Disney ends the FOX channel in Africa after 11 years, rips away 11th and final season ending of The Walking Dead from pay-TV viewers.

by Thinus Ferreira

The FOX channel in Africa has turned into the walking dead with the last of its programming turning into a zombie schedule after Disney decided to end the channel on DStv and StarSat after 11 and a half years at the end of September, ripping away the ending of The Walking Dead from pay-TV subscribers across the continent.

In response to a media query from TVwithThinus, The Walt Disney Company Africa confirms that its FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) channel is ending on pay-TV services like MultiChoice's DStv, StarTimes and StarSat, as well as Zuku across sub-Saharan Africa at the end of September.

"On 30 September at 23:59 (CAT), the FOX channel across Africa will close," a South African spokesperson of The Walt Disney Company Africa says.

"As the television landscape and viewer consumption evolves, we continue to develop and review our products and services to ensure we are offering the best possible experience for consumers."

"We look forward to bringing consumers across Africa a vast array of factual, sports, and kids programming from our channels, including National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, ESPN, ESPN 2, Disney Channel and Disney Junior."

StarSat in response to a media query on Monday said that "the FOX channel will be offline as of 1 October, however FOX News will still air. This was a decision made by Disney to remove the channel". On StarSat the FOX channel has been available to Max and Super subscribers. 

MultiChoice in response to a media enquiry said that the "MultiChoice Group confirms that as of 30 September 2021 at 23:59, FOX will stop airing on DStv. The change is as a result of a review of various channels by The Walt Disney Company Africa, as the channel owner and ourselves". The FOX channel has been available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus and DStv Compact subscribers.

Asked how pay-TV subscribers watching FOX will see series and their endings like the final season of The Walking Dead and whether that content would be made available on-demand somewhere else, Disney says that "all current premiere series will air their full seasons before the channel closes".

"While the channel will be closing, many titles that aired on FOX will be available on Star on Disney+ when the service launches in South Africa in 2022".

Asked if FOX will be replaced in time by another similar type of linear TV channel or whether it's not part of Disney's strategy to run a general entertainment channel anymore like FOX was, Disney has no definitive answer.

Disney says that "across the globe, we continue to invest in both direct-to-consumer (DTC) and linear businesses, with the goal being providing our fans with multiple entry points to our content and our brand. We have substantial linear businesses in several markets including across Africa".

"We take a market-by-market approach and continuously evaluate our media networks business on an ongoing basis but have nothing else to announce at this time."

"Our number one priority is to bring customers the stories they love and our linear channels continue to be a compelling destination – including our genre-defining factual entertainment channels National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD, our action-pack sports channels ESPN and ESPN2, as well as our popular kids and family channels Disney Channel and Disney Junior."

Disney axed the FOX Life channel at the end of September 2020 on DStv and StarSat, and terminated Disney XD in the same month after nine years on DStv.

FOX's zombie-hyped start - and zombie ending

The FOX Africa channel started its linear broadcast life in May 2010 in South Africa as FOX Entertainment when On Digital Media (ODM) launched its TopTV satellite service (now StarSat) with several Fox-supplied channels that came and went over the years like FX, FOX Retro, FOX Life and FOX Crime.

FOX Entertainment rebranded to FOX from April 2013 after MultiChoice signed a new carriage deal to also carry FOX.

FOX became a solid B+ general entertainment channel coming close to rivaling premium channels like M-Net and BBC Entertainment over the past decade with shows like Falling Skies, Da Vinci's Demons, Empire, The Resident, Deep State as its first original Europe and Africa commissioned drama series, War of the Worlds recently and even stealing The Simpsons away from M-Net.

The biggest content contributor to the desirability factor of FOX as a TV channel however came in the licensing coup of AMC Studios' global zombie series hit The Walking Dead that started in October 2010 just as FOX began as a channel in South Africa and that is ending just as FOX is ending, with its 11th season that started on Sunday 22 August.

Ironically, after multiple seasons of doing both live late-night simulcast airings at the same time as in America, as well as "Express from the US" episodes where viewers in Africa saw The Walking Dead episodes within a day of broadcast after the United States, Disney is now ripping the show and how the story ends away from pay-TV subscribers who have been following it for a decade on FOX Africa.

Viewers of DStv, StarTimes and StarSat will not see any of the new weekly episodes of the concluding 11th season of The Walking Dead in August or September before FOX shuts down, with the show's latest season conspicuously absent from the FOX schedule.

Why FOX is ending

The FOX News (StarSat 261) channel from Fox Corporation will remain on StarTimes and StarSat but the axing of FOX Africa on StarSat and DStv is the culmination of the Walt Disney Company's corporate takeover of 21st Century Fox in 2019.

In May, Bob Chapek, Walt Disney CEO, said that Disney planned to close 100 of its remaining international FOX, FOX Crime and FOX Life channels, as well as several Disney Channel, Disney Junior and even some iterations of the National Geographic channels in various markets before the end of this year, from the United Kingdom and New Zealand, to Australia and across Southeast Asia.

Disney is shutting down these channels for two reasons: It wants to get rid of the "FOX" name in all its channel branding and assets, similar to how it renamed its studios of 20th Century Fox to 20th Century Studios and 20th Century Fox Television as 20th Television. 

Secondly, Disney wants to take back its content tied up in linear TV channel distribution deals and consolidate its content to put it all on its own Disney+ video streaming service that it is rolling out globally, with Bob Chapek who earlier this month in its latest investors' conference call said that "our direct-to-consumer business is the company's top priority".

Disney plans to launch Disney+ in South Africa from any time around June 2022.

Viewers noticed FOX sliding out of  focus

In May, viewers became alarmed when they started noticing that the FOX schedule suddenly began to zombify with a lot more rebroadcasts and repeats and a dramatic decrease in new, first-run series on the channel than previously. 

Worried pay-TV subscribers feared and speculated that the visible lack of volume of new content meant that the less energy and focus given to FOX was possibly signaling that the TV channel is going to be discontinued.

Disney in response to a media enquiry in May then responded very much with the same statement it did now, saying: "We continue to invest in both direct-to-consumer (DTC) and linear businesses, with the goal being providing our fans with multiple entry points to our content and our brand. We take a market by market approach and continuously evaluate our media networks business on an ongoing basis but have nothing to announce at this time."

Impact on subscribers

The termination of FOX in Africa will hit StarTimes and StarSat and its subscribers, harder than MultiChoice and DStv subscribers since FOX has been the last remaining good general entertainment with American content left on StarTimes' channels line-up, whereas MultiChoice still has channels like M-Net and others to somewhat blunt the impact of FOX's loss.

StarTimes and StarSat subscribers, still angry after the loss of Discovery Family in late-January and the loss of more Discovery Inc. channels - StarTimes Real Time, Investigation Discovery, Investigation Discovery French, Discovery Science and Discovery Science French - since the beginning of this month, are upset about the end of FOX.

"I am so done with StarSat right now," said subscriber Loraine Ellis, echoing the sentiment of hundreds of StarSat subscribers on Facebook on Monday. "You have taken away multiple channels over the past year or so and replaced it with absolutely nothing. How are we going to watch The Walking Dead when the new season starts?"

Pay-TV customer Johan Kruger said that if FOX doen't show The Walking Dead "real soon everyone will resort back to piracy. We got all previous seasons at the exact same time as it aired in the US".

DStv subscribers in countries like Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania where price increases come into effect from September will likely wonder why they have to pay more but at the same time get less when the FOX channel is taken away.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV reports and articles to read - 24 February 2021.

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

■ Netflix has an elite team of 23 insider executives, known as the "L-staff" who make the biggest decisions at the video streaming service.

■  Apple's biggest mistake was not buying Netflix.

■ Independent Media's Debashine Thangevelo will now do a weekly column on Sundays, "Remote Access", in the new Insider supplement, looking at what's happening on TV.

■ The Black News Channel is looking to mark a mark in America's competitive TV news channels landscape while looking at news through the lens of black Americans.

■ Al Jazeera (DStv 406 / StarSat 257) is launching a new rightwing news platform, Rightly, that will be led by a former Fox News journalist.

- Al Jazeera staff dismayed at the Rightly launch.

■ A new Netflix hack understands your TV obsessions even more than you do.

■ The showrunner of The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) reveals how the show filled the extra 6 episodes.

■ This is why Star is Disney's next big salvo in its Disney+ streaming war with Netflix.

■ Video streamers are looking outside the lines:

As subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services have become all the rage in America and are damaging traditional pay-TV services, for many - especially smaller services - the real money is to be made internationally.

■ So-called "cord-cutting" in America - consumers who abandon and cancel their traditional pay-TV subscription - has almost doubled in 2020.

- The worst of cord-cutting is over?

■ How The Bachelor reality show in America missed an opportunity for representation.

- Why Chris Harrison's benching from The Bachelor should be made permanent.

■ Disney, Discovery Inc., WarnerMedia and all of the others are fixated on the subscriber numbers for their new streaming services but the big question is their content spend and whether they're going to keep it up and invest even more to keep pace with the near-bottomless wallets of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.

■ Ultraviolet television helps us understand how animals see the world.

■ Will Facebook become a revenue stream for TV news?

■ Ireland struggles with the same collection problems as South Africa's SABC TV Licence.

■ TV's tech war: TV-set makers are increasingly pitting the rival technologies of LED and OLED against each other. The result: Better screens for customers.

■ Riverdale seen on M-Net (DStv 101) leaves viewers gasping as Archie and Betty strips naked for steamy shower sex scene.

- Why British TV viewers no longer complain about sex.

■ Study: Too much TV or mobile screen time can trigger suicidal thoughts in teenagers.

■ New Chinese crime drama TV series, Hunting, filming in Nairobi, Kenya.

■ The former South African YO.TV presenter Jeza gets 6 matric distinctions.

■ From Sex and the City, to Succession and all of the new shows and new seasons: Will TV confront Covid-19 or ignore it?

The Walt Disney Company Africa Media Networks shares some early-2021 programming highlights across Disney Channel, Disney Junior, FOX, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD and ESPN.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Walt Disney Company Africa Media Networks wasn't able to do a physical 2021 new year highlights showcase this year because of the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic but still issued programming highlights across its TV channels in the form of a press drop to journalists.

Here are some of them:

Disney Junior (DStv 309)

I literally just discovered Bluey at the end of last year as a new TV show about a month before The Walt Disney Company Africa Media Networks alerted me to it.

It's interesting as a children's show because you can watch it as an adult or as a parent and you will actually be quite entertained by it as well because it works on another level than just entertaining and educating a child.

It's actually quite insightful and revealing because a character like the dad would, for instance, be asked to come and play and he would say something like he doesn't want to, he's tired. You usually don't find that in children's shows.

Bluey is described as "a funny and honest look at modern family life". The Australian blue heeler puppy Bluey has a boundless imagination and loves to turn daily life into playful adventures. 

Bluey and little sister Bingo throw themselves into exploring their world, using gameplay to conquer their fears and to try out adult roles.

The second season of Bluey starts on 22 February.

Disney Channel (DStv 303)

The Disney Original Movie, Upside Down Magic, premiered on the channel in late-January and can still be seen in which the 13-year old Nory discovers that she can "flux" into animals and that her best friend Reina can manipulate flames.

Together they enter the Sage Academy for Magical Studies where Reina's expert ability to harness the power of fire lands her at the top of her class of "Flares", but Nory's wonky magic and proclivity for turning into a 'Dritten" (half-kitten, half-dragon) lands her in a class for those with Upside-Down Magic.

The second season of the animated series Amphibia has started in February on Disney Channel on weekdays at 15:15.

Amphibia is a frog-out-of-water animated comedy series that chronicles the adventures of 13-year old Anne Boonchuy, who is magically transported to the fantastical world of Amphibia, a rural marshland full of frog-people.

There she meets an excitable young frog named Sprig Plantar, his unpredictable sister Polly and over-protective grandpa Hop Pop. With Sprig's help, Anne will transform into a hero and discover the first true friendship of her life.

FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131)

The first episode of the so-called "extended" 10th season of the long-running zombie drama series The Walking Dead will premiere on the channel on Monday 1 March.

This 10th season that started in 2019 and got delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic that impacted production, got 6 additional episodes added, to take the season episode number to 22. These last 6 episodes are now starting with FOX Africa showing them both as a simulcast with the United States and again during primetime.

The 6 additional episodes of The Walking Dead's 10th season (starting from episode 1017) will air simulcast with America at 03:00 in the mornings, South African time, and again in primetime on Monday nights at 20:45. 

National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220)

The channel has some hard-hitting programming like North Korea: Inside the Mind of a Dictator scheduled for 2 March and 9 March at 21:00. The documentary will give viewers unprecedented access into one of the most secretive countries in the world.

Nat Geo WILD (DStv 182 / StarSat 221)

Snakes in the City filmed in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa is back for a 7th season with the snake-catchers Simon and Sioux as they try to catch some of the deadliest snakes in the most bizarre situations and then release them back into the wild.

In 7 seasons this is probably the first time I think there's ever been publicity done for this specific show. Nat Geo says viewers can watch as the snake catchers solve snake problems like deadly forest cobras at wedding venues, enormous pythons guarding their eggs, and even lethal black mambas inside ceilings.

Of course, the 10th Big Cat Month is taking place during February on Nat Geo WILD as well, with all of the programming details that you can find in this article here.

ESPN (DStv 218 / StarSat 248)

There was the 55th Superbowl and ESPN also has NBA basketball coverage.

When it comes to football ESPN also shows the Scottish Premiership with the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL).

The Walking Dead seen on FOX cancelled, will end with an extended season 11 in 2022 as more spinoffs are planned.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125  /StarSat 131) has been cancelled after 11 seasons with the AMC-produced zombie drama series that will end with an extended season.

The Walking Dead will end with an 11th season that will play out over an extended 24-episode season, with 12 episodes set to be broadcast in 2021, and the final 12 episodes in 2022.

The 11th season of The Walking Dead was supposed to broadcast this year but was delayed because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic that shut down film and television production globally.

Besides the end of The Walking Dead, AMC will also produce another two Walking Dead spinoff series - one revolving around Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) that will debut in 2023; as well as an anthology zombie-series currently entitled Tales of The Walking Dead, bringing the number of new spinoffs to 4 series.

Meanwhile the 10th season of The Walking Dead will start on 4 October, followed by 6 bonus episodes before the 11th season's first half starts later in 2021.

"It’s been 10 years 'gone bye', what lies ahead are 2 more to come and stories to tell beyond that" says Scott M. Gimple, former The Walking Dead showrunner and chief content officer of the franchise, in a statement.

"What’s clear is that this show has been about the living, made by a passionate cast, team of writer/producers, producers, and crew, bringing to life the vision put forth by Robert Kirkman in his brilliant comic - and supported by the best fans in the world."

"We have a lot of thrilling story left to tell on The Walking Dead and then, this end will be a beginning of more Walking Dead - brand new stories and characters, familiar faces and places, new voices, and new mythologies."

"This will be a grand finale that will lead to new premieres. Evolution is upon us. The Walking Dead lives."

Angela Kang, The Walking Dead showrunner, says "I look forward to digging in with our brilliant writers, producers, directors, cast and crew to bring this epic final chapter of Robert Kirkman’s story to life for our fans over the next two years."

"The Walking Dead flagship series has been my creative home for a decade and so it’s bittersweet to bring it to an end, but I could not be more excited to be working with Scott Gimple and AMC to develop a new series for Daryl and Carol."

"Working with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride has been a highlight of my career and I'm thrilled that we get to keep telling stories together."

Ed Carroll, chief operating officer at AMC Networks, says "The Walking Dead made television history, and is one of those rare creative works that has given life to an entire content universe that is still in the early stages of growing and entertaining both new and established fans".

"We can’t wait to bring viewers this expanded final season of The Walking Dead over the next two years, and launch the fourth series in the history of the franchise, focused on the beloved Daryl and Carol characters, with the incredibly talented Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Angela Kang and Scott M. Gimple."

"There really is so much 'walking' ahead, in a number of very exciting directions, for this extraordinary creative universe we call The Walking Dead."

The 6th season of the spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead will start in October.

The other spinoff series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, following the "first generation" to grow up during the zombie apocalypse, will start on the dame day in the United States. A South African TV channel and date for The Walking Dead: World Beyond has not yet been announced.

Coronavirus: Nat Geo's Genius Aretha postponed, FOX's Empire cut short without proper series finale, and M-Net's Billions and Black Monday getting mid-season breaks.

by Thinus Ferreira

As the impact of the spread of the global Covid-19 novel coronavirus increases in countries from the United States to South Africa more American-produced TV series are having to adjust with the shutdown of the TV industry now impacting National Geographic's Genius: Aretha, Showtime's Billions and Black Monday, and with FOX's Empire that will no longer have a proper series finale.

The biographical series, Genius: Aretha, with Cynthia Erivo in the lead role has been postponed and will no longer start in late-May 2020 on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220) since the Fox21 Television Studios and Imagine Television Studios production shut down on 13 March with filming which hadn't completed. No new starting date exists.

"Production on National Geographic’s limited series Genius: Aretha remains suspended and it has become clear that the series will not be completed in time for our previously announced airdate," says National Geographic in a statement.

"We look forward to resuming work as soon as is possible and safe, and at that time will announce a new premiere date for later this year."

"We cannot wait to let Aretha's voice sing, and in the words of the Queen herself, 'Being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing. It has much to do with your service to people. And your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well.' "

"In that spirit, we wish all of our viewers well in these challenging times, particularly those who are working in our communities to keep us all safe."

Meanwhile FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) already announced that it has been forced to postpone the 10th season finale of The Walking Dead zombie drama series.

AMC already pushed out the starting date of the spinoff series, Walking Dead: World Beyond that would have started on 12 April directly after the 10th season finale of The Walking Dead, also because of the coronavirus pandemic. AMC said that Walking Dead: World Beyond will now start "later this year". This series will be shown on SundanceTV (DStv 108) in South Africa.

Preproduction on the 11th season of The Walking Dead was already postponed as well.

Empire, with episodes of the 6th and final season currently on Thursdays at 20:45 on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) will also now end two episodes earlier with episode 18 on 7 May 2020 in South Africa instead of episode 20.

South African viewers are two weeks behind the United States and will see the 14th episode next week, with the promo for next week's 16th episode of Empire in America suddenly saying "Get ready for the shocking final three episodes of Empire", meaning that the series with Taraji P. Henson will end with the 18th episode.

The latest season of the Showtime drama series Billions (on M-Net (DStv 101) and Showmax) and Black Monday on 1Magic (DStv 103) haven't completed filming. The 5th season of Billions will show the first 7 episodes, and the second season of Black Monday will start but then end mid-season, with the rest of the episodes of both series that will be broadcast later.

Coronavirus: Covid-19 virus stops the zombies dead in their tracks as AMC's The Walking Dead on FOX is forced to postpone its 10th season finale.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Covid-19 virus has stopped the zombies dead in their tracks: The 10th season finale of The Walking Dead seen on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) will be delayed and broadcast later as a special episode because of the global coronavirus pandemic that is impacting post-production.

The Walking Dead is produced by AMC Studios and revolves a group of post-apocalyptic survivors trekking across the United States in a world where a frightening new virus turns people who die into zombies without a cure.

Seasons have 16 episodes and just broadcast the 13th episode of the 10th season that saw the exit of Danai Gurirawith, with South African and African viewers getting the show as an Express from the US title.

"Current events have unfortunately made it impossible to complete post-production of The Walking Dead season 10 finale, so the current season will end with its 15th episode on 15 April," says AMC in a statement.

"The planned finale will appear as a special episode later in the year."

AMC already pushed out the starting date of the spinoff series, Walking Dead: World Beyond that would have started on 12 April directly after the 10th season finale of The Walking Dead, also because of the coronavirus pandemic. AMC said that Walking Dead: World Beyond will now start "later this year".

Preproduction on the 11th season of The Walking Dead was already postponed as well.

The zom-pocalypse endures as AMC commissions a third The Walking Dead drama series, this time following two young fighting females.

The Walking Dead is far from buried with AMC that has officially commissioned another The Walking Dead spin-off with the third, as-yet-unnamed, drama series set in the aftermath of a global zombie apocalypse that will start sometime in 2020 on SundanceTV (DStv 108).

As viewership is waning for The Walking Dead that is still continuing on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) and that is in its 9th season and renewed for a 10th set to start in October, as well as four seasons of Fear the Walking Dead on SundanceTV that will start its 5th season in June, AMC has commissioned a third series that will take place within the same d(r)eadful universe.

"Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. In the end, all of them will be changed forever," says AMC.

Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead both take place in the months and years after a zombie apocalypse and follow different groups of survivors traveling in search of a safe and secure home.

The new drama series in the franchise will focus on two young female protagonists - the first generation to have grown up after the zombie apocalypse. Production on the first 10-episode season, produced and distributed by AMC Studios, will start during winter.

The new spin-off is co-created by Scott M. Gimple, the chief content officer of The Walking Dead universe, as well as Matt Negrete, who has been a writer and producer on The Walking Dead for the past five seasons and who will be the showrunner of the new series.

"We're thrilled that the Dead will keep walking into a new corner of the post-apocalyptic world, a corner that will present stories and characters unlike any that The Walking Dead has dramatized thus far, and that is bound to excite one of the most passionate fan-bases in television," says David Madden, president of programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios, in a statement.

"Scott has been an invaluable leader for this universe since taking on the role of chief content officer, with a distinct and innovative vision for the franchise. Likewise, we're excited to have Matt, who has been a crucial part of The Walking Dead family for over five years and penned many memorable episodes of The Walking Dead, at the helm of this original series."

Sarah Barnett, president of the entertainment networks group for AMC Networks, says "On the heels of an incredible 9th season of The Walking Dead and as we approach an anticipated new season of Fear the Walking Dead on 2 June, this is an exciting moment for the Dead franchise, which continues to thrive in a highly competitive environment".

"We are thankful to be working with some of the best creatives in the business to expand this universe in new and exciting ways for our fans."

Scott M. Gimple says "Showing audiences an unseen pocket of The Walking Dead universe steeped in a new mythology is a very cool way to celebrate a 'Decade of the Dead' on TV and over 15 years of Robert Kirkman's brilliant comic".

"Matt Negrete is one of the best writer-producers in The Walking Dead's long history - I'm thrilled to be working beside him to tell stories unlike we've seen before, taking our first step into an even larger world."

Matt Negrete says "I'm beyond excited to be a part of this new show set in The Walking Dead universe".

"Writing and producing for the original series has been the job of a lifetime and I'm honoured to be working with Scott and all the fine Dead folks at AMC in this new capacity. I can't wait for the fans of the franchise to see what we've been cooking up!"

Zombie march relentless as The Walking Dead on FOX claims top torrent spot for 2018 as the most illegally downloaded and watched TV show.

The Walking Dead has pushed Game of Thrones from the iron throne of most pirated TV show of 2018, according to TorrentFreak that annually compiles a list of most sought-after and illegally downloaded and shared TV series.

Although past its prime, the zombie drama series The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) pushed past Game of Thrones seen on M-Net (DStv 101) that has held the top spot of most downloaded TV episodes under torrenting pirates for 6 years in a row.

Game of Thrones completely dropped off of the Top 10 list, but the zombie rise of The Walking Dead does however come with an asterisk - Game of Thrones didn't have any new episodes in 2018 but will likely reclaim its top torrent spot at the end of this year when the 8th and final season of the dragon and White Walkers fantasy series starts within months.

While not making the Top 10 in 2018, it doesn't mean that Game of Thrones doesn't remain hugely popular. "Game of Thrones torrents remain the most sought-after season bundles on torrent sites," says TorrentFreak.

It's also no surprise that 8 out of the top 10 shows most shared and downloaded by torrent users in 2018 are seen on M-Net with DStv's most premium channel continuing to acquire and retain the most sought-after TV programming globally and from America for DStv subscribers, despite the rise of and increased competition from streaming services like Netflix and Showmax.

With Game of Thrones taking a break, The Walking Dead from 2nd place, The Flash from 3rd place, and The Big Bang Theory from 4th place, all moved up a spot during 2018 on the torrent list.

Vikings seen on M-Net and Showmax jumped from 8th to 4th place, with the new superhero drama series Titans available on Netflix South Africa, claiming the 5th spot.

Arrow (10th in 2017) jumped to 6th place, Supernatural is 7th, Westworld 8th, DC's Legends of Tomorrow 9th and Suits 10th - all seen on M-Net.

"Episodes of The Walking Dead are downloaded millions of times," says TorrentFreak.

"Apart from the change at the top, there are a few small changes. Most of the entries in the top ten have been featured in the list at least once before in previous years. Titans is the best-ranked newcomer in fifth place."

TorrentFreak compiles its annual Top 10 ranking by combing through statistics reported by public BitTorrent trackers and the DHT network.

Rick Grimes exits zombie drama, The Walking Dead - alive - as Andrew Lincoln's character will live on in 3 spin-off made-for-TV movies.

Rick Grimes has exited the zombie drama series, The Walking Dead - not unscathed, but alive - with the actor Andrew Lincoln whose character will live on in 3 spin-off made-for-TV movies.

In Monday night's 5th episode of the 9th season of The Walking Dead on FOX (Dstv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) entitled "What Comes After", viewers saw Rick Grimes, critically injured after his horse threw him off in the previous episode and getting impaled by a metal barb - pulling himself off of it, mounting a white horse and drawing to draw the herd of zombies away.

The former sheriff lured them over a bridge in an apparent attempt at self-sacrifice that he then blew up by shooting at dynamite to stop the walkers. Yet Rick is found alive and, injured, ends up flying away in a helicopter to a new community elsewhere.

In July Andrew Lincoln confirmed that he's done with the drama series and that the 9th season would be "my last season playing the role of Rick Grimes".

After the conclusion of the episode, AMC that produces The Walking Dead revealed that Andrew Lincoln will return as his character in at least three spin-off movies.

It's not clear whether these, produced by AMC Studios Original Films will air on AMC or Sundance TV (DStv 108), or also be shown on FOX.

Production on the first film will start in 2019 as the latest expansion plan for The Walking Dead franchise, written by executive producer and The Walking Dead chief content officer, Scott M. Gimple.

"It's not the beginning of the end, it's the end of the beginning," says Andrew Lincoln said in pre-taped insert that was broadcast during The Talking Dead on Sundance TV (DStv 108) after Monday night's episode.

"And I like the idea that we get to tell a bigger story, maybe with a sort of wider vista. And I've always been interested in what's going on out there, you know, whether or not there is contact with the wider world. I want to know the meta of it all."

"And I suppose to be able to kind of touch upon that in a contained story for me is a very exciting proposition. Maybe it's the start of a bigger story."

Scott M. Gimple in a statement says "We have a lot on the horizon - starting with a new epic featuring one of the greatest leading actors in television history and one of the best people I've ever met".

"We're starting with the first part of the continuing story of Rick Grimes, and there is much more on the way, featuring yet-unseen worlds of The Walking Dead and faces from the show's past, as well as new characters we hope to become favourites, told by The Walking Dead veterans and emerging voices."

"We want to break new ground with different, distinct stories, all part of the same world that's captured our imagination for nearly a decade of the Dead."

David Madden, president of original programming for AMC, Sundance TV and AMC Studios says "We believe this is a world and narrative with many possibilities and opportunities for character development and we're excited to expand the series into a franchise that can live across multiple formats".

"For many years, fans have talked about things in the apocalypse they want to see and now we have an opportunity to explore those stories, beginning with the character who started it all, Rick Grimes."

Actor Andrew Lincoln confirms that he's done with zombie drama, The Walking Dead, after the upcoming 9th season on FOX.

Actor Andrew Lincoln, emotionally confirmed the speculation that started swirling last month that he is done with the zombie drama The Walking Dead after the upcoming 9th season.

At Comic Con 2018 in San Diego during a panel discussion, he said "this will be my last season playing the role of Rick Grimes. I love this show. It means everything to me. I love the people who make this show. I'm particularly fond of the people who watch this show".

Andrew Lincoln said "I don't want this to become an Oscar acceptance speech or a obituary".

"My relationship with Mister Rick Grimes is far from over." The actor said he is leaving The Walking Dead to spend more time with his family in the United Kingdom.

The 9th season of The Walking Dead with 16 episodes will start on 7 October and will broadcast on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) from 8 October in South Africa and across Africa.

The second half of the 4th season of the spin-off drama series, Fear the Walking Dead will start on 12 August in America with episode 9 and will broadcast on Sundance TV (DStv 108) from Monday 13 August at 21:00.

Netflix and ill: The dangers of binge-watching includes chronic fatigue, over-eating, insomnia and a weakened immune system, while zombie show The Walking Dead makes you want to ... feed!

Love watching endless episodes at a time through Netflix, Showmax, Amazon Prime Video or Cell C black? Several research studies have now found that this relatively new phenomenon of binge-watching TV series can wreak havoc on the immune systems and the body's ability to fight off colds and flu, while bingeing on episodes of the zombie show The Walking Dead ... makes you feed!

The new daily habit that a lot of TV viewers are indulging in more and more, can have a debilitating impact on the body's immune system.

Nicole Jennings, spokesperson for Pharma Dynamics that provides colds and flu medication, says the relatively new phenomenon of being able to watch an entire TV series all at once, as opposed to waiting a week for an episode, has sparked several studies that attempt to understand how binge-watching is impacting our health.

According to a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, people’s addiction to watching TV series can lead to chronic fatigue, which has a damaging effect on immunity.

"According to the study, over half (52%) of binge-watchers viewed three to four episodes in one sitting, with an average session lasting three hours. If one considers that most of the watching occurs in the evening, that doesn’t leave much shuteye. Binge-watchers also reported more fatigue and insomnia and had 98% more chance of having poor quality sleep than those that limited their screen time," says Nicole Jennings.

“Watching TV in a dark room for hours on end can really mess up our circadian rhythm - the cycle that regulates physiological processes - and disrupts sleep-wake cycles."

"The blue light emitted from TVs, PCs, laptops, smartphones and other devices can also reduce the production of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep."

"Poor sleep in general is associated with lower immune system function and a reduced number of antibodies or killer cells that help to fight germs," she says.

"Adults need between seven and nine hours of uninterrupted sleep every night in order for the immune system to function optimally. You can still enjoy watching TV, but try to avoid a binge too close to bedtime," she recommends. 

Apart from lack of sleep, marathon-viewing can also exacerbate mindless eating and unhealthy snacking – both detrimental to your waistline and immunity.

Research by Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab found that action-packed shows, such as The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) for example, made participants eat twice as much (98%) than others who watched milder content like talk shows. 

Those that watched depressing shows, like the science fiction drama, Solaris for example, also ate 55% more than participants who watched positive, upbeat programmes. 

According to the researchers, action and adventure shows may encourage viewers to eat more, because viewers subliminally try to keep up with the pace of the story. Stress and anxiety experienced during a show also leads to comfort-eating.

Nicole Jennings points out that although it’s easier to order in pizza than pausing your show for an hour to cook a nutritious meal, junk food really upsets the immune system.

"Fatty, fried foods increase bad cholesterol and can cause inflammation, leading to reduced immunity, while sugar can hinder the body’s ability to produce germ-fighting white blood cells that destroy foreign pathogens."

"Watching your favourite characters drink a beer or smoke a cigarette might also trigger a craving for these substances, which have been proven to lower immunity. If you're planning to watch a TV series, rather put out cut-up fruit and vegetables or low-carb meals and healthy drinks on the table," she says.

Furthermore, sitting in the same position while watching hours of TV series not only contribute to deep vein thrombosis and the formation of fatal blood clots, but also increase one's risk of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) such as a cold, sinusitis or tonsillitis, most likely as a result of lowered immune function.  

A study conducted by researchers in the US found that staying physically active nearly halved the odds of catching cold viruses, and even those that did fell ill, didn't suffer too badly.

Nicole Jennings suggests that instead of sitting on the couch, TV addicts should consider watching a series on their cellphone or tablet while walking on the treadmill, stationary bike or rowing machine. "There are different ways to make the occasional marathon TV session healthier, but moderation is key."

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 19 April 2018.

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

■ TV needs fewer commercials - but the math is going to be hard.

■ Netflix: On the brink of global domination?
Now so powerful it even snubbed the Cannes Film Festival, are broadcasters around the world right to fear for their future?


■ Ghana's trash-petty TV station TV3 still can't stand that its former news anchor Nana Aba Anamoah left them.
So when she appeared on stage at the 19th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, broadcast simultaneously on TV3 and M-Net's Africa Magic Family (DStv 154) on MultiChoice's DStv, the shoddy TV3 awkwardly censored its own broadcast and did a blackout for the minute Nana Aba Anamoah appeared on stage to present an award.

■ India's ZEE has big plans for Nigerian audiences - and talks upcoming content.

■ Three people in Ghana selling illegal DStv decoders smuggled in from Nigeria, arrested following a Cyber Crime Unit raid.

■ Kwesé TV says its TV channel Kwesé Inc. will run so-called "success stories" of African entrepreneurs who have used Kwese's services.

■ Judge in Sierra Leone releases a man who sat in jail in custody for 2 years for allegedly stealing a Samsung plasma TV.

■ Britain's broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, announces 7 new investigations into Russia Today (RT) over its spy coverage).

■ The new Lost in Space reboot on Netflix looks an awful lot like a Mass Effect TV show.


■ When TV shows refuse to die and overstay their welcome: Why The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) keeps going although it only frustrates viewers - just like the long-tired Homeland on M-Net (DStv 101).

■ MUST READ: The New York Times on what it means that Amazon Studios has arrived at Culver Studios on the lot where Gone with the Wind and E.T. were made.

The Walking Dead on FOX renewed for a 9th season; gets a 4th new showrunner as longtime writer Angela Kang is promoted to executive producer before the 8th season resumes on 26 February.

The Walking Dead has been renewed for a 9th season with the zombie apocalypse drama that is also getting its 4th showrunner.

The second half of the 8th season of The Walking Dead will start on 25 February in America and on Monday 26 February at 21:00 on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) as one of Fox Networks Group Africa's few remaining "Express from the US" titles on the channel.

The drama series produced by AMC Studios in America, shocked in its mid-season finale by revealing that Carl Grimes, played by Chandler Riggs, has been bitten by a zombie walker.

The Walking Dead previous announced that as one of last five remaining original characters, the character will be killed off in the upcoming first new episode while the character of Morgan played by Lennie James will be leaving at the end of the season to join the spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead seen on AMC Networks International's Sundance TV (DStv 108) when the two shows do a cross-over story later this year.

Scott M. Gimple who has been with the show since the second season hasn't been fired like the previous showrunners Frank Darabont and Glen Mazzara, but is out and being moved to a new position of chief content officer over both The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead.

The longtime The Walking Dead writer and co-executive producer Angela Kang, a writer on the show since 2011 and a co-executive producer since 2013, is taking over as showrunner and executive producer.

The Walking Dead has seen a ratings decline since the end of the 6th season and the latest changes behind-the-scenes are likely in an attempt to bring renew focus and storytelling to the series.

“We are proud to acknowledge Angela Kang’s significant contribution to the series and to set a clear path forward for a ninth season under her direction. Further, with gratitude and admiration, we also recognize Scott M. Gimple’s broad impact on, and leadership of, the content that fuels our The Walking Dead universe,” says AMC in a statement. “Together, we will dream bigger and more broadly than ever before.”

“The Walking Dead is a special show which started in an entirely different era of TV, and continues, in this new era, to confidently take chances to tell compelling stories that excite audiences and make them deeply connect with its characters, adapting Robert Kirkman’s brilliant comic book,” says Scott M. Gimple.

“As the show closes in on its tenth year, I’m honoured to keep working with the talented, dedicated people behind and in front of the camera to make it all it can be, while expanding the world of The Walking Dead with new narratives like Fear the Walking Dead and a whole host of truly cool stories ahead. Angela is a big part of the heart and soul of The Walking Dead, and I’m thrilled to help facilitate her vision of the show’s next era.”

Angela Kang says “I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into this new role with The Walking Dead. Working on this series and having the opportunity to adapt Robert Kirkman’s amazing comic has been a fangirl dream come true for me.”

“I’m excited to continue working with Scott M. Gimple and the wonderfully supportive folks at AMC, and can’t wait to share the next chapter of the story with our fans".

Game of Thrones the most pirated TV show in 2017 for the 6th year in a row.

For the 6th consecutive year the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones has been the most pirated TV show in the world, followed by the zombie drama, The Walking Dead in second place as the TV series people illegally watched the most in 2017.

While new episodes of Game of Thrones seen on M-Net (DStv 101) and The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125  /StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) continue to show within 24 hours of its American broadcast during in-season broadcast, several channels ranging from M-Net to FOX have drastically cut back in 2017 on its "Express from the US" roll-out and is once again making South African and African pay-TV subscribers wait long periods before showing episodes and starting latest seasons of hit shows.

If the list is taken as an indicator of what the most sought-after TV shows in the world were in 2017, it indicates that M-Net once again kept its title as the South African TV channel with the most sought-after shows: the licensing rights of a whopping 7 out of the top 10 most pirated shows on TorrentFreak's 2017 list belong to M-Net.

In 2017 Game of Thrones was once again the biggest dragon in the TV pirate viewing world through BitTorrent.

Besides being the most stolen TV show of the year - aided by several hacks, leaks and piracy of episodes, a massive 400 000 people worldwide actively shared a single episode of the 7th season at its peak, right after the latest season finale flooded piracy sites.

The shows Prison Break on M-Net, Rick and Morty on Netflix and Sherlock seen on BBC First (DStv 119) made the top 10 most pirated TV shows list for the first time, while The Flash (M-Net), The Big Bang Theory (M-Net), Vikings (M-Net), Suits (M-Net) and Arrow (M-Net).

Interestingly, M-Net that did away with the M-Net Edge (DStv 102) channel in April 2017, has dropped both Arrow and The Flash as former Express from the US titles, with South African viewers who are going to be extremely confused in 2018 by the 4-episode cross-over story arch playing out in the latest seasons of these two shows as well as Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow that M-Net won't be showing in the right order.

Below is the list of the most torrented TV-shows worldwide in 2017 for a single episode, compiled by TorrentFreak and based on statistics reported by public BitTorrent trackers:

1. Game of Thrones
2. The Walking Dead
3. The Flash
4. The Big Bang Theory
5. Rick and Morty
6. Prison Break
7. Sherlock
8. Vikings
9. Suits
10. Arrow

Production temporarily shuts down on several American TV shows like The Walking Dead, The Originals and some films due to Hurricane Irma's tropical storm heading to Georgia.

Production has shut down on American TV shows The Walking Dead, The Originals and some films all filmed in Georgia for the approaching tropical storm that was Hurricane Irma.

Disney films, Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and The Wasp also filming in Georgia likewise temporarily halted production, as well as the new upcoming drama series Lodge 49 about a surfer who joins a fraternity.

It's not yet clear when production will resume on the 8th season of The Walking Dead, filmed in Atlanta.

The 8th season of The Walking Dead is set to start on Sunday 22 October in America and will roll out in South Africa and across Africa on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 133) on Monday 23 October at 21:00 as an Express from the US title.

The debut episode of the 8th season of the zombie drama will be its landmark 100th episode.

The production delay and shutdown is the second this year and this season after filming was temporarily halted in July after the shocking on-set death of stuntman John Bernecker who plunged to his death from a balcony to a concrete floor. The Walking Dead resumed production 5 days later.

Filming on the upcoming 5th and final season of the youth vampire drama The Originals seen in South Africa and Africa on VUZU AMP (DStv 103) and produced by Warner Bros Television also temporarily shuttered on Monday that is also filming in the state of Georgia.

The films Marvel's  Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp filmed at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta also closed up show for the oncoming storm.

All these productions are expected to resume production again later this week once the storm has passed.

In another strange TV biz development, America is currently without TV ratings right now because Nielsen, the company that tracks and tallies TV ratings is based in Tampa, Florida where Hurricane Irma caused mass evacuations and damage to infrastructure over the weekend.

Adweek reports that Nielsen has been forced to halt reporting of TV viewership and ratings since Sunday after the company's Tampa-area based facility was evacuated over the weekend.

Nielsen said that ratings will not resume until its employees are able to safely return.

"The team that reports ratings has evacuated the Tampa Bay area due to Hurricane Irma. Therefore, our ratings will be delayed in the near term," said Nielsen in a statement.

DAILY TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 21 February 2017.

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

■ The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) should polish its dismal programming.
After Zimbabwe's Reserve Bank last week criticised DStv subscribers in Zimbabwe for damaging the struggling country's economy, criticism is building about how bad Zimbabwe's television offering is.

■ Is StarTimes Kenya stealing from StarTimes subscribers?
StarTimes Kenya subscribers are furious about how they're constantly being cut off too early.


■ Why there's no NBA basketball on DStv anymore.
MultiChoice lost the rights to NBA broadcasts in sub-Saharan Africa to Kwesé Sports with the deal "that is a huge blow for SuperSport". Of course it was the NBA All-Stars and nobody in Africa could really watch.
- Making it even more bizarre is the NBA planning to return to South Africa. Hilarious considering that a dead brand for a barely there American sport doesn't want its actual content and matches shown on television in South Africa.


■ Dishing dirt on Awful Park:
The rot at the SABC is finally being exposed - choice quotes from parliament's ongoing SABC investigation.

■ Nigeria's Ndani TV has burnt down.
The online TV channel in Lagos, Nigeria saw its Ndani Studio go up in flames over the weekend, billions feared lost - including already filmed new seasons of shows, as well as back-up copies.

■ Complaints about OnAir who does direct marketing on behalf of MultiChoice continues.
More bad service and lies by OnAir according to DStv subscribers when it comes to upselling DStv subcribers in South Africa who are unhappy with how they're being lied to.


■ BEST TV story headline this year:
"Trolls worse than zombies," says The Walking Dead star.
Of course actor Josh McDermitt of The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) is talking about internet and social media shamers.


■ The end of male audience focused linear TV channels?
With Esquire, Spike and others shut down, are channels catering to male viewers now in danger?

■ Tina Wamala hasn't been fired.
MultiChoice Uganda's publicist who was embroiled in controversy last month goes on NBS to talk about DStv in Uganda. Little actual news and information, but note the mention of "reshuffling" of content coming.

■ From a TV news anchor's lips to Donald Trump's ears and Sweden's disbelief.
Donald Trump watches TV at night, and then uses that in his tweets, speeches and interviews.

■ Italy's Roman Catholic church TV is sexy-ing up - complete with Colin Firth in wet shirt.
TV2000, a Roman Catholic owned TV channel, has bought its first content from BBC Worldwide, including racy dramas like Pride and Prejudice.

■ TV ratings system: Australia to become largest per capita people metered market in the world.
What is means is that Australia's ratings, or viewership measurement, will have the best "accuracy" in terms of how what is listed actually relates to what the whole nation is really watching.

■ Naspers' ShowMax launching new short-video series QHits on 1 March.
ShowMax, working with QYou, will launch the new series QHits in ShowMax in East Africa with presenter Rachel Marete.

The Walking Dead on FOX renewed for 8th season; DStv subscribers will have to switch to StarSat to catch Fear the Walking Dead and aftershow Talking Dead from November.

AMC has renewed The Walking Dead shown on FOX for an 8th season as well as the aftershow Talking Dead on AMC just before the start of the zombie drama's upcoming 7th season.

South African viewers will be able to watch the 8th season of The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131) in late-2017 that will have 16 episodes. The 8th season premiere will mark the series' 100th episode.

With MultiChoice killing off the AMC channel on DStv, only StarSat subscribers will be able to watch the companion aftershow series, Talking Dead, that airs on the AMC channel from after mid-November.

AMC still airs on DStv channel 140 until 11 November, but the channel that shows the spin-off zombie drama series Fear the Walking Dead, already renewed for a third season, and the talk show Talking Dead will only remain accessible to StarSat subscribers on channel 115 from after that.

Meanwhile the 7th season of The Walking Dead will premiere on FOX this coming Monday morning, 24 October, for South African and African viewers at 03:30 in the morning as a simulcast with the American airdate.

The Walking Dead's 7th season will then roll out its first episode again later on Monday night at 21:00 in its regular weekly timeslot.

DStv and StarSat subscribers can watch the second season of Talking Dead: Fear Edition from today on AMC on Mondays at 20:45 with presenter Chris Hardwick.

The premiere episode of The Walking Dead's 7th season is set to reveal which main character villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) has chosen to kill off in the 6th season finale cliffhanger, although its a certainty that it won't be the lead character of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) who is definitely safe.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, more," says AMC boss Charlie Collier in a statement announcing the 8th season renewal of The Walking Dead.

"What a joy to partner with Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple and some of the hardest-working people in television to bring The Walking Dead to the fans. And, most important, thanks to those fans for breathing life into this remarkable series right along with us."

The FOX Networks Group (FNG) will once again show episodes of The Walking Dead internationally in over 125 territories, including South Africa and across Africa, 24 hours after the season launch on AMC in America.

As in previous seasons, the 7th season of The Walking Dead will be shown in two parts with the first 8 episodes from this coming Monday, and the second batch of 8 episodes from February 2017.