Development Alert: Mr. Bean: The Animated Returns For Fourth Season Season To Various Cartoonito And Boomerang Channels Worldwide

Banijay’s Tiger Aspect Kids & Family has commissioned the series in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery and ITVX, via deals agreed by Banijay Rights.

Executive produced and voiced by Rowan Atkinson, Season 4 will comprise 52 x 11’ episodes, bringing the total number of episodes across all series to 182 x 11-minutes. It will air on Cartoonito and HBO Max across Europe, the Middle East and Africa on Warner Bros. Discovery’s kids channels and streaming services across Southeast Asia and South Asia, and on ITVX Kids in the U.K. and Ireland from 2025, which marks the 35th anniversary of the first live-action episode.

The animation follows the antics of Mr. Bean and Teddy, as they embark on a series of adventures, making plenty of mischief along the way. Produced by Tiger Aspect Kids & Family, managing director Tom Beattie is also an executive producer. Dave Osborne will direct the series, Arnold Widdowson is producer and the head writers are Ciaran Murtagh and Andrew Barnett Jones.

A British icon, the original live-action “Mr Bean,” co-created by Atkinson and Richard Curtis, bowed in 1990. Atkinson voices the animated series, which was launched in 2002. It has been broadcast in 195 territories, with the series in continual distribution for over 30 years. The brand has some 140 million followers on Meta, 72 million subscribers and 19 billion lifetime views across official YouTube channels; 10 million followers on Instagram; and 14.2 million likes on TikTok.

Atkinson said: “I have always enjoyed this iteration of the Mr. Bean character and the particular freedoms he has in animated form. We can take him into space or down a tin mine, without me personally having to suffer the consequences. The animation process creatively is always fascinating and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the new series very much.”

Beattie added: “It’s a real pleasure to have the opportunity to go back to such a special series. ‘Mr. Bean’ is an iconic comedy legend and it’s an honor to work with Rowan to create this physically funny series.”

Cathy Payne, CEO Banijay Rights, said: “One of the most loved characters in television comedy history, Mr. Bean’s amusing escapades are cherished by children and families across the world. So we’re thrilled to continue our long-standing partnership with Warner Bros Discovery and ITV on this wonderful animated series which captures Bean’s world so brilliantly.”

Zia Sands, lead content acquisitions, partnerships and co-productions, kids, EMEA, Warner Bros Discovery, said: “Mr. Bean’s comedy antics continue to resonate universally, and we are excited to bring our audiences more of what they love.”

Reminder: Disney's FOX Channels Seen In Portugal And On MultiChoice's DStv In Angola And Mozambique Rebrand To Star This February

The creative and graphic concept of the new brands was developed in Portugal. This work will be implemented in all countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East where Fox channels are present.

From February 7th, the Fox channel will become Star Channel, maintaining the same programming and position on the operators' schedules, announced Walt Disney. 

The remaining Fox channels will also change their name and image: Fox Life will be Star Life, Fox Crime will be Star Crime, Fox Movies will be Star Movies and Fox Comedy will be Star Comedy. The date was advanced on Wednesday simultaneously with the launch of the multimedia campaign “A Brilliant Change”, which was developed and implemented by the creative studio and marketing and communications team at The Walt Disney Company Portugal (TWDC). 

The campaign will be present until February in digital, television, out of home (OOH), cinema, radio, press, press office and content creators. “The Star Channel brand continues the Fox legacy, presenting itself as bold, confident, current and inclusive. With a bold and contemporary voice, the channels will continue to be the destination for major international series and films, maintaining the most watched titles on pay TV in Portugal, the same distribution, the same position on the operators' schedules and the same positioning in the market that they currently have Fox channels”, says in a press release. 

The creative and graphic concept of the new brands that replace Fox channels were developed in Portugal by the TWDC Portugal creative studio in collaboration with local agencies and studios, with the visual concept focusing on “an original detail of the logo , the central cut, which inspired the creation of a luminous 'shooting star', which will guide the public through the channels' programming.” 

This Portuguese work will be implemented in all countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East where Fox channels are present, “thus exporting Portuguese talent throughout the region”.

New Series Alert (Rumour): eMedia Investments Reportedly Acquired Rights To Bollywood Based Drama Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya Hai, Might Rollout As This Is Love

In the wake of eExtra's repeat padded lineup and faulty EPG, eMedia Investments might be looking to air Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya Hai under the title This Is Love. This was after a viewer had spotted an Openview advert pertaining to the show's possible debut.

This Is Love was critically acclaimed for its crisp story line and ensemble cast's performance. Set in Delhi, it followed Anushka Reddy who returns home after spending seven years in the US with Siddhant Sinha is a budding lawyer, belongs to middle-class family from Bihar.

It starred Palak Jain as Anushka Sinha, Namit Khanna as Siddhant Sinha, Manish Choudhary as Krishna Kanth "K.K." Reddy, Shahana Verma as Nita Reddy, Vishal Malhotra as Shrikant "Anna" Reddy and Suparna Krishna as Riddhi Reddy and Ankit Raj as Kartik Reddy.

Produced by Bindu and SJ Studio Productions, the Bollywood based drama premiered from 19 March to 31 August 2018 on Sony Entertainment Television (SET) in India and since it's inception had produced 120 episodes each with a duration of 22 minutes.

eMedia Investments hasn't responded to any enquiries regarding the rollout of This Is Love on eExtra. But if we had to guess the show is likely to surface in the timeslot of Surrender In Love.

SuperSport Has Failed To Acquire The Rights To Broadcast The AFCON Tournament In Ivory Coast.

SuperSport has confirmed it failed to acquire the rights to broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11. 

A SuperSport “holding statement” was leaked and circulated on social media while the pay channel was still involved in negotiations with rights holders New World TV of Togo. A deal could not be reached. 

“SuperSport will not broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations as they have not acquired the rights to broadcast the tournament,” SuperSport said.

Judging by the wording of its statement, where SuperSport indicated it will communicate any changes in the situation, it appears the company has left the door open for possible future developments. 

“However, Afcon matches will be available through the MultiChoice Africa partner broadcasters on free-to-air channels. 

“MultiChoice Africa remains committed to ensuring football fans in Africa continue to enjoy unrivalled access to entertainment and football available on DStv and GOtv platforms.” 

It is not all doom and gloom for millions of South African football fans who want to watch the Afcon on TV as the SABC is expected to reveal their Afcon broadcast plans on Friday or Saturday. 

In November, SuperSport declined to confirm or deny an allegation it was not televising Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers because it wants to focus on European football.

At the time, sources close to SuperSport indicating it was not just the African World Cup qualifiers, Caf Champions League and Caf Confederation Cup the channel had not secured rights for, but also that Afcon coverage was under threat. 

Bafana Bafana open their Afcon group E campaign against Mali at Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly in Korhogo on January 16 (10pm SA time), then meet Namibia on January 21 and Tunisia on January 24. 

The Meaning Behind One Of Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits, "Billie Jeans"

Written by Jackson himself and produced alongside Grammy-award winner Quincy Jones, “Billie Jean” tackles the “groupie culture” Michael and his brothers experienced while on tour as the Jackson 5.

The song went on to reach the No.1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Jackson’s fastest rising single since “ABC” and “Say You’ll Be There” in 1970.

Meaning Behind the Lyrics

While the meaning behind the famous story of an obsessed woman stalking the “King of Pop,” calling him out as the father of her son, has floated around since the song’s release, Jackson continually denied the story before his death in 2009. Instead, he says “Billie Jean” is more of a character representing the many groupies he and his brothers were “plagued” with over the years.

In his 1988 autobiography, Moonwalk, Jackson says, “There never was a real Billie Jean. The girl in the song is a composite of people my brothers have been plagued with over the years. I could never understand how these girls could say they were carrying someone’s child when it wasn’t true.”

Billie Jean is not my lover

She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one

But the kid is not my son

She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son

Jackson’s biographer told a different story in his 1991 book, The Magic and the Madness. In it, he says that Billie Jean was inspired by real letters the singer received in 1981 from a woman claiming he was the father of her twins. Despite no reaction from Jackson, the woman continually sent letters before eventually escalating to sending a gun and a murder threat – talk about a die-hard fan.

But who can stand when she’s in demand

Her schemes and plans

‘Cause we danced on the floor in the round

So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice

Breaking the MTV Color Barrier

The accompanying video for the song is often credited with breaking the color barrier on MTV. While a clip from reggae band Musical Youth for “Pass The Dutchie” was the first video from a Black act to make waves on the network, they were largely considered a novelty, with no member being older than 16.

After the oh-so-’80s video for “Billie Jean” debuted and was well-received, more Black artists began appearing on the network soon after—most notably Prince.

MTV was widely accused of racism during the era after Rick James’ funky hit “Super Freak” was rejected. With the added barrier of record companies not investing in videos for Black artists, thinking MTV wouldn’t play them, many Black musicians struggled to gain air time.

All of that went out the window with “Billie Jean,” as Jackson paved the way for more Black artists to be featured on the taste-making network.

“Compared to Michael, MTV staples like REO Speedwagon and Journey suddenly looked even more boring,” Rob Tannenbaum, co-author of I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution said. “When Michael’s videos created higher ratings for MTV, network executives claimed they’d ‘learned a lesson’ and tentatively embraced the softer side of black pop music, especially Lionel Richie.”

Moonwalk

Jackson’s 1983 Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever performance, marked the first time “Billie Jean” was performed live. The performance also marked the first time Jackson appeared to walk on air in his, now signature, moonwalk. The unsuspected move wowed the audience and lead to its use in almost all future performances. Adding to the image-making performance, it was also the first time Jackson donned his ubiquitous one-handed glove.

Thriller

While disco was steadily dying, Jackson moved in a new musical direction, opting for a mix of pop, rock, and funk on his sixth studio album, Thriller. He also moved towards darker themes in his music, like the paranoia and obsession motifs in “Billie Jean.”

Thriller was Jackson’s first number one on the U.S. Billboard Top LPs and Tapes chart, where he spent 37 non-consecutive weeks at the top sport.

Along with “Billie Jean,” seven other singles from the album reached the top ten including “The Girl Is Mine,” “Beat It,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” “Human Nature,” “P.Y.T,” and “Thriller.”

After his performance at Motown 25, sales for the album skyrocketed, selling one million copies worldwide per week. By the end of 1983, 32 million copies of Thriller were sold, making it the best-selling album of all time.

Credits: Alex Hopper

Could FOX Turkey, Home To Doodsondes And #DisComplicated On eExtra Be Closing/Rebranding Soon, Here's Why?

After Disney acquired 21st Century Studios, they had been phasing out the FOX trademark across their properties. FOX Sports was replaced by ESPN while their general entertainment channels either closed down in some regions or were rebranded to FX or Star.

FOX Turkey happens to be the only international FOX brand during its run to produce original content. Although, none of this were viewed on its international counterparts several shows such as Om Elke Draai, Dokter Ali and Wie Laaste Lag had been picked up by eMedia Investments.

According to rules under the SEC, Disney is required to retract the use of the FOX trademark by 2024. It's kind of brought questions as to what Disney's next phase of action is for consumers within the affected region Star isn't one of them seeing as there's already such a brand.

Considering that Disney was able to acquire Comcast's stake in Hulu. It had been long speculated that Star could be folded under Hulu and internationally this trademark had taken up the identity of various linear channels which could end up reverting to FX.

The only issue right now regarding FOX is the position within the market. It is well established as mentioned they've produced various shows that were acquired by eMedia Investments for their Kuiertyd offering and a name change isn't something a lot can grasp.

Unless a deal were to be put in place with the FOX Corporation which would probably see them maintaining a stake on the channel. There's no way for this channel to remain on air particularly if it's still known as FOX.

Development Alert: Hulu Rumoured To Be Replacing Disney+ Star Internationally, FX Might Replace Linear Counterparts

Last year, Disney managed to acquire Comcast's stake in the Hulu streaming service with plans underway to merge the content with the existing offering seen on Disney+. The merger would put it in a competitive position with existing brands like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Internationally, this was never an issue as the latter was distributed by Star which Disney saw as alternative trademark to Hulu. After attempting to get Hulu to more territories but blocked due to Comcast's stake in the streamer the trademark might get some time of day.

With nothing holding Disney back at this point, Star could be folded under Hulu I mean the idea wouldn't seem far fetched. Various Hulu originals like Only Murders In The Building and Blue Sky had all been trademarked as Disney+ and not Star as seen when it was introduced last year.

Disney had tried to roll out Hulu in Latin America and Asia before quickly scrubbing out any mention of the brand across their platforms.

Hulu is more knowledgeable brand although it wasn't viewed outside of the United States consumers would be able to familiarise themselves with the content. Star was more knowledgeable in India and to be frank Disney kind of damaged the trademark in parts of the world.

Based in India, Disney Star operates a number of linear channels across the world which feature various Bollywood productions. While the UK opted for an alternative trademark Utsav the rest of the world kept Star which would have caused confusion to those who view both brands.

Disney also used the Star trademark for various linear channels across Latin America and as seen in Europe the opted for an alternative brand name, FX. It wouldn't seem far fetched if FX were to replace the Star brand therefore returning Star to its former glory in India.

Regular Nick Shorts: Nickelodeon Rebrands Their Remaining Linear Offering To The Splat, Pretty Freekin Scary Launches On Disney Channel Across Europe, Middle East And Africa And Mickey Mouse-Inspired Horror Game 'Infestation 88' Announced

Nicktoons and TeenNick enter the Splat Zone

After teasing their new logos over the past few months, Nickelodeon today (Jan. 1, 2024) kick-started the New Year by rebranding its Nicktoons and TeenNick channels! The rebrand features the new Nicktoons and TeenNick logos unveiled last year, based on Nickelodeon's recently introduced Splat logo the network introduced early last year, and includes new on-air graphics, such as lower-thirds, updated BUG/DOG, bumpers, idents, promo endboards, and Curriculum Boards.

Both channels use bumpers from Nickelodeon's 2023 rebrand, with TeenNick also using a mix of new bumpers featuring older kids as well as repurposed bumpers from their 2019 rebrand.

Credits: NickAndMore and NickALive!

Disney Channel to rollout a new series

14 year-old Frankie Ripp has a great life until she suddenly gets killed in a freak accident where she fell into a manhole. In the Underworld, she has a heated debate with the Grim Reaper who lets her return home as long as her Underworld guardians Pretty and Scary accompany her. Frankie tries to keep the Grim Reaper a secret from everyone, while at the same time she must work for the Grim Reaper by completing a series of given tasks should she wish to keep her life.

Pretty Freekin Scary launches on Disney Channel across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) from 23 January.

New Mickey Mouse game is in development

Nightmare Forge games has announced Infestation 88, a new 1-4 player survival horror co-op game that aims to infuse nostalgia with terror (in the vein of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey) by twisting the now-in-the-public-domain Steamboat Willie into something much scarier. It's in development for PC.

The developers describe it as such: "In the year 1988, what was thought to be an outbreak of rodents in various locations morphed into something far more sinister." Sometimes you'll need to fight, sometimes you'll need to run, and sometimes you'll need to hide in a locker. You can set traps and utilize CCTV cameras to try and stay one step ahead of the infestation, and item layouts are randomized in order to help keep matches fresh. 

DStv Without Disney Channel??? Wouldn't Seem Like A Far Fetched Idea At This Point

During the week, it was reported various channels from The Walt Disney Company including Disney Channel, Disney Junior, National Geographic and National Geographic Wild had exited the OSN platform in the Middle East and North Africa.

When asked by OSN for comment in regards to the cancellation for these channels:

We periodically review and update our channel lineup based on customer feedback and viewing trends to ensure we meet your entertainment needs. The result of the latest analysis carried out is that it is time to update the channel list and improve the entertainment viewing experience.

These channels are still viewable in the affected regions but on much smaller platforms like YahSat, STCtv and Jawwy TV. On OSN, the provider had replaced them with Cartoon Network and Animal Planet with plans to source more entertainment for the affected channels.

Prior to Disney Channel's reduction, OSN had helped Disney in regards to the distribution of their streaming service, Disney+. On top of that content such as Marvel's Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur shows produced for Disney Channel were folded under Disney+.

MultiChoice currently package both Disney Channel and Disney Junior in a seperate agreement with Disney. Similar to OSN, they too had seen a reduction in programming and investment toward these channels so it's only a matter of time till these channels cease to exist.

Most parts of Europe mainly package National Geographic and ESPN with a few exceptions such as Turkey, Poland and Germany. Honestly, it wouldn't seem far fetched if Disney opted to discontinue the Disney Channels and focused their remaining efforts on ESPN and National Geographic.

Their PR development hasn't been as productive in recent years and all of this could be pertaining to the current state of the linear offering. Disney Channel's viewership had dropped as more consumers opt to streaming and also the last carriage deals had seen companies walk out with less channels.

The only challenge pertaining to Disney right now would be high data prices as a majority of households in Africa can't afford or offer Disney+. But if you've learnt anything from the closure of DW News, some businesses are more eager to handle risks at this point.

Sony Pictures Television once offered channels like Sony Entertainment Television and POP to consumers in Africa as well as a number of linear channels globally. It could have gone bankrupt or possible gotten sold but instead happen to be one of the leading entertainment brands.

In recent conversations with Disney's CEO, he was open to the idea of excluding if not closing Disney+ in countries that aren't profitable. Would it seem far fetched if Disney were to do the same with their linear offering I mean there's still regions that don't offer Disney+.