The Box: SABC Economic Woes Continue
South African Broadcasting Corporation
Africa: The South African government is silent after plans leaked that the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) plans to start a video streaming service budgeted to cost around R1 billion.
In Your Dreams is the first South African scripted series from Amazon Studios. In Your Dreams will debut on November 24th and will star Didintle Khuno, Jesse Suntele, Kiroshan Naidoo, Sello Maake Ka Ncube, Thando Thabethe, Khabonina Qubeka, Anthony Oseyemi, Tshamano Sebe and Nqobile Sipamla.
SABC racked up another annual loss of R1.13 billion. South Africa's Auditor General slapped the SABC with an unqualified audit. The broadcaster battles the growing popularity of streamers like Netflix and Disney+ and is no longer paying crucial expenditures to keep the SABC broadcasting.
There is an issue with the collection of TV licenses billing millions watching without any license and whose details and addresses are unknown to the SABC, immigrated families, and deceased people.
EbonyLife CEO Mo Abudu has argued that Black and African narratives must be ordered more and that their budgets should match projects like Netflix’s Stranger Things. She argues that content commissioners hesitate to branch out to more diverse audiences.
Kim Hong Sun - Kim Nam Woo
Asia: Cultpix has signed a content rights partnership with the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) and will kick off with two films, The Fantasy of the Deer Warrior (1961) and The Bride Who Returned from Hell (1965).
Gangs of London started production on Season 3, with Sky and AMC+ with South Korea’s Kim Hong Sun (Project Wolf Hunting) directing and executive producing with Peter McKenna (Kin) as lead writer and executive producer.
Max
Europe: Warner Bros. Discovery will launch its streaming service Max in France and Belgium and will follow a rollout across the Nordics, Iberia, Spain, the Netherlands, and Central Eastern Europe in the spring. Max will also stream live sports in Europe with Eurosport. The streamer will offer live simulcasts of our local entertainment networks in some countries.
Canal+ Chairman and CEO Maxime Saada claims that Netflix is not a competitor but a partner in the media streaming market. Saada tried to stave off Canal+’s dependency on its French pay business and diversify.
In an interview, George Kay, showrunner and creator of the series Lupin, speaks about Omar Sy’s involvement with the project and his global rise in popularity as Assane Diop. The interview touches on the general production and creative feedback of Sy as well as addresses the interwoven themes of prejudice in the series.
Moviestar plus+
Latin America: In a deal unveiled at Mipcom, Movistar Plus+ International announced a pivotal sale to HBO Latin America of the series La Mesías. The series is written, directed, and produced by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (Veneno).
Rafael Primot’s Black Rain is set for a global launch through The Creators Bridge. The story follows brothers Zeca and Vitor, who care for their younger brother Lucas, who has Down Syndrome, following the disappearance of their parents. The series will star Marcos Pitombo, Rafael Primot, João Simões, Julia Lemmertz, and Zé Carlos Machado.
