Meet Junior, Africa’s Newest Animated Adventurer! On Cartoon Network

Conceived in France, written in Togo, and voiced in Kenya, Junior (3 April, 17:00 CAT) is a new pan-African Cartoon Network animation collaboration that takes African stories to the world.

Created by Christophe Guignement from the work of Vanessa Pancrazi and directed by Emilie Rimetz, Junior explores the world of the titular 10-year-old and his friends in the sleepy River Neighbourhood in Mikako, a fictional equatorial African country.

“We’re delighted to be able to tell stories from an African perspective to children around the world, with relatable characters and situations that are grounded on our continent,” says Christophe Guignement. “Written in a workshop of all-African writers in Togo and voiced by a dynamic young team of voice artists in Kenya, Junior is a truly African show at heart that demonstrates the power of collaboration in helping give the continent a voice on the global animation stage.”

Junior is full of life, always getting into something new. The freedom given to him by his parents allows him to explore the world his way – a contrast to the way his friend Arthur’s (a recent arrival in Mikako from the Pyrenees in France) parents manage his life. Junior’s Dad (Junior Senior) and mom (Mama) keep a close watch on him while he explores: giving their kid freedom doesn’t mean letting him do whatever he wants! When he does get into a tangle, his go-to phrase is ‘it wasn’t me – honest!’ – because, according to him, it’s never his doing but always the fault of some incredible event.

At the end of every school day, Junior and his friends stop off at their ‘headquarters’ to hatch bright ideas - a ‘Golden Idea’ - to put into action. A ‘Golden Idea’ is a smart move which provides Junior with a solution to solve a typical problem in his daily life as a kid, either for himself or for someone else – covering everything from ‘How can we be friends again?’ to ‘How can I ask a girl to come and play?’ Every one of Junior’s adventures is a ride into the unknown, with his group of friends - Yaya, Bintou, Pom C and Arthur - working together to solve challenges that are often of their own making.

“Junior is a cross-continental comedy show for kids, featuring stories of friendship, solidarity, resourcefulness, persistence and happiness, interwoven into the fabric of school and family life,” says Ana Gonzalez, Editorial Lead: Southern Europe and Africa, Kids Brands, Warner Bros. Discovery “The lessons are universal to children across all seven continents but show off Africa's warmth and powerful storytelling traditions.”

Don’t miss the first episode of Junior on Cartoon Network Africa (DStv Channel 301) from Monday, 3 April, at 17:00 CAT, and every weekday. If you miss some of the action, you can follow Junior and the gang’s adventures on DStv Catch Up.

Drafted Version: What To Expect On Openview Ultra's Highly Anticipated Channel, Star Select?

A few days ago, eMedia Investments unveiled two new channels for their Ultraview bouquet, Zee Family and Star Select which are expected to rollout on April 6th. Prior to that, sources had provided content details to one of the new channels, Zee Family.

Zee Family as mentioned a while ago will be spun off from Zee TV offering shows like Goan Gullies, Baal Shiv and Ghar Ek Mandir. In a few days, Star Select which is spun off from StarPlus will also be rolling out on the Openview platform with the following:

- May I Come In Madam: A young man is dejected after getting constantly browbeaten by his wife. However, he is smitten with his good-looking employer and tries to seek her attention in different ways.
- Dil Se Dil Dua...Saubhagyavati Bhava?: A middle-class girl, Jahnvi, gets married to a rich man, Viraj Dobriyal. Little does she know that she has landed herself in a marriage from which there is no escape.
- Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyara Pyara: Aditya, who comes from a wealthy yet broken home, marries Pankhuri, who has been raised in a joint family. Together, they struggle to overcome challenges and reunite their family.
- Banni Chow Home Delivery: Banni, an independent and brave woman who runs a food delivery business, crosses paths with Yuvan, an oppressed young man with special needs, and their lives change.
- Kya Qusoor Hai Amala Ka?: Amala, a rape victim, faces numerous problems in society. However, with strong willpower, she battles all her problems with aplomb.
- Swayamvar - Mika Di Vohti: Renowned singer Mika Singh sets out to pick his perfect bride from a group of beautiful women who attempt to steal his heart.
- Armit Manthan: Features the teachings and preaching of the great saints of Maharashtra delivered by Purushottam Dada Maharaj Patil. Theses teachings make the day-to-day life easier for the common man.

What To Expect On The New BBC News Channel In Africa And Global?

At the beginning of this week we’ll start making the first changes to our news channels as we begin the single news channel operation. UK viewers of the BBC News Channel and overseas viewers of BBC World News will, from Monday 3 April, be tuning into BBC News.

Our aim is to create the best live and breaking news on both TV and on digital platforms, where more and more audiences are getting their news. We need to modernise the way we deliver the news – while addressing the financial challenges we face.

The channel will be a single operation with two different feeds, just as now, so viewers in the UK and internationally will sometimes see the same content, sometimes different. We will always respond to breaking and developing news in the UK on the UK TV feed.

So what changes will viewers see?

First, people should not expect any kind of ‘big bang’ at the beginning of April – we’re bringing in the changes gradually, in a phased roll-out, so things will continue to alter over the coming months. We want to keep the best of what we do at the moment, while introducing better ways of reporting what matters.

Viewers will notice some differences from the beginning of next week.

We have already announced our five chief presenters in the UK – Matthew Amroliwala, Christian Fraser, Yalda Hakim, Lucy Hockings, and Maryam Moshiri who will be joined by Sumi Somaskanda in the US – and they will be on screens in their new timeslots from the beginning of April, although not all of their new programmes will be starting then.

One of our key ambitions is to demonstrate to audiences why they can trust BBC News, by showing more transparently how and why we forensically check and verify facts, double and triple source information, and track down first-hand eye witnesses.

And to this end, there will be more updates and live reporting from journalists across the UK and around the world, using modern mobile equipment to give audiences the latest information about what’s happening, where it’s happening – as well as information from reporters in the BBC newsroom.

We will be putting the spotlight on our journalism, from our chief presenters to the newest reporters.

Viewers in North America (and anyone in the UK who’s watching overnight) will see a new look from Washington DC, and we will be also broadcasting live from Singapore outside core UK hours.

We’re going to make sure we tell audiences the most important thing that’s happening in the world at any time.

In the coming weeks, UK viewers will be able to watch Radio 5’s Nicky Campbell Show as a TV programme. They will also continue to see BBC Breakfast and the main UK news bulletins at One, Six, and Ten o’clock – and, from next week they will also see Newsnight.

Alongside these changes to the TV channel, the boost to our live and breaking news team will mean we can introduce more changes over the coming months, including single story live streams which audiences will be able to watch on the BBC News website and on iPlayer.

UFC Parent Company Endeavor Set To Buy WWE

Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment is in advanced talks to be sold to Ari Emanuel's Endeavor Group, the parent company of UFC, according to people familiar with the matter.

A deal could be announced as soon as today. UFC and WWE are expected to form a new publicly traded company as part of the agreement, according to the people, who declined to be named due to the confidential nature of the discussions.

Endeavor is slated to own 51% of the new combat sports and entertainment company, while WWE shareholders would get 49%, according to the people. The Endeavor deal gives WWE an enterprise value of $9.3 billion, they said.

Emanuel is expected to act as chief executive of both Endeavor and the new company. McMahon, likewise, is expected to be executive chairman, while Endeavor President Mark Shapiro will also work in the same role at the new company. Dana White will remain as president of UFC, while WWE CEO Nick Khan will serve as president of the wrestling business.

The development comes during the same weekend WWE hosts its flagship live event, WrestleMania, in California. The company has spent the past several months looking for a buyer. McMahon returned to the company as chairman in January to oversee the process. Shares of WWE are up more than 33% so far this year, giving it a market value of more than $6.79 billion.

The deal will effectively end WWE's decades-old status as a family-run business. McMahon's father founded WWE in its original incarnation during the middle of the 20th century, and McMahon is the controlling shareholder in the company. McMahon bought the company from his father in 1982. Since then, the company has grown into a global phenomenon, spawing stars suck as Hulk Hogan, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dave Bautista and John Cena.

McMahon, 77, retired from the company in July following a string of revelations that he paid several women millions of dollars over the years to keep them quiet about alleged affairs and misconduct. His daughter, Stephanie McMahon, became co-CEO alongside Khan. Paul Levesque, who's both Stephanie McMahon's husband and the wrestler known as Triple H, took over creative duties from Vince McMahon.

When Vince McMahon came back in January, Stephanie McMahon stepped down and Khan fully assumed the CEO role. The elder McMahon recently locked in a two-year employment contract, according to a securities filing.

Khan in recent weeks has been making the media rounds to discuss the potential sale. He told CNBC's Morgan Brennan on Thursday that it's been a robust sale process, drawing many interested buyers.

WWE brings with it a robust media and live events business, along with its decades worth of intellectual property. The company generated $1.29 billion in revenue last year, driven mainly by its $1 billion media unit.

UFC has paid off for Endeavor. Last year, the MMA league helped Endeavor's sports business make $1.3 billion in revenue. Endeavor's market cap stood at about $10.53 billion as of Friday's close. The Endeavor-WWE deal values UFC at more than $12 billion.

WWE, at least at a glance, would also fit well with the cultures at Endeavor and UFC. McMahon has a brash public persona, making him an apparently good match for Emanuel and White, who are also known for their outsized personalities.

White, like McMahon, is no stranger to scandal, either. Earlier this year, video emerged showing the UFC boss slapping his wife during a public argument at a New Year's Eve party in Mexico. White apologized.

New Channel Alert: As Expected, Zee Family And Star Select Will Be Rolling Out On The Openview Ultra Platform In The Coming Days

Last month, eMedia Investments unveiled phase 1 to their unbundled pay-tv offering which would take on the likes of DStv and StarSat, Ultraview Pride. Home to the gay oriented channel, OUTtv alongside the youth oriented channel, FUSE TV.

Prior to that, eMedia Investments was said to be working on 4 TV channels of which the latter, Zee Family and Star Select where nowhere to be seen with speculation from a few Openview consumers that the channels were shelved as seen with BBC UKTV in 2022.

After a month of anticipation, eMedia Investments unveiled phase 2 to their unbundled pay-tv offering, Spice TV also known as Ultraview Indian. Just like phase 1, it only comes with two channels, Star Select and Zee Family with eMedia promising more channels overtime.

Star Select owned by Disney Star is spun off from StarPlus basically an arch nemesis featuring content ranging from movies, reality shows and drama series. Some of the content includes May I Come In Madam and Dil Se Dil Dua...Saubhagyavati Bhava?:

Zee Family owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises is spun off from Zee TV and just like Star Select an arch nemesis within the Zee TV company with a similar offering. Content highlighted includes Goan Gullies, Baal Shiv and Ghar Ek Mandir.

From what I understand Zee TV and StarPlus aren't exclusive to DStv as several pay-tv outlets already supply these channels. If I had to guess probably a similar reason to The Home Channel+. They probably want consumers to catch up and view this content firsthand.

Unlike phase 1, Spice TV is almost double the amount of Ultraview Pride which is a monthly rate of R120. Openview consumers will wonder why they're paying more for this bouquet if they're getting the same amount of channels as seen with phase 1.

Spice TV launches April 6 at 6:30pm with current Openview consumers getting a 3 day free trial.

More Entertainment For DStv Customers??? As MultiChoice Adds ESPN 2 To DStv Compact With Ignition And Possible Africa Magic Epic On DStv Access

In February 2023, MultiChoice announced a price increase that came to affect by the end of March. It is a yearly tradition and honestly not a lot of people are shocked by this just disappointed. Unlike most years, the pay-tv company bears gifts for selected DStv customers.

ESPN 2, the non-football channel operated in a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation is home to motor-racing, rugby league, ice hockey, basketball, baseball as well as action sports such as live boxing and a range of magazine shows.

Available to DStv Premium and Compact+ on channel 219 was made available to Compact.

Ignition, owned by Arena Holdings is SA’s only TV channel dedicated to motoring. It has a strong local flavour featuring car reviews, spinning, tuning, bikes and kasi car culture, blended with the best international supercar and adrenalin-pumping content.

Available to DStv Premium, Compact+, Compact and Family was made available to Access.

Awaiting confirmation would be Africa Magic Epic, owned by M-Net a movie channel showcasing the best of West African particularly Nigeria and Ghana. It is currently seen on DStv Premium, Compact+ and Compact with sites listing it under Family and Access.

In other developments, SuperSport Motorsport was currently running an open window to Compact+ customers with Access customers in the rest of Africa getting access to WWE Channel for the duration of WrestleMania.

Could Cartoon Network Be The Future Of Cartoonito USA?

During the year, Warner Bros. Discovery was phasing out a lot of Boomerang feeds for Cartoonito which retained shows like Masha And The Bear and Grizzy And The Lemmings while the latter Scooby-Doo and Looney Tunes went to Cartoon Network.

Since news of its premise came out, Warner Bros. Discovery faced heavy criticism for removing criticism for removing the Mr. Bean channel for a brand that aligned its audience to competitors such as CBeebies, Nick Jr. and Disney Junior.

Last month, Warner Bros. Discovery in the EMEA region managed to build a superior intellect than the one read on tabloids which not only offered preschool shows such as Interstellar Ella and Bugs Bunny Builders but family with Looney Tunes Cartoons and Mr Bean.

After looking at Cartoonito USA and some other feeds, I feel the problem with the brand is not solely on the fact that less people are viewing or its anti Boomerang but the fact that Cartoonito doesn't have content to cater to adults or as seen in Africa, families.

Cartoon Network is a channel that caters to kids and teens with the content has been successful to a point where even adults enjoy the offering. Cartoonito as seen in some countries sets itself out to be another Disney Junior but that doesn't have to be the case.

Cartoonito USA is struggling at the moment that I wouldn't be shocked if it got discontinued but considering the success of Batwheels on HBO Max and international perhaps a potential merger with Cartoon Network would do them good.

We have originals such as Jessica's Big Little World, Tom And Jerry Time and Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends coming in future to Cartoonito and honestly I don't think it would be a good idea having these shows crammed in a 2 hour timeslot.

A merger would help give these shows more exposure and reposition Cartoon Network into a brand for preschoolers and older children. Cartoon Network doesn't need to air CoComelon or Thomas And Friends but focus on the originals in the previous paragraph.

I don't think it would be wise to involve Boomerang as the brand is more retro and 2015 was the year they were meant to rectify that as seen in parts of the world but they missed that mark and adding those changes now would just push consumers away.

Cartoonito could be used in the same manner as Boomerang - a mascot. A brand that distributes a selected number of preschool content and as seen in EMEA the best of Boomerang with shows like Zig & Sharko, Looney Tunes Cartoons and Mr. Bean.

What Does Unicorn Warriors Eternal And My Adventures Of Superman Removal On Cartoon Network Say About The Network?

During the week, Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled Unicorn Warriors Eternal and My Adventures Of Superman. Initially slated for Cartoon Network years prior with silence regarding the fate of these shows following the reconstruction of the company.

It was announced that these series will fold under Adult Swim bringing an end to plot driven animation on Cartoon Network as Batman: Caped Crusader another show also anticipated for the channel at one point was picked up by Amazon Prime Video for 2 seasons.

Cartoon Network has been going through an uphill battle compared to international counterparts as they've been losing consumers on a yearly basis with Teen Titans GO! taking over most of the channel and basically being branded off as the SpongeBob of the network.

Internationally, Warner Bros. Discovery was able to cover up those bruises as they've been licensing content from various studios as a means to make up the dismal original offering. Some of the shows include Bionic Max, Big Blue, Ninjago and Jade Armor.

If you take into account the following shows I just mentioned you'd notice that none of these are how some parents would describe Regular Show vulgar or inappropriate for children's television. I mean Infinity Train hasn't been seen on most Cartoon Network feeds.

As mentioned already, Unicorn Warriors Eternal and My Adventures With Superman aren't rolling out under Cartoon Network but Adult Swim. It got me thinking what if Warner Bros. Discovery is restructuring these brands to meet the demand for modern audiences.

Instead of Cartoon Network pulling off more shows like Regular Show or Adventure Time. It will however be similar to most international feeds and offer kid oriented programming without the adult humour, violent scenes or as seen this week edgy storylines.

I mean we got shows like Invincible Fight Girl and the second reboot to The Powerpuff Girls which will likely be action comedic as Teen Titans GO! and Tiny Toons Looniversity which like Craig Of The Creek will have kids going on escapades basically being kids.

New Series Alert: The Walking Dead To Make Its Freemium Debut On e.tv's eXposed Channel

In 2021, The Walt Disney Company shuttered the FOX brand from across Africa as they continue to consolidate their content on Disney+. The Walking Dead was one of the highly profiled shows at the time as we had a final season of which would only be out in the following year.

But as seen already, The Walt Disney Company didn't take consumer's concerns into consideration even after drawing up petition. They ripped FOX away from households in the African market with no means for consumers to actually browse the final season.

After almost two years, The Walking Dead will be making a comeback through free-to-air platforms as eMedia Investments had picked up rights to the post-apocalyptic horror drama based on the book series of the same name by MnRobert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard.

The Walking Dead takes place after the onset of a worldwide zombie apocalypse. The zombies, referred to as "walkers", shamble towards living humans and other creatures to eat them; they are attracted to noise, such as gunshots, and to different scents, e.g. humans.

It stars Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Michael Rooker, David Morrissey, Melissa McBride, Scott Wilson and Michael Cudlitz.

Since it's debut on October 31, 2010, The Walking Dead has recieved positive reviews from critics. It has been nominated for several awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and the Writers Guild of America Award for New Series.

The Walking Dead airs daily at 21:30 on eXposed channel 109 only on Openview.