MultiChoice adds DreamWorks kids channel from NBCUniversal International Networks to DStv.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice has expanded its kids entertainment offering, adding the DreamWorks channel from NBCUniversal International Networks that went dark on China's StarTimes and StarSat.

DreamWorks, from NBCUniversal, disappeared from StarTimes and StarSat on 17 February a year and a half after it was added, with StarTimes that said in response to a media query last month that DreamWorks was gone "due to production being ceased in all African countries". 

NBCUniversal International Networks then told TVwithThinus that DreamWorks is actually not "ceasing production" but switching from StarTimes to MultiChoice's DStv soon.

MultiChoice confirmed earlier this month that DreamWorks will be added to DStv.

DreamWorks that will now be running as a 24-hour channel on DStv channel 304 and with content also placed on the DStv app, offers a slate of kids entertainment ranging from series like All Hail King Julien, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, The Boss Baby: Back in Business, Dragons: Race to the Edge, Dawn of the Croods and Trolls: The Beat Goes On! to The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants.

DreamWorks also carries pre-school programming aimed at two to five-year-olds under its "DreamWorks Junior" banner, including series like Postman Pat, Dragons Rescue Riders, Raa Raa: The Noisy Lion and Noddy Toyland Detective.

"We are thrilled to be expanding our long-standing, successful partnership with MultiChoice through its DStv platform, by bringing DreamWorks' animated series and its beloved characters to households across Sub-Saharan Africa," says Lee Raftery, managing director for the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region at NBCUniversal International Networks & Direct-to-Consumer, in a statement.

"DreamWorks offers the best in kids' entertainment for all the family, with a strong and engaging content slate that will captivate DStv subscribers of all ages."

NBCUniversal International Networks already supplies a collection of TV channels to MultiChoice's DStv including E! Entertainment, Sky News, Telemundo, Studio Universal, CNBC Africa (licensed to Africa Business News) and Universal TV. 

Georginah Machiridza, MultiChoice's executive head of content strategy and third party channels, says "As a business we continue to look for opportunities to expand both our local and international content offering across Africa. By adding DreamWorks, we believe we are adding more value and entertainment to our already expansive kids-entertainment portfolio".

"With DreamWorks, our customers can look forward to entertainment suitable for the whole family."

ALSO READ: DreamWorks axed on StarTimes and StarSat across Africa.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice confirms addition of NBCUniversal's DreamWorks channel, will add another movie channel later in 2022.

MultiChoice confirms addition of NBCUniversal's DreamWorks channel, will add another movie channel later in 2022.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice that is taking away the set of e.tv channels except for eNCA (DStv 403) and e.tv from 1 April confirmed on Wednesday that it's adding the DreamWorks kids TV channel from NBCUniversal, and will be adding another movie channel later in 2022.

MultiChoice is axing the eMovies, eMovies Extra, eExtra and eToonz channels from eMedia Investments from April, with these channels that will remain available on eMedia's Openview satellite service.

MultiChoice confirmed what TVwithThinus reported in mid-February, that NBCUniversal's DreamWorks kids channel, axed on China's StarTimes and StarSat, is being added to DStv soon, with DreamWorks that will be placed on DStv channel 304.

A revived KIX action channel is being made available to DStv Family and DStv Access viewers from 31 March on DStv channel 114.

"We constantly review our channel offering on DStv in line with our viewer's needs," says Nyiko Shiburi, MultiChoice SA CEO, in a statement.

"Although these four eMedia channels will no longer be available on DStv, customers still have access to a wide range of entertainment which includes 200 channels of movies, dramas, sport, kids, news, reality, and so much more."

MultiChoice was asked for comment in a media query regarding the removal of eMovies, eMovies Extra, eExtra and eToonz from DStv from April, why it decided not to renew the carriage agreement for these specific channels and what research or financial reasons informed the decision.

Comment will be added here when received.

MultiChoice is removing the 4 channels from DStv on the same day that its annual price increase for DStv subscriptions for 2022 comes into effect.

The removal of eMedia's channels from DStv, with the exception of eNCA and e.tv, means that all of e.tv's TV channels carried on DStv are being taken away.

ALSO READ: MultiChoice loses 4 eMedia channels from April, will continue to have eNCA and e.tv on DStv.

ALSO READ: DreamWorks axed on StarTimes and StarSat across Africa.

DreamWorks axed on StarTimes and StarSat across Africa.

by Thinus Ferreira

Pay-TV subscribers of China's StarTimes, operating as StarSat in South Africa, lost yet another TV channel on Thursday, this time DreamWorks that got axed today.

"The channel will be offline as at 17 February, due to production being ceased in all African countries," Luyanda Cele, StarSat spokesperson told TVwithThinus.

Dreamworks, from NBCUniversal International Networks, launched in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa on 3 August 2020 but is gone after a year and a half.

DreamWorks programming included series like Dragons: Race To The Edge, All Hail King Julien, The Adventures of Puss in Boots as well as Dinotrux and Noddy Toyland Detective.

NBCUniversal International Networks told TVwithThinus in response to a media query that "From 18 February, the DreamWorks Channel will no longer be available to StarTimes subscribers in Africa. The channel will be launching soon with DStv; we'll share more updates in the coming weeks".

ALSO READ: StarTimes adds NBCUniversal International Networks' DreamWorks animation kids channel for Africa and on StarSat in South Africa.

Here be Dragons: StarTimes adds NBCUniversal International Networks' DreamWorks animation kids channel for Africa and on StarSat in South Africa.

by Thinus Ferreira

China's StarTimes pay-TV operator in Africa has added the 24-hour DreamWorks kids animation channel from Monday 3 August to its TV channel line-up in sub-Saharan Africa as well as in South Africa where it operates under the StarSat brand on channel 301.

StarSat didn't respond to a media enquiry about the addition of DreamWorks and seeking a channel logo, a press release and more information.

NBCUniversal International Networks (NBCUIN) responded to a media enquiry.

Lee Raftery, managing director, NBCUniversal International Networks for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, says "Collaborating with StarTimes on bringing DreamWorks channel's award-winning shows and beloved characters to Sub-Saharan Africa is a key milestone for our business".

"We look forward to bringing young viewers the DreamWorks experience, with its compelling slate of adventurous and imaginative animated series, all in one family destination."

Lily Meng, head of StarTimes Media Division, says "We are excited to bring DreamWorks to Africa. This launch demonstrates our continuous commitment to providing premium content to African families. And it comes at a very timely moment, while most kids and parents are staying home."

The DreamWorks channel at launch will have various kids animation series like Dragons: Race To The Edge, All Hail King Julien, The Adventures Of Puss In Boots, as well as Dinotrux and Noddy Toyland Detective.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 23 July 2020.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ Disney, Sky and Netflix are the best of Frenemies.
Sky's pay-TV boss reveals - just like the case is with MultiChoice's DStv - an initial nervousness over allowing Netflix onto its Sky Q pay-TV service.

■ Ellen DeGeneres - Th evil stepmother of American daytime TV.

■ Woman tries to steal a 165 cm flatscreen TV set.

■ Love on the spectrum - a dating show that celebrates autism.

■ How I found my female legal mentors on TV.

■ As TV evolves, so too does the scale and scope of innovation.

■ Netflix's Indian Matchmaking misses the full story on arranged marriages.
 - Triggers debate.   - Doctor Who's Mandip Gipp slams the show over its portrayal of colourism.
-Viewers slam show as a "cesspool of casteims, colourism, sexism and classisim".

■ The 5th season of The Crown will only start in 2022.

How to shoot a TV sex scene during Covid-19 - cue the mannequins.

■ How Hollywood accidentally built Netflix.


■ Let the Game of Thrones Video Streaming Wars begin.
With the launch of Peacock in the United States, there is now Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Quibi, Hulu and a few other video streaming services. Now we'll see - literally - who survives.
- Psst: Long-term success will be determined by the user experience (UE) - the way in which and experience viewers have in discovering and controlling the content.


■ How the on-screen depiction of romance is changing in Korea's "K-dramas" and disappointing viewers.
It has to do with ... marriage.

■ When did reality TV get so sexual?

■ How far is too far? The most-complained and disgusting TV commercials of the past decade in the United Kingdom and Australia.

■ The traditional linear TV business tries to adapt ...
...  left managing a melting ice-cube while they adapt operations for a video streaming future.

■ StarTimes Nigeria to add DreamWorks animation TV channel in September.

■ CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) declares that M-Net's 5th season of Big Brother Naija on MultiChoice's DStv is evil.

■ Were the flashback scenes in the American drama series This Is Us seen on M-Net (DStv 101) filmed years in advance?

■ MultiChoice launches Enhanced Decoder Notification (EDN) for DStv decoders across Africa.
The new functionality adds icons that display different types of notifications on the Live TV screen

OOH, PENGUINS. DreamWorks Animation looking to launch multiple brand-new kids TV channels across the world with Fox.

Back in August already TV with Thinus reported about plans by Dreamworks to launch Dreamsworks as an international TV channel - now comes news that Dreamworks Animation has even bigger ambitions, wanting to launch multiple brand-new kids TV channels across the globe.

Dreamworks will be working with Fox to do so.

"Fox has been very excited about the DreamWorks branded channel as something that their international team seems to have a lot of enthusiasm for, and we've had good momentum in our conversations with them," says Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks' chief executive.

"We will look to find as many ways as we can to partner with Fox. They are a very, very strong force internationally in TV distribution. They have over 350 TV channels up and running today. It's hard to find a stronger, better force for us as we look at the international marketplace," he said during a conference call announcing DreamWorks' latest financial results.

DreamWorks aggressively exploring plans to launch its own TV channel internationally, and as a 'family channel'.

DreamWorks, the Hollywood studio of Jeffrey Katzenburg and Steven Spielberg, is "aggressively exploring" plans to launch DreamWorks as its own TV channel in America as well as internationally.

Jeffrey Katzenburg, releasing DreamWorks' second quarter results said that DreamWorks has TV channel ambitions and wants to establish "a DreamWorks channel with both domestic [United States] and international reach".

DreamWorks has created TV properties for Nickelodeon like Kung Fun Panda: The Series and Penguins of Madagascar and for the Cartoon Network, How to Train Your Dragon. DreamWorks also has a massive library of hundreds of titles. Some properties do however fall under other licensing deals which would make it impossible to immediately have on a DreamWorks TV channel, as well as some other arrangements keeping them off of DreamWorks' own TV channel.

"The brand has really begun to come into its own and it has real value. It is unique and differentiated and and so that created the opportunity for us to build a branded family channel."