Insidus

Friday, November 13, 2020

SABC, e.tv And DStv Ratings For October 2020

SABC 1:
Uzalo - 8 801 675
Generations the Legacy - 7 594 621
Skeem Saam - 5 915 898
Sgud'snaysi - 4 121 408
Xhosa News - 3 831 784
Zulu News - 3 781 455
Uzalo (Repeat) - 2 966 125
Skeem Saam (Repeat) - 2 960 669
Throwback Thursday - 2 726 924
Nyan Nyan - 2 929 670
Live Amp - 2 895 263
Mtn 8 1st Leg Semi-Final Orando Pirates - 2 886 956
Family Secrets - 2 846 231
Selimathunzi - 2 720 763
Dstv Premiership Kaizer Chiefs vs Mamelo - 2 713 315
Ngomusa - 2 659 515 28
The Rose - 2 656 794
Uzalo Omnibus - 2 594 325
Lip Sync Battle - 2 362 925
Thavhazimbi - 2 536 783

SABC 2:
Muvhango - 3 912 400
Lithapo - 1 753 297
7De Laan - 1 611 692
Nuus - 1 386 010
Vutha - 1 380 530
Mokgonyana Mmatswale - 1 227 275
Ngwanaka Ngwanaka O Kae - 1 180 351
Live Lotto Draw - 1 051 604
Muvhango (Omnibus) - 900 208
Ses/Tsw/Sep News - 958 519
Lithapo (Repeat) - 822 077
The Wicker Man - 736 222
SABC 2: Afro Cafe Documentary - 709 860
Venda/Tsonga News - 692 489
Mid Term Budget Speech - 724 330
Morning Live - 716 766
Music - 653 529
50/50 - 700 854
Touched by An Angel - 631 999
Fokus - 655 548

SABC 3:
Dynasties - 1 025 654
International Friendly: South Africa vs N - 766 680
Knight Rider - 448 514
Ama Knows Best (Repeat) - 443 455
Mela Maga - 435 715
Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund vs Fc Schal - 425 964
Music - 424 920
The Greatest Dancer - 421 720
News - 392 404
Rustom - 376 044
The A-Team - 366 983
The Great Dancer - 356 054
Celebrated Love - 347 122
Airwolf - 314 668
Generations the Legacy (Repeat) 328 820
Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana - 319 975
Top Billing - 309 432
Dishoom - 287 885
Magnum P.I. - 302 163
The Insider Sa (Repeat) - 286 213

e.tv:
Scandal - 5 104 684
Rhythm City - 4 043 534
Imbewu - 3 573 606
Mad Buddies - 3 174 330
Skyscraper (Mov) - 2 765 996
G.I Joe: Retaliation - 2 619 278
Spider-Man Homecoming - 2 330 355
Thor: Ragnarok - 2 453 243
Thor - 2 258 033
Thor: the Dark World - 2 233 282
Music - 1 883 266
The Secret Life of Pets - 1 815 563
Imbewu (Repeat) - 1 722 726
Little Big Shots Forever Young - 1 645 693
Checkpoint - 1 597 726 25.2
Durban Gen - 1 551 450
Rhythm City (Repeat) - 1 516 392
Scandal (Repeat) - 1 515 914
Steve Austin's Broken Skull Ranch Challenge - 1 470 704
Deur Dik En Dun - 1 408 619

DStv Adults & Under:
The Queen (Mzansi) - 1 469 577 & 1 814 690
Gomora (Mzansi) - 1 365 779 & 1 712 178
Idols SA (Mzansi) - 1 183 035 & 1 457 163
The Powerball Draw Quiz (Mzansi) - 1 114 239 & 1 387 953
You Promise to Marry Me (MOJA) - 1 044 489 & 1 356 133
Isibaya (Mzansi) - 959 262 & 1 155 417
Our Perfect Wedding (Wethu) - 957 753 & 1 184 624
The River (Mzansi) - 941 419 & 1 112 722
Uthando Nesthembu (Mzansi) - 829 368 & 1 061 218
Ehostela (Wethu) - 748 028 & 914 373
The Score (Mzansi) 743 071 & 901 807
Vula Vala (Mzansi) 663 785 & 838 098
Please Step In (Mzansi) - 631 462 & 746 007
Ingane Yam (Mzansi) 546 623 & 680 533
The Queen (Omnibus, Wethu) - 507 298 & 628 469
The Queen Movie (Wethu) - 505 846 & 636 319
Accused (Wethu) - 541 273 & 686 424
Izangoma Zodumo (Mzansi) - 532 172 & 693 305
Unmarried (Mzansi) - 510 882 & 648 842
The Queen (Repeat, Wethu) - 498 088 & 569 509
The Real Housewives of Johannesburg (Wethu) - 462 329 & 602 788
The Throne (Drama, Wethu) - 494 754 & 577 533
Isintu (Bioskop) - 444 766 & 564 007
Isibaya (Repeat, Wethu) - 470 450 & 518 350
Ulaka Lwabaphansi (Bioskop) - 433 233 & 536 330
Dloz'lami (Moja) - 458 058 & 508 459
Isithembiso (Wethu) - 452 262 & 537 621
Who's the Father (Bioskop) - 449 662 & 589 637
Umhlolokazi (Bioskop) - 416 253 & 520 338
Mamazala (Moja) - 447 043 & 499 193

Review On SABC: Channels, Content And Management

SABC has been around for over 84 years, they started out as a radio service and expanded with 3 linear channels. Throughout those years, they've experienced and overcome various obstacles.

SABC began as a station for white folks as it was illegal include blacks in linear television until the early 90s where they positioned their 3 channels to cater for different groups (2.5 in general).

The first three channels from their stable carry a mix of local and "international" content:

SABC 1 is catered towards the black community which seems odd as South Africa since they reserve most of their airtime for one. They can be inclusive but lack diversity. If you want to sleep through your heritage then this is the place to be.

SABC 2, this channel caters towards the niche market specifically Afrikaans, Tsonga and Venda. For a niche station, they do a better job ignoring them and making them feel as small as they already are in numbers.

SABC 3 offers a variety of entertainment in English. The channel is your go-to place if you like the 80s or live under a rock and afraid to face society head-on.

The following aren't must carry like the three above but are operated by SABC as well:

SABC News, gives you live coverage of the latest news from South Africa. The channel is for the elderly as its informative and very reliable especially in politics. If you're not an entertainment junkie this channel fits your description.

SABC Sports, it's not what I anticipated from this brand, I was hoping that SABC would use this platform to promote fresh talent by giving them a platform to showcase their skills but no they'd rather just focus on the ones out on the field.

SABC Education, they're doing a remarkable job in this field the problem would have to be the timeslots for these programs.

International and Local

The international lineup is still impressive from my standpoint the problem would be the airtime for this I get why they're trying to force local content down our throats. In other countries, local is what dominates that region.

Local entertainment on SABC was dominating before Top Billing, High Rollers and Eastern Mosaic weren't cancelled. Now the broadcaster thinks soapies will be enough to keep them afloat.

Another reason for their failure

They're catering towards analogue viewers which is outdated and the government has been planning to discontinue but hasn't done as of yet.

Due to those delays, the broadcaster is failing to lure viewers online and through platforms like OpenView and DStv since there's more alternatives besides the 4 you'd pick up with only a TV set.

Review On eMedia Investments Set Of Channels

The group’s main asset is a controlling stake in South African based media group eMedia Investments Proprietary Limited (eMedia Investments). eMedia Investments has a number of core assets in the television and radio broadcasting sector, with additional assets in the content, properties and facilities sectors.

Description of their channels:

e.tv, South Africa’s first and only free-to-air commercial television station. In short it's a free version of M-Net which has shown significant improvement with regards to their soapies storylines, selection of movies and prime time lineup.

eExtra, offers the best telenovelas from India, Latin America and around the world with a mixture of other programming. The channel is inclusive, diverse and brings a spark to their star studded lineup.

eMovies and eMovies Extra are the brands free-to-air movie channels. Both channels stand out on their own making it predictable and easy to navigate.

eReality is South Africa's first free-to-air reality channel and has got something for the whole family. The mom can enjoy the best of cooking with MasterChef, The dad can learn more about science with Mythbusters and the rest of the family can laugh out loud with Steve Harvey.

News&Sports, is the stable destination for sports coverage and news from around the globe. The channel keeps sports fans at the edge of their seat and uses magazine and talk shows to make up for the lack of news but what the heck, entertainment is also a forefront for news.

Rewind, as the name states leverages content already seen from the above stations. If you're nostalgic about chick flicks, sitcoms or local content this is your go to destination for all that.

eToonz describes itself as a fun portal for the little ones with a mixture of animation and live-action. The channel can be tiresome with its weekly lineup and put even the naughtiest adolescent out of their misery.

December 2020 On M-Net Movies | Festive Movies | Repeats | New Additions

December is the month of festivities so M-Net will be dishing a selection of movies to DStv customers.

As usual M-Net only lists a bunch of films with unclosed dates and channels (just know it's for M-Net Movies 1-4) and it goes as follows:

- Jingle All The Way
- Kin
- Christmas Love Letter
- Torque
- Knives Out
- Baby Geniuses
- 21 Jump Street
- 22 Jump Street
- Staging Christmas
- Beyond
- Fight For Justice
- Winter Song
- What Still Remains
- The Young Victoria
- The Good Lie
- The Secrets Of NHIM 2
- The Voice
- What Happens In Vegas
- 68 Whiskey
- Paws
- Christmas At Graceland
- The Thing
- The Third Day
- Christmas At Grand Valley
- The Way We Weren't
- Step Dogs
- Mojave
- Midway
- Mama
- Alvin And The Chipmunks
- Merry Wish-Mas
- Black Sheep
- Kung Fu Panda 2
- Fishmas
- George Lopez
- Christmas At The Palace
- Fred Claus
- Carole's Christmas
- Last Broken Darkness
- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
- Daddy Day Camp
- The Undoing
- Man Hunt Deadly Game
- Hop
- Occupation
- Equilibrium
- Merry Ex Mas
- Christmas Evergreen
- Christmas Ever After
- Bypass
- Christmas In Rome
- A New York Christmas
- The Courier
- Marry Wishmas
- A Thousands Words
- Elton John Uncensored
- A Very Nutty Christmas
- Please Stand By
- Resistance
- Baking Christmas
- My Best Friend's Girl
- Shark
- Candy Cane Christmas
- Agent Cody Banks
- Agent Cody Banks 2
- A Royal Christmas Engagement
- The Vatican Tapes
- The Undoing
- A Christmas To Cherish
- Official Secrets
- Pets United
- A Christmas Princess
- Proximity
- Cats
- Christmas Romance Al Dente
- Like A Boss
- Check Inn To Christmas
- Raven Little Rascal
- A Merry Holiday
- Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life
- A Christmas Surprise
- Kidnap
- Space Dogs: Adventure To The Moon
- An All Dog Christmas Carol
- Legacy Of Lies
- Elf Pets
- Elf Land
- Elf Day
- Pride, Prejudice And Mistletoe
- Homegrown Christmas
- Holiday Heist
- Jose And The Pussycats
- Road Home To Christmas
- Close Up With Hollywood Reporter
- One Fine Christmas
- Zookeeper
- Home Again
- The Snow Queen
- The Snow Queen 2
- Hot Fuzz
- Santa Girl
- Another Christmas Coincidence
- Mosley
- Shrek Forever After
- Christmas Match Makers
- Island Of Shadows
- Joey
- The King And I
- Then Came You
- Misery Index
- Christmas Love Letter
- Nanny McPhee And The Big Bang
- National Lampoon's Van Wilder
- Lucy Shimmers And The Prince Of Peace
- Sydney White
- When It Comes Around

Monday, November 9, 2020

Telkom In Partnership With SABC Launch A Streaming Service

Telkom launches its TelkomONE video streaming service including linear TV channels with free package and R7 per day subscription; plans more bouquets and says 'we're here for the long run'.

Telkom that initially promised to do so on Thursday last week, on Monday launched its new TelkomONE streaming service, offering some linear TV channels in its offering, with a free version as well as a TelkomONE Amp subscription package that will cost R7 per day or R49 per month.

While currently only offering the free package that will carry advertising and one AMP subscription package, Telkom says it will expand over time to offer various different subscription fee packages.

The TelkomONE video-on-demand (VOD) service was built by Discover Digital and Telkom signed a 5-year contract with the SABC to carry SABC1 and SABC2 as linear TV channels, as well as a package of library content from the SABC archives for its video-on-demand service.

TelkomONE however carries more than just SABC content. The heavy local catalogue curated along the genres of lifestyle, comedy, music and reality TV content is flavoured with some international shows from Hollywood and independent overseas studios, and well as from South Africa locally.

TelkomONE is available through downloading it as a mobile app, internet browsers at telkomone.tv on personal computers, Android TV and Telkom's own Telkom LIT set-top box. Payment for TelkomONE can be done with Telkom airtime, adding it postpaid to fixed and mobile Telkom contracts, credit and debit cards, vouchers or cash.

Telkom declined to answer a media enquiry on Monday asked what the financial investment in rand has been so far in establishing TelkomONE as its video-on-demand service and for what period it will definitely be running it before evaluating its prospects and return on the investment to the telecom's bottom line.

Linear TV channels that will be streaming on TelkomONE include SABC1, SABC2, Kaya TV, SABC Sport, SABC Education, Mindset, Al Jazeera, africanews, Deutsche Welle, euronews, France24, RT, GOD TV, Hope Channel, Inspiration TV and SonLifeBroadcasting Network (SBN).

The SABC's 19 radio stations will also be streaming on TelkomONE including MetroFM, RSG, Umhlobo Wenene, 5FM, Thobela FM and Ukhozi FM.

Included in the TelkomONE AMP package users get an additional 30 curated audio playlists that is done by a Canadian service provider packaging and distributing African content.

Notably absent from TelkomONE is SABC3 because the streaming licensing rights for international content on the channel couldn't be cleared, as well as the SABC's own TV news channel SABC News.

Neither Telkom nor the SABC explained why SABC News isn't available although it's likely that although it is a public broadcaster channel, it was commissioned and is being paid for by MultiChoice for its DStv service.

The SABC will receive an annual channels carriage licensing fee for its linear TV and radio channels, as well as for the on-demand archive content, 10% of which the SABC will cycle and change monthly to keep it fresh. This deal includes 1000 of hours of VOD content.

The SABC will also share in the TelkomONE advertising revenue.

The SABC placing its content on TelkomONE is separate from the SABC's plan to launch its own SABC iPlayer video streaming service in 2021.

Sipho Maseko, Telkom CEO, says "TelkomONE will make it possible for subscribers to pause, go back into the electronic programming guide and time-shift, and instantly watch a scheduled TV show they may have missed. Telkom is making digital TV functionality available to all".

Madoda Mxakwe, SABC CEO, says "We believe that the transition to digital broadcasting and over-the-top (OTT) is a key strategy for the survival and relevance of the South African public broadcaster".

Stephen Watson, founding managing director of Discover Digital that built TelkomONE, says it contains technologies and functions that are first in the African market.

On the AMP package a subscriber can download 5 titles and a user have 48 hours to start watching.

Users can record content and shows from the live linear TV channels which will be recorded in the could and then appear in the account section under "my recordings".

Interestingly, if you've missed a show, users can now go back into the past with the free package on the EPG for 24 hours and select a show that was already broadcast, and it will play immediately. On the AMP package a TelkomONE viewer can scroll back on a specific linear TV channel as far as 3 days and still watch a specific show.

With TelkomONE the time-shifted PVR function is therefore no longer limited to consumers who can afford a set-top box with a hard drive.

TelkomONE will also offer a 4K channel broadcasting music festivals and says it will build out its 4K content offering over time. Within the free package TelkomONE will offer talk shows and music artists performing live, streamed in 4K resolution, which will be available to Telkom LIT box users.

After Telkom last week said "we're ready" and will launch on 5 November, Wanda Mkhize, Telkom's executive for smart home and content, told TVwithThinus about the postponement that "with us delaying the launch and actually launching today we had some technical and connection challenges on Thursday and unfortunately couldn't launch the platform and as such we made sure that we could at least deliver as soon as possible and that's why TelkomONE is launching today".

TVwithThinus also asked whether the TelkomONE app will also be added to MultiChoice's latest DStv Explora that will carry and offer a carousel of different VOD streaming services like Netflix, Showmax and Amazon Prime Video, or in terms of set-top boxes it will be limited to Telkom LIT.

Wanda Mkhize said that "Telkom and MultiChoice have had a longstanding relationship, we currently carry the DStv application on our Telkom LIT box, and relationships with regards to services and what we produce we would definitely continue having those conversations".

With the South African VOD landscape already littered with failures like VIDI, Altech Node, PCCW's OnTapTV, Kwesé Play and Kwesé TV and most recently Cell C black that sucked up hundreds of millions of rands without a return on investment, Wanda Mkhize, when TVwithThinus asked for how long TelkomONE will definitely be running, said "we're here for the long run".

"We've looked at the strategy, we've framed it in regards to introducing two bouquets right now. We have a future-view of introducing more bouquets, opening up and create greater access specifically to our fixed-line customers."

"We also believe and are following the strategy of being a super-aggregator which means that we believe that our customers need to have choice in regards to the services that they like to take up. Therefore we will be introducing more services onto the platform and giving our consumers- both mobile and fixed - more access."

Thursday, November 5, 2020

People's Weather Is Also Available On OpenView

People°s Weather is Africa's first and only 24/7 climate, environment and weather channel, which is available DStv Channel 180 is also available on OpenView channel 115.

Fight Sports was occupied that channel number till it was removed from the OpenView platform after a year.

Our mission is to communicate in an entertaining and informative way the weather and effects of the climate and environment on people and the world they live in.

As the official media partner of the environment we focus on the pioneers that help and inspire us and our viewers to build a sustainable future together.

People living the weather is you and me. It is the outdoor enthusiast and the mountaineer. The couple who enjoys a glass of bubbly while watching a beautiful sunset.
— Stephan le Roux, CEO People°s Weather

NEW CHANNEL ALERT: Novela Magic Coming Soon To DStv?

Novela Magic is an African-focused telenovela channel coming to DStv. It is produced by M-Net as well and might be catered specifically for South Africa.

In an upfront in August, MultiChoice mentioned that they're working on four Pan-African channels. Three will be added for specific regions while one being a lifestyle channel will likely be available across Africa.

Now this channel is unheard of perhaps MultiChoice wanted to surprise customers with this station.

The channel airs old programs from Zambezi Magic and Africa Magic such as Forbidden, Unbroken, Battleground and Zuba.

There's reasons why the channel could be in South Africa. For starters, Mzansi Magic and KykNet have their own repeat channels (KykNet Lekker and Mzansi Wethu) for lower bouquets except for Africa Magic.

So perhaps the idea for this channel was to repeat certain content from the rest of Africa to help fill up its airtime and make it unique perhaps they'll even supply content from Maisha Magic and Pearl Magic.

At the moment, MultiChoice has no details on the channel and in such cases it does imply that they'll be more details in a new month.

Update: Novela Magic launches 27 November At 6pm CAT on DStv channel 165 maybe this is their way of making up for the delay of tvN. The channel is rumoured to also be added onto the Family package it could change.

Friday, October 30, 2020

Streaming: What Will Happen To NBCUniversal Linear Channels Currently Seen On DStv, Starsat And StarTimes?

NBCUniversal International (in Africa) supplies channels such as Universal TV, Studio Universal, DreamWorks Channel, Telemundo and E!

The restructuring of the TV and streaming business of Comcast's NBCUniversal featured prominently on the company's third-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday.

"In essence, we have done away with the concept of creating a piece of work for a specific network," Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said.

NBCU recently rejigged and streamlined key parts of its operations to cut costs and update structures for the digital age. A recently launched TV and Streaming unit, which combined those businesses under Mark Lazarus, was part of a restructuring designed to shift resources and investment from linear to streaming, but also causing job cuts. On Thursday, Roberts explained the move this way: "In essence, we have done away with the concept of creating a piece of work for a specific network."

Management showed a slide saying the move would drive “long-term value.” It showed the old structure as being “fragmented, with individual network executive teams” and optimizing "specific networks and brands.” The new structure "optimizes [the] full portfolio of linear and digital outlets" and is "centralized, with small programming executive teams."

NBCU CEO Jeff Shell during the third-quarter earnings conference call said the costs for the restructuring are hitting over the course of about a year, with a third "in this current quarter" and most of it having hit by midyear 2021, which will lead to "a lot less cost" and position the company for future opportunities. "We are kind of through the execution of most of our restructuring," he said, adding that the changing world and industry, including revenue pressures, mean a need for reform to ensure long-term profitability and health.

Comcast CFO Mike Cavanagh on the call detailed restructuring charges taken this year. He said "COVID-related severance and restructuring charges" year-to-date have reached $239 million. "We expect to incur an additional charge that is approximately double this amount in this year’s fourth quarter as we continue to align the cost structure across all of our businesses," he added. That would mean around $478 million in the quarter and around $717 million for the whole year.

Shell also said the advertising upfront ended up being much smaller than in the past, but "much better" than expected for the company, with pricing slightly higher, instead of the expected decline, and ad volume being down slightly.

Cavanagh on Thursday's call also predicted that the theme parks unit, which posted a third-quarter loss just like in the previous quarter, would break even again some time in 2021 no matter what happens to Universal Studios Hollywood. Roberts said the division has seen "the most pressure" from the coronavirus pandemic and it will take some time to recover, but management remains "very bullish" on theme parks longer-term. He also highlighted that excluding theme parks losses, NBCU's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization would have grown 9 percent in the third quarter.

The topic of premium VOD and theatrical film releases, which has been a key issue on recent Comcast earnings calls, only came up in passing on Thursday. Cavanagh mentioned that NBCU's film team plans to release The Croods: A New Age in theaters and on PVOD in the fourth quarter, while other movies have been pushed to 2021.

Shell previously addressed Universal Pictures' historic agreement with cinema giant AMC Theatres, which will allow the studio's movies to be made available on premium video-on-demand after just 17 days of play in cinemas, including three weekends. The deal, which initially covers AMC's U.S. locations, shatters the traditional theatrical window of nearly three months before studios can make movies available in the home. AMC, the world's largest theater chain, is expected to share in the revenue from PVOD. "Together we can build a new, more attractive business model for us both," Shell said this summer. He also signaled Universal was expecting to reach similar deals with other exhibitors.

Shell also said back then that in recent years it has become "increasingly more difficult" to get the same returns on movies over the first two windows, with the AMC deal helping the studio and the exhibitor on that front.

Conclusion: This affects mostly E! since it was the only channel fitting that description while the rest have just been relying on acquisitions and archived shows. Telemundo in the U.S. is not managed by Comcast while NBCUniversal here manages it so my guess would be that E! and Telemundo will merge into a single channel which would be similar to the defunct FOX Life channel:
1. Since NBCUniversal is on a cancelling spree, E! joined Telemundo on a reruns rampage.
2.1. Telemundo lineup gets weaker on a yearly basis as more repeats begin to fill up the channel. They use to provide 4 hours of fresh content now that's dropped by 3 hours with only an hour repeating during the daytime. By next year, they're very likely going to offer 2 hours of fresh content which is okay since it gives viewers time to watch other stations.
2.2. E! will look more like BET, FOX and Comedy Central which can only provide an hour or more of fresh content per week.
3. E! has been heavily reliant on The Kardashians to boost their airtime now that their chapter is coming to an end what's left for the channel besides Botched! which is likely getting canned or moving to streaming services.

TV Kids Will Host A Global Event

TV Kids will host a three-day virtual event focused on the crucial role of international partnerships for the children’s programming industry in February 2021.

Taking place from February 2 to 4, 2021, the TV Kids Festival will feature keynotes and panels with leading executives and creatives discussing the importance of alliances in producing and distributing top-notch kids’ programming today.

Highlights will include addresses from senior-level executives at kids’ channels, streaming services and distribution companies, as well as creators of hit shows. There will also be panels on windowing and financing models, acquisition strategies and co-productions, as well as a special focus on the French animation sector.

TV Kids Festival will also deliver exclusive premieres of new shows available on the global market, and will present the inaugural TV Kids Pioneer Award to an individual or company that is leading innovation in the children’s programming business. It will be streamed live and available on-demand on World Screen’s brand-new, state-of-the-art events and festivals platform, which launches next month.

“With our print and online magazine, annual guide, daily and weekly newsletters, in-demand reports and more, World Screen has assembled a powerhouse stable of platforms serving the children’s programming community,” says Ricardo Guise, the president and publisher of World Screen. “We’re thrilled to be adding the TV Kids Festival to our offerings in 2021.”

December 2020 On Da Vinci Kids Africa | New Seasons For The Family | Christmas Stunt

TIMES IN CAT
Kids Programmes – Premiere
Operation Ouch! - Season 8
From December 12th
Saturdays & Sundays 18:30
Identical twin brothers and doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken experiment on themselves and meet real patients in hospital to explore the fascinating world of medicine and biology. They show how the body works in normal and extreme situations - from Oh! to Eeeuw!

Adults Programmes – Premiere
Forces of Nature – BRAND NEW
From December 13th
Sundays 22:00
Shape, motion, elements and colour tell us a lot about Earth. Using the latest technology to bring unique perspectives and understanding of nature’s wonders, this series shows the immense forces that make our world so vibrant and diverse.

Christmas with Da Vinci!
Friday, December 24th from 17:30 to 20:00 and Saturday, December 25th from 08:50 to 10:55

The Treehouse Stories
Airs at 17:25 and repeats at 08:50
The Christmas Feast
The kids hear what happens when a wolf, a fox and a weasel decide to have a Christmas feast with a turkey. The clever turkey teaches them how to have fun and they all have a Christmas to remember.

Thomas Edison's Secret Lab
Airs at 17:35 and repeats at 09:00
Stranger in a Strange Lab & Sturm Und Drag
An old friend of Edison’s visits the lab and asks the Secret Lab Kids to help him with a top-secret project. And, The Secret Lab Kids work on a secret new aircraft for a mysterious character named "Bob".

Thomas Edison's Secret Lab
Airs at 18:00 and repeats at 09:25
All the Heavy Lifting & Twas the Night Before Liftoff
When Von Bolt finds a tiny wrapped present, he comes to the conclusion that Bob is Santa Claus. And, the Edison Kids need to complete their new airship, but are locked out of the impenetrable mountain lab!

Thomas Edison's Secret Lab
Airs at 18:30 and repeats at 09:55
Von Bolt Meets Santa & And to All a Good Flight
The Secret Lab Kids must devise functioning space suits to travel to the moon to rescue Von Bolt and Bob. Later, the Secret Lab Kids are stuck on the moon and only have a few hours left to return to Earth!

Horrible Histories
Airs at 19:00 and repeats at 10:25
Horrible Christmas
Christmas in the past wasn’t always fun, with smelly Saxon gifts, terrible Tudor pudding and crazy Victorian cards. On Christmas Day in 1914, British and German soldiers stopped fighting and played football.

Did You Know?
Airs at 19:30 and repeats at 10:55
Making Christmas Special
Christmas is a special time of the year. Get tips on decorating and discover ways of spotting fake money and gifts.

Continuing Shows
Siyaya: Come Wild with Us – NEW EPISODES
Saturdays & Sundays 14:30
Siyaya – Come Wild With Us is an adventurous journey to fascinating places in and around South Africa’s national parks. Young explorers experience unique challenges in every episode as they experience nature at its wildest.

PinCode – NEW EPISODES
Saturdays & Sundays 15:00
Captain Pin and his colourful crew zoom through space, time, volume and dimension in their trusty spacecraft, the Umflier. In each episode they encounter a different problem that can be solved and explained by science.

Disasters Engineered – NEW EPISODES
Thursdays 22:00
Through extensive archive footage and expert interviews this series explores the stories behind mankind’s greatest engineering disasters, looking at how they happened and what we have learnt from them.

Did I Mention Invention? - Season 2 – NEW EPISODES
Saturdays & Sundays 15:30
In each episode, host Alie Ward presents fascinating new inventions, from a robot football player to technology to keep babies safe. She meets with their inventors, learns about their journey from idea to production and presents fun facts on the history of innovation.

How To Do Stuff Good – NEW EPISODES
Fridays 15:55
Hosted by a zany bunch of school-aged kids, each with their own story to tell and lesson to share, this hilarious series demonstrates how to do all manner of amazing things, from arts & crafts to cooking and pranks.

Da Vinci Kids is available on DStv, Starsat (SA) and StarTimes (ROA)

Why SABC Wants Streaming Platforms To Pay TV Licences?

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has clarified its requests for new regulations that would require companies like MultiChoice and Netflix to collect TV Licence fees on its behalf.

The public broadcaster recently proposed that the definition of a TV licence be expanded and that pay-TV and streaming companies be engaged to assist in the collection of TV Licence fees.

It added that this would be similar to municipalities collecting traffic fines and motor vehicle licence discs.

Speaking in an interview with MyBroadband, SABC Head of TV Licences Sylvia Tladi confirmed the SABC was looking at improving compliance as well as expanding the definition of the television set to include devices such as smartphones.

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“We are of the view that the regulation is outdated,” Tladi said.

“Bear in mind that the Broadcasting Act was last amended in 1999, whereas the TV licence regulations are 16 years old. In that time, there has been a significant development in the manner in which content is being consumed.”

“We cannot play in the media environment as much as everyone else is doing because the legislation is outdated,” she said.

Looking at obligations for MultiChoice and Netflix
Tladi said that the SABC was considering working with companies like MultiChoice and Netflix to improve compliance in terms of TV licence fees.

“We would like obligations to be placed on companies that sell set-top boxes, decoders, to be able to ensure that when people apply for a subscription, there needs to be a process where it can be validated that they do have a current TV Licence,” Tladi said.

She said that the motivation behind this is that customers do not buy a decoder on its own – they are going to connect it to a TV for which they should have a valid licence.

Tladi added that the SABC is also looking at ensuring TV Licence compliance through streaming services including Netflix.

“With regards to the likes of Netflix, what we are talking about here is streaming services, and what we are looking at is that where streaming services are available in the market and people are able to stream SABC’s content, there needs to be valid or paid-up TV Licence,” she said.

“We are not saying they should physically go out there and collect; we are looking at a process of making sure that there is compliance.”

She noted that the regulations of how this process will unfold will have to be drafted to outline a specific process.

“For example, instead of saying Netflix collect TV Licence fees, there are various ways of doing it. We can negotiate with the streaming service about a percentage of whatever people are streaming that is content which belongs to the SABC,” Tladi said.

She added that the SABC’s main priority in proposing regulation changes is to improve compliance.

“I think a part of that will include tying up loose ends where pay-TV operators are concerned as well as streaming services,” Tladi said.

It is important to note that these proposals by the SABC are currently in very early stages.

These potential changes to regulations must be debated before parliament and concretely defined before they are propagated further towards becoming law.

The SABC issued a statement on 29 October stating that it will make a detailed submission on the Draft White Paper on Audio and Audiovisual Content Services and invited public comments on the proposed changes to local broadcasting regulations.

“In finalising the SABC’s submission, the public broadcaster will take cognisance of the wide range of views expressed on the need for a licence fee or a public broadcasting levy,” the SABC said.

“The SABC calls on the public and all interested parties to also make their comments to the DCDT by 30 November 2020.”

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Fight Sports Stops Airing On OpenView

Fight Sport was only available for a year on OpenView and created for fans of boxing, sumo and wrestling. OpenView confirmed that today will be their last day on their platform.

Details on its removal still remain a mystery as this came in as a last minute announcement kind of like the time BBC World News was swapped for the French lifestyle channel, France24.

2020 has been a hectic year for cable providers where platforms like OpenView, Starsat and DStv have been witnesses loss of channels. To make for those losses they've been working around the clock to source out more content and channels.

Throughout 2020, OpenView managed to launch 3 unwatchable channels with one of them being a Mindset+ channel which is deemed useful. According to reports, they were planning to rollout more channels on top of a streaming service but due to the complications of covid19 there have been some minor setbacks.

Good news is OpenView will be rolling out more channels likely by November. According to witnesses, there's more than one channel rolling out and there's been speculation that one of them is an entertainment channel.

Even though, Fight Sports will no longer be available on the platform viewers can still enjoy the best of Impact and other sporting events on News&Sports (channel 120).

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Star Life: The Fate Of My Identity And The Evil Eye Has Been Revealed

If anyone has been following the news circulating in the web. Star Life was suppose to air My Identity and The Evil Eye earlier in the year but due to lockdown regulations both these shows were delayed.

My Identity has been delayed for the second time in a now filling up its spot at the moment is A Perfect Lie but now that's being snatched for the long-awaited show, The Evil Eye.

The Evil Eye (Nazaar) follows the life of an evil Daayan, who worship the mother goddesses Kali and Durga. But as a devil, she was cursed by gods and captured into the human world. Jatinder Bhardwaj and Ankur Nayyar take up the lead role with Monalisa set to follow.

The series airs everyday at 22:00 CAT/21:00 WAT/23:00 EAT from 28 November

Star Life is available on DStv, Starsat (SA) & StarTimes (ROA) and OpenView

Zirc Media's Idents For Their New Channel On DStv

Ziric Media is an upcoming channel intended to broadcast on DStv. The channel will be modern, stylish, powerful smooth, dynamic and unique.

The channel will have trends, events, history, fashion, travel, action, lifestyle and sports.

Upcoming Shows For Kids Networks In Africa

Now you'll see why critics say Disney Channel is dominating animation and part of them are speculation and the ones in brackets

are for streaming services.

Cartoon Network:
The ones in brackets moved to streaming and are uncertain at this point

- (Tiny Toons Looniversity)

- (Unicorn: Warriors Eternal)

- (Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed)

- (Unlimited Squirrels)

- (Cat The Cat's Show The Show Show With You)
- Batwheels
- Elliott From Earth
- The Heroic Quest Of Prince Ivandoe
- We Baby Bears
- (Infinity Train)
- (The Fungies)
- (Tig N Seek)

Boomerang:
- Lucas The Spider
- The Mysteries Of Master Moley
- Agent Binky
- Mush-Mush And The Mushables
- The Misadventures Of Master Foley

Disney Channel:
Animation and live-action
- Pup Academy
- Hamster And Gretel
- Ghostforce
- School Hacks
- Bia
- Vikingskool
- Best Bugs Forever
- The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti
- The Secrets Of Sulphur Springs
- Disney Fam Jam
- Marvel's Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur
- The Ghost And Molly McGee
- Go Away, Unicorn

Disney Junior:
- Mickey Mouse Funhouse
- Pikwik Pack
- The Chicken Squad
- Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends
- Whisker Haven: Royal Hearts of Fun
- Dino Ranch

Nickelodeon:
Animation and live-action
- Rugrats
- Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years (miniseries)
- Best Bester
- Just Add Magic spinoff
- Middlemost Post
- Club 57
- The Smurfs
- Tyler Perry's Young Dylan
- Spyders
- (Pinky Malinky)
- Side Hustle
- Brendar The Barbarian
- (Glitch Techs)
- Untitled Garfield Show
- Cake My Day
- Star Trek: Prodigy
- Unleashed
- Man Of The House
- Meet The Voxels
- Adventure In Wonder Park
- The Astronauts
- Side Hustle
- Big Nate
- Real Pigeons Fight Crime
- The Patrick Star Show
- Untitled Simon Fuller And Ryan Tedder Musical Series

Nick Jr:
- Baby Shark's Big Show!
- Ricky Zoom
- The Beatbuds
- The Tiny Chef Show

CBeebies:
- Ragdoll Robot
- Monty & Co
- Boogie Beebies
- Andy's Aquatic Adventure
- Bot And The Beasties

PBS Kids in Africa:
- Let's Go Luna
- Ready Jet Go
- Hero Elementary
- Xavier Riddle And The Secret Museum
- Elinor Wonders Why
- Clifford The Big Red Dog
- Donkey Hodie
- Splash And Bubbles
- Nature Cat

eToonz (e.tv):
- Todd World
- Art Attack
- Harvey Street Kids
- The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle
- Inspector Gadget
- Talking Tom And Friends
- The Moe Show
- Treehouse Detectives
- Transformers Rescue Bots (and the sequel)
- Valt The Wonder Deer
- Fifi And The Flowertots
- Roary The Racing Car
- Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug And Cat Noir
- Power Players
- Megaman: Fully Charged
- Space Ranger Roger
- Oswald
- Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto!
- Polly Pocket
- The Toy Book
- Angry Birds
- Kitty Is Not A Cat
- She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power
- Rubbadubbers
- Doozers
- Lego City Adventures
- Kung Fu Panda: The Paws Of Destiny
- 3Below: Tales of Arcadia
- Mighty Little Bheem

Da Vinci Kids:
- The Odd Squad

ViacomCBS Africa Should Consider Reconstructing And Perhaps Streamlining It's Channels

ViacomCBS (formerly Viacom) has been in the market for approximately 15 years with its reality skewed brand, MTV being their longest running channel within the market.

Other channels they manage is Comedy Central, BET, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, Nicktoons, MTV Base and in South Africa, MTV Music 24. Former channels include BET Jazz, VH1 and VH1 Classic.

Now to get back to the topic, streaming has taken over people's lives especially in the United States where millions of consumers dump cable in favor of this phenomenon.

Netflix started the trend and has been dominating for over a decade now they have competition such as HBO Max, CBS All Access (soon to be Paramount+) and Disney+.

These competitors host a bunch of linear channels for international markets and since these platforms launched it had their affects towards those channels which led some markets to cutback on channels.

Disney Africa aligned their channels not much to streamline there, WarnerMedia Africa doesn't have much to streamline perhaps dispose but ViacomCBS definitely has a ton of reorganizing.

On the entertainment section in which streaming has no affect, BET and Comedy Central are redundant so the channel that will likely pay for their that is MTV. I can see a future where ViacomCBS ask themselves why should MTV be used for reality when it stands for music.

MTV Base is already very popular across Africa particularly in Nigeria where they're #1 while MTV has been ignored ever since ViacomCBS decided to introduce more MTV channels I would have preferred if they kept it under the brand VH1 but that won't happen since the brand is done for.

The reality shows seen on MTV would blend right in on BET particularly all that local stuff like Lasizwe and Guy Code. Perhaps the rest would sit better on another entertainment channel like Paramount even though the U.S. plan to make it look like AMC there's still chances that other markets won't adapt to that.

TNT did relaunch as a movie channel and Universal doesn't have original programming.

On the kids side which is somewhat meh, Nickelodeon has a Nick@Nite block (occasionally and not for kids), Nick Jr block (excluding South Africa) and repeats of acquired shows from its sister channel, Nicktoons which is understandable since the channel is more accessible outside of South Africa and putting them on Nickelodeon gives them better exposure.

Nicktoons came in as a reruns channel which benefits South Africa in terms of accessibility then had an overflow of acquisitions followed by the Nick Jr. block while the preschool brand is somewhat decent and isn't heavily reliant on acquisitions.

On the streaming side, I can see how this will affect Nick Jr since there's not a lot on their plate perhaps you'll see more acquisitions and Nickelodeon will go back to being the exclusive home for that as well leaving Nicktoons with the scraps once again or at least 90% of the scraps.

In short, there's a lot of redundancy in their stable you have to wonder how long it will be till MultiChoice catches on and does something about it. They already removed plenty of channels only for their shows to service in other channels to give them some form of sustainability all that's left to improve is their stable.

Three New Telenovelas Coming In November 2020 To TLNovelas Africa

Seriously soapie stories
Keep an eye out for 2 new faces in the soap world in November.
Telenovela tears, tantrums and trysts
3 brand-new telenovelas are coming to the tlnovelas channel (DStv 133) this November. Expect glamour, betrayal, the strange geometry of love triangles, family legacies of pain, and a toy shop-owning playboy who’s about to learn a tough lesson about growing up…

I Plead Guilty S1
Francois' glossy life is falling apart. This high-flying lawyer treasures his daughter, Natalia, but his marriage with his wife, Roberta, is falling apart. Francois feels stuck because Roberta’s father, Mauro, owns the law firm he works at. He is on the path to make some terrible mistakes. But he’ll need to keep it together, because while Natalia is fleeing her boyfriend’s attempts at date rape, she runs over a prominent football player in a hit-and-run accident that destroys his career dreams. Baby girl needs a lawyer!

Starts Monday, 9 November, airs weekdays at 16:05 CAT/15:05 WAT/17:05 EAT

Abyss of Passion S1
It’s new love versus old in this love-triangle telenovela about how past rivalries can destroy a new generation’s happiness. Elisa must choose between 2 friends: she’s deeply in love with Damián, but their relationship has rekindled the spark with his friend Gael – who was once Elisa’s childhood sweetheart. Meanwhile, Elisa’s own BFF has lost her heart to Gael. And the whole situation is complicated when someone who’s driven by the ghosts of past betrayals blackmails Elisa into marrying Gael by threatening Damián’s life.

Starts Monday, 16 November, airs weekdays at 17:40 CAT/16:40 WAT/18:40 EAT

Papa A Toda Madre
Playboy toy shop owner Mauriciois has it all – money, charm, and dashing good looks. Mauriciois secretly can’t stand children, so he trusts the day-to-day running of his store to his childhood best friend, Fabián. But when Mauriciois’ all play, no work lifestyle threatens to bankrupt the store, Fabián will have to put his foot down – and he might have some help getting the playboy to grow up when the lovely, athletic Renée comes along to challenge everything that Mauriciois thought he knew about love.

Starts Monday, 30 November, airs weekdays at 16:15 CAT/15:15 WAT/17:15 EAT

TLNovelas is available on DStv, Starsat and StarTimes

Friday, October 23, 2020

November 2020 On TNT Africa | Guns Akimbo | Altered Identity | Reporting For Duty

GUNS AKIMBO
On the frst Saturday of November, TNT Africa brings its monthly TNT Original Movies special with the premiere of Daniel Radclife’s new flm: Guns Akimbo. The flm is written and directed by Jason Lei Howden (visual efects, writer, and director), who has worked on visual efects on The Hobbit flms, as well as War on The Planet of the Apes) and previously written and directed Deathgasm. Radclife leads the cast in this action-comedy thriller alongside Samara Weaving (Hollywood, Ready or Not) and Rhys Darby (Flight of the Concords, Yes Man).
Following the successful premiere of the frst TNT Original Movie, Escape from Pretoria, this time, Radclife embodies Miles, a video game developer who inadvertently becomes the next participant in a real-life deathmatch that streams online. Initially, Miles’ lifetime of running from his problems pays of as he manages to elude his frst opponent but, when his girlfriend, Nova, is kidnapped, he must fnally stop running and overcome his fears to fight for the girl he loves.
True to the genre of movies TNT has come to be known for, Guns Akimbo combines suspense, black comedy and action in this chillingly prescient sci-fi thriller.
PREMIERE: Saturday 7/11/2020 @ 20:00 CAT

ALTERED IDENTITY
More than ever before, trust has become such a rare commodity. But what happens when you can’t even trust yourself? Our characters from this month’s channel special each face an uphill battle to discover who they really are while up against the world and fghting for survival. Every Sunday during November, TNT brings a range of stories whose characters are in pursuit of their own self with powerful premieres such as Lucy, Jason Bourne, 47 Ronin, and Hannibal, to mention a few.
Sunday, 1 November
18:20 – Death Becomes Her (1992) channel premiere 20:00 – Jason Bourne (2016) channel premiere
Sunday, 8 November 18:05 – I, Robot (2004) 20:00 – Lucy (2014) channel premiere
Sunday, 15 November
18:25 – Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)
20:00 – 47 Ronin (2013) channel premiere
Sunday, 22 November
18:10 – Green Lantern (2011)
20:00 – Hannibal (2001) channel premiere
Sunday, 29 November 18:30 – Surrogates (2009) 20:00 – Face Of (1997)

REPORTING FOR DUTY
There is nothing like a good cop movie. Cop movies have been popular for decades, giving us Hollywood’s take on the world of law enforcement. The one thing we know for sure is that the men and women in blue have a lot of work cut out for them, with danger lurking at every corner. Join TNT every Tuesday evening where we bring an action-driven double feature with premieres such as Ride Along and Chaos, among others, that features a police officer, detective, or modern-day lawman, which we either love or love to hate.
Tuesday, 3 November
20:00 – Ride Along (2014) channel premiere 21:45 – 12 Rounds (2009)
Tuesday, 10 November
20:00 – Chaos (2005) channel premiere 21:50 – Showtime (2002)
Tuesday, 17 November 20:00 – Exit Wounds (2002) 21:40 – Mad Max (1979)
Tuesday, 24 November
20:00 – Tango & Cash (1989) 21:40 – Snake Eyes (1998)

TNT is available on DStv, Starsat (SA) & StarTimes (ROA) and GOtv.

Power Returns For A Fourth Season On e.tv

James "Ghost" St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick), a wealthy New York night club owner who has it all, catering to the city's elite and dreaming big, lives a double life as a drug kingpin.

In the fourth season premiere, having been arrested for the murder of Agent Knox, Ghost faces threats from multiple angles. The feds begin to build their case and Tasha scrambles to get bail. Tommy gets used to his new role and enlists help in recovering Tariq.

Season 4 airs Wednesdays at 22:00 from 4 November on e.tv

November 2020 On Curiosity Channel | Specials And More Specials | New Series

SUPER SCIENCE MONDAYS
SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 23 November 2020 CAT: Mondayat 22:00 Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
The 20th century witnessed an astonishing revolution in physics, from unlocking the secrets of the atom to solving the mysteries of the cosmos. It was also the century when radio and television became widespread, so for the first time, we were able to see who the greatest minds really were.

THE SECRET RULES OF MODERN LIVING: ALGORITHMS
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 30 November 2020 CAT: Monday at 22:00 Episodes: 1x 60 mins
In this coding special, Professor Marcus du Sautoy lifts the veil on The Secret Rules of Modern Living: Algorithms. Our lives are touched by Algorithms every day. They are ubiquitous –yet most of us are unaware of their extraordinary impact on our everyday lives.

HISTORY LOVER TUESDAY
THE STORY OF WALES
New Episodes – continuing from October CAT: Tuesdays at 21:00
Episodes: 2x 60 mins -ends 10 November 2020
HuwEdwards presents this history of Wales, showing the country in ways its never been seen before. From prehistoric times, to power struggles with the barons and England, through to the industrial revolution and today this history is comprehensive and compulsive viewing.

WILDLIFE WEDNESDAYS
ANIMAL INSTINCTS: RAINFOREST HOME Documentary Special - 04 November 2020 CAT: 20:00 Episodes: 1x 60 mins
Rainforest, the richest habitat on earth, teeming with millions of dramatic plants and animals. Jungle lies between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, a tropical belt green stretching across South and Central America, Central Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia and Northern Australia. Without a doubt, rainforests are the last stronghold for some of the most astonishing animal families you will find.

MIGRATIONS ON THE WING
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 11 November 2020 CAT: 20:00 Episodes: 1x 60 mins
Half of all bird species undertake annual migrations, everything from heavy- bodied swans to delicate hummingbirds. Migration is one of the most remarkable phenomena on the planet, hosts of animals of all shapes and sizes demonstrating incredible feats of endurance.

WETLANDS
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 18 November 2020 CAT: 20:00 Episodes: 1x 30 mins
The crocodile is the king of the wetland; a cold-blooded monster with the most terrifying bite force on Earth. The product of a 100 million year ancestry, the 25 species around today are a testament to the crocodile’s supreme intelligence and adaptability.

OWLS
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 18 November 2020 CAT: 20:30 Episodes: 1x 30 mins
Owls are remarkable, highly resourceful birds that have carved out a unique way to live. They have colonized terrains from tundra to rainforest and will hunt almost anything.

TIME LAPSE
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 25 November 2020 CAT: 20:00 Episodes: 1x 60 mins
We like to think we can control everything: changing the course of water, reclaiming land, replanting deserts – we constantly remodel the natural world to suit our needs. But there’s one thing we can’t control: the passing of time. However, we can change how we see things; using cameras we can start to see the world in different time frames. Now we can see animals following the sun, mass movements of the changing seasons and even the vast impact of the changing weather. Watch what happens when time flies…

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE FRIDAY
THE NILE: 5 000 YEARS OF HISTORY
Brand New Series - premieres 06 November 2020 CAT: Fridays at 20:00
Episodes: 4 x 60mins -ends 27 November 2020
For 5 000 years Egypt has been shaped by one thing more than any other: the River Nile. For historian BettanyHughes, this is the journey of a lifetime, as she sets off on a 900 mile adventure up the Nile, from its mouth to Egypt's southern border. With the use of a timeless Nile cruise boat, Bettany travels the country and sees it as the ancient Egyptians once did, from the great river.

BEST OF CURIOSITY SUNDAYS
Sundays from 19:00
SAVING THE DINOSAUR FISH
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 08 November 2020 CAT: 19:00 Episodes: 1x 60 mins
Rory Moore, a marine biologist and wildlife photographer, is on a mission to save the sturgeon from extinction. A prehistoric fish and one of the most critically endangered species on earth.

Sundays from 19:00
PREHISTORIC ASTRONOMERS
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 08 November 2020 CAT: 21:00 Episodes: 1x 60 mins
Cave paintings and lunar calendars exist in the caves and remains of prehistoric hunters studied recently. What if Prehistoric Man were clever enough to develop in-depth scientific knowledge? As unlikely as it may seem, new data tend to prove that Prehistoric Man actually invented Astronomy!

Sundays from 19:00
COLD WAR HOT JETS
Brand New Series Special - premieres 15 November 2020 CAT: 19:00 (back to back) Episodes: 2x 60 mins
The jet engine is one of the most transformative inventions of the modern age. A crucial discovery in World War Two, flowing from a golden age of British inventiveness, energy and sheer derring-do, it was a technology that truly came of age in the 1950s during the early years of the Cold War.

Sundays from 19:00
THE PERSEUS SURVIVOR
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 15 November 2020 CAT: 21:00 Episodes: 1x 60 mins
The Perseus Survivor documents the story of British Navy stoker John Capes, the lone survivor of a sunken submarine who hid from enemy forces for 18 months before his rescue.

Curiosity Channel is on DStv channel 185

Read Also:
- December on Curiosity Channel

SABC Is Planning To Launch A Streaming Service In 2021

The SABC's plan to roll out its own bespoke entertainment VOD streamer comes at the same time as the country's ANC-led government and the financially struggling broadcaster are crafting controversial plans and possible legislation changes to try and force private pay-TV companies and subscription video-on-demand services to pay the SABC through harvesting their customer databases to tack on compulsory SABC TV Licence fees.

What is means is that the SABC and the government want to amend the existing legislation so that the South African Broadcasting Corporation will get paid money from the likes of DStv and Netflix South Africa at the same time that the SABC might be running its own video streaming service.

Only about a third of South African TV households still bother to pay their annual SABC TV Licence fee of R265 with the beleaguered SABC that is owed billions over many years in outstanding licencing fees.

Besides millions of viewers who have abandoned the SABC, a growing number of video viewers have shifted to digital platforms where they don't watch or listen to any SABC content.

These digital content consumers watch YouTube or are subscribing and using the offerings of pay-TV services like MultiChoice (DStv) and China's StarTimes (StarSat) - as well as the flurry of international and local companies providing subscription video-on-demand services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Vodacom's Video Play, Apple TV+, VIU, Showmax and others - using laptops and mobile devices and gadgets like tablets.

The SABC and the country's department of communications and digital technologies want to broaden the definition of the existing SABC TV Licence so that consumers who are for instance watching Netflix SA on a tablet, DStv on a laptop, or StarSat through the StarTimesON app on a cellphone, all have to pay a SABC TV Licence although they don't use or consumer SABC content.

With even more local and international SVOD service that might launch in South Africa in future like The Walt Disney Company's Disney+ or Star, Discovery Inc.'s discovery+, ViacomCBS' Paramount+, WarnerMedia's HBO Max and others, a compulsory, tacked on SABC TV Licence fee to subscribers' monthly bill will mean a multi-million rand revenue boost for the SABC's cash-strapped Auckland Park kitty.

eMedia Investments that runs South Africa's commercial free-to-air e.tv channel and a collection of e.tv-packaged channels on its Openview free-to-air satellite service also plans to launch its own Openview Plus video streaming service soon. It's unclear whether e.tv would have to "help" collect SABC TV Licence fees.

SABC streamer to mimic the BBC iPlayer

While details around the SABC's planned video streaming service is still sketchy, the streaming service will mimic the BBC iPlayer and work in the same way as the SABC's recently-launched SABC News app.

The SABC currently provides some of its locally-produced entertainment content on MultiChoice DStv Catch Up service, licenses some series to VIU, and places some of it on YouTube.

With its own "SABC iPlayer" the public broadcaster will be able to bundle most of its own content on its own platform, where a limited volume of entertainment content will be freely accessible and with the bulk of its library catalogue and new entertainment content that will only be accessible after registration and login, for instance by entering a valid SABC TV Licence number.

"The SABC can confirm that it is planning to launch its video and audio streaming services in line with the ever-changing industry trends and consumer needs," Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson in response to a media enquiry.

"At this stage the SABC is not in a position to provide more detail, due to the commercial sensitivity of the information," she said.

The SABC says that it plans to launch its own SABC video streamer in 2021, and said that the broadcaster sees the launch of its own bespoke video streaming service as crucial and necessary because of reasons including competitive advantage, responding to industry needs, fulfilling the role of being a content aggregator and being a platform operator.

November 2020 On Disney Junior Africa | New Series & Shorts | New Episodes

MIRA: ROYAL DETECTIVE
Series premiere episodes
Weekdays from 9th to 27th November at 18:00
Disney Junior’s new fun-filled animated series launches this month. Premiere episodes of Mira: Royal Detective air on weekdays from 9th to 27th November at 18:00.

As newly appointed royal detective to the Indian-inspired land of Jalpur, the brave, resourceful Mira travels throughout the kingdom helping royals and townspeople. In the series launch premiere episode The Mystery of the Royal Scarf/The Case Of The Missing Bicycle (Monday 9th November at 18:00), when the special scarf Priya designed for the Queen goes missing, it's up to Mira to help find it. Mira juggles babysitting her cousin and searching for a missing bike.
Premiere episodes of Mira: Royal Detective air on weekdays from 9th to 27th November at 18:00, with a special Mira marathon on 14th November from 13:00, on Disney Junior.

READY FOR PRE-SCHOOL
Series premiere episodes
Weekdays 16th to 27th November at 16:25
This month sees a brand new series of shorts launch on the channel. Premiere episodes of Disney Junior Ready for Preschool air on weekdays from 16th to 27th November at 16:25.
Disney Junior Ready for Preschool is an entertaining and educational series where the love of learning begins, focusing on inspiring kids to develop a love of learning through Disney characters and magical storytelling. In the topically entitled first of these, Everybody Wash Your Hands (Monday 16th November at 16:25), join Doc McStuffins and her toys as they learn the best way to wash their hands!
Premiere episodes of Disney Junior Ready for Preschool air on weekdays from 16th to 27th November at 16:25.

MICKEY MOUSE MIXED UP ADVENTURES
Premiere episodes
Weekdays from 2nd to 25th November at 17:30
In season three of Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures viewers can get mixed-up with Mickey and his pals in their new house in Hot Dog Hills. Premiere episodes air on weekdays from 2nd to 25th November at 17:30
Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, Pluto and Chip 'n Dale have brand new surprises in store. Whether they're looking for a unicorn, teaching kids to play baseball or taking care of a litter of mischievous kitties, Mickey and his friends always have a great time with a happy mix of friendship, teamwork, community, adventure and tons of laughter and joy.
In the first of this month’s episodes, Hard Hat Diggity Dog, (Monday 2nd November at 17:30) Mickey enlists his friends to use their Mixed-Up Construction Vehicles to rebuild the playground for Bitsy’s birthday party!
Premiere episodes of Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures air on weekdays from 2nd to 25th November at 17:30, on Disney Junior.

FANCY NANCY CLANCY
Season premiere episodes
Weekdays until Friday 6th November at 18:00
Fancy Nancy returned to Disney Junior last month – finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and transforming the plain into the exquisite! Season two of her experiences continue on the channel with premiere episodes on weekdays until Friday 6th November at 18:00.
In the first of this month’s premiere episodes, entitled Operation Fix Marabelle (Monday 2nd November at 18:00), when Marabelle gets injured, Nancy must stay calm under pressure as the "doll surgeon" on call.
Premiere episodes of Fancy Nancy Clancy air on weekdays at 18:00 until Friday 6th November on Disney Junior.

MICKEY MOUSE HOT DIGGITY DOG TALES
Premiere Christmas short
Monday 30th November at 16:25
Hot Diggity Dog! In Disney Junior’s new series of premiere shorts, Mickey and Pluto celebrate their loving friendship with lots of fun, as they pal-around Hot Dog Hills. This month sees a special premiere Christmas themed episode of Hot Diggity Dog Tales, on Monday 30th November at 16:25.
In this episode, entitled The Lights Before Christmas (Monday 30th November at 16:25), ‘Tis the season for Christmas rivalry when Mickey and Pete get into a holiday decorations battle of lights. May the best bulbs win!
The festive fun starts here on Disney Junior, with this special premiere Christmas themed episode of Mickey Mouse Hot Diggity Dog Tales, on Monday 30th November at 16:25.

THE ROCKETEER
Premiere Christmas episode
Monday 30th November at 18:00
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s Kit Secord, Disney Junior’s latest superhero. This month sees her star in a special premiere festive episode of The Rocketeer, on Monday 30th November at 18:00.
Seven-year-old aspiring pilot Kit Secord learns she’s next in line to become The Rocketeer, a rocket-pack wearing superhero who can fly. In this festive episode, The Christmas Star (Monday 30th November at 18:00)
The Rocketeer must save the town's Christmas when the annual Hughesville Christmas celebration is threatened by Sylvester Slapdash's attempt to steal the town's gifts.

This special premiere festive episode of The Rocketeer, airs on Monday 30th November at 18:00.