Insidus

Saturday, July 10, 2021

Warner TV Replaces TNT In Romania And Poland In October With Questions Over It's Fate In TNT Africa

A month ago, WarnerMedia announced that they were replacing TNT with Warner TV in Germany from September with other European markets expected to follow gradually.

Well gradually came in quick as Romania and Poland will be canning their TNT channels together a month later and also around the 20s like Germany.

TNT launched back in 2015 to replace the outdated but ever successful TCM in those regions just like Africa they were also used for movies.

Now they're getting out of their comfort zone for the generic, Warner TV which is said to position itself as a brand for its unique story, first-class content and remarkable storytelling.

Basically, it's taking content already available on M-Net and their streaming service Showmax ranging from HBO, The CW, TNT and Adult Swim, and putting them under one hub.

The possible exiting of the ever so modern TNT Africa does raise questions for the additional offering available being AEW Dynamite and TNT Original Movies. All evolutions of TNT have brought something to the table at the expense of another.

TCM had an ongoing stack of outdated movies, TNT has a new movie block and sporting action with AEW Dynamite so what will the generic channel like Warner TV offer perhaps series to also compete with the likes of FOX and Universal if so what will viewers lose from all this.

After Going Dark In Africa, FashionTV Makes It's Comeback On StarSat

FashionTV is an international fashion and lifestyle broadcasting channel offering a review of global fashion and is independently owned and operated from the headquarters in Paris, London and Vienna.

The channel was removed from DStv later in 2016 in favour of its sister channel, Fashion One and thereafter the channel went blank in 2020 and StarTimes tried contacting them with no luck they kicked it to the curb.

Now the channel returns to StarTimes as a replacement for the irrelevant FashionBOX channel owned by SPI International who are also in charge of Timeless Dizi Channel, Filmbox and Gametoon.

As usual, StarTimes failed once again to inform the media about these changes while the owners of FashionTV remain quiet on this channel as well as Fashion One's blackout.

The channel launches 15 July on StarSat channel 282. It might be available on other platforms in future.

Friday, July 9, 2021

Germany, Australia And Switzerland Are The Next Markets To Lose FOX (And Disney Junior), Could The Disney Channels Demise There Actually Predict When The Ones In Africa Will Follow?

The Walt Disney Company announced plans to shut down its pay-TV channels Fox and Disney Junior in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland on September 30. The films, series, and other programs will transition over to streaming service Disney+.

Disney+ is not available in South Africa as yet but with these new African productions coming. It won't pose much of a shock if we're part of their 2022 rollout.

More markets are closing down their Disney Channels as the CEO announced sometime back the goal is to close 100 international Disney Channels (even highlighted Africa) and they'll continue at a robust rate.

The Walt Disney Company took Disney XD and FOX Life away from Africa with FOX, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, ESPN 1 & 2, Disney Channel and Disney Junior remaining.

Around the closures, it was announced that Disney was doing away with FOX name. We got to see Korea find an alternative name while Latin America renamed it into Star which is a section on Disney+.

FOX Africa has been adding content from Star which signals the possible rebrand. The only reason it might not have changed as yet is due to the Star India channels.

In January 2021, Star India's channels rebranded to Utsav in the UK and parts of Europe while the Middle East, Africa, Singapore and other parts of Europe for some reason experienced that with only Star Vijay which seemingly confirms the new brands rollout in those territories.

Out of all these regions that got Utsav only the UK lost FOX while other markets have yet to join the Latin American counterpart of the channel but one things for certain is that these changes are coming in phases.

With that in mind, could it be possible that Star Life and StarPlus will rebrand into Utsav within the next month or two where one channel is celebrating a birthday with FOX following within two to three months where certain channels were wiped from the face of the earth or at least in Africa.

New Channel Alert: Untitled East African Movie Channel Using An Existing Brand Name Is Coming Soon To DStv

In the financial year end of March 2021, MultiChoice unveiled two channels the first being an entertainment channel for Mozambique with the other being a movie channel for East Africa.

It looks like the movie channel will be launching soon there's no reason for it to not be this channel seeing as they have large stack of fresh movies from 2020 featuring a ton of African stars.

For some strange reason the channel is using the name Pearl Magic which exists in Uganda so this may be a placeholder name for something surrounding that brand or it could be put under brand well-known by Kenya and Tanzania which is Maisha Magic since both are located in East Africa.

Now the question remains on why such channel is popping up in Southern Africa's airwaves. Could it be possible that MultiChoice SA and other parts of Africa are planning to ignite some of their brands.

West and East of Africa has got channels from the other parts of Africa while our market hasn't gotten any from one part being East Africa so could it be possible that this new movie channel as well a channel which was playing in the test channel section before going dark Maisha Magic be part of our region to introduce viewers to Swahili.

MultiChoice has been Afrocentric for a while now with the likes of fliekNET, kykNET Lekker, Wild Earth, Novela Magic, Moja 9.9. and Honey. They even got some local productions launching on M-Net within the next year and have launched Mzansi Magic adaptations in other markets ranging from Pearl Magic (as mentioned), Akwaaba Magic, Zambezi Magic, Abol TV and OneZed TV.

Did eMedia Investments' Possibly Give Us A Hint On What To Expect From SABC's "Long Awaited" Streaming Service?

A week ago, eMedia Investments' "possible details" of the brand's upcoming streaming service, eVOD which is scheduled to be released sometime in July surfaced the net.

With this possible leak, could we possibly see a last minute rollout of the service or a possible delay as this wasn't the first time something related to the brand surfaced the net.

In 2017, e.tv's 4 new channels at the time were listed on their website with DStv channel numbers with DStv adding them to their i-Plate section before eventually rolling them onto the platform.

With the help of a certain user, I got to analyse each of the possible details for eVOD.

For starters, there's no international series present on this app (apparently Kuiertyd dubbed soaps are listed as local) which wouldn't come as a shock if it's true. Telkom did mention in their interview it was hard securing rights to SABC 3 due to all the international programming available on there so maybe eMedia will try supplying some international content overtime.

This might also signal less to no new content.

SABC: This implies that MAYBE the platform won't carry any linear channels since they do sacrifice part of their schedule for international programming. It was already stated that at the time that they wouldn't have any international content there.

Secondly, there's a Fast Forward feature which grants paying customers (seperate from data charges) access to a minimum amount of episodes from their favourite local programs even before airing on TV.

SABC: They might have something similar but grant those with an up-to-date TV licence access to 1 episode and perhaps rollout a pay option for those without TV licence.

Third, eNews content has been added onto the platform.

SABC: It's very likely that the service will latch content as well but possibly livestream news from their linear channels.

Fourth, just like international series is present on eMedia Investments set of channels and absent on eVOD. The same is likely to happen with sports as it's not reflected on the service.

SABC: They could launch news segments to highlight the matches or possibly distribute old matches like their sports channel. In the end, it might not be easy getting sports if Showmax offers it for an extra R450 a month.

Last, the streaming service has been grouped all their content either by theme or genre. There's an eOriginals, Fast Forward (as mentioned earlier), eNews section, eCatch-Up, Afrikaans Premium (Kuiertyd soaps), Documentaries and an categorised movie section.

SABC: They've been around for decades so it's possible that their content will be grouped by timeline, age group, race and possibly genre.

Here's A List Upcoming Programs For Star Life

Star Life is set to introduce several new soapies between the 2020 to 2021 with the first A Magical Love Story that debuted on the channel earlier this month. Other shows set to launch on the channel. The ones airing later in 2020 include An Unusual Tale, Mariam Khan - Reporting Live and The Frontliners with Illusion, Soulmate, Happy Hearts, Prayers Of Love, This Is Love and The Evil Doom.

An Unusual Tale (Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh) is a rom-com that revolves around the lives of Vikram and Shobha, and their families—how they overcome their pasts for a better future. Sonali Bendre and Harsh Chhaya star as the leads.

Mariam Khan - Reporting Live, the show has a Muslim background and tells the tale of the Nawabs of Bhopal from the eyes of an 8 year old dyslexic girl, Mariam, who wants to become a reporter when she grows up just like her father.

The Frontliners (Sanjivani), under Dr Shashank's tutelage, Dr Sid loves to bend the rules while Dr Ishani prefers to play by them. In the new-age medical system, will they manage to be the 'dream docs' for every patient?

Illusion (Ek Bhram - Sarvagun Sampanna), appearances can be deceptive and so is Jhanvi, the perfect bahu of the Mittal household. Fuelled by revenge, she's planning a sinister future for her 'beloved' in-laws.

Soulmate (Saraswatichandra), a man living in Dubai his life suddenly changes when it's decided that he should get married to his fathers childhood best friends daughter Kumud living in India. But at first Saraswatichandra sends a letter and says he can't get married.

Happy Hearts (Dil Toh Happy Hai Ji), based in Amritsar, a heart-warming tale of a free-spirited girl, Happy. With dreams in her eyes and positivity that's contagious.

Prayers Of Love (Ek Aastha Aisi Bhee), Aastha is an atheist who gets married into a religious family and ultimately changes their outlook towards God and religious beliefs.

The Evil Doom (Qayamat Ki Raat), An evil tantrik's curse on a family and how it destroys the peace and the well-being of the village, and every person that lives there.

This Is Love (Ye Hai Mohabbatein), follows the story of Raman and Ishita who are connected by their common love for Raman's little daughter Ruhi. Ishita is a Tamilian whereas Raman is a Punjabi.

Premieres for each show goes as follows:
- An Unusual Tale airs everyday at 6pm from 30th of July
- Mariam Khan - Reporting Live airs everyday at 9pm from 2nd of August
- The Frontliners airs everyday at 8pm from 7th of August
- The rest will be announced by the channel

NOT SURPRISED! Where's Waldo Finally Airs On e.tv

In May, there was a list of NBCUniversal kids shows on Universal Kids with one of them being Where's Waldo? seeing that most of the channel's current lineup is now a part of NBCUniversal including DreamWorks Animation that also operate a channel on StarSat.

Where's Waldo?, is based on the 1991 short-lived animated series, Where's Wally which follows young members of the WorldWide Wanderer Society, Waldo and Wenda, who are sent on travel missions by their mentor, Wizard Whitebeard. Their rival, Odlulu, causes them trouble in their attempts to earn stripes and become wizard-level wanderers.

The first season made its debut back in 2019 on Universal Kids which serves as an U.S. counterpart of DreamWorks Channel and ramped up a total of 20 episodes before moving to NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock.

In the first episode titled "Little Trouble In Big China" the gang travel toBeijing, where Odlulu accidentally animates a stone dragon at Beijing's Lunar New Year, Waldo and Wenda team up with young Drummers Li and Liu to tame the dragon and save the celebration.

Season 1 airs Tuesdays at 15:00 and repeats on Saturdays at 06:55 on e.tv from 13 July.

The question remains on whether e.tv will air the 1991 animated series possibly even on eToonz seeing that they bagged Voltron and Voltron: Legendary Defenders, DreamWorks Dragon's Riders Of Berk and Race To The Edge as well as Noddy and Noddy: Toyland Detectives.

August 2021 On Wild Earth | Safari Times | Sea Forest LIVE | New Cubs Glimpsed At Night | An Explosion Of Big Cat Cubs

Wild Earth is a 24/7 wildlife channel that brings viewers face to face with the thrill of Africa in real time through LIVE safari shows from five of the best wilderness locations across South Africa.

LIVE Safari Times
Sunrise Safari
Start: 6.30 am End: 9.30 am CAT
Start: 4.30am End: 7.30am GMT
Start: 6.30 am End: 9.30 am CET
Start: 12.30am End: 3.30am EST

Sunset Safari
Start: 2.30pm End: 6.30pm CAT
Start: 12.30pm End: 4.30pm GMT
Start: 2.30pm End: 6.30pm CET
Start: 8.30am End: 12.30pm EST

SEA FOREST LIVE
Wild Earth will be launching a new show from the depths of the South African kelp Forest. In the same place that the award winning documentary “my octopus teacher” was filmed, WildEarth free divers will be exploring for themselves in real time.
Kelp forests dominate the west coast of South Africa forming large beds in the southern portion of the Benguela region. They are as productive per unit area as a tropical rainforest. ...Kelp forests are a unique habitat that provide food formarine life and shelter through some of the roughest storms.

NEW CUBS GLIMPSED AT NIGHT
The Pridelands Clan of hyena has welcomed three new surprises that we are still waiting to see in daylight. A glimpse of them has been seen from a static web cam at the den under the cover of darkness. However theyare still so small, Mom has not brought them out of the den in the daytime yet. Wild Earth is hoping to catch a glimpse of them in the next few weeks and daily from August

AN EXPLOSION OF BIG CAT CUBS

The Nkuhuma Pride
The Nkuhuma Pride was first seen by Djuma in 2006 in the shade of a Brown Ivory tree hence the name Nkuhuma. Amber eyes, Purple Eye, Ridge Nose and Youngest keep the Pride alive with their lethal hunting tactics and like any other mothers, the constant protection of their cubs. During the drought of 2016 a number of female cubs were born to this pride and now in recent weeks seven brand new cubs have been born to these young female mothers. WildEarth is looking forward to spending a lot of time with these cute furballs.

Tiyani the Female Leopard
In May, 2015 Salayexe, a beautiful dominant female in the north western parts of our area went into the lodge of Simbambilli and gave birth to a gorgeous blue eyed wonder under the deck. The cub later received the name Tiyani which means strong one because she seemed to have no fear. Now the beautiful Tiyani has given birth herself. The brand new leopard cub has been spotted by many others driving in the area but Wild Earth has yet to see it. WE are looking forward to spending some quality time with this youngster and showing it to the world.

August 2021 On History Africa | New Series Alert: Secret Wars Uncovered | Returning Series

Brand New and Exclusive SECRET WARS UNCOVERED

1 August Sundays 20h15
Secret Wars Uncovered reveals the shocking facts behind batles that have been hidden from the world. Fought because of dubious politcal intent or for outright illegal motves, these are the most controversial and covered up conficts between major powers since the end of WWII. This series digs deep into the archives, speaking to the war correspondents who shed light on the mysterious histories of these batles, formerly shrouded in secrecy and misinformaton. Through powerful footage and animated graphics, the series investgates the advanced weaponry and uncovers strategies that assisted these covert operatons. Expert historians also get to the root of the origins of these wars. Spanning the globe, conficts from Crimea, Yemen, Somalia, Laos, Central America and many more are documented. All these conficts have taken place within living memory, but in all cases, the extent of the confict has remained hidden – untl now.

Brand New & Exclusive THE CURSE OF
SKINWALKER RANCH S2

6 August Fridays 19h25
While most look to the stars for extra- terrestrial life, one group of researchers is doing the opposite: they’re looking underground. For more than 200 years, Utah’s Skinwalker Ranch has been the site of hundreds of paranormal and UFO actvites. Despite decades of study, some secretly funded by the U.S. government no one has dared to go below ground. Now, the legendary ranch is giving full access as a team prepares to do what’s never been done before.

Brand New & Exclusive ALONE S8

26 August Thursdays 20h15
Season 8 of the HISTORY Channel’s hit survival series Alone is back like never before and taking place in the most dangerous locaton yet. This season, 10 contestants fght to survive in the Canadian wilderness on the shores of Chilko Lake, Britsh Columbia. Equipped with just 10 items and a camera kit, each partcipant must survive in total isolaton, with the hopes of lastng the longest and winning the $500,000 prize. Not only must they endure hunger, loneliness, and the elements, but this season, they also face the deadliest predator in North America: the grizzly bear. No camera crews. No gimmicks. It is the ultmate test of human will.