The Box: Producer Kagiso Modupe accused of not paying cast and crew, Disney+ series Moving second season in development
Solly Malatsi - Facebook
Africa: Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies of South Africa has drawn criticism for his withdrawal of the SABC Bill (South African Broadcasting Corporation). This bill was brought to repeal the current Broadcasting Act and continuously regulate the existence of the corporation. As a member of the DA, Malatsi called the bill “flaws” and stated,
“Right now, we need a credible funding model for the SABC. The Bill as it is does not answer the question of a sustainable SABC to be on the part of that sustainability and suitability that we need. In addition to that, if you look at the written submissions that were provided to the Bill, there is a lot of criticism in terms of the key components of the Bill around the risks of editorial independence. Around the independence of the board. And those things I feel that are very important to refine the Bill. But most importantly we need to dedicate our energy towards that key funding model. And it is for those reasons that I exercise my duties as the Minister I have then withdrawn the Bill.”
Currently, the situation has not been resolved, and has not been seen how this will affect SABC’s content.
More questions on the future of South Africa’s content have risen as an additional 1.8 million subscribers have abandoned MultiChoice, posting a staggering loss of R1.8 billion. This comes after Multichoice posted a disastrous financial report in which it stated it lost 800 thousand subscribers in the last six months ending on September 30th. In a statement by the company, they state “The company says in its statement it is
"also adjusting to global pay-TV challenges as streaming services, the rise of social media and changing consumer preference impact the traditional broadcast business".
Producer for BET Africa Kagiso Modupe has been hit with legal action as the cast and crew of a BET Africa show have accused him of not paying them for the Paramount Africa drama series Pound 4 Pound. Modupe supposedly made several false promises and promised them that they would finally be paid at the end of October but were never paid. Modope has not issued a statement yet to refute these accusations.
Park Eun Bin - Christopher Jue / Stringer
Asia: On November 20th, Disney+ announced that the Korean series Moving is in the middle of developing its second season. With season one, the series ranked as the top-streamed Korean show on Disney+. The series stars Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung, and Cha Tae-hyun and stars teenage high school students who discover they have superpowers. Created by Kangfull, Moving marks another collaboration between the creator and Disney+ with Light Shop which debuted on December 4th.
Another Korean drama series that has been announced is The Wonder Fools which will star Cha Eun Woo and Park Eun Bin. Set in 1999, the series is about a group of people who discover they have superpowers. The series is set to debut on Netflix sometime next year.
Similarly, Lee Jong Suk (Big Mouth) is set to star in an upcoming Korean drama called Seochodong. Suk plays a veteran lawyer who goes from case to case. The series is set to air in 2025.
Award-winning Taiwan actress Yen has written and directed a 12-part series, Born For The Spotlight, produced by Netflix and Third Man Entertainment, that started streaming globally on November 7. Based on her own experiences of being an actress with no autonomy over her career, the series follows actresses through different generations who deal with their struggles in their respective eras. The series follows the recent trend of other series in Taiwan like The Making Of An Ordinary Woman that focus on social and mental health-related issues. Similar to Korean drama series, more Taiwanese series have gained more recognition through streaming services such as Netflix.
Speaking of Netflix, Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment is teaming up with the streaming service to create a new series that Netflix describes,
“Set against the backdrop of the film industry, this multi-genre project promises an audacious, unabashed, entertaining ride through the adventures of a charming, ambitious outsider navigating the glitzy yet tricky world of Bollywood”.
The series is set to release in 2025 and marks the sixth project between Netflix and Red Chillies Entertainment.
Stage, a regional Indian streaming service featured on Shark Tank India, has joined ZEE5 Global's U.S. add-on suite, adding to ZEE5’s content catalog. Over the past 18 months, ZEE5 has been building its Add-Ons lineup, now introducing Stage’s dialect-based programming starting with Haryanvi and Rajasthani content, followed by content from Bhojpuri, Awadhi, and Maithili. Stage, founded by Parveen Singhal, Vinay Singhal, and Shashank Vaishnav, originated from WittyFeed, a BuzzFeed-like platform that closed in 2018. Investors include Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra. This collaboration highlights regional Indian content's potential to connect with global audiences, especially in the U.S., where Stage will be available for $2.99 a month. ZEE5’s global expansion aims to meet the growing demand for diverse, culturally rich narratives from South Asian countries.
Tima Shomali - Andrew Toth / Stringer
Middle East: A big topic discussed at a panel during the Red Sea Film Festival was how upcoming filmmakers and content creators should focus more on local stories to start before going global on streaming platforms. Tima Shomali, creator of Netflix’s AlRawabi School for Girls series, told a panel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia that, “Audiences are very smart. The most important thing is authenticity. Write what you know, not intending to make it global”. This panel comes after streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video have been increasingly looking for new local content in different areas to gain new subscribers globally.
