Development Alert: Investigation Discovery Greenlights Fifth Episode To Teen Centered Documentary Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV

Investigation Discovery has ordered a fifth episode of the docuseries, titled “Breaking the Silence.” It will air Sunday, April 7 at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery (and stream on Max).

According to ID, Episode 5 “will delve deeper into the toxic and dangerous culture behind some of the most iconic children’s television shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including allegations of abuse, sexism and racism,” and build off “the revelations explored in the first four episodes.”

Award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien will lead a conversation featuring previous participants Drake Bell (The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh), former All That cast members Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne, and Hearne’s mother, Tracey Brown. Additionally, “new voices” will appear — including fellow former All That cast member Shane Lyons — “to discuss where the industry can go from here.”

Bell, now 37, appeared in Episode 3 of Quiet on Set and revealed himself to be the minor at the center of Brian Peck’s 2004 conviction. Peck, who served as a dialogue coach at Nickelodeon and bears no relation to Josh Peck, appeared on episodes of All That and The Amanda Show, and was later convicted of a lewd act against a child and oral copulation of a person under 16.

Bell’s Amanda Show and Drake & Josh co-stars Josh Peck and Nancy Sullivan both released statements following the release of Quiet on Set. “I reached out to Drake privately, but want to give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world,” Peck said on March 21. “Children should be protected. Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry.”

Sullivan, meanwhile, wrote that it “broke my heart into a million pieces to hear just how much Drake was holding inside while we were working together. I was both devastated and proud seeing the man he’s grown into sit down on camera and bravely tell his truth.

“Past abuse doesn’t define us,” she said, “and it has no right to rule our lives.”

‘Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV’ Exposes Toxic Working Environment On Dan Schneider's Popular Teen TV Series Of The 1990s And Early 2000s This April On Investigation Discovery Across Africa

Investigation Discovery Africa, the leading true crime network, is set to premiere QUIET ON SET: THE DARK SIDE OF KIDS TV, a four-part docuseries that uncovers the toxic and dangerous culture behind some of the most iconic children’s shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

QUIET ON SET pulls back the curtain on an empire built by creator Dan Schneider that had an undeniable grip on popular culture. Series such as All That and The Amanda Show, among others, were obsessively consumed by children across the country and defined comedy for a generation. But behind the upbeat onscreen presence on these shows with questionable jokes and over-the-top sketches, QUIET ON SET reveals an insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism, and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew.

QUIET ON SET features unprecedented access to key cast members, writers, and crew spanning Schneider’s popular series at Nickelodeon. Former All That cast members Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan, Bryan Hearne and Katrina Johnson and director Virgil Fabian pull back the curtain on the culture on the set of the beloved teen sketch series.  In The Amanda Show writer's room, writers Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton expose allegations of a toxic and sexist environment. Alexa Nikolas offers insight into being a part of Zoey 101. QUIET ON SET will feature additional cast and crew from iCarly, Sam & Cat, Victorious, and other iconic series, such as Marc Summers from the popular game show Double Dare. The series will also offer emotional testimony from parents of cast members who attempted to advocate for their children on these sets.

Over the course of its four parts, QUIET ON SET will shine a spotlight on these emotional accounts, chronicling a pattern of gross, abusive, and manipulative behaviour that unfolded across decades, as well as exclusive stories about child predators on set. These interviews, woven with archival footage (some of which has never been broadcast), scenes from the shows and social media commentary, will recontextualise many moments within these series that may have seemed silly or off when first aired but now carry a much darker undertone, offering a powerful reframing of these beloved shows.

QUIET ON SET is directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz and produced by Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television – Nonfiction in association with Business Insider.

QUIET ON SET: THE DARK SIDE OF KIDS TV will premiere across two nights, Sunday, 7 April and Sunday, 14 April, from 21:00 – 23:00 CAT on Investigation Discovery (ID) Africa with two episodes back-to-back each week.

Reminder: M-Net's Me And 1Magic Alongside Ginx eSports TV Will Close On DStv From 31 March 2024 (Schedule Attached)

MultiChoice will be axing M-Net's 1Magic and Me alongside Ginx eSports TV from the DStv platform by the end of March. This would bring the number of scrapped TV channels on the platform to nine joining B4U Movies and People's Weather which exited a month prior. 

Another brand looking to exit DStv soon is WildEarth as both parties failed to reach new agreement. Since then, a petition has been going around to keep it on DStv with the channel seeking donations as they've been going through financial woes.

1Magic

1Magic will end its run with the female led drama Lee Daniel's Star at 23:55 and from what we've seen most shows within that week would end to their climax. With a few exceptions such as Lockdown seeing as those are basically repeats.

According to the pay-tv company, further content from 1Magic would be available on the remaining M-Net channels. That would mean those currently watching 1Magic would have to revert their focus to Mzansi Magic for further content currently viewed on Showmax. 

Unlike most items on the list, MultiChoice had promised to supplement 1Magic with another TV channel known as Channel X. It has no relation to Elon Musk but will base their lineup and identity on Showmax as the revamped streamer also trademarks an X.

Me

Me will ends its run with reality based series The Real Housewives Of Atlanta based from The Real Housewives franchise at 23:10. Most shows within this week would reach their climax including M-Net originals Reyka and Recipe For Love And Murder.

According to the pay-tv company, further content from Me would be available on the remaining M-Net channels. That would mean those watching Me would need DStv Premium to watch the latest international and locally produced content on M-Net.

Although some of the entertainment like Chicago Med and The Equalizer is available on Universal TV with Young Sheldon on Comedy Central. These channels are lagging behind with one of two not having an estimated timeframe on new episodes. 

It's currently unknown whether Me will fold under Channel X or the pay-tv company will look find other means for compensation.

Ginx eSports TV 

Ginx eSports TV will end its run with The Games That Made Me at 23:00. Despite SuperSport handling distribution rights and other technical aspects of the brand, current seasons of programs won't be completed with other portions being repeats.

Unlike the other two, MultiChoice doesn't offer an alternative offering to Ginx eSports TV this leaves WWE as the only sports brand to be grouped under general entertainment section of their platforms. 

Canal+ Group Buys Stake In African TV Production Company Marodi TV

Canal+ Group has acquired a stake in Marodi TV, a Senegalese production company which is a leading purveyor of TV series across Africa and a force within the continent’s creative economy.

The deal pursues Canal + and Marodi’s ongoing partnership, as well as further strengthens the Paris-headquartered company’s position in French-speaking Africa, where Canal+ produces over 4,000 hours of African content and has 30 channels dedicated to the continent in 10 languages.

For the last five years, Marodi TV has broadcast its catalogue as part of Canal + Group’s channel line-up. It has produced exclusive series that premiered on the Sunu Yeuf channel in Wolof, and went on to launch on the pan-African channel A+. Both channels are available to Canal+’s 8 million subscribers in Africa. Marodi TV and Canal+ have also co-produced together a number of successful series, such as “Emprises” and “Déchéances.”

Founded in 2012 with the ambition of making quality African content accessible on all media, Marodi TV boasts a catalogue of over 600 hours of content, as well as a community of 6 million subscribers on YouTube. Some of its biggest series hits include “Pod & Marichou,” “Maitresse d’un homme marié” (“mistress of a married man”) and “Karma.”

With Canal+ Group as its new shareholder, Marodi TV will continue being managed by its founder and majority shareholder, Senegalese entrepreneur Serigne Massamba Ndour. The partnership will allow Marodi TV to expand the library’s distribution across Africa and beyond via synergies with Canal+. They will also establish an original catalogue for Canal+’s future channel in Pulaar, the language spoken by the Fulani community which has a strong presence in Senegal, Guinea and Mali.

Canal+ Group is already a majority shareholder in the production companies Rok Studios in Nigeria, Plan A in the Ivory Coast and Zacu Entertainment in Rwanda.

“Based in Senegal, this producer benefits from an artistic, technical, linguistic, and climatic environment that is particularly conducive to audiovisual production,” said Fabrice Faux, director of channels and content at Canal+ International. “This investment again demonstrates our enduring commitment to growing Africa’s creative industries and our excitement and commercial optimism in its creative and media sectors,” Faux continued.  

Serigne Massamba Ndour, Marodi TV CEO, said the “alliance will enable us to strengthen our production and broadcasting capabilities and export our model across the continent.”

WildEarth To Cutback On Live Shows Following Its Possible Exit On MultiChoice's DStv

WildEarth is an interactive wildlife channel which brings viewers closer to nature with live safaris within the hotspot of Africa. Founded in 2007 by Graham Wallington and Emily Wallington, WildEarth has developed a global community of viewers.

Not long ago, it was reported that WildEarth would be looking to take their channel off DStv by the end of April. This comes months after the channel's current CEO was negotiating with MultiChoice over adding carriage fees to the channel.

As some readers are aware, WildEarth hosted a live event where several notable figures were briefing audiences on the future of the brand. Aside from the departure from DStv, they are looking to no longer offer any live content and transition to short form.

This means shows like Sunrise Safari and Sunset Safari will continue to exist but will be pretaped. On top of that airtime for these shows will be further reduced as they try to offer more short form content as they eyeing potential deals who feel the offering is lacking. 

SafariLIVE was one of their signature shows and what helped them garner an online presence. For that to be minimized or possibly scrapped, consumers are led to wonder if this would bring about its end on YouTube where part of their content resides.

They are looking to film some of these shows in other countries as opposed to limiting their stance in South Africa and Kenya. Of course, they'll need further donations to remain on the air and get some of this content of the ground. 

If you're interested in donating: click here

If you're looking to save WildEarth from being removed on DStv: click here

With WildEarth looking to add more variety to their lineup and eyeing potential deals. Some of this content will likely be deprived from consumers if not minimized something that wasn't discussed as much.

Press Release: Come Back To Me Premieres This April On Telemundo Across Africa

NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-To-Consumer today announced the South African premiere of the new series, Come Back to Me, premiering on Monday 8 April at 22:00 (CAT), exclusively on Telemundo. Starring William Levy (Resident Evil, Addicted), Samadhi Zendejas (Falsa Identidad, Rosario Tijeras), Kimberly Dos Ramos (El Rostro de la Venganza, La Desalmada), Ximena Herrera (El Señor de los Cielos, Buscando a Frida) and Ferdinando Valencia (El Nombre del Amor, La Verdadera Bonita) Come Back to Me is a drama full of romantic entanglements in which a mother's unconditional love for her son becomes the common thread that drives the story.

Set in Ciudad de Juárez and Ciudad de México, this romantic drama follows Nuria, a woman of humble means, who begins a relationship with Braulio without knowing that he is one of the owners of the company where she works to support her son and sister. The lives of the main characters begin to intertwine after the tragic kidnapping of Andrés, Nuria's son. Her strength is only proportional to the love she feels for her son. At the least expected moment, Santiago enters her life to become not only the pillar that keeps her hope alive in a journey full of obstacles, but also the great love of her life.

The original series, produced at Telemundo Center’s state-of-the-art soundstages in Miami, also stars Laura Flores, Christian de la Campa, Rodolfo Salas, Geraldine Galván, Amaranta Ruíz, Christian Ramos, Anthony Álvarez, Anna Sobero, Ariana Saavedra, with special participations by Fernando Ciangherotti and Diego Klein, and André Sebastián.

Produced by Telemundo Global Studios, this original story is written by Sergio Mendoza and Amaris Páez, and directed by Danny Gavidia, Felipe Aguilar and Uandari Gómez. The direction of photography is by Damián Aguilar and José Velarde, with Pedro De Larrechea as production designer. Telemundo’s Karen Barroeta, Ximena Cantuarias and Elizabeth Suárez serve as the production's executive producers.

The brand new series, Come Back to Me, premieres exclusively on Telemundo on April 8 at 22:00 CAT, with new episodes every Monday.

Channel Closure: WildEarth Will Stop Airing On DStv By The End Of April, Freeview And ROKU Might Follow Soon

WildEarth is an interactive wildlife channel which brings viewers closer to nature with live safaris within the hotspot of Africa. Founded in 2007 by Graham Wallington and Emily Wallington, WildEarth has developed a global community of viewers.

Since December, the channel's future in Africa came into question after WildEarth uploaded a survey which would help determine if the channel should remain aboard the DStv platform. At the time, the channel didn't share any of their findings on the matter.

This past weekend, WildEarth held a live event which was accessible on YouTube. It was there were more details about their survey had come forward. 

According to the surveys, WildEarth serves as one of the top 3 favourite channels by 76% of its viewers with 90% voting it as one of their favourite local channels. Despite the positive reception, the channel is not able to retain its position on DStv.

Andre Crawford, the current CEO of WildEarth had been engaging conversation with MultiChoice to try and recieve payment for the channel. Unfortunately, they couldn't come to an agreement with the channel looking to exit DStv by the end of April.

WildEarth has been struggling to sustain itself within the current economic climate where platforms like Netflix and TikTok reign supreme. With that in mind, they're look to restructure their business model in the coming months in order to stay afloat. 

If you're interested in donating: click here

Following news of its possible closure on DStv, a viewer had created an online petition which not only requires them to get compensated but keeps them on the air for the foreseeable future: click here for the petition. 

Should MultiChoice not come to a new agreement with WildEarth, this would be the 10th TV channel to have exited their platforms. It would join M-Net's Me and 1Magic alongside Ginx eSports TV channels which had exited a month prior. 

For the full interview

New Series Alert: Sommerdahl Moorde, eExtra's First Series From Denmark And Germany Debuts In April

Following the rollout of Soos Nag En Dag, eExtra's Kuiertyd continues to expand their local portfolio in more international territories with the addition of mystery drama Sommerdahl Moorde. It is also known as The Summerdahl Murders or Dan Sommerdahl - Todliche Idylle.

Synopsis for Sommerdahl Moorde:

DCI Dan Sommerdahl investigates murders in a lovely Danish coastal town with his best friend, Detective Flemming Torp, and his wife, Marianne, a criminal technician. But Dan's years of devotion to the job have hurt his marriage, and with Marianne wanting a divorce, Dan discovers his rival for her affections is none other than his best friend. And they all must still work together to solve crimes.

It starred Peter Mygind as Dan Sommerdahl, André Babikian as Flemming Torp, Laura Drasbæk as Marianne Sommerdahl, Mathias Käki Jørgensen as Benjamin, Lotte Andersen as Hanegaard, Diêm Camille as Lina and Martin Svaneborg as Thor.

Sommerdahl Moorde debuted by March 2020 and since then 32 episodes had been produced so far with over 4 season. A fifth season is also said to be in development as free-to-air households gear up for the first season in the coming weeks.

In other developments, eExtra will be rolling out a local youth comedy titled Die Fakulteit in April. This will be followed by rural infused soap Keiders Van Geheime on e.tv in May which will serve as a rival offering/replacement to former soap, 7de Laan.

Could PBS Kids Be The Next Channel To Exit The DStv And GOtv Platform?

PBS Kids is an American based children's brand operated by PBS Distribution. Ranked as the #1 educational brand, it invites parents and children to experience this trusted content that helps children learn and grow through shows like Arthur, WordWorld and Molly Of Denali.

The channel was made available in Africa by 2019 and since last year remains the only international market following its departure from Australia. This was after MultiChoice added various content exclusively to DStv Stream as part of an experiment.

This was the feedback given by MultiChoice after adding content from PBS Kids in 2018:

"We received a lot of positive feedback from our viewers when PBS Kids was made available on DStv Now [now DStv Stream] and our parents appreciate the fact that DStv is providing the kind of kids' programming that will help to make them classroom ready, while also keeping them entertained".

Foxtel had opted to discontinue carriage of the channel in Australia two years after it launched in Africa based on performance and popularity of its content. Since then, consumers were recommended to browse shows on Cartoon Network and CBeebies. 

MultiChoice had cutback or lost at least 9 nine TV channels in under 3 months including Emmanuel TV, B4U Movies and People's Weather. No new channels were launched and none of these affected brands were replaced.

Although PBS Kids has brought fun and engaging content, the channel hasn't been productive in terms of new programming. The inclusion of PBS Kids had contributed to MultiChoice's boost in educational content with Moonbug and Da Vinci Kids.