M-Net Movies Zone adds Kids Club movie festival for December, kykNET returns fliekNET pop-up channel with Leon Schuster's Schucks! catalogue.

The M-Net Movies Zone on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service is adding a Kids Club movie festival for the December holidays while kykNET is returning the fliekNET pop-up channel that will do a film festival featuring the funnyman Leon Schuster's Schucks catalogue.

M-Net Movies Zone (DStv 139) is adding a Kids Club movie festival on the TV channel from 7 December and will be showing movies for kids, daily during the end-of-year holiday period into January.

The M-Net Movie Zone Kids Club movie festival will kick off on 7 December and run until 6 January 2019. From Sundays to Fridays M-Net Movie Zone will show films aimed at a youth audience between 06:00 and 17:00.

On Saturdays M-Net Movies Zone will run youth-focused films between 05:00 and 19:00.

M-Net says parents and older viewers are welcome to watch the films with younger viewers, with the film line-up that includes movies like Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl, Problem Child, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jr, Stuart Little 2, Mirror Mirror and Muppets from Outer Space.


Oh Schucks, fliekNET
Meanwhile kykNET is returning the fliekNET (DStv 198) pop-up film channel that will once again be running from 16 December to 6 January 2019.

Comedian and hidden camera prankster Leon Schuster's film catalogue will be on fliekNET, including films like You Must be Joking, There's a Zulu on my Stoep, Sweet 'n Short, and Oh Schucks, it's Schuster!

fliekNET will also broadcast films like Faan se Trein, 'n Paw Paw vir my Darling, Mooirivier, Pad na jou Hart, Klein Karoo, Vir die Voëls, Vaselinetjie, Treurgrond and Noem my Skollie. 

Kids films on fliekNET include Khumba, Heidi, Die Sneeukoningin, Maya die By, Jou Romeo, Die Pro and Strikdas.

Classic Afrikaans films on fliekNET include Die Storie van Klara Viljee, Katrina, Liefste Madelein, Ma skryf Matriek and Agter Elke Man.

MultiChoice upgrades M-Net Movies Zone to high definition (HD) from 1 December; channel proposition changing slightly to offer film festivals.

MultiChoice is upgrading the M-Net Movies Zone (DStv 139) channel to high definition (HD) from 1 December.

M-Net Movies Zone is available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact, DStv Family and DStv Access subscribers.

M-Net says it's tweaking the channel proposition of M-Net Movies Zone, that in the future will be running movie festivals, and mini-festivals built around specific themes, franchises and events.

An example is a Jaws min-festival that will start on 3 December with Jaws at 18:20, followed by the sequel Jaws 2 on Saturday 9 December at 19:00 and Jaws 3 on Saturday 16 December at 18:20.

Jaws: The Revenge will be broadcast on M-Net Movies Zone on Saturday 23 December at 18:25.

A Rocky film festival will be broadcast in February 2018.

For the holiday period M-Net Movies Zone is doing a "M-Net Movies Zone Kids Club with 5 hours of kids films daily between 10:00 and 15:00 on weekdays and between 09:00 and 14:00 on weekends.

Films include Paddington, Casper, Hop, Dr. Seuss' The Cat In The Hat and others.

"We trust that the rejuvenation of our M-Net Movies Zone schedule will turn the channel into a default destination, especially for our DStv Access customers, but will also provide great entertainment to all movie lovers," says Jan du Plessis, director for M-Net channels.

TOLDJA. M-Net starting 2 new TV channels - Mzansi Wethu and M-Net Movies Zone - on the new DStv Access package from 7 May.

M-Net is now confirming that it will be starting two new TV channels on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform and indeed named Mzansi Wethu and M-Net Movies Zone which I reported yesterday is what the TV industry had been talking about.

Sources told me it would start on 7 May and M-Net now confirms it, saying the channels starting on 7 May will "welcome new viewers to the magic of pay-television on the newly-launched DStv Access package".

Also as I was told earlier, it is now confirmed that the two new TV channels will also be upscaled and be available on MultiChoice's DStv Family, DStv Compact and DStv Premium bouquets.

Mzansi Wethu on channel 163 will indeed a general entertainment channel, M-Net Movies Zone will be on channel 139 as a movie channel and as sources said "aimed at a black audience".

Mzansi Wethu will have locally-produced content but will start off with the bulk of content having been on other channels before. Similar to how kykNET & kie is a "cheaper" version of kykNET to make that type of channel available to a lower-paying viewership bracket, Mzansi Wethu will also be programmed with library titles such as iNkaba, Top Shayela, Nonhle Goes to Hollywood and Running with the Reps.

Mzansi Wethu will have its own brand-new studio-based soap however, filmed in the Lokshin-style entitled Zabalaza which will also be shown on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161).

Zabalaza with Seputla Sebogodi, Baby Cele, Thami Afrika, Matli Mohapeloa and Khanya Mkhangisa will be shown on weekdays at 21:00 on Mzansi Wethu and will revolve around the struggling Cele clan.

Mzansi Wethu will also have My Perfect Wedding with Thuli Thabethe, a wedding reality show following 12 couples across South Africa trying to create the perfect weddings.

"We are proud to introduce Mzansi Wethu to the pay-TV scene and we are delighted that it is available on an affordable package," says Yolisa Phahle, M-Net's director for local interest channels.

"Mzansi Wethu authentically reflects the day-to-day reality of many South Africans and we trust that viewers will love all the new vernacular programming and other not-to-be-missed shows. Our fantastic content can now reach a much wider audience and this can only be good for the local television industry."

Pierre Cloete, director for M-Net and M-Net Movies says M-Net Movies Zone is "all about great stars, great stories and great movies".

M-Net Movies Zone will go live at 13:00 om 7 May and Mzansi Wethu will go live at 18:00 on 7 May.

Talk heard about possible new TV channels and a DStv bouquet name change and what MultiChoice and M-Net said about it when I asked.

I want to relay two things I've been told by longtime sources, although so far I have to stress that there's no official confirmation of it.

I've asked both MultiChoice and M-Net about it when I was told, and whether it is true or not, and if there is any comment, and I was told there is nothing to announce.

Both things are related as I understand it, but what of it might come to pass, time will tell.

The first thing is that apparently the DStv Lite bouquet, the cheapest of the real pay-TV bouquets operated by MultiChoice will be changing its name to DStv Access and I was told sometime in May - 7 May.

DStv Lite was introduced almost three years ago in May 2010 and cost R99 per month.

Then I was also told by Randburg cognoscenti that two new TV channels are coming - M-Net Movies Zone on channel 139 on DStv, and Mzansi Wethu, which are primarily for the DStv Lite bouquet to beef that up and which will be catering to a LSM 4 to 6 black audience, but the channels will of course be available on the upper bouquets too.

The M-Net Movies Zone channel will apparently be another movie channel (clearly extending the existing M-Net Movies subset which was introduced in October).

The focus of M-Net Movies Zone will be mostly on black movies, or films with black stars I was told. Mzansi Wethu (I think wethu means "ours" so "Our South Africa") is apparently to be a general entertainment channel but also catering for movies, a bit of a "fruit salad" channel I was told with the type of "bubblegum movies" seen on Mzansi Magic and similar channels.

Monday I asked MultiChoice that I heard the DStv Lite bouquet is set to undergo a name change in May and whether that is true or not, and if it is the case what DStv Lite is changing to and why its happening.

"When we are ready to announce changes to services or channels being added, we will send out a press release," MultiChoice said and that "at present there is nothing to announce."

I also asked MultiChoice about the two channels I was told of and whether there is any news. "As always, when we are ready to launch new channels, we will make the necessary announcements in the media. At present, there is nothing to announce," said MultiChoice.

I also asked M-Net on Monday whether they pay-TV broadcaster is launching new channels and if M-Net can verify if that is the case, and if it is happening, when.

"Being a leading television network, M-Net continues to evolve in line with its mission to bring the best television to viewers across Africa. We can't share any information about certain M-Net content developments at present, but will keep our viewers informed," M-Net replied.

It will be interesting to see what of all of this eventually happens or not, whether DStv Lite would be changing its name, and whether channels such as M-Net Movies Zone and Mzansi Wethu are added sometime in the future or not.

For now, as I've said, there is no official confirmation on what I've been told, and the TV industry and subscribers will have to wait and see whether it happens, if it happens.