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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 ...

Friday, June 12, 2020

ViacomCBS Will Be Launching A New Channel Carrying Content From BET And Showtime, Will This Perhaps Get Added On StarSat Or Serve As A Replacement To BET Africa On DStv?

ViacomCBS is to launch SHO*BET by the end of the year to do that it's taking up Showtime's Showcase channel in the United States.

The company is planning to relaunch the channel, which currently airs films, documentaries and comedy specials, with scripted series from both Showtime and BET.

It is the latest example of synergies between Viacom and CBS since its merger in December.

President and CEO Bob Bakish, speaking on the company’s investor call following its fourth-quarter financials, said, “We see an even bigger opportunity to grow Showtime subscribers by making better use of its plex channels, some of which are currently underutilized. To that end, we will be rebranding and relaunching Showcase as SHO*BET this summer featuring AA scripted series from Showtime and BET.”

He added, “We see this as a compelling value creation play that will allow us to benefit from the growing demand for premium, African American content across platforms.

Now in Africa, where the channel can be seen through MultiChoice's DStv platform. It's currently stuffed with movies leaving less space for all the crappy and decent programming.

BET Africa, has become a strong brand in the market with its local productions like Black Tax and iSono so the chances of them replacing it is very little at the same time these brands merged so anything is possible.

Genius Brands Launches Their Very Own Kiddies Channel Online, Will DStv Or StarSat Perhaps Get It?

Former Fox Kids Networks head Margaret Loesch and former Disney exec David Neuman are to be tasked with growing the soon-to-launch kids OTT.

Genius Brands International announced two new hires as it prepares to launch its upcoming digital channel. Former Fox Kids Networks Worldwide president and CEO Margaret Loesch was named executive chairman of the California-based company’s upcoming Kartoon Channel!, and former Disney Television president David Neuman takes the role of chief creative officer.

Loesch previously held roles with Marvel Productions and The Jim Henson Company. She has also served on Genius Brands’ board of directors since 2016. Neuman, meanwhile, joins Genius Brands from media company Happs, a live-streaming news app. He previously served as president of Walt Disney Television from 1996 to 1998.

In their new roles, Loesch and Neuman will be responsible for building viewership, market share and advertising demand for Kartoon Channel! as well as attracting creative content. Neuman will work closely with Caroline Tyre, who was hired by Genius Brands as SVP of international distribution in June 2019.

Kartoon Channel! will launch in the US on June 15 and target kids ages two to 11. More than 4,000 episodes from shows including Baby Genius, Shark Academy, Dino the Dinosaur and Super Geek Heroes will be available on the channel. The OTT channel will not require a subscription, and will be available through a number of platforms, including Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Roku, among others.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

SABC Envisioned Plan For DTT And OpenView Rise To Glory

Back in the early 2000s SABC and e.tv had plans to launch their own STB which included more channels from these rivals and also more choice in what to watch.

SABC DTT plans started out with 18 channels you had: SABC 1-3, SABC 4, SABC 5, SABC Sports, SABC Movies, SABC Education, SABC News, a children's channel, a SMME channel, a health channel, a parliamentary channel, a music channel, a history channel and timeshift channels (1 show air an hour later).

While e.tv envisioned having 18 channels and never stated how many of these channels will be supplied by them.

Even though only 2 managed to materialize with 1 still on a test phase, SABC was likely to go bankrupt with all these channels in place even if pay platforms were to carry parts of these channels it wouldn't do much to keep all of them since they're likely to waste a fortune trying to build content for these channels.

Back in 2013/4, SABC former CEO Hlaudi implemented a 90% quota on their channels which led to a decrease in viewership particularly on SABC 3 and a loss of income. Due to this local quota most companies severed ties with the station even Disney was part of the back giving SABC access to 10% of the content with e.tv gaining the rest of it. They tried reducing the quota to 80% but that didn't work out for them.

Now imagine if that quota never existed and SABC managed to get all 18 channels running. The problem here would be the amount of money they'll waste on local content. It's proven to be challenging for the SABC to supply local programming on 3 channels imagine doing that with 18 channels especially if you don't charge monthly fees and most of your viewers don't pay TV licence.

e.tv also had plans to grow their channel lineup. They started with eMovies+, eToonz+, eAfrica+ and eKasi+ so far only the first two survived with newcomers eExtra, eReality, News&Sports and Rewind. Back then they had OpenView and their main concern was quantity so they added a bunch of crappy channels and hoped viewers would be glued to their screens that was not until 2017 came that they were more concerned about entertainment which led to decrease of channels in order to give better programming. Along the way they were struggling to make some doe and the viewership was weak so they added some of their channels on DStv for more income and viewership.

Since then, OpenView has managed to get their platform in 2 million homes and it famous in neighbouring countries that people there are using it illegally in order to avoid the entertainment available in their countries. It has become a charity case but this is to ensure that viewers get more entertainment on the platform.

If SABC got 18 of these channels running by now they would have scrapped a couple of them like SABC 4 & 5, children, SMME, movies and music which would bring them to a total of 10 channels. Even though they rely on funding and partnerships, those partnerships are likely to dissolve and those funders are likely going to take their money elsewhere. In the end, SABC new proposed channels are just the useful and not entertaining batch of channels which include education, sports, health, parliamentary and if possible history running which shows that they're trying to the PBS of South Africa. They're struggling to keep viewers glued to their screens so they want channels that other people will see useful in their everyday lives.

SABC Sports might be used to get new faces in sports another use for the channel is to help minimise disruption of sports on the main channels, Parliamentary might be the toughest one for them since it's not another channel for recycled goods, Health and if possible History will curved through partnerships since there's less content in these fields while archived Education channel is just a reruns channel in partnership with the department of education.

July 2020 On Disney XD Africa | Disney's 11 | Stunt | Endless Phineas And Ferb

DISNEY’S 11
Every episode ever
Daily from 1st July to 4th September at 11:00

July sees a big treat for fans of Disney XD’s popular football series Disney’s 11, with every episode ever airing from 1st July. There are three episodes every day from 11:00, repeated at 19:00.

The series tells the story of Gabo Moreti, a teenager with a passion for soccer, who lived with his grandmother in a small town, Álamo Seco. His soccer skills did not go unnoticed by Francisco, head coach of the prestigious Instituto Académico Deportivo (IAD), who decided to grant him a scholarship. The series follows his career at the academy, and the fortunes of his team.

Every episode ever of Disney’s 11 airs on Disney XD on weekdays throughout July, with three episodes a day, starting on 1st July at 11:00 and repeated at 19:00.

DISNEY XD’S SPECIAL BLOCK
Programming event
Weekdays from Monday 13th July from 09:00 to 17:00

Disney XD is kicking off the entertainment with a block of episodes of top shows, every weekday from Monday 13th July, between 09:00 and 17:00.

This immensely entertaining selection of episodes features such popular shows as Phineas and Ferb, Supa Strikas, Lab Rats (including Lab Rats: Elite Force), Big City Greens and DuckTales.
Tune in to Disney XD, for our special programming block every weekday from Monday 13th July, between 09:00 and 17:00.

PHINEAS AND FERB
Every episode ever
Weekends throughout July from 12:30 to 16:05

Perenially popular characters Phineas and Ferb are much loved by Disney XD viewers. Now there is a chance to see every episode of their adventures ever made, in our great new weekend event. Every Saturday and Sunday there is a special block of back to back shows from 12:30 to 16:05, starting with a special on Saturday at 12:30.

The series follows the adventures of Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother, Ferb Fletcher. Each day, the boys and their friends take on some ambitious new project, sometimes to help someone in need, but often just to create some fun. This annoys the boys' sister, Candace, who constantly attempts to get them in trouble by revealing their actions to her mother. Meanwhile, across town, the wannabe-evil scientist Dr. Doofenshmirtz continually attempts to take over the Tri-State area with his various “inator” devices, and Perry the Platypus, the boys' pet and a secret agent, consistently foils his plans on behalf of the O.W.C.A and his commanding officer, Major Mongram. At the end of each episode, the two plots intersect to erase all traces of the boys' project just before Candace can successfully show it to her mother.

In the first of this month’s specials, The Summer Belongs to You (Saturday 4th July at 12:30) Candace is put in charge of Phineas and Ferb while their parents go away on vacation. When she discovers that Phineas and Ferb are going to travel around the world to make the longest day of summer even longer, Candace, against her better judgment, goes along. Buford, Baljeet and Isabella join the trio as they travel to Japan, then France, where they learn in their own way how to believe in the impossible.

Every episode ever of Phineas and Ferb is airing on Disney XD at weekends throughout July from 12:30 to 16:05, starting with a special on Saturday at 12:30.

July 2020 On Disney Junior Africa | Repeats & Repeats

STUNTS
Programming event
Daily throughout July
weekdays: 09:00-15:30 weekends: 11:00-15:00

Disney Junior has plenty of fun-filled shows to keep viewers entertained. We have lots of super specials and blocks of episodes featuring favourite shows every weekday from 09:00 to 15:30 and at weekends from 11:00 to 15:00.

On weekdays we have one of our top specials every day at 09:00. Each week features one or two favourite characters, ranging from Mickey Mouse and P. J. Masks to The Lion Guard and Doc McStuffins. During the first week, as just one of the five great specials that week, we have Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Super Adventure (2nd July). In the second week there’s The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar (10th July), the third week sees Sofia The First – The Floating Palace (13th July), the fourth week has P.J. Masks: Teamwork (21st July) and the last week of the month features P.J. Masks: P.J. Robot (29th July).

Following the specials every weekday are blocks of top shows back-to-back from 10:00 to 15:30. For the first two weeks an episode of Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures can be seen either side of these blocks, which showcase T.O.T.S. and Bluey, P.J. Masks and Fancy Nancy Clancy. Following weeks see other shows featured, including Vampirina.

Weekends follow a similar pattern, with specials at 11:00, followed by blocks of episodes of top shows from 12:00 to 15:30. For the first three weeks the special is followed by six episodes of Doc McStuffins (Saturday) and Vampirina (Sunday). The last two weeks of the month see Sofia the First and Fancy Nancy Clancy take over on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

July is certainly a fun and action-packed month on Disney Junior, with our super stunts containing specials and blocks of top shows every weekday from 09:00 and at weekends from 11:00 to 15:00.

July 2020 On Disney Channel Africa | Gabby Duran And The Unsittables | DCOM | I Didn't Do It

GABBY DURAN AND THE UNSITTABLES
Series premiere
Weekdays from Monday 27th July at 16:35

July sees the launch of a brand new series on Disney Channel, featuring the adventures of a very unusual babysitter! Premiere episodes of Gabby Duran and the Unsittables air on weekdays from Monday 27th July at 16:35.

Gabby Duran constantly feels like she’s living in the shadows of her uber-polished, successful mother Dina, and whip-smart younger sister Olivia. But Gabby finally finds her moment to shine when she lands an out-of-this-world job babysitting an unruly group of very important extraterrestrial children who are hiding out on Earth. Fearless and unapologetically bold, Gabby steps up to the challenge to prove she’s the best babysitter in the galaxy. In the second premiere episode Wesley and the Fischman (Tuesday 28th July at 16:35) Gabby must choose between keeping her new secret alien-babysitting gig a secret or risking it all by confiding in her extra-terrestrial obsessed best friend Wesley.

Premiere episodes of Gabby Duran and the Unsittables air on weekdays from Monday 27th July at 16:35, on Disney Channel.

DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIES
Fridays throughout July at 17:00

Great news! This July we continue June’s treat for movie fans – the chance to see a classic Disney Channel Original Movie every Friday at 17:00, repeated on Saturday at 10:40.

The season starts with High School Musical 2 (Friday 3rd July), continues with How to Build a Better Boy (Friday 10th July), Good Luck Charlie – A Road Trip Movie (Friday 17h July), 18 Wishes (24th July) and. Last but never least, we have Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (Friday 31st July).

In How to Build a Better Boy (Friday 10th July at 17:00), science and math tests are no sweat for Gabby Harrison and Mae Hartley, but fitting in at school doesn't come as naturally. Using design software that belongs to Mae's father, the girls engineer a high-definition version of Mae's fake boyfriend, Albert, who she's dreamt up as everything a high school girl could want in a guy. However, when Albert comes to life as an advanced robotic soldier, the two best friends soon learn that Mae's father works for a top secret military branch, which is now in pursuit of Gabby and Mae, as well as Albert, to ensure he doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

Fans have a chance to see these great Disney Channel Original Movies again on Fridays throughout July at 17:00, repeated on the following Saturday at 10:40.

I DIDN’T DO IT
Weekdays from 6th July at 18:40

July offers viewers a chance to see top Disney Channel comedy series I Didn’t Do It from the beginning, as it airs on weekdays throughout the month, from Monday 6th July, at 18:40.

I Didn’t Do It tells of the hilarious twists and turns in the lives of five teenagers – ultra-competitive fraternal twins and their three best friends. Each episode begins at the end of a predicament, just after an adventure has gone absurdly haywire, and just as twins Lindy and Logan and their friends Jasmine, Garrett and Delia somehow try to explain - with flashback scenes - exactly what happened! In the first episode, Pilot (Monday 6th July at 18:40), Lindy and Logan's parents wonder why the house is covered in foam, why a pizza is falling from the ceiling, how a goat got into the house and what happened to the babysitter?

Episodes of I Didn’t Do It air on weekdays throughout July at 18:40 on Disney Channel.

August 2020 On Lifetime Africa | Court Cam | Women's Month Movies

Brand New & Exclusive
COURT CAM
26 August – 2 December, Wednesday from 20h05
Court Cam takes you inside America’s
most dramatic courtroom moments.
From frightening outbursts to furious
judges, this series brings you back
to where it happened for the story
behind the story. Hosted by Dan Abrams, Court Cam will also include interviews with judges, witnesses and victims to tell the true crime story behind the wildest, most emotional court moments caught on video.

WOMEN’S MONTH MOVIES
Lifetime celebrate Women’s Month by screening some of the channel’s very best biopics and true stories that have women at the fore. Lifetime’s “ripped from the headlines’’ movies which will air on Saturdays and Sundays at 19h20 include; Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, Simone Biles: The Courage to Soar, Harry and Meghan: Becoming Royal, Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story, Abducted: The Mary Stauffer Story, Stolen by my Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story.

August is a jam-packed movie month on Lifetime. The channel will also be featuring these brand new movies:

THE NEIGHBOUR IN THE WINDOW
10 August, Monday at 20h05
When upbeat, outgoing Karen, her husband Scott and their young son relocate to Washington for Scott’s job, Karen looks forward to starting a new life. She soon meets Lisa, her beautiful charming neighbour and they quickly bond. Lisa soon starts lying to Karen, and about Karen to others. Lisa cleverly sets herself up as Karen’s victim, until aspect of Karen’s new life starts to unravel. Karen doesn’t realise how desperate and cunning Lisa is—until things come to a shocking head.

THE SECRET SHE KEPT
16 August, Sunday at 19h20
Tia has just married the man of her dreams and is on the brink of launching a major political campaign when a pattern of erratic behaviour leads her husband to uncover her secret: she suffers from mental illness.

THE COOL MOM
24 August, Monday at 20h05
A budding friendship between their teenage daughters becomes a point of conflict for neighbour moms Tara and Anna. Despite Anna’s insistence that she’s not trying to steal Tara’s daughter, her bizarre actions scream otherwise.

INTO THE ARMS OF DANGER
31 August, Monday at 20h05
A combative phone call with her mom, Laura, results in 17-year-old Jenny getting into a car accident on a desolate stretch of road. Jenny’s call for help is answered by a pair of EMTs who promptly arrive to treat her wounds. But once Jenny is locked in the back of the ambulance, she discovers her “rescuers” are not really paramedics and are NOT taking her to the hospital, but rather to the remote home they share with their mother – a woman insane with grief over the loss of her teenage daughter – a daughter she intends to replace with Jenny.

August 2020 On History Africa | Rouen To Hiroshima | Irish Pickers | Ancient Aliens | WWII Most Daring Raids

Brand New & Exclusive
ROUEN TO HIROSHIMA
2 August, Sunday at 20h15
On 6 August 1945, the B-29 Superfortress bomber Enola Gay, piloted by Paul Tibbets, dropped the first atomic bomb used in combat over Hiroshima, Japan, bringing the Second World War to an end. This story began three years earlier – 17 August 1942, in French skies over Rouen – when the same pilot led the first daylight bombing mission against occupied Europe.

Brand New & Exclusive
IRISH PICKERS
5 August – 7 October, Wednesdays at 20h15
Irish Pickers follows Dublin-based antiques expert and historical dealer Ian Dowling, with his team comprising of Mark ‘Butzy’ Butterly, ‘Vintage’ Vinny Smith and Ali Foy as they discover, buy and sell Irish treasures. Ian and the team head to interesting and historic places, hunting out and buying quirky and unusual objects previously hidden from the world. The Irish Pickers team will travel the length and breadth of Ireland from farms to stately homes, family businesses, private collectors, architectural salvage dealers, and museums looking for amazing items of national and local historical significance. The new series will follow the team as they buy and sell everything from ornaments, street signs, military artefacts, retro games, model cars, shop fittings, prints, posters, adverts and more. If it’s Irish and has a history, they’re interested.

Brand New Season
ANCIENT ALIENS
7 August – 13 November, Fridays at 18h25
ANCIENT ALIENS examine 75 million years of the most credible alien evidence here on Earth, from the age of the dinosaurs, to ancient Egypt, to the skies over the western desert in the present-day
US. Ancient cave drawings of strange creatures, an asphalt-like substance in an Egyptian pyramid made from the remains of unidentified creatures, continued mass sightings in the USA – these are just a few of the strange stories that will be investigated.

Brand New & Exclusive
WWII MOST DARING RAIDS
15 August – 19 September, Saturdays at 20h15
Witness Allied teams leading high-risk operations throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia to fight Hitler and turn the tide of war. WWII’s Most Daring Raids puts you in the heart of the action, giving you a minute by minute account of the most astonishing surprise attacks against the Third Reich.

Friday, June 5, 2020

July 2020 On BBC Channels Africa | Meat | The Restaurant That Burns Calories | Mister Winner | More

Embarrassing Bodies (seasons 3 to 7)
Weekdays from Monday 6th July at 21:00 on BBC Lifestyle

The Embarrassing Bodies BAFTA winning doctors are back, once again aiming to de-stigmatise common complaints that many people would rather ignore than take to their GP. Dr Christian Jessen, Dr Dawn Harper and Dr Pixie McKenna take a look at patients' ailments and discuss treatment plans.

Meat: A Threat to Our Planet
Tuesday 7th July at 19:00 on BBC Earth

Science and wildlife presenter Liz Bonnin travels around the world to investigate the impact that our hunger for meat is having on our planet’s environment.

Liz travels from Texan mega-farms, the Amazon rainforest where she discovers how beef farming is a leading cause of deforestation and, in South Africa, Liz discovers life in our oceans are effected – driving African penguin towards extinction.

Liz also meets the scientists and entrepreneurs urgently looking for solutions and at the end of her journey, Liz starts to assess her own attitude to meat, and questions what we can all do to save our fragile planet.

Dragons' Den, Season 17 Set 2
From Wednesday 8th July at 20:00 on BBC Brit

Dragon’s Den returns with Series 17 where budding entrepreneurs get three minutes to pitch their business ideas to five multimillionaires. But will they be willing to invest their own cash?

The Supervet (Season 6)
From Monday 13th July at 18:00 on BBC Earth

The Supervet returns for another series with Professor Noel Fitzpatrick and his team at Fitzpatrick Referrals changing the lives of some of the UK’s most critically sick and in need pets.

The brand new series includes the likes of 4 year old pug and beagle cross Barney, who is rushed into Fitzpatricks after being hit by a bus. His ankle has been crushed by the wheel and he has lost forty percent of the bone. Faced with the prospect of losing his leg, Barney’s family are praying Noel can come up with a way to save the leg and repair the damage. Worryingly the puggle’s wound is contaminated and is a serious infection risk, so Noel must find a way to fix the ankle without infection spreading. In a world first The Supervet invents a custom implant that holds the ankle together by fitting inside the bone.

The Restaurant that Burns Calories 
Tuesday 14th July at 19:00 on BBC Earth

Perhaps a good idea for post quarantine life?

Welcome to a restaurant like no other. Where behind the scenes is not just the kitchen, but a secret gym and an army of exercisers - aiming to burn off every single calorie the diners eat.

With a three-course meal plus drinks easily coming in at 2,500 calories, it’s going to get sweaty. How will the diners feel when all is revealed? And how will they feel when they have to take a turn on the treadmills? This high-energy stunt combines humour with innovation to reveal the science of calories.

Mister Winner
From Friday 10th July at 20:40 on BBC Brit

This new comedy series follows the ironically named Leslie Winner, a well-meaning optimist who frequently finds himself in the midst of chaos, through a combination of silly decisions and tough luck.

However, the pressure is on now for Leslie to finally pull himself together, as he prepares for his wedding to beloved fiancé Jemma and attempts to win over his skeptical father-in-law to be.

The series poses the question, by the end of the series "will Leslie be a winner or will his surname continue to be ironic?"

Stacey Dooley Investigates: Spycam Sex Criminals
Tuesday 21st July at 22:00 on BBC Brit

Stacey Dooley investigates a new kind of sex crime which is sweeping South Korea.

In a country where pornography is illegal, Molka is a DIY alternative where mobile phones and hidden cameras capture footage of women at their most intimate moments without their knowledge. With 6,000 cases reported to the police in 2018. Stacey meets both the perpetrators and victims of this huge and threatening phenomenon, known as 'molka'.

Over 90 percent of the population of South Korea owns a smart phone, and some users are utilising these and other ever-improving technologies to create pornographic material without people’s consent. As camera technology has improved, it has become easier than ever to hide cameras in public places.

Some of these cameras are as small as the head of a needle. Changing rooms, toilet cubicles and even showerheads can be hiding hidden cameras, some of which are used to live stream pornography to illegal websites.

Wild Tokyo
Sunday 26th July at 17:00 on BBC Earth

Situated on Japan’s largest island, Honshu, Tokyo is the largest and busiest metropolitan area in the world. But behind Tokyo’s concrete curtain are natural refuges where wildlife has adapted and learnt to co-habit in Earth’s most human-dense territory. Home to 38 million people, a quarter of Japan’s population, this is a land where Earth’s tallest towers and busiest streets accommodate some of the rarest animals in the world - and scientists are pouring more time, energy and money than ever before into studying these human-animal cohabitations.

From the mountainous forests of Tokyo’s Okutama region, along the Tama River, through the wild sanctuaries of Tokyo’s city centre and out to its network of volcanic islands - Wild Tokyo features stunning 4K photography, shot by the world’s best natural history cinematographers, this film will reveal an unseen side of Japan’s capital city.

Charles & Di: The Truth Behind Their Wedding
Thursday 30th July at 20:00 on BBC Lifestyle
Find out the truth behind the fairytale wedding of the century which was watched by three quarters of a billion people around the world. But all wasn’t as perfect as it seemed.

At 11:30am on Wednesday 29 July 1981, 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer walked up the aisle of St Paul’s Cathedral towards HRH Prince Charles.

This documentary uses rich archive and interviews with people who knew the couple to tell the revealing, and often, shocking inside story of the seven days running up to the wedding. It compares what the jubilant public saw from the outside to the doubt, fear and heartbreak suffered privately by two individuals propelled by a fate they couldn’t control.