Roundups #75: Close Enough Cancelled After Three Seasons On HBO Max Banni Chow Home Delivery Airing On StarPlus International Just Not Africa, Part 2 Of WFO Titans National Extreme Euro Championship Coming Soon To Ignition

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Another one bites the dust

HBO Max is not proceeding with a fourth season of adult animated comedy Close Enough, from Regular Show creator JG Quintel and Cartoon Network Studios. The decision comes a little over three months after the release of the second season on April 7.

“After three great seasons, Close Enough is coming to an end,” HBO Max said in a statement. “We are so proud of the series and grateful to creator JG Quintel and our partners at Cartoon Network Studios, who made this show an instant fan favorite on HBO Max.”

Close Enough, a surreal take on transitioning from twentysomething to thirtysomething, revolves around a married couple juggling such everyday challenges as parenthood, friendship, ham theft, stripper clowns and choosing the right day care.

 

Banni Chow on airing on StarPlus Africa

Banni Chow Home Delivery follows Delivery-girl Banni is a strong, young, good hearted soul, who delivers her delicious food around the neighbourhood. She soon crosses paths with Yuvan, a mentally disabled man, and thus forms a change in her simple life.

It is based on the Bengali drama series from Star Jalsha titled Khukumoni Home Delivery which aired later in 2021 with the Hindi adaptation to follow 6 months after its launch on StarPlus.

 

Unfortunately, Disney Star doesn't supply the show in Africa due to an issue with the title. If you read the title of the show it sounds exactly like Bunny Chow which could the cause for the delay so maybe the series will be shortened to Home Delivery makes sense at this point.

More adrenaline for Ignition

Enduro enthusiasts will have numerous opportunities to see the highlights from round 2 of WFO Titans National Extreme Euro Championship that was held at the home of Titans Racing in Broederstroom, South Africa on the 25th of June.

Update: BBC World News To Close Later In 2023, To Be Replaced By BBC News

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BBC News has set out further details of the new TV news channel which will launch next year, replacing its two existing separate news channels for UK and global audiences. The channel, which will be called BBC News, is expected to launch in April 2023.

This forms part of the plan announced earlier this year to create a modern, digital-led and streamlined organisation that drives the most value from the licence fee and delivers more for audiences.

BBC News Digital Director Naja Nielsen says: “Our aim is to create the best live and breaking video news service in the world - on our web pages, our apps, on BBC iPlayer and on our new TV news channel.

“The way audiences consume news is changing. In recent years we’ve seen a huge surge in audiences coming to our live coverage, with tens of millions following live pages when big stories and events unfold.

 

“As the world’s most trusted source of news, with a huge depth and breadth of expertise, the BBC is uniquely placed to offer audiences the best analysis and explanation as these stories are unfolding. So we are investing in new capability to cover breaking news stories, and our news channel and digital teams will work hand in hand to bring the best journalism to audiences both at home and abroad.”

The channel will be broadcast around the world, bringing the BBC’s trusted journalism to international audiences and providing licence fee payers in the UK with ad-free access to a huge range and breadth of international coverage which hasn’t previously been available to them. It will feature new flagship programmes built around high-profile journalists, and programmes commissioned for multiple platforms.

UK viewers will receive specific content at certain times of the day, and during certain news stories. A new live and breaking news team will provide universally available coverage of global breaking news, and – when relevant - a domestic-only stream for UK-specific news events, ensuring that audiences get the best live video coverage of the news that matters most to them.

Further details of the plans include:
- The channel will be broadcast from London during UK daytime hours, and then Singapore and Washington DC. The BBC will invest in new on and off-screen journalism roles in Washington DC.
- Sports programming will be a mixture of the UK-facing Sportsday and new global-facing sports programmes.

 

The BBC will invest in visualising programmes based on popular radio shows, with new technology and studio capacity to do so. This will begin with the BBC Radio 5 Live Nicky Campbell programme, which will be broadcast on BBC Two on weekday mornings as well as on the UK stream of the new channel.

BBC Studios will continue to have responsibility for securing commercial revenues from the channel outside the UK, primarily through advertising, returning funding to the BBC that can be reinvested in public service journalism. The channel will remain ad-free in the UK.

These plans are now subject to consultation with staff and trade unions.

‘Iyanu: Child of Wonder’ Animated Series Greenlit At HBO Max And Cartoon Network

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HBO Max and Cartoon Network announced a 2D animated adaptation of “ Iyanu: Child of Wonder ,” a Dark Horse Comics/YouNeek Studios graphic novel series heavily influenced by the Yoruba people of Nigeria. The project will be financed and overseen by Black-owned animation studio Lion Forge Animation.

“Iyanu: Child of Wonder” is a superhero tale set in the magical kingdom of Yorubaland, which draws from Nigerian culture, music and mythology. The series follows Iyanu, a teenage orphan who spends her days studying Yoruba history and ancient arts but yearns for a normal life. One day, responding to danger, she unknowingly triggers her divine powers, the likes of which have not been seen since the Age of Wonders. With newly discovered superpowers, Iyanu joins forces with two other teenagers as they embark on a remarkable journey to discover the truth about the evil lurking in her homeland. Throughout her adventure, she’ll uncover the truth about her past, her parents, and her ultimate destiny to save the world.

 

The series is created by Roye Okupe, who will also write and direct multiple episodes. Lion Forge head of production Saxton Moore serves as supervising director. The writers room is led by Brandon Easton. Executive producers include Okupe, Doug Schwalbe, Carl Reed, Lion Forge’s David Steward II and Matt Heath, Impact X Capital’s Erica Dupuis and Forefront Media Group’s Ryan Haidarian.

The greenlight of “Iyanu: Child of Wonder” is notable as it continues signaling the emergence of Africa as a player in global streaming. Much of this growth begins in the kids and family space — for example, Lupita Nyong’o became an equity partner in Nairobi, Kenya-based production company Kukua in 2021 and stars in its YouTube Originals animated series "Super Sema.” African titles made for older audiences are also beginning to cross over, such as Netflix’s South African drama “Blood & Water,” which debuted in 2020 and made Netflix’s Top 10 list in the U.S. Netflix also recently released “Blood Sisters,” the streamer’s first original series from Nigeria.

“‘Iyanu: Child of Wonder’ has it all – vast world-building, authentic characters, a strong, African female hero at the center, and a first-class team of stellar creators and producers,” said ​​Amy Friedman, head of kids and family programming at Warner Bros. “While created for kids, the series will resonate with anyone looking for an adventure filled with surprise, magic, lore and legend. We feel so lucky to be the home of ‘Iyanu’ and partnering with this team.”

 

“The authenticity of the ‘Iyanu’ story means everything to us and aligns perfectly with our mission to create and deliver inclusive content to global audiences,” said Steward, founder of Lion Forge. “A powerful means of accomplishing and sustaining this is through franchise building, and the depth and layers of the Iyanu world allow us to explore and create a beautiful universe on-screen alongside tremendous partners.”

“When I set out to create ‘Iyanu’ for a global audience, I wanted to develop a world that combined everything I love about the fantasy genre with the majesty and awe that is ancient West Africa,” said Roye Okupe. “On top of that, working with Godwin Akpan, who illustrated the books, as our art director and collaborating with a thoughtful studio like Lion Forge Animation that prioritizes authenticity and diversity, is beyond belief.”

SpongeBob Learns How To Speaks Zulu With Nicktoons

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Nickelodeon is about to make history again as they become the first international brand for children in South Africa as SpongeBob SquarePants has just learnt another language, Zulu.

SpongeBob SquarePants follows the adventures of a yellow sea sponge of the same name who enjoys being a cook at Krusty Krab, lives in the Pacific Ocean. He embarks on various adventures with his friends at Bikini Bottom.

 

Since its inception in 1999, the series has become a top ranked show for children accumulating every Nickelodeon KCA it could grab its hands on. It also accumulated several video games, feature films and shortly after creator Stephen Hillenberg's passing spinoffs.

You can kind of get why SpongeBob would be their first pick. Despite being the eldest in their stable, it has managed to live longer and remain relevant than most shows on the channel that live on through memes used on The Rise And Fall Of Nickelodeon (TRAFON)

 

Aside from SpongeBob, Paramount also supplies an Ethiopian dubbed Nick Jr. alongside a Portuguese dubbed Nickelodeon channel for viewers in some parts of Africa with its focus within South Africa continuously expanding following the launch of NickMusic last year.

Nicktoons will telecast the first Zulu episode to SpongeBob SquarePants from the 14th of July at 17:30.

Journey Into The Unknown With CBS Reality And CBS Justice Africa - August 2022 Highlights

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CBS Reality:

WOMEN ON THE FORCE
Season 1 & 2
Channel Premiere
Weekdays at 07:30,12:45, 21:35, from 1st to 22nd August.
With unprecedented access to West (Season 1) and North (S2) Yorkshire Police, from the Chief Constable to emergency response officers on the frontline, this landmark series reveals the realities of policing in Britain today and the everyday pressures and challenges which women officers at every level have to confront.
Each episode charts the unfolding stories of three women across a week long shift for the force. With frontline policing tougher than ever, every shift gives an insight into the demands the job can place on their lives – both while on duty and at home.
Over the past 20 years frontline policing in Britain has been transformed and the percentage of women on the force has almost doubled. But the dangers these officers face and the impact the job has on their private lives have also increased.

MY EXTREME OCD LIFE
2x60min
Channel Premiere
Saturday, August 20th and Sunday, August 21st, at 07:05 and 20:40.
In this powerful documentary mini-series we follow the lives of 8 young people as they attempt to live a normal life in the face of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. These extraordinary first-hand accounts reveal young people whose daily lives are consumed by routine and ritual. They fight an internal and often secret war with frightening intrusive thoughts, which compel them to complete endless rituals- convincing them that terrible things will happen if they don’t. We meet them as they take those first steps into adulthood battling to conquer their OCD demons.

 

EATING OURSELVES TO DEATH
1x60min
Channel Premiere
Saturday, August 27th at 07:05 and 20:40.
The obesity epidemic is becoming a crisis. It currently kills more people than road traffic accidents, terrorist attacks and Alzheimer’s disease combined.
And for Darren who is super morbidly obese his weight is now a matter of life and death. His fast food lifestyle has led to serious heart complications and the problem is, surgeons fear his huge weight will mean he won’t survive surgery. We follow Darren on his journey to lose weight as the clock is ticking.
Mum of two Alice now tipping the scales at 35 stone (over 220kg) is worried that she may not live to see her children grow up. But unable to change her ways, will an ultimatum from husband Mark give her the jolt she needs to turn her life around?
In Falkirk, Alex’s love life has been destroyed by his food addiction. Now a virtual recluse, he needs a cocktail of drugs every day just to keep himself alive. Ex-boyfriend Ben is worried that Alex is eating himself to death, can he step in in time to break his downward spiral?

MY OBESE LIFE
1x60min
Channel Premiere
Sunday, 28th August at 07:05 and 20:40.

In this film we follow three extraordinary young women who have all battled with their weight. As they fight perceptions, and their demons head on, we hear how the simplest things derailed their body image. They are learning to love their bodies and to overcome what others think. Nearly 3 million 16- 24 year olds and around half of all women of childbearing age tip the scales beyond their recommended BMI weight. We meet 20 year old Shannon, she is a size 22 and celebrates her curves by selling lingerie products to the larger ladies; we also hear from 24 year old Naomi, who has been a secret eater for most of her life and is desperate to stabilise her weight; and we join 24 year old Jess, who comfort eats to cope with stress, as she tries to shed some pounds.

 

CBS Justice:

KILLER SIBLINGS
Season 2.
Channel premiere.
Weeknights at 19:00 from 15th until 29th August.
"Killer Siblings" delves into the disturbing true stories of some of the deadliest
siblings of all time. Featuring exclusive interviews and firsthand accounts, the
series explores the minds, upbringings and motivations of family members
who were driven to kill. Each hour-long episode profiles a different set of
siblings and the brutal crimes they committed, offering insight into their
murderous bond and what led them down a path to murder.

THE REAL PRIME SUSPECT
Season 1 & 2.
ORIGINAL TRUE CRIME SERIES
CBS Justice celebrates Jackie Malton, host of “The Real Prime Suspect”
On weeknights at 20:00, from Monday August 2nd until August 22nd.
Jackie Malton is a former Scotland Yard detective and an inspiration for the character of DCI Jane Tennison, portrayed by Helen Mirren in the award winning drama series “Prime Suspect”.
Jackie joined the force in 1970 and spent most of her service in the Criminal Investigation Department, probing all aspects of crime including armed robberies, rape, murder, fraud, arson, and blackmail. She served on The Flying Squad as the only female amongst forty men at one point, and is a trained hostage negotiator.
A recovering alcoholic, Jackie has an MSc in Addiction Psychology. For the last thirteen years, she has voluntarily facilitated weekly addiction groups in a male prison, plus 1-1 therapy work. Jackie also continues to support the men in the community and recovery process after their release.
In “The Real Prime Suspect”, Malton gets access to case files and revisits investigations into infamous crimes with the police, detectives, and other professionals who experienced them first hand.

AMC+ To Launch Streaming Service Across Europe In 2023, No Indicator On When Or If It Will Roll Out In The UK And Africa

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Even more American prestige TV is headed to Europe. This week it was announced that AMC+ will find its way onto small screens in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) markets.

AMC Networks’ executive vice president Levente Málnay — who was speaking at the NEM Dubrovnik European TV conference — revealed that the streaming platform will be available to CEE customers in 2023.

The streaming service combines original programming along with series and movies from various other AMC-owned streamers and studios, including Shudder , Sundance Now, BBC America, IFC, and more. So the content on the service already has significant international influences but Málnay added that as AMC+ expands, it would focus on balancing specific regional content with its own U.S.-based programming.

 

The news comes at a time of expansion for the fledgling platform. AMC+ began streaming in June 2020 and grew its reach to the Australian market last year. As of the end of the first quarter, AMC’s combined streaming services — both under the AMC+ umbrella and the individual services — have reached 9.5 million global subscribers.

Málnay indicates that the streamer will take “baby steps” when planning larger-budget offerings, but he also suggested that local dramas may be in development as well. In Q1, AMC saw 3% year-over-year revenue growth, but profits dropped by almost 15% for the same period, due in large part to the enhanced investment in content creation. Domestically, AMC has also worked to ensure subscribers can easily find its streaming channels, making them paid add-ons to services such as Amazon Prime Video and YouTube TV.

 

An AMC+ release will bring hit shows like modern classics “The Walking Dead ,” “Better Call Saul,” and “Mad Men” to CEE.

Additionally, in April, AMC+ announced that it would be enhancing its offerings by bringing a new movie from corporate sibling IFC Films to the streaming service every week immediately following its theatrical release.

AMC+ is a premium streaming bundle that includes the best from AMC, BBC America, IFC, SundanceTV, Shudder, Sundance Now, and IFC Films Unlimited containing original, award-winning series, popular movies, festival favorites, plus horror, sci-fi, true crime, and thrillers. You can subscribe to AMC+ for $8.99/month (R153.84/month) or save over 40% with the annual plan for $59.88/year (R1005.88/year).

Development Hell: The Pending The Third Season To Star Life's The Evil Eye

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The Evil Eye was the first and one of the few attempts Africa got to supernatural on Star Life alongside A Magical Love Story which came amidst a pandemic with the second season was also filmed in such a climate.

Since its abrupt end, some viewers can't stop boasting about the show that it got to a point where they advertised fake repeats and even listed Bengali adaptation Nojor (pictured above) as The Evil Eye season 3.

Ever since A Magical Love Story ended, there hasn't been a site of venomous snake or anything supernatural on Star Life even on Zee World as regional stations are the closest to viewing them dubbed while others are distributed in their original language with subtitles.

 

Amidst the phasing out of these shows sources state that Star Life picked up Bold And Beautiful and The Evil Doom which were scheduled for a late 2021 to mid 2022 release which never came to pass.

Joining that trio was the fake third season of The Evil Eye which is now considered a new season but supposedly on a new Indian entertainment channel that was set to replace Star Life.

This supposed channel was said to focus on Bengali which is similar to Hindi in an attempt to "differentiate" the offering from StarPlus but hey some of the content from Bengali are remakes to the Hindi content and vice versa.

 

The thing about this was Disney Star the owners of these brands already operated a Bengali channel Star Jalsha which is niche I mean every market has their niche. In South Africa, it is Tsonga, Sepedi and Siswati as Zulu, Afrikaans and Ndebele dominate the region.

The question would have to be why trade one group for another if the plan was to replace wouldn't it be better to source areas like Telegu, Tamil and Malayalam as they also reside in the Bollywood community under the Disney Star.

Zee TV had every chance to launch such a channel but instead opted for reruns channel, Zee One.

Roundups #74: Magnum Pi Revived By NBC For Two Seasons, eVOD Welcomes Two New Local Productions An Eye For An Eye And uMbali, And StarTimes Upload New Channel W-Sport

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Magnum lives on for another two seasons

NBC has ordered two seasons of “Magnum P.I.” following the drama’s cancellation at CBS in May after a four-season run.

The broadcaster has ordered 20 new episodes of “Magnum P.I.,” which an option for more, and intends to break those up into Seasons 5 and 6 of the series.

The reboot of the beloved 1980’s action series debuted Season 4 back in October on CBS. The show is described as a modern take on the original series centering on Thomas Magnum (Jay Hernandez), a decorated former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator.

 

eVOD loads to two new local productions

Since it's inception in 2021, eMedia Investments mentioned spending R100 million on local productions with 10 movies rolling out on a yearly basis of which 6 have been released with a further 2 being released this month, An Eye For An Eye and uMbali.

An Eye For An Eye scheduled for release on 19 July follows the story of a man who was framed for his brother and police officer's death while uMbali will be released two days after An Eye For An Eye follows the titular character who murdered a man who attempts to raped her.

The movies are said to contain a lot of life lessons and characters viewers can relate to. On top of that, both productions will carry intriguing chapters leaving viewers curious to find out what's happening next.

A new sports making a surprising debut on the StarTimes platform

 

Earlier in the year, the female based sport channel W-Sport was added on the StarTimes app as part of what appeared to be a trial phase as they worked on rolling out the sports channel on other platform.

After 7 months, consumers on StarTimes will get access to England’s Barclays Women’s Super League, Germany’s Frauen Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A, the Netherlands Vrouwen Eredivisie, Australia’s W-League and the recent ICC tournament.

“W-Sport’s vision is to be the global leader in women’s sports broadcasting and to passionately champion equality and diversity. W-Sport’s content will entertain, engage and inspire audiences and the next generation of young female athletes and players” said Kelly Butler, CEO W-Sports.

More Reasons To Believe eToonz Is Performing At Max Capacity

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eToonz is currently the only kids channel to be based in South Africa following the discontinuation of M-Net's K-TV and StarSat's (formerly Top TV) Top Kids channel. The brand is currently operated by eMedia Investments on the free-to-view Openview platform.

eToonz doesn't offer original content but its free-to-air status deems it reliable but some consumers mainly children with shows like Thomas And Friends, Peppa Pig and Bob The Builder for preschoolers while older kids get Power Rangers, Winx Club and Dawn Of The Croods.

Since its inception to the market, eToonz hasn't gotten much praise as consumers complain about the bulk of rehashed content on e.tv and the content which is exclusive can be tiresome not because of the content in general but how the general chooses to rollout content.

 

eToonz is not the only kids channel in the globe to rollout on a 24 hour basis and have less weekday programming even China Central Television (CCTV) CCTV 14 roll out content in that form while other brands found on pay platforms will roll them out 5 days a week.

Despite the outcome of the channel, it happens to be the least watched or underrated brands amongst eMedia's stable that it's hardly spoken of in annual results and its also one of the longest running channels beside eMovies while eNCA is registered under their pay company e.Sat.

All the details presented make it seem like an underachiever but what if there was more reasons the channel is still on and getting content what if eMedia found another way to determine its performance in the market even without DStv.

 

In the United States, a general entertainment channel like HBO can pull 5 million viewers while kids brand like Cartoon Network can generate almost half a million viewers. Could that be the case for most kids brands in South Africa particularly eToonz I mean Cartoon Network generates over 300000 views a month?

Most consumers that watch TV are adults as they are the ones paying for these devices and not all of them have children and ones that do either let them hog the screen for a limited time while others are doing basic kids stuff like playing outside or finishing up schoolwork.

Taking that to account, eToonz is performing at max capacity or at least for most kids stations if anything it being regional clouds it from its full potential and with DStv it kind of helped eased the burden.