Recap To Last Year: WWE Network Fails To Launch On Showmax, DStv Channel 128 Remains Active In The African Market

Last year, SuperSport and the WWE extended their partnership with the world's biggest wrestling promotion which would see the WWE Network fold under Showmax as seen in Indonesia, Phillipines, Australia and India which have all terminated the brand.

SuperSport would continue to offer Raw, SmackDown, NXT and premium live PPVs across their platforms. As for the WWE Channel, that's expected to continue running on channel 128 but would it be shocking if it didn't considering it was never mentioned earlier.

Vince McMahon, the founder of WWE has been exploring a potential sale of the brand for several months and had recieved a number of potential buyers at the time including Comcast (NBCUniversal), Disney, Amazon and the Saudis apparently.

If you view this from a logical perspective, I can see why this deal was put on hold. If you take to account, the mentioned potential buyers at the time such as Disney. They probably wouldn't want to bundle WWE on Showmax especially if Disney+ already exists.

Although a buyer has yet to be announced, I can see imagine how WWE would operate under the Disney tile. They'd probably scrap SuperSport's WWE and merge it with ESPN meaning in order to view further content particularly archived you'd need ESPN+.

As mentioned, Showmax's deal with WWE does come off as suspicious if you take the following to account:

WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and MultiChoice today announced a major broadcast partnership that will see Showmax – the leading streaming service available in the region – become the new home of WWE Network in Africa.

The partnership incorporates all WWE Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania®, as well as WWE Network’s vast library of original and archived programming available to stream on-demand.

Additionally, SuperSport, the sport broadcasting subsidiary of video entertainment platform MultiChoice, will continue to broadcast live weekly episodes of Raw®, SmackDown® and NXT® as well as all of WWE’s Premium Live Events in a multi-year extension.

Although, MultiChoice mentions that the WWE Channel would remain onboard I find it hard to believe. Yes this channel brings the consumers and revenue but why not mention such a brand in early press statements when expanding this deal to Showmax.

Even more reasons to suspect the possible demise of channel 128 would be Showmax. Notice how they mention "WWE Network’s vast...archived programming" but SuperSport only references "live weekly episodes of Raw®, SmackDown®...WWE’s Premium Live Events.

Most people grew fond of this channel so maybe WWE Channel would be supplemented by another brand that could fill up the void and probably be WWE savvy but there's always chances that this could be nothing at this point.

Breaking News From Across The World In The Last 7 Days Dated 24 March

1. Marvel Studios Present Victoria Alonso exits post after 17 years of service
2. Fall 2 is in development
3. Good Burger Sequel is in development
4. Bel-Air renewed for third season at Peacock
5. Former child star Amanda Bynes put on psychiatric hold
6. Shazam: Fury Of The Gods becomes a box office disappointment
7. Scream VI becomes a box office success yet again
8. John Wick Star Lance Riddick has died
9. Andy Kaufman will be inducted into WWE 2023 Hall Of Fame
10. Jason Derulo confirmed as coach for The Voice Australia
11. Ted Bastien, Long-Time 'PAW Patrol' Director, Passes Away
12. Kabillion Debuts New ‘Woody Woodpecker’ Animated Shorts
13. Telemundo actress Rebecca Jones dies at 65
14. The Weeknd becomes the G.O.A.T. of music
15. Demi Lovato releases a rock version of Heart Attack
16. HGTV orders Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge
17. Nickelodeon orders King Of Corn pilot
18. Disney+ adds an anime collection
19. Vanessa Hudgens working on documentary exploring Asian roots

New Series Alert: Cabo Coming Soon To ZAP Novelas

Zap Novelas, a telenovela channel promoting the best of Turkey and Latin America will be joining a list of broadcasters in East Africa in sourcing content that has yet to be seen on the African feed of TLNovelas with Cabo.

Based on the 1985 Mexican telenovela Tú o nadie created by María Zarattini, Sofía and Alejandro get married in a dream wedding, but when Alejandro dies in a plane crash and Sofia travels to Cabo to meet his new family, she realizes that Alejandro is alive and that his real name is Eduardo.

The series stars Bárbara de Regil as Sofía Chávez, Matías Novoa as Alejandro Noriega, Eva Cedeño as Isabela Escalante, Diego Amozurrutia as Eduardo Torres, Rebecca Jones as Lucía de Noriega and Rafael Inclán as Alfonso "Poncho" Chávez.

It debuted last year on Las Estrellas pulling 3 million viewers at launch with its final episode drawing another million. The series currently has 85 episodes each consisting of 42-45 minutes.

Cabo will debut on Zap Novelas across Angola and Mozambique in April. There's no confirmation as to whether the series will be viewable in English but for now it's likely to only be viewable in Portuguese as seen with most of the content on the channel.

RUMOUR: Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America Dives Into The World Of Soap Operas With TNT Novelas

Turner Network Television, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery, registered a new trademark derived from TNT in Latin America, for the moment only in Argentina and Chile, as verified by INPI and INAPI, industrial property institutes for both countries, respectively.

The new trademark registered in recent days bears the name of "TNT Novelas", and it is unknown exactly what it is, although the company has already presented a logo.

One of the most logical theories indicates that TNT Novelas could become a successor or a relaunch of the current cable channel TNT Series, launched in 2015, which in recent years has incorporated multiple soap operas into its daily programming. The creation of a new channel is not ruled out either, although there is no basis to support this hypothesis.

There is no official information regarding TNT Novelas at the moment.

In other developments, Warner Bros. Discovery has been phasing out the TNT brand name across Europe in the general entertainment category. Not sure where that leaves the current TNT Africa but for now we assume the channel will remain intact in the market.

Warner Bros. Discovery kicked off its global centennial campaign in January, under the banner Celebrating Every Story, in advance of Warner Bros. Studios 100th Anniversary on April 4, 2023. Several of their channels have been joining the festivity with a lineup of content.

How The Pinwheel TV Series Created Nickelodeon?

In 1970s, Cable TV was in its tenancies that in Tennessee Ohio there was an idea by Warner Cable for an experimental two way multiplatform cable television system that played a significant role in American interactive television. This experiment was called Qube Network.

Qube introduced viewers to several concepts that became central to the development of modern television. Pay-per-view programs, special interest cable television networks and interactive services.

On December 1st, 1977, a breakthrough show began airing a new show called Pinwheel show was similar to Sesame Street with live-action skits, mixed in with shorts from an abandoned animatior. The show was met with immense popularity that it's cable provider Channel 3 at the time would go as far as renaming the network to Pinwheel.

The show starred Kim played by Arline Miyazaki, Sal played by Betty Rozek, Smitty played by Dale Engle. Sal And Smitty were an elderly couple who ran a local newspaper company called The Daily Noodle. One of Smitty's obsessions was getting a photo of the elusive Emerald Bird with the intention of placing it on the front page of The Daily Noodle.

This was a long running gag that saw Smitty constantly missing off on the opportunity to capture the bird. Another character was Jake played by George James who enjoyed music and his hobby was collecting unusual sounds in small boxes.

Franci was another of the human characters and she was an artist in the show as well as a storyteller who was eventually phased out. The last of the human characters was Coco and she was a French mime who was played by C.C. Loveheart.

As for the puppet characters, there was Aurelia who was an Bohemian style character who owned by the Pinwheel house. She had red coloured hair, olive green eyes, purple lips frequently colourful headscarves and large hoop earrings as well. Her personality was friendly and bubbly but firm when needed.

Her nephews were Plus and Minus, they were twin boys who lived in the attic room. The colour scheme of the twins were very wild and the exact opposite of Aurelia. Plus had black hair and orange skin while Minus had white hair and purple skin. As for their personalities, Plus was very upbeat and enthusiastic while Minus was more thoughtful and easily discouraged.

A recurring sketch was Minus's attempt to board a spaceship Plus distracting caused him to miss take off. The twins favourite thing was Goncha Lash which was a combination of tag and, hide and seek and this game went on eternally.

Another character included Silas the Snail who was always on his way to the annual Snail gathering which he would never be able to visit because he was so slow. He barely made it out of the garden. He would also give a message to the viewers to slow down and enjoy life and saying getting there is half the fun.

There were also many others Ebenezer T. Squint was a grumpy green-skinned resident who lived in the basement storage. He would always pretend to be grouchy and mean but in reality he enjoyed being part of the house activities.

Luigi O'Brien was a produce salesman who had a small vegetable stan at the back of the Pinwheel house. All the produce he sold could talk and sing and had their own personalities. They were usually referred to as their vegetable or fruit names.

Other characters included Molly the Mole, Herbert and Lulu as well who would get occasional visits from the bird like aliens Tirka, Gorkle and Woofle from the Planet Zintar.

Most of the live-action scenes took place in or around the boarding style house called the Pinwheel house. It actually featured a Pinwheel in one of the pieces. Live actors would frequently interact with the puppet characters. They would discuss topics, learn lessons, explore numbers and all the characters lived and worked within the Pinwheel house.

Warner's Pinwheel channel was hugely popular and clearly saw a demand for this type of children's entertainment with an educational aspect so when they purchase the Warner Communications Satellite it was only natural to rebrand the channel to Nickelodeon.

With the Nickelodeon rebrand came the reformat of the Pinwheel show now into hour long episodes typically shown in 3 to 5 hour blocks. This format would eventually become Nick Jr.

Pinwheel had a total of 7 seasons and 260 episodes many of which are poorly documented and the program never saw a VHS or DVD release. The show was produced from 1987-1994 and reruns would continue until 1994.

It was still the longest running show by hours aired and episodes released combined in the history of the network. It was Nickelodeon's first show and became the rise of the brand. It's not what brought the network to its true potential.

Children's program that revolved around education were becoming saturated and Nickelodeon moved to more scripted teen focused content for a new generation of kids and Nickelodeon was not afraid to ride the wave.

Recap To The Past Decade: Ben 10 Has Been Missing In Action For Almost Two Years

Ben 10 has been missing on Cartoon Network for nearly two years and on April 11th of this year will mark the two year conclusion of Ben 10 (2016). It's kind of surprising that the network has yet to announce the next instalment to the franchise.

Duncan one of the creators of Ben 10 apart of Man Of Action had mentioned on Twitter throughout 2021 that they were working on something for the future of Ben 10 and it was going to be announced by the end of that year.

Here we are in March 2023 and we still got no confirmation about Ben 10 and honestly this has been the longest period of time since we got any word on the franchise. For those who weren't aware the previous iterations took a few weeks with Omniverse 6 months.

After Omniverse ended, there was a lot of uncertainty about the franchise some areas were proposing that the franchise would continue on with an original series Ben 10,000 or a possible reboot which is what we ended up getting few months after Omniverse.

We've never been in a scenario where we're creeping in on a 2 year mark of not knowing what's going on with Ben 10. Considering Warner Bros. Discovery had made cutbacks with content some were unannounced it's possible the next instalment was cancelled.

Warner Bros. Discovery appointed Tom and at the time he had a different vision for Cartoon Network as seen last year we got preschool content onto the channel through Cartoonito which has experienced immense success if you're talking HBO Max and global.

Now that you have this merger and new people tagging along now you have Michael being the president of the network and they probably revisited this project and thought we need to pivot for something better hence Velma and We Baby Bears.

Considering how popular Ben 10 is I mean just like The Powerpuff Girls it is one of Cartoon Network's biggest franchises. It's possible they're probably working on another project probably not from not what was proposed at the time Tom was around.

Ben 10 Alien Force was one of the top 10 animated series on HBO Max last year which goes to show how huge it is globally and that people are still hungry for more Ben 10 probably not Omniverse hungry but it was good in its own way and that's what counts.

From what this entails, people want a more darker version which was basically Alien Force and Ultimate Alien and not that cheesy reboot. I mean if the reboot did get much hype then we wouldn't be waiting almost two years for a follow-up to be announced.

Some people wanted a continuation for the original while others wanted a follow up to Omniverse but honestly they might do something different probably set it within another paradox. But chances are we'll be seeing 10 year old Ben for a while longer.

They've been acknowledging their older shows for sometime now that Craig McCracken is working on a reboot to Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends and a second reboot to The Powerpuff Girls. We even got a revival to Total Drama launching in the future.

Honestly, it feels like Cartoon Network is being nostalgic by bringing back these old shows and putting new spins on them. I'm sure people would want the same for Ben 10 as 2+ years is a bit too much for one of your longest running shows so hopefully we get something.

Credits: DC Network

Breaking News From Across The World In The Last 7 Days Dated 17 March

1. Recess Revival/Reboot rumoured to be in development for Disney+
2. Lindsay Lohan is pregnant with first child
3. Shakti Arora to quit Zee TV's Kundali Bhagya
4. Cartoon Network's upcoming series Garbage Boy And Trash Can enters post-production (more info on the show)
5. The Creed to get anime series as well as spinoffs
6. Rey Mysterio announced as the first inductee to WWE Hall Of Fame for 2023
7. The Bella Twins dump the Bella trademark for Garcia
8. Vanessa Hudgens to make a comeback in the forth instalment of Bad Boys
9. Jason Derulo unveils new single It's My Thing (lyrics)
10. Disney+ Original Willow Has Been Cancelled
11. Tiana: The Series has been delayed to 2024 on Disney+
12. Diddy also looking to acquire stake in BET
13. Kellogg is changing their name
14. Ruhi Chaturvedi aka Sherlyn quits Kundali Bhagya

CITV Channel To Close As ITV Makes Most Children’s Shows Online-Only, Could eMedia Investments Follow With The eToonz Channel On The Openview Platform?

ITV is shutting down its CITV channel for consumers in the UK and shifting most of its children’s programmes to streaming-only, arguing that young people have largely given up on watching scheduled television.

CITV will disappear as a standalone channel in the autumn, with all children’s content shifting to the streaming platform ITVX. The broadcaster said the channel was unprofitable and children’s TV audiences had collapsed in recent years because of a shift to YouTube and other streaming services.

eToonz is the South African version to the soon to be defunct CITV owned by eMedia Investments and currently viewed on the Openview platform is home to shows such as Peppa Pig, Pokémon, Barbie Dream Adventures, Thomas And Friends and Voltron.

Since it's debut in 2013, eToonz has struggled to gain a vast majority of Openview consumers much less DStv while as it's other sister channels eMovies and eMovies Extra rank as the top movie channels with eExtra top entertainment brand on the mentioned platform.

Compared to the e.tv channels currently sitting abroad the DStv platform as well the additional currently viewed on the Openview platform. eToonz carries the most rebroadcasts from the main channel and any channel that was performing well would do otherwise.

When eExtra was added in 2017, it was more of a catch-up or leftovers channel for e.tv same goes with eReality now both brands have managed to build their unique slate of programming with the likes of Elif, Doodsondes, Forensic Files and Ex On The Beach.

eToonz serving as one of the longest running brands amongst had been subdued to rebroadcasts. I get why the rebroadcasts as adults watch more linear television compared to children who'd have a high preference for YouTube and social media.

All the more reason to justify eToonz lack of new content but honestly whose to say this channel won't fold under e.tv and eVOD. eMedia Investments doesn't leave consumers much alternatives at this point on Openview giving it more purpose.

As for DStv, I can see why they'd opt not to renew their agreement with eMedia Investments for the channel. It's just a duplicate of the existing offering on their stable and brands like Cartoon Network and Disney Junior are luring consumers away from the channel.

As for Craze, I can see that being the future of eToonz on the Openview platform as it is with DStv consumers. It does look like something eMedia wants to retire but can't due to the laws in this country they have to put up with this content for the years to come.

News Shorts: CBeebies Set To Debut Brand New On-Air Look, M-Net Movies Action HQ To Rollout On DStv And Zee World Undergoes Various Schedule Changes

CBeebies is set to align themselves with the rest of the BBC channels

In the UK, BBC Studios has begun phasing out the playful and enthusiastic CBeebies logo for a more bold and plan design. The new logo looks identical to the current BBC Kids and most of their linear channels the change is likely part of another alignment or streamlining strategy from the BBC.

BBC Studios is looking to boost their streamlining endeavours similar to the The Walt Disney Company with more details set to be unveiled later in the year.

M-Net Movies Action is being revived for a limited time

In September 2020, M-Net Movies restructured their movie offering by reducing their 6 movie channels at the time to just 4 each of them numbered with the second being a fusion of Action and Action+ channel. After 2 years, the M-Net Movies Action concept is being revived as a pop-up channel.

The Big Bosses Of Action will air on channel 111 from March 17 to April 2 with catch-up till May 1. Feature films include Die Hard, Unchartered, Tom Gun Maverick, John Wick: Chapter 2 and Taken.

Zee World is bringing more extraordinary to the tele

As seen this past week, Zee World in Southern African markets had their schedules adjusted with Twist Of Fate at 2pm-4pm (double bill), Can You See Me at 4pm, It's Not Easy To Love at 8pm, Broken Bonds at 8.50pm, Razia Sultan at 9.40pm and Age Is Just A Number at 10.30pm. All times are allocated in CAT.

The channel has several upcoming attractions such as Radha Mohan alongside 3 other shows and judging by these changes it's safe to put them in the coming soon tile.

News Shorts: Qhayiya Phato To Debut New Book Noxolo The Bride Later In 2023, Star Life Hits A New Low With The Rebroadcast Of The Inseparables And Abafana Ababi To Make Its Linear Debut On e.tv

Qhayiya Phato to rollout Cinderella inspired novel

Noxolo The Bride follows the titular character on her journey to self discovery. She falls in love with Sandile but has to overcome the demons that prevent her and the groom to be from ever finding true happiness. Production on the novel began began back in 2022 and is anticipated to rollout later in the year.

The author Qhayiya Phato manages the blog Yeah Mzansi! and is also manages several fan accounts for eMedia Investments and MultiChoice.

Sister duo Jeevika and Maanvi are back on Star Life

The Inseparable Is a story of Jeevika Chaudhary and Maanvi Chaudhary are two orphan sisters living in Rishikesh with there grandmother, uncle, aunt and cousin while Viren Singh Vadhera and Virat Singh Vadhera are two brothers hailing from an elite family of lawyers in Chandigarh. The two sisters are inseparable tho there outlook towards life are totally different. Maanvi loves and respects Jeevika as though she is her mother.

The series premieres March 23 replacing Kulfi - The Singing Star.

Robin Hood based comedy to rollout on e.tv

Abafana Ababi a brand new locally produced action comedy starring Thomas Gumede as Thebe, a comical cool cat, Matli Mohapeloa as Gift, a slick ladies’ man and Justin Strydom as Stuard Rembrand, the crime boss. Thebe and Gift are best friends from Orlando, Soweto, who grew up poor with aspirations of being rich. They take the easy road and get into a life of crime, and make it big as two bandits modelled on Robin Hood – stealing from the wealthy (who acquired their money from dirty deals in the first place), and then share their takings with the community.

The film airs Sunday at 20:00 from March 19.

HBO Max (Or Max) Will Likely Fold Under MultiChoice's Showmax Streaming Service, No Word On Discovery+ As Yet

During the month, NBCUniversal in partnership with MultiChoice are planning to rollout a revamped Showmax streaming service featuring content from the highly anticipated streamer, Peacock. Of course details about the pricing have yet to be revealed.

As some are probably unaware, NBCUniversal has done several partnerships with MultiChoice over the years aside from Universal, DreamWorks and E! and the digital component Universal+. Through their Sky service, MultiChoice was able to distribute a number of television sets.

This deal doesn't come as a shock, not that I was anticipating something like this but the reality is Peacock coming as a standalone put itself in a very risky position hence the reason SkyShowcase (a merger with Paramount+) exists in various European markets.

All of this had got me thinking about Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming service.

As some consumers are aware these two are set to the last entry in Africa as we got most of the major streaming services Netflix, BritBox, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock (as mentioned) with Paramount+ gearing up for its rollout later in the year.

Last year, it was stated that HBO Max and Discovery+ would merge to form this giant streaming service which would have complicated things as the HBO side of the business was waiting till 2025 for contracts to go null therefore giving HBO Max the greenlight.

Compared to HBO Max, there was no problem in getting Discovery+ out to those regions which had a deal in place for the other streamer. If it wasn't for this restructure, we could have gotten Discovery+ or at least recieved an update about the platform in Africa.

After several months, it was revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery scrapped plans to merge these two but would rather keep Discovery+ intact as it's cheap while boost the lineup of HBO Max (soon Max) as the brand had seen a cutback of original content back in 2021.

In April, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to unveil more details about this new Max streaming service which I honestly think won't be made available to African consumers compared to Discovery+.

As mentioned, they will be the last entry to the streaming game and as above-mentioned streamers have been reeling in potential consumers. With that in mind is it possible that HBO Max will fold under Showmax?

Showmax is home to various locally produced content and they also supply a number of international content from NBC, Starz, CBS Studios, Sony Pictures Television. They also supply various titles exclusive to HBO Max alongside catalogue from Adult Swim.

MultiChoice even have various linear channels from HBO Max's parent company including TNT, Discovery Channel, TLC and Cartoon Network. Even supply various shows to M-Net such as The Flight Attendant and House Of Dragons which serves as a spinoff to Game Of Thrones.

Showmax becoming the official home to HBO Max wouldn't be far fetched as Warner Bros. Discovery in recent months had signed deals with local broadcasters in Australia and Japan which go over 2025 which boosts the possibility of the same outcome in Africa.

Showmax in general supplies content various content from BritBox and Paramount+. With those deals set to expire, it's possible these streamers would want to keep the content abroad their platforms and distribute them across linear stations.

HBO Max benefits Showmax in the long run as it would help build their international portfolio and help them serve as a strong contender to Netflix and Disney+ which too have a lot of international content in the pipeline. I'm just so lost with with plans for Discovery+.

I mean the platform has too much content that I feel not everything would fit under Showmax so maybe Discovery+ being the only standalone platform wouldn't be a bad idea and MultiChoice distributing a freemium version also wouldn't be a bad thing for DStv consumers.

Before the merger, Discovery Inc. wasn't expecting Discovery+ to be Disney+ big or to compete with other streaming services mentioned here so far.  So all I'm saying is HBO Max being apart of Showmax isn't a bad thing as consumers can't pay for all these platforms.

Discovery+ could as well serve as both a freemium and pay-tv type service. Showmax could bundle selected content particularly premium or first run content perhaps.

Recap To Last Year: The Disappearance Of BBC UKTV On The Openview Platform

Last year, eMedia Investments in partnership with BBC Studios unveiled South Africa's first free-to-air entertainment channel, BBC UKTV. A general entertainment channel featuring a selection of content ranging from doccies, lifestyle, dramas and kids shows.

Some of the content in question includes Top Gear, Live At The Apollo, Midsomer Murders, Come Dine With Me, Wild Africa, Planet Earth and Yakka Dee.

As of 2023, the channel has yet to materialize on the Openview platform with eMedia Investments and BBC Studios remaining on any developments about the channel with the latter added to MultiChoice's DStv as a cheapo on the Easyview bouquet.

It has led to an onslaught of angry Openview consumers some pointing the finger at MultiChoice as eMedia Investments rolls out the pay-tv version to the current free-to-view Openview platform, Ultraview.

Before any word about what the offering or how the bouquet would be priced. They were several Openview consumers who believed that BBC UKTV will form part of Ultraview technically not a DStv problem but a DStv effect as it seems.

If this turned out to be a reality, eMedia Investments alongside BBC UKTV would have deceived several media outlets alongside current Openview consumers with BBC Studios serving as an accomplice I mean the channel comes with a fee on DStv.

But the idea of BBC UKTV being a pay-tv channel wouldn't be the most shocking for Openview I can imagine them reviving ITV Choice or sourcing another DStv channel e.g. BBC News to tag along in this new setup.

All that is known at the moment is that eMedia Investments has yet to rollout a new channel to the free component of Openview. If the supposed channel isn't BBC UKTV then it could mean that plans for the channel were likely scrapped at this point.

The Regular Nick Effect: Breaking News From Across The World From In The Last 7 Days Dated March 11

1. Scooby-Doo And The Mystery Pups no longer moving forward at HBO Max
2. Totally Spies! Season 7 has been delayed to 2024
3. Adam Sandler was honoured with the King Of Comedy Award at the 2023 KCAs
4. Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will return with new season after 4 year hiatus
5. Veteran radio and TV presenter Mark Pilgrim, 53, has died
6. Tom Sizemore, ‘Heat’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ Actor, Dead at 61
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem features an A-List including Seth Rogen and John Cena
8. Nicki Minaj is launching her own record label
9. Genius Brands double down on Al with new shorts
10. Poltergeist rumoured to getting revived by MGM
11. FutureLife and SuperSport Schools sign three year deal to provide nutrition for children
12. Nick Cannon working on new show Celebrity Prank Wars hosted by Kevin Hart
13. Velma Season 2 is in development
14. Kesha and AEW superstar MJF make a cameo appearance in Impractical Jokers
15. Batman: The Caped Crusader is coming to Amazon Prime Video for 2 seasons
16. ITV Studios shuts down their children's channel CITV
17. Peppa Pig to launch on Disney+ in 19 countries with more territories to follow
18. Disney to start selling their content to broadcasters again
19. Beetlejuice 2 is in development with original cast and Jenny Ortega
20. Miley Cyrus unveils new album, ENDLESS SUMMER VACATION
21. Tame Impala returns in 2023 with first new single, Wings Of Time from the film Dungeons And Dragons: Honors Among Thieves

From The Clone To Prisoner No. 1: We Present A List Of Shows From The 2010s That Have Never Aired On Telemundo Africa

Telemundo has been in the African market for almost a decade offering a mixture of action, comedy, drama and romance. But what some may not be aware is that there's a number of series that haven't been seen on the channel.

And we're not referring to the shows below 2009 which most viewers would find outdated although they're great shows like El Diablo and La Tormenta. But this content dates as far as 2010 some even 2017 yet they remain to not be seen on the channel.

Considering these shows have no chance of airing on the channel, I just think it's best everyone knows that some of this content was picked up or filmed in English but somewhere along the line they were scrapped before even hitting African shores.

Here it is the list of shows that haven't aired on the African feed of Telemundo:

1. El Clon (The Clone)

Based on the Brazilian telenovela O Clone, this melodrama features a love triangle featuring Lucas, a handsome hero, challenging his clone for the love of an enticing, exotic woman. Lucas is young when he falls for a young Arab girl named Jade. She is caught between modern values and her Islamic upbringing. They separate and two decades pass. Then a strange turn of luck brings the pair together. Then Jade meets the clone, who is just like Lucas, but twenty years younger. She must choose between the man she loved and the memory she cherishes.

This limited run melodrama, which starred Mauricio Ochmann and Sandra Echeverría, deals with topics such as drug trafficking, cloning and Islam.

2. La Diosa Coronada (The Crowned Goddess)

The story is based on Angie Sanclemente Valencia's involvement in the transportation of cocaine from Argentina to Europe. The series stars Carolina Guerra, Arap Bethke, Jonathan Islas, Carolina Gaitán, Rodolfo Valdés and Margarita Reyes.

3. Ojo Por Ojo (Eye For An Eye)

From Gustavo Bolivar, the story is based on Laura Restrepo's novel, "El Leopardo al Sol" while borrowing some elements of William Shakespeare's " Romeo and Juliet ". The series stars Gaby Espino, Miguel Varoni, Gregorio Pernía, Carmen Villalobos and Gonzalo Garcia Vivanco.

4. Amar De Nuevo (Love Again)

The story begins one tragic day, when Frijolito was in a traffic accident with his best friend Palito and his parents, Salvador and Veronica. Veronica's cousin, Bulmaro, had received orders from his boss, Max, to cause the accident. Max wanted revenge on Salvador, as he had hoped to get closer to Veronica. After that day, everything changed. Frijolito and Salvador were killed in the accident, Veronica was in a coma for two years and Palito was entrusted to the care of his grandmother Lily.

The series stars Patricia Garza, Eduardo Rodríguez, Alejandro Felipe and Jorge Eduardo García.

5. Flor Salvaje (Wild Flower)

Based on the novel La Novia Oscura, the series follows a young girl who loses her mother and brother all in one day. Only to then be abandoned with her three younger sisters by her father. It stars Mónica Spear, Tony Dalton José Luis Reséndez, Roberto Manrique, María Elisa Camargo and Gregorio Pernía.

6. Camelia La Texana

The story of a naive and beautiful young woman who tries to escape her destiny. The story begins in the 1970s when young Camelia and her mother flee one of Mexico's most dangerous capos, Don Antonio. Camelia's beauty attracts a lot of attention, jealousy from other women and infatuation on the part of many men, who fall powerless at her feet. Her mother tries to protect her from the fate that pursues her, but as she sets off in search of adventure Camelia meets the man who will be the love of her life, and also her betrayer: Emilio Varela. The series stars Sara Maldonado, Erik Hayser, Andrés Palacios and Dagoberto Gama.

The story is based on the song titled "Contrabando y Traición" by Los Tigres del Norte.

7. Villa Paraíso

Cristina, a beautiful young woman who fights to preserve the family heritage stays an apartment complex called "Villa Paraíso" which she inherited from her parents. The tenants are more than friends and little by little they become a big family. It stars Ximena Duque and David Chocarro as the main protagonists, while Silvana Arias and Ricardo Chávez star as the main antagonists.

8. Celia

Based on the life of Celia Cruz, it tells the story of one of the legends of Latin music and her major international career. We know the beginnings of her passion for singing in Cuba starting in 1950, and her recognition as the most decisive singer of La Sonora Matancera. The series stars Jeimy Osorio, Aymée Nuviola, Modesto Lacén, Willy Denton, Carolina Gaitán, Abel Rodríguez and Margoth Velásquez.

9. Mariposa de Barrio

Based on the autobiography Unbreakable: My Story, My Way authored by Jenni Rivera before her death. The inspiring and poignant story will follow in the footsteps of Jenni Rivera towards a dream of fame; An autobiographical journey from birth, based on her book "Unbreakable", as well as unpublished testimonies that reveal, as never before, her own family and explore her life as a daughter, mother, wife, lover and artist.

It stars Angélica Celaya, Gabriel Porras, Rosalinda Rodríguez, Samadhi Zendejas, Tony Garza, Regina Orquín, Enrique Montaño, Adrián Carvajal, Adriano Zendejas, Emmanuel Morales, Xavier Ruvalcaba, Raúl Sandoval and Mauricio Novoa.

10. José José, El Príncipe De La Canción

The fictionalized life story of Mexican singer and composer known as José José, based upon his autobiographical memoirs. It stars Alejandro de la Madrid, María Fernanda Yepes Itatí Cantoral, Danna Paola and Rosa María Bianchi

11. Prisoner No. 1 (Preso No. 1)

The story of a humble farmer who becomes President of Mexico. When he is falsely accused of fraud and incarcerated, he must fight back against the corrupt system behind the scheme and clear his name for the sake of his country and family. It stars Erik Hayser, Alejandra Ambrosi, Alejandro de la Madrid, Mariana Seoane, Arturo Peniche and Angélica Celaya.

Recap To The Past Week: Rubi 2004 Is Coming To TLNovelas Africa, No Word On The Follow-Up To Classic Series

During the month, TLNovelas unveiled a brand new on air look and as seen in various European territories they were being nostalgic with by rolling out a couple of classic content and from what was seen through various outlets the 2004 adaptation of Rubi is gearing up for its debut on the channel.

Based on Yolanda Vargas's 1963 serial Lágrimas, Risas Y Amor, the series follows the titular character living in a poor household comprised of herself, her single, elderly mother Doña Refugio, and her older sister Cristina who is the breadwinner. They live in a rundown department complex. Thanks to the efforts of Cristina and Rubí's own academic brilliance, Rubí is able to get a partial scholarship at a prestigious private university. While majoring in Business Administration, Rubí befriends and envies Maribel, a crippled, shy, Spoiled Sweet girl.

Maribel meets Héctor, a rich architect, on the internet and the two quickly become a couple. However, Héctor finds himself very physically attracted to Rubí from the get-go. With Héctor comes Alejandro, a middle-class, talented physician who subtly pretends to be more well-off than he actually is in order to seduce Rubí. The two genuinely fall in love but due to Alejandro's trickery and Rubí's ambition, their relationship is ill-fated.

Rubí, overcame by heartbreak and her envy toward Maribel, sets out to seduce Héctor who she has proof is wealthy. She succeeds and they flee to Cancún the day of Héctor and Maribel's wedding. Once married to him, Rubí starts living her dream life, surrounded by luxury and a handsome, wealthy husband eager to please her. Unfortunately, she's no Karma Houdini and her deeds start catching up to her three years later when it's revealed that Alejandro became a Self-Made Man and that he and Maribel are now an item.

The series stars Bárbara Mori as Rubí Pérez Ocho, Eduardo Santamarina as Alejandro Cárdenas Ruiz, Jacqueline Bracamontes as Maribel de la Fuente Ortiz, Sebastián Rulli as Héctor Ferrer Garza, Ana Martín as Refugio Ochoa Vda. de Pérez and Yadhira Carrillo as Elena Navarro.

As advised the series airs on the channel daily at 19:05 from April 3rd. As for the follow-up which was initially announced, it has been filmed in English not sure what's going on in terms of premises but the original become one of the top shows while that one was the most hated so far amongst adaptations.

Our sources did hit us with the 2020 component but considering how behind the channel is on a number of aspects. I wouldn't hold my breath hoping for it to air at some point in the year cause honestly does anyone need the follow-up cause this version makes more sense to explore.

Recap From The Past Decade: Cartoon Network Is Experiencing Some Minor Setbacks

Cartoon Network is a children's based entertainment channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery that is home to various animation such as We Baby Bears, Teen Titans GO!, Craig Of The Creek, Summer Camp Island and The Adventures Of Ivanhoe.

As seen this past decade, Cartoon Network has been branded off as The Teen Titans GO! Channel for some regions they tend to incorporate 2 other shows into the mix but when those fade away these wacky crime fighters are what's left of the channel.

I know some are probably annoyed by the show but you've got to admit kids love TTG! if it was able to live past 7 seasons and get 2 feature films and soon a spinoff Teen Titans GO! Presents The Night Begins To Shine.

For a while I thought the channel didn't care about most of their original shows as you had shows like Summer Camp Island getting brushed off on Sunday mornings, popular shows like OK! KO Let's Be Heroes becoming the least promoted show during its run on the channel.

But it wasn't until last year where we got a clear idea as to why Cartoon Network became The Teen Titans GO! Channel apparently the WarnerMedia part of Warner Bros. Discovery had been producing content with no proof of financial return on top of carrying a huge debt.

It led to speculation that Warner Bros. Discovery was shutting down the most popular channel in the African market and global but luckily the network acknowledged that and were able to put these people to sleep.

From what was mentioned last year, Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to turn Cartoon Network into an animation brand for kids and young adults I mean we got upcoming shows like Unicorn Warriors Eternal, Invincible Fight Girl and Tiny Toons Looniversity.

Can I say that of their upcoming slate are in development hell I mean some consumers were quick to speculate the demise of Cartoonito after their hours on Cartoon Network was reduced alongside the demise of Little Ellen and Scooby-Doo And The Mystery Pups.

Without realising that the main network is hovered with problems as well. As mentioned their yet-to-be-seen original slate has been delayed several times already UWC was meant to launch in 2021 and till now it hasn't been released.

Notice how the channel only has 1 original show which hasn't been cancelled We Baby Bears seeing as Teen Titans GO! is kind of under Warner Bros. Animation. Internationally, it is being covered up with shows like Lego Monkie Kid, Jade Armor and Big Blue.

All the more reason to show that Cartoonito isn't the only brand presented with obstacles even Cartoon Network.

Recap To The Past Week: Scooby-Doo And The Mystery Pups No Longer Moving Forward On HBO Max, Cartoonito Remains Safe In Case You're Wondering

Cartoonito is a brand name Warner Bros. Discovery gives to their preschool offering and by the end of the March it would have replaced several Boomerang feeds across Europe. As seen this past week, Cartoonito lost another original show, Scooby-Doo And The Mystery Pups.

Announced in 2022, Scooby-Doo And The Mystery Pups was meant to serve as the first ever preschool series for the Scooby-Doo franchise. It would have featured Scooby and Shaggy as camp counselors who would be recruiting three pups as mystery solvers.

In a tweet by animation writer Roger Eschbacher, he mentioned that the show wrapped early as they lost their distribution to HBO Max so they're hoping another platform would pick up the project and this is not the first Scooby-Doo based project to have gotten canned as well.

Last year, they axed SCOOB!: Holiday Haunt despite the wrapping production to the film and curating a soundtrack. Not long ago, two projects had surfaced Haunted Highrise which would have welcomed back The Hex Girls and another on Krypto The Superdog.

Since word on these cancellations came out several consumers have started speculating the demise of Cartoonito. I mean sure the brand had severed some minor setbacks following the cancellation of Little Ellen but there's been some upsides in the process.

Batwheels launched in 2022 and become the most streamed show for preschoolers on HBO Max. Aside from that, it gained popularity internationally the same popularity that is currently found on Cartoon Network for several decades despite the fall in viewership in the U.S.

Paramount Global In Talks With Tyler Perry To Sell Majority Stake In BET

Paramount Global is mulling the possible sale of a majority stake in BET Media Group, which includes the BET cable network, BET Studios and VH1, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The company believes BET, an entertainment brand focused on the Black community and culture, would attract substantial interest from Black investors or institutions, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

BET drew an immediate expression of interest from Byron Allen, whose Allen Media Group's assets include The Weather Channel. A spokesperson for Allen Media Group said it "will be pursuing the acquisition of the network."

Media mogul Tyler Perry, the actor and producer best known for the "Madea" movie franchise, also is interested bidding, according to the Wall Street Journal and various Hollywood trade publications.

Perry has a longstanding relationship with Paramount, partnering with the media company to launch the BET+ subscription service in 2019. He retains a minority stake in the service.

Paramount also formed BET Studios in 2021 through a partnership with "Black-ish" creator Kenya Barris, actress Rashida Jones and "S.W.A.T" co-creator Aaron Rahsaan Thomas.

Paramount hopes to maintain a minority stake to benefit from any value that might be unlocked by the transaction, the source said.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that Paramount was exploring a possible sale of BET as it looks to improve its balance sheet.

Press Release: TNT To Become Warner TV In Spain As Part Of Global Celebration Of Warner Bros. Studios 100th Anniversary

Under the slogan "Pure entertainment", Warner TV will offer a wide range of internationally successful film and series programming, which includes an extensive catalog of reference titles from the prestigious Warner Bros. Studio.

Warner Bros. Discovery launches its new entertainment channel Warner TV on April 14, coinciding with the international celebration of the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studios. The brand, under the slogan "Pure entertainment", will offer a wide range of internationally successful film and series programming, which includes an extensive catalog of reference titles from the prestigious Warner Bros. studio. The new channel is thus aligned with the Warner TV channels in Europe, already present in France, Italy and Germany.

The new brand will take the place of TNT and, therefore, Warner TV will be present in the main pay television operators maintaining the same dials: Movistar Plus+ (dial 35), Vodafone TV (dial 30), Orange TV (dial 17) , Euskaltel (dial 16), R (dial 22), Telecable (dial 9), Virgin Telco (dial 20), Tivify (dial 16) and through Agile TV (dial 24).

Warner TV's offer is based on pure entertainment, with powerful series and internationally successful movies and, above all, full of stories that will make the viewer dream and exude a great sense of humor. The brand's commitment is to develop an offer of quality content with a triple common denominator: variety, entertainment and lots of fun for all audiences.

For this reason, its programming will be made up of prestigious series, already present on TNT, such as The Rookie, FBI and FBI: International, accompanied by comedies that have become television classics such as Friends, Big Bang or Ghosts. The best Warner Bros. cinema will occupy a privileged place on the channel: it will be the home of the DC Universe with titles such as Joker, Shazam!, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Justice League or Suicide Squad, along with sagas from the Warner Bros. studio .turned into contemporary classics like The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Ocean's and Christopher Nolan's Batman and Blade trilogies. To this commitment to quality entertainment, Warner TV will add the premiere on linear pay television of various local and international productions from the Warner Bros. Discovery group. The first of these will be the premiere of Nadie sabe nada, an original program with Andreu Buenafuente and Berto Romero, which has become a benchmark for humor since its birth as a radio program and podcast.

Special Programming
The weekend of the launch, the channel starts with a luxury programming. On Friday, April 14, Warner TV opens with one of DC's most powerful titles: Joker, the film directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, winner of two Oscars and nominated for eleven statuettes.

On Saturday, April 15, the channel will celebrate the centenary of Warner Bros. in style with the broadcast, throughout the day, of emblematic titles of the studio such as Blade, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, A star is born, The Bodyguard or Wonder Woman, among many others.

To complete the commitment, on the afternoon of Sunday, April 16, Warner TV will premiere in Spain Expedition: Back to the Future, an exciting program of four one-hour episodes produced by Warner Bros. Discovery that will be broadcast as a marathon. A series that will make us live an epic journey in search of DeLorean cars at the hands of Josh Gates and Christopher Lloyd, in which we will visit the most iconic locations in Hollywood where the legendary Back to the Future trilogy was filmed. After the premiere, we will be able to see another of the DC jewels: Aquaman, with an outstanding Jason Momoa playing the king of the underwater nation of Atlantis.

Added to this powerful offer of the linear channel is its Warner TV Now service, which offers 800 episodes of on-demand content made up of Warner TV's reference series, a wide catalog of fiction from Warner Bros. Discovery and original productions from the group such as I don't like driving -which won three Feroz awards in its 2023 edition, including the best comedy series of the year-, Maricón perdido, El gran sarao, Vota Juan and Vamos Juan.

Warner Bros. Discovery officially kicked off its global centennial campaign in January, under the banner Celebrating Every Story, in advance of Warner Bros. Studios 100th Anniversary on April 4, 2023. Throughout this year, around this exceptional birthday, activities and events will be held around the world, to which the brands that make up the Warner Bros. Discovery group will join. The launch of Warner TV in Spain is part of the special actions to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the prestigious Warner Bros. studio.

News Shorts: The Splat Is Back! As Nickelodeon Debuts Fresh New Look, Glow TV Issues Out Statement Following Its Termination On Openview And StarSat, And An Eye For An Eye Becomes The Next Pick To Make Its Linear Debut On e.tv

Introducing news shorts basically a revamped version to the current Roundups but instead of shortening info we look at getting content that doesn't need too much detail but of course we can't guarantee how often this will be a thing as the content in question match the whole scenario.

Bring on the slime

As advised, Nickelodeon is pairing this year’s fun-filled slime-fest, the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2023, with the debut of an all-new brand refresh of its on-air look and feel!

The rebrand reimagines Nickelodeon's iconic splat logo and slime with a fresh new design, and includes new on-air graphics, such as lower-thirds, updated BUG/DOG, bumpers, idents, promo endboards and a new "Nickelodeon Productions" endboard.

This marks Nickelodeon's first brand refresh in six years.

The demise of Glow TV

Notice to all our loyal viewers. Take note that we are currently facing various challenges, including the high level of loadshedding throughout the country, which is impacting negatively on our viewership. One of our options for now, is for GlowTV to be on the OTT platform (streaming), so that programs can be watched even on your phones. Unfortunately, due to our contracts expiring we will be off air on some of the platforms, effective from March 1. Please keep in touch with us for the latest updates via our social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. We thank you for your support over the years. - GlowTV team.

More eVOD coming soon to e.tv

From having almost everything, a happy and successful life, The Hero protagonist in the film Caesar loses this overnight and is forced on the run with nothing and leaving everything behind. He returns and fights to reclaim everything he lost. Joining him on the escapades is his love Lucy, their son Zack and the antagonist known as The Don.

Debuted in 2022 on eVOD, the film airs next Sunday at 20:00 from 12 March with exclusive film from the streamer Surviving Gaza airing later in the same timeslot.