BBC Upfront + Other Rumored Developments For DStv

BBC held a virtual upfront today to discuss details relating to the new agreement they had with MultiChoice and also unveil a bunch of programming for their channels. Here's the scoop (part of it mentioned earlier):
- MultiChoice made the decision to remove BBC First (they didn't mention it but it gave it away) and BBC is trying to get viewers hooked onto BBC Brit which will be the new hub for content that was available on First.
- BBC Brit will broadcast the new anthology miniseries, Small Axe this summer in South Africa. The 5-episode Small Axe drama series revolves around stories focused on the experience of black people in Britain, with the cast that includes John Boyega.
- Production of the latest 6th season of Come Dine with Me South Africa produced by Rapid Blue TV on BBC Lifestyle shut down because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic but will restart soon for the last few episodes of the season that will then be shown.
- BBC Earth will broadcast Perfect Planet, with Sir David Attenborough as the narrator. Two new series filmed in Africa, will be Work On the Wild Side, and Waterhole: Africa's Animal Oasis. Other upcoming series include: Age of Nature and Ades Climate Pioneers.
- CBeebies which was available only on Premium and Compact+ will now be available on DStv Compact, Family and Access presumably around the time Disney XD stops airing on the platform.
- BBC Lifestyle will be available in high definition.

Rumored developments that have nothing to do with BBC:
- More channels are rumored to get pulled off these include regional channels.
- Nickelodeon will be open for a limited time to celebrate the launch of Danger Force.
Packages: Access, Family and Compact
- fliekNET will be available for 3 days in October.
Packages: Compact+
- M-Net Movies 2 will be open from 6:00-18:00
Packages: All packages
- EVA and National Geographic will be opened for a limited time
Packages: Access
- Telemundo will be added onto DStv Easyview from 19 October (with the deduction of new telenovelas it wouldn't shock me if it dropped from three to just two current telenovelas)
- SABC Education will be added soon you just need to wait on SABC to provide those details.
Packages: All packages
- There's been rumours that MultiChoice changed the availability for the 4 remaining channels before you'd need Compact to watch all 5 new channels now that's been adjusted in some markets. There's also been talks of expanding current channels.

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- Scrapped channels on DStv - their status is still unknown

Disney Junior's 'The Rocketeer,' Showcasing A Young Girl Taking On The Mantle Of The Beloved Flying Superhero, Premieres Monday, 28 September On Disney Junior

Disney Junior's "The Rocketeer," a new comedic, animated adventure series featuring a young girl named Kit Secord, who takes to the skies to protect her community after becoming the surprise recipient of a rocket-pack that gives her the ability to fly, will premiere Monday, 28 September on Disney Junior, DStv channel 309 at 17:00. Inspired by Dave Stevens' beloved superhero comic books and Walt Disney Pictures feature film, the series stars Kitana Turnbull ("A Series of Unfortunate Events") as Kit, and Billy Campbell and Kathy Najimy as her parents, Dave and Sareena Secord. Campbell is best-known for starring as Cliff Secord in "The Rocketeer" film.

Set in the idyllic small town of Hughesville, each episode of "The Rocketeer" is comprised of two 11-minute stories that follow Kit as she embarks on a high-flying adventure to help save her community and its residents from trouble -- usually brought on by the many comedic villains who will be featured throughout the series. As with most superheroes, Kit has a team to help her pull off her heroic adventures and keep her identity hidden from the masses. Her best friend, Tesh, serves as Ground Control when Kit takes to the skies and is also the inventor of the hi-tech gadgets and upgrades for her rocket-pack; and her grandfather, Ambrose Secord, works at the Hughesville Airport and serves as her mechanic. Also along for the ride is Kit's loyal bulldog, Butch.

In the premiere episode, Kit receives a surprise package on her birthday containing The Rocketeer's helmet, which Grandpa Ambrose immediately recognizes as belonging to the famed superhero. With that, he unveils the rocket-pack which he was told to hang on to until the next Rocketeer was chosen. As Kit learns the ropes of becoming a flying superhero, Grandpa Ambrose and Tesh help with her training. Upcoming guest stars include Tony® and NAACP Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad (Disney•Pixar's upcoming "Soul") as May Songbird, a famed stunt pilot who Kit helps overcome a fear of flying after a fall from grace; Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody Award winner Marlo Thomas ("That Girl") as Kit's grandmother, Sitti, who comes to visit for the town's annual food festival; Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Annie Potts (Disney•Pixar's "Toy Story") as Dave's younger sister and aviation test pilot, Scarlett; Rahul Kohli ("iZombie") as Tesh's dad and Hughesville Trailblazers troop leader, Mr. Cheena; and D'Arcy Carden ("The Good Place") as Ava, a self-flying airplane.

In addition to Turnbull, Campbell and Najimy, the series stars legendary voice actor Frank Welker ("Scooby-Doo") as Grandpa Ambrose and Butch the bulldog; Callan Farris (Disney Channel's "Gabby Duran & the Unsittables") as Kit's best friend, Tesh; and Navia Robinson (Disney Channel's "Raven's Home") as Kit's flight school classmate, Valerie Valkyrie. Voicing the recurring comedic villains in the series are Maria Bamford ("Arrested Development") and Kari Wahlgren ("DC Superhero Girls") as sister team, Laura and Harley; Maurice LaMarche ("Futurama") as Sylvester Slapdash; Charlie Adler ("The Transformers" franchise) and Parvesh Cheena (Disney Junior's upcoming "Mira, Royal Detective") as The Great Orsino and Deany, respectively; and celebrity chef Ted Allen ("Chopped") as Cast-Iron Chef.

"We are very excited to introduce our young, new superhero 'The Rocketeer' to our Disney Junior audience. It’s a great adventure series, that can be enjoyed by the whole family, while addressing themes of empowerment, critical thinking and problem solving,” says Evert van der Veer, Vice President, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa.

The series is developed and executive produced by seven-time Emmy Award nominee Nicole Dubuc (“Transformers: Rescue Bots”). Michael Kenny (Disney’s “Miles From Tomorrowland”) is supervising director. Emmy Award-nominated Beau Black (Disney’s “The Lion Guard”) is the songwriter, and Annie Award-nominated Dominic Lewis (Disney’s “DuckTales”) is the composer. The series is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Junior.

Read Also:
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Court TV Expands Into UK, Will Africa Follow Soon(Including DStv And StarTimes)

The real-life dramas of criminal trials in the US now have an international audience as Court TV launches in the UK.

Court TV is now available on Sky channel 179, with more distribution agreements expected to be announced soon.

Building on its popularity with US audiences and advertisers, Court TV’s UK channel provides viewers access to, and expert analysis of true-life courtroom dramas taking place in the US today, from opening proceedings, gavel-to-gavel, all the way through to the verdict. Daytime trial coverage in the US will air in primetime in the UK given the time difference.

“There’s been nothing like Court TV in the United Kingdom until now,” said Jonathan Katz, president and CEO of Katz Networks, part of The EW Scripps Company, which owns Court TV. “American crime dramas have long been a staple on television worldwide, including the U.K., while global consumer interest in the real-life drama of true-crime programming has skyrocketed, with American reality crime content as the most-watched. Court TV is the only network covering these cases and these events live, as they happen, from start to finish. We anticipate viewers in the UK will embrace having a front-row seat to American criminal justice.”

The UK launch of Court TV coincides with the 25th anniversary of the O.J. Simpson murder trial verdict, which saw the former American football star and popular celebrity found not guilty of double murder. On October 3rd and 4th, Court TV will present a marathon of its 25-episode original docuseries OJ25, which looks back at the infamous case, encapsulating the courtroom action in chronological order.

Court TV launched July 1st 1991 and ran until the end of 2007. Katz Broadcasting, LLC (E.W. Scripps Company) revived the channel back in 2018 before it's demise WarnerMedia owned the brand for a short period of time.

Read Also:
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- 5+ New Channels Coming To DStv
- eMedia Investments is launching an OpenView streaming service
- CBeebies will be added to DStv Compact, Family and Access
- Disney scraps Disney XD and FOX Life from the African market
- KIX movie lineup before it's launch on DStv
- Is MultiChoice planning to remove EVA as well
- Discovery EMEA streamlining channels
- Zoomoo kiddies lineup
- Scrapped channels on DStv - their status is still unknown

Extreme E To Broadcast Across Africa Via Multi-Year Startimes Partnership

Extreme E, the pioneering electric off-road motor racing series, is set to be broadcast live across the African continent, with the series signing-off on a three-year agreement with digital television operator StarTimes.

The deal will see Extreme E’s five-race global odyssey from the Arctic to the Amazon Rainforest, air live to more than 30 African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire in English, French, Portuguese and other local languages. Season 1 gets underway in early 2021.

The championship’s goal is to highlight the impact that climate change and human influences are having on the severely damaged locations in which it will race, whilst raising awareness, driving sustainability and inspiring action through world-class motorsport.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “Extreme E is a top-tier sporting product unlike anything else out there at the moment. Likened to Star Wars Pod Racing meets Dakar Rally, its mission is to drive awareness of climate change worldwide, whilst promoting battery electric vehicles and workable, sustainable solutions.

This broadcast partnership with StarTimes is really important for helping to share our messages across Africa, which is an integral location to the series as Senegal’s Lac Rose plays host to our Ocean stage.” 

Kristen Miao, StarTimes Sports Director, said: “Motorsports are getting more and more popular in Africa and at the same time people are increasingly concerned about climate change issues. With Extreme E, they will see that sustainability can also mean excitement and adrenaline. We are delighted to bring this unique championship into million of homes across Africa.”

The agreement with StarTimes is the latest broadcast deal to be announced by Extreme E, with the championship also set to partner with BBC (UK), Discovery (Europe and North America), FOX Sports (United States, Canada and the Caribbean), FOX Sports Asia (Southeast Asia), FOX Sports Australia, Mediaset (Italy), Sony India (Indian subcontinent), TVNZ (New Zealand), RTM (Malaysia), Dubai Sports (Middle East), RDS (Canada), China Sports Zhibo.tv (China), RTL 7 (The Netherlands), ORF (Austria), ESPN Africa and BTRC (Belarus).

Further sporting, broadcast and partnership announcements will follow in the coming weeks(meaning there could be more partners within the African market).

Read Also:
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