TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 16 January 2019.

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

■ Maria Bartiromo was a generational icon for financial television. What happened?
The former CNBC (DStv 410) "Money Honey" sadly transformed into a Donald Trump acolyte.

■ Shocking: MultiChoice's DStv decoder insurance is a disgusting rip-off.
MultiChoice fails to respond after DStv subscriber is offered a "refurbished decoder" that doesn't even work.

■ New study finds Americans spend half their waking hours staring at screens.


■ Gossip Girl Penn Badgley now in the drama series YOU on Netflix says his masturbation scene felt "surprisingly disgusting".
During a round table interview that's part of the YOU's current press tour in the Philippines, Penn Badgley says director wanted him to close his eyes during the awkward scene.
■ "If you do something and you just don't move your face muscles, it becomes very creepy," he tells Rappler.
■ The "Netflix Effect": Creepy YOU surges in popularity since moving to Netflix.
■ Netflix made YOU a thing - let's hope it doesn't ruin it.


■ Schitt's Creek on Netflix: The funniest sitcom you're (probably) not watching.

■ Gillette facing massive backlash and consumer boycott over "toxic masculinity" TV commercial.
■Explained: Men are saying to Gillette, "We feel marginalised, criticised and accused rather than feeling inspired and empowered".

■ The "Game of Thrones Effect".
How the fantasy drama series seen on M-Net (DStv 101) has been both a blessing and a curse for tourism and its key filming locations.
■ And what actor Kit Harington took from the set as a keepsake after filming wrapped.


■ Twitter suspends The New York Times' photo account @NYTPhoto after its horrific trash publishing of dead bodies in the DusitD2 terror attack in Nairobi, Kenya.
■ BBC Africa business editor, Larry Modowo, slams The New York Times and dares the newspaper to point to any of the US mass shootings where The New York Times published photos of the dead.
■ Graphic photo of killed people in Nairobi terror attack in The New York Times draws anger.


■ How SpongeBob sank with Viacom's dreams in China.
There's no money to be made in trying to get Chinese viewers hooked on MTV and Nickelodeon.

■ Outside of Los Angeles, Vancouver in Canada is the place for TV shows.
19 movies and TV shows filming there in January 2019.

■ SuperSport announces South Africa's controversial Vision View as the production company to handle its outside broadcasts of the Zambian Football League in Zambia.
Oddly, Vision View will now be responsible for the actual live feeds for SuperSport, using 4 outside broadcast vans.

■ The fastest-growing pay-TV channel in America? The Tennis Channel.

■ Police warn: Don't call 911 if you're fighting and can't decide what TV channel to watch.

■ Why old-fashioned, free-to-air TV watching in America is booming.
One in 7 American TV households don't have pay-TV and prefer to watch local TV news and free TV channels - and the percentage is growing.

■ Nat Geo Wild's (DStv 182 / StarSat 221 / Cell C black 262) Dead at Dawn is the first great new horror show of 2019.
The world's first "horror nature series" is honestly one of the most terrifying horror shows you'll see on TV this year.

■ Man smashes a flat-screen TV set over a woman's head.

■ Instead of Xenu, Scientology blames Leah Remini and her show Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath on Crime+Investigation (DStv 170) for inciting murder.
 A man died after being stabbed in the neck at the Scientology headquarters in Sydney, Australia on his way to a so-called "purification ceremony".

■ Women now dominating lead roles in TV dramas as men are being reduced to stereotypical "cop" roles.

■ Netflix's largest-ever price hike - why now? Also, the latest price increase won't affect South Africa Netflix tells me.

■ Why the aliens on the new Roswell reboot drink nail polish remover instead of Tabasco hot sauce.

■ SABC1's shameful botching of Diamond City while the channel is in desperate need of successful local dramas.
And my reporting about the SABC's mess-up here.

BREAKING. Maria Bartiromo goes from CNBC Africa on DStv to Fox News Channel on StarSat with new show starting this Sunday.

Maria Bartiromo is going from MultiChoice's DStv and the CNBC Africa (DStv 410) channel to On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat and the Fox News Channel (FNC) (StarSat 405) with her new weekly Sunday show, Sunday Morning Futures, which will start this coming Sunday, 30 March at 16:00 (South African time).

FNC announced Sunday Morning Futures today.

It follows Maria Bartiromo who left CNBC and did her final appearance on CNBC Africa in November 2013 after signing a new deal to work for the Fox Business Network which included a weekly show on the Fox News Channel.

In early 2014 it became clear that she would start her new weekly show before the end of March.

On Sunday Morning Futures, Maria Bartiromo will "interview business leaders and newsmakers on economic topics like job creation and investment opportunities, with the goal of preparing viewers for their financial future," says Fox News Channel.

"Maria's renowned expertise covering financial markets, job forecasts and the economy has helped define her as one of the finest business journalists in the industry, and I am confident she will bring even greater value to Fox News Channel's weekend programming," says Michael Clemente, Fox News' executive vice president of news in a statement.

BREAKING. TV business reporter Maria Bartiromo officially signs with Fox, will start Sunday business show on Fox News before end of March.

Maria Bartiromo who left CNBC and CNBC Africa (DStv 410) at the end of November 2013 to join Fox Business Network in the United States, has officially signed with Fox and will reappear on South African television screens before the end of March when she starts anchoring a brand-new Sunday business show on Fox News Channel (StarSat 405).

Maria Bartiromo will now be global markets editor, and will do a daily market hours programme for Fox Business Network, a TV channel South African viewers don't get to see since it's not available on MultiChoice's DStv nor On Digital Media's StarSat.

In addition to her daily show on FBN, Maria Bartiromo will however also do a Sunday business show for sister channel Fox News Channel as TV with Thinus reported in November, and which is shown in South Africa on StarSat.

"Fox Business Network has signed veteran financial anchor Maria Bartiromo to a multi-year deal," annouced Roger Ailes, the chairman and CEO of Fox News in a press statement. "She will begin her tenure at Fox Business Network on 1 February with each programme launching before the end of the first quarter".

Maria Bartiromo signs off on CNBC and CNBC Africa on her final day: 'It's very emotional. I've been crying all day.'

Maria Bartiromo signed off on Friday night South African time in her final Closing Bell show on CNBC and CNBC Africa (DStv 410) in a huge loss for the financial news channel as she gets ready to jump to competitor Fox Business News and Fox News Channel (StarSat 405), telling viewers "this is my last day on CNBC. It's very emotional. I've been crying all day".

"I am coming back you know," said Maria Bartiromo. "I'm not going that far. I'm going to be back. Soon."

Business Insider details the insider reasons as to why South African viewers will no longer see the "money Honey" on CNBC and CNBC Africa after 20 years.

According to Business Insider sources its because Maria Bartiromo is getting more money at Fox Business News and Fox News Channel which CNBC wasn't willing to match, because she is getting her own Sunday show on Fox News Channel increasing her visibility, and the chance to again build something at a new financial news channel.

Some of Maria Bartiromo's colleagues at CNBC weighed in at the end of news segments during Closing Bell.

"Maria, I have to say in addition to all the contributions you've made to CNBC, I will most remember everything you've done to improve financial literacy for all ages, for everybody, outside of CNBC on your own time. I know you'll continue to do and I really have to say, it's been such a pleasure to work with you," said Sharon Epperson.

"I just want to say, it has been a privilege and a pleasure to be your colleague," said Bertha Coombs.

"Maria, good luck and we'll miss you," said Courtney Reagan.

"Maria, back to you for the last time, and best wishes," said Kayla Tausche.

BREAKING. Maria Bartiromo leaving CNBC, will disappear from the end of the week from CNBC Africa on DStv.

Maria Bartiromo is leaving CNBC and will soon no longer be seen on CNBC Africa (DStv 410) on MultiChoice's DStv on the business news channel which simulcast CNBC.

CNBC's star anchor is leaving CNBC in the United States after 20 years. She is expected to move to the little watched competitor Fox Business News (FBN) for a new daily markets related programme. FBN is not carried by a South African pay-TV operator.

Maria Bartiromo is however also expected to make appearances on Fox News Channel (TopTV 405) which is carried by On Digital Media's (ODM) TopTV, soon to be called StarSat.

Maria Bartiromo just celebrated her 20th year with CNBC last month which she joined in 1993 and where she has been the anchor of Closing Bell. Her loss comes as a huge blow to CNBC as well as CNBC Africa where she has been a very familiar face.

Maria Bartiromo became the first TV reporter in television history to broadcast daily from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange where she got the nickname "Money Honey".

"After 20 years of groundbreaking work at CNBC, Maria Bartiromo will be leaving the company as her contract expires on 24 November 24," says CNBC in a statement. "Her contributions to CNBC are too numerous to list but we thank her for all of her hard work over the years and wish her the best."

In a statement Maria Bartiromo says "After twenty great years of having a front row seat to some of the most important economic stories in the world, it's hard to sum up the gratitude and appreciation I have for the team that helped make it happen."

"I am incredibly proud of what we have been able to accomplish. I want to thank all the people at CNBC who have been with me on this journey, and of course the viewers and investors everywhere for making me love every minute of it."

BREAKING. CNBC Africa turns 1 January 2010 into a brilliant business doccie day.

You're reading it here first.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) has decided to turn 1 January 2010 into a brilliant doccie day from 07:00 until after midnight. With markets closed the local business TV channel has jam-packed the schedule with really good quality American business documentary programming like Coca-Cola: The Real Story behind The Real Thing, The Fastest Growing Companies of 2009 and many more.

The shows produced by CNBC in America, although geared towards business minded individuals, have very high production values and can be enjoyed by casual TV viewers as well who are interested in the inner-working of companies, market movements and economics.

Click on READ MORE! below for a brief rundown that I have compiled of the awesome doccies you can see on 1 January, what they are about, and what times they will be on.

BREAKING. CNBC's latest doccie goes inside Google.

You're reading it here first. The business TV channel CNBC in America will debut its latest documentary, Inside the Mind of Google on 3 December - with a super high likelihood that South Africans should see it soon afterwards or possibly even on 3 December or shortly after that as well.

As soon as I get word from CNBC Africa (DStv 410) regarding schedule confirmation of this, you will read it here first.

This one hour doccie will be hosted by Maria Bartiromo.

Inside the Mind of Google will ''tell viewers the fascinating story of how two graduate students took a one-time research project and, in barely a decade, turned it into a global technological powerhouse.''
Maria bartiromo will ''examine the company's flagship search engine, go inside company headquarters'' (known as the Googleplex) and ''speak with vice president Marissa Mayer and chief mobile evangelist Vic Gundotra.''

BREAKING. CNBC Africa's 3 night special event - '1 Year Later'

Programming note: You're reading it here first.

CNBC Africa (DStv 410) is taking a stroll down memory lane this week when it's exactly a year ago since the American stock market plummeted, the American housing market collapsed, unemployment skyrocketed and those Wall Street investment banking institutions started to crumble.

This week CNBC Africa has some great TV specials with anchor Maria Bartiromo, entitled, 1 Year Later. She sits down with key players to get a first hand account of their role in the events of last September.

Tonight (Tuesday): 1 Year Later: The Week That Shook The World - Part 1, 23:00

A look at how Wall Street changed the way it does business.

Wednesday: 1 Year Later: The Week That Shook the World - Part II, 23:00

The global impact of the credit crunch and the lessons learned.

Thursday: 1 Year Later: Road to Recovery, 23:00

The industries and business sectors most impacted and where the investment opportunities lie in this new environment.