OSN announces August schedule

Jon Stewart’s time as host of The Daily Show will end later this week. Photo by Martin Crook

OSN's August line up promises some treats for viewers, from Hollywood blockbusters to brand new comedy and the final edition of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Heading up the Hollywood line up, the Abu Dhabi-shot Furious 7, which surely needs little introduction to local movie fans, comes to pay-per-view on August 12, ahead of its DVD and Blu Ray release on September 15. Other action blockbusters debuting this month include Transformers: Age of Extinction and John Wick, while kids will be kept entertained by the likes of Cinderella and Big Hero 6. On the factual front, Discovery HD's ever popular Shark Week returns from August 24, and this year includes a visit to the shores of Cuba, where the world's biggest great white, a 21-foot giant, was reportedly caught some 70 years ago.

Popular series making a return include the final seasons of CSI and Strike Back, while comedy is strongly represented by the new Dwayne Johnson American football sitcom Ballers and the Tim Robbins-starring gepolitical comedy The Brink.

US chat shows have always been a strong plank in OSN's schedules, and the likes of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver all continue. All eyes on this front, however, will surely be on Jon Stewart, who will bring his long run as host of The Daily Show to an end this Friday, August 7 (a day after it airs in the US) at 10pm with a promised star-studded finale, before handing the reigns to South African comedian Trevor Noah to carry on the good work.