Insidus

Friday, August 20, 2021

Could Paramount+ And Peacock Be Folded Under One Streaming Service In South Africa?

America's Comcast pay-TV operator that owns Sky in the United Kingdom, and ViacomCBS announced on Wednesday afternoon that they will be launching SkyShowtime as a new video streaming service across Europe as a new joint venture.

SkyShowtime will launch in 2022 in more than 20 European countries, including Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, reaching around 90 million homes.

"SkyShowtime will bring together decades of direct-to-consumer experience and the very best entertainment, movies, and original series from the NBCUniversal, Sky and ViacomCBS portfolio of brands, including titles from Showtime, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+ Originals, Sky Studios, Universal Pictures, and Peacock," Comcast,Sky Group and ViacomCBS said in a joint statement.

"The service's vast slate will span all genres and audience categories, including scripted dramas, kids and family, key franchises, premiere movies, local programming, documentaries/factual content and more."

"SkyShowtime will be home to 10 000+ hours of entertainment from some of the top creators and most beloved content from around the world. Raffaele Annecchino, president and CEO of ViacomCBS Networks International, in the statement says "With the launch of SkyShowtime we are well-positioned to utilise our global content engine to create a compelling streaming offering, quickly and at scale, with a smart strategic phased investment".

"As a complement to our recently announced Paramount+ partnership with Sky in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany, SkyShowtime represents a huge opportunity to accelerate our market expansion and build a leadership position in SVOD in Europe." Dana Strong, Sky CEO, says "Our new streaming service, SkyShowtime, will combine the best of the United States and Europe with iconic brands and world-class entertainment for millions of consumers in more than 20 new markets in Europe".

"On the heels of Peacock coming to Sky, this partnership provides an innovative approach to quickly scale internationally and monetise content across Europe."

"Drawing on the strength of the incredible programming from NBCUniversal, Sky and ViacomCBS, and powered by Peacock's platform technology, SkyShowtime will provide a truly compelling lineup for the whole family and strong brand recognition across these regions."

SABC, e.tv And DStv Ratings For July 2021

SABC 1:
Uzalo - 7 776 154
Generations the Legacy - 6 404 226
Skeem Saam - 5 911 857
Zulu News - 4 686 483
Xhosa News - 4 495 773
Nyan Nyan (Reality) - 3 430 790
Now or Never (Documentary) - 3 143 584
Judas Kiss (Movie) - 3 138 914
Caf Champions League Kaizer Chiefs vs Al - 2 955 015
Real Goboza (Magazine) - 2 755 322
Come Again (Reality) - 2 690 815
Uzalo (Repeat) - 2 638 808
Siswati/Ndebele News - 2 568 303
Evolution of Mzansi Street Culture (Reality) - 2 568 236
Live Amp - 2 547 106
Skeem Saam (Repeat) - 2 526 103
Born Legends (Reality) - 2 493 269
The Ranakas (Reality) - 2 404 385
Instapreneurs (Reality) - 2 364 446
Soccer Build-up - 2 357 043

SABC 2:
President Addresses the Nation News - 5 840 203
Muvhango - 4 364 992
President`s Address About Looting News - 4 171 470
Music - 4 073 689
Presidents Address Response to Public - 3 703 165
Ses/Tsw/Sep News - 2 690 448
Rsvp: Dare to Change (Documentary) - 1 419 161
7De Laan Soap - 1 279 908
Nuus - 1 197 989
Mmalonya (Drama) - 1 117 604
Through the Fire: the Legacy of Barack Ob (Documentary) - 961 359
Our Wedding Story (Reality) - 810 832
Muvhango (Omnibus) - 802 136
Keletso (Drama) - 786 266
Kelebone (Drama) - 785 007
Muvhango (Repeat) - 766 650
Setswana/Sesotho News - 765 679
Speak Out (Actuality) - 739 392
Die Sentrum (Drama) - 722 082
Massive Africa (Documentary) - 716 496

SABC 3:
Seven Worlds One Planet (Documentary) - 769 858
News - 766 334
Wild Orphans Rescue (Documentary) - 542 785
The Greatest Dancer (Reality) - 512 416
The Estate (Omnibus) - 503 193
Tokyo Olympics Wrap up - 454 104
Tokyo Olympics: Skateboarding - 407 923
The Estate (Repeat) - 403 592
Unpacked with Relebogile (Magazine, Repeat) - 384 261
If Only (Movie) - 377 014
Our Oceans (Documentary) - 374 860
The Pursuit of Happyness (Movie) - 362 204
The Insider Sa (Magazine) - 353 462
On Point News - 352 469
The Estate - 351 390
Slumdog Millionaire (Movie) - 348 991
Unpacked with Relebogile (Magazine) - 342 511
Tokyo Olympics: Gymnastics - 339 950
Indrajith (Movie) - 339 811
Tokyo Olympics: Men's Football South Africa - 327 316

e.tv:
Scandal - 5 232 729
House of Zwide - 4 241 023
Imbewu - 3 897 923
Ican with Absa Drive - 3 813 244
Rhythm City - 3 666 025
Transporter 2 (Movie) - 3 437 634
The President's Address - 3 199 306
The Transporter (Movie) - 3 153 043
Transporter 3 (Movie) - 3 054 131
Durban Gen - 2 797 873
Thor (Movie) - 2 708 990
Captain America: the First Avenger (Movie) - 2 626 219
Family Feud South Africa - 2 496 201
The Transporter Refueled (Movie) - 2 075 106
Iron Man 3 (Movie) - 1 988 038
South Africa Tonight News - 1 881 128
Marvel's the Avengers (Movie) - 1 867 627
Imbewu (Repeat) - 1 854 962
Durban Gen (Repeat) - 1 793 701
Etv News Presidential Speech - 1 747 639
(The Resident replaces Hawaii Five-O in August)

DStv:
MZAN Gomora - 1 624 270 & 2 005 207
MZAN The Queen (Drama) - 1 300 065 & 1 586 874
MOJA Uyajola 9/9 - 1 213 250 & 1 430 866
MZAN Idols SA - 1 018 607 & 1 262 272
MZAN The River (Drama) - 989 212 & 1 220 684
MZAN Diep City - 859 579 & 1 097 710
MZAN The Real Housewives of Durban - 859 425 & 1 073 684
MZAN Nqobile (Drama) - 791 437 & 986 328
MZAN Mnakwethu - 774 490 & 971 120
MOJA Isencane Lengane - 765 809 & 941 073
MZAN Abomama - 739 089 & 935 912
MWET Our Perfect Wedding - 701 741 & 919 220
MZAN Date My Family - 654 193 & 751 479
MWET Isibaya - 590 388 & 757 385
MZAN Unefa (Documentary) - 586 948 & 722 077
MZAN Gomora (Repeat) - 563 878 & 736 176
MWET The Queen (Repeat) - 553 365 & 768 305
MOJA Finding Bongani Fassie - 533 063 & 657 174
MZAN Lebo M Coming Home - 521 803 & 626 032
MOJA Mamazala - 517 283 & 623 398
MWET Abazali - 514 638 & 663 468
NEWA Newsfeed with Stephen Grootes - 501 728 & 523 576
MWET Ifalakhe (Drama) - 499 592 & 642 672
MWET Sengkhathele (Magazine) ,- 497 040 & 638 423
MWET The Queen - 484 267 & 661 579
MOJA Single and Mingle - 476 032 & 550 368
NEWA Daytime Update - 470 324 & 508 085
MZAN Pastor Wants a Wife - 452 117 & 555 221
MBIO Ubukhosi Nama Khosana - 440 802 & 603 485
MWET Ho Lekane - 437 377 & 541 272

Friday, August 13, 2021

SABC Has Seemingly Begun Work On Another Channel, SABC Parliament

SABC Parliament was one of the 18 channels SABC promised to have on DTT alongside SABC Education and SABC Sport back in 2012 before failing to materialize due to government delayed switch from analogue to digital terrestrial television.

In 2018, this unfunded channel was purposed once again alongside other unfunded channels at the time such as SABC Sport, SABC Education, SABC Health and SABC History.

Three years went by since anyone has last heard about the channel now it seems like SABC Parliament will actually get the light of the day as the public broadcaster begun testing the channel on their DTT platforms and LyngSat.

Similar to The Parliament Channel on DStv, SABC Parliament will offer coverage of central government proceedings and other public affairs programming.

Considering that the main parliamentary channel on DStv I'm assuming this one will rehash whatever is on there as well as offer exclusive content which is similar to what's already being viewed on the main channel.

As mentioned earlier, this channel is unfunded and SABC can't cover the expenses unless another party rescues them. They already got Telkom to assist with SABC Education and eMedia Investments joins them with SABC Sport while MultiChoice covers the expenses for SABC News. All service providers handle their 19 radio stations.

The struggling broadcaster hopes to launch a second sports channel and are likely sticking to their unfunded DTT plans for 2018 which are SABC Health and History on top of the two long awaited entertainment channels for Openview which might have been unveiled too soon.

They currently have an ongoing case with pay platforms with regards to TV licence and carriage fees for SABC 1-3. Not saying this issue affects the launch of their additional channels but they can't afford to exclude them if they wanted to.

Could Nicktoons Eventually Be Discontinued In Africa?

Nicktoons has been available in Africa for almost 7 years offering repeats from ViacomCBS other kids brands such as Nickelodeon and Nick Jr alongside other programming that hasn't been viewed on any of those channels.

For a while now, some of the channel's new content such as 44 Cats, Atchoo!, ALVINNN!!! And The Chipmunks and Ollie's Pack have seemingly been transmitted onto Nickelodeon on a exclusive basis.

Even Nick Jr. assisted the main brand by adopting Peppa Pig.

Nickelodeon even reached a point where they'd bring back series that were cancelled ages ago such as The Fairly OddParents and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and last year the South African feed went as far as including the Nick Jr. block.

Besides Nickelodeon Africa being split into two counterparts, there's also a variation in accessibility.

The South African feed of Nickelodeon (and Nick Jr) can be only be found on DStv on the top tier packages with Nicktoons available on the lower bouquets while the African feed of Nickelodeon is lower bouquets on DStv alongside several pay-tv providers with Nicktoons (and Nick Jr) targeting the top tier packages on DStv.

If you look at it those situating in South Africa have more use for Nicktoons while those who are subscribed to DStv and have access to Nickelodeon are likely ignoring Nicktoons so adding some of the content onto the channel is not only about accessibility but their way of trying to get people to watch the channel.

Since last year, ViacomCBS International started operating a Nick Global feed at times for the African Nickelodeon and Nick Jr channels just not Nicktoons.

There's reasons why Nicktoons could stay onboard and this is due to the lack of kids entertainment out there and the reason it could part ways is pay-tv operators have been religning their offering with the rise in streaming.

A year ago, Disney took away Disney XD and MultiChoice reduced their M-Net Movies channels from 6 to just 4 channels and cut two British channels with further content moving onto other channels.

Nickelodeon could have serve as a placeholder for Nicktoons with certain content being transmitted to their preschool brand, Nick Jr.

MultiChoice could look into other brands such as BBC Kids and DreamWorks Channel.

September 2021 On Ignition | 2 New Series Alert | 2 Season Finales

VINTAGE VOLTAGE
New Show Starts 13th September
Reality Entertainment
Sat: 6pm | Mon: 9pm | Thu: 3pm
The Vintage Voltage team is escalating classic cars all the way to the 21st century. How you may ask? - The catch is to electrify them to suit the times while maintaining their definitive appeal in looks.

SUPERCAR CUSTOMISER: YIANNI
New Show Starts 4th September
Reality Entertainment
Sat: 10pm | Mon: 6pm | Fri: 9pm
Yianni Charalambous is the go-to guy for some of your favourite celebrities sleekest ride needs. Some would dub him the king of customisation. Witness him wrap the craziest cars while exploring how complicated life at the top can be.

RESTORATION GARAGE
Season Finale : 13th September
Reality Entertainment
Sun: 7pm | Mon: 10pm | Thu: 12pm
At The Guild, David Grainger and his team of motoring mavericks restore some of the world’s most expensive and unique vehicles. They could be found rebuilding a mound of rust or replicating a heap of gold. This does not go without saying that there are some bumps along the road.

TEST DRIVE TUESDAYS
Season Finale: 21st September
Reality Entertainment
Sun: 3pm | Tue: 8pm | Thu: 2pm
This brand new local show on IGNITION see’s host, Thabsie Vokwana treating our local celebs with a test drive in some pretty luxurious rides. Connect and get to know know more about the people who influence our lives.

September 2021 On The Home Channel | Two New Series Alerts Including Sarah Beeny's New Life In The Country | Continuing And Returning Shows

COUNTRY HOUSE HUNTERS
BRAND NEW SHOW
1 There is something blissful about living in the country side. Just visiting transports us to a more relaxing place and lifts us out of the hustle and bustle of our busy cities. Country House Hunters captures the essence and quality of living in the country.
In each episode, couples give us a glimpse into their personal property journeys as they try to find their perfect country house. Some wish for a home in the mountains, others at a farm and, while some have a passion for the beach. They are shown through three houses that suit their specific brief, and they choose one at the end of each episode. Whatever country house they choose holds the promise to change their lives for the better.
06 September 2021
23 January 2022
Thursday 19:30 (Priority Slot)
Mon 11:30 Tue 15:30 Fri 22:00
Sat 17:00 & 00:00
Sun 12:30 & 21:00

THE GARDENER
NEW LOCAL SEASON 20
Presented by Tanya Visser, editor of The Gardener magazine, The Gardener is a practical and informative gardening show that tackles everything that takes place in and around your garden. Be inspired to get creative in your patch of earth with sustainable and practical advice on what to do, when and how to get it done. Stock up on buckets-full of step-by-step guidance, inspirational ideas to try at home and tips to maintaining a healthy garden.
07 September 2021 to 05 December 2021
Tuesday 21:00 Friday 17:00 (Priority Slots)
Wed 09:00 Thu 13:00 Sat 12:00 & 19:00 Sun 16:00 & 23:00

NIGELLA AT MY TABLE 1
Ever wondered how the best cooks in the world keep things simple and relaxed in the kitchen? Then, Nigella at my Table is the show to watch! Packed with simple recipes full of complex flavour, this is food we can all cook, and it’s vibrant and varied, and yet always relaxed! In each episode, host, Nigella Lawson serves up five irresistibly easy recipes which combine the comfort of the familiar and the exuberance of the new. From her go-to favourites, to ideas for feasts through the day, you’ll be dishing up warm and scrumptious meals at your own table in no time at all.
13 September 2021 to 24 October 2021 Wednesday 18:00 (Priority Slot)
Mon 14:00 Thu 23:00 Fri 10:00 Sat 08:00 Sun 14:30

BACKYARD BUILDS 2
Backyard Builds showcases the endless opportunities that outdoor areas can provide when indoor space isn’t enough. Contractor and designer Brian McCourt and design expert Sarah Keenleyside, work with homeowners to maximize their backyard’s potential by creating tailored, one-of-a-kind builds. Whether it’s a converted shipping container, cake studio, tree house village, or outdoor theatre, this contractor and designer duo can extend any living space and backyard build into everyone’s favourite destination.
14 September 2021 to 19 December 2021
Tuesday 18:30 (Priority Slot)
Wed 23:30 Thu 10:30 Fri 14:30 Sat 15:30 & 22:30 Sun 11:00 & 19:30

GRAND DESIGNS
NEW SEASON 14
Grand Designs follows intrepid home-builders as they pursue their architectural dreams. Designer and writer, Kevin McCloud is on hand to witness the trials and tribulations of those willing to put everything on the line to build homes they hope will transform their lives. Follow each build as it evolves from concept, through construction, to mind-blowing completion! From pavilions designed with perfection in mind, to derelict and forgotten jewels brought back to life, Grand Designs is feast for both the eyes and the imagination.
20 September 2021 to 21 November 2021
Tuesday 17:00 Thursday 21:00 (Priority Slots)
Mon 13:00 Fri 09:00 Sat 11:00 & 18:00 Sun 15:00 & 22:00

SARAH BEENY'S NEW LIFE IN THE COUNTRY
BRAND NEW SHOW 1
On Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country, property expert Sarah Beeny, along with her husband and their four sons, swap the urban jungle for a fresh start in the countryside. Follow their adventure in this documentary series, as they immerse themselves in everything rural life has to offer. They’ve bought a semi-derelict former dairy farm, surrounded by 220 acres of farmland. The mission is to not only take a break from city living, but to also build the house of their dreams – a modern stately home in one of their fields! With planning permissions yet to be secured, a family life to maintain, and the challenge of building in a remote location, has Sarah taken on more than she should have? Find out on Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country!
27 September 2021 to 19 November 2021 Wednesday 17:00 Friday 21:00 (Priority Slots)
Mon 09:00 Tue 13:00

BUILDING DREAM HOMES 1
Building Dream Homes follows architects leading the way in ground breaking design. We’re with them every step of the way as they battle with builders; blue prints and the clients who hire them all in the name of making the properties we dream of become a reality.
27 September 2021 to 07 January 2022 Thursday 18:30 (Priority Slot)
Mon 10:30 Tue 14:30 Fri 23:30

LUXURY HOMES REVEALED 3
Want to go inside the homes of the super wealthy? Luxury Homes Revealed is the show to watch. Architecture and design experts join host, Gary Takle, as he gives us a once-in-a-lifetime peek into the private mansions of the most expensive real estate. From water front properties with coastal views and architectural genius to the latest luxe looks, these houses have it all.
28 September 2021 to 07 January 2022 Tuesday 19:00 (Priority Slot) Wed 22:30 Thu 11:00 Fri 15:00

Disney+ Is FINALLY Coming To South Africa, No Clue On Whether The Rest Of Africa Will Get It At The Same Time

In a statement, the Walt Disney Company Africa said: "As confirmed in The Walt Disney Company's Q3 earnings call, Disney+ will launch in South Africa in winter 2022."

More details will be shared closer to launch.

Disney's subscription video streaming service Disney+ will finally launch in South Africa around June 2022. Viewers will be able to watch new series like Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Loki and a vast collection of content from National Geographic, Marvel Studios, Pixar and Disney.

The Walt Disney Company released its third-quarter 2021 financial results on Thursday night, where CEO Bob Chapek told investors on the company's financial results conference call that the launch of Disney+ in Eastern Europe is being pushed back from this year to 2022.

The Mouse House is doing this to enable a broader launch in "summer 2022" that will definitely include parts of the Middle East and South Africa, but that might exclude the rest of the African continent.

America's "summer 2022" means winter 2022 in Africa, starting from June.

Bob Chapek said that the "expanded Disney+ footprint will include parts of the Middle East and South Africa".

The Walt Disney Company Africa late on Thursday night told Channel24 in a statement: "As confirmed in The Walt Disney Company's Q3 earnings call, Disney+ will launch in South Africa in winter 2022. We will share more details as we approach the launch next year."

South Africa, Africa's most sophisticated TV market on the continent, will likely be the only African country where Disney+ will be launched initially. Chapek reiterated in the conference call that "our direct-to-consumer business is the company's top priority".

A year and a half after its launch, Disney+ has now reached 116 million subscribers worldwide by 3 July, bundling a collection of library and brand-new original content from across multiple of its studios and brands under one stream-viewing umbrella, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.

The streaming race in SA
The first date fixture for a launch date of Disney+ for South Africa comes a week after a further two subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services launched in the country: ITV Studios and the BBC's BritBox SA, as well as eVOD from eMedia Holdings' e.tv.

BritBox SA and eVOD joined the existing Showmax from MultiChoice, Netflix SA, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, PCCW Media's VIU, Vodacom Video Play and TelkomONE.

Meanwhile the SABC, far behind in the video streaming race, plans to launch its video streamer, modelled after the BBC's iPlayer, before the end of its current financial year.

South African consumers are still waiting for other global streamers like WarnerMedia's HBO Max, along with Paramount+, NBCUniversal's Peacock and Discovery+ to launch locally.

While Disney has started to shut down hundreds of its linear TV channels globally, the expectation is that its existing group of pay-TV channels under its media networks division distributed into Africa and South Africa will remain on the air after Disney+ launches in winter 2022 for two major reasons.

The first will be to use these linear powerhouse TV channels as marketing and promotion avenues to raise awareness of Disney+ and to drive consumers to sample and subscribe. Secondly, with low and expensive broadband penetration and cost in South Africa, while the traditional pay-TV market still grows, Disney has millions of traditional pay-TV viewers from kids to adults who won't immediately move to Disney+ and who can't be cut off.

The third most in-demand streaming platform
The latest market research from Parrot Analytics has found that Disney+ has become the third most in-demand video streaming platform for original content in the United States and around the world, trailing just behind the more established Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Disney+ has dominated the video streaming original content game, accounting for the top two shows by demand globally on streamers, and with four of the top five in America during the second quarter this year.

All three Marvel series released this year on Disney+ became the most in-demand shows in the world within two weeks of launching, and Disney+'s original flagship series The Mandalorian continues to draw exceptional worldwide and American demand under viewers despite not launching a new episode since December 2020.

Friday, August 6, 2021

Could M-Net And MultiChoice Eventually Revive Big Brother Africa As A Permanent Channel?

Big Brother is famous reality show that features contestants who live together in a specially constructed house that is isolated from the outside world. The first show which is based in Dutch began in September 1999 and since then became a major franchise with 54 adaptations around the world.

In Africa, we got to see a Pan-African version of the game show from M-Net between 2003 - 2014 before becoming a Naija exclusive by Africa Magic from 2017 and onwards through DStv.

It was recently reported that Liberia would be making its own version of the game show which will launch on DStv channel 399 not sure what's wrong with 198 which begs the question on whether M-Net plans to revive Big Brother Africa with regional adaptations if so how would they able to cram all those shows in 1 year.

My guess would be that MultiChoice and M-Net will eventually operate Big Brother as a full-time brand not just in Nigeria but the rest of Africa as well. I can see some having a joint game show of course.

From what I've gathered, this franchise is all about welcoming talent and unlike Idols SA pop-up channel. This one is not reserved for only auditions.

Last year, MultiChoice's content boss (who died of COVID-19 complications may she R.I.P.) mentioned how popular the show has become and how the viewership has grown exponentially during the pandemic.

With that in mind, a permanent feed doesn't seem far off and I know it's a lot to process but my idea for this channel is to give at least 6 month coverage perhaps reduce the duration to get more markets onto that space and to air repeats for the rest of the year and often run a second channel when the content gets bigger.

While the pop-up ran across all packages or at the ones paying more than R100 this permanent one will be available to the family package (my opinion). Not saying Access customers will lose anything but they'll have open windows when it's live or repeats could work to better save up on costs.

There's other channels on DStv airing new episodes throughout the year which would actually affect the viewership that's why mentioned repeats. It wouldn't also be the best time to deploy such antics during the December holidays since some viewers won't be invested to their TV screens.

Big Brother Africa would join fliekNET which served as a yearly pop-up before becoming a full-time channel. MultiChoice has been Afrocentric and more focused on what they have as opposed to what's still available which is the reason for Honey, Wild Earth, Moja 9.9., Novela Magic, Maisha Magic Movies, kykNET Lekker, Abol TV and Pearl Magic Prime.

September 2021 On History Africa | Remembering 9/11 - The 20th Anniversary | New & Returning Series

REMEMBERING 9/11 - THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY

HISTORY Channel Africa commemorates the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 atacks with special once of documentaries showcasing amongst others: the build up to the event, the iconic ‘fall’ of one of New York’s best beloved buildings and the legacy that stll haunts many survivors.

Brand New & Exclusive 9/11: FOUR FLIGHTS
11 September Saturday 20h15
Four Flights is the emotonal history of the four doomed fights of 9/11, each carrying mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, wives and husbands, frequent fiers and frst- tmers, and the unsuspectng along with the heroic fight crews. Each story is backed up by audio recordings, fight transcripts, on-the- ground audio and video recordings, and the mementos of the victms. It is told primarily through interviews with the loved ones lef behind, but also by air trafc control workers and other survivors involved in the story.

Brand New and Exclusive RISE AND FALL:
THE WORLD TRADE CENTER
12 September Sunday 20h15
Rise and Fall: The World Trade Center, breaks down the history behind the constructon and destructon of the iconic Twin Towers. The program reveals the mechanics of building the Towers, innovatons, jaw dropping specs, and the highs and lows of its lifespan. It also dissects how the planes struck the Towers, and how the buildings’ design lent itself to both salvaton and destructon.

Brand New & Exclusive REVEALED: THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN
18 September Saturday 20:15
The documentary showcases the ten-year efort to fnd Osama bin Laden, the man responsible for the 9/11 atacks and the leader of the terrorist group al-Qaeda. Based on the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s unprecedented access to American intelligence and military personnel, the flm recounts how President Barack Obama ordered a small group of Navy SEALs to raid a mysterious building in Pakistan, without ever being sure that bin Laden was there. Featuring interviews with President Obama, CIA Director Leon Paneta, mission commander Admiral William McRaven, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and, for the frst tme, clandestne military planners, intelligence analysts, members of the assault force, and more, the flm reveals the risks and tensions of a mission whose purpose was clear, but whose outcome was never certain.

Brand New Episodes MOUNTAIN MEN S9
2 September Thursdays 19h25
There are men in America who must stll make their living of the land; huntng and trapping to provide for their families. They are the Mountain Men. The series features a variety of men from Appalachia to the Rocky Mountains to Alaska and follows them as they race against winter to obtain the sustenance and money needed to make it through the coldest months of the year. Eustace Conway lives deep in the mountains of North Carolina on the “Turtle Bay Reserve.” He moved there two decades ago in search of a more “truthful” existence. In the years since, he’s built a home, and survived by huntng, fshing and raising animals. Tom Orr lives with his wife on the Yaak River in Montana. He is 100 miles from the nearest town, a place he hasn’t ventured to in 10 years. John is a trapper by trade and to prepare for winter, he must earn enough money to obtain the supplies he needs. Marty Meieroto, his wife Dominique and their daughter Noah live in the small Alaskan town of Two Rivers. Every month, Marty pilots his bi-plane, travelling into the bush in search of the wolverine and lynx pelts he needs to make a living. While he’s on the Black River, he must hunt moose and caribou to survive in the wilderness. Together, they represent America’s true Mountain Men.

Brand New and Exclusive MOUNTAIN MEN S10
30 September Thursdays 19h25 Winter is loosening its grip on the mountains of North America. But that doesn’t mean life here is getng any easier. As the thaw begins and rivers start to swell, new opportunites open up for the mountain men to stockpile supplies, grow their own food and fortfy their homesteads. But this spring… they’re digging deep like never before. The mountain men and their families are masters of independence and living of the land. But even they are preparing for a changing world - one where the ultmate test may be who can brace for the worst in America’s wilderness.

Brand New & Exclusive LOST RELIC HUNTERS S2
20 September Mondays 19h25
In season 1 of Lost Relics, Carl and Hamilton unveiled their extraordinary stash of Knights Templar treasure. But amazingly that is only a small fracton of what they have amassed in a lifetme of obsessive collectng. Amongst other extremely rare and precious artefacts in their possession are: important pieces of Nazi memorabilia; pirate treasure; Crusader armour and weapons datng back nearly a thousand years; and as yet unseen Templar relics that cast new light on some of the Order’s deepest and darkest secrets. In season 2, we delve into one or more of these other incredible collectons. Using the same intoxicatng blend of archaeology, history and travel to exotc locatons like Venice, Istanbul and the Caribbean, these will be pleasurable and entertaining journeys into some of the most intriguing chapters of our past. This season’s episodes include new investgatons and discoveries of artefacts ranging from Celtc Gold and Crusader Pilgrim relics to Nazi items believed to have come from Hitler’s Bunker, and then contnuing eforts to authentcate the Tomar Templar Hoard.