Viacom Africa adds its first local South African animation acquisition for its preschool channel NickToons, Munki and Trunk from Sunrise Productions, to the schedule from 2 April.

Viacom Africa did its first local South African animation acquisition for the NickToons (DStv 309) preschool kids channel, with the animation show Munki and Trunk that will start on the preschool kids channel from 2 April at 17:15.

The monkey and elephant cartoon created by the local animation studio, Sunrise Productions, is aimed at kids between 4 and 7 with episodes that are dialogue-free and with edutainment stories revolving around themes of friendship.

"NickToons places a strong focus on educational and entertaining content with great stories and characters that empower kids to learn while they play," says Tasania Parsadh, Nickelodeon channel director.

"Munki and Trunk specifically brings in wholesome themes of friendship, laughter and humor, cultivating a love and awareness of nature and its environment together with problem solving, which is very in line with our programming for the channel."

Sunrise Productions is a local production company with a full service animation studio based in Cape Town, South Africa. Launched in 1998, Sunrise Productions launched the first-ever feature length stop-motion animation in Africa. Munki and Trunk is written and directed by Sam Wilson, with Tim Keller as producer for Sunrise Productions.

"Munki and Trunk is a beautifully crafted CGI series, with wonderful character designs and brilliantly funny story lines," says Tim Keller.

"At Sunrise there's an intense focus on quality, from the storytelling and the animation right down to the moss on the rocks in the background.  We are delighted that the show will premiere on NickToons, it's the perfect home for Munki and Trunk."

DStv adds BET, Nicktoons and Nick Jr. as 3 new TV channels from VIMN Africa.

DStv is adding Nicktoons as expected as a new TV channel from 30 September and is also adding Nick Jr. and BET to DStv.

All three TV channels are supplied by Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) as part of new carriage agreements with MultiChoice.

VIMN Africa already supplies channels like MTV, MTV Base, Nickelodeon, VH1 Classic and Comedy Central Africa to MultiChoice's DStv.

BET's spin-off channel BET on Jazz was available on DStv in South Africa for a period in the past but was discontinued.

BET has been available on On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat satellite pay-TV platform the past four years and will remain available as a TV channel on this platform according to VIMN Africa.

In 2008 BET was added on DStv in West African countries. In 2010 MultiChoice said BET didn't test very well, but in 2013 MultiChoice tested BET again, yet cautioned that it doesn't mean the channel will be added to DStv.

BET on DStv channel 135 will be available on DStv Premium, DStv Compact, DStv Family and DStv Extra and broadcast programming like talk show The Wendy Williams Show, reality like Real Husbands of Hollywood and dramas like Being Mary Jane and 106 & Park.

Nicktoons on DStv channel 308 will be available on DStv Premium, DStv Compact and DStv Extra and is aimed at children between 4 to 9 - a younger skewing channel than the existing Nickelodeon channel also from VIMN Africa.

Nicktoons programming include The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Back to the Barnyard, Avatar and Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys.

Nick Jr. on DStv channel 307 will only be available to DStv Premium subscribers as a youth channel targeting pre-school viewers between the ages of 3 to 5 with programmes like Dora the Explorer, Bubble Guppies and Paw Patrol.

New programming will start in 2015 on Nick Jr. including Dora & Friends, Blaze and the Monster Machines and Shimmer & Shine.

"We are delighted to partner with MultiChoice to strengthen our kids and family, and general entertainment offering in Africa," says Alex Okosi, the senior vice president and managing director for VIMN Africa in a statement.

"Our DStv customers will no doubt be delighted that BET is finally available on their screens," says Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's general manager for content in the statement. "Kids will be entertained for hours with the great shows on Nick Jr. and Nicktoons. We want to add channels that fill a gap in our entertainment offering".

FASCINATING. Lifetime and Nicktoons both included as new TV channels in the presentation of Naspers' financial year report.

Both Lifetime (the Lifetime HD logo no less!) and Nicktoons are included in the presentation of the financial year report of Naspers for the year ending 31 March 2014.

Naspers is the holding company of MultiChoice which runs the DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

Last year TV with Thinus noted that Naspers' financial year results for 2013 contained imaging for M-Net Movies - TV channels which at that time haven't yet launch on DStv.

Then it did.

Interestingly I was told last month by sources that Lifetime as a TV channel is coming to South African pay-TV - sources outside of anything Naspers or Naspers subsidiary related.

I asked A+E Networks UK in London which runs the channel which didn't give any real yes or no answer. I also asked MultiChoice's DStv and On Digital Media's (ODM) StarSat whether it will be adding Lifetime and both didn't give specific answers denying or confirming.

Nicktoons is of course from Viacom International Media Networks. Viacom International Media Networks Africa already (VIMN Africa) already looks after channels like MTV, MTV Base, BET and Nickelodeon.

It's not clear why Lifetime and Nicktoons logos appear in the financial year report presentation, a serious document, and next to logos of which all the rest are real.

Nothing in a financial year report or its presentation to global stakeholders and investors is there by chance.Investors and the market (I used to be a financial journalist in a prior life) try to extrapolate a sense of confidence about the health and direction of a company from it and companies know it. Somebody put it in there deliberately, people checked it, people approved and signed off on it.

Just like last year they know it will be seen and studied carefully.

Oprah Winfrey says the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour.

If I make that applicable on the presentation of Naspers' financial year results report the past two years, my estimated guess would be that Nicktoons is replacing Kidsco and that Lifetime will  be added for South African viewers.