Paramount+ Launching In South Africa By 2023

Paramount+ video streaming service from ViacomCBS will launch in South Africa next year, very likely in conjunction with MultiChoice as a so-called "hard bundle" app. However, pricing and details for the streamer's rollout in 2023 are still to be worked out.

The launch of Paramount+ – that bundles an extensive library and new content ranging from Paramount Pictures films, Paramount+ Originals, Nickelodeon, MTV and CBS Studios – will follow after the launch of The Walt Disney Company's Disney+ streamer in South Africa within months, expected anytime from June 2022.

It means South African video consumers will get Disney+ next , followed by Paramount+, and then likely WarnerMedia's HBO Max (that will contain Discovery+), and possibly NBCUniversal's Peacock, although WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal are yet to say anything publicly about expanding into Africa.

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- Paramount+ and Nickelodeon expand kids slate
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Paramount+, Disney+ and HBO Max will join the existing streaming services already present in South Africa, all battling to grow their market share and to scale their subscribers bases like Netflix SA, Amazon Prime Video, MultiChoice's Showmax, Apple TV+, eMedia's eVOD, Vodacom's Video Play, VIU, Britbox SA and Acorn TV.

The South African launch of Paramount+ will be as a stand-alone app and through connected TV sets, but will very likely also be in partnership with the MultiChoice Group, which has existing deals to carry Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as apps on its DStv Explora Ultra decoder.

ViacomCBS, which this week rebranded as Paramount, already has so-called "hard bundle" deals in place with pay-TV operators like Comcast's Sky in the United Kingdom carrying Paramount+, and Sky Showtime as a joint venture in Europe with Comcast and Vivendi's Canal+ that will launch Paramount+ in France in December in a similar way as well.

Tom Ryan, president and CEO of streaming at Paramount, for the first time at the company's latest investors' presentation this week, confirmed that Paramount+ is coming to Africa.

With South Africa as the most sophisticated television market on the continent, it's a shoo-in that Paramount+ will be launching in South Africa next year, in the way that Disney+ will this year.
"We're leveraging our global footprint to bring Paramount+ to new markets with enormous potential," he said. "We're deploying hard bundles, where we work with a local provider to give their customers immediate access to Paramount+ as well as direct-to-consumer (DTC app), and a la carte distribution."

Paramount is also creating new and cheaper "mobile-only" plans for markets where mobile devices dominate streaming consumption – something else that will likely be a defining feature when Paramount+ comes to South Africa next year.

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"Beginning in 2023, we'll turn out sights to Asia, Africa and the Middle East," Tom Ryan said during the investors' presentation, "building on our momentum to bring Paramount+ to every region of the world."

"Our global expansion underscores an important lesson in streaming: The stories we create are only as powerful as the audience they reach. So in addition to expanding Paramount+ to more people, we're also enhancing the service itself."
Raffaele Annecchino, Paramount president & CEO for international networks, studios and streaming, in a statement about the launch of Paramount+ in partnership with Canal+, said that Paramount is "strategically creating a streaming model for long-term growth".

"Our subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) premium services allow us to expand our streaming business in more than 60 markets, as we build our momentum toward expanding Paramount+ in all the markets across the world".

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ViacomCBS Is Getting A New Name: Paramount

The media behemoth — which was created through the merger of CBS and Viacom in 2019 — said the rebrand is meant to focus on the company’s goal of becoming a major player in streaming. It is also, plainly, just a better name.

Paramount intends to “turn streaming into a sustainable business for the future,” Paramount CEO Bob Bakish said during an investor event this afternoon, “and know this, we are committed to that future and creating that value.”

PARAMOUNT PLUS WILL GET EXCLUSIVE STREAMING RIGHTS BY 2024

The company intends to hit 100 million streaming subscribers by 2024 — up from its previous goal of 65 million to 75 million during the same timeframe. The company plans to further its international expansion and offer mobile-only plans in some regions to hit its aggressive subscription goals. It’ll also start streaming all Paramount movies exclusively on Paramount Plus starting in 2024 in the US, following their theatrical runs.

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“We’ve got the passion, the vision, and the discipline to deliver,” Bakish said.

Paramount includes major TV networks, like CBS, Nickelodeon, and MTV; the publisher Simon & Schuster; and its titular film studio. But the company is increasingly focused on streaming, where it has three key brands: Showtime, Pluto TV, and Paramount Plus.

Announcing its fourth-quarter 2021 earnings today, Paramount highlighted the rapid growth of its streaming brands. It now has more than 56 million combined streaming subscribers, and streaming revenue is up 48 percent year over year, hitting $1.3 billion in the holiday quarter. Streaming subscription revenue was up 84 percent, while streaming advertising revenue was up 26 percent.

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- Disney closing multiple channels in Latin America
- Paramount+ and Nickelodeon expand kids slate
- National Geographic ending in the UK and several other markets
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?
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Paramount announced a huge lineup of upcoming shows and movies headed to its main streaming service to keep that momentum going. That includes a second season of Halo, a Sonic TV series focused on the Idris Elba-voiced Knuckles, and new titles from hits kids properties.

There’ll be a Blue’s Clues movie, a Paw Patrol movie sequel and spinoff TV series, a Dora the Explorer revival, and even a Baby Shark movie (though some films will head to theaters first). Taken together, the company is making a major play to become a must-have subscription for families with young kids.

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Roundups #15: Paramount+ Working On Seal Team Movie, Knuckles TV Series And NCIS: Sydney

Seal Team Getting A Feature Film And Another NCIS Spinoff Is In Development

Just days after SEAL Team was renewed for Season 6 by Paramount+, the military drama also has received an order for a stand-alone movie from the streamer. Additionally, NCIS: Sydney, an offshoot from the venerable crime drama franchise, has been commissioned by Paramount+ Australia and the country’s ViacomCBS-owned Network 10. The projects, announced during the ViacomCBS Investor presentation, come from CBS Studios which is tapping into the studio’s IP to expand two of its current series/franchises.

NCIS: Sydney, which is slated for 2023, marks the first time one of CBS Studios’ global drama franchises is getting an international spinoff. The series, which will be filmed in Sydney, will feature local stories and Australian actors and producers, led by one of the most decorated alums of the NCIS franchise, NCIS: Los Angeles creator and former NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles executive producer/showrunner Shane Brennan who now lives in his native Australia. His exact capacity is TBD. NCIS: Sydney is being developed specifically for Paramount+ Australia as one of its first original series; it could also play in other territories, including U.S., as ViacomCBS’ streamer expands worldwide.

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- Could ESPN close alongside National Geographic and Disney Channel?
- February on ViacomCBS Africa channels
- BBC Kids launches in the United States, could Africa be next?

The SEAL Team standalone movie, which will not be a bridge between the recent fifth season and the upcoming sixth season, comes from the series’ creative team of star/executive producer David Boreanaz, executive producer Christopher Chulack and executive producer/showrunner Spencer Hudnut. Its concept is still being developed.

‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ Universe Expands As Sega And Paramount Sign Off On Third Film And ‘Knuckles’ Spinoff Series At Paramount+ With Idris Elba Reprising Role

Paramount and Sega have commenced development on a third feature film installment to the franchise, while Sega and Paramount+ are developing the first-ever original live-action
Sonic series, to launch in 2023. It will feature the character Knuckles, with Idris Elba returning to voice the role after it debuts in the sequel movie that bows April 8.

The announcement was made during Tuesday’s Viacom Investor Event where Brian Robbins, President and CEO, Paramount Pictures & Nickelodeon; Chief Content Officer, Movies, Kids & Family – Paramount+, delivered the news during the presentation.

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“We are delighted to announce that the third Sonic theatrical film and the first live-action Sonic series for Paramount+ are being actively developed. We’ve got a remarkable partnership with Paramount, and we are excited to continue expanding the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise with them,” Sega CEO Haruki Satomi said. “2022 is shaping up to be a significant year for the franchise with the second film being released this April, as well as Sonic Frontiers , the highly anticipated video game title, coming this holiday. Sonic has been beloved by fans across the world for over 30 years and we look forward to continuing to bring memorable moments and experiences to them for many years to come.

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Roundups #14: Paramount+ Expands Kids and Family Programming with New Slate of Films and Series from Nickelodeon Studios

Paramount+ announced a new slate of exclusive original kids and family programming including new movies and series. The announcement was made by Brian Robbins, chief content officer of movies and kids and family for Paramount+, during the ViacomCBS Investors Event.

Drawn from Nickelodeon’s stable of globally popular franchises, and following the success of Paramount+’s kids and family original series like RUGRATS, KAMP KORAL: SPONGEBOB’S UNDER YEARS and STAR TREK: PRODIGY, this new slate of content produced by Nickelodeon will add further momentum to the service’s popular kids’ content offering.

Additionally, in the wake of the new iCARLY’s success last year, Robbins also reviewed plans to further serve the young adult (13-34) audience with a slate of forthcoming YA original movies and series.

“As we’ve known with Nickelodeon’s long-standing success, the kids and family audience is incredibly loyal, and we see that on Paramount+ as well, with kids and family ranking as one of the strongest genres on the service in terms of both engagement and subscriber acquisition,” said Robbins. “So, as they stay for our shows and look for even more of them, we’re doubling down on giving them what they want by expanding the universes of the characters they love the best.”

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“Our kids and family content is not only bringing young audiences to Paramount+. It’s also a key component in retaining our existing subscriber base and expanding their viewership habits,” said Tanya Giles, chief programming officer, ViacomCBS Streaming. “Paramount+ is a service for the whole household, and we’re now seeing nearly half of our subscribers engaging with kids and family content on the service, a double-digit gain over last year.”

Robbins announced several new franchise-expanding titles for Paramount+, including:

IN ANIMATION:
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: Following the success of KAMP KORAL on Paramount+ and THE PATRICK STAR SHOW on Nickelodeon – the first season of which will soon be available to stream on Paramount+ – a further expansion of the “SpongeBob” universe is coming exclusively to the service, with three brand-new movies based on the show’s original characters, the first dropping in 2023. In addition, a fourth “SpongeBob” release from Nickelodeon Animation is currently in development for theatrical release.
TRANSFORMERS : Previously announced UNTITLED ANIMATED TRANSFORMERS film, with Josh Cooley attached to direct, will debut in theaters on July 19, 2024 for Paramount Animation and eOne, Hasbro’s entertainment studio.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES : A new era of TMNT-mania takes over in 2023 with a new animated take on the Turtles coming to theaters, produced by Point Grey Pictures’ Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Jeff Rowe. Nickelodeon Animation will follow that film with a series of exclusive movies for Paramount+ beginning in 2023, each centering on one of the property’s storied villains in never-before-told tales.

IN PRESCHOOL:
DORA THE EXPLORER: The preschool return of the groundbreaking Latina heroine in an all-new CG-animated series produced by Nickelodeon Animation, and featuring the beloved characters, plus key modernization to the storytelling, debuts in 2023.
BLUE’S BIG CITY ADVENTURE: The now-announced animation/live-action hybrid title to this brand-new “Blue’s Clues & You! ” movie from Nickelodeon Animation is set to premiere later this year and follows hosts Josh and Blue as they head to New York City, with the help of Steve and Joe, to audition for a big Broadway musical.

IN LIVE ACTION:
DORA THE EXPLORER: In addition to the character’s animated preschool return, now in development from Nickelodeon is the first-ever live-action DORA THE EXPLORER series, inspired by the tone of Paramount Pictures’ 2019 DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD theatrical release, with this new version for Paramount+ targeting the tween demo.
During the event, Robbins also underscored the opportunities and anticipation surrounding recently announced titles for Nickelodeon, like a live-action MONSTER HIGH musical movie and animated series in partnership with Mattel; a BABY SHARK feature-length film in development for 2023, co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation and the Pinkfong Company; and a theatrical PAW PATROL movie sequel – a Spin Master Entertainment production in association with Nickelodeon Animation, with distribution by Paramount Pictures – complemented by the first-ever PAW PATROL television series spinoff.
In addition to Paramount+’s new kids and family programming, Robbins remarked during the Investors Event on the service’s opportunity with the substantial and influential YA audience, given the performance of the new, young-adult-focused iCARLY and Awesomeness Studio’s success as producers of top YA franchises.

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- National Geographic ending in the UK and several other markets
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?
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With additional new movies and series to be announced, Paramount+’s previously announced YA titles coming to the service beginning in 2022 include:
FANTASY FOOTBALL: This new original live-action movie for Paramount+ follows 16-year-old Amber Coleman (Marsai Martin, “Black-ish”) who discovers she can control her professional football player dad’s prowess on the field through her video game. The movie will be produced in partnership with Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films, LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company, and Marsai Martin and Joshua Martin’s Genius Entertainment.
HONOR SOCIETY: A live-action comedic film that follows Honor (Angourie Rice, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Mare of Easttown”), an ambitious high school senior whose sole focus is getting into Harvard, assuming she can first score the coveted recommendation from her guidance counselor, Mr. Calvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, “Kick-Ass,” “Superbad”). Honor concocts a plan to take down her top three student competitors, until things take a turn when she unexpectedly falls for her biggest competition, Michael (Gaten Matarazzo, “Stranger Things,” “Prank Encounters”). Additional cast members include Armani Jackson (“Chad,” “Palm Trees and Power Lines”) and Amy Keum (“Evil”).
HUSH HUSH: A new original live-action film adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novels by Becca Fitzpatrick, HUSH HUSH is a supernatural romance story about the forbidden love between a girl and a fallen angel. Production is slated for 2022 in partnership with BCDF Pictures and Entertainment 360.

Shoutout to NickALive

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Roundups #13: Adult Animated Comedy Starring Kevin Hart Is Heading To HBO Max, Kevin McCallister Working On "Middle-Aged" Travel Series, Disney Working On Cats Inspired Film Aristocats And Iron Chef Reboot Is Coming To Netflix

HBO Max working on Kevin Hart animated project

HBO Max is developing music-infused adult animated comedy Storytown, from Kevin Hart’s HartBeat and Michael D. Ratner’s OBB Pictures.

In Storytown, which is doing an animatic presentation as part of the development process, when a grandson starts causing trouble in the streets, his grandfather begins to share life lessons he learned growing up with rapping fairytale characters in a place called Storytown.

Source: Deadline

Macaulay Culkin Preps Middle-Aged Travel Series

Macaulay Culkin recently turned 40 and he’s celebrating the occasion with a travelogue about becoming middle-aged.

Culkin famously starred in Home Alone and its sequel as well as films such as My Girl, The Good Son and Richie Rich before taking a break from acting. He returned in 2003 with a spot on Will & Grace and feature Party Monster and more recently in FX’s American Horror Story. He also founded The Pizza Underground, which parodied The Velvet Underground with pizza-themed songs.

Source: Deadline

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Another animated film returns in live-action format

A live-action adaptation of the classic animated film “The Aristocats” is in early development at Disney.

The original 1970 film follows a family of aristocratic cats — mother Duchess and her three kittens Berlioz, Marie and Toulouse — living a luxurious life in Paris. But when their owner’s butler finds out that the cats are set to receive a massive fortune, he kidnaps them and abandons them in an unfamiliar land — the country. The aristocats then must befriend an alley cat, named Thomas O’Malley, to help them get home before the butler steals what is rightfully theirs.

Source: Variety

Netflix picks up Iron Chef for a new season

As most fans of the show know, there hasn't been a new episode of "Iron Chef America" since 2018. The Food Network canceled the culinary game show after a successful 13 seasons on air, leaving viewers with only reruns to get their "Iron Chef " fix. But later this year, the show is getting a reboot on Netflix, the streaming platform officially announced on their website. The new series will be called "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend" and is confirmed for an eight-episode run.

Instead of continuing where season 13 left off, Netflix explains that the series will be "reborn with a supersized approach." Much like the original, world-class chefs will compete against each other in culinary challenges that put their skills and creativity to the test. In the reboot however, this will take place in a "reimagined Kitchen Stadium." Then in the season finale, the highest scoring Challenger Chef will compete in a final challenge to be named not just the "Iron Chef," but the "Iron Legend."

Source: TastingTable

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Roundups #12: Love, Victor Cancelled After Three Seasons By Hulu, Captain America Meets Black Adam In New Amazon Film RedOne, Possible Renewals At Nick Jr. And Popular 90's Animated Series SWAT Kats Is Back With New Series

Love, Victor comes to an end on Hulu

In distressing proof that nothing pure lasts forever, Love, Victor is signing off for good. Hulu announced during this week’s Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour that the upcoming third season of beloved gay teen drama will be its last.

The series will conclude with the June 15 release of all eight episodes of season 3. The series, written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, began as a spin-off of the 2018 Greg Berlanti-produced film Love, Simon, based on Becky Albertalli’s YA novel. Love, Simon was the first gay teen rom-com to be released by a major Hollywood studio.

Source: Them

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Chris Evans and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson join forces for new Amazon film, RedOne

Chris Evans and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be starring together in the upcoming Amazon film Red One. Red One is set to be a globe-trotting holiday comedy film, leaning into a genre which Johnson has been finding success in between his
Jumanji films and the recent Netflix title Red Notice . Jake Kasdan, who directed the two new Jumanji films, will be directing Red One and it is a project being an original vision from Seven Bucks President of Production Hiram Garcia . Red One is written by well-known Fast & Furious scribe Chris Morgan.

Red One is expected to release for the holiday of 2023. Kasdan will also serve as a producer on the film with Morgan, as well as Seven Bucks' Hiram Garcia and Dany Garcia. Previously, Seven Bucks and Kasdan's partnership on Jumanji films lead to massive box office successes through a pair of films which will lead into a third effort together.

Source: ComicBook

List of possible renewals on Nick Jr.

According to Preschool Series News & Galore, the following will live for another day:

- Paw Patrol renewed for 10th season
- Blaze And The Monster Machines renewed for 7th season
- Bubble Guppies might get a 7th season or end with its current season
- Blue Clues & You might get a 4th season with new movie
- Paw Patrol might get a 10th season with a new movie coming out and spin-off
- Santiago Of The Seas might get a 3rd season
- The Adventures Of Paddington renewed for 3rd season

SWAT Kats reboot is in development

India’s Toonz Media Group is teaming up with Christian and Yvon Tremblay to produce a new show inspired by the brothers’ classic animated series SWAT-KATS. The reboot, entitled SWAT-KATS Revolution , will target kids ages five to 11 and feature a host of new characters battling evil alongside the brand’s beloved feline fighters.

Source: Kidscreen

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