New Series ‘The Doomies,’ ‘Dragon Striker’ Lead Packed Disney TV Slate

Disney Television Animation, Disney Junior, and Disney EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) hosted their annual Annecy Festival studio presentation on Wednesday, giving a detailed look at what the tv divisions of the mouse factory have planned for tv and streaming in the coming months.

During the presentation, three new series were announced as well as news of several returning shows. Standouts among the day’s reveals included new series Dragon Striker, produced by Cyber Group Studios and La Chouette Compagnie, and The Doomies from I Lost My Body studio Xilam Animation.

According to Orion Ross, VP of animation, Disney EMEA, “The Doomies and Dragon Striker are the first part of a new slate of animated originals we’re developing in EMEA for global family audiences on Disney Channel and Disney+. These ambitious, premium series will introduce the work of leading creators from our region to the world, and we are both honored and inspired to be working with this new generation of storytellers.”

 

 

Below, a breakdown of the titles featured during Wednesday’s presentation, all of which will appear on Disney+ and other Disney platforms:

NEW SERIES

Dragon Striker

The series, created and produced by Sylvain Dos Santos, will be directed by Charles Lefebvre from screenplays by writer Paul McKeown. Cyber Group Studios and La Chouette Compagnie produce for Disney EMEA.

Synopsis: When the world’s most popular sport combines with magic, awesomeness escalates quicker than a dragon-powered strike! In this action-packed adventure full of comedy and high-stakes sports drama, elite players have a magical signature move they can use on the pitch. 12-year-old Key is a farm boy fanboy who can only dream of entering the famous school where the greatest players train before joining the big leagues—until he discovers he has his own ultra-powerful spell and may even be the legendary Dragon Striker. Key joins a team of hapless underdogs who band together to take on the school champions while fighting to prevent an ancient evil from resurfacing.

 

 

The Doomies

The series is co-created by Andrès Fernandez – who will direct – and Pozla (aka Rémi Zaarour), and written by Henry Gifford. Xilam Animation produces for Disney EMEA, with Marc du Pontavice acting as producer.

The first season will be comprised of 22 half-hours.

Synopsis: When best friends Bobby and Romy mistakenly open a gateway to another world, they turn their sleepy coastal town into a hotspot for terrifying creatures of doom. Roped into an epic supernatural mystery, they will cross paths with the so-called “Chosen One” and do battle with both literal and inner monsters. The Doomies is a spooky comedy that combines thrills, chills, and surprises with character-driven comedy from an odd couple of ordinary teens engulfed by extraordinary circumstances. Its fast-paced humor and high-stakes action take place in a quirky French town in the heart of Brittany, imagined with moody flair and graphic style.

Zombies: The Re-Animated Series

Disney Television Animation produces the series. Aliki Theofilopoulos, Jack Ferraiolo, Gary Marsh, David Light, and Joseph Raso are executive producing.

Synopsis: Every day is a surprise at Seabrook High—whether you’re a cheerleader, a zombie, a werewolf or even a vampire! ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series invites us into the daily lives of Zed, Addison, Eliza, Willa and the entire Seabrook crew. This gang may have figured out each other, but they haven’t quite figured out how to survive high school. Get ready for more musical fun and new friends as Seabrook becomes the #1 destination for all kinds of mythical monsters looking for a fresh start. And this means some pretty wild adventures—from the cafeteria to the football field—because sometimes the scariest thing you have to face is high school.

 

 

SERIES RENEWALS

Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life

Xilam Animation returns to animate the second season of this Disney EMEA show. Jean Cayrol (Floopaloo, Paprika), Fred Martin (A Kind of Magic, Oggy Oggy), and Kahlil Ben Nahmane (Zig and Sharko, Oggy Next Gen) direct, with Nicole Paglia as head writer.

The second season expands on the original order of 39 seven-minute shorts with a new order of 54 shorts.

Synopsis: Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life stars Disney’s much-loved chipmunk underdogs in a non-verbal, classic-style comedy, following the ups and downs of two little creatures living life in the big city. Combining the traditions of slapstick cartoons with contemporary, comedic character-driven narratives, season two introduces huge new adventures for the two tiny troublemakers. Nervous worrier Chip and laid-back dreamer Dale are joined in their perpetual pursuit of acorns by Donald, Pluto, Butch and other iconic Disney characters as they face down bullies, great and small.

Monsters At Work

Melissa Kurtz produces for Disney Television Animation with Kevin Deters as executive producer and Stevie Wermers as supervising director.
Season two synopsis: In season two, new doors of opportunity unexpectedly open at rival energy company FearCo and Tylor’s co-workers at Monsters Inc. begin to question where his loyalties truly lie. As his Laugh Floor partnership with Val is pushed to the brink, Tylor must discover where he really belongs.

Marvel’s Spidey And His Amazing Friends

 

 

Disney Junior and Marvel Studios produce in association with Atomic Cartoons produce, with Harrison Wilcox as executive producer, Bart Jennett as co-executive producer, Steve Grover as supervising producer, and Becca Topol as co-producer and story editor.

Season two synopsis: The first full-length Marvel series for preschoolers, Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends follows the adventures of Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, and Miles Morales as they team up with Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Black Panther to defeat foes like Rhino, Doc Ock, and Green Goblin and learn that teamwork is the best way to save the day. Season two premieres this fall and sees the addition of Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, Retpil, Black Cat, Sandman, and Electro.
Mickey Mouse Funhouse

Phil Weinstein is supervising director and executive producer for Disney Television Animation, with Thomas Hart serving as co-executive producer and supervising story editor, and Steve Walby as producer.
The whimsical animated series Mickey Mouse Funhouse introduces preschoolers’ first pal, Mickey Mouse, and his friends—Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and Pluto—to Funny, an enchanted talking playhouse who takes the Sensational Six on adventures of all types to unique worlds that inspire the imagination. Designed to inspire kids to expand their creative play, encourage wish fulfillment and impart lessons of friendship and ingenuity, each episode features two 11-minute stories separated by a midway stretch break. A 22-minute special, Mickey Mouse Funhouse: Pirate Adventure, is also set to premiere this August and features legendary pirate Captain Salty Bones as he invites Mickey, Minnie, and friends to join the biggest treasure hunt ever and see if they can become true pirates.

OTHER NEWS
Disney also announced that it has ordered 10 additional episodes of each of these previously-announced upcoming titles: Hamster & Gretel, Kiff, Hailey’s On It, and Primos. This will boost the first seasons for each of these titles to 30 episodes.

During the Annecy presentation, Disney also shared sneak peeks at Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and the upcoming documentary Mickey: The Story of a Mouse.

The studio also went through the current Disney Junior slate, including Eureka!, Firebuds, SuperKitties, Kindergarten: The Musical, Hey A.J.,  and RoboGobo. Disney Television Animation’s current lineup was also spotlighted, including Big City Greens, The Owl House, The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

And finally, the studio talked about the importance of international partnerships with studios across the EMEA region on several key titles including Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, Ghost Force, The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti, and Viking Skool.

‘Unicorn’, ‘Fionna and Cake’, ‘Gumball, ‘Bye, Bye Bunny’ Fascinate In Annecy

Warner Discovery was released in Annecy, with all three studios pulling, Cartoon Network Studios, Warner Bros. Animation and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe doing a joint presentation of their upcoming slates.

The biggest news was an exclusive, multi-year global studio-to-studio deal signed between Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation and the creator of “Primal” Genndy Tartakovsky.

More Variety

Warner Bros. Animation also unveiled “Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical,” the first-ever Looney Tunes Original animated movie musical, which will be produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

 

 

In other news, Brian Cox, Miranda Otto, Gaia Wise and Luke Pasqualino are among the main cast members in New Line Cinema and the upcoming Warner Bros. animated film. Animation “Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim”.

However, a 75-minute three-studio focus had many more highlights, including the unexpected announcement of a new “Wacky Races” stop-motion reboot in development at Hanna-Barbera.

Cartoon Network Studios has unveiled new first-look images from ‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ while, for Hanna-Barbera, creator Ben Bocquelet’s teased updates on ‘Gumball’ projects, both a movie and then a new television series.

For its part, Warner Bros. Animation also unveiled more art for its adult animation series “Velma.”

 

 

Packed and fast-paced, the Focus showed each studio playing to its strengths and cultures, Genndy Tartakovsky – who sat on an early panel flanked by CNS Nicole Rivera, VP, Development, and Sammy Perlmutter, VP, longform and specials – is a icon of CNS’ desire to prioritize the production of original ideas, working with offbeat and more avant-garde artists.

After “Primal,” a dialogue-less and devastatingly brutal tale set in prehistoric times, Tartakovsky unveiled a sneak peek of his new “Unicorn: Warriors Eternal” series on Tuesday.

THE STORY CONTINUES

It could hardly be more different in many ways from “Primal,” weighing like a supernatural fantasy, set in a steampunk city, filled with stacks of factories and Victorian architecture, but drawn in soft-toned 2D textures.

WBA, on the other hand, draws from its library of iconic fictional characters to create shows and features to appeal to the full spectrum of audience demos, from preschoolers to adults, sometimes featuring the same character.

Annecy’s Studio Focus was an example of this, Audrey Diehl WBA SVP, Series introduced Annecy audiences to the preschool series “Batwheels”, while “Merry Little Batman” is an animated family action comedy and “Batman : Caped Crusader,” from executive producers Bruce Timm, JJ Abrams, and Matt Reeves, looks like a very old lighting design image on display in Annecy to look much older in its dark, stylized blackish tones. Peter Girardi, WBA Animation EVP, Alternative Programming, described it as “an evolution of ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ in technique and style.”

 

 

Organized on Wednesday at the Imperial Palace in Annecy, which is hosting its MIFA market this week, Studio Focus was hosted by Sam Register, president of the three animation studios.

In what seems indicative of his managerial style of letting creativity drive the shows, Register gave the stage to 10 animation artists and creative executives who sat on three studio panels.

Some highlights:

“Unicorn: Eternal Warriors”

Greeted by cries of enthusiasm from an Annecy audience mostly made up of French animation students, Tartakovsky presented images of “Unicorn”. In it, a giant mammoth runs amok on a steampunk city street attacking helpless kindergarten students who are rescued by a figure with a top hat, flaming supernatural eyes and a body of steel and a dashing warrior wielding a sword dressed in a red medieval cape.

As they fend him off, the mammoth sets his sights on a shivering goth teenager on the street, who looks set to become the show’s hero.

“Everything I’ve done is built for this show because it’s got comedy. It’s got action and adventure. It’s got great drama and the thing is an incredible, gigantic world ,” Tartakovsky told the CNS panel.

“Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake”

The mere mention of “Adventure Time” aroused the approval of the Annecy public. In France, it figures as a modern classic. A palpable collective take was heard when CNS’ Rivera unveiled a second never-before-seen image of “Fionna and Cake,” the alternate gender-swapped versions of the original series’ main characters, as they wake up in an alternate world where there is no magic and do not remember their life of adventures. Fiona is pictured sitting in a room designed with handcrafted details that yet appears to have been drained of color, its tones reduced to a dark brown. “Adventure Time” audiences have aged over time, as has Fionna and Cake, which will be the first “Adventure Time” series aimed at young adult audiences.

“The Amazing World of Gumball”

In the funniest part of the tri-studio presentation, creator Ben Bocquelet revealed everything he could about the upcoming film, which turned out to be next to nothing. In a kind of anti-presentation, Bocquelot leafed through the first page of the screenplay on the status screen, with almost all the words crossed out. A style guide was heavily pixelated, making scenes obscured.

“It’s a surprise take on the classic movie version of the TV show where we had to develop a whole universe for it,” Bocquelot said. “This strange and generous film pushed us towards new animation techniques which, to my knowledge, had never been used in this way before,” he added.

 

“Wacky Races”

Few details were given, but the Hanna-Barbera panel showed a brief sped up making of, showing the construction of a Muttley model which, at the end of the clip, emits its characteristic raspy sneer.

“Merry Little Batman”

Billed as “an animated family action-comedy destined to join the gallery of classic rogue holiday movies,” a snippet from a preview shows six-year-old Damian Wayne alone at Wayne Manor as two robbers sneak in to break the joined, but gasping in horror as they see Batman at the top of the stairs. It’s actually Damian perched on top of a giant vase, smiling with delight.

“Harley Quinn”, season 3

Set to premiere on HBO Max and received enthusiastically in Annecy, season 3 was unveiled via a first artistic preview by Jennifer Coyle, the show’s executive producer. It picks up where Season 2 pretty much left off, she said, with Harley and Ivy now together and on their unofficial honeymoon. We still sat together on a beach. Quinn will reunite with Batman, another image revealed. Coyle promised the series will have new characters, “twists” and take audiences to places and show things you don’t see anywhere else, showing an image of what looks like an S&M bar, with a man who gets her bare butt slapped. “Here is Commissioner Gordon who finds himself in a very strange place,” Coyle commented.

 

“Velma”

Introduced via first-look art, “Velma,” an adult animated “Scooby-Doo” spin-off, unveiled new footage beyond that already seen of a severed murder victim’s head in two, focusing more on the supernatural elements of the series – a woman transforms into a monster with long strokes, Yelma’s face is covered with snake-like arms. Velma develops her investigative skills by investigating the disappearance of her mother. “We’ve seen these characters in preschool and 6-11 shows, but how to total them and turn them into an adult animation space is something we’ve been working on for a long time,” said Peter Girardi, WBA EVP, Alternative programming.

“Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical”

Announced on Wednesday in great detail, “Bye Bye Bunny” was not so much seen as heard at the Annecy Festival. A brief image shows Bugs and Daffy tied up, presumably after Bigs tries to save Daffy, who has been kidnapped by a fan. The Annecy Focus, however, reached its climax with a clip of composer and songwriter Tom Kitt (“Next to Normal”) performing the song “I Want” from the film on the piano where the characters of musicals often expounded at the beginning what ‘they really want and then try to achieve. Here, a tired Bugs wants to retire, stop being Bugs Bunny and become himself. “The show must go on, but why can’t it go on without me,” Kitt sang. At the same time, scenes from classic Looney tunes shorts burst onto the screen at the Annecy stage, watched by the audience in reverence.

Roundups #67: Squid Game Spinoff Coming To Netflix Amidst Season 2 Renewal, Batman Is Coming To Latin America For Animated Feature And Upcoming Knives Out Sequel Gets A Weird Title

Squid Game is getting a reality show

Squid Game is being translated from television serial to live action, according to reports issued on Netflix. Squid Game: The Challenge will be played by 456 players, competing and racing to grab 45.6 billion Korean Won. In a written statement, the players will “compete through a series of games inspired by the original show,” along with “surprising new additions”.

“Squid Game took the world by storm with Director Hwang’s captivating story and iconic imagery. We’re grateful for his support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment,” explains Brandon Riegg, Netflix VP of Unscripted and Documentary Series. “Fans of the drama series are in for a fascinating and unpredictable journey as our 456 real world contestants navigate the biggest competition series ever, full of tension and twists, with the biggest ever cash prize at the end.”

Squid Game: The Challenge is going to be shot in the United Kingdom, and proves to be a co-venture between Studio Lambert (The Circle) and The Garden (24 Hours in A&E).

Batman Azteca is coming soon

HBO Max Latin America will be taking the Dark Knight to Aztec Mexico in a new project titled Batman Azteca: Choque de Imperios ("Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires"), Variety reports.

The original, Spanish-language animated film will place the World's Greatest Detective in Aztec Mexico and center viewers in the arcane culture of Mesoamerica. Borrowing beats from Batman's origin story, the film will follow a young Aztec boy, Yohualli Coatl, as he trains with his mentor Acatzin — developing equipment and weaponry in the temple of Tzinacan, the bat god.

But unlike other Batman stories, like Batman: Three Jokers, or Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, which saw Bruce Wayne choosing not to exact revenge against his parent's killer, this project will seem to center on Yohualli going after the Spanish Conquistadors who murdered his father, the village leader Toltecatzin.

The mystery has just begun

The next Knives Out movie will hit Netflix this holiday season. On Monday, Rian Johnson announced the name of the new Benoit Blanc mystery: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

In a thread, Johnson described how much he wanted to emulate Agatha Christie and have each of Benoit Blanc’s mysteries take on a new tone (and also a new title). The detective, as played by Daniel Craig with an ambiguous and indecipherable Southern accent, will return, but the overall vibe will be different — it’s an homage to Christie’s masterful exploration of the genre, Johnson said.

“I think there’s a misperception that her books use the same formula over and over, but fans know the opposite is true,” he describes. He goes on to list some of the genres that Christie explored in her murder mysteries and what he aims to do with subsequent Benoit Blanc mysteries.

The first Knives Out movie, which premiered in 2019, followed the wealthy and dysfunctional Thrombey family after patriarch Harlan is found dead. In the new movie, Benoit Blanc will find himself embroiled in a new mystery — with a totally new cast, characters, locations, and mystery.

Genius Brands Expanded Kartoon Channel! Worldwide’s Global Footprint With Launch of “Kartoon Genius” Branded Blocks Across Latin America, the Middle East & North Africa, Could Africa Follow Suit On DStv Or StarSat?

Leveraging its strategic investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment AG (“YFE”) (FRA:RTV), to expand the Kartoon Channel! global footprint, Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNUS) announced the launch of the new Kartoon Channel! Worldwide programming block, “Kartoon Genius,” across Latin America and the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region, reaching 67 countries.

The Kartoon Genius two-hour, Monday - Friday programming block airs across the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region on the pan-regional linear Pay TV channel fully dubbed in Arabic and English. As of March 7, the programming block debuted throughout Central & South America as a linear channel, offering content in Spanish and English languages.

The Kartoon Genius programming blocks offer first-run original content on these platforms and deliver positive entertainment for children and families, underscored by safety and enrichment. Series on the programming block line-up include Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, Llama Llama, Rainbow Rangers, Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, and more.

Managing Director of Kartoon Channel! Worldwide Paul Robinson, who previously served as Managing Director of Walt Disney Television International and Senior Vice President Disney Channel Worldwide, commented: “Positive and uplifting children’s entertainment is more in demand today than ever. Since announcing our commitment to launch the Kartoon Channel! internationally less than three months ago, we are off to a fantastic start with pan-regional launches within the next two weeks across The Middle East, North Africa, Central America and South America on the program platforms through Genius Brands’ investment in YFE. The growth of the Kartoon Channel! over the past two years in the U.S., headed by Jon Ollwerther, has been tremendous. Despite the global challenges, children’s entertainment is timeless and enduring. We are extremely excited about the many opportunities we have to bring the channel to the rest of the world and to build it into the preeminent entertainment destination for kids.”

The Adventures Of Johnny Quasar: The Lost Jimmy Neutron Pilot

The Adventures of Johnny Quasar refers to two separate shorts. It is the prototypical version of what would eventually become Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

The concept for Johnny Quasar dates back to the 1980s. In 1995, it was finally put into animation with a short demo animation. In the short 46 second animation, Johnny Quasar is riding in space with his robot dog. He notices an upcoming asteroid and rides off. The short was only shown off at a convention named Siggraph '95.

In 1997, the short received a sequel of sorts. In it, Johnny deals with aliens trying to attack his spaceship. Johnny's hair is slightly different in this incarnation and is more similar to Jimmy's iconic "swirl". Early concept art for characters that would appear in Jimmy Neutron exist, however none are present in the short itself.

 

 

Johnny Quasar would later be revived for a 1998 short called Runaway Rocketboy. In that short, Johnny Quasar has already turned into Jimmy Neutron and the characters are near-finalized.

Both shorts were only known by word-of-mouth, screencaps, and short clips until they were uploaded to YouTube by Johnny's voice actor in 2017.

The Adventures of Johnny Quasar contain examples of:
Art Evolution: Due to being 3 years apart, the '97 short has slightly better animation.
Catchphrase: "Gotta blast!" for Johnny.
Characterization Marches On: Johnny is more kiddy and less serious than Jimmy.
Child Prodigy: Johnny is a super-smart boy and has his own secret lab.
Early Installment Character-Design Difference:
Johnny's design is completely different from Jimmy's. He has short hair, a huge forehead, darker skin, and a different shaped head.
Johnny's hair changed between the original short and the 1997 version.
In Medias Res: The 1998 short gives no reason for why Johnny is being attacked by aliens. It was designed to be attention-grabbing so that the short would be made into a full series.
 

 

My Brain Is Big: Due to being a genius with a large brain, Johnny has a huge head.
No Fourth Wall: Johnny directly addresses the audience.
Parental Obliviousness: The 1998 short begins with Johnny's father telling his wife that Johnny will be home soon and that he can't be that far from home. As this occurs, Johnny is heading into space on his homemade spacecraft.
Robot Dog: Goddard is Johnny's robotic dog that he built.

Disturbing Facts About Controversial News Station Afro Worldview (Formerly ANN7)

8 years ago, MultiChoice operated Afro Worldview (known as ANN7 at the time) which was a Gupta owned news station which gained attention mainly for its technical setbacks, untrained staff and behind the scenes antics.

Today, we explore some various aspects of the former DStv channel some much worse than others but after reviewing this you'd understand why MultiChoice opted to cut ties and source Newsroom Afrika as an alternative to Afro Worldview.

Here are the disturbing facts about Afro Worldview part of which were highlighted in the book Indentured - Behind The Scenes At Gupta TV

 

"Rajesh, I want you to prepare for our first meeting with DStv, our enemies at MultiChoice. Arun and you will go to the meeting tomorrow and I want you to give them a copy of the EPG and make sure that channel 404 on DStv is allocated to us. But I want to warn you, they are our enemies. They will try everything to see us fail," writes Rajesh Sundaram. Mentioned on page 62 of Indentured.

1. Afro Worldview wanted to be on channel 404 currently occupied by SABC News and went as far as getting Jacob Zuma involved.
2. MultiChoice was a big enemy of Gupta owned channel.

"It was clear that the team from MultiChoice did not believe we were technically or editorially prepared to launch a news channel by the end of July. The tension in the room was palpable. They were visibly upset with the political pressure that was being brought to bear on them to launch the channel quickly and on the terms directed by the Guptas." Mentioned on page 63 on Indentured.

 

"We did not have the people, the studio was not complete, and much of the broadcasting equipment had not even been ordered at this time. The team did not even have newsgathering and studio cameras." Mentioned on page 63 on Indentured.

3. MultiChoice was seemingly aware that the channel was not ready to launch at the time.

"DStv suddenly gave in. Even as ANN7 was offering three bulletins a day produced on primitive systems and equipment nowhere near the quality standards prescribed by DStv, it was announced internally that DStv had been 'pressured' through president Jacob Zuma 's office to oust Russia Today from the 405 slot and give it to us." Mentioned on page 126 on Indentured.

4. Russia Today moved from channel 405 to 408 due to pressure from Jacob Zuma to occupy ANN7 on a higher channel number but MultiChoice has denied it and claimed the change was a way of getting local channels closer.

"His plan saved the company thousands of rands, but it cost the company millions in lost reputation, as we found out post-launch."
"Atul wanted Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon to train the models. Gerry was hired to present the breakfast show, which had been branded Vuka Africa."
"Gerry was given a table and chair, a white board and a training room. Some days she had a camera at her disposal. She had no teleprompter, professional monitors or audio equipment in the initial weeks." Mentioned on page 107 on Indentured.

 

5. Afro Worldview used models as news anchors.

"The bulletins we had produced at that time were, unsurprisingly, fullof technical glitches and were anchored by a group of models hired by Atul and trained by Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon . The young women were very raw, clueless about the news they were reading and very unfamiliar with a studio setting." Mentioned on page 130 on Indentured.

6. Afro Worldview always had glitches with their bulletins even before launch.

"We are nowhere near the quality of CNN International or BBC. He had very little understanding of television or the primitive conditions under which the bulletins were being produced." Mentioned on page 114 on Indentured.

7. Channel boss had little experience with television.

"The archival footage at the SABC was indeed of a very high quality and in my view worth millions of rands," writes Rajesh Sundaram. "Nazeem, Laxmi and Atul repeatedly told me that the contract with the SABC for this sale favoured ANN7, was drafted by Gupta lawyers and that the price of the footage was 'peanuts' compared to its real value."

 

8. "Stupid SABC" - Before MultiChoice, SABC sold their archives to Afro Worldview.

He told Biznews that Indian staffers, brought to South Africa on tourist visas and who worked in the country illegally, had to live on the ANN7 Midrand construction site "in sub-human conditions".
"There were staff that Atul Gupta would slap; and physically abuse us; scream verbal abuse at people. For instance say the playout system crashes, Atul Gupta would come into the production control room and start beating up the audio console person".

9. Channel boss was abusive to staff by slapping and calling them names.

"My relationship with ANN7 started when I was approached to produce a show for the station. It was supposed to start on Sunday but there were issues I wasn't happy with since I discovered its history with the Guptas."

10. Controversial pastor Paseka "Mboro" Motsoeneng pulled his gospel show due to ties with Guptas.