Canal+ To Acquire A 26% Stake In Hong Kong Based Streaming Platform VIU

PCCW and Canal+ have announced a strategic partnership through which the French media giant will become a significant minority shareholder in PCCW’s Asian streaming service Viu.

Canal+ will make a staggered investment of $300M in Viu, including an initial investment of $200M, resulting in a 26.1% stake. It also has an option to make a further investment and turn that stake into a controlling 51%.

In a statement, Canal+ talked expansion opportunities and plans to collaborate with Viu on premium production:

During the year, the French company expanded their stake in MultiChoice beyond 30%. This move similar to VIU raises speculation of a possible takeover and should that be the case one has to wonder what would become of Showmax and VIU in South Africa if it's operated by Canal+.

"This new strategic partnership will enable the further growth of Viu, leveraging the global strength and expertise of Canal+ through various initiatives including collaboration on premium productions and content creation, expansion of global market reach for Viu, and continual user experience improvement. The partnership will allow Canal+ to take a major step in developing Asia as its next growth engine.”

Viu is one of Asia’s leading streamers with more than 66 million monthly active users (MAU) and 12 million paid subscribers across Asia, the Middle East and South Africa. The service, which operates a combined AVOD and SVOD model, consistently ranks as the top streamer in terms of MAUs across Southeast Asia and second in terms of subscribers.

It produces a wide range of local-language drama series and lifestyle programming, with a focus on Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, and was a first mover in the acquisition of Korean content. In 2022, Viu reported $250M in revenue, representing growth of 36% year over year.

Maxime Saada, Canal+ Group CEO, said: “Canal+ already has leading market positions in Europe and Africa. We are now looking forward to developing Asia as an additional growth engine for the group. Our investment in Viu is a major step towards achieving this goal. Viu is already a business with scale, with its hybrid AVOD and SVOD business model and focus on local content, it has all the ingredients to deliver superior growth and continue to be a leading service in the region and beyond.

Janice Lee, Viu CEO and PCCW Media Managing Director, said: “When we launched Viu, we had set our sights on creating and transforming our media business into an international play by tapping into larger addressable markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and South Africa. Having created a robust streaming business, we are excited to have the addition of Canal+ as a strategic investor to further accelerate growth by drawing on Canal+’s global strength in premium productions, content creation and distribution expertise.”

BETA: Lost Youth Channel For The DStv Platform Has Surfaced The Net

K-TV is a defunct kids brand operated by M-Net which was the pay-tv channel's first attempt in the kids market followed by Koowee which too were erased from existence. But during the timeline of these channels, there were reports that MultiChoice was planning to launch a rival brand to Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.

In a press statement about the channel:

DStv will be launching a new channel in July aimed at teenagers. According to channel head, Helen Smit, no one has really focussed on this audience. "National research tells us that this market has an estimated R6 billion in disposable income. And our internal research has revealed that that's the tip of the iceberg - these kids get spending money on top of their monthly allowances."

Not much was known about the channel at the time only that Helen Smit served as the channel head. She worked as a television producer for over a decade and is well known figure on Paramount, SABC and M-Net.

Just as you thought further details about the channel was lost you come across various graphic designs which was shared through Behance account.

Through this we know that the channel was called BETA as the logo appears on the proposed graphic designs. We also got to see some of the content that would have been seen on the channel including Gossip Girl, Rad Girls, Robot Chicken and Celebrity Rehab.

Although we may never know why this channel never launched as intended. We assume it may have to do with VUZU. Back when the channel was still on air, it was seen with some of this content and when you kind of look like at the channels do share a resemblance.

Honestly, if BETA had launched as intended it would have probably wind up like K-TV, Koowee and M-Net City brands which were popular amongst consumers but had their content build the lineup of another channel or in this scenario M-Net and Nickelodeon.

Recap To The Year: Da Vinci's Family Entertainment Has Been Undergoing Several Changes

Da Vinci is a educational children's channel featuring a mix of live-action shows such as Operation Ouch, Animal Embassy and Treehouse Stories alongside animated shows such as Superhero Galore, Wild Kratts (currently seen on PBS Kids) and Doki.

It also offered a family oriented block featuring a lot of factual content and documentaries from Knowledge Kids, Discovery Science and National Geographic namely Genius and Future Human Al.

For several months, the company behind Da Vinci has been building its original portfolio with the recent rollout of Bear Grylls' celebrity tailored Becoming Xtraordinary with the slapstick comedy Fantastic Antics to rollout on the channel by the end of the year.

Aside from that, Da Vinci got rebranded during the year eliminating "Kids" from the name. It also led to a number of changes for its linear offering particularly the family offering catered to audiences aged 18 to 49 which has become a reruns graveyard for kids shows.

It doesn't come as a shocker considering not much investment was going onto that area of the channel for new content. Another was the hours in which the content was allocated as not a lot of households are tuning into those channels much less Da Vinci.

The phasing out of family from Da Vinci is similar in a way to the introduction of the 24 hour service for Cartoonito from Warner Bros Discovery as both channels are now tailed for preschoolers and taking on brands like Disney Junior, CBeebies and Nick Jr.

Unlike Da Vinci, Cartoonito doesn't create division amongst consumers as they have shows like Mr. Bean and Tom And Jerry shows which can pull a vast majority of Boomerang viewers while they adjust to shows such as Thomas And Friends and Batwheels.

Regular Nick: Games Presents One Of The Most Irritating Creations To Have Ever Existed On A Gameboy, Pink Panther Pinkadelic Pursuit

• Travel to the far reaches of the galaxy, including: outer-space, an exciting & dangerous underwater world & even medieval times
• Bowling balls, pink spray paint, a fire extinguisher and a giant magnet are just a few of the wild and wacky gadgets at your disposal;
• Use many disguises to hide from your enemies while you perform dangerously impossible tasks.

Review: for first timers, this game screams all kinds of confusion I don't want to get into detail but you find yourself getting lost inbetween levels and having to become an Albert Einstein to solve the simplest math equation. Anyone wishing to play this game would need to have the same intelligence complex as Albert Einstein.

As for the graphics, that gets 9/10 why leave the 10% simple the graphics are distracting and often you get lost by repeated designs.

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Development Alert: As Expected, The Home Channel Is In Glorious High Definition, Rolls Out An On-Air Look

The Home Channel, South Africa’s favourite design and décor TV destination, is getting a makeover all of its own.

But it’s not just a fresh new look for the well-loved brand.

From this week the channel will also be upgraded to full HD on DStv 176.

“HD is going to make a big difference to our viewers and advertisers,” said channel head Michael Porter.

“Décor and design is all about the detail. Now our viewers can experience the most stunning homes, gardens and renovations as if they were there.”

The revamped branding, from Mauritius-based designers Aestetika Studios, blends everyday home images with rich tones and bold colours to create warmth and a sense of familiarity.

The key content pillars of décor, gardening, food, DIY, property and health are colour-coded to help viewers navigate their way.

 To celebrate the relaunch, a slate of new show and new episodes of old favourites will roll out from June.

Escape to the Chateau  — A maverick British couple with two young children give up their life in the UK to take on the renovation of a neglected 45-room French chateau.

Impossible Builds — From sub-aquatic homes to futuristic towers, complex construction projects stand tall as a testament to cutting-edge technology and vision.

Design For You — Pilani Bubu and her guests give you the best practical décor and design tips you can use in your own home.

Property Brothers: Forever Home — Twins Jonathan and Drew Scott help families transform their houses into forever homes where they can put down roots for life.  

Dream Home Makeovers with Sophie Robinson  — Interior designer Sophie Robinson helps homeowners overcome their design doubts and dilemmas.

The Gardener —  A firm favourite with viewers, Tanya Visser has the greenest fingers around and she’ll get you gardening successfully in no time.

Finest Homes  — A show that takes you on a tour of some of the most magnificent homes in South Africa.

The Home Channel, owned by Arena Broadcast, started as a weekends-only channel in 2005. Due to its popularity it expanded to a full 24/7 service in 2007.

“We are delighted by the success and longevity of the channel,” said Arena Broadcast head Vernon Matzopoulos, “and we hope to inspire and delight new generations of homeowners for years to come”.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Here Lies Squidward's Hopes And Dreams

When I was younger I always thought that Squidward was a grumpy and mean character because of the way he always talks to his "friends". But as I got older I realise that Squidward wasn't that mean after all - it was SpongeBob.

You see countless scenes where he arrives or works at The Krusty Krab. He is annoyed at all of it when you get older working at jobs you don't like to pay the bills. You can almost relate to him in a way.

It's kind of absurd that us humans have to work our entire lives for money only to then just die. Us humans chase money almost like we're gonna bring it into the next life with us.

I order the food, you cook the food, then the customer gets the food. We do that for 40 years and then we die, sounds like pretty good deal to me. What do you say?, Squidward.

You start to sympathize with him, his character shows that he's tired of it all and the only time you ever see Squidward happy is when he's on vacation or away from people.

The reason Squidward is so mean to SpongeBob and Patrick is because they never leave him alone. Sure these two are very kind and caring individuals in a way but I understand Squidward's frustration with them. You gave to admit these two are very intolerable.

I understand Squidward as I too was an annoying individual as a child so I know what it takes to be an annoying person. It doesn't mean someone is a bad person because they are annoying.

They just treat SpongeBob like a brother to Squidward. He doesn't take no as an answer or know when to stop. He's basically can get on your nerves after a long day.

There's also a scene where Squidward arrives to a tombstone where it's filled with broken dreams.

It goes to show you that a lot of people have dreams that they haven't been able to achieve. This goes to show you that you should be able to chase your dreams don't end up like Squidward and work for a job you hate, grind for your dreams, it will take them but keep grinding and you'll get there.

What To Expect On Nicktoons And Nick Jr. Africa In July 2023?

Nicktoons:

NEW SEASON
LEGO CITY ADVENTURES
Premiere: 26/06/2023-07/07/2023
Episodes: 401-410
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 10:15
The series follows the adventures of the city's community workers, such as the police, firefighters and sanitation workers.

NEW EPISODES
RUGRATS
Premiere: 17/07/2023-28/07/23
Episodes: 208-213
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 14:00
'Rugrats' reveals the world from a baby's point of view. Everything looks bigger, more mysterious and uncontrollable. Angelica, the oldest, likes to terrorise her cousin, Tommy, and his friends, and is famous for screaming, "You stupid babies!" The adults in the series are often clueless.

Nick Jr:

NEW EPISODES
BOSSY BEAR
Premiere: 03/07/2023 –07/07/2023
Episodes: #104-105A/B
Slot : Monday -Friday
Time: 09:30am/pm, 05:00am/pm
Overly enthusiastic extrovert Bossy Bear and thoughtful introvert Turtle make the perfect team for navigating silly childhood adventures in their Koreatown-inspired city of Pleasantburg.

NEW EPISODES
SANTIAGO OF THE SEAS
Premiere: 10/07/2023 –28/07/2023
Episodes: #212A, 213-220
Slot: Monday-Friday
Time: 10:35am/pm, 04:15am/pm
Capitan Santiago, frog Kiko, cousin Tomas and mermaid Lorelai lead a magic pirate ship on heroic sea quests, having to outsmart and out-pirate villains and enemies along the way.

NEW SEASON
BLUE’S CLUES & YOU
Premiere: 31/07/2023
Episodes: #401
Slot: Monday -Sunday
Time: 06:30am, 03:30am/pm, 06:25pm
Join Josh and Blue as they vlog about their adventures which include finding clues, singing nursery rhyme songs, solving puzzles and games, dancing and more.

What To Expect On Nickelodeon Africa In July 2023?

ALVINNN!!! AND THE CHIPMUNCKS
NEW EPISODES
Timeline: 3 – 20 July
Episodes: 520-526
Slot: Monday – Friday
Time: 15:00
Raised by their human dad, a scrappy young musical chipmunk and his brothers get into mischief and learn plenty of valuable lessons along the way.

THE TWISTED TIMELINE OF SAMMY AND RAJ
SERIES LAUNCH
Timeline: 3 – 28 July
Episodes: 101 - 120
Slot: Monday – Friday
Time: 16:00
With a mysterious time-altering app at their fingertips, two cousins pause, rewind, fast-forward and slow-motion their way into a whole host of rowdy laugh-out-loud exploits and reality-bending adventures.

BESTER & BESTER
SERIES LAUNCH
Premiere: 31 July
Episodes: 101 - 126
Slot: Monday - Friday
Time: 16:00
Twins Best and Bester have the unique ability to choose a new body every single day and, in doing so, experience life in a completely different way.

MIDDLEMOST POST
NEW EPISODES
Timeline: 31 July – 10 August
Episodes: 209 - 213
Slot: Monday - Friday
Time: 15:00
A reformed rain cloud, a shipwrecked sailor turned postman and a magic walrus form the wacky postal service on Mount Middlemost.

SUNNY SIDE UP STUNT
STUNT
Timeline: 3/07/ 2023 –1/09/2023
Slot: Monday - Friday
Time: 15:00

DANGER GENERATION STUNT
STUNT
Timeline: 29/07/2023 –27/08/2023
Slot: Saturday & Sunday
Time: 12:30
It features Henry Danger, The Thundermans and Danger Force.

What To Expect On Comedy Central Africa In July 2023?

AWKWAFINA IS NORA FROM QUEENS
SEASON 3
Saturdays 15th July @ 22:00
Nora and her family are trying really, really hard to find happiness in Awkwafina is Nora from Queens season 3. The next chapter of the series finds Nora juggling a variety of jobs searching for her dream gig while her cousin finds success in his acting, her grandma tries to keep busy with everyone gone and her dad gets fired right as he is about to propose to Brenda.

THE DAILY SHOW
SEASON 28
TUESDAY – FRIDAY @ 23:30
The Daily Show is an award-winning comedy news show featuring humorous takes on top stories. Looking at the day's top headlines through a sharp, reality-based lens. Along with the help of The Daily Show correspondents, the host covers the biggest news stories in politics, pop culture and more.