DStv ends M-Net City and VUZU for new channel coming in November | Channel

A new channel coming to DStv.

• DStv will merge the M-Net City and VUZU channels into a new
  M-Net packaged channel called Me from November.
• “Me will feature the best of both its predecessors
  while establishing a new identity strategically crafted with the discerning
  audience in mind,” says M-Net.
• Me will take the channel number spot of M-Net City on
  channel 115.

MultiChoice and M-Net are ending both the M-Net City and
VUZU channels on DStv at the end of October and will combine their content into
yet another new M-Net packaged channel called Me from November.

After Disney ended and took away its FOX general
entertainment channel just after midnight this morning on DStv and StarSat,
some DStv subscribers were shocked to receive an SMS message from MultiChoice
late on Thursday telling them that they’re losing another two TV channels and
that M-Net City and VUZU are getting axed to be replaced by just one channel
called Me from 1 November.

M-Net on Friday morning confirmed the news to Channel24.

“The launch of Me will see two channels, M-Net City
(DStv 115) and VUZU (DStv 116), merged to create a bigger, better channel aimed
to give viewers their famous, world-class series and reality shows in one
place,” M-Net says.

“Me will feature the best of both its predecessors
while establishing a new identity strategically crafted with the discerning
audience in mind.”

Me will take the channel number spot of M-Net City on
channel 115.

The M-Net City channel identity was born out of the M-Net
Series Zone channel in April 2015 and will now be retired after six years.

M-Net relaunched its GO youth channel in July 2009 as VUZU,
which eventually spawned a spin-off TV channel called VUZU AMP that was axed
and relaunched as 1Magic. The move to end VUZU and turn it into Me means that
M-Net is retiring the VUZU brand name after 12 years.

While VUZU is available to DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus,
DStv Compact and DStv Family subscribers, M-Net City is only available to DStv
Premium DStv Compact Plus and DStv Compact subscribers.

It’s conceivable that MultiChoice and M-Net will have to
make the replacement Me channel available to all DStv packages down to DStv
Family; otherwise, DStv Family subscribers would effectively lose a TV channel.

Thinus Ferreira is a South African TV expert with years of experience covering the local television industry.