News Shorts: Qhayiya Phato To Debut New Book Noxolo The Bride Later In 2023, Star Life Hits A New Low With The Rebroadcast Of The Inseparables And Abafana Ababi To Make Its Linear Debut On e.tv

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Qhayiya Phato to rollout Cinderella inspired novel

Noxolo The Bride follows the titular character on her journey to self discovery. She falls in love with Sandile but has to overcome the demons that prevent her and the groom to be from ever finding true happiness. Production on the novel began began back in 2022 and is anticipated to rollout later in the year.

The author Qhayiya Phato manages the blog Yeah Mzansi! and is also manages several fan accounts for eMedia Investments and MultiChoice.

Sister duo Jeevika and Maanvi are back on Star Life

The Inseparable Is a story of Jeevika Chaudhary and Maanvi Chaudhary are two orphan sisters living in Rishikesh with there grandmother, uncle, aunt and cousin while Viren Singh Vadhera and Virat Singh Vadhera are two brothers hailing from an elite family of lawyers in Chandigarh. The two sisters are inseparable tho there outlook towards life are totally different. Maanvi loves and respects Jeevika as though she is her mother.

The series premieres March 23 replacing Kulfi - The Singing Star.

Robin Hood based comedy to rollout on e.tv

Abafana Ababi a brand new locally produced action comedy starring Thomas Gumede as Thebe, a comical cool cat, Matli Mohapeloa as Gift, a slick ladies’ man and Justin Strydom as Stuard Rembrand, the crime boss. Thebe and Gift are best friends from Orlando, Soweto, who grew up poor with aspirations of being rich. They take the easy road and get into a life of crime, and make it big as two bandits modelled on Robin Hood – stealing from the wealthy (who acquired their money from dirty deals in the first place), and then share their takings with the community.

The film airs Sunday at 20:00 from March 19.

HBO Max (Or Max) Will Likely Fold Under MultiChoice's Showmax Streaming Service, No Word On Discovery+ As Yet

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During the month, NBCUniversal in partnership with MultiChoice are planning to rollout a revamped Showmax streaming service featuring content from the highly anticipated streamer, Peacock. Of course details about the pricing have yet to be revealed.

As some are probably unaware, NBCUniversal has done several partnerships with MultiChoice over the years aside from Universal, DreamWorks and E! and the digital component Universal+. Through their Sky service, MultiChoice was able to distribute a number of television sets.

This deal doesn't come as a shock, not that I was anticipating something like this but the reality is Peacock coming as a standalone put itself in a very risky position hence the reason SkyShowcase (a merger with Paramount+) exists in various European markets.

All of this had got me thinking about Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming service.

As some consumers are aware these two are set to the last entry in Africa as we got most of the major streaming services Netflix, BritBox, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock (as mentioned) with Paramount+ gearing up for its rollout later in the year.

Last year, it was stated that HBO Max and Discovery+ would merge to form this giant streaming service which would have complicated things as the HBO side of the business was waiting till 2025 for contracts to go null therefore giving HBO Max the greenlight.

Compared to HBO Max, there was no problem in getting Discovery+ out to those regions which had a deal in place for the other streamer. If it wasn't for this restructure, we could have gotten Discovery+ or at least recieved an update about the platform in Africa.

After several months, it was revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery scrapped plans to merge these two but would rather keep Discovery+ intact as it's cheap while boost the lineup of HBO Max (soon Max) as the brand had seen a cutback of original content back in 2021.

In April, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to unveil more details about this new Max streaming service which I honestly think won't be made available to African consumers compared to Discovery+.

As mentioned, they will be the last entry to the streaming game and as above-mentioned streamers have been reeling in potential consumers. With that in mind is it possible that HBO Max will fold under Showmax?

Showmax is home to various locally produced content and they also supply a number of international content from NBC, Starz, CBS Studios, Sony Pictures Television. They also supply various titles exclusive to HBO Max alongside catalogue from Adult Swim.

MultiChoice even have various linear channels from HBO Max's parent company including TNT, Discovery Channel, TLC and Cartoon Network. Even supply various shows to M-Net such as The Flight Attendant and House Of Dragons which serves as a spinoff to Game Of Thrones.

Showmax becoming the official home to HBO Max wouldn't be far fetched as Warner Bros. Discovery in recent months had signed deals with local broadcasters in Australia and Japan which go over 2025 which boosts the possibility of the same outcome in Africa.

Showmax in general supplies content various content from BritBox and Paramount+. With those deals set to expire, it's possible these streamers would want to keep the content abroad their platforms and distribute them across linear stations.

HBO Max benefits Showmax in the long run as it would help build their international portfolio and help them serve as a strong contender to Netflix and Disney+ which too have a lot of international content in the pipeline. I'm just so lost with with plans for Discovery+.

I mean the platform has too much content that I feel not everything would fit under Showmax so maybe Discovery+ being the only standalone platform wouldn't be a bad idea and MultiChoice distributing a freemium version also wouldn't be a bad thing for DStv consumers.

Before the merger, Discovery Inc. wasn't expecting Discovery+ to be Disney+ big or to compete with other streaming services mentioned here so far.  So all I'm saying is HBO Max being apart of Showmax isn't a bad thing as consumers can't pay for all these platforms.

Discovery+ could as well serve as both a freemium and pay-tv type service. Showmax could bundle selected content particularly premium or first run content perhaps.

Recap To Last Year: The Disappearance Of BBC UKTV On The Openview Platform

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Last year, eMedia Investments in partnership with BBC Studios unveiled South Africa's first free-to-air entertainment channel, BBC UKTV. A general entertainment channel featuring a selection of content ranging from doccies, lifestyle, dramas and kids shows.

Some of the content in question includes Top Gear, Live At The Apollo, Midsomer Murders, Come Dine With Me, Wild Africa, Planet Earth and Yakka Dee.

As of 2023, the channel has yet to materialize on the Openview platform with eMedia Investments and BBC Studios remaining on any developments about the channel with the latter added to MultiChoice's DStv as a cheapo on the Easyview bouquet.

It has led to an onslaught of angry Openview consumers some pointing the finger at MultiChoice as eMedia Investments rolls out the pay-tv version to the current free-to-view Openview platform, Ultraview.

Before any word about what the offering or how the bouquet would be priced. They were several Openview consumers who believed that BBC UKTV will form part of Ultraview technically not a DStv problem but a DStv effect as it seems.

If this turned out to be a reality, eMedia Investments alongside BBC UKTV would have deceived several media outlets alongside current Openview consumers with BBC Studios serving as an accomplice I mean the channel comes with a fee on DStv.

But the idea of BBC UKTV being a pay-tv channel wouldn't be the most shocking for Openview I can imagine them reviving ITV Choice or sourcing another DStv channel e.g. BBC News to tag along in this new setup.

All that is known at the moment is that eMedia Investments has yet to rollout a new channel to the free component of Openview. If the supposed channel isn't BBC UKTV then it could mean that plans for the channel were likely scrapped at this point.

The Regular Nick Effect: Breaking News From Across The World From In The Last 7 Days Dated March 11

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From The Clone To Prisoner No. 1: We Present A List Of Shows From The 2010s That Have Never Aired On Telemundo Africa

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Telemundo has been in the African market for almost a decade offering a mixture of action, comedy, drama and romance. But what some may not be aware is that there's a number of series that haven't been seen on the channel.

And we're not referring to the shows below 2009 which most viewers would find outdated although they're great shows like El Diablo and La Tormenta. But this content dates as far as 2010 some even 2017 yet they remain to not be seen on the channel.

Considering these shows have no chance of airing on the channel, I just think it's best everyone knows that some of this content was picked up or filmed in English but somewhere along the line they were scrapped before even hitting African shores.

Here it is the list of shows that haven't aired on the African feed of Telemundo:

1. El Clon (The Clone)

Based on the Brazilian telenovela O Clone, this melodrama features a love triangle featuring Lucas, a handsome hero, challenging his clone for the love of an enticing, exotic woman. Lucas is young when he falls for a young Arab girl named Jade. She is caught between modern values and her Islamic upbringing. They separate and two decades pass. Then a strange turn of luck brings the pair together. Then Jade meets the clone, who is just like Lucas, but twenty years younger. She must choose between the man she loved and the memory she cherishes.

This limited run melodrama, which starred Mauricio Ochmann and Sandra Echeverría, deals with topics such as drug trafficking, cloning and Islam.

2. La Diosa Coronada (The Crowned Goddess)

The story is based on Angie Sanclemente Valencia's involvement in the transportation of cocaine from Argentina to Europe. The series stars Carolina Guerra, Arap Bethke, Jonathan Islas, Carolina Gaitán, Rodolfo Valdés and Margarita Reyes.

3. Ojo Por Ojo (Eye For An Eye)

From Gustavo Bolivar, the story is based on Laura Restrepo's novel, "El Leopardo al Sol" while borrowing some elements of William Shakespeare's " Romeo and Juliet ". The series stars Gaby Espino, Miguel Varoni, Gregorio Pernía, Carmen Villalobos and Gonzalo Garcia Vivanco.

4. Amar De Nuevo (Love Again)

The story begins one tragic day, when Frijolito was in a traffic accident with his best friend Palito and his parents, Salvador and Veronica. Veronica's cousin, Bulmaro, had received orders from his boss, Max, to cause the accident. Max wanted revenge on Salvador, as he had hoped to get closer to Veronica. After that day, everything changed. Frijolito and Salvador were killed in the accident, Veronica was in a coma for two years and Palito was entrusted to the care of his grandmother Lily.

The series stars Patricia Garza, Eduardo Rodríguez, Alejandro Felipe and Jorge Eduardo García.

5. Flor Salvaje (Wild Flower)

Based on the novel La Novia Oscura, the series follows a young girl who loses her mother and brother all in one day. Only to then be abandoned with her three younger sisters by her father. It stars Mónica Spear, Tony Dalton José Luis Reséndez, Roberto Manrique, María Elisa Camargo and Gregorio Pernía.

6. Camelia La Texana

The story of a naive and beautiful young woman who tries to escape her destiny. The story begins in the 1970s when young Camelia and her mother flee one of Mexico's most dangerous capos, Don Antonio. Camelia's beauty attracts a lot of attention, jealousy from other women and infatuation on the part of many men, who fall powerless at her feet. Her mother tries to protect her from the fate that pursues her, but as she sets off in search of adventure Camelia meets the man who will be the love of her life, and also her betrayer: Emilio Varela. The series stars Sara Maldonado, Erik Hayser, Andrés Palacios and Dagoberto Gama.

The story is based on the song titled "Contrabando y Traición" by Los Tigres del Norte.

7. Villa Paraíso

Cristina, a beautiful young woman who fights to preserve the family heritage stays an apartment complex called "Villa Paraíso" which she inherited from her parents. The tenants are more than friends and little by little they become a big family. It stars Ximena Duque and David Chocarro as the main protagonists, while Silvana Arias and Ricardo Chávez star as the main antagonists.

8. Celia

Based on the life of Celia Cruz, it tells the story of one of the legends of Latin music and her major international career. We know the beginnings of her passion for singing in Cuba starting in 1950, and her recognition as the most decisive singer of La Sonora Matancera. The series stars Jeimy Osorio, Aymée Nuviola, Modesto Lacén, Willy Denton, Carolina Gaitán, Abel Rodríguez and Margoth Velásquez.

9. Mariposa de Barrio

Based on the autobiography Unbreakable: My Story, My Way authored by Jenni Rivera before her death. The inspiring and poignant story will follow in the footsteps of Jenni Rivera towards a dream of fame; An autobiographical journey from birth, based on her book "Unbreakable", as well as unpublished testimonies that reveal, as never before, her own family and explore her life as a daughter, mother, wife, lover and artist.

It stars Angélica Celaya, Gabriel Porras, Rosalinda Rodríguez, Samadhi Zendejas, Tony Garza, Regina Orquín, Enrique Montaño, Adrián Carvajal, Adriano Zendejas, Emmanuel Morales, Xavier Ruvalcaba, Raúl Sandoval and Mauricio Novoa.

10. José José, El Príncipe De La Canción

The fictionalized life story of Mexican singer and composer known as José José, based upon his autobiographical memoirs. It stars Alejandro de la Madrid, María Fernanda Yepes Itatí Cantoral, Danna Paola and Rosa María Bianchi

11. Prisoner No. 1 (Preso No. 1)

The story of a humble farmer who becomes President of Mexico. When he is falsely accused of fraud and incarcerated, he must fight back against the corrupt system behind the scheme and clear his name for the sake of his country and family. It stars Erik Hayser, Alejandra Ambrosi, Alejandro de la Madrid, Mariana Seoane, Arturo Peniche and Angélica Celaya.

Recap To The Past Week: Rubi 2004 Is Coming To TLNovelas Africa, No Word On The Follow-Up To Classic Series

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During the month, TLNovelas unveiled a brand new on air look and as seen in various European territories they were being nostalgic with by rolling out a couple of classic content and from what was seen through various outlets the 2004 adaptation of Rubi is gearing up for its debut on the channel.

Based on Yolanda Vargas's 1963 serial Lágrimas, Risas Y Amor, the series follows the titular character living in a poor household comprised of herself, her single, elderly mother Doña Refugio, and her older sister Cristina who is the breadwinner. They live in a rundown department complex. Thanks to the efforts of Cristina and Rubí's own academic brilliance, Rubí is able to get a partial scholarship at a prestigious private university. While majoring in Business Administration, Rubí befriends and envies Maribel, a crippled, shy, Spoiled Sweet girl.

Maribel meets Héctor, a rich architect, on the internet and the two quickly become a couple. However, Héctor finds himself very physically attracted to Rubí from the get-go. With Héctor comes Alejandro, a middle-class, talented physician who subtly pretends to be more well-off than he actually is in order to seduce Rubí. The two genuinely fall in love but due to Alejandro's trickery and Rubí's ambition, their relationship is ill-fated.

Rubí, overcame by heartbreak and her envy toward Maribel, sets out to seduce Héctor who she has proof is wealthy. She succeeds and they flee to Cancún the day of Héctor and Maribel's wedding. Once married to him, Rubí starts living her dream life, surrounded by luxury and a handsome, wealthy husband eager to please her. Unfortunately, she's no Karma Houdini and her deeds start catching up to her three years later when it's revealed that Alejandro became a Self-Made Man and that he and Maribel are now an item.

The series stars Bárbara Mori as Rubí Pérez Ocho, Eduardo Santamarina as Alejandro Cárdenas Ruiz, Jacqueline Bracamontes as Maribel de la Fuente Ortiz, Sebastián Rulli as Héctor Ferrer Garza, Ana Martín as Refugio Ochoa Vda. de Pérez and Yadhira Carrillo as Elena Navarro.

As advised the series airs on the channel daily at 19:05 from April 3rd. As for the follow-up which was initially announced, it has been filmed in English not sure what's going on in terms of premises but the original become one of the top shows while that one was the most hated so far amongst adaptations.

Our sources did hit us with the 2020 component but considering how behind the channel is on a number of aspects. I wouldn't hold my breath hoping for it to air at some point in the year cause honestly does anyone need the follow-up cause this version makes more sense to explore.

Recap From The Past Decade: Cartoon Network Is Experiencing Some Minor Setbacks

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Cartoon Network is a children's based entertainment channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery that is home to various animation such as We Baby Bears, Teen Titans GO!, Craig Of The Creek, Summer Camp Island and The Adventures Of Ivanhoe.

As seen this past decade, Cartoon Network has been branded off as The Teen Titans GO! Channel for some regions they tend to incorporate 2 other shows into the mix but when those fade away these wacky crime fighters are what's left of the channel.

I know some are probably annoyed by the show but you've got to admit kids love TTG! if it was able to live past 7 seasons and get 2 feature films and soon a spinoff Teen Titans GO! Presents The Night Begins To Shine.

For a while I thought the channel didn't care about most of their original shows as you had shows like Summer Camp Island getting brushed off on Sunday mornings, popular shows like OK! KO Let's Be Heroes becoming the least promoted show during its run on the channel.

But it wasn't until last year where we got a clear idea as to why Cartoon Network became The Teen Titans GO! Channel apparently the WarnerMedia part of Warner Bros. Discovery had been producing content with no proof of financial return on top of carrying a huge debt.

It led to speculation that Warner Bros. Discovery was shutting down the most popular channel in the African market and global but luckily the network acknowledged that and were able to put these people to sleep.

From what was mentioned last year, Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to turn Cartoon Network into an animation brand for kids and young adults I mean we got upcoming shows like Unicorn Warriors Eternal, Invincible Fight Girl and Tiny Toons Looniversity.

Can I say that of their upcoming slate are in development hell I mean some consumers were quick to speculate the demise of Cartoonito after their hours on Cartoon Network was reduced alongside the demise of Little Ellen and Scooby-Doo And The Mystery Pups.

Without realising that the main network is hovered with problems as well. As mentioned their yet-to-be-seen original slate has been delayed several times already UWC was meant to launch in 2021 and till now it hasn't been released.

Notice how the channel only has 1 original show which hasn't been cancelled We Baby Bears seeing as Teen Titans GO! is kind of under Warner Bros. Animation. Internationally, it is being covered up with shows like Lego Monkie Kid, Jade Armor and Big Blue.

All the more reason to show that Cartoonito isn't the only brand presented with obstacles even Cartoon Network.

Recap To The Past Week: Scooby-Doo And The Mystery Pups No Longer Moving Forward On HBO Max, Cartoonito Remains Safe In Case You're Wondering

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Cartoonito is a brand name Warner Bros. Discovery gives to their preschool offering and by the end of the March it would have replaced several Boomerang feeds across Europe. As seen this past week, Cartoonito lost another original show, Scooby-Doo And The Mystery Pups.

Announced in 2022, Scooby-Doo And The Mystery Pups was meant to serve as the first ever preschool series for the Scooby-Doo franchise. It would have featured Scooby and Shaggy as camp counselors who would be recruiting three pups as mystery solvers.

In a tweet by animation writer Roger Eschbacher, he mentioned that the show wrapped early as they lost their distribution to HBO Max so they're hoping another platform would pick up the project and this is not the first Scooby-Doo based project to have gotten canned as well.

Last year, they axed SCOOB!: Holiday Haunt despite the wrapping production to the film and curating a soundtrack. Not long ago, two projects had surfaced Haunted Highrise which would have welcomed back The Hex Girls and another on Krypto The Superdog.

Since word on these cancellations came out several consumers have started speculating the demise of Cartoonito. I mean sure the brand had severed some minor setbacks following the cancellation of Little Ellen but there's been some upsides in the process.

Batwheels launched in 2022 and become the most streamed show for preschoolers on HBO Max. Aside from that, it gained popularity internationally the same popularity that is currently found on Cartoon Network for several decades despite the fall in viewership in the U.S.

Paramount Global In Talks With Tyler Perry To Sell Majority Stake In BET

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Paramount Global is mulling the possible sale of a majority stake in BET Media Group, which includes the BET cable network, BET Studios and VH1, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The company believes BET, an entertainment brand focused on the Black community and culture, would attract substantial interest from Black investors or institutions, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

BET drew an immediate expression of interest from Byron Allen, whose Allen Media Group's assets include The Weather Channel. A spokesperson for Allen Media Group said it "will be pursuing the acquisition of the network."

Media mogul Tyler Perry, the actor and producer best known for the "Madea" movie franchise, also is interested bidding, according to the Wall Street Journal and various Hollywood trade publications.

Perry has a longstanding relationship with Paramount, partnering with the media company to launch the BET+ subscription service in 2019. He retains a minority stake in the service.

Paramount also formed BET Studios in 2021 through a partnership with "Black-ish" creator Kenya Barris, actress Rashida Jones and "S.W.A.T" co-creator Aaron Rahsaan Thomas.

Paramount hopes to maintain a minority stake to benefit from any value that might be unlocked by the transaction, the source said.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that Paramount was exploring a possible sale of BET as it looks to improve its balance sheet.