TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. An elegy to FOX - and the unavoidable decline of linear pay-TV as you knew it.

by Thinus Ferreira

Cookie was halfway through her speech in a 4th season episode of Empire that was only halfway itself when Disney abruptly cut its FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) channel after midnight this morning in Africa - quite symbolic about just how little Disney still cares for linear pay-TV viewers and underscoring the bathetic decline of the once might empire that was traditional linear pay-television.

As global corporate crusts move - slowly but inexorably - and over time reshape the visage of the world's media and video industrial complex into new ages just like tectonic plates do the Earth, FOX's fate was sealed when Disney's corporate takeover of 21st Century Fox was complete and the Mouse House turned its eyes to video streaming.

Ironically, FOX, and the FOX Africa channel with its line-up of general entertainment content mostly funnelled from America, was the closest competitor ever to what MultiChoice's M-Net (DStv 101) has been for decades.

With a mix of average to above average TV shows, a sprinkling of some really must-see shows, working on mixing in a local South African and African flavouring, and even doing some surprisingly excellent and ultra-exclusive real-world media events that was truly awe-inspiring, FOX was fully on track to start beating and equalling the best premium television entertainment offerings - M-Net and BBC Studios with its BBC Brit and BBC First channels - with like-for-like, like-very-much content.

FOX Africa quickly grew to not only acquire cool content, but scheduled original shows commissioned specifically for Europe and Africa - content even filmed in South Africa. Where were international press from as far away as Russian flown to for a set visit and junket for Deep State? Cape Town.

The now-kneecapped FOX Africa wasn't an also-ran. It was a marathon sprinter clearly in it for the long haul. FOX had momentum. It had impetus. It had energy and vitality. And then overnight (thanks Disney!) corporate tectonic shifts zapped and neutered it.

Now it's all gone. Dismantled.

Some future tele-historians will maybe one day sift through the sands of this video ozymandias and ponder how (mis)fortune and fate give both life to - and kill - TV channels.

From MTV to FOX, today's cool TV behemoth filled with so much vigour, energy and tantalising immortality as if it will be with us forever, can turn into tomorrow's remnants of empty champagne glasses and tangled streamers  that are all that's left after a Great Gatsby party.

So much wasted potential. So much wasted ... everything.

The loss of FOX is not just a loss to pay-TV viewers. It's also a canary in the pay-TV coal mine. 

In its disgusting demise, corporate Disney's unscrupulous axing of FOX as part of executive decisions made oceans away and forced through internationally, is the most potent symbolic act yet of the slow, inevitable decline of linear television and traditional pay-TV in South Africa and Africa (similar to the TV seachange happening elsewhere in the world).

When FOX Africa as the undisputed runner-up to M-Net could get taken out as it was, you can bet that the seismic shock and warning it sends through the entire system - even if you can't feel its rumblings - it is something that affects the very  fabric and future of the ecosystem of traditional direct-to-home (DTH) satellite pay-TV to its core.

FOX and FOX Africa are gone. 

It's safe to say that the entire (still outwardly stable but internally so fragile) system of traditional linear pay-TV has sped so fast into the next epoch where more agile and smaller streamer mammals are trying to replace slow-moving dinosaurs, that we will never see another linear TV channel like it.

When FOX blacked out and forever blinked out of existence this morning just after midnight, as a TV viewer you became a living witness to a time in television that is an extinction-level event - with FOX just the latest of the last remaining greats to exit.

ALSO READ: Disney ends the FOX channel in Africa after 11 years, rips away 11th and final season ending of The Walking Dead from pay-TV viewers.

Disney ends the FOX channel in Africa after 11 years, rips away 11th and final season ending of The Walking Dead from pay-TV viewers.

by Thinus Ferreira

The FOX channel in Africa has turned into the walking dead with the last of its programming turning into a zombie schedule after Disney decided to end the channel on DStv and StarSat after 11 and a half years at the end of September, ripping away the ending of The Walking Dead from pay-TV subscribers across the continent.

In response to a media query from TVwithThinus, The Walt Disney Company Africa confirms that its FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) channel is ending on pay-TV services like MultiChoice's DStv, StarTimes and StarSat, as well as Zuku across sub-Saharan Africa at the end of September.

"On 30 September at 23:59 (CAT), the FOX channel across Africa will close," a South African spokesperson of The Walt Disney Company Africa says.

"As the television landscape and viewer consumption evolves, we continue to develop and review our products and services to ensure we are offering the best possible experience for consumers."

"We look forward to bringing consumers across Africa a vast array of factual, sports, and kids programming from our channels, including National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, ESPN, ESPN 2, Disney Channel and Disney Junior."

StarSat in response to a media query on Monday said that "the FOX channel will be offline as of 1 October, however FOX News will still air. This was a decision made by Disney to remove the channel". On StarSat the FOX channel has been available to Max and Super subscribers. 

MultiChoice in response to a media enquiry said that the "MultiChoice Group confirms that as of 30 September 2021 at 23:59, FOX will stop airing on DStv. The change is as a result of a review of various channels by The Walt Disney Company Africa, as the channel owner and ourselves". The FOX channel has been available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus and DStv Compact subscribers.

Asked how pay-TV subscribers watching FOX will see series and their endings like the final season of The Walking Dead and whether that content would be made available on-demand somewhere else, Disney says that "all current premiere series will air their full seasons before the channel closes".

"While the channel will be closing, many titles that aired on FOX will be available on Star on Disney+ when the service launches in South Africa in 2022".

Asked if FOX will be replaced in time by another similar type of linear TV channel or whether it's not part of Disney's strategy to run a general entertainment channel anymore like FOX was, Disney has no definitive answer.

Disney says that "across the globe, we continue to invest in both direct-to-consumer (DTC) and linear businesses, with the goal being providing our fans with multiple entry points to our content and our brand. We have substantial linear businesses in several markets including across Africa".

"We take a market-by-market approach and continuously evaluate our media networks business on an ongoing basis but have nothing else to announce at this time."

"Our number one priority is to bring customers the stories they love and our linear channels continue to be a compelling destination – including our genre-defining factual entertainment channels National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD, our action-pack sports channels ESPN and ESPN2, as well as our popular kids and family channels Disney Channel and Disney Junior."

Disney axed the FOX Life channel at the end of September 2020 on DStv and StarSat, and terminated Disney XD in the same month after nine years on DStv.

FOX's zombie-hyped start - and zombie ending

The FOX Africa channel started its linear broadcast life in May 2010 in South Africa as FOX Entertainment when On Digital Media (ODM) launched its TopTV satellite service (now StarSat) with several Fox-supplied channels that came and went over the years like FX, FOX Retro, FOX Life and FOX Crime.

FOX Entertainment rebranded to FOX from April 2013 after MultiChoice signed a new carriage deal to also carry FOX.

FOX became a solid B+ general entertainment channel coming close to rivaling premium channels like M-Net and BBC Entertainment over the past decade with shows like Falling Skies, Da Vinci's Demons, Empire, The Resident, Deep State as its first original Europe and Africa commissioned drama series, War of the Worlds recently and even stealing The Simpsons away from M-Net.

The biggest content contributor to the desirability factor of FOX as a TV channel however came in the licensing coup of AMC Studios' global zombie series hit The Walking Dead that started in October 2010 just as FOX began as a channel in South Africa and that is ending just as FOX is ending, with its 11th season that started on Sunday 22 August.

Ironically, after multiple seasons of doing both live late-night simulcast airings at the same time as in America, as well as "Express from the US" episodes where viewers in Africa saw The Walking Dead episodes within a day of broadcast after the United States, Disney is now ripping the show and how the story ends away from pay-TV subscribers who have been following it for a decade on FOX Africa.

Viewers of DStv, StarTimes and StarSat will not see any of the new weekly episodes of the concluding 11th season of The Walking Dead in August or September before FOX shuts down, with the show's latest season conspicuously absent from the FOX schedule.

Why FOX is ending

The FOX News (StarSat 261) channel from Fox Corporation will remain on StarTimes and StarSat but the axing of FOX Africa on StarSat and DStv is the culmination of the Walt Disney Company's corporate takeover of 21st Century Fox in 2019.

In May, Bob Chapek, Walt Disney CEO, said that Disney planned to close 100 of its remaining international FOX, FOX Crime and FOX Life channels, as well as several Disney Channel, Disney Junior and even some iterations of the National Geographic channels in various markets before the end of this year, from the United Kingdom and New Zealand, to Australia and across Southeast Asia.

Disney is shutting down these channels for two reasons: It wants to get rid of the "FOX" name in all its channel branding and assets, similar to how it renamed its studios of 20th Century Fox to 20th Century Studios and 20th Century Fox Television as 20th Television. 

Secondly, Disney wants to take back its content tied up in linear TV channel distribution deals and consolidate its content to put it all on its own Disney+ video streaming service that it is rolling out globally, with Bob Chapek who earlier this month in its latest investors' conference call said that "our direct-to-consumer business is the company's top priority".

Disney plans to launch Disney+ in South Africa from any time around June 2022.

Viewers noticed FOX sliding out of  focus

In May, viewers became alarmed when they started noticing that the FOX schedule suddenly began to zombify with a lot more rebroadcasts and repeats and a dramatic decrease in new, first-run series on the channel than previously. 

Worried pay-TV subscribers feared and speculated that the visible lack of volume of new content meant that the less energy and focus given to FOX was possibly signaling that the TV channel is going to be discontinued.

Disney in response to a media enquiry in May then responded very much with the same statement it did now, saying: "We continue to invest in both direct-to-consumer (DTC) and linear businesses, with the goal being providing our fans with multiple entry points to our content and our brand. We take a market by market approach and continuously evaluate our media networks business on an ongoing basis but have nothing to announce at this time."

Impact on subscribers

The termination of FOX in Africa will hit StarTimes and StarSat and its subscribers, harder than MultiChoice and DStv subscribers since FOX has been the last remaining good general entertainment with American content left on StarTimes' channels line-up, whereas MultiChoice still has channels like M-Net and others to somewhat blunt the impact of FOX's loss.

StarTimes and StarSat subscribers, still angry after the loss of Discovery Family in late-January and the loss of more Discovery Inc. channels - StarTimes Real Time, Investigation Discovery, Investigation Discovery French, Discovery Science and Discovery Science French - since the beginning of this month, are upset about the end of FOX.

"I am so done with StarSat right now," said subscriber Loraine Ellis, echoing the sentiment of hundreds of StarSat subscribers on Facebook on Monday. "You have taken away multiple channels over the past year or so and replaced it with absolutely nothing. How are we going to watch The Walking Dead when the new season starts?"

Pay-TV customer Johan Kruger said that if FOX doen't show The Walking Dead "real soon everyone will resort back to piracy. We got all previous seasons at the exact same time as it aired in the US".

DStv subscribers in countries like Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania where price increases come into effect from September will likely wonder why they have to pay more but at the same time get less when the FOX channel is taken away.

DStv without Disney? Asia shows what could be coming for Africa after Disney Plus.

by Thinus Ferreira

DStv without Disney ... or FOX? It's suddenly not that inconceivable an idea anymore and could be an indicator of what is to come for South African pay-TV subscribers after Disney announced that it's removing almost all of its Disney-owned TV channels in Asia to keep the content for its Disney Plus video streaming service.

The Walt Disney Company will shut down over a dozen and a half of its linear TV channels on the platforms of pay-TV operators in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong from 1 October with only National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD that will remain, along with a few Fox movie channels.

Over 18 TV channels - from FOX and FOX Life to FOX Crime, the Disney Channel and Disney Junior, along with many more - will go dark as Disney says shutting down its linear pay-TV channels is part of its "global effort to pivot towards a direct-to-consumer first model and further grow our streaming services".

Disney has also already removed channels in the United Kingdom from pay-TV platforms like SKY there. 

Disney has not launched its Disney Plus video streaming service in South Africa or anywhere else in the sub-Saharan African market and has been silent in its projected rollout plans about the continent.

However, since Disney is now saying that taking away its linear TV channels from traditional pay-TVoperators is part of a "global effort" to consolidate content under its own subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) plan, it could signal what could be happening with the Mouse House channels in South Africa if Disney Plus were to launch in the country at some point in the future.

"As part of The Walt Disney Company's global effort to pivot towards a direct-to-consumer first model and further grow our streaming services, the company is consolidating its Media Networks business primarily in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. These efforts will help us align our resources more efficiently and effectively to current and future business needs," Disney said in a statement about shutting down its linear TV channels.

If Disney were to do the same, if Disney Plus were to launch in South Africa and across Africa, the loss of channels like Disney Channel and FOX would have a disruptive influence on pay-TV operators like MultiChoice's DStv and StarTimes' StarSat with both currently carrying several Disney Media Networks TV channels as part of multi-year deals. 

Existing, multiyear content contracts between MultiChoice and M-Net, with respectively The Walt Disney Company and WarnerMedia, are likely the main reason why Disney+ and HBO Max have not been launched or earmarked with rollout dates in Africa and why South African consumers can't access these video streaming services.

About Disney+'s delayed launch in Africa, and if the company is worried about consumers pirate viewing its streamer's content, Walt Disney Africa says that "at this stage we have no news to share regarding Disney+, including its release in South Africa and the continent".

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV reports and articles to read - 24 February 2021.

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

■ Netflix has an elite team of 23 insider executives, known as the "L-staff" who make the biggest decisions at the video streaming service.

■  Apple's biggest mistake was not buying Netflix.

■ Independent Media's Debashine Thangevelo will now do a weekly column on Sundays, "Remote Access", in the new Insider supplement, looking at what's happening on TV.

■ The Black News Channel is looking to mark a mark in America's competitive TV news channels landscape while looking at news through the lens of black Americans.

■ Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / StarSat 257) is launching a new rightwing news platform, Rightly, that will be led by a former Fox News journalist.

- Al Jazeera staff dismayed at the Rightly launch.

■ A new Netflix hack understands your TV obsessions even more than you do.

■ The showrunner of The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) reveals how the show filled the extra 6 episodes.

■ This is why Star is Disney's next big salvo in its Disney+ streaming war with Netflix.

■ Video streamers are looking outside the lines:

As subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services have become all the rage in America and are damaging traditional pay-TV services, for many - especially smaller services - the real money is to be made internationally.

■ So-called "cord-cutting" in America - consumers who abandon and cancel their traditional pay-TV subscription - has almost doubled in 2020.

- The worst of cord-cutting is over?

■ How The Bachelor reality show in America missed an opportunity for representation.

- Why Chris Harrison's benching from The Bachelor should be made permanent.

■ Disney, Discovery Inc., WarnerMedia and all of the others are fixated on the subscriber numbers for their new streaming services but the big question is their content spend and whether they're going to keep it up and invest even more to keep pace with the near-bottomless wallets of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.

■ Ultraviolet television helps us understand how animals see the world.

■ Will Facebook become a revenue stream for TV news?

■ Ireland struggles with the same collection problems as South Africa's SABC TV Licence.

■ TV's tech war: TV-set makers are increasingly pitting the rival technologies of LED and OLED against each other. The result: Better screens for customers.

■ Riverdale seen on M-Net (DStv 101) leaves viewers gasping as Archie and Betty strips naked for steamy shower sex scene.

- Why British TV viewers no longer complain about sex.

■ Study: Too much TV or mobile screen time can trigger suicidal thoughts in teenagers.

■ New Chinese crime drama TV series, Hunting, filming in Nairobi, Kenya.

■ The former South African YO.TV presenter Jeza gets 6 matric distinctions.

■ From Sex and the City, to Succession and all of the new shows and new seasons: Will TV confront Covid-19 or ignore it?

The Walt Disney Company Africa Media Networks shares some early-2021 programming highlights across Disney Channel, Disney Junior, FOX, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD and ESPN.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Walt Disney Company Africa Media Networks wasn't able to do a physical 2021 new year highlights showcase this year because of the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic but still issued programming highlights across its TV channels in the form of a press drop to journalists.

Here are some of them:

Disney Junior (DStv 309)

I literally just discovered Bluey at the end of last year as a new TV show about a month before The Walt Disney Company Africa Media Networks alerted me to it.

It's interesting as a children's show because you can watch it as an adult or as a parent and you will actually be quite entertained by it as well because it works on another level than just entertaining and educating a child.

It's actually quite insightful and revealing because a character like the dad would, for instance, be asked to come and play and he would say something like he doesn't want to, he's tired. You usually don't find that in children's shows.

Bluey is described as "a funny and honest look at modern family life". The Australian blue heeler puppy Bluey has a boundless imagination and loves to turn daily life into playful adventures. 

Bluey and little sister Bingo throw themselves into exploring their world, using gameplay to conquer their fears and to try out adult roles.

The second season of Bluey starts on 22 February.

Disney Channel (DStv 303)

The Disney Original Movie, Upside Down Magic, premiered on the channel in late-January and can still be seen in which the 13-year old Nory discovers that she can "flux" into animals and that her best friend Reina can manipulate flames.

Together they enter the Sage Academy for Magical Studies where Reina's expert ability to harness the power of fire lands her at the top of her class of "Flares", but Nory's wonky magic and proclivity for turning into a 'Dritten" (half-kitten, half-dragon) lands her in a class for those with Upside-Down Magic.

The second season of the animated series Amphibia has started in February on Disney Channel on weekdays at 15:15.

Amphibia is a frog-out-of-water animated comedy series that chronicles the adventures of 13-year old Anne Boonchuy, who is magically transported to the fantastical world of Amphibia, a rural marshland full of frog-people.

There she meets an excitable young frog named Sprig Plantar, his unpredictable sister Polly and over-protective grandpa Hop Pop. With Sprig's help, Anne will transform into a hero and discover the first true friendship of her life.

FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131)

The first episode of the so-called "extended" 10th season of the long-running zombie drama series The Walking Dead will premiere on the channel on Monday 1 March.

This 10th season that started in 2019 and got delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic that impacted production, got 6 additional episodes added, to take the season episode number to 22. These last 6 episodes are now starting with FOX Africa showing them both as a simulcast with the United States and again during primetime.

The 6 additional episodes of The Walking Dead's 10th season (starting from episode 1017) will air simulcast with America at 03:00 in the mornings, South African time, and again in primetime on Monday nights at 20:45. 

National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220)

The channel has some hard-hitting programming like North Korea: Inside the Mind of a Dictator scheduled for 2 March and 9 March at 21:00. The documentary will give viewers unprecedented access into one of the most secretive countries in the world.

Nat Geo WILD (DStv 182 / StarSat 221)

Snakes in the City filmed in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa is back for a 7th season with the snake-catchers Simon and Sioux as they try to catch some of the deadliest snakes in the most bizarre situations and then release them back into the wild.

In 7 seasons this is probably the first time I think there's ever been publicity done for this specific show. Nat Geo says viewers can watch as the snake catchers solve snake problems like deadly forest cobras at wedding venues, enormous pythons guarding their eggs, and even lethal black mambas inside ceilings.

Of course, the 10th Big Cat Month is taking place during February on Nat Geo WILD as well, with all of the programming details that you can find in this article here.

ESPN (DStv 218 / StarSat 248)

There was the 55th Superbowl and ESPN also has NBA basketball coverage.

When it comes to football ESPN also shows the Scottish Premiership with the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL).

TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. The Walt Disney Company Africa's FOX Africa TV division continues to send general programming information to some media first - here's why the bad practice makes everyone a loser and ending up last.

by Thinus Ferreira

Sometimes it's not just those that are first who end up being last. Sometimes it's everybody.

Imagine something that's supposed to be received by everybody concurrently at the same time, but being parcelled out in a piecemeal approach over gaps in time.

That's been the case - and continuing - with general TV programming information from The Walt Disney Company Africa's FOX division.

Instead of the media in South Africa all being treated the same and receiving basic programming information about shows at the same time, FOX has decided to send certain media and journalists information first - and hours later to the rest.

To be clear: We're not talking about exclusive information, exclusive breaking news or a story that a journalist had put work and effort to source, or an exclusively arranged interview or story. It's basic, normal run-of-the-mill TV programming information press releases from Disney Africa's FOX Africa division about shows on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131).

Programming information and announcements from Killing Eve to The Walking Dead on FOX are deliberately sent to certain media first and then hours later to others. 

This is wrong.

It's also highly destructive. This PR practice is not just highly corrosive and damaging to FOX's existing media relationships within the South African media but also to the trust relationship with journalists who very well see what's going on, talk among each other about it, but stay quiet.

In Dante's great Inferno, he wrote that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who during a moral problem, maintain their neutrality. So here's TVwithThinus speaking out publicly.

It's bad when journalists and TV critics who are the media and who are in the media, (have to) read or hear about the news and programming of any TV channel, in this case FOX, not from FOX directly, but elsewhere - especially so if it's from any so-called "competition". 

Very little grates journalists and the media as much as having to read, hear or see information relevant to you and your readers and audiences, in or on a rival publication, platform or media outlet and then having to suddenly try and follow it up - wondering why you didn't get the email or basic press release.

It causes uncertainty, anxiety and resentment and makes the media wonder why publicists or people who are part of real-world publicity teams and who say they want to have a relationship with you, have apparently deliberately withheld that information and have not sent it to you.

When you can no longer trust that as a journalist, publication or media outlet that you're going to hear from and get the same fair, basic treatment and information from a company, for instance, TV channel A or B, because of perceived marketing and publicity favouritism, it not just stokes resentment under the press who perceive themselves to be placed as "less important" later in the queue but also actively makes them want to bother less using any of that information.

It's also damaging to FOX that is losing out on possible exposure when journalists, TV critics and media outlets decide to bin press releases, programming information and choice quotes from executives like Evert van der Veer, vice president, media networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa, that they otherwise would have used.

It also hurts the TV viewer who gets less access, negatively impacting the content discovery process.

With less possible stories and articles and with less platforms circulating the press release or parts of it because they are essentially forced to take an editorial decision not to run it to prevent being perceived as "also-ran", there is a dramatically smaller chance for a potential viewer or fan of a show to find, see and to read and engage with the information put out by, for instance, FOX.

The law of rapidly diminishing returns is at play here. 

Take online for instance: There's less and less incentive to use and copy-and-paste or rework what is essentially the basic same press release information without anything else to add hours after it's already been published somewhere on the internet - an eternity in the online news world.

It's ridiculous and non-sensical to have an expectation that a lot of media are suddenly going to put in the effort and time to work on information already "out there" hours ago from an "old" press release, simply because of the diminished return on the "investment" needed to do so.

Besides a lower click rate (information seekers already found it elsewhere), diminished monetisation of the news content, and having to give precious editorial space and time and effort to just "repeat" something, no journalists or media outlet really wants their story to show up on page 15 of a Google search simply because they only got the information hours later and already had to click and read the same information on page 1 of a Google search.

I first asked FOX in May this year what's going on and why it's sending basic TV programming press release information to some media, and hours later to the rest.

The response was that FOX sometimes makes an "agreement" with a particular media publication to announce something exclusively first, "to ensure that a show is announced in a big way, after which all other media receive it at the same time".

The big problem is that we're not talking about any exclusive information but basic programming information.

FOX's tiered media and staggered rollout approach turn everyone into losers - including FOX - when the media that FOX communicates with, perceives unfair treatment and journalists don't understand why it's happening.

In George Orwell's Animal Farm all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. 

It would serve all the animals better if the Fox farm went from "more equal" to just settling for plain old equal.

The Walking Dead seen on FOX cancelled, will end with an extended season 11 in 2022 as more spinoffs are planned.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125  /StarSat 131) has been cancelled after 11 seasons with the AMC-produced zombie drama series that will end with an extended season.

The Walking Dead will end with an 11th season that will play out over an extended 24-episode season, with 12 episodes set to be broadcast in 2021, and the final 12 episodes in 2022.

The 11th season of The Walking Dead was supposed to broadcast this year but was delayed because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic that shut down film and television production globally.

Besides the end of The Walking Dead, AMC will also produce another two Walking Dead spinoff series - one revolving around Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) that will debut in 2023; as well as an anthology zombie-series currently entitled Tales of The Walking Dead, bringing the number of new spinoffs to 4 series.

Meanwhile the 10th season of The Walking Dead will start on 4 October, followed by 6 bonus episodes before the 11th season's first half starts later in 2021.

"It’s been 10 years 'gone bye', what lies ahead are 2 more to come and stories to tell beyond that" says Scott M. Gimple, former The Walking Dead showrunner and chief content officer of the franchise, in a statement.

"What’s clear is that this show has been about the living, made by a passionate cast, team of writer/producers, producers, and crew, bringing to life the vision put forth by Robert Kirkman in his brilliant comic - and supported by the best fans in the world."

"We have a lot of thrilling story left to tell on The Walking Dead and then, this end will be a beginning of more Walking Dead - brand new stories and characters, familiar faces and places, new voices, and new mythologies."

"This will be a grand finale that will lead to new premieres. Evolution is upon us. The Walking Dead lives."

Angela Kang, The Walking Dead showrunner, says "I look forward to digging in with our brilliant writers, producers, directors, cast and crew to bring this epic final chapter of Robert Kirkman’s story to life for our fans over the next two years."

"The Walking Dead flagship series has been my creative home for a decade and so it’s bittersweet to bring it to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol."

"Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride has been a highlight of my career and I'm thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together."

Ed Carroll, chief operating officer at AMC Networks, says "The Walking Dead made television history, and is one of those rare creative works that has given life to an entire content universe that is still in the early stages of growing and entertaining both new and established fans".

"We can’t wait to bring viewers this expanded final season of The Walking Dead over the next two years, and launch the fourth series in the history of the franchise, focused on the beloved Daryl and Carol characters, with the incredibly talented Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Angela Kang and Scott M. Gimple."

"There really is so much 'walking' ahead, in a number of very exciting directions, for this extraordinary creative universe we call The Walking Dead."

The 6th season of the spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead will start in October.

The other spinoff series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, following the "first generation" to grow up during the zombie apocalypse, will start on the dame day in the United States. A South African TV channel and date for The Walking Dead: World Beyond has not yet been announced.

Medical drama series The Resident seen on FOX renewed for a 4th season and comedy series Last Man Standing seen on M-Net renewed for a 9th season.

by Thinus Ferreira

The American medical drama series The Resident with Matt Czuchry and Emily VanCamp seen on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) has been renewed for a 4th season while the comedy series Last Man Standing with Tim Allen seen on M-Net (DStv 101) has been renewed for a 9th season.

Because of the Covid-19 coronavirus that shut down Hollywood the third season of The Resident was cut short with 3 episodes and the 8th season of Last Man Standing was cut short by one episode.

Both The Resident and Last Man Standing are produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

"The Resident and Last Man Standing are such important parts of FOX and we're so pleased they will be returning next season," says Michael Thorn, FOX Entertainment president, in a statement.

"We want to thank all of the writers, actors, directors, producers and talented crews for both of these shows, and, of course, our friends and producing partners at 20th Century Fox Television."

FOX finally adds some more stale content more than a year after MultiChoice said it would start on DStv.

by Thinus Ferreira

FOX is finally adding some content, a now-stale Brit series entitled Killing Eve - coming to South African and African viewers more than a year after MultiChoice initially promised that it would be on DStv, and more than 2 years since it was first broadcast internationally.

In May Killing Eve will start on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) - a British spy thriller that has long since lost the buzz it had since it made its 8-episode first season debut back in April 2018.

After TV critics and journalists kept asking and asking MultiChoice when Killing Eve might be shown in South Africa, MultiChoice in December 2018 at its MultiChoice Content Showcase told the media that Killing Eve would be on its Showmax video streaming service and M-Net (DStv 101) starting around March 2019.

It didn't happen and MultiChoice never said anything about Killing Eve with Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer again.

MultiChoice and M-Net told journalists who kept asking through 2019 about the show that the pay-TV operator doesn't know when it might get the series.

As old as Killing Eve is the publicity and marketing approach by Disney and FOX Networks Group Europe & Africa that deliberately took hours to send the press release to the rest of the media on Tuesday, after sending the general FOX programming press release "exclusively" only to certain media earlier. 

FOX Africa's publicity division decided that not all media will get the same general press release information about programming at the same time.

"Killing Eve combines everything that makes a spy thriller great, with exquisitely crafted plot lines, witty villains, fascinating lead characters, unending intrigue, fast-paced movement, and surprises at every turn," says Evert van der Veer, vice president for media networks at The Walt Disney Company Africa, in the prepared general press release that was only sent to some media and hours later to the rest.

"FOX continues to identify and secure bold and premium, previously unseen programming for local viewers. Given that South African audiences have not had the opportunity to watch this riveting series before, we can’t wait to broadcast seasons one, two and three directly after one another so that they can enjoy all of the action of this acclaimed series back to back."

Coronavirus: Nat Geo's Genius Aretha postponed, FOX's Empire cut short without proper series finale, and M-Net's Billions and Black Monday getting mid-season breaks.

by Thinus Ferreira

As the impact of the spread of the global Covid-19 novel coronavirus increases in countries from the United States to South Africa more American-produced TV series are having to adjust with the shutdown of the TV industry now impacting National Geographic's Genius: Aretha, Showtime's Billions and Black Monday, and with FOX's Empire that will no longer have a proper series finale.

The biographical series, Genius: Aretha, with Cynthia Erivo in the lead role has been postponed and will no longer start in late-May 2020 on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220) since the Fox21 Television Studios and Imagine Television Studios production shut down on 13 March with filming which hadn't completed. No new starting date exists.

"Production on National Geographic’s limited series Genius: Aretha remains suspended and it has become clear that the series will not be completed in time for our previously announced airdate," says National Geographic in a statement.

"We look forward to resuming work as soon as is possible and safe, and at that time will announce a new premiere date for later this year."

"We cannot wait to let Aretha's voice sing, and in the words of the Queen herself, 'Being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing. It has much to do with your service to people. And your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well.' "

"In that spirit, we wish all of our viewers well in these challenging times, particularly those who are working in our communities to keep us all safe."

Meanwhile FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) already announced that it has been forced to postpone the 10th season finale of The Walking Dead zombie drama series.

AMC already pushed out the starting date of the spinoff series, Walking Dead: World Beyond that would have started on 12 April directly after the 10th season finale of The Walking Dead, also because of the coronavirus pandemic. AMC said that Walking Dead: World Beyond will now start "later this year". This series will be shown on SundanceTV (DStv 108) in South Africa.

Preproduction on the 11th season of The Walking Dead was already postponed as well.

Empire, with episodes of the 6th and final season currently on Thursdays at 20:45 on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) will also now end two episodes earlier with episode 18 on 7 May 2020 in South Africa instead of episode 20.

South African viewers are two weeks behind the United States and will see the 14th episode next week, with the promo for next week's 16th episode of Empire in America suddenly saying "Get ready for the shocking final three episodes of Empire", meaning that the series with Taraji P. Henson will end with the 18th episode.

The latest season of the Showtime drama series Billions (on M-Net (DStv 101) and Showmax) and Black Monday on 1Magic (DStv 103) haven't completed filming. The 5th season of Billions will show the first 7 episodes, and the second season of Black Monday will start but then end mid-season, with the rest of the episodes of both series that will be broadcast later.

Coronavirus: Covid-19 virus stops the zombies dead in their tracks as AMC's The Walking Dead on FOX is forced to postpone its 10th season finale.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Covid-19 virus has stopped the zombies dead in their tracks: The 10th season finale of The Walking Dead seen on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) will be delayed and broadcast later as a special episode because of the global coronavirus pandemic that is impacting post-production.

The Walking Dead is produced by AMC Studios and revolves a group of post-apocalyptic survivors trekking across the United States in a world where a frightening new virus turns people who die into zombies without a cure.

Seasons have 16 episodes and just broadcast the 13th episode of the 10th season that saw the exit of Danai Gurirawith, with South African and African viewers getting the show as an Express from the US title.

"Current events have unfortunately made it impossible to complete post-production of The Walking Dead season 10 finale, so the current season will end with its 15th episode on 15 April," says AMC in a statement.

"The planned finale will appear as a special episode later in the year."

AMC already pushed out the starting date of the spinoff series, Walking Dead: World Beyond that would have started on 12 April directly after the 10th season finale of The Walking Dead, also because of the coronavirus pandemic. AMC said that Walking Dead: World Beyond will now start "later this year".

Preproduction on the 11th season of The Walking Dead was already postponed as well.

Disney's FOX channels set quietly flickers back to life on StarSat in Africa after 4 months following commercial disagreement and contract dispute.

by Thinus Ferreira

Disney has quietly returned it yanked FOX channels as well as the two rebranded ESPN channels to the Chinese-run StarSat pay-TV operator after an absence of four and a half months following a commercial disagreement and contract dispute.

The Walt Disney Company removed its entire FOX Networks Group channels set - FOX, FOX Life, FOX Portuguese, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, National Geographic Portuguese, Baby TV, Voyage, National Geographic French, and Nat Geo WILD French – from the Chinese-run StarTimes StarSat with the channels that abruptly went dark without warning in October 2019.

StarSat bizarrely claimed that it decided to remove specifically the FOX channels (although not FOX News) because of alleged "5G cellphone signal testing interference" affecting just these channels.

The Walt Disney Company however said that it decided to remove its channels from StarTimes/StarSat since it became fed-up with ongoing commercial issues at the pay-TV operator and decided to pull all of its FOX-supplied channels after negotiations had failed.

In addition, the FOX Sports and FOX Sports 2 channels that were rebranded to ESPN and ESPN following the Disney takeover of 21st Century Fox, failed to materialise as promised in mid-September on StarSat which caused huge embarrassment to both Disney and StarSat.

The FOX channel set quietly flickered back on StarSat on Thursday with no announcement from Evert van der Veer, the vice-president, media networks of The Walt Disney Company Africa or Christine Service, senior vice president of The Walt Disney Company Africa.

Jared Stokes, senior communications manager at The Walt Disney Company Africa said in response to a media enquiry on Thursday from TVwithThinus that the company won't issue a press release but that "We can confirm that our channels are currently being provided and are available on StarTimes/StarSat" and referred media enquiries to StarSat.

Disney was asked why the FOX channels and ESPN were returned to StarSat but didn't want to answer the specific questions.

In a mobile message sent to just subscribers on Thursday, StarSat said: "Dear Customer, all FOX channels are back on StarSat now".

StarSat on Thursday said it would respond with answers posed in a media enquiry but hasn't by the time of publication of this report on Friday morning. A response when received, will be added here.

In FOX’s new War of the Worlds science fiction drama series you can’t even hide in a shop’s ice-cream fridge from aliens.

It borrows all of the best tropes from Independence Day, Falling Skies, The Walking Dead, Jurassic Park and Terminator - with unexpected twists in a modern-day setting - with viewers who won't be able to guess where the story of the TV adaptation of H. G. Well's classic science fiction novel, War of the Worlds, will go that starts on FOX (DStv 125) on Wednesday 30 October at 20:45.

FOX's new reimagining of H.G. Well's timeless classic is one of two this year with the BBC that also made a War of the Worlds although that mini-series is set in Edwardian England.

The 8-episode War of the Worlds FOX series is set in modern-day France and London since it's a co-production between Urban Myth Films in partnership with CANAL+, as well as Fox Networks Group Europe & Africa and AGC Television.

War of the Worlds is Fox Networks Group's second production after the Deep State series.

The cast includes Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern from Downton Abbey, Léa Drucker, Adel Bencherif, Natasha Little, Daisy Edgar Jones, Ty Tennant, Stephen Campbell Moore, Bayo Gbadamosi, Aaron Heffernan, Stéphane Caillard and Guillaume Gouix.

When French astronomers detect a transmission from another galaxy, it is definitive proof of alien life ... but are they friendly or evil?

Humanity waits for further contact but then a devastating attack follows with surviving humans scattered and fighting for their lives. 

As aliens hunt and kill those left alive, the survivors ask a burning question: Who are these attackers and why do they want to destroy humans?

FOX's War of the Worlds adaptation is from writer Howard Overman who says that the science fiction series will show a post-apocalyptic world but one that isn't very disturbed. "If you look out your window and the city still looks the same, it's a strange experience because your life has totally changed but outside it's all very still and familiar".

"Our War of the Worlds is, at its core, a story about humanity. If aliens attacked tomorrow and life as we know it was destroyed, how would we cope? What would it tell us about each other, and more importantly, about ourselves?"

Evert Van der Veer, in charge of media networks at The Walt Disney Company Africa, says "We can’t wait for this bold recreation to premiere on African screens".

"We look forward to this world-class production based on a timeless story, that promises a unique combination of character-driven human drama and the very best science fiction."

Lee Daniels says he’s ‘beyond embarrassed’ about defending FOX's Empire actor Jussie Smollett after his staged attack; has stopped speaking to him.

Lee Daniels, the co-creator of the American drama series Empire on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201), now says that he is "beyond embarrassed" about his former forceful defence of Jussie Smollett after the disgraced actor earlier this year claimed that he was physically attacked in the United States in a hate crime.

In late-January this year Jussie Smollett was hospitalised after a physical assault that he claimed was homophobic and racist but the police ended up arresting Jussie Smollett after an investigation, saying he staged the attack. 

The charges were then abruptly dropped although the city of Chicago has sued him to recoup the money spent on the investigation.

Meanwhile Jussie Smollett's character of Jamal Lyon has been written out of Empire that was cancelled with its upcoming 6th season that will be the last.

Unsealed Chicago police records show how Jussie Smollett brought drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana from the two Nigerian brothers who he arranged to attack him and who were eventually arrested.

In an interview with Vulture Lee Daniels now says that "I'm beyond embarrassed. I think that when it happened, I had a flash of me running from bullies. I had a flash of my whole life, of my childhood, my youth, getting beaten."

Lee Daniels says what Jussie Smollett did was "a huge betrayal" if "it turned out that he did it, was guilty, and all of it's accurate".

Lee Daniels says he is still holding out some hope that Jussie Smollett didn't stage the hate crime attack on himself. 

"Of course, there's some doubt. I’m telling you that because I love him so much. That’s the torture that I’m in right now, because it’s literally if it were to happen to your son and your child, how would you feel?"

"You would feel, Please, God, please let there be that glimmer of hope that there is some truth in this story. That’s why it's been so painful. It was a flood of pain."

"I had to detach myself and stop calling him because it was taking away the time I have for my kids, the time I have for my partner. It was affecting my spirit and other shows, everything."

Empire on FOX cancelled after 6 seasons, Jussie Smollett not yet set for a possible return.

The drama series Empire on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) that was recently renewed for a 6th season will end with that season with Jussie Smollett not yet set to make a return.

On Monday FOX in a surprise announcement revealed that Empire's 6th season next year will be its last with Charlie Collier, Fox Entertainment CEO, saying there are no plans yet for actor Jussie Smollett to return.

In late-January this year Jussie Smollett was hospitalised after a physical assault that he claimed was homophobic and racist but the police arrested him after an investigation saying he staged the attack. The charges were then abruptly dropped although the city of Chicago has sued him to recoup the money spent on the investigation.

Meanwhile Jussie Smollett's character of Jamal Lyon was written out of the last two episodes of the 5th season but with an option to return in the renewed and final 6th season.

On Monday Charlie Collier said "We are turning the final season of Empire into a large television event. We are really trying to go out guns a-blazing. If you think about it, one of the great benefits of announcing a final season is that you actually allow the fans to lean in and have the ending they deserve".

"We are excited to see the show go, you know, out with a bang and really, that’s what we've been focused on. And that’s been great in these early-season conversations."

About possibly bringing back Jussie Smollett he said "so we have the option to but there are no plans at this point".

Empire is produced by 20th Century Fox Television with the key cast including Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Bryshere Y. Gray, Trai Byers, Gabourey Sidibe and Nicole Ari Parker.

FOX renews Empire for a 6th season but it won't include Jussie Smollett.

FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) has renewed the American drama series Empire for a 6th season but without the show's embattled actor Jussie Smollett.

It comes after Jussie Smollett was suspended and absent from a few of the latest 5th season's episodes and a court battle after he allegedly staged a hate crime attack in Chicago, with the prosecutor who decided to throw the case out.

Jussie Smollett made international headlines when he was the victim of a physical assault which he claimed was homophobic, racially and politically motivated but in a surprise twist was then accused of hiring the two Nigerian men to attack him.

He was indicted for filing false statements but in another surprise, the criminal charges were dropped in March. The city of Chicago has however filed a lawsuit again him to recover the cost of the police investigation.

The studio producing Empire, 20th Century Fox TV and FOX say in a statement that "By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett's option for season 6, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to Empire."

What it means is that Jussie Smollett can return but that the story for the 6th season will no longer include the character or the actor.

Last week the principal ensemble cast headed up by Taraji P. Henson (Cookie) and Terrence Howard (Lucious) published an open letter, addressed to Fox executives, pleading that the actor be kept on the show.

"Together, as a united front, we stand with Jussie Smollett and ask that our co-star, brother and friend be brought back for our sixth season of Empire," they said, calling him honest" and "filled with integrity".

Jussie Smollett's representatives issued a separate statement saying "Jussie will not be on Empire in the beginning of the season but he appreciates they have extended his contract to keep Jamal’s future open. Most importantly he is grateful to Fox and Empire leadership, cast, crew and fans for their unwavering support."

Michael Thorn, Fox entertainment president, in the statement announcing Empire's 6th season renewal, says Empire "continues to break barriers with its emotionally powerful storytelling, and it remains a core part of the Fox legacy".

"We want to thank everyone on the show all of whom have done a tremendous job this season. We know there are so many more stories to tell, and we can't wait to see what they have in store for season 6."

The zom-pocalypse endures as AMC commissions a third The Walking Dead drama series, this time following two young fighting females.

The Walking Dead is far from buried with AMC that has officially commissioned another The Walking Dead spin-off with the third, as-yet-unnamed, drama series set in the aftermath of a global zombie apocalypse that will start sometime in 2020 on SundanceTV (DStv 108).

As viewership is waning for The Walking Dead that is still continuing on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) and that is in its 9th season and renewed for a 10th set to start in October, as well as four seasons of Fear the Walking Dead on SundanceTV that will start its 5th season in June, AMC has commissioned a third series that will take place within the same d(r)eadful universe.

"Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. In the end, all of them will be changed forever," says AMC.

Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead both take place in the months and years after a zombie apocalypse and follow different groups of survivors traveling in search of a safe and secure home.

The new drama series in the franchise will focus on two young female protagonists - the first generation to have grown up after the zombie apocalypse. Production on the first 10-episode season, produced and distributed by AMC Studios, will start during winter.

The new spin-off is co-created by Scott M. Gimple, the chief content officer of The Walking Dead universe, as well as Matt Negrete, who has been a writer and producer on The Walking Dead for the past five seasons and who will be the showrunner of the new series.

"We're thrilled that the Dead will keep walking into a new corner of the post-apocalyptic world, a corner that will present stories and characters unlike any that The Walking Dead has dramatized thus far, and that is bound to excite one of the most passionate fan-bases in television," says David Madden, president of programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios, in a statement.

"Scott has been an invaluable leader for this universe since taking on the role of chief content officer, with a distinct and innovative vision for the franchise. Likewise, we're excited to have Matt, who has been a crucial part of The Walking Dead family for over five years and penned many memorable episodes of The Walking Dead, at the helm of this original series."

Sarah Barnett, president of the entertainment networks group for AMC Networks, says "On the heels of an incredible 9th season of The Walking Dead and as we approach an anticipated new season of Fear the Walking Dead on 2 June, this is an exciting moment for the Dead franchise, which continues to thrive in a highly competitive environment".

"We are thankful to be working with some of the best creatives in the business to expand this universe in new and exciting ways for our fans."

Scott M. Gimple says "Showing audiences an unseen pocket of The Walking Dead universe steeped in a new mythology is a very cool way to celebrate a 'Decade of the Dead' on TV and over 15 years of Robert Kirkman's brilliant comic".

"Matt Negrete is one of the best writer-producers in The Walking Dead's long history - I'm thrilled to be working beside him to tell stories unlike we've seen before, taking our first step into an even larger world."

Matt Negrete says "I'm beyond excited to be a part of this new show set in The Walking Dead universe".

"Writing and producing for the original series has been the job of a lifetime and I'm honoured to be working with Scott and all the fine Dead folks at AMC in this new capacity. I can't wait for the fans of the franchise to see what we've been cooking up!"