Insidus

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Two Music Channels Reportedly Removed From Starsat

Starsat started off the new year discreetly by removing two music channels from their platform without any notice, SA Music And Soul Playlist.

At that time many viewers have filed complaints regarding these channels across their media pages and the admin is seemingly ignoring and deleting comments.

In a recent conversation with the channel providers, they confirmed that both these channels can be found on OpenView and are no longer available on Starsat meaning that you'll need to get that platform to enjoy those channels.

Of course, Starsat managed to reply after a couple of days. They seemingly confirmed their demise by stating that they're sourcing out fresh content.

Last year viewers witnessed the loss of several channels. Could 2021 be a continuation to last year since Starsat is not upfront with the media on upcoming developments.

Prediction: The Future Of Cartoon Network And WarnerMedia's Other Kids Channels

Last month, Cartoon Network USA viewership continued to plummet and now channels such as Nick Jr and Disney Junior pull in more viewers than them. Even the Adult Swim block on the channel which airs at 10pm to 5am pulls more viewers than the channel.

This is due to the fact that more people are opting to streaming and also that WarnerMedia stopped putting much effort towards the channel and proved that ratings don't matter anymore.

If you look at Cartoon Network now, the channel lacks variety and is flooded with constant reruns of Teen Titans GO! at some point viewers enjoyed the show now they're irritated over the fact that it's the only thing available there.

The decrease is not only coming through Cartoon Network but other kids brands such as Disney Channel and Nickelodeon which are dealing with a similar situation. Except it seems like WarnerMedia doesn't intend to recover from that.

Since HBO Max inception in 2020, most of Cartoon Network's programs became HBO Max exclusives and for the first time in many years the channel had no original programming.

Later in that year, WarnerMedia greenlit a bunch of programming under Cartoon Network most of them were tagged with HBO Max.

Now the question remains on how long this format will go on. WarnerMedia has been doing a lot of reconstructing part of it may include putting their focus on less brands even aligning them together and perhaps scrapping Cartoon Network to some extent and converting it to HBO Kids or Family.

HBO Kids runs as a programming block on HBO Family in the United States and also the Family brand has a 24/7 channel in Asia. None of which have any original content but since HBO Max is around chances are they'll use these brands for reruns.

Perhaps HBO will revive the kids block on their channel and use it for all the original content and launch a seperate kids channel for reruns. To do this they'd probably take HBO Family and change the name to HBO Kids.

HBO Kids launches as a replacement channel for Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Adult Swim will only have animation under the HBO Max branding everything else remains to some extent.

I'm not expecting it to happen out of the blue perhaps the objective now is put as much HBO Kids titles on HBO Max and Cartoon Network. So them airing it on Cartoon Network is their way off trying to make viewers familiarise HBO on the kids space so they don't pull a Universal Kids and fans are completely turned off by the brand.

The change could only occur when WarnerMedia feels they got enough HBO Kids titles to fill up the channel and less Cartoon Network originals. Right now there's like 5 pending CN originals and 1 that's coming from Europe.

WarnerMedia International operates Cartoon Network, Boomerang and a bunch of other regional channels such as ToonCast, Cartoonito, Pogo, Boing and Toonami. The regional part feels a little pinch while Cartoon Network and Boomerang adapt to the U.S. counterpart.

Toonami functions as a 24/7 channel perhaps they'll change it to DC Kids if you look at the the overload of DC Animation perhaps Cartoon Network will incorporate itself there for selected shows that aren't DC while Toonami gets the anime. That's one way to follow the U.S. counterpart.

Then ToonCast and Boing use the Cartoon Network branding since all they're doing there is airing reruns perhaps Boomerang will manage the non-English feeds. Pogo has regional content so they'll likely use the HBO Kids branding leaving Cartoonito unscathed.

Cartoon Network could get back up and salvage the little viewers left on the brand but since cable is becoming expensive is it worth saving. The only thing they can do now is reduce TTG's airtime perhaps that's what will get viewers engaged again but before this mess popped up and after the variety was gone the brand reserved itself for 2-3 shows, do you think that's what their future will be when TTG ends or something much different.

February 2021 On CBS Reality Africa | New Series & Season

CLOSE CALLS ON CAMERA S7
We take a closer look at the split-second moments when everyday events threaten to become a disasters, and meet the people who lived to tell the tale.
Saturdays and Sundays at 19:30 and 01:20 from 6th February to 7th March repeated Weekdays at 09:10 and 14:30 from 15th to 26th March.

BOTCHED UP BODIES S1
This documentary series profile people whose cosmetic surgery procedures have gone disastrously wrong.
Weeknights at 21:10 and 01:25 from 22nd February to 7th April repeated Saturdays and Sundays at 20:20 from 28th February to 25th April.

CBS Reality is available on DStv channel 132

Costal Killers Season 2 Coming Soon To CBS Justice Africa

Perhaps it’s the sea air or too much sun. But despite the jollity associated with sandcastles and ice creams, breezy promenade walks and donkey rides, many British seaside towns have a dubious reputation for hosting the most remarkable crimes.

Some of the most strange and terrifying murders ever recorded in British criminal history have taken place at the famous seaside resorts; the grand hotels playing host to some of the deadliest murderers imaginable, and the seafronts doubling as stalking grounds for the serial killers.

Sunday 19:00 from 28th February until 2nd May.

eExtra Welcomes Four New Telenovelas This January

The new year has brought a lot of changes towards Rewind that inflated it's lineup with telenovelas which left some viewers are a tad unsatisfied that they got another eExtra onboard but let me let me spoil your day even further.

Apparently, eExtra has four telenovelas lined up for viewers which come from America (Mi Corazon Insiste En Lola Volcan), Turkey (As Die Skoen Pas) and the last minute entries India (Siddhi Vinayak) and KOREA (Ice Adonis).

I dwelled on the first two last year so I'll give a brief description on the other two:

Ice Adonis is a mystery drama which follows stories and triangles revolving around the revenge of a woman who lost everything including her family and her one true love. The series is produced by tvN which is a long awaited channel launching on DStv.

Siddhi Vinayak is a romantic drama which follows a misunderstanding between the titular characters who unite after 14 years and get themselves in a hurdle of drama. The series was produced by &TV.

Catch new episodes of Ice Adonis weekdays at 14:05 with Siddhi Vinayak at 16:45 from Monday 18 January.

Now eExtra has a total of 8 fresh telenovelas making it the channel with the most telenovelas.

Friday, January 1, 2021

e.tv International Drama Series Lineup From January 2021

The Librarians and occasional films will continue airing until Friday, 8th January after that the primetime viewing from 20:30 resumes with a couple of new developments from Monday, 11th January.

Weekdays at 20:30
Monday: Chicago Fire S7 (New Season)
Tuesday: Chicago Med S4 (New Season)
Wednesday: Chicago PD S6 (New Season)
Thursday: Hawaii Five-O S4 (Back-To-Back)
Friday: NCIS: Los Angeles S5 (Back-To-Back)

Weeknights at 22:30
Monday: Empire S5 (Another New Development)
Wednesday: Power S4 (Continuation)
Thursday: How To Get Away With Murder S4 (Another New Development)

February 2021 On Da Vinci Kids Africa | Odd Squad | Themed Episodes

Kids Programmes
Odd Squad
From February 20th
Saturdays & Sundays 13:30
Is something odd? Call the Odd Squad! Join the team of agents as they use indirect reasoning and basic math to investigate and solve strange happenings in their town. From disappearing objects to duplicating pizzerias, these skillful kid agents must use their brains to help their town, and sometimes even to save humanity itself! Tune in from February 20th at 13:30 and investigate everything strange, weird and especially odd!

Adult Programmes
Project Greenglow: The Quest for Gravity Control – BRAND NEW (One-off)
Sunday, February 21st at 22:00
It’s mysterious, it’s powerful and it stops us falling off the planet. Gravity is the fundamental force that keeps us on Earth and binds the universe together. But we still don’t fully understand it. Meet the scientists who are trying to change that. Could we see flying cars and journeys to the stars in our lifetime? Find out, on Project Greenglow - The Quest for Gravity Control, Da Vinci TV, February 21st at 22:00.

Valentine’s Day Special: Electric Love and Magnetic Attraction
Sunday, February 14th
From 17:00 to 20:00
We’re in the mood for love… a love of science, of course! We’re celebrating Valentine’s Day this year with a heart-racing lineup of shows in our Electric Love and Magnetic Attraction Special.

Launch powerful rockets you can build at home in Look Kool, and discover how our brains can play tricks on us in Mindworks. Find out why your heart is different from other organs in PinCode, and learn how your heart works in Operation Ouch!. Watch an amazing display of magnetic levitation in Science Max, and explore the magic of electromagnetic attraction in ScienceXplosion. Look into how makeup is made in When I Grow Up, and investigate what’s so attractive about magnets in Xploration DIY SCI.

Tune in to the Da Vinci channel on February 14th from 17:00 to cozy up with these awesome episodes. It’s gonna be electric!

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

Unexpected Developments Coming Soon For Viewers On e.tv Rewind, What Does That Spell Out?

During the festive season, e.tv and Rewind temporarily changed their lineup. On e.tv side, they did the usual for 20:30 take the 5 for 1 while Rewind scrapped almost everything for marathons of sitcoms and dramas with films.

Now the festive season has wrapped up and e.tv will be resuming with their prime time viewing but on Rewind's area it becomes even more complicated to handle.

For starters, the outdated episodes of Scandal, soon-to-be-cancelled Rhythm City and cancelled soapie Backstage aren't part of the lineup. Instead, the channel will air reruns of Una Maid En Manhattan, Naagin, Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi, Die Vreemdeling and Imbewu's YESTERYEAR STOCK. Perhaps it's just a drafted schedule.

Everything else somewhat remains even the sitcoms and drama series but this is where things get interesting.

Telemundo's Corazon Valiente (Fearless Heart) and Los Miserables (For Love And Justice) are added to the channel's lineup. These two telenovelas aren't new to the market but they are definitely are to the eBrand so Rewind is no longer recycling meals from their restaurants.

Corazon Valiente follows childhood friends Ángela (Andrea Fonseca) and Samantha (Ximena Duque) who were separated by fate for years reunite and become bodyguards for those who need protection. Los Miserables follows a woman named Lucia "Lucha" Duran (Aracley Arambula) is accused of a crime she hasn't committed and has to find a way of not going back to prison a second time.

With this in mind, is it possible that there's a rebrand coming soon to e.tv set of channels now that Rewind has exclusive programming and eExtra is more reliant on telenovelas particularly Indian and Turkish content.

Perhaps, the reason for eExtra favouritism is over the fact these two type of shows pull has a major following and huge fanbase. Other than that the offering is very unique from what you can find on DStv.

The reason Indian soaps get early timeslots is possibly due to the fact there's many of them available in the market and that eExtra put it in a timeslot where it doesn't clash with the shows on Glow TV, Star Life and Zee World while the Turkish content "was" barely available within the market until TDC arrived for which both channels still offer a unique lineup and TDC might take longer to bring the Turkish content seen on e.tv and eExtra.

With that in mind, maybe Rewind will invest more into American and Mexican telenovelas from Telemundo and Azteca since these shows are accessible not only in South Africa but across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Maybe the object now for eMedia Investments is to deduct the amount of DStv already seen on their channels.

The Indian offering can be found on DStv Indian package so why put that on eExtra it's easy to give those who don't have that package an opportunity to watch them. The reason for it's early timeslots is to ensure that it doesn't clash with the Indian offering on Glow TV, Zee World and Star Life. They give this content attention because of its popularity and the fact that there's less English stations repeating them.

The Turkish lineup has been doing well for a long time. There was no home for the content by then some stations even abandoned them. eExtra was one of the few stations for that in Africa alongside some telenovela channels on StarTimes. MultiChoice recently launched a Turkish channel and it will be while before anyone there can see repeats from eExtra.

Perhaps these changes has something to do with the upcoming streaming service OpenView+, for those who are unaware a lot of companies like Disney, ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia have launched their own streaming services and due to that some countries had to witness the demise of certain channels.

eMedia Investments might follow these companies and streamline their offering. I don't see them shutting down anything likely replacing, adding and improving their current channels.

Rewind's days are numbered at this point or at least the name perhaps they'll call it eBinge or eSeries.

With eExtra I don't see them throwing away the name as yet even with the overflow of telenovelas. They have an Afrikaans block (Kuiertyd) which is used for other content but then again they might duplicate the block on the other channels and reduce it on eExtra leaving the door open for a name change.

News&Sports might become seperate channels perhaps it doesn't look like eMedia Investments is interested in getting another sports channel and France24 will likely go off air on the platform.

eToonz might replace Craze or vice versa I mean eMedia Investments might want to put their focus on one kids brand so they could even find another name and use it for both brands.

eNolly could be revived under another name but this time it also airs Rhythm City, Scandal and Backstage to easen the blow of Rewind and eExtra.

2021 is shaping up to be an interesting year for TV

Thursday, December 31, 2020

Disney Is Renaming The Star Channels In Netherlands, What Does This Mean For StarPlus And The Other Star Channels In Africa?

When Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, it obtained Star India, a hugely successful broadcasting company based in India, which has a network of 60 channels in eight languages, that reaches approximately 790 million viewers a month across India and more than 100 countries.

With it’s streaming service, Hotstar being rebranded as Disney+ Hotstar in India in March.

Disney officially revealed details of how it was planning the branding of “Star” internationally at December’s Investor Day event, which will see Star added as a new sixth tier within Disney+ in February in many regions including Europe, Australia, Canada and in Asia. At the same time, Star+ is launching in Latin America as its own platform with live sports. With many Fox channels in Latin America will also be rebranded “Star”.

Disney Africa is likely to do the same as Europe with latching the best of Star on Disney+ since no one in this market can pay for a lot of streaming services.

According to Dutch television provider Ziggo, Disney will be rebranding its Hindi channels, Star Plus and Star Gold channels in the Netherlands to Utsav Plus and Utsav Gold. This rebranding will be taking effect from February 1st.

The name Utsav is likely based on Star Utsav which is one of Star India's linear channels which is currently being used for archived content. It was available in UK for 2 years before becoming a reruns channel.

Star India already operates channels in Africa such as StarPlus, Star Vijay and Star Life through StarTimes, Platco Digital's OpenView and MultiChoice's DStv. It wouldn't be shocking if the name was dropped in favour of Utsav. The one in India might do the same it's currently unknown at this point. Readers have been wondering how Star would replace FOX in Africa if the Star branding was already being used so there's your answer.

The rebranding is being done so Disney can use the “Star” brand as part of Disney+ in the Netherlands, which is coming on February 23rd.

There's still no news on when or if Disney+ will roll out in Africa so chances are will have to wait until at least 2022/3 I mean they could take longer since they're still rolling out in other parts of Europe and the fact that there's contracts they have with other distributors so they're waiting for some of them to expire to begin rolling out Disney+.