Sky New Zealand Launches Two New Channels To Replace Paramount's Offering And Cartoon Network

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Sky New Zealand is launching two new self-branded channels to replace Paramount’s Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, Comedy Central and Cartoon Network, which are ceasing transmission from early December.

The new offerings, Sky Comedy and Sky Kids, will carry programming from the expiring channels in addition to new shows from a range of studios and locally commissioned content.

“Kids and comedy programming are at the heart of Sky’s entertainment offering. By bringing these important channels ‘in-house’ we can choose and curate the content that we know our customers enjoy and engage with, combining Paramount fan favourites with content from other studios,” said Fiona Murray, Sky NZ’s head of entertainment.

Sky Comedy will feature Comedy Central content including the final season of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, South Park, The Daily Show and Beavis & Butt-Head, in addition to retro classics including Cheers, Reno 911!, Nathan For You and Key & Peele.

Sky Kids is being pitched as offering educational programming for preschoolers through to primary school-age children. Former Nickelodeon and Nick Jr content will be included alongside “a strong slate of local programming.”

The new outlet will complement the existing CBeebies channel, providing local content including Katie’s Kuri and The Last Moa, as well as multiple seasons of home-grown hits such as Kiri & Lou, The Drawing Show, Extreme Cake Sports and Secrets at Red Rocks.

Sky NZ said some content from the axed channels will continue to be available via on-demand on the new Sky Experience service across the Sky Box and Sky Pod platforms. Cartoon Network content will continue to be available on-demand through the HBO Max hub via the Sky Entertainment package.

The broadcaster has also partnered with Mood TV to bring two new local music channels to its channel line-up, Juice TV and J2, which effectively replace MTV Hits and MTV 80s. In line with the global shutdown of the MTV brand, the music channels will no longer be available via linear in New Zealand.

In October, it was announced that MTV linear channels would progressively shut down in the UK, Poland, France and Brazil. In Australia, the MTV brand has suffered a similar fate, with its channels having been shut down weeks ago by OTT provider Fetch TV. Paramount owned Australian channels MTV 80s, MTV 90s, MTV 00s, MTV Club and MTV Hits which were previously carried by Foxtel in a deal that was not renewed.

All changes to Sky NZ programming take effect from December 2.

Could NBCU's Universal Kids Or Sky UK's Sky Kids Expand To Africa??? Perhaps As A Future Replacement To Disney Channel On DStv

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Sky Kids is a children's channel operated by Sky Group a subsidiary of Comcast which features live-action shows like My Friend Misty, The Brilliant World Of Tom Gates and Dino Club alongside animation like Where's Wally?, Clifford and Trollstopia.

Internationally, it is known as DreamWorks Channel and a local variation known as Universal Kids residing in the United States both of which are operated by NBCUniversal also a subsidiary of Comcast.

Disney is looking to consolidate their content to streaming as linear TV is no longer viewed as the core of their business as mentioned earlier. This has led to the cancellation of several Disney Channels in the United Kingdom, Asia, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.

In Africa, these channels had extended through 2024 on DStv and are expected to go dark at some point. Thereafter, MultiChoice would need to sought replacement channels in order to keep viewers onboard their platforms and fill the void left by Disney.

With the lack of children channels across the world, MultiChoice would most likely need to curate a customary channel similar to AMC International and Paramount Global's CBS Justice and JimJam or Ngwato Nkosi Group Movie Room and Play Room channels.

Sky Kids wouldn't seem like a far fetched brand to incorporate within the DStv platform despite the pay-tv platform already packaging DreamWorks. Some content is very much viewed on Showmax prior to the announcement that NBCUniversal had acquired a 30% stake to streamer.

NBCUniversal also supply Universal, E! Entertainment, Studio Universal and Telemundo to DStv.

This kids channel likely titled Universal Kids would see MultiChoice and NBCUniversal join forces supplying content that is not only viewable on Sky Kids in the UK but also shows streaming on Showmax or in other words a follow-up to the defunct K-TV kids brand.

Development Alert: Ginx eSports TV Ends It's Run As A Linear Channel In The United Kingdom, TV Channel To Remain Through On Demand Streaming Services With More Markets Rumoured To Follow

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Ginx eSports TV is a UK based gaming channel operated by ITV PLC that promotes all things gaming in the form of news, guidelines and even tournaments. Some of the content viewed on the channel include Top 10, Games Set To Music, Origins and The First Hour.

As reported by Sky this past week, Ginx eSports TV falls out of their offering by the end of June. Although, it would continue to broadcast on Sky Glass which is set to rollout as DStv Glass in South Africa within the next 24 months.

During the year, Sky alongside various pay-tv outlets across the world have been removing non-performing channels. Similar to MultiChoice, they're streamlining their offering and Ginx eSports TV happens to be one of those channels that fall under that criteria.

MultiChoice added the channel in South Africa by 2017 and haven't said much about its viewership or promote it as much as ESPN, WWE and SuperSport. So we only assume that the current scenario seen in the UK is a reflection of what's to come in South Africa at some point.

Ginx eSports TV is kind of niche and considering this is a mid tier channel the viewership has to be below average if not less than M-Net's 8K viewers. Not that the channel is bad but most gaming brands work better as generalists then lifestyle channels.

Prior to its demise in the UK, it's had been long speculated that MultiChoice was looking to scrap the esports channel at some point. But with SuperSportBET also catering to esports gearing up for a fall 2023 rollout we assume something e-sports will be on there.

Maybe this will be one way to retire Ginx eSports TV or give consumers other means to it's offering.

Sky Deutschland Drops 3 TV Channels As More Consumers Opt To Streaming

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German pay-TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland is removing three channels from its TV line-up.

At the end of June 2023, Curiosity Channel (formerly Spiegel TV Wissen) and Spiegel Geschichte will be dropped, a Sky spokesperson confirmed to German industry magazine Digital Fernsehen.

Curiosity Channel is currently viewable on MultiChoice's DStv across Africa initially used as collateral for A+E Networks 3 brands at the time Lifetime, History and Crime + Investigation. The channel was founded by former founder of Discovery Channel, John S. Hendricks.

Another channel set to be axed before the end of 2023 is operated by Sky Deutschland, Sky Comedy. Although a Sky Comedy isn't offered in Africa the channel bares a resemblance to Paramount Global's Comedy Central also seen on DStv alongside StarTimes (not SA).

The reason: Media usage is moving strongly towards video-on-demand, said the spokesperson, adding that: “Sky doesn’t need a linear comedy channel.”

Over the years, MultiChoice has sorted to such measure which the reduction of M-Net Movies alongside the axing of M-Net City, VUZU, BBC First and ITV Choice with The Walt Disney Company anticipated to rip out more channels as seen with FOX and Disney XD years prior.

Even the BBC is planning to become an online only brand within the next decade. Since then a revised BBC News channel launched globally and also content spend was cut on BBC Brit, BBC Lifestyle, CBeebies and BBC Earth with some content streaming exclusively on BritBox.