The Box: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Actress Mitzi Mabel Cadena Joins ‘Bandidos’; Writer’s Strike Influence Gone Global
Ofentse Thinane
Africa: Nigerian students are voicing their frustration with MultiChoice Nigeria’s 22% price increase. Students across the country gave the streaming company a deadline of 7 days to prevent the price hike or they have claimed that they will “lock up” the offices at DStv.
MultiChoice Kenya has appointed Nzola Miranda as its new managing director after Nancy Matimu resigned from the position to join the Serrari Group. MultiChoice recently caused a wave of anger among its subscribers for raising subscription prices up 10%.
e.tv has now officially canceled its sex-centric telenovela, The Black Door, with a new telenovela from the same production company, Black Brain Pictures, on the way. The cancelation comes after the series’ producers claimed that the show was going to stay on air for a few more seasons. Its replacement, Isitha - The Enemy, is being described as a new “family-oriented” telenovela.
SABC1 has appointed Ofentse Thinane as its new channel head, replacing acting channel head Thuli Hhlapo. Thinane joined the company in 2021 as an on-air manager and will now take the role of heading South Africa’s biggest TV network.
SABC has also enlisted Sibusiso Gumbi as the broadcaster’s new head of marketing. Gumbi first started at the company as an intern in 2013. He was appointed to the position of manager of radio marketing.
Production on SABC3’s soap opera series, The Estate, has been halted given that, according to industry insiders, the show has struggled to garner favorable ratings for the network. Insiders also speculate that it's unlikely the show will return.
Comic Republic, the Nigerian comic book powerhouse, has partnered with Universal Content Productions to develop film and TV adaptations of various stories and characters from the company’s Vanguard Universe. Selwyn Seyfu Hinds has been tapped of oversee production of the projects.
From Top Left TomRight: Paava Kadhaigal, She, lelia, and cat - netflix
Asia: Netflix is looking to continue its growth trajectory of success in India, a continuously profitable market for the platform. Ted Sarandos, Netflix CEO, mentioned that viewing of Netflix content grew by 30% in India last year, with revenue increasing by 25%. Netflix India’s VP of content, Monika Shergill also recently mentioned that there are currently no plans for an ad-supported tier within the country.
A recent study from Media Partners Asia showed that premium video subscription growth slowed drastically in Southeast Asia during early 2023. The research found that only 300,000 new subscriptions were made during the first three months of the year in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines, the five biggest markets in the region of Southeast Asia. The findings did not include social media video platforms such as YouTube or TikTok.
As the WGA strike is taking place here in the U.S., the role and condition of writers across global markets have become a prominent topic of discussion. Tulsea, the Mumbai-based talent agency is working on meeting demands for its own writers as content in India continues to grow in demand. Indian writers mostly lack other necessities that are covered by the WGA here in the U.S. such as access to clauses that cover minimums and residuals.
Amazon Prime has set a global release date for its upcoming Indian series, Modern Love Chennai, the third Indian adaptation of the original John Carney-directed anthology Modern Love Mumbai. The six-episode series is set to launch on May 18.
Fiona Lamptey - David M. Benett
Europe: Fiona Lamptey, Netflix U.K’s director of features has exited the company. Lamptey joined the company in October 2020 and has spearheaded Netflix original features such as I Came By and The Strays. The reasons for her departure are still unknown as Netflix has declined to comment on the situation.
Wilmer Valderrama - Leon Bennett / Stringer
Latin America: A limited bio series centered around MLB icon, Fernando “El Toro” Valenzuela is being developed by Universal Content Productions. Valenzuela himself will be attached to the project as a producer.
Mabel Cadena, known for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has joined the cast of Netflix’s upcoming Spanish heist series, Bandidos. Helmed by Rambo: Last Blood director, Adrian Grunberg, the series follows a group of bandits as they attempt to loot an underwater shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico.
WV Entertainment, the production arm owned by Wilmer Valderrama, has struck a first-look deal with TPlus, the brand owned by Latin American media giant, Telemundo. The deal aims to expand Hispanic TV titles to SVOD platforms in an effort to reach Spanish-speaking audiences around the world.
NBC Telemundo will be presenting a slate of upcoming content to advertisers at its upfront presentation this week. These new titles are designed to reach Hispanic speaking audiences through multiple mediums such as broadcasting and cable. The company has also mentioned that sports will also be a major part of Telemundo’s upcoming programming.