TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read - 23 February 2021.

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

■ The big financial problems of China's StarTimes pay-TV operator comes to light as it faces possible liquidation over owing $11 million in unpaid sports content rights and failing to pay beIN MediaGroup for rights to France's soccer Ligue 1.

 

■ Harry Shearer will no longer voice the black Dr Julius Hibbert on The Simpsons with Kevin Michael Richardson taking over the voice role.

■ Even more Hollywood studios are now starting to hide their abysmal box office income.

■ 1 200 British TV workers accuse the caustic Piers Morgan at ITV of bullying.

■ New book, Ticking Clock, reveals how ugly some of America's 60 Minutes correspondents really are.

"The TV news business is stacked with talented **holes". 

■ From WandaVision to The Mandalorian, how Disney+'s Netflix-crushing plan is taking shape.

■ Why was the 2021 Golden Globes nominees live stream so weird?

■ Is The Bachelor the fastest-growing new professional sport in America?

■ How a childhood love for TV spurred a life-changing career in television.

Zambezi Magic’s Date My Family Botswana producer, Onkabetse Reikeletseng, on his journey in filmmaking.

■ An American producer on why abusive on-set behaviour happens - and how the industry can stop it.

■ Discovery Inc.'s new video streaming service Discovery+ hits 11 million subscribers.

■ Parsing Paramount+: What exactly does ViacomCBS''s video streamer want to be?

As the last of the new global streaming services to launch Paramount+ will have a mountain to climb.

■ And the non-TV story of the day: America's Cherokee Nation wants Jeep to stop using Jeep Cherokee using its name.

CNN International's former talk show hosts Larry King and Piers Morgan trash each other.

CNN International's (DStv 401) former two talk show hosts Larry King and Piers Morgan who replaced him and recently got cancelled are slinging mud at each other, with Larry King calling CNN's hiring of Piers Morgan "a mistake", and Piers Morgan calling Larry King "a constant poisonous twerp".

Larry King was pushed out three years ago to make space for Piers Morgan whose short lived talk show was recently cancelled on CNN.

Larry King went on an America radio talk show this week, saying "I thought they made a mistake in the Piers hire. I thought it was a mistake, one, to hire a Britisher in prime time and two, I thought he made himself too much part of the show".

Piers Morgan is hitting back on Twitter against Larry King, telling him that "you don't need to keep bitching about me", and that "there is no such word as Britisher. But then research and facts were never your strong point were they, Brooklyner?"

Piers Morgan kept going. "Always tried to be respectful to Larry King, but he's been a constant poisonous twerp towards me for three years and I'm bored with it," he tweeted.

The low-rated Piers Morgan Live on CNN International will end on 28 March with its last episode.

The low-rated and cancelled Piers Morgan Live (formerly Piers Morgan Tonight) will have its last episode on 28 March, The Hollywood Reporter reports.

After that, four people - Don Lemon, Jake Tapper, Michael Smerconish and Bill Weir - will be seen trying out a TV talk show hour.

Its not clear whether that will be seen on CNN International, or whether the 24-hour TV news channel will replace the timeslot with more relevant content for an international audience.

Next week CNN International viewers will however see Bill Weir in Piers Morgan Live. Piers Morgan is taking a week long vacation before his last week of the show, with Bill Weir who will be sitting in for Piers Morgan.

Last month news broke that the three year old Piers Morgan Live is over. Piers Morgan Live is seen in South Africa at 01:00 - banished to a later and later timeslot on the CNN International schedule since its debut three years ago.

Low-rated Piers Morgan Live on CNN International cancelled, end date for the 3 year old talk show not yet known.

The low-rated Piers Morgan Live (formerly Piers Morgan Tonight) on CNN International (DStv 401) has been cancelled after three years David Carr reports in The New York Times.

South African and African audiences didn't connect with Piers Morgan and Piers Morgan Tonight which saw the show being pushed on CNN International from 21:00 (South African time) and repeats, to later and later time slots and less repeats.

Eventually Piers Morgan Tonight, renamed as Piers Morgan Live, was banished to late after midnight (01:00 South Africa time).

Piers Morgan Live is ending although a date for the cancelled show is not yet know.

Piers Morgan Tonight talk show on CNN International rebranding to become Piers Morgan Live from Monday.

Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN International (DStv 401) will be changing its name and will become known as Piers Morgan Live from this coming Monday, a throwback to the show it replaced, Larry King Live.

Piers Morgan Live - the first one with the new name, will be seen in South Africa on Tuesday morning at 00:00.

Programming note: Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN International tonight at 22:00 is a Whitney Houston tribute with Chaka Khan, Wyclef Jean.

CNN/Piers Morgan Tonight

In a hastily arranged special tribute to Whitney Houston, Piers Morgan of Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN International (DStv 401) will talk to Chaka Khan and Wyclef Jean at 22:00 (South African time) remembering Whitney Houston.

CNN International just sent me an advisory to the Piers Morgan Tonight special of tonight, as well as a rush transcript, with Chaka Khan who will be telling Piers Morgan that the decision to proceed with Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party just hours after Whitney Houston's passing was ''complete insanity''.

''I thought that was complete insanity," Chaka Khan tells Piers Morgan. "I don't know what could motivate a person, to have a party, in a building, where the person, whose life he had influenced so enormously, and whose life had been affected by her ... I don't understand how that party went on."

''I too, was an addict,'' Chaka Khan will be telling Piers Morgan. ''I will never do cocaine again, I know that. But we are sensitive, highly sensitive people, entertainers.''

''I've cried for her a lot over the years, so many times, Chaka Khan says later in the interview tonight, ''And I've - in a way, I've mourned her because I felt that she was - something was going to happen because she was - we were - she was so close to the wire.''

REVEALED. New set shown, more upcoming guests announced of Piers Morgan Tonight that starts next week on CNN International.

This is how the set will look of Piers Morgan Tonight that starts on Tuesday, 18 January at 22:00 on CNN International (DStv 401) and will be replacing Larry King Live on weekdays on the international news channel. Jonathan Wald will be the executive producer.

I also have some more Piers Morgan Tonight broadcasting times. CNN International now reveals that besides the 22:00 weekday timeslot, Piers Morgan Tonight will also be shown live at 04:00 (South African time) Mondays to Fridays, and at 14:00 on weekday afternoons.

In addition to the Piers Morgan Tonight premiere guest Oprah Winfrey that was announced at last weeks Television Critics Association week the rest of the first week's guest roster include Howard Stern, Condoleezza Rice, Ricky Gervais and George Clooney. In a new press release CNN says guests confirmed in following weeks include Rudy Giuliani, Rod Stewart, Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump.

ALSO READ: Piers Morgan Tonight means a ''new'' World One will move to midnight on CNN International.
ALSO READ: Piers Morgan Tonight will be going out at 22:00 on weekdays South African time on CNN International.
ALSO READ: Oprah Winfrey will be the first guest on Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN International.

BREAKING. Sky News is ramping up its coverage in the run-up to Prince Williams' royal wedding with a new daily afternoon show.

The British 24 hour news channel is not saying it in so many words but its very clear now that Sky News (DStv 402) is gearing up for the April 29 royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton with Sky News that has just announced a new daily afternoon show with the channel's royal correspondent Sarah Hughes.

The new afternoon show, Boulton & Co, will interestingly enough debut on Monday 17 January on Sky News, the same day that CNN International (DStv 401) rolls out its new weekday talk show with the former British tabloid editor Piers Morgan.

Boulton & Co will debut at 15:00 (South African time) with Sky News political editor Adam Boulton and Sarah Hughes and will originate from Sky News' new state-of-the-art Westminster studio. ''It will have a flexible format, adapting to the news agenda as stories develop on air,'' says Sky News in a press release - the perfect gear-up vehicle of course for covering the run-up to the royal wedding in 3 months time and building sustained hype (as if that's necessary).

Besides Boulton & Co Sky News is also adding a new Sunday morning show from tomorrow, 9 January, a 2 hour edition from 12:00 (South African time) entitled Murnaghan with Dermot Murnaghan as the presenter.

''These shows see two of Sky's major talents in hugely exciting new programmes,'' says John Ryley, head of Sky News in a statement. ''They will not only be must sees for breaking news but controversial debate and expert analysis.'' According to Sky News both Adam Bolton and Sarah Hughes ''will continue in their current roles as political editor and royal correspondent respectively. Paul Harrison has been appointed royal correspondent and will work alongside Sarah Hughes to bring royal news to the fore in the run up to the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton in April.''

Addition of Piers Morgan Tonight to CNN International's primetime weekday line-up will mean a 'new' World One moves to midnight.

With the launch of Piers Morgan Tonight, the new weekday talk show of Piers Morgan that starts on 18 January in South Africa on CNN International (DStv 401) and now with the confirmed time of 22:00 on the schedule it indeed means changes for CNN International's primetime line-up exactly as I've predicted.

I've heard back from CNN International that confirms that World One with Fionnuala Sweeney will disappear from its 22:00 timeslot on CNN International's schedule from 18 January. World One had its debut in September 2009, but CNN International has now decided to move the Piers Morgan talk show into the timeslot that World One has occupied for almost the past year and a half.

A new hour long World One broadcast at midnight (South African time) will debut at the end of the day on 17 January, which will be anchored by Zain Verjee and Monita Rajpal from London. Meanwhile World Sport and one of CNN International's regular feature shows will be moved to the new open 13:00 timeslot where Larry King Live used to be.

ALSO READ: Oprah Winfrey to be the first guest for Piers Morgan.

BREAKING. Piers Morgan Tonight will go out in the new primetime slot of 22:00 on CNN International. Where does that leave World One?

CNN International (DStv 401) just confirmed the time of the new talk show Piers Morgan Tonight which will debut on 18 January in South Africa just as I told you RIGHT HERE last month with Oprah Winfrey as his first guest, but it won't be in the 12:00 timeslot where Larry King Live used to be. Instead Piers Morgan Tonight will get a daily primetime slot of 22:00 (South African time) on weekdays.

With Piers Morgan Tonight moving to 22:00 on weekdays on CNN International, where does that leave the current World One with Fionnuala Sweeney? CNN International isn't saying yet whether World One will be moving to another timeslot, or will be ending.

ALSO READ: Oprah Winfrey the first guest to be interviewed by Piers Morgan for his new talk show.

BREAKING. Piers Morgan Tonight (the replacement of Larry King Live) will start showing on Tuesday 18 January 2011 in South Africa.

You're reading it here first.

Piers Morgan Tonight, the new talk show on CNN International (DStv 401) replacing Larry King Live will start showing for the first time in South Africa on Tuesday, 18 January 2011.

The time on the schedule for Piers Morgan Tonight has not yet been confirmed, but it could most probably fill the 12:00 slot in which Larry King Live was seen (South African time).

Although not giving a date yet in it, CNN International is running a new on-air promo for Piers Morgan Tonight, simply saying ''Get Ready'' and ''In January Piers Morgan joins CNN, and he'll get people talking all over the world. An event every night. Piers Morgan Tonight. Starting in January on CNN.''

BREAKING. Piers Morgan will be replacing Larry King in January on CNN International.

Piers Morgan will be joining CNN and be replacing the global news channel's Larry King in January. CNN International (DStv 401) just issued a press statement confirming the long-speculated news that the veteran newspaper editor will be taking over from Larry King.

''The new program will air weeknights and will air worldwide on CNN International in more than 200 countries.'' Says CNN: ''He will now bring his penetrating interview style and gift for unearthing the surprising detail to . . . CNN viewers around the globe.

''I am thrilled to be joining CNN, and very much looking forward to bringing my own style of interviewing to the world's biggest, and best, TV news organization,'' says Piers Morgan in the statement.'' He also has words for the TV interviewer he's replacing, Larry King. ''I have watched Larry King Live for much of the last 25 years, and dreamed of one day filling the legendary suspenders of the man I consider to be the greatest TV interviewer of them all.''

Piers Morgan will be based in New York and also work from Los Angeles and London.