If You're A Fan Of Tom & Jerry Then You'll Like This Brand New Show Taffy Debuts In December 2018 On Boomerang Africa Plus New Episodes Of Your Favourite Shows

BRAND NEW SHOW
TAFFY
Livin’ in Luxury

Taffy, the newest ‘cat’ in town, officially moves in to Mrs. Muchmore’s manor on 17 December! Tune in to Boomerang and watch how Bentley, the dog of the house, strives to expose Taffy for what he is, but Taffy outsmarts him on his every move and causes nothing but chaos and disaster in the process. Follow the non-stop, slapstick mayhem and drama that goes on between Bentley and Taffy in the elderly billionaire’s mansion this December on Boomerang.

Premiere Date: Monday 17/12/2018
Tune-in: Monday to Friday @ 16:25 CAT

HOLIDAY STUNT
THE HAPPOS FAMILY & FRIENDS
Hippos, Sharks & Bears, Oh My!

This December, tune in to Boomerang and take advantage of the school holidays! All new episodes of The Happos Family are joined by the always awesome Zig & Sharko as well as Masha and the Bear in this special holiday stunt where you will be visiting all sorts of places – from the safari park to the desert island, and even the forest! Get ready for these ‘happoness’ adventures, which premieres 13 December @ 06:25 CAT on Boomerang.

Premiere Date: Thursday 13/12/2018
Tune-in: Monday to Friday @ 06:25 CAT

MOVIE STARS
HAPPY FEET
Strange New Worlds

Take a journey to some strange new worlds this December on Boomerang. Shrink down to insect size to see how an ant colony is not only about hard work in The Ant Bully on 13 December at 16:40 CAT. Then, tap into the musical nation of the Emperor Penguins in Happy Feet on 14 December at 16:40 CAT. You’ll definitely be movin’ and groovin’ as Mumble gets over his inability to sing by tapping into a new skill...Don’t miss these funky features this December on Boomerang!

Tune-in: The Ant Bully Thursday 13/12/2018 @ 16:40 CAT
Happy Feet Friday 14/12/2018 @ 16:40 CAT

Summer Camp Island Finally Makes It Debut To Africa's Screens On Cartoon Network Along With More Surprises This Festive Season

NEW SERIES
SUMMER CAMP ISLAND
Magical Days are Ahead!

This December, the brand-new series, Summer Camp Island, comes to Cartoon Network. Follow Oscar and his BFF, Hedgehog, as they go to their frst ever summer camp! However, all is not what it seems when they fnd out that camp counsellors are witches, trees talk, monsters are cute, and objects come to life. Anything can happen in this ultra-magical destination! Catch a sneak peek on 13 December and the premiere on 23 December on Cartoon Network.

Sneak Peek: Thursday 13/12/2018 @ 16:05 CAT
Premiere: Sunday 23/12/2018
Tune-in: Sundays @ 10:45 CAT

SUMMER STUNT
TEEN TITANS GO!
SOS : Stranded On Sand

Sun, sand, and wild adventures are coming to Cartoon Network this December as the Titans fnd them- selves on a deserted island. Follow Robin, Starfre, Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg as they adjust to island life – from trying weird survival tactics to planning their escape. Will Robin be able to chill out for once, or will he continue to be a complete know it all? Tune in to Cartoon Network Monday to Friday from 17 December at 9:00 CAT to find out!

Premiere: Monday 17/12/2018
Tune-in: Monday to Friday @ 09:00 CAT

CHRISTMAS STUNT
POWER RANGERS
Time to UNITE!

Christmas is the time to come together and Cartoon Network is treating you to a special stunt on 25 December featuring episodes from Power Rangers: Ninja Steel, Samurai, Super Samurai AND Super Ninja Steel. Get into the Christmas spirit with your friends, family and favorite rangers as they exchange gifts and destroy the monsters that interrupt their holiday. Tune in to Cartoon Network on 25 December at 10:10 CAT and band together to help the Rangers fght their fery battles!

Tune-in: Tuesday 25/12/ 2018 @ 10:15 CAT

Kwesé TV Partly Shutting Down

Africa's latest satellite pay-TV upstart, Kwesé TV, is abruptly downsizing and ending its lofty direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV plans to focus on a single branded sports channel and its streaming services.

After rapidly burning through millions, with aggressive content and country presence expansion across sub-Saharan Africa the past three years only to become ensnared by multiple missed payments and cancelled content deals due to cash flow problems, Econet Media, a subsidiary of Econet Wireless, is downscaling its once-lofty plans for a satellite pay-TV service.

Kwesé TV is scrapping its self-packaged and branded Kwesé general entertainment channels, removing all Kwesé branded sports channels except for the Kwesé Free Sports channel, and also getting rid of the majority of third-party acquired TV channels on its Kwesé TV bouquet.

The truncated Kwesé TV will henceforth just carry some free-to-air (FTA) channels, some news channels and some faith-based channels for a small fee, with Kwesé TV that will no longer require monthly subscription fees. Kwesé TV subscribers who have prepaid will get a refund.

To stop the bleeding, Kwesé TV run by Econet Media president and CEO Joseph Hundah will now focus on the Kwesé Free Sports channel (KFS) and providing streaming services through its mobile video-on-demand (VOD) service Kwesé iflix and its over-the-top (OTT) video streaming Kwesé Play brands.

Kwesé Play carries streaming channels like Red Bull TV, NBA, YouTube, TED and Bloomberg financial news.

Econet Media will also keep its Kwesé Studios and will continue investments in developing its own original programming with the help of African producers.

In an internal memo to staffers, Joseph Hundah says "We will streamline our direct-to-home, satellite television service. This means we will reduce our third-party channels as well as remove our own Kwesé-branded sports and general entertainment channels except Kwesé Free Sports".

Staffers are told in the memo that "We are in the process of reviewing our operational structures across our markets, which may result in changes across various business units".

Econet Media rapidly expanded its satellite pay-TV business with a presence in 11 African markets, excluding South Africa, with a free-to-air presence across 27 countries and sub-licensing content - mostly sport - across 37 countries.

That rapid expansion however came at a big cost as Econet Media's Kwesé TV burned through cash, signing deals with ESPN and partnering with VICE Media, trying to establish a foothold in the fierce Africa pay-TV market.

For the past three years Econet Media's Kwesé TV splashed the cash in a satellite TV market dominated by Naspers' MultiChoice in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa; as well as China's aggressive StarTimes making major inroads throughout Africa and operating under the StarSat brand in South Africa.

Kwesé TV especially went hard with signing up sports rights to compete with MultiChoice's SuperSport, going as far as sub-licensing and partnering with community channels in South Africa like Soweto TV and 1KZN to show boxing matches and NBA, to try and lure viewers to its offering.

After the past year and a half during which it became evident that the burning hot Kwesé TV's wheels is starting to come off as details about scuppered deals and late payments emerged, Econet Media has now capitulated, and is reorganising to focus on streaming services.

The past few months Kwesé TV suddenly started dumping TV channels as deals with the FOX Networks Group and other channel distributors got scrapped and derailed, in addition to multiple missed payments and cancelled deals including for content from FIFA, UEFA, Formula One, EPL, ESPN, NBA and the beIN Media Group.

Kwesé Free Sports - a pan-African free-to-air channel available in 27 African countries, including in South Africa on eMedia Investments' Openview free-to-air satellite platform - will now remain one of Kwesé TV's three core services.

Kwesé Free Sports has been showing Premier League matches, NBA, various FIFA tournaments including the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and leagues, NFL, AVIVA Premiership rugby as well as sport-themed magazine shows like ESPN's SportCenter .

'Changes will safeguard the success of our
business'
In a response to a media enquiry on Thursday afternoon about the shuttering of channels on Kwesé TV, Joseph Hundah says "We believe these changes will safeguard the future success of our business as we continue to make an indelible impact on Africa's media industry".

"The revised business strategy will also ensure that Kwesé TV continues to remain competitive within the industry."

"Refocusing our business offering across markets is a strategic move which aligns our business to OTT and video-on-demand trends which present significant growth opportunities for Kwesé. This renewed focus on digital services will see us provide new compelling offers for our customer’s enjoyment."

"Additionally, through the development of the Kwesé Studios content hub, Econet Media will now have a legitimate claim to being the home of African content, as we will now create a place where Africans can tell their own stories and shape their own narrative."

"Kwesé's entry into the market had a game changing impact on the media industry. With these changes, we believe Kwesé will continue to positively disrupt the industry for the benefit of African consumers, as we continue to provide affordable premium content through digital media services."

Econet Media says that as a consequence of the revised business model it is "reviewing its operational structures across all markets where Kwesé TV has presence which may result in changes to the company's various business units".

OUTtv SA Is Coming Back

Unfortunately our OUTtvSA Pop up channel has come to an end.
We hope you guys enjoyed our teaser month with DStv.

We’ll be back with more Diverse, Vibrant and Bold content, including some exciting LOCAL shows.

So please stay tuned into our Social Media.

#joburgpride #prideofafrica #authenticyou #prideatmelrose #pride #green #growth #proudlyafrican #lgbt #pridemonth #channel #outtv #outtvsa #entertainment #gaychannel #gaytertainment #dragqueens

New Channel Dedicated Exclusively To Turkish Drama

SPI International/FilmBox is launching Timeless Drama Channel (TDC), a new worldwide TV network devoted to Turkish drama series and movies.

TDC will feature such hit dramas as Kurt Seyit and Sura, 20 Minutes and The End. It will broadcast in HD and is now available for distribution on DTH platforms, cable networks, mobile and smart TVs as well as OTT services around the world.

“SPI’s brand new Timeless Drama Channel has broad appeal to anyone who loves big-budget drama and series, and will captivate your audiences and subscribers,”assures Berk Uziyel, CEO of SPI/FilmBox.

“These shows are now in demand across new territories in Central and Eastern Europe, South Africa, Asia and Latin America, so SPI International is responding to this by offering TV operators a linear HD channel with mesmerizing top quality Turkish series that drive record-breaking ratings.”

M-Net City Creates A Sizzling Experience For DStv Compact Customers

M-Net City, channel 115 on DStv, has great news for DStv Compact series fans: The channel is adjusting its prime-time slots to create a jam-packed schedule and a seamless viewing experience. From 31 October 2018, viewers will be able to enjoy their favourite shows in prime time between 18:20 and 22:50 with fewer breaks. The tweak in the schedule then also allows for an additional late-night slot (at 22:50) during which viewers who missed series with a high age-restriction can catch up on those episodes.

“As M-Net City is the place where DStv Compact viewers see the hottest series from Hollywood exclusively for the first time, we often receive requests or suggestions from viewers to amp up the schedule. The tweak to the starting times of shows allow us to address some of these requests,” says M-Net’s Head of Publicity, Lani Lombard.

"Even though M-Net City often showcases shows that have previously been on M-Net 101, available to DStv Premium customers only, it should not be seen as a ‘repeat’ channel,” Lombard adds. “Over the past few months, an exceeding number of series have made their African debut on M-Net City." 

Among these premiere shows are the new seasons of popular series Supernatural and The 100.  

The new M-Net City line-up and times will look as follows: 
·  Each evening at 18:20, Mondays to Fridays, the hot and charming former Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore swoops in to save the day in S.W.A.T. season one. Starring as Sgt. Daniel Hondo Harrelson, Moore’s character helms a special tactical unit in Los Angeles. The dedicated actor was captivated by the similarities he shared with his alter ego on the show, and has since received a tattoo inspired by his character. Catch this tattoo up close, along with the action, in the season premiere of S.W.A.T (starts Thursday 1 November) . 
·  Mondays to Thursdays at 19:10, the channel will air a variety of international dramas: viewers can watch Emmy award winner Dick Wolf’s Chicago Fire season six on Mondays and Chicago PD season five on Tuesdays. The season finale of Elementary will air on Wednesday, 31 October and a brand new series starting on Wednesday, 7 November is the fast-paced medical instalment of the popular Chicago series, Chicago Med, season three. On Thursdays, catch the intriguing medical drama The Good Doctor season one, starring Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel) as Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism who uses extraordinary medical gifts to help patients at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital.  
·  Then, at 20:00 the Superheroes come to the rescue, Mondays to Thursdays:
Mondays:  Supergirl season three episode 2 continues on Monday 5 November at 20:00 and she takes to the skies to battle the many villains rising up in an era of disruption.
Tuesday: (from 30 October)- Arrow season six shows how Oliver (star Stephen Amell) is determined to embrace his new role as a father in this season, while still serving and protecting his city as the Mayor and the Green Arrow. 
Wednesdays (starts 31 October) - In The Flash season four, the Fastest Man Alive continues his quest to protect his city after being struck by a dark matter lightning storm.  
Thursdays - In the usual style DC's Legends of Tomorrow season three starts on Thursday 1 November at 20:00. 
The multi-talented Jennifer Lopez stars as Harlee Santos, a charismatic single mother and resourceful detective at the heart of a tight-knit crew of Brooklyn detectives, in Shades of Blue season three. The unit is led by enigmatic Lt. Matt Wozniak (Ray Liotta) who often directs the team to step outside the limitations of the law in order to effectively protect their precinct and their own. Season three of Shades of Blue picks up after a near-death experience on Wednesday, 21 November at 20:50.
The brilliant and critically acclaimed historical period drama Jamestown returns for a second season on M-Net City – with as many twists as before. It will be screened from Tuesday, 13 November at 21:45. Viewers will enjoy yet another season of dazzling ventures in love, war and diplomacy.
On Fridays, viewers can enjoy double episodes of Seth McFarlane’s offbeat sci-fi comedy The Orville at 19:10 and 20:00 (starts Friday 2 November).  Set 400 years into the future, Captain Ed Mercer of the U.S.S. Orville and his crew, ex-wife and best friend explore space and try to figure out how to deal with life on a spaceship. With advanced species and galaxies light years away, how difficult could it be?

Looking for only the best international series on DStv Compact? M-Net City channel 115 is the place to be this November. The channel features never-before-seen series and great family entertainment.

Be part of the M-Net City conversation on mnet.tv, or follow the conversation on Twitter @MNetSeries (#MNetCity) or on the official M-Net Facebook page.

DStv Announced Its First LGBTIQ TV, OUTtv South Africa Which Launched As A Pop-Up Channel On The 4th October Until 4 November - More Details About The Launch

The channel is based on Canada’s OUTtv, which is also available in New Zealand and Australia.

While the LGBTIQ video streaming service PrideTV.co.za is already up and running in South Africa, OUTtv SA will be the first traditional broadcast LGBTIQ channel in the country.

The announcement took the community by surprise and many of us had questions about the channel. We spoke to Warren-Lee Whitcher, MD of OUTtv SA, for more about how the initiative came about and its plans for the future.

Who is behind OUTtv SA – who are the players and what is their background?
OUTtv SA is made up, mostly, by the same team that applied for a pay-TV license from ICASA back in 2012. This license was finally awarded in 2015. The team is comprised of innovative and talented broadcasting and broader media folk with extensive experience across multiple m media platforms. I, myself, am an investment banker by trade, however my first job out of varsity was with the Sabido Group (now eMedia Investments) which managed eTV, eNews, YFM etc. and I have been passionately involved within the broader media value chain ever since.

Are any of those behind the local channel members of the LGBTIQ community?
Yes, our team is highly diverse and inclusive, with a voice from most communities: Heterosexual, LGBTIQ, male, female, white, black, coloured, South African, Canadian…a little bit of everything!

Was there any consultation with the LGBTIQ community before launching the channel?
Of course, over the process of getting OUTtv SA to air – a six-year long process – we have consulted extensively with various bodies, members and allies of the LGBTIQ community, both locally and abroad. We have built a great working relationship with Johannesburg Pride and plan to leverage this relationship to build stronger ties within the local community going forward, especially with regards to local content opportunities, CSI initiatives etc.

Why has it taken so long for DSTV to get an LGBTIQ channel on the air? We as a community have been clamouring for this for many years. What was right about now?
Look, I cannot comment on any of the DStv specific details, however we have taken the view that we want to ‘be part of the change we want to see’ and are grateful that DStv have bought into this vision going forward.
From a timing perspective, I think there is very strong momentum towards embracing and nurturing the spirit of diversity and inclusion – across many different lines; sexual orientation, gender, race, creed etc. – so I believe the timing to be absolutely spot on for OUTtv SA launching in South Africa.

Why was it decided that OUTtv SA would only be a month-long pop up? Is this a test run with the possibility of an ongoing channel?
OUTtv SA is a premium channel that is extremely expensive to programme. As such, and as is normal for launches of new or niche offerings, it was decided to take the pop-up channel approach first, in order to assess demand and appetite. We are quietly confident that the channel will be very well received and are, of course, hopeful of building it out into a permanent fixture.

A link has been made between the channel and [Gauteng’s] Pride month in October. Is the channel intended to celebrate Pride or is the timing a coincidence?
Yes, October, as Pride month, seemed like a natural choice in which to launch OUTtv SA.

Do you think that the content on OUTtv will resonate with local audiences?
Yes, most definitely. Great stories are universally appealing so we are sure that most viewers will find one, two or ten shows or movies that they will absolutely love! In addition, around 80% of the programme line-up will be premieres within SA, so there is also that to consider.

Will OUTtv SA feature any local content?
OUTtv SA has had a long relationship with the [now defunct] OUT in Africa (OIA) film festival and it was always intended to leverage their extensive library of local content to support the launch of the channel.
However, the passing of time has seen the OIA library being donated to the UCT film library, which is great for posterity, however it makes the licensing deals far too complex for a pop-up channel. We will certainly be re-investigating this avenue should the channel become permanent as this is amazing content that fully deserves a national distribution platform. That being said, we have partnered with Johannesburg Pride to develop and produced an extensive list of short-format (10-15 min pieces) episodic content, featuring LGBTIQ community members and allies; that should make for sensational and informative viewing!

What kind of response have you received to the launch? Has there been any backlash from conservative DStv viewers?
The size and overall positivity of response to OUTtv SA has been overwhelming! We always expected a great response, but even we were blown away! And it’s getting bigger and stronger by the day. As regards negativity or backlash, none that I have seen… and even if it does come, our approach will not be one of defensive explanation. We will simply listen to and try and understand the message or concerns and then encourage everyone to give the channel a watch and embrace the spirit of diversity and inclusion with which it has been launched in South Africa.

Do you ever see the possibility of a channel such as OUTtv SA being offered to the rest of Africa?
That is a far bigger question than I am able answer. Obviously, we would love to distribute the channel as far and wide as possible, however we need to be responsible first and foremost and in some countries, being part of the LGBTIQ community is, literally, a danger to your well-being! Again, in the spirit of being part of the change we wish to see, we will happily play our part in promoting acceptance and positive change across the continent, but only at a pace which makes sense for all parties and stakeholders.

OUTtv SA is on DStv channel 198 until 4 November.

La Liga For DStv Compact

DStv Compact customers will get to enjoy an even wider variety of football with Spanish league football (La Liga), the home of superstars like Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann, soon to be available on the package.

SuperSport 7 HD, the channel dedicated to La Liga, will go live on the Compact package on Wednesday, October 24 from 8am.

“The DStv Compact customer has generally over the last few years evolved from being a local football purist into one that also shows appreciation for international football. It’s this appreciation and their loyalty that we’re rewarding by making La Liga football available to them,” explained SuperSport’s chief executive Gideon Khobane.

Fittingly, the switch comes just in time for the famed El Clasico, the match between super giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, which takes place on Sunday (kickoff 5.15pm, SS7).

The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus and Lionel Messi’s elbow fracture means that football’s greatest club rivalry of the last decade will be without the illustrious duo for the first time in 11 years.

However, their absence presents a great opportunity to the likes of Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez, and young guns Marco Asensio and Ousmane Dembele to be the heroes when the two sides face off.

Even though both teams come into their first meeting of the season on the back of ordinary league form - both winning just once in the last five matches - it’s hard to pick a winner. More certain is that the football will be world class.

The addition of La Liga on Compact will further enhance what is already an attractive package for local football fans, boasting PSL football, Premier League and Italian Serie A and continental football.

The move to Compact will also open La Liga up to a wider South African audience.

“La Liga’s South African office has been doing some tremendous work in growing the league on the continent.

Zindagi Ki Mehak To Travel To South Africa; Karan Vohra To Be Part Of The Shoot

The fans of Mehak will get a reason to rejoice as the show has been chosen to air original episodes for a new channel of Zee TV to launch in South Africa.

Producer Saurabh Tewari helmed banner, Parin Multimedia has given the TV viewing audience in India the entertaining concept of Zindagi Ki Mehak. The show which starred Karan Vohra and Samiksha Jaiswal garnered huge popularity and reached its closure recently after a good run.

Now, the fans of Mehak based outside India, especially in South Africa will get a reason to rejoice as Mehak has been chosen as one of the latest shows of Zee TV to air original episodes for a new channel of Zee TV to launch in South Africa.

Yes, you heard it right!!

This only means that in addition to the 500 plus episodes of Mehak, the viewers in South Africa will see nearly 150 plus original episodes.

News coming to us is that Karan Vohra has agreed to be the face of the channel, and will shoot for the original content that will be shot in South Africa.

A source states, “Karan has been offered huge money for this shoot in South Africa while Samiksha Jaiswal has not taken the offer. She will not be seen in the original content.”

With this, Parin Multimedia will be producing the South African series and become the first production house to shoot original content for South African network.

We hear that Karan Vohra along with Sharma family and new South African actors will shoot for the original content.
We buzzed Karan, Producer Saurabh Tewari and channel spokesperson but did not hear from them.

Are South African viewers ready to watch Mehak?