A More Rational And Measured Road To Analogue Switch Off In SA

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One of the core findings against the Minister of Communications by the Constitutional Court is that her imposition of an analogue switch-off date was unlawful and irrational.

EMedia Investments welcomed the ruling and had the following to say: “The matter of irrationality was probed and challenged at the Broadcasting Digital Migration Committee meetings, set up by the Department of Communications, and chaired by the Minister of Communications. eMedia Investments pleaded with the Minister of Communications on numerous occasions to listen to the logic and the rationality of the task at hand. We agreed that the switch-off must happen to enable digital migration, but insisted that it must be in a practical, logical, and fair manner – ensuring that there are no negative consequences to any households, or the Free To Air TV industry.”

 

Khalik Sherrif, CEO of eMedia Investments, went on to say: “EMedia Investments acknowledges and accepts that the analogue transmitters which affect SA’s progress, and impacts on the already auctioned spectrum for the telcos, must be vacated as soon as possible. eMedia has provided a well researched proposal on how the migration could be done and how the spectrum affecting the telcos could be vacated almost immediately, subject to minimal approvals from Icasa (who have acknowledged and received eMedia’s application for approvals months ago), and which will allow the telcos to get on with the use of the spectrum. The proposal was not taken seriously and there was no alternative but to approach the court.”

Sherrif said that for the sake of Free To Air television and the millions of people that would have been affected by a ‘hard switch-off’: “We are pleased that the Constitutional Court heard our plea. We were never against the analogue switch-off. We believe that a planned strategy for digital migration will have many benefits for all South Africans. We are looking forward to working with the minister and her department to agree on a meaningful and measured approach to systematically implement the migration without delay, not only to allow the viewing public sufficient time to switch over to a digital solution for TV viewing, but also for the telcos to use the spectrum allocated to them for the benefit of the country, as earmarked by the President in his SONA of 2021”

Roundups #71: Trolls: The Beat Goes On Coming Soon To DreamWorks Africa, Mzansi Wethu Airs Its First Drama Series Titled Isibopho And eExtra Goes For Two With Ice Adonis And Twice My Son In Law

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More eToonz repeats for DStv customers

eToonz left the DStv platform for almost a month and since March various content mostly repeats from the channel are currently viewed on the DreamWorks Channel.

As mentioned through various sources and press statements, Trolls: The Beat Goes On will be added to the channel's portfolio in the coming months.

Queen Poppy, her boyfriend Branch and the other trolls embark on cheerful adventures in the Troll village, where they celebrate several exciting holidays and dance parties.

 

Mzansi Wethu gets some exclusive content

Mzansi Wethu has released the trailer of its first-ever original drama series since the channel debuted. Through Mzansi Magic’s Instagram page the channel has announced that Isibopho will be released and start streaming soon on the channel. The drama series has an all-star cast, and viewers can not wait for it to begin showing.

The drama series will be about a fight for survival and enemies and families bound by blood. People will be fighting for their lives and sneaking around to get the revenge they seek. The story will follow an innocent woman who will be trying to fight off a powerful opponent that she is called a sheep trying to fight dogs.

The drama series will debut at 21:00 from July 10th.

 

More kdramas on eExtra

The Bollywood lineup had manifested throughout eExtra's schedule alongside Turkish. Bad news is Korean is only viewable on the daytime good news is the channel will continue uploading more Korean series.

High Society Scandal will conclude later this month and repeats of A-Lifestyle and Mahadi Lobola take up the timeslot for the rest of the month thereafter a rerun of Ice Adonis takes up the show's timeslot with a second slot added for the new series, Twice My Son In Law.

Lee Jin-sook is a speaker on family happiness. However, she has a sad past. Years ago, she was kicked out of the house by her mother-in-law and was forced to be separated from her newborn daughter. An encounter with Hyeon-tae leads her to not only fall in love but meet her birth daughter.

The series airs at 14:50 from July 4th with Ice Adonis at 14:05.

Introducing The Renowned Graphic Designer For eMedia's eToonz Channel, Rayaan Cassiem + Several Designs For The Channel

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Born and raised in Cape Town, Rayaan was never found without a crayon, paintbrush or pencil in hand scribbling, doodling and painting for hours at a time.

Being determined to study Graphic-Design at the Technical University, he sold his car and worked odd jobs, ranging from construction to shelf-packing. His hard work and dedication paid off and he received a bursary in his third year, completing his BTech in Graphic Design. Rayaan draws his inspiration from a myriad of avenues including graffiti and street art, album covers, comic books, animation, video games, fine art as well as graffiti and street art. ‘Being able to earn a living and supporting my family doing what I love is a blessing,’ he says.

 

Rayaan’s artwork appeared alongside local and international artists as part in popular mixed-media group exhibitions in South Africa, Europe and the United Arab Emirates, where currently lives and works. His special interest in local African Mythology and Folk stories inspired Rayaan’s edition of 30 portraits of children from the Matchbox daycare centers in his unique graffiti-inspired style, all drawn on fine paper in A4 format.

10 WWE Superstars That Hated Each Other In Real Life

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When you are WWE Superstar you don't expect to get along with everyone in the locker room. Sometimes the locker room is filled with different personalities and these personalities will clash. Sometimes these feuds are kept private and sometimes made public.

Here is a countdown to the 10 WWE feuds:

10. Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins

In 2019, Riddle's wife posted a negative video about Becky Lynch. This didn't sit well with Rollins so he vowed to never work with him.

During an interview, Riddle made the following statement:

I'll be honest, I've met Seth multiple times and he's met me and I don't think we'll ever be best friends, I don't think we'll like one another, we're just two different people. Although we love wrestling, I love my significant other said something about Becky that they didn't like and I did not like or agree with it. Seth didn't like me after that and I don't think Becky liked me or my wife either, which is understandable it is what it is.

The two ended up working together in 2020 so its unclear about the status between the two.

9. Becky Lynch and Nia Jax

Although it hasn't been confirmed, it's rumoured that these two never got along after Nia Jax broke Becky's nose in 2018 on Raw. Following that incident, the two have hardly been seen working together and what's strange is WWE never booked a march considering how publicized her injury was.

 

Following Nia's release from WWE, she took to social media to address things from politics to covid. She even compared mask wearing to the horrors of the Ukraine war - controversial. Becky unfollowed her building up to that feud.

8. Paul Heyman and AJ Styles

The two had a great relationship when Paul Heyman managed Raw between 2019 and 2020. Paul Heyman considered him one of the best wrestlers to be put in WWE. However this relationship turned sour when Luke and Carls Andersen were released from WWE.

Paul Heyman doesn't make the decisions but AJ Styles exaggerated a bit about the whole situation. The two ended up working in different brands never to be put on anything together.

7. Ronda Rousey and Alexa Bliss

When Ronda Rousey joined WWE in 2018, one of the wrestlers she worked with the most was Alexa Bliss. The two never worked well together as Alexa Bliss made it clear after several months that Ronda Rousey was over stooping her in the ring and was almost out of action for a year due to her recklessness.

 

Nia even give hints to the rumours and Bliss supported it then when Ronda returned and won The Royal Rumble. Alexa made a sarcastic meme written what a surprise.

6. Matt Riddle and Goldberg

Riddle never moves away from voicing his own opinion. Throughout his career, he's never shown any interest to Goldberg. Mocking his wrestling style declares Goldberg a danger to wrestling.

In an interview Goldberg had this to say about the wrestler:

Yeah, the cocky kid, Riddle spouting off his mouth in the beginning and I didn't appreciate it very much by any stretch of the imagination. But the guy has put in a lot of frickin hard work and a lot of frickin hard work and he's dedicated his life to the business.
Whether I like him as a human being or not, I have to understand and appreciate his passion for the business and work ethic.
Because he works hard and that's what I appreciate as an athlete and as a human
Is he a prick sometimes? Absolutely, But that's him, That's his character and so am I.

5. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair

Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair used to be the best of friends but in 2021 fans found out that wasn't the case. The two used to be inseparable and as both their careers progressed things have changed.

They used to travel to many places together on a tour bus but that's not the case and they hardly speak to each other. No reason was given to the confrontation but it's believed to be Becky's rise in popularity with both women finding men in their lives mean less time spent together.

 

4. Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville

This issue was highlighted following the infamous exchange in championship belts in 2021 when Charlotte Flair was suppose switch belts with Becky Lynch but went off script to make her look bad. Not only did it affect Becky but destroyed the authority figure in Sonya Deville.

Sonya was so angry that she wanted to fight Charlotte of course no details were given if she wanted to do anything physical.

3. Matt Riddle and Brock Lesnar

Riddle believes that he should be the one to end Brock Lesnar's career and although he didn't say anything derogatory to him. Lesnar loathe Riddle that he made it clear in the 2021 Royal Rumble that he would never work with him in any capacity.

The two wind up clashing when Riddle continues with his comments but never in single man matches.

2. Booker T. and Corey Graves

In 2018, Booker T. made it clear in a podcast that Graves was the reason he wasn't commentator for Raw and people believed he was going to attack him.

He made somewhat of a bizarre statement:

 

Corey Graves, right now, I wouldn't necessarily say he's on my bad side but he's the reason I'm not on Monday Night Raw right now.
Because you know what a lot of people in the company thought I was going to jump him, I was going to do something bad to him, I was gonna drag him, I was gonna take him out of the woodshed, I was gonna beat that men so bad, I was gonna beat him until this man say "Please, please, please just don't beat me anymore".

There have been reports that WWE had tried to resolve their issues but no details have been given in regard to their relationship.

1. Matt Riddle and Roman Reigns

In 2021, Matt claimed he could beat him in a fight and had this to say:

No disrespect to Roman, he seems like a swell fella but at the same time, it's like when people say they're a great parent.
You know what? if you were a great parent
When he's saying 'acknowledge me' or 'move the needle', no you don't
You're related to Rock, Shut up
Like I'm not impressed I can beat you up in a real fight
So shut your mouth.

A few months later, it was revealed that he had to write an apology letter which he outright rejected.

Paramount+ Announces Plan For 150 International Originals Ahead Of UK And Ireland Launch

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Over a year after its initial launch in the U.S., streaming service Paramount+ will be available in the U.K. and Ireland on Wednesday, June 22. Its international slate of seven new titles was announced on Monday, including its plans for 150 international originals by 2025.

The global expansion of the streaming service was first announced in May. Many U.S.-based streaming services are now entering into new countries and territories, as well as investing in international content to attract new audiences and diversify their content offerings across the globe. Disney+, for example, recently launched in 16 markets across the Middle East and North Africa. The streaming service aims to expand to 160+ countries by its fiscal 2023.

Although Paramount+ is considered a younger streamer than its rivals Disney+, HBO Max and Netflix, the company is committed to expanding in large international markets as the race for global domination continues for U.S. streaming services.

Last week, Paramount+ launched in South Korea in a partnership with TVING. In addition, launches in Italy, Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland are set for the end of 2022. Paramount+ will launch in Africa and the Middle East in 2023, as well as in India in partnership with Viacom 18.

 

The remainder of the markets in Europe has Paramount and Comcast partnering together to launch a new service called SkyShowtime. Coming later this year, the service will be available in Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Previously, Paramount+ unveiled its determination to greenlight 50 new scripted originals this year, with previously announced titles like “Sexy Beast” (from the U.K.), “The Chemistry of Death” (Germany), “Bosé” (Spain), “Fallaci” (Italy), “Impact” (France) and “Los Enviados” (Mexico), among others.

On Monday, Paramount+ revealed several more upcoming titles, including “Murder of God’s Banker,” a docuseries about the murder of Italian banker Roberto Calvi in the 1970s; a French fantasy horror series called “Mask: Marie Antoinette Serial Killer;” a German thriller “A Thin Line;” a German drama “The Sheikh;” an Italian true-crime drama called “Circeo;” a Mexican crime thriller “Sinaloa’s First Lady;” and a Mexican suspense thriller movie “One Must Die.”

In addition, international viewers who subscribe to Paramount+ will get to watch exclusive originals, blockbuster films from Paramount Pictures, and a wide selection of popular shows like “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” “Halo,” “The First Lady” and more.

 

“Paramount’s story began with the longest-running studio in Hollywood, and today we span the globe with our worldwide production studios that create hits for audiences around the world, which now live all in one place: Paramount+,” EVP and International General Manager Marco Nobili said in a statement. “As the service continues to expand internationally, there’s a great opportunity for content to travel globally, opening up a world of opportunities for talent and creators as we plan to commission 150 international originals by 2025 while delivering incredible value to subscribers on Paramount+.”

Today, the company will also have a drone show in Birmingham featuring 600 drones — the largest drone show in the U.K. The spectacle will feature a QR code, which gives viewers a free seven-day trial of the streaming service. Paramount Global has done this before to promote its sci-fi series “Halo” in March but with 400 drones flying above Austin, Texas.

To further excite potential subscribers in the U.K. and Ireland, Paramount+ revealed a two-minute teaser starring Uma Thurman and Jack Whitehall.

Roundups #70: Iron Rose Reloads On Telemundo Africa For Second Season, Turkish Drama Full Moon Starring Can Yaman Launches On Novela E Plus And ZNBC 3 Launching Soon On The DStv Platform

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Iron Rose is not done just yet

Popular demands has been taking Africa by storm offering already viewed content like My Heart Beats For Lola, Woman Of Steel, A Passion For Revenge and Lord Of The Skies as Telemundo works on sourcing out more content.

Ahead of its anticipated return, StarTimes acquired rights to Iron Rose while Telemundo loaded one of Aracley Arambula's other projects from the channel, The Boss with Iron Rose following immediately after it ended.

 

 

The second season of Iron Rose is set to load on the channel from June 27th at 6pm replacing current season of the series.

Can Yaman is coming to StarTimes

The actor and model is currently seen on e.tv's Droomvelore portraying the role of Can Divit. Just like stars Demet Özdemir, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ and Dilan Çiçek Deniz viewers will be getting double the action as Novelas E uploads new series, Full Moon.

Nazli Pinar a young culinary student who is hired as Ferit's private chef and must deal with his specific rules for preparing his meals. The two initially clash and form a beautiful friendship. What will happen when the two fall in love?

 

 

The series airs at 8pm from June 26 on Novelas E which comes 3 hours and 30 minutes after Droomvelore on e.tv.

MultiChoice Africa continues sourcing more local entertainment

Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) is a Zambian television and radio station, formerly state owned, now owned by Zambians. It is the oldest, widest and largest radio and television service provider in Zambia.

 

ZNBC also supplies a set of linear and radio stations offering news, public affairs, sports, religion, education and sport similar to the supposed channel set to launch on the DStv platform soon.

MultiChoice has begun testing out a channel titled ZNBC3 which was believed to be a religious channel at the time but turns out to be plus channel to the current ZNBC 1 & 2 which carries the above-mentioned.

The 2002 ‘Scooby-Doo’ Movie Originally Had a Velma and Daphne Kiss and Wrote Velma as ‘Explicitly Gay’

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Scooby-Doo has survived so many iterations and many story arcs. But the franchise has lived on this long because that dog is so loved by audiences. Add in the other well-known characters Shaggy, Daphne, Fred, and Velma, and Mystery Incorporated is as iconic as cartoons can get.

The 2002 Scooby-Doo live-action film was a change of pace for the franchise since it was the first live-action version of these characters, but it also aimed at teens rather than kids. Because it originally started off as a PG-13 film, there were a lot of jokes and scenes filmed for the movie that ended up having to be cut when the studio wanted to make it more family-friendly. One of those scenes involved a kiss between Daphne and Velma.

 

An on-screen kiss between Daphne and Velma was cut from ‘Scooby-Doo’

James Gunn, the writer of the live-action 2002 film, has shared a lot of behind-the-scenes info on the movie on Twitter and elsewhere. This is how fans know about the rating change. He even wrote in January that the MPAA gave the movie an R-rating at firstOpens a new window , because of a “misinterpreted” joke.

But even back in 2002, Sarah Michelle Gellar (Daphne), one of the stars of the film, revealed a change. She told Sci-Fi WireOpens a new window that a kissing scene between her and Linda Cardellini (Velma) was cut.

 

“It wasn’t just, like, for fun,” she said. “Initially in the soul-swapping , Velma and Daphne couldn’t seem to get their souls back together in the woods. And so the way they found was to kiss and the souls went back into proper alignment.”

There is a deleted scene from the DVDOpens a new window , where Velma’s body was just taken over by one of the aliens, and Daphne finds her in weird behavior. Velma then turns on her in the locker room. While there’s nothing inappropriate about two women kissing, the studio didn’t want to include it back in 2002.

 

And while this kissing scene was cut, don’t expect to see it, or any other deleted scene that wasn’t already on the DVD.

“Also, for the record I doubt any of those old cuts still exist,” Gunn wrote Opens a new window in January.

Other edits were made to the film to make it more ‘family-friendly’

Another edit that was made on the film involved digitally adding more clothing to Daphne and Velma because apparently too much cleavage was showing.

“They CG’d clothes over @lindacardellini & @SarahMGellar’s cleavage,” Gunn wrote. “But that wasn’t the MPAA, that was the studio, who wanted it more family-friendly. Some parents in test audiences had complained (& this doesn’t contradict my last tweet – I didn’t direct this film)”
Basically, as Gunn already said, he and others had originally set out to make a PG-13 movie, and the studio turned it into a PG film. Whether it was marketed to teens or not, Gunn thinks that the family-friendly additions (and cuts) hurt the second film’s success and stopped a third from ever happening.

“I felt like a lot of teens came out for the first film Opens a new window and didn’t get what they wanted (and didn’t come back for the sequel),” he wrote, saying it was a mistake. “But today I don’t know.”

James Gunn also revealed that he wrote Velma as gay, something she’s been all along

And, as news came out recently, Gunn had initially written Velma as a blatantly lesbian character. Again, it’s not inappropriate by today’s standards, but having a lesbian character in 2002 wasn’t really a common aspect in kids’ movies.

“In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script,” Gunn shared on Twitter on July 12. “But the studio just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel).”

 

The “Velma is gay” narrative is something many fans had picked up on in other iterations of the character, most recently in the 2010 series Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated . And that was, of course, on purpose because Velma was always gay, according to writer and director Tony Cervone wrote recently.

“Marcie and Velma – Mystery Incorporated,” he wrote in a Pride Month post on June 28, along with a picture of Velma and Marcie from his series. He’s worked on several Scooby-Doo projects over the last decade. “I obviously don’t represent every version of Velma Dinkley, but I am one of the key people that represents this one. We made our intentions as clear as we could ten years ago. Most of our fans got it. To those that didn’t, I suggest you look closer. There’s no new news here.”

He later wrote in a comment that the breadcrumbs had always been there. Just because the series never explicitly used the term “gay” or “lesbian,” Velma was very much a part of the LGBTQ community.

ESPN Africa Boxing 18 Set To Entertain

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Boxing fans across Africa can look forward to some of the best combat sport action when ESPN Africa Boxing 18 takes place in Johannesburg and broadcasts live on ESPN on Thursday 30 June 2022, from 19:00 (CAT). Sanctioned by Boxing South Africa (BSA) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF), this event will be headlined by a 12-round match for the IBF International Junior Middleweight title between DR Congo's Emmany Kalombo (15-1-0) and Kenyan Rayton Okwiri (7-0-1).

Known as 'The General', Kalombo was last in action in April, defeating Malawian Chikondi Makawa via third-round technical knockout in Soweto, while the unbeaten Okwiri is making a much-anticipated return to the ring. In his most recent fight, in October 2021, Okwiri knocked out John Serunjogu of Uganda in a middleweight non-title fight in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

 

 

The former African Boxing Union middleweight title holder is determined to put a major belt around his waist once again. “I have done it in the past and it’ll not be any different this time round. This is a big fight for me and the title must come back home as I’m serious to win it,” Okwiri explained.

Kalombo, however, feels that things will go differently: “I have known Okwiri as an amateur boxer for a long time and I’m gonna chop him down and stop him from taking the title."

The co-main event is a 10-round Welterweight clash between South Africa's Thulani Mbenge (18-1-0) and Idd Pialari of Tanzania (30-7-1). Mbenge was last in action a year ago, claiming an impressive third-round knockout win over Jabulani Makhense. Pialari broke a losing streak by defeating Chimwemwe Chiotcha via unanimous decision in February this year.

 

 

The main card also features an eight-round Super Flyweight clash between Sikho Nqothole (14-2-0) and Selemani Bangaiza (12-7-0); Jabulani Makhense (12-1-0) v Paul Kamanga (23-2-0) over eight rounds in the Welterweight division; and a Super Lightweight battle over eight rounds between Gift Bholo (9-11-0) and Hannock Phiri (14-0-1).

The fight card for this event, is as follows:

MAIN EVENT

Main event: IBF International Junior Middleweight Title
12 rounds
Emmany Kalombo (DR Congo, 15-1-0)
v
Rayton Okwiri (Kenya, 7-0-1)

Co-main event: Welterweight
10 rounds
Thulani Mbenge (SA, 18-1-0)
v
Idd Pialari (Tanzania, 30-7-1)

Super Flyweight
8 rounds
Sikho Nqothole (SA, 14-2-0)
v
Selemani Bangaiza (Tanzania, 12-7-0)

Welterweight
8 rounds
Jabulani Makhense (SA, 12-1-0)
v
Paul Kamanga (DR Congo, 23-2-0)

Super Lightweight
8 rounds
Gift Bholo (SA, 9-11-0)
v
Hannock Phiri (Malawi, 14-0-1)

UNDER CARD

Junior Middleweight
4 rounds
Sinethemba Blom (debut)
v
Mikaeel van Doorsen (1-1-0)

Junior Lightweight
6 rounds
Cayden Truter (4-0-0)
v
Khanyisani Mbokazi (2-3-1)

 

Featuring a diverse range of the continent’s boxing talent, the ESPN Africa Boxing events that take place on the last (or second last) Thursday of every month, are televised to an audience of up to 60 million homes across Africa and Latin America. The action starts at 19:00 (CAT) on ESPN (DStv 218, Starsat 248), SABC Sport and selected international broadcasters including ESPN across Latin America, as well as a highlights package in TKO (SABC 2, Fridays at 21:30).

How to tune in:

ESPN: DStv 218, Starsat 248 
SABC Sport
 
All times are stated in CAT / SAST.
Schedule subject to change

For updates regarding ESPN Africa Boxing and other sports, fans can connect to @ESPNAfrica on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit https://www.espn.com/. 

Overshadowed Timeless Dizi Channel Expands Its Reach To More African Households On StarTimes

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Timeless Dizi Channel is a a general entertainment channel from SPI International which serves to be one of the sought after channels in their portfolio for its variety of Turkish dramas mainly Black Money Love, Karadayi and The Red Scarf.

It's been available in the African market for 2 years and due to the successes of eExtra's Kuiertyd block it got MultiChoice to ramp their offering on kykNET & Kie but as for Timeless Dizi Channel things have rather progressed slowly.

 

 

After the pop-up version's termination on the DStv platform, there isn't much hype from the channel or the media in regard to what's on or potential new shows from the channel.

The closest anyone has ever gotten to know about upcoming shows is through the main page which can be of no use from time as some new may have already been seen on the channel or in South Africa through eExtra.

The current partnership they have with StarTimes seems somewhat complicated. In August 2020, just a few months after its launch it was announced by the pay-tv platform will stop airing the channel and from what is already seen by viewers that's not the case.

 

 

Even more strange is how there's still more regions across Africa through StarTimes that still don't have Timeless Dizi Channel as markets like Kenya and Malawi welcome it as a "new channel" despite its availability elsewhere for the past 2 years.

At this point, you're better off downloading the mobile app to view these programs if there's gonna be so many inconsistencies.