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Canal+ Group Buys Stake In African TV Production Company Marodi TV

Canal+ Group has acquired a stake in Marodi TV, a Senegalese production company which is a leading purveyor of TV series across ...

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Recap To The Decade: Have William Shakespeare And Wife Anne Hathaway Returned From The Afterlife?

We’re starting with the conspiracy theory about Oscar Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway and her husband, Adam Shulman. They may or may not be reincarnations of this famous couple from the 16th century: William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway. Let’s discuss the background of each respected, well-known couple and how much this conspiracy theory could be real.

How did Anne Hathaway Meet Her Husband?
Anne Hathaway has acted in many projects, such as the plethora of adapted films she’s been a part of, the Princess Diaries series, Les MisĂ©rables, The Dark Knight Rises, One Day, Love & Other Drugs, and so many more. It’s pretty endless at this point. 

She met Adam Shulam, a fellow actor, jeweler, and producer, during a Palm Springs Film Festival in 2008. Oddly enough, Hathaway told a mutual friend of theirs at the time, “I’m going to marry that man. I think he thought I was a little nuts, which I am a bit, but I’m also nice.” And a few years later, they tied the knot in September 2012. Coming from a troubled marriage prior, Shulman became the light of her life. She fell in love with him easily and knew in her heart that she could trust this man.

Background of How William Shakespeare met his Anne Hathaway Met
Now Shakespeare and Hathaway’s marriage is actually a little more scandalous. They were married in November 1582 when Shakespeare was 18 and Hathaway was 26… and already pregnant. During this time, Shakespeare was still considered a minor in the eyes of the law, so he had to ask Hathaway’s father’s permission for her hand in marriage. And because he married so early, he couldn’t complete an apprenticeship, where young people would have lived with a mentor and learned how to master the respected craft they wished to be part of.

The couple’s main priority was to avoid the pregnancy scandal at all costs, so Shakespeare quickened the workmanship process by applying to the Bishop’s Court in Worcester. Which then allowed them to marry outside of the normal residence. Six months after the wedding, their first daughter, Susanna, was born. They then had twins named Judith and Hamnet.

The Conspiracy Theory
Reincarnation stems from Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism religions, where peoples’ (or even animals’) souls are believed to be reborn into another body. So to speak, they are living another life on Earth. There have been some real-world accounts of people recounting their past lives. For example, as a young child, James Leininger recollected memories from a past life as a war hero. This first started at the age of two when he began having nightmares of a terrible plane accident. In the subsequent years, Leinger started to share stories as a fighter pilot from the Navy during 1945. What he shares is quite strange, as he was just a kid with little exposure to military basics.

With that in mind, let’s discuss the possibilities of Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulam’s reincarnation. Note: This is strictly a conspiracy theory and should not be taken seriously!

There are some partial coincidences or hard facts on the matter. Anne Hathaway was born on the four hundredth anniversary of Shakespeare and Hathaway’s wedding. Another — quite possibly the best evidence — is Shulman’s physical appearance. His face looks nearly identical to Shakespeare’s portrait paintings. Unfortunately, Hathaway of Stratford has fewer portraits to support her half. Sillier evidence for this claim is that Hathaway hasn’t aged for quite some time which causes people to speculate that maybe she is a ghost from the past!

Another evidence source comes from the horse’s mouth:

“Life is too short to love you in one. I promise to look for you in the next life.”

William Shakespeare

Within this theory, it’s believed that Shakespeare had promised his wife that in the next life, she would be famous, and he would take the back seat. Impartialy because he lived apart from his family for most of their marriage, he only visited occasionally.

Credits: Bookstr

ROK's Future In Doubt As Canal+ Seeks To Buy Parent Company Of Africa Magic

During the month, it was reported that Canal+ had increased its offer to takeover DStv by 19% with a sum of R35,9 billion. This comes after their initial offering of R32 billion was rejected with the Takeover Regulation Panel (TRP) ordering them to propose a new deal.

As some readers are aware, Canal+ owns various properties in parts of Europe and Africa. Some of which clash with MultiChoice's current offering and should Canal+ succeed in their takeover of the pay-tv company various changes could await the content. 

In this instance, Canal+ owns Nigerian film company ROK Studios who manage the ROK channels currently viewed on DStv. The company was founded by Mary Remmy Njoku in 2013 before folding under the Canal+ company by 2019.

For several decades, MultiChoice has operated Africa Magic which serves as a rival offering to ROK Studios with its own lineup of original content. Should the acquisition move forward these two could merge into one entity since they'll be managed by one entity. 

Another would be a potential sale of ROK Studios as a means to keep Africa Magic intact for the foreseeable future. These brands have a lot of history and consumers aren't open to the reality of their assets being merged. 

One thing that comes to mind as a means to keep both brands intact is a restructuring to their demographic. ROK Studios could transition into a youth oriented brand as seen with the likes of 1Magic while Africa Magic caters to millennials and other audiences. 

April 2024 On DreamWorks Channel Across Africa | New Series Alert: Spirit Riding Free | New Episodes: All Hail King Julien | Weekend Movies: Astro Boy

NEW SHOW (1-13)
Spirit Riding Free 
From Monday, 1st April
Weekdays at 8.30am, 8.10pm
DreamWorks Spirit Riding Free centers on a group
of three friends, who together experience coming
of age and the power of friendship. Lucky, a gutsy
12-year-old girl, befriends a wild mustang she
names Spirit. With her two best friends, Abigail
and Pru, and their horses by her side, they explore
a world filled with endless rides and never ending fun. Together they’ll push their own limits and discover what it truly means to be free.

NEW EPISODES (53-65)
All Hail King Julien  
From Monday, 1st April
Weekdays at 3.35pm, 8.35pm
Weekends at 11.50am, 5.40pm 
After King Julien flees the kingdom, a chill sets in
on the island of Madagascar: Koto is coming. As a battle of the lemurs looms large, King Julien must
venture across the sea to recruit an army of
unlikely allies, including Uncle King Julien, some
saucy lemur ladies, and the despicable Karl. In
this heroic saga for the ages, Julien must find a
way to reclaim his beloved kingdom

WEEKEND MOVIE
Woody Woodpecker 
Saturday 6th April at 9.20am
Sunday 7th April at 7.15am  
Woody must protect his forest home from Lance
Walters (Timothy Omundson), who starts building
his dream mansion in the forest with his son,
Tommy, and fiancée, Vanessa (Thaila Ayala). To
make matters worse, he must avoid the clutches
of two grizzly poachers. With a series of crazy
hijinks to sabotage their plans, Woody proves he'll
stop at nothing to defend his turf. Get ready for big laughs in this hilarious comedy about everyone's favourite woodpecker!

WEEKEND MOVIE
Astro Boy 
Saturday 27th April at 9.20am, 6.05pm
Sunday 28th April at 7.15am 
In futuristic Metro City, a brilliant scientist named
Tenma builds Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore), a
robotic child with superstrength, X-ray vision and
the ability to fly. Astro Boy sets out to explore the
world and find acceptance, learning what being
human is all about in the process. Finding that his
friends and family in Metro City are in danger, he
uses his incredible powers to save all that he
loves.

Friday, March 22, 2024

Development Alert: Disney Channel Greenlights New Series Wizards Set In The Universe Of Wizards Of The Waverly Place

Wizards of Waverly Place is creating its own universe as Disney Channel has officially greenlit a sequel series Wizards (w/t) with original stars Selena Gomez and David Henrie reprising their roles and taking on executive producer duties. Production on the new series begins In April in Los Angeles with a premiere tentatively scheduled for later this year on Disney Channel and Disney+.

As reported in January, the project will be written and executive produced by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas who are behind another Disney Channel comedy spinoff, Raven’s Home.

The series follows an adult Justin Russo (Henrie), who has chosen to lead a normal, mortal life with his family, Giada (Mimi Gianopulos), Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo (Max Matenko). When Justin’s sister Alex (Gomez) brings Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) to his home seeking help, Justin realizes he must dust off his magical skills to mentor the wizard-in-training while also juggling his everyday responsibilities – and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World. 

“Wizards of Waverly Place captivated hearts with its spellbinding adventures and big laughs, creating unforgettable memories for kids and families everywhere,” Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television, said in a statement. “We can’t wait to step back into the magical world of Wizards, inviting longtime fans and a new generation to experience the enchantment alongside Selena, David, and our incredible cast and crew.”

Elinoff and Thomas serve as writers and executive producers, along with Gary Marsh. Andy Fickman directed and executive produced the pilot and will direct multiple episodes.

Marsh was the former longtime top Disney Channels creative executive who was the driving force behind Wizards of Waverly Place and was instrumental in getting Gomez on the network after she was discovered during an open casting call in Dallas.


Recap To The Week: BBC Prime Returning As A Programming Block On SABC 3 After TV Channel Was Shuttered On DStv And Other Parts Of The World In 2009

BBC Studios has revived the BBC Prime trademark after it shuttered in 2009. With the channel that was subsequently replaced by BBC Entertainment which had seen been divided between two channels, BBC First and BBC Brit.

Not long ago, it was reported by the company that they had forged a new content deal alongside the SABC. This would see the public broadcaster using one of their 3 free-to-air channels for archived material viewed from the BBC in a 2 hour block.

This block which will go into effect from 1st April featuring dramas like Luther and Cheaters alongside factual entertainment like Top Gear and Louis Theroux: Forbidden America. It will broadcast weeknights at 21:00 and stream on SABC+ in May.

BBC Prime was once a TV channel on the DStv platform for the premium market. The revived trademark will only serve as a 2 hour block giving 13 million homes in South Africa access to BBC Studios content. 

This comes a year after eMedia Investments had attempted to rollout long form version of BBC Prime to Openview. Since then, MultiChoice had snatched rights to the channel which currently resides within 13 million homes in Africa despite its unavailability on premium.

Development Alert: The Loud House Resurfaces On Nicktoons After Being Purged Across Africa (Excluding South Africa) In 2023

In 2014, The Loud House alongside several animated shows viewed on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney Channel had been banned from Africa. This was after Paramount Global had opted to censor out any gay content viewed on their channels. 

Since then, The Loud House alongside the affected shows in question were only viewable on the above-mentioned channels in South Africa while the rest of Africa had slotted other programs in place.

By October 2021, Nickelodeon had made past seasons to The Loud House accessible on Nicktoons across Africa. This was accompanied by additional content such as The Casagrandes, Middlemost Post and The Barbarian And The Troll.

After a year on air, The Loud House was silently removed from the channel's lineup. Although it was still listed on the programme guide, the channel allocated It's Pony and Middlemost Post before being subsequently replaced with The Casagrandes. 

Through the programme guide, The Loud House is now listed on Nicktoons at 19:00 from 1st April. Not only will the show return to Nicktoons but it will relaunch in Africa after almost 10 years the only catch these episodes are only on weeknights. 

Paramount Global hasn't responded to the sudden inclusion of but based on the timeslot. They're likely trying to alienate the show from their younger audiences as The Loud House has become more of a TV series for younger adults aged 18.

French Broadcaster TF1 To Launch Its Newly Launched Streaming Service In Europe And Africa

French commercial broadcaster TF1 is to expand its newly launched streaming service into parts of Europe and Africa.

TF1+ went live on January 8 with 15,000 hours of available content, including 200 feature films, 200 TV movies and 200 box sets, featuring such iconic French series HPI and Sam, plus daily soaps and imported series.

An initial rollout will begin in June, when TF1+ will be extended into neighbouring Belgium and Luxembourg before expanding into French-speaking Africa in the next 18 months. Other territories, including Canada, are also on the roadmap.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Chief Executive Officer Rodolphe Belmer said he plans to push into as many French speaking markets as possible to grow its base and attract advertisers.

“We do not look to compensate a decline of linear TV, we want to capture a bigger market share of digital ads,” he said, adding that online ads can command higher prices because they’re targeted directly at consumers.

Online ads, which command higher prices because they’re easier to target to particular customers, can command about three times the price per thousand people reached, he said.

With a target advertising revenue of €15 per thousand people, TF1+ would be priced between YouTube at the lower end and Disney+ and Netflix at the top. “We want to tap the core of the market, and make a difference with bigger volume,” Belmer said.

Rather than create Originals for the platform, TF1 will instead rely on its existing library.

New Series Alert: ‘Ark: The Animated Series,’ Based On ‘Survival Evolved’ Game, Surprise Drops on Paramount+

The animated series based on Studio WildCard’s “Ark: Survival Evolved” video game finally has a platform attached. The first six episodes of Season 1 surprise dropped on Paramount+ on Thursday, with the remaining seven episodes set for a later date.

Spanning eons of human history, “Ark: The Animated Series” follows 21st century paleontologist Helena Walker (voiced by Madeleine Madden), who finds herself resurrected on a mysterious primeval island populated by prehistoric beasts. There, she must learn to survive with new allies from throughout time while trying to uncover the true nature of their strange new world.

Along with Madden, the voice cast includes Michelle Yeoh, Russell Crowe, Gerard Butler, David Tennant, Jeffrey Wright, Elliot Page, Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Zahn McClarnon, Devery Jacobs, Elliot Page, Deborah Mailman, Ragga Ragnars, Malcolm McDowell, Monica Bellucci and Alan Tudyk.

Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak executive produce “Ark: The Animated Series” alongside Marc Diana; Doug Kennedy; Jay Oliva; James Baldanzi; Vin Diesel and Samantha Vincent for One Race Films; Gerard Butler and Alan Siegel for G-Base Entertainment; and Russell Crowe. Stieglitz, Oliva, David Hartman and Sebastian Montes serve as directors, and Marguerite Bennett and Kendall Deacon Davis serve as co-writers. The series is a production of Lost Continent Entertainment and Lex + Otis.

Studio WildCard officially released “Ark: Survival Evolved” in 2017 after an early access release on Steam in 2015. “Ark: The Animated Series” was first announced with a trailer during the 2020 Video Game Awards, with another trailer released in 2022, still without a platform attached.

Moonbug Entertainment Extends Its Reach To More Asian Households With U-Next And Taiwan Mobile

Moonbug new partnership with Taiwan Mobile

In a new partnership with telecom company Taiwan Mobile, Moonbug Entertainment is looking to establish a strong presence on screens and toy shelves in the region.

Moonbug has closed a deal to bring around 3,500 eps of content to MyVideo (Taiwan Mobile’s OTT platform) and regional children’s channel momokids. 

Starting this week, MyVideo is hosting a 24/7 channel dedicated to Moonbug’s IPs that offers 330 episodes in traditional Chinese and 150 hours of English and no-dialogue content. Plus it will roll out a new compilation every month. Meanwhile, momokids plans to broadcast a weekday “carousel program” featuring 2.5 hours of episodes from shows like CoComelon, Blippi, Little Angel and Morphle.

Moonbug Entertainment new partnership with U-Next

London’s Moonbug Entertainment has closed a 662-episode package deal with growing Japanese SVOD platform U-Next.

With more than four million registered subscribers, U-Next is Japan’s leading domestic streamer, and it only ranks behind Amazon Prime (18.6 million subs) and Netflix (8.1 million subs) overall, according to a February 2024 report published by MediaPartners Asia’s ampd. The study also noted that U-Next was the fastest-growing platform in Japan’s SVOD market in 2023, with a 30% share of all net new subscribers added that year. 

This deal aligns with Moonbug’s focus on strengthening its presence in the Asian region. Last July, Yasmin Zahid joined the company as head of distribution and brand partnerships in APAC, with a remit to work with key buyers there to expand Moonbug’s footprint. Her hire followed closely behind YoungAh Park coming on board in April as Moonbug’s first-ever commercial director for South Korea.