Disney Updates: Pauses Linear Operations In Russia + Disney XD USA Rumoured To Close Down In 2022 Alongside Several Other Linear Channels

Disney Linear Channels In Russia Pauses Operations Amid Current Conflict

The Walt Disney Co. is pausing all of its business in Russia in light of the country’s invasion of Ukraine, a company spokesperson says.

Disney had previously paused all theatrical releases in Russia, but the new move takes things a step further. The company says that it will be pausing “content and product licensing, Disney Cruise Line activities, National Geographic magazine and tours, local content productions and linear channels broadcasting.

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- Boss Baby returns with new animated series
- March on Cartoon Network and Boomerang
- What to expect on DStv's newest addition DreamWorks Channel?
- March on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons
- March on Disney Channel and Junior
- Possible channel closures from Warner Bros. Discovery

WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. suspended their operations and will resume depending on the developments in the Ukraine.

RUMOR: Disney XD USA Alongside Several Other Channels To Shutdown In The Upcoming Months

FOX Life is expected to close down within the region later this month following ESPN Classic in 2021. According to Señal News, several linear channels including Disney XD, Disney Junior, Nat Geo Wild, FXM, and ESPNU are expected to follow in the coming months.

Señal News hasn't always been accurate but The Walt Disney Company has been closing down several channels across the world due to Disney+ so the idea of it happening in the US doesn't seem far fetched.

 

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- The Deep coming soon to Da Vinci Kids

The Walt Disney Company is on the road to close down 100 channels globally and as seen in the UK and Asia brands like Disney Channel and National Geographic ceased to exist.

The channels in question are justified Disney XD has become another Nicktoons, Disney+ needs more content and what better way than to source from National Geographic and there's several other movie channels so it wouldn't make much of a difference if FXM no longer existed.

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SuperSport Launches A Brand New Sports Channel In Ethiopia And The Rest Of Africa

MultiChoice is expected to close 4 channels by the end of the month and consumers will wonder why they're paying more for less channels. DreamWorks was recently added onto the DStv platform with the pay-tv company extending the reach of KIX and PBS Kids.

According to sources, SuperSport will soon be adding a new sports channel SuperSport Liyu later this week for offering the best of Ethiopian football. Of course the channel won't be made available to South Africa or at least for now.

SuperSport Liju will take up the space of the nonexistent horseracing lifestyle channel Racing240 in these regions while MultiChoice SA customers continue watching the Tellytrack killer.

SuperSport once offered Ethiopian football across their stations and to South African consumers on SuperSport 10 before it turned into SuperSport Variety. During its run, it become the most sought after attraction by viewers.

Also read:
- Paramount reportedly closing MTV Base and MTV Classic in the UK
- PBS Kids will be made available to DStv Easyview customers
- Could G4 launch on DStv perhaps to replace a channel like Ginx Esports TV?
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- Could Zee World replace eExtra on DStv Access perhaps?
- Could Timeless Dizi Channel and possibly tvN replace eExtra on DStv?
- New movie channel launching later in the year on DStv
- Cartoonito coming soon to Boomerang
- KIX will be made available to DStv Family and Access customers
- Lifetime could be on the chopping block on DStv

Based on its performance, SuperSport decided to give Ethiopia its own football channel which can be viewed in most parts of Africa just not in South Africa or at least not initially.

Just like Big Brother Naija, even Ethiopian football was popular amongst customers in South Africa particularly on lower bouquets like Family and Access so it wouldn't surprise me if MultiChoice placed it under another channel number for those customers if it were to be made available to South Africa.

Compared to Family, Access customers don't have a lot on their plate in this section aside from SuperSport Variety 4 and Racing240.

On top of the new channel, DStv in the rest of Africa are hosting an open window for a couple of SuperSport channels including WWE and Motorsport on DStv and GOtv through the app and decoder.

Also read: 
- EU turns off transmission for RT across Africa
- SABC Encore being used for sports
- SABC will launch more channels alongside streaming service
- Could Moonbug Kids replace Disney Junior on DStv and Baby TV on StarSat?
- tvN pushing to become a permanent linear channel in Africa
- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?
- Multichoice won't be adding anymore community channels
- eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz will stop airing on DStv
- KIX will be made available to DStv Family and Access customers

 

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Friends Star Matt Le Blanc's Man With A Plan Launches On Comedy Central Africa While MTV Africa Launches A New Dating Show Testing The Loyalty Of A Partner - April 2022 Highlights

Comedy Central:

A MAN WITH A PLAN
SEASON 1
WEEKDAYS FROM 25 APRIL @ 21:00
Brand New to Comedy Central, Andi Burns, a housewife, decides to return to work and make a career. As a result, her husband, Adam (Matt Le Blanc of Friends fame), faces the challenge of parenting their three unruly children while also running a business.

FAIRVIEW
SEASON 1
SATURDAYS FROM 30 APRIL @ 22:00
A weekly, hyper-topical, half-hour adult animated series about how national politics causes wild small town drama in the light beer-chugging, grocery store parking lot-fighting, public urinating town of Fairview through the lens of its sloppy party girl turned pragmatic mayor Kelly Sampson.

THE DAILY SHOW
SEASON 27
TUESDAY - FRIDAY  1 APRIL @ 23:30
Host Trevor Noah delivers satirical news related to the international and American political matters in an entertaining way.

TREVOR JOHNSON PRESENTS JOSH JOHNSON: HASHTAG
SPECIAL
SUNDAY 3 APRIL @ 21:00
In his first comedy special, comedian and writer Josh Johnson talks about things women expect in their relationships, effects of the pandemic in our social lives, and whether or not his friend's bird is a racist. Josh Johnson: Hashtag is presented by The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah.

Also read:
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- April on Moja Love
- 7 Year Stitch coming soon to E!
- April on History
- M-Net cancels The Queen and Lingashoni for more soapies and short-form series
- March on TNT
- March on Studio Universal
- Second batch of rumoured series coming to M-Net, 1Magic, Me and Showmax
- March on E!
- March on CBS Reality and CBS Justice

CARLOS MENCIA: NO STRINGS ATTACHED 2006
SPECIAL
SUNDAY 10 APRIL @ 21:00
Meet Carlos Mencia. He has quite a few opinions… on just about everything. In this extended and uncensored comedy performance, Carlos’ take on race relations, immigration, religion, and the mentally challenged will either have you wincing or laughing. Either way, he doesn’t really care because if you ain’t laughing, you ain’t living.

JOY KOY: LIGHTS OUT
SPECIAL
SUNDAY 17 APRIL @ 21:00
Jo Koy's star continues to rise in his second feature-length, uncensored stand-up special, Lights Out. If you don't already know Jo from his stand-up or regular roundtable appearances on Chelsea Lately, it's time that you do. Ting ting! Jo Koy imitates three generations of his family, reveals why sleep is a near-death experience and explains why all parents should have pulled out.

PAUL F. TOMPKINS: LABORING UNDER DELUSIONS
SPECIAL
SUNDAY 24 APRIL @ 21:00
In this stand-up special, Paul F. Tompkins takes us on a hilarious tour of his varied career. He relives his glory days as an employee at a Beta-only video store, a hot shop salesman, and an anxious host on Best Week Ever.

Also read:
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- eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz will stop airing on DStv
- PBS Kids will be made available to DStv Easyview customers
- Could Timeless Dizi Channel and possibly tvN replace eExtra on DStv?
- KIX will be made available to DStv Family and Access customers
- Could Zee World also be made available to DStv Access?
- Big Brother Liberia (now titled Housemates Liberia) is coming soon to DStv
- A second movie channel will be launching on DStv later in the year

MTV:

WHY ARE YOU HIDING ME?
MONDAY 25 APRIL @ 22:00
Hiding is when you're in a relationship with someone and you refuse to introduce them to your friends and family; usually because you're hiding a devastating secret that could seriously jeopardize the relationship.

MTV Base:

DANCE NATION: AMAPIANO VS. GQOM S1
FRIDAY 22 APRIL @ 17:30
This is no competition… No judges, no prize money, no influencers, just Culture

 

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Drew And Jonathan Are Back For More Home Renovations In Forever Home And Simon Toohey Wipes Up A Fresh Batch Of Healthy Meals In Freshly Picked Only On The Home Channel - April 2022 Highlights

Also read:
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- The Scent Of Passion coming soon to Telemundo
- April on Honey
- April on Moja Love
- 7 Year Stitch coming soon to E!
- April on History
- M-Net cancels The Queen and Lingashoni for more soapies and short-form series
- March on TNT
- March on Studio Universal
- Second batch of rumoured series coming to M-Net, 1Magic, Me and Showmax
- March on E!
- March on CBS Reality and CBS Justice

Luxury Homes Revealed Australia S1
Brand New Show
Luxury Homes Revealed gives us a tour of some of the most spectacular homes ever created. From luxury apartments to huge estates, follow the hosts, property enthusiasts and experts, as they chat to the owners of these gems, architects and designers, about what inspired them, what innovations and technologies were employed and what it’s like living in these luxurious homes. Each tour of these extravagant homes is guaranteed to make your jaw drop.
04 April 2022 - 26 June 2022
Thursday 19:30 (Priority Slot)
Mon 11:30 Tue 15:30 Fri 22:00 Sat 17:00 & 00:00 Sun 12:30 & 21:00

Property Brothers: Forever Home S1
New Episodes
In Property Brothers: Forever Home, Drew and Jonathan Scott are on a mission to help couples transform their current houses into forever homes—a place where they can put down roots and happily spend the rest of their lives. The homeowners aren’t looking to flip properties or make a quick buck, they know their house is “the one” and have plans to grow old together. But before that can happen, they need Drew and Jonathan to unlock its full potential. First, Drew takes the homeowners on a tour of nearby renovated homes to learn about the features they can and can’t live without. Then, Jonathan presents two design options that showcase different ways their house can be reimagined. Stakes are high and the pressure is on as the brothers tackle full-scale renovations, with design and demo hurdles along the way, to turn these houses into their forever homes.
11 April 2022 - 10 July 2022
Monday 17:00
Wednesday 21:00 (Priority Slots)
Thu 09:00 Fri 13:00 Sat 16:00 & 23:00 Sun 11:30 & 20:00

Room To Improve - Dermot's Home S1
SPECIAL SEASON
Can Ireland’s most famous architect separate this head from his heart as he embarks on his most personal project yet – the family home of his dreams? After 13 blissful years in the house where he and his wife raised their three children – the place where he created his first ‘room to improve’ – architect Dermot Bannon is moving on. In this special season of Room To Improve, a new home awaits Dermot in the form of a rundown 1930s house in Drumcondra – soon to be fitted with a massive two storey extension that will triple its size. For the first time ever, Dermot is both client and architect – a dual role in which he’s far from comfortable. And as he struggles to realise his vision, he’ll need all the help he can get.
18 April 2022 - 29 April 2022
Friday 19:00 (Priority Slot)
Mon 22:00 Tue 11:00 Wed 15:00

Also read:
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- eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz will stop airing on DStv
- PBS Kids will be made available to DStv Easyview customers
- Could Timeless Dizi Channel and possibly tvN replace eExtra on DStv?
- KIX will be made available to DStv Family and Access customers
- Could Zee World also be made available to DStv Access?
- Big Brother Liberia (now titled Housemates Liberia) is coming soon to DStv
- A second movie channel will be launching on DStv later in the year

Freshly Picked With Simon Toohey S1
BRAND NEW SHOW
Discover the ultimate in feel-good-food with Simon Toohey in Freshly Picked, a cooking series exploring the benefits of sustainable, fresh, flavour packed cooking. Along the way Simon shows us how to build exciting flavour combinations with everyday fruit and veggies and dishes out plenty of tips on how to eat fresh and get it right. Serving everything from international street food sensations to bright summer salads and dals to die for, Simon heroes ingredients in a way only he can. He will also be joined by an exciting selection of passionate guests all ready to share their secrets to their delicious and vibrant home cooked creations.
26 April 2022 - 11 September 2022
Tuesday 18:00 (Priority Slot)
Wed 23:00 Thu 10:00 Fri 14:00 Sat 07:30 Sun 14:00

Viewers favourites on rerun include Coolest Places To Stay S1, Great Escapes With Colin And Justin S1, The Bryk Retreat S1, Love Shack S2, Your Home In Their Hands S1 and Location Location Location S23.

 

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HBO Max And Discovery+ To Merge Under The New WarnerMedia And Discovery Inc's New Company Warner Bros. Discovery

Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels says the mega-merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia — with an eventual combination of the Discovery+ and HBO Max streaming services — is on track for a mid-2022 closing.

“We’re in the ninth inning right now, in closing that transaction,” Wiedenfels told the Deutsche Bank Annual Media, Internet & Telecom Conference during a session that was webcast. He argued that combining the subscriber acquisition power of HBO Max with the customer retention power of Discovery+ content will “make for a blowout DTC (direct-to-consumer) product and that should certainly drive very healthy revenue growth for years to come.”

Wiedenfels also discussed the direct-to-consumer strategy following the merger of AT&T’s Warner Bros. with Discovery that will see an early bundling of Discovery+ and HBO Max, followed by eventually combining both streaming services into one consumer offering and platform. “We will start working on an interim solution in the meantime. So right out of the gate, we’re working on getting the bundling approach ready, maybe a single sign-on,” he said.

Also read:
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- April on Moja Love
- 7 Year Stitch coming soon to E!
- April on History
- M-Net cancels The Queen and Lingashoni for more soapies and short-form series
- March on TNT
- March on Studio Universal
- Second batch of rumoured series coming to M-Net, 1Magic, Me and Showmax
- March on E!
- March on CBS Reality and CBS Justice

The goal is to get early benefits from the merger. “But the main thrust is going to be harmonizing the technology platforms, building one very strong combined direct-to-consumer product and platform, and that’s going to take a while,” Wiedenfels added.

The Discovery financial chief said most major milestones toward finalizing the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia had been reached. On Friday, Discovery shareholders formally approved the mega-combination of the factual and lifestyle media powerhouse Discovery with AT&T’s entertainment arm. The final green light for the mega-deal came at a special shareholder meeting held online; shareholders of AT&T, led by CEO John Stankey, do not need to vote on the combination.

Last month, the merger received approval from the U.S. Department of Justice, the key regulatory hurdle for the merger. The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, had approved the deal in December.

In the big deal, AT&T will spin off WarnerMedia and merge it with Discovery, with AT&T shareholders set to receive an estimated 0.24 share in the new company for each AT&T share held. AT&T stockholders will end up owning 71 percent of the new Warner Bros. Discovery, with Discovery shareholders holding the rest.

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- Could Moonbug Kids replace Disney Junior on DStv and Baby TV on StarSat?
- The Deep coming soon to Da Vinci Kids

During his investor conference appearance, Wiedenfels returned to a familiar theme for his company, with the newly merged Discovery and WarnerMedia entity aiming to become a free cash flow machine. “We’re ready to generate a significant amount of synergies. We’re very bullish on our ability to drive free cash flow and delever the company very quickly, and position us for sustained free cash flow growth for many years to come,” he argued.

Discovery CEO David Zaslav will run the merged giant, with Wiedenfels serving as the new company’s CFO. Wiedenfels said early cost savings will come from reducing corporate overheads from the combined merger assets. And he reiterated that Discovery is eyeing $3 billion in annual cost synergies so far from the merger.

Synergies from combining HBO Max and Discovery+ will take longer to secure as the product and technology stacks of both streaming services had to be combined. “The teams are standing ready and everyone is super-excited to get going,” Wiedenfels said.

Also read:
- The risk of Disney's fix on quick subscriber growth
- The real origin story of Pocahontas
- April on JimJam
- March on Da Vinci Kids
- March on Cartoon Network and Boomerang
- What to expect on DStv's newest addition DreamWorks Channel?
- March on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons
- Cartoonito expected to return to EMEA by mid 2022
- March on Disney Channel and Junior
- Possible channel closures from Warner Bros. Discovery

Amid an increasing Wall Street focus on the profitability outlook for streaming services, both executives recently also vowed that the merged company would focus on growth in streaming, but not at any price. Wiedenfels promised a “conservative approach” to streaming content spending. And Zaslav said that “we plan on being careful and judicious,” summarizing the approach this way: “Our goal is to compete with the leading streaming services, not to win the spending war.”

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Paramount Reportedly Shutting Down MTV Base And MTV Classic In The UK

Also read:
- The risk of Disney's fix on quick subscriber growth
- March on Cartoon Network and Boomerang
- eExtra, eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz will stop airing on DStv
- What to expect on the upcoming DreamWorks Channel?
- March on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons
- March on Disney Channel and Junior
- Could ESPN close alongside National Geographic and Disney Channel?
- New movie channel launching later in the year on DStv
- Lifetime could be on the chopping block on DStv

According to a user at Digital Forum, Paramount plans to close down music brands MTV Base and MTV Classic a year after the black based entertainment channel BET with cut off and merged onto the streaming service, Paramount+.

MTV Base and Classic (formerly VH1 Classic) launched in 1999 as part of MTV's digital boutique of music channels and throughout its existence several markets such as France and Africa launched a localised brand for Base while other parts got Classic.

According to some viewers in these regions, the brands have become obsolete especially in an era where a platforms like iTunes and Spotify already exist. Just like Africa, even the UK have begun streamlining their offering.

Also read:
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- NCIS: Los Angeles might be cancelled
- Paramount+ and Nickelodeon expand kids and family slate
- The Wendy Williams Show cancelled on BET
- Serena Williams is not giving up on Grand Slam Record Chase
- Second batch of rumoured series coming to M-Net, 1Magic, Me and Showmax
- March on E!
- Could Masha And The Bear get banned globally?
- March on CBS Reality and CBS Justice
- March on History

Although, MTV Base performed dismally in these regions it doesn't have much affect for viewers in other regions compared to MTV Classic as the brand is considered outdated in this century. It was one of the reasons Paramount Africa opted for MTV Hits (formerly Music24) and not its predecessor.

If anything, the only brand that will likely get phased out at this point would be Nicktoons as Paramount seems more focused on scrapping non and underperforming channels. On top of reducing various local feeds of some of their brands.

Also read: 
- Press release of DreamWorks Channel on DStv
- PBS Kids will be made available to DStv Easyview customers
- Could G4 launch on DStv perhaps to replace a channel like Ginx Esports TV?
- Why VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- Could Moonbug Kids replace Disney Junior on DStv and Baby TV on StarSat?
- tvN pushing to become a permanent linear channel in Africa
- Could Nicktoons be discontinued in Africa and likely the rest of the world?

You can also find me through the other platforms by pressing this link in brackets and if you're struggling to share the article through certain platforms use this link (Lnk.Bio).