Viacom adjusts and brings back its NickFest festival for Africa with the first-ever NickFest Live! South Africa show.

Viacom Africa's kids brand Nickelodeon (DStv 305) is getting ready for this upcoming weekend's first-ever NickFest Live! South Africa concert - a new and different format to the NickFest festival that it rolled out before.

The 2019 NickFest Live! South Africa is taking place on Saturday and Sunday 6 and 7 July at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, and is a departure from the NickFest that Viacom Africa did twice before in South Africa in 2015 and 2017.

Viacom Africa also did two previous NickFests in Nigeria in 2017 and 2018.

Whereas NickFest was more of a festival, NickFest Live! South Africa is a show presentation, filled with musical acts and performers, including characters from channels ranging from Nickelodeon and NickToons to Nick Jr., while also splashing out loads of slime onto the people sitting in the so-called "slime seats".

The 2019 NickFest Live! South Africa hosts are Farieda "Pharoahfi" Matsileing and Nadia Jaftha.

Cape Town's electronic act The Kiffness; the female rapper Rouge; the dance group, Mainstream Dance Collective; and the trampoline stunt group Bounce Inc., are all set to perform.

A "Slime Seat ticket" costs more and gives access to the "Slime Pit" - a parent-free zone and only accessible to children aged 8 to 15 (although parents will have visibility of their kids and can get to them if needed).

"This year's NickFest Live! South Africa is aimed at bringing family-friendly entertainment for the kids making their winter school holidays more memorable," says Tasania Parsadh, channel director for Nickelodeon for Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa).

"We also have our incredible Nickelodeon friends Dora the Explorer, the pups from Paw Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shimmer and Shine that will put on their fun exciting shows over the two days."

Viacom Africa to wave-and-tell at first Comic Con Africa 2018 as the broadcast partner, will some panel discussion highlights and announcements.

Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) will show (wave!) and tell at the first Comic Con Africa 2018 and as the broadcast partner show some panel discussion highlights and announcements.

Comic Con Africa 2018 is taking place from this Friday to Sunday in Johannesburg at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit & International Convention Centre with content, creative talent, executives and stars from its Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and BET channels that will be in attendance and be shown.

Reed Exhibitions Africa, ReedPOP and VS Gaming partnered with VIMN Africa to be the broadcast partner for Comic Con Africa 2018, with the media network that will showcase announcements, screenings and parts of the panel discussions.

"We at VIMN Africa are thrilled to be associated with the continent’s first Comic Con Africa," says Dillon Khan, VIMN Africa vice president for creative services and Comedy Central.

"No stranger to this unique convention, Viacom has over the years launched, showcased and created immersive audience experiences and we are poised to enthrall consumers at this first Comic Con in market."

Carol Weaving, Reed Exhibitions Africa managing director says "we are so excited to partner with such great platforms – MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central".

"With this partnership we have tried to ensure that we cover all our basis with the type of content that we can co-create with our partners. More importantly, we are able to bring the magic of Comic Con Africa 2018 to the African continent through the partnership with Viacom."

Viacom Africa will at Comic Con Africa 2018 will specifically be showcasing content across the following of its channel brands:

Comedy Central (DStv 122):

An immersive South Park experience and introduce a local short form series produced by local content house Diprente.

MTV (DStv 130)

MTV will screen new footage of Fear Factor Celebrity edition and feature an interactive ‘Face your Fear’ series of challenges from the Fear Master.

MTV will also do a panel discussion on "Unraveling social media perils and the influencer equation".

Nickelodeon (DStv 305)

Nickelodeon will reveal the new look Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in a space created to submerge attendees into the characters, announce a new series and host panels featuring Tasania Parsadh, Nickelodeon channel director, discussing local animation.

Nickelodeon will also do a "Women in Animation"panel, moderated by VIMN Africa on-air manager, Pippa Tshabalala. Panelist will include Vanessa Ann Sinden from Triggerfish Animation Studios and Jenna Gien from Minds Eye Creative.

Nickelodeon also plans a Moosebox press conference for its new animation series, as well as an animation panel discussion about it. 

BET (DStv 129)

BET will have a panel discussion, "Afrofuturism before and after Wakanda", featuring the channel’s executive Monde Twala, as well as the American artists Woody McClain and Gabrielle Dennis who are in Johannesburg to launch the channel’s The Bobby Brown Story series and includes fellow Nigerian panelist Yetide Badaki from American Gods.

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."

Nickelodeon executives to panel a discussion at the Cape Town International Animation Festival on how Nickelodeon works with animators.

Executives from Viacom International Media Networks Africa's Nickelodeon (DStv 305) will be participating in the Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) for the first time this year when the 4-dar drawfest kicks off on next week on 18 February in Cape Town.

The London-based Alexi Wheeler, the senior director of development and production for Nickelodeon International will join a panel of speakers from Nickelodeon Africa to discuss how Nickelodeon as a channel works with animators from across the globe.

Other Nickelodeon executives on the stage will include Tasania Parsadh, the channel director of Nickelodeon, Nicktoons and Nick Jr, as well as Pippa Tshabalala, the senior on-air producer for the Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and Nicktoons TV channels that's available on MultiChoice's DStv platform.

Nickelodeon, in conjunction with Animation South Africa, is sponsoring the CTIAF Student Awards. That will see 2 students visiting the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, California for a 2-week work experience session.

Viacom at the MultiChoice Content Showcase 2015: 'We're not just in the business of creating TV - but experiences'.

Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) told Africa's press on Friday morning that it's not just in the business of creating and bringing viewers TV content "but experiences".

VIMN Africa runs channels like MTV, MTV Base, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., NickToons, Comedy Central and various BET channels on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform and On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media SA's StarSat.

VIMN Africa was the second electronic media content provider presenting on Friday morning at the 5 day MultiChoice Content Showcase in Mauritius held at the Outrigger Mauritius Resort & Spa for the continent's press and TV critics.

MultiChoice however excluded South Africa's press and TV critics from attending the MultiChoice Content Showcase and MultiChoice didn't inform South African journalists covering the TV industry beforehand that the event would be taking place.

For the VIMN Africa panel discussion and press conference VIMN Africa flew over executives like Evert van der Veer (head of comedy for Africa), Tasania Parsadh (the senior channel manager of Nickelodeon in Africa) and Tim Horwood (VIMN Africa creative director and channel director for MTV Base).

VIMN Africa made several announcements at the MultiChoice Content Showcase to journalists, including that it's working on creating an African version of the successful American Black Girls Rock awards.

VIMN Africa is also working on a Nigerian version of the family friendly festival NickFest for West Africa.

VIMN Africa will show Nickelodeon's Genius on NickToons (DStv 308) from June 2016 - a brand-new educational quiz show aimed at kids between 9 and 13 - a math and science quiz show that will encourage boys and girls to learn more about these subjects in Africa.

VIMN Africa is teasing that the 3rd Comedy Central Roast of... on the African channel version of Comedy Central and following those of Steve Hofmeyr and Kenny Kunene, could very well be a famous personality from ... Nigeria.

VIMN Africa said its working on "themed events" for channels like MTV (DStv 130), Comedy Central (DStv 122), MTV Base (DStv 322), Nickelodeon (DStv 305) and BET (DStv 129).

Programming wise the new season of weekday talker The Wendy Williams Show will start in mid-September on BET, again showing episodes in South Africa and across Africa on the same day as broadcast in the United States - beating even M-Net's (DStv 101) daily Ellen DeGeneres Show in topicality and quickness to African audiences.

New African entertainment news show BET Buzz just started on 1 September on BET on weekdays.

The 4th season of dramatic edu-tainment series Shuga will start on 13 September on MTV Base.

The reality competition show Top Actor SA has been renewed for a second season and will start in early 2016 on BET.

The mocku-reality show 4th season of Real Husbands of Hollywood will start on BET on 15 November.

VIMN Africa said it will continue to bring African viewers - including those watching in South Africa - Viacom's series of American awards shows: MTV EMAs (25 October on MTV and MTV Base), the MTV Movie Awards (April 2016 on MTV and MTV Base), BET Honors (February 2016 on BET), the BET Hip Hop Awards (October 2015 on BET), Black Girls Rock (April 2016 on BET) and the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards (March 2016 on Nickelodeon).

VIMN Africa said its celebrating its 10th anniversary by making "its biggest ever investment in content for African audiences".

"We are excited about our 2015/2016 slate of high-quality content that will engage our African viewers across multiple genres, including stand-up comedy, music specials, entertainment news, chart shows and awards properties," said Alex Okosi, the senior vice president and managing director of VIMN Africa, in a statement.

Nickelodeon on DStv: 'We have very, very strict guidelines for advertising' to kids; Viacom's children channel also starting to show content sooner.

Nickelodeon (DStv 305) in South Africa, carried on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, says the Viacom supplied TV channel targeting kids has very strict guidelines when it comes to the type of TV commercials it allows on the air, especially around food.

Due to pressure from parents and kids, the Viacom packaged and provided channel has also started the process of narrowing the broadcast windows of certain programming between when its shown in America and in Africa, showing newer content quicker and following the lead of broadcasters like M-Net and FOX International Channels Africa.

In the latter part of 2014, Nickelodeon rival The Walt Disney Company in South Africa shocked the TV biz when it announced that it would start targeting kids aged 4 and younger with TV commercials on the preschool channel Disney Junior (DStv 309) from November 2014 - with the consent and blessing of MultiChoice and its advertising sales arm DStv Media Sales.

Disney Junior has formerly been advertising free and TV commercials specifically targeting children - especially very young children - remains a sensitive topic for broadcasters.

"We have some very, very strict guidelines for advertising. When it comes to our parents and our kids, we are very, very careful about what goes on the channel, Tasania Parsadh, the senior channel manager of Nickelodeon in Africa at Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) told Jeremy Maggs in Maggs on Media on eNCA (DStv 403).

"Any ad that goes on, I will look at it and out legal council will look at it. We'll also decide if its suitable for particular age groups. If not, we'll politely decline, and we'll also advise a brand on why we can't air any particular ads," said Tasania Parsadh.

"Lately what we've been doing with them is working with them even in the creation stage of an age saying, 'This is what's acceptable, and this is what's not - and especially around food."

"There's certain things around food that raises a red flag, in the sense that if any food promotion encourages to eat something every day - which isn't true and it isn't healthy for you."

"It's also the messages that's important with food. So if there's a particular toy with a particular meal, we advise that it's promoted as a treat," said Tasania Parsadh. "And a lot of the brands we've been working with have become very, very fair with that, so it makes our lives a lot easier because brands have become more responsible."

Tasania Parsadh says Nickelodeon has also started bringing Africa's kids new content much sooner than in the past because viewers demand it.

"What we're also seeing is a great interest in new, fresh content. When we launched season 9 of SpongeBob in the United States, immediately on social media there were lots of kids and their parents asking when is season 9 going to be shown on the channel on DStv."

"And then we motivated to have it shown early. So what we've done in terms of our [broadcast] window is we are a few weeks behind the United States," says Tasania Parsadh.