Digital First: BBC News To Replace BBC World News Around The World

This past week, BBC Studios Director General Tim Dave unveiled plans to become a digital first platform by doing so they'll be riding consumers in the UK and global of brands like CBBC (basically CBeebies for older children) and the free-to-air channel BBC Four serving up arts and documentary.

This trend has been common with The Walt Disney Company post the pandemic which has closed several channels internationally as the consumer base for Disney+ rises so BBC Studios is basically following a pattern in order to boost their streaming endeavours.

 

After 27 years on air, sources reveal that aside from BBC Four and CBBC even BBC World News will put to sleep and referred to as BBC News dropping World from the name and continuing its commitment to audiences in the UK and international.

 

BBC Studios will reinvest £500 million to make the BBC digital-led and the 24-hour TV news channel. Of course, a timeframe for the switch to BBC News has yet to be confirmed but by hunch probably before BBC closes any more channels or the end of 2022/3.

Compared to CBBC, I'm sure not a lot of people are expecting as big of a change from BBC News. Yes, consumers will be losing their jobs so if anything BBC News will likely be a mashup of its core counterparts.

After 23 Years, PBS Kids Changes Its On Air Look Likely Streamlining

PBS Kids is educational brand owned by the Public Broadcasting Service which caters to children aged 3 to 9 years with a mixture of animation and live-action to help improve on their maths, literacy and other curriculum based activities.

For almost 23 years, PBS Kids had been going green featuring sibling duo Dash and Dot (which were part of the PBS Kids logo) before getting less screentime and ultimately replaced with twin siblings Dee and Del. Prior to that there was Hooper a pet pig for their defunct preschool block.

 

 

Through several bumpers and on-screen ads you'd see these characters goofing off within couch cushions or doing some site seeing or exploration within a fish bowl but all that's about to change.

 

As seen across several media outlets, PBS Kids is retiring their logo with it the mascots Dee, Del and when available Dot for something bland, simple and other people's terms boring. This change is likely due to PBS's current logo which was unveiled in 2019 during their 50th anniversary.

The intention for that logo was to better suit it for a digital platform and the likely reason for the change with PBS Kids was part of an realignment strategy as the kids brand had been digital since the revival of their 24 hour service.

 

 

No on screen graphics have been provided during the time of publishing but from the looks of the main PBS brand. I'm not expecting any mascots but more of what's seen on other brands like Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon.

The change will take some getting use to but the important thing is we're still getting a PBS Kids which is not joining other brands that are shutting their doors on cable but working as a multimedia outlet which helps strengthen the variety for this audience.

Roundups #61: Explore The Island Of Huttsgalor On DreamWorks Channel Africa, Universal TV Africa's Upcoming Series Fantasy Island Gets Season 2 Renewal And WildEarth Celebrates Father's Day With A Trip To The Animal Kingdom

DreamWorks Jr. launching new series

Amidst the launch on DStv, DreamWorks Channel unveiled a bunch of content that wasn't part of the channel's lineup as seen during its run on StarTimes. It looks like part of this content is starting to resurface as DreamWorks Channel picked by the second prequel to DreamWorks Dragons titled Rescue Riders.

The series follows Dak and Leyla, human twins raised by dragons who have developed, as a result, a unique ability to directly communicate with them, helping and rescuing dragons and the people of the town Huttsgalor.

DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders will likely debut by August which concides with the debut of another original series, George Of The Jungle.

 

Universal acquired rights to this FOX drama

Set in a luxury resort that aims to fulfil its guest's every fantasy. Elena Roarke (Roselyn Sanchez) who sets aside her ambitions and true love to run the family business. The series also stars Kiara Barnes and John Gabriel Rodriguez.

Last year, the series was renewed for a second season by American network FOX which is set for debut by fall 2022 which coincides with the launch of the first season on Universal TV.

WildEarth continues its exploration into the wilderness

 

Hyena Hullabaloo
“ A week long celebration of hyenas”
13th to 18th June 2022

Long misunderstood as dim-witted, gluttonous scavengers, the hyena, over the years has had a “serious PR crisis on its paws. Here at WildEarth, our beloved Djuma Clan have allowed us a chance to set the record straight. So now it's time to honor this critical animal and join our hyena Hullabaloo. Trishala Naidu, a naturalist and self confessed hyena lover, will be leading the celebrations culminating in a chance to name Ribbons new cubs and win some hyena merchandise.

 

Wild Dads
“A week-long celebration of fathers in the animal kingdom.”
19th to 24th June 2022

As we prepare to sing paternal praises this Father’s Day, let us not forget the Dads in the animal kingdom. Unfortunately, when it comes to paternal instincts, there are more than a couple of lousy dads in nature. Most are programmed to produce as many heirs as possible but their role as protectors are beyond important. In aid of fathers day this year, we are going to look at all males in the wild and the critical part that they play. Join us for a week of fun as we celebrate the wild men of the bush.

Insidus Content Roundups #5: Disney Prepping Roman To The Rescue And More Big City Greens, Earthworm Jim TV Series Is In Development (APK Game Available Inside) And Thomas And Friends: All Engines Go! Coming Soon To Boomerang MENA And Likely Africa - UPDATED

Roman to the Rescue from The Dodo and Group Nine Studios will bow next month on Disney XD and Hulu.

Animal-focused entertainment brand The Dodo is pushing deeper into family-friendly TV programming with the upcoming launch of Roman to the Rescue, a new original live-action series that has been picked up by Disney XD.

Co-produced by The Dodo, Group Nine Studios (Dodo parentco Group Nine Media’s production division) and Nomadica Films, the series tags along with 10-year-old animal rescuer Roman McConn as he teams up with influencers and Disney Channel talent to find forever homes for 17 loveable shelter dogs.

Also read:
- WWE could be put up for sale
- Baby TV could be on the chopping block
- 2022 on HBO Max including Peacemaker and a Batman Christmas special
- Bel-Air streaming this February on Peacock
- Nicktoons upcoming series Big Nate debuting on Paramount+
- 2022 on Paramount+ includes new season of iCarly, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Why Women Kill
- Moon Knight debuts this March on Disney+
- Upcoming programming for Cartoonito in Europe, Middle East and Africa
- TelkomOne reportedly adds two channels: Toonami and Boing

Roman to the Rescue will premiere February 12 on Disney XD and the Disney-owned streamer Hulu on February 16 in the United States.

Big City Greens Plants Fourth Season And Musical Movie Orders At Disney Channel & Disney+

Big City Greens has been renewed for a fourth season ahead of the Season 3 debut on Disney Channel, the show has been described as Disney Channel’s No #1 Hit Animated Series since it’s debut on 2018 beating the likes of DuckTales 2017, Big Hero 6 The Series, Amphibia, The Owl House and The Ghost And Molly McGee.

Big City Greens Season 4 will contain the 100th episode of the series and it has become the fourth original Disney Channel Animated series in making through 4 seasons joining Kim Possible, Phineas And Ferb and Star Vs The Forces Of Evil.

Disney+ has ordered Big City Greens The Movie, a original animated musical film based on the series becoming the 6th animated Disney Channel Original Movie joining Kim Possible: So The Drama, The Proud Family Movie, Leroy and Stitch, Phineas And Ferb The Movie Across The Second Dimension & Tangled Before Ever After.

Also read:
- Kevin 11 series waiting to be get picked up by Cartoon Network and HBO Max
- Why the outdated music brand VH1 Classic was terminated on DStv?
- Could fan made Cartoon Network logo be the future logo for the channel?
- Rio 3 and Ice Age 7 are currently in development for Disney+
- 2022 on Disney+ ahead of launch in South Africa
- Boomerang reportedly closing down across Europe, Middle East and Africa
- Could Galactic: KND be in the works for Cartoon Network and HBO Max?

A new Earthworm Jim animated series is in development

The project hails from Interplay Entertainment Corp., which owns the rights to the “Earthworm Jim” games. Interplay has partnered with APA to bring the project to television.

Like the games, the series would follow the adventures of the titular Jim, a worm in a futuristic robotic suit who fights evildoers. The series will also bring in new characters as they navigate the galaxy, where each planet is home to a race of anthropomorphic animals. Jim’s ultimate quest is to find his true home among the stars: a near-mythical planet called Earth.

The first “Earthworm Jim” game was released on Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo in 1994. You can find the game through the link: click here

Thomas the tank engine sails to Europe

In October 2021, it was announced WarnerMedia EMEA acquired rights to Thomas And Friends: All Engines Go! which serves as a reboot to the Thomas And Friends franchise. As seen in other countries, the beloved tank engine is airing on various Boomerang and Cartoonitos.

WarnerMedia EMEA never specified which brand will air the show amidst the relaunch of Cartoonito and here's the thing. WarnerMedia picked up several preschool content and even specified who gets what but not for this series.

Also read:
- Star Trek: Discovery renewed on Paramount+
- Animated series coming to Cartoon Network, Netflix and a variety of other platforms in 2022
- Jessica's Big Little World and Work It Out Wombat coming soon to Cartoonito and PBS Kids respectively
- Moon Knight debuts this March on Disney+
- As Africa await for their Disney Channels to close in 2024 Latin America starts with Star Life, National Geographic Wild, Disney XD and FX Movies
- Nicktoons upcoming series Big Nate debuts on Paramount+ this February
- Henry Danger movie is in development

Honestly, I believe the show will air on Boomerang presumably in March and thereafter the channel will rebrand into Cartoonito. There's a lot of signs indicating a possible rebrand 1) Dino Ranch debuted last month 2) WarnerMedia picked up several preschool shows for the channel and 3) a lot of programming on the channel can be seen on Cartoonito in Latin America and Italy.

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Roundups #60: George Of The Jungle Coming Soon To DreamWorks Africa, Season Finale Alert For Star Life Plus New Series Unspoken Bonds And Musiekpaniek Returns For The Seventh Season On VIA

Watch out for that tree

This animated series spreads its wings or in jungle terms branch mighty fast, from SABC 3 to eToonz which are locals to well renowned brand like DreamWorks home to award-winning content. The King Of The Jungle holds a huge responsibility on his hands.

Inspired by the story of Tarzan, George Of The Jungle follows the adventures of the jungle dweller and his friends Ape and Magnolia, female companion Ursula and pet bird and elephant Tookie and Chep.

 

Until further notice: eToonz is expected to cease transmission on the DStv platform by the end of June as MultiChoice couldn't reach an agreement with eMedia that took them to court regarding the channel alongside eMovies, eMovies Extra and eExtra.

Star Life launching another remake

During the week, it was reported that My Desire a spinoff to This Is Love is coming to Star Life within the next month but from sources statements it looks like that won't be only new series joining the lineup.

Apparently the Hindi adaptation of Star Jalsha's Sanjher Baati titled Unspoken Bonds (Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha) starring Vijayendra Kumeria, Richa Rathore and Narayani Shastri is set to replace A New Life from June 13th.

Here's a short description about the show:

 

 

The story begins with Darsh Rawal receiving an award for his photographic skills at an event in Paris. Despite being deprived of his eyesight, Darsh possesses amazing photography skills. He can sense and visualize the complete world through his mind, and never lets his disability bring him down. But soon, his mother Rajvi becomes concerned about his marriage. Elsewhere in Dwarka, Nandini Rawal prepares for her sister Bansuri's marriage but is caught in a storm near the sea harbor. Darsh risks his life and saves Nandini.

Musiekpaniek gets another season

Musiekpaniek is a fun-filled game show in which a local musician and their superfans join our presenter in studio to test their music trivia. Hosted by Carla Mackenzie.

Season 7 is expected to air from 20:00 from 1st July.

 

In other developments, MultiChoice delayed the launch of the rumoured VIA duplicate while eMedia will be rolling out the second season of Die Kontrak which serves as a competitor to Musiekpaniek.

Goodbye StarSat, Hello IWant TFC

StarSat has been going through somewhat of a phase since the pandemic which cost them several premium international channels such as FOX, Discovery Family, DreamWorks Channel, Smile, The Smithsonian Channel, Love Nature and that list will keep going on.

Just like every other pay-tv operator, they're trying to adapt and survive on top of all these hurdles. While some other brand opts to local dramas and sports, StarSat on the other hand helps promote smaller brands but the one thing that keeps viewers going is telenovelas primarily Phillipine.

If there's one thing that the platform doesn't disappoint on then its definitely Phillipine dramas. Some of the titles viewers would have come across include Love Thy Woman, Sharpshooter (Asintado), Bridges Of Love, The Heiress (Kadenang Ginto) and the popular cop drama, Brothers.

 

 

What the 6 mentioned series have in common is Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network (ABS-CBN).

A Philippine network (composed of television through free-to-air terrestrial, cable or satellite, radio and new media through "streaming media, internet or online") and syndication, program distributor, and production company (operating primarily under the name ABS-CBN Entertainment) that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under the Lopez Group.

It's basically the home of all their Phillipine catalogue but what's interesting about is the streaming alternative (as seen in previous paragraph under "streaming...online").

 

 

Pay-tv platforms have a tendency of sourcing out third party content some of which come with their very own streaming hub. There's several where you'd probably need VPN if you want but with IWantTFC that's where it all changes.

iWant TFC an over-the-top content platform and production company owned and operated by ABS-CBN Corporation. iWant TFC offers live video streamings from various sources including media made for the Kapamilya Channel, The Filipino Channel, ANC, and TeleRadyo and on-demand contents of ABS-CBN on various platform basically StarSat's entire Phillipine catalogue.

There's a lot to love about IWant TFC, firstly you can browse over 10000 hours of programming and you're not only getting dramas from this platform but getting to invest in their culture with a selection docu-series and reality shows and if that's not enough there's even sitcoms and movies.

 

Hate monthly fees no worries you can get a free package where you can browse a selected amount of shows but if you're feeling bored there's always a premium package for as little as R135p/m where you can get full access to the latest content.

You can access the content on their website or download the app on iOS, Google Play Store, Roku or selected brands of Smart TVs. Just signup with your email address and mobile number and let IWant TFC keep you on the edge of your seat.