door open for another to increase their ranking.

Considering that Openview+ will start at zero they'll likely offer a few services and expand as more people opt for the pay service.

But one thing that's interested customers is the pricing most that hoped eMedia would add monthly fees expected something around the range from DStv Easyview but since this new service will cost close to R200 consumers will expect a lot more.

And I'm not taking about a discount to eVOD or a trip to Turkey but something that's found on rival platform DStv like TLC, Real Time, Moja Love and SuperSport and Cartoon Network.

Regardless, the new service won't damper what free-to-view Openview has built but expand from that likely divide and with the way things are with MultiChoice this just gives them all the more reason to free those 4 channels from captivity now that eMedia is looking to get alternative income.

Canal+ Dramatically Ups Its Stake In MultiChoice

France’s Canal+, which has steadily been buying shares in MultiChoice Group since 2020, has significantly increased its stake in the South African-headquartered pay-television operator.

In a regulatory filing on Wednesday, JSE-listed MultiChoice said Groupe Canal+ has increased its stake from the 20.1% disclosed in July to 26.26% now.

The move again raises questions about Canal+’s ultimate intentions, specifically whether it plans to make an offer to MultiChoice’s minorities – a move that could be difficult to execute given South Africa’s restrictions around the foreign ownership of broadcasters.

The move again raises questions about Canal+’s ultimate intentions — whether it plans to make an offer to minorities
“MultiChoice remains committed to acting in the best interests of all shareholders and to create sustainable, long-term shareholder value. While the group regularly engages investors and maintains an open dialogue with the investment community, its policy is not to comment on its individual shareholders nor on its interactions with them,” the pay-TV operator said, repeating an earlier statement about Canal+’s share purchases.

Canal+ began buying shares in MultiChoice in 2020. MultiChoice disclosed in July this year that the French company, which has pay-TV operations in francophone Africa that largely complement MultiChoice’s African footprint, had increased its stake to just over 20%. Its previous disclosure was in November 2021, when it said the French group had bought 15.4% of its ordinary shares in issue.

Canal+ is owned by French media conglomerate Vivendi.

When Canal+ began buying up MultiChoice shares in 2020, it prompted speculation about the company’s intentions. It also fuelled a sharp rally in MultiChoice’s share price at the time. MultiChoice first disclosed on 5 October 2020 that Canal+ had acquired 6.5% of its equity.

‘A responsibility’
“Whether it’s Canal+ or someone else, we have a responsibility as directors of the company to do what is in the best interests of shareholders,” MultiChoice Group chief financial officer Jacobs told the source in an interview in November 2020.

“Whatever opportunity comes our way, we will try to keep an open mind. We will certainly look at it and say, ‘Is this is in the best interest of shareholders or not?’ If it is, we’d need to embrace it and make the best deal we can for shareholders,” Jacobs said.

Canal+ previously told MultiChoice that it views the stake as a financial investment. The two companies have worked together for years, sharing content between their respective markets. “We have an ongoing relationship with them in various territories,” Jacobs said at the time. 

New Series Alert: StarTimes And If Possible eMedia Investments Acquired Broadcasting Rights To My Left Side, To Launch On St Novelas

Serra (Ozge Yagiz) is a young girl who studies architecture at Kuzey University in Istanbul. She is a mature, responsible and beautiful young girl. She and her mother Nilgun (Esra Bezen Bilgin) live in a small shanty house and try to survive without the help of other people.

7 years ago, Serra and her family had a wealthy and happy life. However, their perfect life turned upside down when her father’s business went bankrupt.

The sequence of tragedies happened after then. Her father left his family behind and disappeared. Her brother committed suicide and died. Her mother could not handle the situation and suffered from physiological problems.

Serra has become the head of the family after then. She takes care of her mother, studies at school, and works at part-time jobs in order to earn money and support the living expenses. Her mother still suffers from physiological problems so, she stays at home all the time without doing anything. Thus, Serra even cooks and does house chores when she comes to home after long hours of studying and working.

Serra finds this life so difficult but never complaints about it. She tries to be strong and positive in front of her mother. She also could not forget his brother’s suicide but tries to do her best to get through her past.

Serra works part-time at a well-known hotel as a housekeeper and after then, goes to university. Her simple life changes all of a sudden with a misunderstanding.

When she does her job very well and gets the recognition of a famous business man at the hotel, she is offered a ride. Serra accepts this offer in order not to miss the class. However, she is shocked when she sees a black limousine waiting at the hotel entrance.

Serra goes to the university with that black limousine. All of a sudden, she gets everybody’s attention in the campus. Students assume that she comes from a very rich family and hence, they try to learn as much information as possible about her.

The popular students of the school also try to understand this mysterious girl. Biricik (Cemre Baysel) and Burak (Emre Bey) become extremely curious about this beautiful girl who gathers everybody’s attention.

Meanwhile, Selim (Tolga Mendi) who is a student at.Kuzey University also bumps into Serra out of pure coincidence. Selim is the most popular student in the school. He is handsome, arrogant, rich, and charismatic. While each girl at school shows interest to this popular guy, Serra does not refrain from having a dispute with him due to the nature of her personality.

Selim comes from a wealthy life. He has everything in life but no love in his family. His mother passed away due to an illness when he was a little child and he learnt that his father Ihsan (Cansel Elcin) had an affair with another woman during that time.

After then, Selim has not got along well with his father who is now married to a sneaky woman Asena (Defne Samyeli).

Selim does not seem to care about his life and lives as he wishes all the time. Thus, he always has some problems with his father who has high expectations from his son. In fact, Selim tries to make his father mad due to his anger and disappointment.

The life of Selim and Serra intersects once more. The head of school master Onur (Tamer Rumeli), who is Ihsan’s son-in-law, assigns Serra as a private tutor for Selim. He thinks that Selim could improve his grades if he closely study with a successful student.

After then, Selim and Serra start to study together and learn more from each other. Even though they often have a discussion for no reason and have strong prejudices towards each other, the more they spend time together the more they see the good in each other.

The mandatory study sessions of Serra and Selim also bring new disputes in the school. Biricik who has been in love with Selim for a long time and Burak who has some feelings towards Serra get
disturbed by this relationship. Also, Selim assumes that Serra comes from a wealthy family even though Serra does not mention anything about her social status.

My Left Side (Sol Yanim) is about a difficult love of Serra and Selim who are made for each other, yet from different worlds. Also, you will see the struggle of a poor girl among rich people. Will Serra and Selim get along well as they spend more time together? How will Selim react when he learns that Serra does not come from a wealthy family? What is the relationship between Selim’s father Ihsan and Serra’s mother Nilgun? Will Selim and Serra fall in love with each other even though they have different social status and family backgrounds? Will Burak manage to get Serra’s attention? Will Biricik continue her unrequited love towards Selim? Will Selim forgive his father and live in peace afterwards?

The series premieres this Thursday on St Novelas and might have been picked up by eMedia Investments.

MultiChoice Might Be Adding A Second Horseracing Channel To The DStv Platform

Earlier in the year, MultiChoice in partnership with 4Racing TV launched a dedicated horseracing channel Racing240 which is proved to be performing exceptionally well with viewers after the channel was able to pull over 400000 which is just 100000 more than Tellytrack. It was clear with the performance of Racing240 that the brand would seek alternatives.

The Racing Partnership is the exclusive betting shop channel through which all of ARC’s racing content is delivered to bookmakers in the UK and Ireland. In addition to racing from ARC, the channel also broadcasts live racing from seven partner racecourses, along with action from South Africa and America. TRP is also the home of Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service racing.

ARC enjoys a formal relationship with the British arm of the European Breeders’ Fund (“EBF”), who currently invest over £1.7 million annually to British racing. The EBF support a wide variety of races on ARC racecourses, and have recently introduced a number of new races and prize money increases.

Earlier this month, MultiChoice was conducting an update to their software and a viewers came across The Racing Partnership through the iPlate on DStv. As seen on the platform, the only thing displayed at the moment. is the logo and the some text written "UKIHF 2".

Aside from that, no other details have been shared about the channel aside from what viewers had already seen so it's only a matter of time before MultiChoice can provide any update on the channel.

 

Recommended Games #6: Help Shaggy Escape From Some Ghouls In This Tetris Based Game

A new game based on Scooby-doo-bi-doo-bi-doo cartoon. You have to play for Shaggy, his best friend, who should pass a long way to go through the game, so be careful as you will find a lot of ghosts! The game consists of a Tetris with the elements of an adventure.

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