The Box: Cast and Crew on five different African television series left unpaid

Nikiwe

Africa: Clive Morris Productions has failed to pay its crew and cast members of Paramount Africa’s upcoming Queendom series. As a result, the team was forced to stay home before the first episode aired on BET Africa on April 22. The crew was last paid before Easter and was reportedly relying on the weekly salaries to support their families. Natalie Mdladla, Paramount senior director of communications, told IOL that the Queendom cast and crew were eventually paid late. The cast and crew on shows Empini, The Estate, and Isono also went unpaid by Clive Morris Productions.

Clive Morris Productions isn’t the only one leaving their crew members in the dust – the cast and crew of Parental Advisory Productions’ Nikiwe are still struggling to get paid months after the show was canceled. Parental Advisory Productions, co-owned by Thomas Gumede and Lungelo Radu, collapsed with massive amounts of debt with e.tv. As a result, the production company canceled the low-rated Nikiwe amidst serious financial problems. Hundreds of staffers who worked on the series are still owed hundreds of thousands of rand in payment from Parental Advisory Productions months after the final scene was filmed. The final episode of Nikiwe was broadcast on e.tv on January 5. According to City Press, the cast and crew haven’t heard from Gumede or Radu since late December 2023.

M-Net commissioned a new father-son drama series, Ha Molefi, for Mzansi Magic to debut on Monday, June 17. The series centers on the two grappling with grief after the loss of the mother in the family, while the son, played by TJ Mokhuane, struggles to find his identity as a gay teenager from Pimville, Soweto.

In early April, MultiChoice and Showmax launched a new TV channel on DStv. The release has surprised audiences and entertainment journalists, as no press release or advertisements was leading up to the air date. The channel, named 1max, is owned by MultiChoice, M-Net, and Showmax. DStv Premium and DStv Compact Plus subscribers in South Africa will have access to 1max. Subscribers have raised questions about the purpose of the new channel because, with their existing subscriptions, they will already have streaming access to the shows broadcasted on 1max. This all comes after MultiChoice and M-Net pulled the struggling 1Magic and lower-tiered ME channels at the end of March. 1max replaced 1Magic, but there has been no replacement for lower-tiered DStv subscribers who had access to ME. Shirley Adonisi, M-Net channel director for local entertainment, responded to the inquiries about the new channel. 

"The content on 1max gives viewers a sample of what’s available on the Showmax streaming service and encourages viewers who enjoy the shows to go to showmax.com and get streaming,” said Adonisi. “The full Showmax content library comprises tens of thousands of hours of content from Showmax and our partners which customers can enjoy at their leisure".

Media communications continues to struggle over different African companies, as e.tv failed to conduct press releases for Isiphetho, a new show that launched on April 15. This is the second time e.tv has had inadequate PR communication in the past year. Thapelo Ramatsui, then e.tv marketing and communications specialist, failed to send out an announcement of the new series until mid-March, frantically emailing journalists to send out a press release. Media professionals did not hear from Ramatsui again until the day Isiphetho was released, finding out when they turned their televisions on that the pilot was pushed back to air the following week. Two days after Isiphetho aired, e.tv issued a press release stating, "ISIPHTHO - DESTINY KICKS OF WITH 3.3 MILLION VIEWERS!" The company’s misspelling was repeated in the body copy of the press release as well.

Asia: K-Pop star j-hope released a six-part docuseries named Hope on the Street on March 27. The series follows the BTS member as he dances his way through Osaka, Paris, New York, Seoul, and Gwangju. Hope on the Street is premiering exclusively on Prime Video. In addition to the docuseries, j-hope also released a new album named HOPE ON THE STREET VOL. 1 on March 29. Both the album and the series explore the meaning of life while tying in the necessity of following one’s passion.

Disney+ unveiled a new Korean series, Low Life, that will premiere on the platform next year and on Hulu in the U.S. This comes two months after Disney+ revealed its Korean slate for 2024. The series will star veteran actors Ryu Seungryong and Yang Sejong. Set in 1970s Korea, the story follows a fisherman as he discovers a treasure lost for generations at the bottom of the ocean. Taking a small part home for himself, word begins to spread about the vast fortune waiting to be claimed by those brave enough to risk the depths. This title is part of Disney's strategic push to develop original content in Asia Pacific, especially Korea. The streamer has been prioritizing the territory along with Japan while cutting back on original production in Southeast Asia.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. has formally ended its quest for a merger with Sony India. On April 16, it withdrew its application before the industry regulator National Company Law Tribunal. Instead, Zee said it aims to focus on internal growth. The merger was on the table for over two years but finally collapsed in January 2024. Sony is seeking restitution from Zee and says it failed to live up to the agreed merger terms. Zee has also announced that it will slice its workforce by 15%.

Postcards, a cross-cultural drama featuring a star-studded cast from Bollywood and Nollywood, is set to premiere on Netflix on May 3. The series tells the stories of four individuals whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. Postcards are produced by Hamisha Daryani Ahuja’s production company Forever 7 Entertainment. The series will be premiering in over 190 countries to an audience of over 260 million people.

Ncuti Gatwa - NBC

Europe: Ncuti Gatwa, the first Black Doctor Who complained that “white mediocrity” is celebrated while “Black people struggle to get half that” to the magazine Attitude for its May/June issue. Gatwa, an LGBTQ Rwandan immigrant to the U.K., said that he’s received backlash on his new role as Doctor Who, but he knew it would be part of a shift.

“There’s so much White mediocrity that gets celebrated, and Black people, we have to be absolutely flawless to get half of [that] anyway,” said Gatwa. “So, I’m slowly training myself out of that and being like, ‘No sh–. You deserve love just for existing.”

One of ITV’s longest-running drama series, Vera, is coming to an end after 14 seasons. The show produced by Silverprint Pictures will return for its final series in the form of two 120-minute episodes to be filmed this summer. Double Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn has been leading Vera for more than a decade. She stars as the retired detective based on the Ann Cleeves novels. 

“Working on Vera has been a joy from beginning to end and I’m sad to be saying ‘cheerio,” Blethyn said. “But I am so proud of our achievements over the last 14 years. I’ll be forever grateful to the wonderful Ann Cleeves who created Vera, and to Elaine Collins who saw fit to cast me in the role.”

Estrella Media

Latin America: MediaCo Holding Inc. has acquired all of Estrella Media’s network, content, digital, and commercial operations. The transaction closed on April 17 and the terms were not revealed. In a statement, MediaCo Holding said that this combination is the first step in building a “unique multicultural media company that will reach diverse U.S. audiences.”