Insidus

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Predictions: What To Expect On OpenView+?

eMedia Investments was originally scheduled to launch a dishless version of their current OpenView decoder back in 2019 but got delayed for unknown reasons.

Later in February, their media pages have been promoting some new WiFi software they've installed on the latest model of their decoders and asked fans to guess the reason.

If you look at the term, Wi-fi it consists of a group of networks giving you internet access or better yet local networking.

With that in mind, it means they'll finally be launching their long awaited dishless version of their decoder, OpenView+.

As usual, no details about the platform have been confirmed during this time. Since its based on their decoder I got a couple of theories on what will transpire as it rolls out.

1. It will include ads perhaps viewers will have to pay to exclude them.

2. It will consist of current (possibly revamped) offering found on your decoder alongside some exclusive content which rolls out weekly. Will SABC form part of this offering we'll have to wait and see

Reason being Telkom paid SABC for their set of channels including 1, 2 & 3.

3. It will have a section similar to DStv Catch Up or e on Demand this time you get to view programs from Star Life and Glow TV. There's chances that you won't be able to stream content from SABC in that section should SABC 1-3 be available at launch.

4. Additional radio channels specifically online stations will be added.

5. Record feature

From what sources told me it will be rolling out in March. It will be interesting to see how OpenView plans to streamline their offering particularly on the eMedia set of channels.

WarnerMedia Plans For Cartoon Network And The Rest Of Its Brands

Tom Ascheim, president for kids, young adults and classic at WarnerMedia was interviewed recently about the state of Cartoon Network and plans for the brand.

Apparently, he wants to expand Cartoon Network's existing portfolio to include family, preschoolers and girls some of these will have names. We Baby Bears is rumoured to be the brand's first original preschool series then there's several other shows which are tagged with HBO Max under family.

This is not the first time Cartoon Network tried to cater for preschoolers remember the Cartoonito block on Boomerang now it has a 24/7 channel with no new original content in few markets so maybe they'll rename it.

This format is something they plan to duplicate in other countries without shutting down any channels since they're performing well and the viewership grew thanks to Disney shuttering several channels internationally.

Perhaps Cartoon Network internationally will reposition their channels like Disney Channel and try to be a brand without preschool shows. The longest I've watched Cartoon Network the content has always made an impression on boys even when even shows like The Powerpuff Girls (original) was still on.

Just like Disney Channel which has most programming catered for girls even after the demise of Disney XD I'm not expecting anything different from Cartoon Network after this change.

At the same time if there is original content under preschool (even family) you have to wonder how this won't affect a brand like Boomerang and how they plan to get it on Cartoon Network.

The timeslots are also in question from what I remember preschool shows get early timeslots were viewers tune in and if this is connected to streaming there's chances it will survive and if this part is latched onto the international counterpart of Boomerang expect success.

This change is not entirely bad as Cartoon Network became a Teen Titans GO! channel and the shows viewers actually want to see get less airtime or put in very bad timeslots.

March 2021 On Curiosity Channel Africa | Super Science Mondays | Wildlife Wednesdays | Travel & Adventure Fridays | Human History Saturdays

SUPER SCIENCE MONDAYS

DESTINATION MARS
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 01 March 2021 at 21:00 CAT
How will humans take the next step into outer space -traveling to Mars not to visit, but to stay?

DESTINATION: MOON
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 15 March 2021 at 21:00 CAT
What role will the moon play in man’s next attempts to conquer space?

INVISIBLE NATURE
Brand New Series - premieres 15 March 2021 at 22:00 CAT
Through micro, infrared and slow-motion photography, get an insight into the way plants move, strategize, and even talk to each other.
hat role will the moon play in man’s next attempts to conquer space?

SCIENCE SHORTS & THE MANOT SKULL
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 22 March 2021 at 21:00 CAT
Take a few minutes to learn more about subjects ranging from genetics to cyborgs with these informative pieces.

MASDAR: EXPLORING OUR FUTURE
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 29 March 2021 at 21:00 CAT

Built in the heart of the Middle East desert, Masdarwill be the world’s first zero-carbon city, exclusively fueled by renewable energies. 50,000 inhabitants will have access to water and sustainable energies while producing no waste.

WILDLIFE WEDNESDAYS

RIVERS LIFEBLOOD
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 03 March 2021 at 20:00 CAT

It’s hard to appreciate just how important rivers are to our planet, both to the natural world and our own lives. They nurture our crops, fuel our travel, and deliver our drinking water –flowing like veins across the Earth they’re a lifeline to countless ecosystems.

MOUNTAINS: GATEWAYS TO HEAVENS
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 10 March 2021 at 20:00 CAT
Mountains define some of our most spectacular landscapes, creating a mosaic of dramatic habitats, teeming with incredible wildlife. Mountains are found on every continent on Earth, covering 22% of the planet’s surface.

CROCODILE KINGDOM
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 17 March 2021 at 20:00 CAT
The crocodile is the king of the wetland; a tone of 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 testament to the crocodile’s supreme intelligence and adaptability.

WILD SUMMER SCHOOL
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 24 March 2021 at 20:00 CAT
It is early summer and wild places across the world, whether beaches, jungles, or mountains are preparing for summer school to begin. The arrival of baby animals is imminent, and they’ll have a lot to learn. Some kids spend a long time with mum while others have to figure things out for themselves.

MARK EMERY’S AMERICAN WILDLIFE
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 31 March 2021 at 20:00 CAT
Iconic American wildlife captured in their beautiful natural surroundings in Florida and Alaska.

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE FRIDAYS

HISTORY’S GREATEST HOMES
Brand New Series - premieres 05 March 2021 (back to back episodes)
Join us as we tour the most fabulous and luxurious homes in history.

HUMAN STORY SATURDAYS

WILDEST ISLANDS: Season 2
Brand New Season - premieres 06 March 2021 at 19:00 CAT

Islands can be home to the most extreme examples of life, as nature evolves in the most dramatic way. Sometimes isolated for hundreds of thousands of years, pockets of individuals adapt to survive, fueling a rapid and continuous development of new species.
Some of the Zanzibar archipelago’s bizarre creatures have developed to an enormous size. The world’s largest crab scales trees in search of coconuts, and clouds of giant bats fill the skies at dusk. Under the cover of darkness, giant leatherback turtles visit Trinidad’s beaches to lay their eggs. Dominica’s volcanic heritage gives it fertile soils, making the island rich in flowering plants. Situated 1,000km west of Ecuador, the Galapagos archipelago has been so little exposed to humans, it allowed Charles Darwin to study and rethink the laws of nature.

The channel is available on DStv

Read Also:
- February on Curiosity Channel

Sunday, February 7, 2021

Updated (13/02/2021): What To Look Forward To On DStv New Korean Channel, tvN?

MultiChoice first unveiled the channel in their virtual upfront and at the time stated it would be available in November 2020 to DStv Family customers in South Africa and Compact in the rest of Africa.

According to sources, the channel is scheduled for a March release and will be available to DStv Access customers - yet to be confirmed. As stated earlier Entourage was the only confirmed show for the African feed.

tvN unveiled a list of shows Africa will see at launch and this is likely to change:

Another Miss Oh (as speculated)
Weekdays at 18:45
Revolves around plain Oh Hae Young (Seho Hyun Jin), who has always been compared to a prettier Oh Hae Young. Plain Oh Hae Young falls in love with Park Do Kyung (Eric Man Of Shinwa) who happens to be Oh Hae Young's ex-fiancé.

Cheese In The Trap (as speculated)
Weekdays at 20:00
The drama focuses on the life and relationships of a group of university students, particularly the difficult relationship between hard-working scholarship student Hong Seol (Kim Go-eun) and her deceptively kind senior, Yoo Jung (Park Hae-jin).

I-Land - Reality
Thursdays at 23:45
22 participants are transported to a complex (called by the same name as the show title, the I-Land) located in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a luscious green forest, for a total of 113 days.

Encounter
Weekdays at 21:15
A story about a movie star and his entourage of buddies navigating their way through show business and enjoying all the perks along the way.

Signal (as speculated)
Weekdays at 22:30
A walkie talkie allows a detective in the year 1989 to communicate with a cold case profiler from 2015. With the power of fore- and hindsight, the two not only solve crimes but prevent them from ever taking place.

NCT World 2.0 - Reality
Fridays at 23:45
This reality show is based on a South Korean boyband of the same name. Having a concept of unlimited number of members.

(Please note the ones in Bold were speculated for the channel beforehand)
Other dramas confirmed for the channel: The Bride Of Habaek, Familiar Wife, The Crowned Clown, 100 Days My Prince, Flower Of Evil, Watcher, The K2, Lawless Lawyer, Player, Tunnel, Tale Of The Nine Tailed and Melting Me Softly with Top Star U Back being the only reality show.

Reminder: it's a promotional pop-up channel and could be available for a longer period. Anymore details regarding this channel will be inserted on this article.

Update: Launches 1st March at 18:45 and will be available until 20 June

March 2021 On History Africa | New Season | New Series | Stunt

Brand New & Exclusive
THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND S8
26 March
Fridays 20h15
After unearthing intriguing evidence of an eighteenth- century sailing ship in the swamp, real-life treasure hunters Rick and Marty Lagina believe they are closer than ever to solving the more than 200-year-old mystery. In season eight, the team will do more extensive excavaton in the swamp area in search of what might be a sunken ship. They will also do a major excavaton of the money pit area using the largest caisson to date. The Laginas are also in the process of buying portons of the island that they have never had access to before as well as one neighbouring island, in order to expand their search for new evidence. What will we learn of the secret history of Oak Island? Stand by for our most excitng season yet!

Brand New & Exclusive
HISTORY OF THE FUTURE
12 March Fridays 19h25
History of the Future comprises four episodes, each of which explores one key aspect of society’s future by analysing past precedents and modern data and projectng historical trends. The team examined hundreds of hours of archival footage and modern 4k images flmed across the fve contnents. The series features interviews with 19 leading academics.

WW2 HOLOCAUST SUNDAY NIGHTS

ANNE FRANK REMEMBERED
21 March
Sunday 20h15
Using previously unreleased archival material in additon to contemporary interviews, this academy award- winning documentary tells the story of the Frank family and presents the frst fully-rounded portrait of their brash and free-spirited daughter Anne, perhaps the world’s most famous victm of the Holocaust.
This moving documentary focuses on young Jewish girl Anne Frank, who became world-renowned afer her diary was published. Featuring the voices of Glenn Close and Kenneth Branagh, the award-winning movie also includes interviews with people who knew the Franks, most notably Miep Gies, who risked death to help shelter the family.

HITLER’S SECRET SEX LIFE
28 March
Sundays 20h15
Hitler’s Secret Sex Life exposes the myriad of rumours, theories and disputed historical accounts of Adolf Hitler’s sexual psychology. There is no shortage of experts on Hitler’s sex life who consider the Fuhrer’s predictons to be a barometer of the dictator’s twisted psyche. From incest to stalking women as a youth, from masochism to murder, as he tried to hide his sexual past, Hitler’s Secret Sex Life delves deeper than ever before into the primal mindset of history’s most destructve man.

ESCAPING THE HOLOCAUST: SYNDROME K
28 March
Sunday 21h10
Syndrome K tells the story of three courageous Roman Catholic doctors who saved Jews by convincing the Nazis that these Jews were infected with a highly deadly and contagious disease that the doctors called Syndrome K. Afer Mussolini was removed, and Italy signed an Armistce with the Allies, the Nazis became infuriated and occupied Rome. Over 1000 Jews were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz from the Jewish Gheto in Rome in October 1943 and most never returned. Many Jews sought refuge in the Fatebenefratelli hospital where the three doctors invented a disease to protect them, advising all patents to fake symptoms when the Nazi ofcers were outside the ward, and declaring it far too contagious for the soldiers to enter. Dr Ossicini was interviewed for this flm, as were survivors. The new footage amassed and combined with archives is chilling – and the secrets of their heroism is fnally pronounced. This is an unbelievable, mysterious WWII story that needs to be told.

The channel is available on DStv

March 2021 On CBS Reality Africa | New Series & Returning Show

COAST GUARD: MISSION CRITICAL S1

On Coast Guard: Mission Critical, the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard do whatever it takes to patrol and protect America’s borders from drug runners, terrorists, and human traﬃckers, all while saving the precious lives of those in peril at sea.

With a ﬁlm crew embedded 24/7, the series features unprecedented access to high-octane missions that were previously oﬀ-limits to cameras.

Every thrilling episode covers multiple assignments in both US and hostile foreign waters as these real-life American heroes rescue passengers from sinking vessels, seize illegal contraband, and patrol against foreign threats of every kind.

Weekends at 07:50 and 18:40 from 27th March.

CLOSE CALLS: ON CAMERA S7

“Close Calls: On Camera” brings to life the stories of ordinary people who have faced extraordinary circumstances.

With access to a variety of sources such as video and phone footage shot by the victims and onlookers, dramatic real-life 999 calls, and ﬁrst-hand accounts from the victims and their friends and families, Close Calls: On Camera relives the split-second moments when everyday events are transformed into disasters and meets the people who lived to tell the tale.

Weekends at 19:30 and 01:20 from 13th March.

CBS Reality is available on DStv channel 132

World's Most Evil Killers Season 5 Airs This March On CBS Justice Africa

“World’s Most Evil Killers” delves into the gripping real life stories of the world’s most proliﬁc killers. Each episode focuses on one notorious killer and features authentic ﬁrst-hand accounts of their behavior, from detectives who ran the case, journalists who reported on the stories, relatives, and at times survivors, alongside series experts who provide analysis. These criminologists, crime journalists and psychologists examine how the infamous killers made headlines both nationally and internationally and why they still continue to evoke fear and fascination in the public eye. We investigate the triggers that drove them to kill, delving into their insatiable appetite for murder and the chilling legacy they have left. We uncover what has given them a place in the list of the World’s Most Evil Killers and retell every chilling tale using a combination of compelling interviews, narration, archive footage and stylised reconstruction.

Season 5 airs weeknights at 19:00 (CAT) from 22nd March until 16th April.

CBS Justice is available on DStv channel 170

Friday, February 5, 2021

Lego City Adventures Is Airing Soon On e.tv

The station is finally putting the DreamWorks stuff to rest with LEGO City Adventures being the first new show and third LEGO series by the brand.

LEGO City is a modern metropolis filled with the fiercest firefighters, the cream of the crop cops, and so many BLOCKHEADS. Every citizen will assemble together for the most awesomely awesome adventures. In short the kids version of Chicago franchise, NCIS and Grey's Anatomy etc.

The series made its debut back in 2019 on Nickelodeon with a total of 2 seasons and 19 episodes with a third season in production.

Catch it Thursdays at 15:00 from February 18

March 2021 On Investigation Discovery Africa | ELH | IOM

Evil Lives Here
From Tuesday 2 March at 21:00
If the person closest to you were a devil in disguise, would you see the signs? This provocative series returns to tell more gripping stories of ordinary people connected to a killer. In each case, they see suspicious signs that something is amiss. Some turn a blind eye to these signs, washing away blood and not wanting to know where it came from. But sometimes, they choose to dig deeper, and must eventually face the horrible truth: that the person they loved and trusted is a monster. How will they react? Will they betray their loved one by turning to police, will they help them cover up their crimes, or will they become entangled in the evil doings?

True Conviction
From Wednesday 31 March at 21:00
This compelling series returns to delve even deeper into the investigation process of how homicides are solved on the street and won in the courtroom. Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, an esteemed Brooklyn homicide prosecutor, travels across the US to reveal how the nation's top prosecutors tackled their toughest cases. Coming up this season, Nicolazzi revisits the unsolved murder of a single mother during the city's surge of homicides, and the top cold case duo who developed a technique that would change investigative procedure forever. And, she examines the case of an elderly couple murdered in their bed, as the investigation yields disturbing secrets of a psychopath in the community. Reliving the crime with the detectives who were on the scene and connecting with those who were left behind, Nicolazzi shows that sometimes justice can only truly be served with a guilty verdict.

Impact of Murder
From Thursday 11 March at 21:00
It's hard to measure the impact of murder, as it changes from initial devastation to a loss the victim's family must shape their lives around. This series returns to follow the emotional journeys of victims and their families, as they struggle to make sense of the crime and the immediate aftermath. While they piece together what happened and prepare for court, they watch their loved ones become national figures. What starts as a personal fight for justice, becomes a national fight for justice, culminating in a gripping Victim Impact Statement, as they finally come face to face with their loved one's killer.

The channel is available on DStv and StarTimes (Starsat)