Roundups #82: More eToonz Coming Soon To Da Vinci Kids, More Wrestling Action Coming Soon To TNT Africa And Keanu Reeves to Lead ‘Devil in the White City’ Hulu Series From Martin Scorsese And Leonardo DiCaprio

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More repeats for pay-tv consumers

As reported weeks days ago, eToonz alongside the 3 other e.tv channels returned to the DStv platform following pending investigations which could take up to 6 months. Since then, MultiChoice has been doing quiet a job filling up for eToonz.

Aside from DreamWorks Channel which is basically eToonz Extra and PBS Kids, Da Vinci Kids has been stacking their lineup with several content which seen been viewed on the red brand like Doki, The Deep and Bajillionaires and now another series fills that list, Yoko.

Yoko follows three children who unexpectedly meet the spirit of the game, Yoko. Together they revive the game and opens incredible world of childhood. Yoko adds magic to children's games and turns fantasy into reality.

The third instalment to Battle Of The Belts arrives on TNT Africa

This weekend’s Battle of the Belts III card, which took place in Van Andel Arena, West Michigan, on 6 August, features Claudio Castagnoli defending the ROH (Ring of Honor) world title against Konosuke Takeshita. That’s one of three belt battles coming your way. Saturday’s special will also see Jamie Hayter get her shot at Thunder Rosa and the AEW women’s championship, while the mighty Wardlow puts the TNT title on the line against Jay Lethal.

Fans can tune in to this AEW special, Battle of the Belts III, on Saturday, 13 August at 10:50 CAT on TNT Africa!

Other AEW fast-paced, high-impact competitions coming to TNT Africa this weekend include:

AEW Rampage, Saturday, 13 August @10:00 CAT:

· AEW Interim World Title Eliminator Jon Moxley vs Mance Warner

· Friday Night Street Fight Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs TonyNese & Josh Woods

· The Debut of Madison Rayne

AEW Dynamite, Sunday, 14 August @10:00 CAT:

· AEW Interim World Championship Jon Moxley vs Chris Jericho

· Coffin Match Brody King vs Darby Allin

· Jade Cargill Open Challenge for the TBS Championship

· Tornado Tag, Lucha Brothers vs Andrade El Idolo & Rush

Keanu Reeves starring in a Hulu series

It’s official: Hulu is moving forward with a TV adaptation of Erik Larson’s best-seller Devil in the White City with Keanu Reeves set to star in what will be his largest TV role to date.

The drama, which has been developed as a film and TV series since Leonardo DiCaprio optioned the property in 2010, has scored a formal series order at the Disney-backed streamer. The news was announced Thursday as part of Hulu’s virtual time before press at the Television Critics Association’s summer tour.

Based on Larson’s novel, Devil revolves around Daniel H. Burnham (Reeves), a demanding but visionary architect who races to make his mark on history with the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Dr. H. H. Holmes, America’s first modern serial killer and the man behind the notorious “Murder Castle” built in the fair’s shadow. (DiCaprio is not expected to have an on-screen role as of press time.)

Roundups #82: Paramount Provides Outdated EPG For Nicktoons Africa, Dressed For Mourning Coming Soon To Citi TV And StarSat To Double Down On Dubs With Second Zulu Drama Series

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Could Nicktoons be on the chopping block?

Although, there's no official confirmation about the channel's demise within the region. Nicktoons has been less toonie as the lineup is jam-packed with mainly current shows from Nickelodeon with a few discrepancies here and there.

Apparently, MultiChoice provides two alternate schedules of the channel same with Nick Jr. but as mentioned the discrepancies are more transparent with Nicktoons as the channel lists Program To Be Confirmed online while DStv's EPG mentions Alvin although it's Horrid Henry.

It's believed at this point that the only reason Nicktoons is just offering a duplicate selection to Nickelodeon is Paramount's way of phasing out the channel and cancelling out potential liabilities like Horrid Henry with NickMusic's fate in question.

Women In Black coming soon to Ghana

Citi TV a Ghanaian channel that features a unique blend of credible, authentic and timely news, current affairs as well as compelling non-news programming will soon introduce the rumoured TLNovelas series titled Mujeres De Negro (Dressed For Mourning).

Mujeres De Negro follows the rich coastal town of Encino Blanco, three married couples spend the weekend at Coral Beach while their husbands go on their already traditional fishing trip on a yacht. Not far from the pier, the yacht suddenly explodes. Only chips remain on the surface. In seconds they lost their husbands, and they have to go on with their lives without them...just as they planned.

The series stars Mayrín Villanueva, Alejandra Barros, Ximena Herrera and Arturo Peniche.

More local dubs are heading your way

eMedia has seen success with eExtra's Kuiertyd that it's consolidated this content onto more platforms only for MultiChoice to ramp up a similar offering on kykNET & Kie with StarTimes doing something similar which is no way competition.

Earlier in the year, StarSat launched its first Zulu dubbed show with Phillipine revenge drama Blood Sisters on St Novelas now they'll be launching a second Zulu dubbed show but this time for the channel St Rise worst part they pick Waaris (The Heir).

Waaris follows Amba, who belongs to a Punjabi family, gives birth to a girl child. However, circumstances force her to hide the gender of her baby and raise her like a boy. The series aired on Zee World, Zee One and eExtra and now it's also launching on St Rise from August 22nd.

CNN+ And HBO Max To Be Reduced To A Tile On Warner Bros. Discovery's Revamped Streaming Service In 2023

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These past months, Warner Bros. Discovery has been scaling back on content investment so to save themselves some extra cash. They've scrapped several HBO Max productions like Gordita Chronicles, Little Ellen, Batgirl and Scoob: Holiday Haunt while some of the linear channels scale back on original programming.

As mentioned in Warner Bros. Discovery's earning call, HBO Max and Discovery+ will merge into one single streaming service and with these cutbacks from Warner's side as opposed to Discovery. The streaming service is said to hold more HBO than Discovery as HBO will be managing most if not all the content under a single tile.

Of course, these won't have as much affect on Cartoon Network as it will likely get its own tile on the merged streaming service same with Adult Swim if anything I'm expecting Cartoonito under CN's tile with Boomerang doing just Boomerang.

Warner Bros. Discovery attempted to spun off CNN as an independent brand with the launch of the short-lived streaming service CNN+ which has apparently been revived on Discovery+ and not HBO Max since the content is unscripted which the streamer lacks.

When Discovery+ and HBO Max eventually merge by 2023, CNN will form a tile on the streamer despite housing unscripted entertainment the platform very much unifies their offering from the rest of Warner Bros. Discovery's portfolio as ID has a lawnmower while CNN has a tractor with TLC living in a palace with CNN owning a resort with 5 star resort.

South Africa hasn't got access to any of these streamers seen with Netflix, The Walt Disney Company's Disney+, MultiChoice's Showmax and eMedia's eVOD but Europe will get it by early 2024 with Asia Pacific occupying the middle with Africa likely to get it close to the end of that year or early 2025.

'Days Of Our Lives': Could The Sand In The Hourglass Be Heading To A New Era In South Africa?

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NBC’s long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives will be leaving broadcast television after 57 years to stream exclusively on Peacock, the network announced on Wednesday. The change means that fans who previously have been able to watch the show for free on broadcast will now have to pay for a streaming service to learn what happens next in the show’s fictional town of Salem.

“With a large percentage of the Days of Our Lives audience already watching digitally, this move enables us to build the show’s loyal fanbase on streaming while simultaneously bolstering the network daytime offering with an urgent, live programming opportunity for partners and consumers,” Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a press release.

Earlier in the year, Days Of Our Lives was swept out of e.tv's primetime offering as eMedia tries to boost their original offering with eMedia Investments expected to invest R100 million in their streaming endeavours which has seen success as the company was able to obtain half a million registrations and record breaking ratings.

Of course, Days Of Our Lives' absence still haunts a lot of consumers as they've been following the soap for half a century when it began on the free-to-air SABC 3 channel which was known at the time as CCV channel and after the SABC's controversial COO at the time Hlaudi Motsoeneng put up a ban for international series forcing the drama to air close to midnight. 

As seen earlier in the year, the sand in the hourglass for e.tv has come to an end after almost 5 years of broadcast which has some feeling agitated over an outlet to this ongoing soap opera.

Peacock overseas decided to move Days away from cable as the ratings have been slipping on a year to year basis as direct-to-consumer becomes a top priority for international brands like The Walt Disney Company.

Before this news came into affect, Vodacom's defunct streaming service supplied Bold And The Beautiful another ongoing soap opera and rival to Days Of Our Lives after it was swept out of SABC's lineup due to the corrupt bold man thereafter MultiChoice's DStv as AMC International opt to not supply EVA channel which was the home of Bold on cable.

As it is a lot of long format or in other terms old timers like The Simpsons moved from cable to streaming for consumers in South Africa as The Walt Disney Company retracted the FOX channel as they plan to become a digital exclusive platform like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Now Days Of Our Lives being a digital exclusive doesn't seem far fetched and on Peacock although not available in the region as yet wouldn't be far fetched a stretch as well seeing as Days Of Our Lives: Beyond Salem which is a spinoff to be the soap can be viewed on the platform.

Peacock on top of being a streaming service is owned by NBCUniversal the same people that own Days Of Our Lives and now the chances of it suffering the franchise getting swept on this platform is close to zero but questions amount to how this service will eventually rollout in South Africa

As it is, Peacock is just another Showmax holds a lot of third party content, limited original content and is not knowledgeable by a lot of consumers as seen with Netflix and Disney+. In some regions, the platform was able to fold under Paramount+ which is expected in Africa by early next year but that doesn't guarantee it will supply Peacock.

Peacock is a very complicated case as outlined there's not much to offer on the table that you would dump a hamburger for a salad while others found comfort on Paramount+ (also known to some as SkyShowcase). Others got it as standalone as seen overseas while others found comfort in a local provider to which I nominate Showmax.

Say what you want about their owners MultiChoice but NBCUniversal has a tight relationship to the company as they supply the only alternative to M-Net on the DStv platform as others were retracted due to content or management changes. On top of that, the movie offering on Studio Universal can come in handy when you're avoiding cartoons.

Roundups #81: The Doodlebops And Fast And The Furious Spy Racers Has Been Uploaded Onto eToonz, Reeva Steenkamp Documentary Coming Soon To M-Net And The Flash Cancelled After 9 Seasons By The CW

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Home is where the happy is

eToonz, South Africa's only free-to-air kids channel on Openview and soon on DStv as eMedia had been granted rights to reinstate the channels following pending investigation which could take up to 6 months welcomed two series Doodlebops and Fast And The Furious: Spy Racers.

Doodlebops follows Deedee, Rooney and Moe Doodle a rock and roll band as they hang out and practice their song and dance routines in the coolest rehearsal space imaginable. The series features music, dance, comedy and pro-social educational issues.

Fast And Furious: Spy Racers based on the popular franchise Fast And The Furious follows the adventures abound as a group of teenagers infiltrates an elite racing league controlled by a nefarious organization that is bent on world domination.

M-Net is bringing Reeva Steenkamp to life with a three-part docuseries

It has been nine years since Steenkamp was brutally shot and killed by her world-famous paralympic athlete boyfriend Oscar Pistorius - a murder still deeply embedded in the minds of millions worldwide.

M-Net announced that it would be airing #MyNameIsReeva on #MNet101 on 25 August at 20:30. The docuseries seeks to depict the untimely passing of a beautiful, intelligent, and loved woman in her prime.

The CW continues to get chopped

It’s official: The upcoming ninth season of The Flash on the CW will be its last. It will debut in 2023 and consist of 13 episodes, making this the shortest season of its run.

The 13-episode midseason order would put The Flash series finale just weeks ahead of the planned June 23 release of Warner Bros.’ The Flash movie starring Ezra Miller as the title character. Coincidentally, the long-delayed film originally was announced just a week after The Flash series’ October 7 premiere on the CW. The series’ ending is expected to wrap its own storyline and not set up the movie in any way, sources said.

The CW brass has been diligent about giving its signature series a proper ending, when possible. The Flash is one of two legacy shows whose next seasons will be last, along with Riverdale.

Recap: The State Of Warner Bros Discovery Including Series Cancellations, Merger Of HBO Max And Discovery+ And Cartoon Network's Dismal Offering

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During the week, Warner Bros. Discovery cancelled several original productions like Scoob: Holiday Haunt, Batgirl and Little Ellen but here's the thing out of three two had finished production all that was left was distribution with the last being Little Ellen which was renewed ahead of time but recent changes suffered the same effects as the others.

Later today, Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to address these changes alongside unveil more details in regard to the merger of HBO Max and Discovery+.

News broke out about the merger started around the time prior to the time WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. functioned seperately and were on the verge of becoming Warner Bros. Discovery as seen with these recent cancellations the streamer is said to hold more Discovery than HBO.

The news has seen immense backlash for not only HBO Max fans but also Discovery has not a lot of consumers are accustomed to Cake Boss or Dr. Pimple Popper.

But if you look at the cutbacks from a clearer perspective, it actually helps a streamer like Disney+ which has been lacking in adult entertainment overseas.

HBO Max and Discovery+ have their 50% but if you look on Discovery there's reality, lifestyle, wildlife, factual, decor, motor, food and homegrown programming which is a lot you can do with a measly 50% while HBO had mostly dramas and movies before I can expand further some of Discovery+ content can be slotted under general entertainment which is where HBO Max sits.

Not that I'm happy about the downfall of HBO Max but if you kind of look at this merger just evens out the content as seen on Netflix the only brand I'm more curious about at this point is Cartoon Network alongside Cartoonito which has established linear presence internationally.

As it is there has been I wouldn't say cutbacks as seen with TNT, TBS and The CW but production is very slow as most shows have gone through development hell while others are ending soon and I wouldn't be shocked if Adult Swim got caught into the mix following the cancellation of Close Enough.

Cartoon Network Is In Shambles, Is A Recovery Plan Underway?

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On Thursday, Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to make some shocking announcement that will have the media to its core as if there wasn't enough of it following the cancellation of original content through TNT, The CW and likely HBO Max.

WarnerMedia has been in trouble for a while which was part of the reason this merger with Discovery Inc. came to the equation. There's been a lot of mismanagement with some of their brands and it seems if the cat is finally getting out of the bag for one of their channels, Cartoon Network.

Cartoon Network has been a top priority for me as a kid as I didn't have much alternatives at the time. I remember when I would just leave my TV on and watch classics like Time Squad, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, Megas XLR, Sheep In The Big City and The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy.

Cartoon Network was my sanctuary but over the years that had changed trust me when I say the brand hasn't stopped being a top priority for me as I struggle to find the same essence on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel not that they don't have anything interesting but the channel was like a new addition to the family

Through puberty that all changed as they had all the options at their fingertips like Mighty Magiswords, Steven Universe, OK K.O. Let's Be Heroes, Victor And Valentino, Infinity Train and Adventure Time but struggled to balance all these shows out.

Treat it like high school, there was that subject everyone loved (Teen Titans GO!), that subject you'd consider a liability (Mao Mao: Heroes Of Pure Heart) and those that are there for some logical reason (The Amazing World Of Gumball or D.C. Superhero Girls).

As the pupil tries to juggle life sees their expectations go down the drainage pipe which was the case for Cartoon Network. I don't remember the last time I watched Cartoon Network as I'd rather what's on the channel but from what I remembered last 3 shows made up their whole schedule.

Believe or not, this led to most of their efforts such as Summer Camp Island to go off unnoticed. Oh sure, there's not much homework going onto the table but why should it matter as it is part of the syllabus.

Point is this led to a decline in viewers and if it wasn't for Redraw Your World who knows where the channel could have ended up. As the brand starts rebuilding a new identity a lot happens behind the scene.

Most of the homework goes missing or is shelved or on the verge of being shelved. On top of the missing homework, the child now studies less subjects as the school experience a shortage in staff which just leads to further cutbacks.

As of this moment, Cartoon Network only has 3 current original series Teen Titans GO!, Craig Of The Creek and We Baby Bears everything else from Victor And Valentino to Elliot From Earth is either cancelled or going through hiatus.

As it is the channel has greenlit several shows like My Adventures With Superman, Batman: Caped Crusader and Invincible Fight Girl but as seen with the recent management of Warner Bros. Discovery the SCOOB sequel had been canned as things were wrapping up while Infinity Train is seen on a rival brand, Netflix.

Just as the channel starts to regain consciousness, it's put back in the ICU is there any hope for the time will tell.

Roundups #80: The Purges Of HBO Max

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In the last several months, Warner Bros. Discovery has been making headlines for the bulk of cutbacks seen on HBO Max and today we give a roundup of some of the most shocking news that makes us believe that the Netflix giant is becoming a vegetable.

1. Gordita Chronicles ends its run after one season as streamer steps back from live-action for family and kids

“Live-action kids and family programming will not be part of our programming focus in the immediate future, and as a result, we’ve had to make the very difficult decision to end Gordita Chronicles at HBO Max,” the statement reads. “The series earned critical acclaim and a loyal following, and we are proud to have worked with creator Claudia Forestieri and our two powerhouse executive producers, Eva Longoria (who also masterfully directed the pilot) and Zoe Saldaña, to bring Cucu’s journey to the screen. We thank them and the talented cast and crew for creating such a heartfelt, groundbreaking show that connected deeply with a very important demographic.”

For more info: click here

2. Scoob sequel had been shelved

Scoob! was a CG-animated prequel story that told the origin of Mystery, Inc., including the first meeting of Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, while also introducing various other members of the Hanna-Barbera universe, like Falcon and Captain Caveman, who made their theatrical feature film debut. In the movie, Scooby and the gang face their most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this dogpocalypse, the gang discovers that Scooby has an epic destiny greater than anyone imagined.

The first look at Scoob!: Holiday Haunt was shown during an HBO Max teaser at the end of 2021. Scoob! director Tony Cervone confirmed a sequel was in the works, sharing his excitement for the project. "Actually, we are kicking the tires on a follow-up to Scoob! " Cervone revealed to Comic Book Movie . "It hasn't been announced yet, but it's something we're all excited about. The whole creative team that made the first movie is still around and back and working on something new. It was neat to create this Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe, and it's exciting to return to it.

3. Batgirl movie had been shelved despite post production

Warner Bros. Discovery will not release “Batgirl,” either theatrically or on HBO MAX, the media has learned. The $90 million project is effectively dead.

“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future,” according to Warner Bros. Picture Spokesperson.

Made under a previous regime, “Batgirl” was initially designed to be an HBO Max release, and then was being considered for theatrical distribution. Due to COVID issues and shutdowns, the budget ballooned to $90 million.

The movie stars “In the Heights” breakout star Leslie Grace in the title role of Barbara Gordon.

4. HBO Max halts original production in major parts of Europe

As the media conglomerate looks to recalibrate its streaming priorities, it will no longer produce originals for HBO Max in the Nordics (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland), Central Europe, the Netherlands and Turkey, and will also remove some content from its platform in order to free up licensing deals elsewhere.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Discovery said:

“As we continue to work on combining HBO Max and discovery+ into one global streaming service showcasing the breadth of content across Warner Bros. Discovery, we are reviewing our current content proposition on the existing services. As part of this process, we have decided to remove a limited amount of original programming from HBO Max, as well as ceasing our original programming efforts for HBO Max in the Nordics and Central Europe. We have also ceased our nascent development activities in the newer territories of Netherlands and Turkey, which had commenced over the past year.

“Our commitment to these markets has not changed,” the statement continues. “We will continue to commission local content for Warner Bros. Discovery’s linear networks in these regions and we remain substantial acquirers of local third-party content for use on our streaming services.”

For more info: click here

5. Several original films have been removed from the platform

Within the past few weeks, at least six Warner Bros. movies have been removed from HBO Max: “Moonshot ,” a sci-fi rom-com starring Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse; artificial-intelligence dystopia comedy “Superintelligence ,” starring Melissa McCarthy; Robert Zemeckis’ 2020 remake of “The Witches,” starring Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci and Chris Rock; comedy “An American Pickle,” starring Seth Rogen as an immigrant who wakes up after being pickled for 100 years; Doug Liman heist pic “Locked Down” with Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor; and drama “Charm City Kings” from director Angel Manuel Soto.

All six of the films were labeled as “Max Originals.” The removals were noted by users on Reddit in a discussion of the Warner Bros. decision to nix plans to release “Batgirl” — in theaters, on HBO Max or via any other platform.

Meanwhile, the reboot of comedy classic “House Party,” from LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill, was previously slated to premiere July 28 on HBO Max but was scrubbed from the release calendar.

6. Warner Bros. Discovery to lay off more staff

Hollywood is abuzz with speculation approaching Warner Bros. Discovery’s first quarterly earnings since becoming the nation’s No. 2 entertainment giant on Thursday. Multiple insiders told sources they expect Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav to announce a major restructuring of marquee streaming platforms HBO Max and Discovery+ during its results or soon after.

The move will result in a gutting of HBO Max, significant layoffs for its executives and staff to minimize redundancies with HBO and a combined streaming service with Discovery+ with a harder line separation between the scripted and unscripted content operations.

Warner Bros. Discovery Updates (Rumour): HBO To Remain As A Premium Cable Channel And HBO Max To Fold Under Discovery+ With Scripted Programming Cancelled

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Following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery. The company has taken several drastic steps like making CNN a standalone company accompanied by the launch of the short-lived streaming service CNN+ and the sale of The CW which has seen most shows get scrapped.

Questions amounted to the plans Warner Bros. Discovery had for the future of the business and thanks to sources it seems as if we finally get our answer.

As reported last month, HBO Max will stop producing live-action shows for family and kids basically killing off Cartoon Network's future plans in that field and making the brand animation exclusive but things get worse as the streaming platform is said to no longer offer original content.

This is just a rumour but then would it be shocking if it was true as TNT, TBS and The CW all brands under the WarnerMedia portion of Warner Bros. Discovery no longer produce original content. Since then, these channels have been seen airing several Discovery shows which again was another rumour for HBO Max.

HBO Max is said to not only be shifting to unscripted programming but merging onto Discovery+ so there's no telling what will happen to productions like Hacks, Peacemakers and Gossip Girl but if I had to guess they'll likely form part of the premium HBO channel.

Compared to the Turner brands, HBO hasn't been phased by these changes and has seen more success with their original productions so I'm just saying it makes total sense to keep the channel and consolidate most if not all the scripted stuff under the channel if HBO Max will just be a mere tile what better way then with HBO.

I know most people are pissed off with the rise in Discovery and less WarnerMedia but if you look at it from a business perspective. Discovery Inc had more to offer on the table than WarnerMedia.

WarnerMedia's unscripted entertainment was big enough for two channels while as Discovery Inc. had enough stock over 10 channels. Internationally, you find brands like Discovery Max, Real Time and Discovery Science all supplying content from other stations.

But that's not what's got me curious about these changes but the whole branding of the business Warner Bros. Discovery if there's more Discovery than Warner wouldn't it make sense for the business to simply be known as Discovery if the closest anyone has to Warner is Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and HBO.