What To Expect On History Africa In May 2023?

Brand New & Exclusive THE PROOF IS OUT THERE S3
5 May
Fridays at 19h25

Modern day dinosaur sightings, bigfoot photobombs and other mysterious ‘caught on camera’ moment are investigated in The Proof is Out There season 3. Using the best technology and top experts, the series analyses some of the world’s most bizarre videos, photos, and audio recordings. The Proof is Out There looks to answer questions like ‘Is a witch’s broomstick floating in mid-air the real deal or just an elaborate Halloween hoax?’ and ‘Are images captured by the Internat onal Space Station a sign of an imminent alien invasion?’

Brand New & Exclusive GREATEST HEISTS WITH PIERCE BROSNAN
20 May
Saturdays at 20h15

Hosted by legendary actor Pierce Brosnan, each one-hour episode of Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan uncovers the meticulous planning, daring execution and shocking aftermath behind some of the most elaborate real-life heists in history. Using dramat c recreat ons, dynamic storytelling and cutting-edge visual effects, alongside first-person witness accounts, from the people who were there, the series delves into the notorious Lufhansa Heist of New York, the half-billion-dollar Gardner Museum art thef , the Antwerp Belgium Diamond Heist, and others. Brosnan, who is embedded into each heist through state-of-the-art technology, brings each global news headline to life by putting viewers at the heart of the action and breaking down every aspect of the plan including the conniving team, the mark, the execution and finally the aftermath.

History is available on DStv channel 186.

Development Alert: Piet's Sake 2 To Stream July 18th On eVOD

Last month, eMedia Investments bundled various of upcoming eVOD originals on Amazon Prime Video which included Tickets and a sequel to Piet's Sake with questions surrounding the sudden addition to streaming service and also the fate of the content on eVOD.

For several years, streamers like Disney+ and Netflix have been ripping made for TV films and shows and confining them into their platforms leading consumers such as M-Net to investment more original production.

eMedia Investments had underwent a similar with House Of Zwide and The Black Door on e.tv alongside Is'phindiselo and Housewives on eVOD. After almost a month of anticipation, it's been reported that one of the two Piet's Sake will roll out on eVOD from July 10th.

Synopsis for Piet's Sake 2:

When the son of a well-off Zulu polygamist squares off with his Indian varsity lecturer over who can be a youth or an adult better than the other, life gives them an opportunity to swap lives and live out their differences through a comedy of errors.

The film stars Starring Motlatsi Mafatshe, Kaseran Pillay and Warren Masemola. Norman Maake who known for Mzansi Magic's It's Complicated reprises his directing role to the sequel of Piet's Sake which for some reason is also titled Pete's Sake 2.

It serves as a sequel the 2021 film, Piet's Sake.

On a related note, e.tv is set to rollout another Turkish telenovela later in May, Roekeloos Dade. Prior to that, Om Elke Draai currently seen on eVOD will be made available on eExtra in the coming weeks.

Recap To The Month: kykNET & Kie Will Not Replace In Die Ysterhand Se Greep With Another Turkish Series

Last year, kykNET & Kie rolled out two Turkish telenovelas In Die Ysterhand Se Greep and the latter which is currently seen on kykNET Lekker, Kind Van Die Noodlot. Serving as eExtra's Kuiertyd first competitor and also an alternative when the channel went dark on DStv.

Fast forward to 2023, the family drama Jy Is My Seun was introduced last month in place of Kind Van Die Noodlot with questions amounting to the future of In Die Ysterhand Se Greep which would conclude in the coming weeks.

As seen through an updated EPG, the channel has nothing planned for the 17:30 timeslot better yet it almost looks as if they erased it from existence as the first series currently slated to air on the soon 17:00 timeslot would be a repeat of Laeweldbewoners.

It doesn't look like kykNET & Kie will launch a follow-up to In Die Ysterhand Se Greep anytime soon as they have other shows aside from the above-mentioned currently reserving this timeslot including repeats of Getroud Met Rugby, Spoorloos and Plaasjapie.

From what I can recall from 2022, kykNET & Kie's Kuiertyd type offering caused a lot of schedule disruptions with other content viewed on the brand. There's no indicator on whether this is change has anything to do with what happened in that period.

Considering kykNET Lekker only has 1 timeslot and would have wait 6 months or a year to air In Die Ysterhand Se Greep and Jy Is My Seun it wouldn't be shocking if were permanent. Maybe kykNET & Kie is waiting on a follow-up but it wouldn't be shocking if they reduced it to 1 timeslot.

It kind of gives kykNET Lekker consumers a chance to catch-up eventually it would have been 2025 with consumers waiting on 2023 offering and maybe these changes is part of something much bigger.

eMedia Investments and MultiChoice are rumoured to be reviewing their agreement for e.tv's 4 channels maybe the reduction would see a freedom of execution for eExtra or possible a new competitor with a similar offering take on the free-to-air brand.

HBO Max To Be Renamed Max From May 23, Unveils New Content And More

“This is our time. This is our chance,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said today in his livestream intro for the company’s unveiling of Max, its rebranded streaming service that goes live May 23. “This is our rendezvous with destiny.”

Max will be the streaming destination for Max and HBO originals, Warner Bros. films, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and kids content, along with programming across food, home, reality, lifestyle and documentaries from leading brands including HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID and more.

Calling WBD “the greatest storytelling company on Earth” and the biggest and most successful creator of content, Zaslav said Max is “home to shows that have a supersized effect on people an culture,” singling out The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Succession and Euphoria.

Billing Max as “the one to watch for every mood and every moment,” the service’s three-tier pricing also was announced: $9.99 a month/$99 a year for ad-supported tier Max Ad Light; $15.99/$149.99 for Max Ad Free, which offers two concurrent streams; and $19.99/$199.99 for Max Ultimate Ad Free, up to four concurrent streams.

“This new brand signals an important change from two narrower products — HBO Max and Discovery+ — to our broader content offering and consumer proposition,” JB Perrette, WBD’s President & CEO of Global Streaming & Games, said during the presentation. “While each product offered something for some people, Max will have a broad array of quality choices for everybody.”

Among the programming highlights discussed today:

• Max original Harry Potter series, a faithful adaptation of the beloved original book series by J.K. Rowling, who will serve as executive producer;
Max original comedy series derived from The Big Bang Theory;
• HBO original Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight;
Max original drama series based on The Conjuring films;
• Magnolia Network’s Fixer Upper: The Hotel;
Discovery Channel’s Survive the Raft;
Max original Peter & the Wolf short film from U2’s Bono;
• Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty: The Anime;
Investigation Discovery’s Lost Women of Highway 20;
• Cartoon Network’s Tiny Toons Looniversity; and
• TLC’s Love & Translation

Max also provided first looks today at upcoming titles including:

• The Penguin starring Colin Farrell
• HBO Original drama series The Sympathizer, an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel;
• HBO Original limited series True Detective: Night Country, starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis
• HBO Original limited series The Regime, starring Kate Winslet (retitled from The Palace);
• Max Original six-part docuseries SmartLess: On the Road, following Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes as they take viewers on an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the sold-out live tour of their podcast
• Max Original kids series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
• HGTV’s four-part Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge hosted by Ashley Graham.

Also making announcements during WBD’s streaming day were Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, and HBO SVP Programming Kathleen McCaffrey.

“Our incredible team has been hard at work taking the best of both legacy technology platforms to deliver a product that works much better,” said Perrette. “We’re confident that all these enhancements will deliver a stronger experience for our customers, which will drive more engagement, help enhance retention, and improve customer satisfaction, which in turn will help us continue to scale.”

Here are some highlights of Max product features:

Premium Video Playback. A new video playback experience will deliver smooth and cinematic video to users, wherever and however they prefer to watch. Whether binging their favorites, watching offline on-the-go, or tuning in on Sunday nights for the latest episode of Succession, users can count on seamlessly diving into their preferred worlds.

Personalization. Max will expand personalization beyond just the home page, offering a differentiated and high-performing experience for every user across the whole service.  By significantly increasing our investment in machine learning while maintaining an editorial voice, Max will deliver a unique human and machine approach that will help surface the best content for our users.

More Prominent Kids Experience. At launch, Max will introduce a default kids profile for new subscribers along with accompanying parental controls. Parents can choose to customize settings and select to limit content for the kids profile by ratings: little kids (tv-y), big kids (tv-y7, tvy7-fv), big kids plus (tv-g, g), preteens (tv-pg/pg), or teens (tv-14, pg-13). Parents will also have the ability to set individual profile PINs to lock access to their adult profiles, as well as a parent code to lock their children inside of the Max kids experience.

Simplified Navigation. Max works harder so viewers don’t have to. Streamlined categories, improved content details pages, shortcuts, dedicated brand hubs and thematic content rails, make exploring the app and discovering new interests easier. The updated design coupled with a better personalization engine will help consumers quickly find and discover the best of what they are looking for.

4K UHD. The Ultimate Ad-Free tier of Max will have an expanded catalog of content available in 4K UHD including key programming such as Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight Trilogy and more. All Warner Bros. movies released this year and going forward will also be available in 4K UHD when they arrive on Max following their theatrical windows.

Newly Rebranded Max Streaming Service Unveils New Content For Kids And Families

Warner Bros. Discovery disappointed the children’s TV industry last year when it pulled a number of shows from HBO Max, signaling an exit from this part of the business.

However, now, with the launch of the rebranded Max service, the company behind the Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera libraries is returning strong to the sector and admitting that it was ostensibly technical difficulties that caused some of its problems for younger folk.

“We sit on the best library of IP for kids content [compared] to anyone so we’re not only going to reboot a lot of what we already have in our library but we’re also going to make new [shows],” said Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. Networks Group

Finch revealed three new kids projects as part of the Max launch: Peter and the Wolf, a short film from Bono and Gavin Friday, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, which launches on May 23, and Tiny Toons Looniversity.

She also added, “We’ve got all kinds of projects… in the works. It’s a way for us to really target the kids market in a way that that HBO hasn’t been able to because… HBO is not a kid friendly brand, necessarily, even though Warner Bros. has some of the best IP in the business.”

David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, seconded this. He pointed out that parents were unlikely to tell their babysitter to turn on HBO Max to sate their children and the service, known for airing series such as The Sopranos and The Wire, didn’t have the requisite parental controls.

"We have great kids content from Sesame Street to Harry Potter to Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera and all the original content that Kathleen’s team produces Cartoon Network. But there wasn’t an entry point. So, when anybody goes to Max on [launch] day, they will wake up and there will be a kids hub and right away it will be kid friendly. And we never we didn’t even have the parental

JB Perrette, President and CEO of Global Streaming and International at Warner Bros. Discovery, added that kids hasn’t “met its true potential” on the old HBO Max service.

“Our leading kids brands like Cartoon Network and Boomerang, bolstered by content from DC, Wizarding World, Hanna Barbera and Looney Tunes used to get double digit shares with 2 to 11 linear audiences [but] in streaming that has virtually disappeared even though all the great content and franchises as are still here. Max will better curate our rich history of amazing animation, seminal children’s television and blockbusters the whole family can enjoy as well as new product features.”

HBO Max did have Sesame Street, with new seasons running on the service through 2025.

However, one of the problems that Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, found was that it didn’t surround it with other similar types of programming.

“We had Sesame Street on HBO, which is one of the greatest brands in kids. One of the problems was we didn’t surround it with anything else. So, [this solves] part of the problem. One of the benefits here is we don’t have to go figure out how are we going to get a kids business up and running. We have the expertise in house doing so,” Bloys added.

Recap To The Month: TNT Africa Celebrates A Century Of Film With Warner Bros. Studios

TNT Africa (DStv Channel 137) celebrates the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studios with five curated weekends of the films, moments, and memories that have contributed to a century of moviemaking this April.

The global centennial campaign, 'Celebrating Every Story', commemorates Warner Bros. Studio's 100th anniversary. Founded by Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner and incorporated on 4 April 1923, Warner Bros. is home to one of the world's most successful collections of brands. It stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, streaming, video games, consumer products and live experiences. The Studio's vast content library, one of the most prestigious and valuable in the world, consists of more than 145,000 hours of programming. Warner Bros. is also home to one of the most diverse portfolios of adored franchises, including Looney Tunes, Wizarding World, DC, FRIENDS, Game of Thrones, Hanna-Barbera and many more.

“We’re proud to play a part in celebrating a century of film with Warner Bros. Studios this month – and seeing the exciting plans the global team has lined up for the rest of the year,” says Guillaume Le Gros, Warner Bros. Discovery Programming and Acquisitions Director for General Entertainment Networks in France and Africa. “Film fans across Africa are in for a treat with some of the greatest films ever made by one of the world’s most iconic studios.”

The themed weekends kicked off at the start of April with DC Universe Weekend, with channel premieres of Superman Returns (2006), Man of Steel (2013) and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), as well as a broadcast of Suicide Squad (2016).

Action Weekend (8-9 April) is a throwback to action classics Demolition Man (1993), Eraser (1996), The Fugitive (1993) and Payback (1999). 15-16 April marks Adventure Weekend, with Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Geostorm (2017), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and Blood Diamond (2006) leading the charge. There’s a channel premiere in the form of 2003’s Mystic River on Crime Weekend (22-23 April), alongside The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Swordfish (2001), and Out for Justice (1991).

Wrapping up the celebration is Comedy Weekend on 29 & 30 April, with Keanu (2016), Horrible Bosses (2010), Little Nicky (2000) and Yes Man (2008).

Paramount Is Moving Around A Number Of Its Unscripted Shows From VH1 To MTV

VH1 series including Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, Couples Retreat and Caught In The Act: Unfaithful are moving to MTV.

The company said it was looking to find new audiences for these shows, which are all being produced by Lashan Browning’s Antoinette Media, which Paramount recently invested in. The move comes as it is exploring a sale of BET Media Group, which now includes VH1, meaning that it will keep a number of its biggest titles on its other network.

The biggest move involves Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, which is going in to its 11th season. It premiered on VH1 in 2012.

Season 11, which will air this summer, is being rebooted and will follow a more “docu approach to storytelling” as it documents the lives of women who have built their empires in Atlanta.

The series is now produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and Antoinette Media, which the company recently invested in and is exec produced by Sitarah Pendelton and Jubba Seyyid for MTV Entertainment Studios and Lashan Browning, Donna Edge-Rachell, Paris Bauldwin, Daniel Wiener, Alissa Horowitz, Mimi Adams, Gavin Lee Jones, and John Crenny for Antoinette Media.

“On the heels of launching Antoinette Media with Lashan Browning, we’re thrilled to continue fueling our robust unscripted slate of hits on MTV and introduce new audiences to the cultural phenomenon Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta as well as fan favorites like Couples Retreat and Caught in the Act: Unfaithful,” said Nina L. Diaz, Chief Creative Officer and President of Content, Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios.

Kicking off the block later in the year is Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta “Run it Back”, a clip-show, where cast members of the reality show rewatch moments from the first season of Atlanta and share behind the scenes stories.

It will be followed by MTV Couples Retreat, which has previously run for two seasons as VH1 Couples Retreat. The series follows couples attending a retreat, who are putting all of their chips on the table in Vegas, and they will be forced out of their comfort zones to rediscover each other with the help of unconventional, high-octane guest experts. This includes ziplining through the Vegas Strip, survivalist training in the wilderness with an expert ninja survivalist, trapezing with former Cirque du Soleil performers, to herding cattle and untamed bulls.

MTV Couples Retreat is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and Antoinette Media and exec produced by Sitarah Pendelton- Eaglin and Jubba Seyyid for MTV Entertainment Studios and Lashan Browning, Donna Edge-Rachell, Paris Bauldwin, Daniel Wiener, Mimi Adams, Michael Carrozza, Gavin Lee Jones, Alissa Horowitz, and Michelle Kongkasuwan for Antoinette Media.

Finally, also launching in the year is the second season of Caught in the Act: Unfaithful, which also debuted on VH1. The show follows host Tami Roman as she continues to help suspicious lovers catch their cheating partners in the act. Once the investigation is complete, the suspicious lover can choose to team up with their partner’s other lover or take them both down in an undercover ambush.

Caught in the Act: Unfaithful is executive produced by Sitarah Pendelton-Eaglin, Jennifer Aguirre, and Executive in Charge of production Liz Kim for MTV. Lashan Browning, Donna Edge-Rachell, Alissa Horowitz, Daniel Wiener, Maricarmen Lopez, and Rich Allen are executive producers for Antoinette Media. Tami Roman also serves as consulting producer.

NOT SHOCKING!!! Novela Magic Stops Airing Across Africa From 18 April On DStv And GOtv

Novela Magic was a Pan-African telenovela channel operated by M-Net similar to Mzansi Wethu and kykNET Lekker would supply content already viewed on DStv. But unlike the latter, the channel was used to make some of this content accessible to more countries.

Since November 2022, MultiChoice grew quite distanced from Novela Magic so much so that they launched two replacement channels, Magic Showcase and CineMagic and at the same time opted to make these channels accessible to only Easyview customers.

The reason for that has to do with repeats for which the pay-tv company had been trying to hide/limit from certain DStv customers with the rollout of BBC UKTV, Moja 9.9., Pearl Magic POA and the already mentioned Magic Showcase and CineMagic.

It only seemed logical for Novela Magic to go dark in South Africa before anywhere else as most of the content had already been viewed in the region compared to the rest of Africa where Suidooster, Isibaya and The Throne haven't been viewed by a lot of consumers.

After 6 months, more regions confirmed the demise of Novela Magic with the channel set to go dark from April 18 likely for similar reasons as seen in South Africa - repeats. On which the pay-tv platform as mentioned had been limiting accessibility.

Novela Magic seemed promising it didn't look like something that MultiChoice was quickly going to forget about after 3 years. But the problem with the channel had to do with positioning as it was made to look like the Mzansi Wethu of Mzansi Magic.

Novela Magic could have been more nostalgic explore shows that have been abandoned or long forgotten by Mzansi Magic, M-Net and kykNET if the idea was never to rollout fresh content but instead they'd rather use the brand as some type of catch-up channel.

As of the moment, the channel is currently on autopilot and being marketed as the Suidooster and Brotherhood Brethren channel.

Could eExtra's Mysterious New Series Annekan Die Swa Kry Be The Highly Anticipated Turkish Romcom Aşk Mantık İntikam? Here's Why

During the week, eMedia Investments unveiled upcoming attractions for their channels including Om Elke Draai on eExtra after #DisComplicated in the coming weeks and Roekeloos Dade on e.tv after Daai Crazy Somer in May but still no word on Annekan Die Swa Kry.

As it is eMedia Investments has been keeping the identity of the reported show underwraps and English translation "The Other Side Of Suffering" had proven to no luck until you scale back and look at another reported show for the brand earlier in the year, Aşk Mantık İntikam.

Based on the Korean drama Cunning Single Lady, Aşk Mantık İntikam follows a couple who gets divorced after several years of marriage. But things change when the man suddenly gets rich, with his ex-wife working with him.

It stars Burcu Özberk, İlhan Şen, Zeynep Kankonde, Günay Karacaoğlu, Süleyman Atanısev, Mehmet Korhan Fırat, Ceren Koç, Emir Güler, Sevda Baş, Mehmet Yilmaz, Burak Yörük and Melisa Döngel.

This is the only series that hasn't recieved an official title for eExtra's Kuiertyd and comparing it to its predecessor #DisComplicated and Om Elke Draai. They all hail from FOX aside from that all 3 are your typical teen inspired romance novel which carry drama and humour.

eMedia has been very selective with their content particularly with time allocation as 18:30 is currently reserved for family, romcoms take up 19:30, dramas occupy the 20:30 timeslot and to end of the day action consumes the 21:30 slot.

Paying careful attention to the synopsis of Aşk Mantık İntikam, the show kind of fits the title Annekan Die Swa Kry. Considering the timeframe this series was announced by now eMedia should have wrapped up if most not all the episodes for the series.

The series is slated for a 2023 release.