Insidus

Friday, April 30, 2021

Adult Swim Refreshes Its Slate With Brand-New Shows On Showmax

The acclaimed adult comedy brand, Adult Swim, exclusive to Showmax in Africa, will unleash brand-new, bold and irreverent content with the much-awaited launch of Rick and Morty Season 5, three new original series following the US premieres: YOLO: Crystal Fantasy (Season 1); Tigtone (Season 1 & 2); and The Eric Andre Show (Season 5), and The Bleepin’ Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special.

New episodes of Rick and Morty are on the horizon!

Adult Swim has announced its Emmy® Award-winning hit series will roll out the season five premiere across the globe starting on Sunday, 20 June at 11:00 PM ET/PT and are officially declaring it Rick and Morty Day. To join in the action, Rick and Morty enthusiasts across Africa can catch the new episodes from Monday, 21 June, just 24 hours after the US premiere, on the Adult Swim corner on Showmax.

One of the most-binged series on Showmax, all previous seasons are currently available on the streaming platform. To keep fans going until the roll out of the new season, a Rick and Morty special, Rick and Morty In The Eternal Nightmare Machine, will launch on the Adult Swim corner on Showmax on Saturday, 1 May. In this new and original 8-bit animated adventure, the simulation is corrupt, repair the core!

Three brand-new shows, filled with dark humour, satirical fantasy, and anarchic animation, available from Monday, 17 May

YOLO: CRYSTAL FANTASY, Season 1

YOLO: Crystal Fantasy, a quarter-hour American animated comedy series created, and executive produced by Michael Cusack, follows two rowdy Australian party girls, Sarah and Rachel, looking for fun times, new experiences, positive vibes, and hopeful horoscopes in the bizarre town of Wollongong. Sarah’s quest is to find love, whereas Rachel hungers for chaos, often bringing them into conflicts as they encounter surreal Australiana, strange bush creatures, and eccentric nomads.

TIGTONE, Season 1 & 2

Tigtone is the saga of the quest-addicted hero who slashes his way across a satirical fantasy universe with melodramatic ferocity, always obeying the letter of the law but never its spirit. Tigtone is created by Andrew Koehler and Benjamin Martian, who also serve as executive producers with Blake Anderson (Workaholics). The quarter-hour, extremely funny animated series combines highly rendered, hand-painted fantasy art, motion capture performance, 2D animation, and pseudo-3D visual effects.

THE ERIC ANDRE SHOW, Season 5

The Eric Andre Show takes the elements of a traditional late-night talk show and ruins them. Likely the world’s most inept and violent host, Eric Andre interviews A-list talent (such as Seth Rogen, Wiz Kalifa, Judy Greer and Jimmy Kimmel) with the help of co-host Hannibal Buress. Created by Eric Andre, he hosts the most chaotic, unorthodox and surreal comedy chat show around...

Robot Chicken Takes on Riverdale High with

The Bleepin’ Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special

Finally, adding to all previous seasons (1 – 10) of Robot Chicken available on Showmax, the teens at Riverdale High are gifted with their very own skewering stop-motion half-hour special with The Bleepin’ Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special premiering Monday, 24 May (24 hours after the US premiere). Featuring a star-studded voice cast including Fred Armisen, Rachel Leigh Cook, Jane Lynch, Ryan Phillipe, Amy Sedaris, and more, Archie faces the action-packed return of Josie and the Pussycats from outer space to Riverdale in this animated comedy. Featuring the origin of Archie Andrews as only the Robot Chicken writers can tell it! This latest special joins the additional four Robot Chicken specials on the Adult Swim corner on Showmax: Star Wars Specials #1, #2 and #3 and The Robot Chicken Walking Dead Special: Look Who’s Walking.

The three new shows join the ranks of Adult Swim’s idiosyncratic, unhinged content line up including Mr. Pickles, Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, Lazor Wulf, and the Mr. Pickles spin-off, Momma Named Me Sheriff.

May 2021 On Disney Channel & Junior Africa | New Seasons & Episodes | DCOM

Disney Channel:
RAVEN’S HOME
Premiere episodes
Monday 10th to Thursday 13th and Monday 17th to Wednesday 19th May at 17:25

Raven and the gang are back with new episodes, as season four of Raven’s Home launches on Disney Channel! Premiere episodes air from Monday 10th to Thursday 13th and Monday 17th to Wednesday 19th May at 17:25

There are new moves, new laughs and new visions, as Booker, Nia and Tess embark on new adventures. In the season launch episode Baking Bad (Monday 10th May at 17:25) when Booker, Nia and Tess discover someone is passing Nia’s photo off as their own social media avatar, the kids try to unmask the culprit before Nia’s real-life rep takes a hit.

Premiere episodes of Raven’s Home season four air from Monday 10th to Thursday 13th and Monday 17th to Wednesday 19th May at 17:25, on Disney Channel.

DISNEY CHANNEL FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIES
Programming event
Fridays throughout May at 17:00

Disney Channel’s Friday treat for film fans continues throughout May with great entertainment to celebrate the start of each weekend. There’s a marvellous movie every Friday at 17:00, repeated on Saturday at 10:40.

The fun starts with Zombies on Friday 7th May, followed by its sequel Zombies 2 (Friday 14th May), How to Build a Better Boy (Friday 21st May) and Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (Friday 28th May), all at 17:00.

Zombies (Friday 7th May) is a music and dance filled story set in Seabrook, 50 years after a zombie apocalypse. When zombies are finally allowed to enrol in Seabrook High School, the charismatic zombie Zed, who wants to play football, meets Addison, who dreams of being a cheerleader. Addison and Zed work together to show Seabrook what they can achieve when they embrace their differences.

Viewers can see these great Disney movies on Fridays throughout May 2021 at 17:00, repeated on the following Saturday at 10:40, on Disney Channel.

Disney Junior:
FANCY NANCY CLANCY Premiere episodes
Weekdays from Monday 3rd to Friday 7th May at 14:00
Fancy Nancy Clancy has fun with family and friends, as she finds the extraordinary in the ordinary, and – with a little imagination- transforms the plain into the exquisite! Nancy returns to the channel with premiere episodes on weekdays from Monday 3rd to Friday 7th May at 14:00.
In the first of these premiere episodes Bon Voyage, Nancy! /Nancy's New Friend (Monday 3rd May at 14:00) Nancy is disappointed when a family car trip isn’t the epic adventure she imagined. Then Nancy makes friends with Lionel’s favourite cousin Sean, who just happens to be autistic.

Premiere episodes of Fancy Nancy Clancy air on weekdays from Monday 3rd to Friday 7th May at 14:00 on Disney Junior.

BLUEY
Premiere episodes
Weekdays from Monday 24th to Friday 28th May at 05:00
Delightful Blue Heeler puppy Bluey is back on the channel this month, with premiere episodes featuring her adventures on weekdays from Monday 24th to Friday 28th May at 05:00.
In the episode Trains (Monday 24th May at 05:00) Bingo is a model citizen, commuting to work on the Dad-Train, dropping her daughter at day care and working as a vet. Bluey on the other hand is much more intent on having fun!

Premiere episodes of Bluey air on weekdays from Monday 24th to Friday 28th May at 05:00, on Disney Junior.

MIRA: ROYAL DETECTIVE
Premiere episodes
Weekdays from Monday 10th to Friday 14th May at 14:30
Super sleuth Mira’s back on the trail, as premiere episodes of Mira Royal Detective air on weekdays from Monday 10th to Friday 14th May at 14:30.
As newly appointed royal detective to the Indian-inspired land of Jalpur, the brave and resourceful Mira travels throughout the kingdom helping royals and townspeople alike. With the help of her friend, Prince Neel, her cousin, Priya, and her mongoose sidekicks, Mikku and Chikku, Mira uses her unique lens to investigate each case that comes her way.

In the first of these episodes, Mystery at the Marketplace/ Mystery in the Sand Dunes (Monday 10th May at 14:30) Mira tracks down the spice merchant who has an essential ingredient for Meena's ladoos. Then, while testing Neel’s new vehicle, a sandstorm causes the vehicle to become lost.

Premiere episodes of Mira Royal Detective air on weekdays from Monday 10th to Friday 14th May at 14:30, on Disney Junior.

ELENA OF AVALOR
Premiere episode
Sunday 16th May at 12:00
Disney Junior is celebrating our much-loved Disney Princesses this month, with episodes and specials on Sundays featuring these royal favourites. As part of this exciting event there is a premiere episode of Elena of Avalor on Sunday 16th May at 12:00.

In season three Elena’s epic journey continues as she strives to protect her kingdom from a family of wicked wizards while learning how to control her new magic powers. In this premiere episode, entitled The Family Treasure (Sunday 16th May at 12:00), Elena and Isabel help two feuding brothers find a valuable treasure hidden by their mother.

This premiere episode of Elena of Avalor airs on Sunday 16th May at 12:00 on Disney Junior.

M-Net +1 Is The Third Channel To Be Removed From MultiChoice's DStv

Just as I theorized few weeks back, MultiChoice and M-Net are discontinuing the M-Net +1 on DStv after 5 years with the channel that is set to close on May 16, 2021.

According to their customer care, the channel is being closed as they are reviewing their content offering. The termination of the channel is informed by their customer's increasing preference to view content on the DStv app and Catch Up.

Within 4 months, DStv managed to remove 3 channels in South Africa and 4 for the rest of Africa. Out of that portion only 1 channel seemed somewhat a loss which was EVA that distributed Bold And The Beautiful from CBS.

As much as +1 helped some customers it was just another duplicate channel and SuperSport already has that with the WWE Channel which joins the same titanic.

If I had to guess what's being discontinued in the near future, I'd look at the M-Net channel on 902 and the SuperSport community sports channel on 490. On the international side, I'd look at the channels from WarnerMedia, Ginx TV, ViacomCBS and Discovery Inc.

New Channel Alert: Roots TV Launches On Starsat

Roots TV is the second channel to launch on the platform this year. As usual Starsat doesn't seem to care to promote their offering to the media.

Roots TV is said to be owned by Moja Media the same company that manages BRICS TV which can also be found on the platform and was created to be the voice for rural and peri-urban communities that are ignored by mainstream television meaning it's another Soweto TV.

No details where given on the actual programming that will be seen on Roots TV as all that Starsat did was highlight a few facts about the channel which were history, arts, music, documentary, culture and religion.

As stated the channel launches 24 April on channel 196 but the problem is RT is nowhere to be seen as Starsat confirmed to subscribers they're currently experiencing technical difficulties which they're trying to resolve.

Starsat is currently looking to possible replacements for Fine Living and Discovery Family both of which are owned by Discovery Inc.

New Channel Alert: Vocational Education Channel Coming Soon To StarTimes?

StarTimes wants to start up their own vocational education channel. Since then, they have been handing out questionnaires to customers.

Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational education is sometimes referred to as career and technical education.

Basically, it's a tertiary version of Mindset and chances are if they do manage to get such channel running viewers should expect to see a certain career take up more airtime than others.

Kind of like how Mindset puts more focus towards Grade 10-12 expect this unnamed channel to have the same outcome.

Friday, April 23, 2021

May 2021 On WarnerMedia Africa | TNT Original Movie: Twist | Ben 10 Special | Fan Month | New Episodes | More

TNT:

TRY NOT TO LAUGH …
With a career spanning over 40 years, Eddie Murphy has cemented himself as one of the greatest comedians in history. Over the years, he has done much of everything; we could even call him a jack of all trades and master of all. He has featured on the big screen, is a top-class stand-up comedian, can impersonate multiple characters in one movie and … he can maintain an impeccable moustache! This month TNT will make Eddie Murphy its brightest star. It’s a date every Monday with titles such as Shrek, where Eddie stars as the hilarious and loveable companion Donkey. In the equally hilarious and emotional Life, he stars alongside Martin Lawrence as they fght for their innocence. Catch these and more titles on TNT!
Monday, 3 May
20:00 – Bowfnger (1997)
CHANNEL PREMIERE
Monday, 10 May
20:00 – The Distinguished Gentleman (1992)
Monday, 17 May
20:00 – Showtime (2002)
Monday, 24 March
20:00 – Shrek (2001)
Monday, 31 May
20:00 – Life (1999)

IMMINENT MENACE
You know the gut feeling you sometimes have that you can’t seem to shake that something terrible is coming your way? The saying goes, ‘always trust your gut feeling’, and this month TNT puts that to the ultimate test. We have gathered a selection of some gruelling movies where the only priority will be survival. From Saturday, 8 May, TNT will bring you not one or two, but three ultimate survival movies for your entertainment. Catch blockbusters such as the channel premiere Gamer, where a death-row inmate (Gerard Butler) battles his fellow prisoners in a violent online game. Other flms to watch out for include, Battleship (Liam Neeson), Air Force One (Harrison Ford), The Perfect Storm (Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney) and The Rock (Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage).
Saturday, 8 May
16:00 – Twister (1996) 17:55 – Air Force One (1997)
20:00 – Gamer (2009) CHANNEL PREMIERE
Saturday, 15 May
16:00 – Outbreak (1995)
18:10 – Dante’s Peak (1997)
20:00 – Daylight (1996)
Saturday, 22 May
16:00 – Broken Arrow (1996)
17:50 – The Perfect Storm (2000)
20:00 – Battleship (2012)
Saturday, 29 May
15:55 – The Rock (1996)
18:10 – The Kingdom (2007)
20:00 – Pitch Black (2000)

TNT ORIGINAL MOVIES MAY PREMIERE: TWIST
On the 6th of May, TNT brings you another exclusive, never-seen-before movie from our TNT Original Movies slate. A modern-day take of the Charles Dickens’ 1838 timeless novel Oliver Twist called, simply, Twist. Starring a cast including Raferty Law (Jude Law’s oldest son) in his frst leading role, veteran actor Sir Michael Caine, Lena Heady (Game of Thrones) and musician Rita Ora. Set in contemporary London, it tells the story of a gifted grafti artist lured into a street gang headed by a father fgure, Fagin, who plans a series of audacious thefts.
PREMIERE
Thursday, 6th of May @ 20:00

Cartoon Network:

BEN GEN 10
BEN 10 VS THE UNIVERSE
SATURDAY, 22/05 @ 10:10 CAT SATURDAY, 08/05 @ 10:10 CAT
THE ALIEN-FIGHTING EXTRAVAGANZA RETURNS
Join Cartoon Network this month as we welcome the incomparable Ben Tennyson back into the fold with a brand-new channel original movie, Ben Gen 10. Since the ten-year-old discovered the mysterious Omnitrix on a family vacation, life has been one big adventure! Why wouldn’t it be when the alien device allows him to transform into 10 diferent alien forms complete with unique superpowers? Ben Gen 10 presents Ben’s fnal adventure of the summer as he runs into a young Rex (Generator Rex), and suddenly, everyone is turned into aliens. Ben thinks it is Rex who has contaminated his Omnitrix; however, HEX, a self-proclaimed ‘Master Magician’, is hiding in the background. Will Ben 10 be able to save the day? Tune in to Cartoon Network to find out!

BOY GIRL DOG CAT MOUSE CHEESE
MONDAY, 10/05
MONDAYS TO FRIDAYS @ 16:15 CAT
LOVE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THIS BLENDED FAMILY
Cartoon Network is switching things up a notch with this not-so-average family. Only on Cartoon Network can a Boy, Girl, Dog, Cat, Mouse and ... err, a piece of cheese blend to become one big happy family. Catch the brand-new episodes where Cheese and Dog want to become astronauts, so the family decides to create a fake Mars to shield them from going to the dangerous ‘Red Planet’ itself. Watch Dog become an investigative detective as the family signs up for the Neighbourhood Watch. And, when the kids won’t stop being loud, Mouse uses a voice swap invention causing them to swap voices. Will the kids freak out, each now talking in a voice that isn’t their own? Find out every Monday to Friday!

VICTOR AND VALENTINO
WEEKENDS @ 17:40 CAT
SATURDAY, 15/05
LET THE BROMANCE CONTINUE!
Victor and Valentino are back with brand new episodes this May on Cartoon Network, where mischief, mayhem and Mesoamerican myths rule the day. After Charlene sprays Vic with perfume to make him lose hair, the whole town suddenly goes berserk, following Charlene around. The two must now join forces to make everything right. While volunteering at the old folks’ home, Val becomes buddies with the oldest, crankiest person in Monte Macabre and helps him reclaim his youthful power. In an epic episode, Don bestows Valentino the responsibility of patrolling the lake; Val takes it too far and stops who he believes to be a poacher – with disastrous consequences … Good luck with that, Vic!

Other Developments:
- Summer Camp Island Season 3 airs later in the month
- Looney Tunes Cartoons which was exclusive to HBO Max will start airing on Boomerang later in the month.
- TNT will be doing something special for Labour Day

- HBO Max to rollout in 60 countries
- Cartoon Network is doing live-action again
- New kids programming coming to Cartoon Network

- As predicted, Toonami gets a facelift

Media Brokerage Africa Spearheads Pan-African Broadcast Media Solutions

The current economic climate is forcing cost-cutting across the board for International Broadcast Partners in Africa. Media Brokerage Africa, a bespoke pan-African broadcast media brokerage, is committed to delivering cost-effective and innovative media solutions to its boutique portfolio of seminal entertainment, news, and sports clients.

Launched in July 2020, Media Brokerage Africa specialises in Channel Distribution, Affiliate Sales and Management across Africa, Content Sales and Brokerage connecting pan-African audiences with international content (via acquisitions, sales, content blocks and pop up channels), and Advertising, Sponsorships and Promotion, including negotiation of sports rights within Africa. The company operates across all broadcasting platforms including, free-to-air (FTA), pay-TV, Digital Switch Over (DSO), mobile and over-the-top (OTT). Media Brokerage Africa consults on behalf of new and existing platforms within the African broadcast ecosystem bringing great international content to African audiences aligning and cultivating deeper meaningful connections.

Partnerships are critical to the strategic success of Media Brokerage Africa, both current and future. Existing clients include South Africa’s public broadcaster, SABC; TV production company, Brainwave Productions; and Ethiopian TV & Entertainment OTT platform, Habeshaview, which operates Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services offering rich content that includes live TV, documentaries, drama, children’s programs, lifestyle shows and many more.

Recently, Media Brokerage Africa has announced numerous pan-African exclusive distribution partnership deals, including IMMediate Platform’s official entry into Africa’s booming online marketing industry, helping marketers create the best content possible. Swig Media, LLC offering a bouquet of original, special-interest channels to Africa. Global Fashion Channel, featuring fashion, beauty, art, luxury lifestyle, culture, music and special events from around the world. Other exclusive partnership deals signed include The Dancehall Channel, introducing the Dancehall culture to the African continent, ENLIVE tv offering Christian entertainment for African viewers, and StoryZoo, a magical place in which animation, music and education combine to create a learning adventure for young children.

“In line with the evolving media landscape and a demand for a multi-channel solution as opposed to silo offerings, I am thrilled to set up, develop, and drive this new company. It is no longer just about selling media platforms, but more about addressing the marketing objective of our clients,” says Colman Murray, founder and Managing Director of Media Brokerage Africa. “I am excited to further enhance Media Brokerage Africa’s exceptional portfolio of brands and revenue streams across the continent. This is an exciting opportunity, and I am looking forward to taking this business to unprecedented heights.”

Before devoting his work full-time to Media Brokerage Africa, Murray served in pan-African senior executive roles with print, digital and broadcasting corporations, including Yahoo! Time Inc., Fox Networks Group and WarnerMedia. As a journalist, Murray has written for Time, Rolling Stone, Spin, Times Media, The Independent, as well as owning, editing and publishing a stable of South African Magazines through Hot Mustard Media.

For more information on Media Brokerage Africa, visit mediabrokerageafrica.com, or commercial queries in Africa, please contact Colman Murray at colman@mediabrokerageafrica.com.

Theory: What If SABC 4 And SABC 5 Are The Two Mystery Channels Launching On OpenView?

In March, SABC and eMedia Investments held a press conference to reach a new agreement which saw SABC Sport as well as SABC's 19 radio stations launch on OpenView the following month with two other channels set to launch on the platform at a later stage (3 months according to them).

SABC Education is suspected by some of the media as "the other two channels" since it carries extensive and archived content but the reason it may not be that channel is due to the fact that they didn't mention it by name.

Back in November, SABC partnered with Telkom and all their channels including Education were added to their streaming platform, TelkomOne and eMedia Investments forged a similar deal leaving this one out of the picture.

Perhaps the likes of DBE TV (OpenView 122) is the reason for the exclusion after all both channels are just another Mindset with SABC Education supplying selected content particularly Grade 10 & 11 from that channel.

An SABC Encore type channel was also another channel the media suspected but the SABC COO mentioned giving the two channels 20% new content and 80% existing content.

During the SABC's primitive years, the idea was to launch them as five channels before downsizing to just three channels. The two channels which were known as SABC 4 & 5 would cater for north and south of the country respectively.

SABC4, based in Mafikeng, was to be broadcast in Tswana, Sesotho, Pedi, Tsonga, Venda, and Afrikaans, to the northern provinces of the country, while SABC5, based in Cape Town, was to broadcast in Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele, and Swazi, as well as Afrikaans, to the southern provinces with no English-language programming shown on either channel.

New Series Alert: Solar Opposites Coming Soon To FOX Africa

Since the channel's launch in 2013, The Simpsons is currently the lead mascot to adult animation on the channel with very little programming seen on that category.

During the 8 years on FOX, the channel only managed to air 5 animation in total including American Dad, Family Guy, Futurama and The Cleveland Show, and out of that five only 3 are ongoing.

Now FOX will make it a 6 with the introduction of Solar Opposites.

Solar Opposites, follows a family of aliens from a better world must take refuge in middle America, and they disagree on whether Earth is awful or awesome.

The series made its debut back in 2020 on Hulu in the United States and it's international counterpart Star back in February.

Perhaps, Solar Opposites is one of the introductions to Disney+ online channel, Star since Disney is doing away with FOX name they did replace FOX Sports with ESPN internationally while Latin America rebranded their FOX entertainment channels to Star.

Solar Opposites season 1 airs Mondays at 21:30 CAT from 3 May and repeats Fridays at 21:55 from 7 May.