Phew! DStv subscribers can finally breathe a sigh of relief. – following news that three popular DSTV channels were going to be scrapped off, it has just been announced that Multichoice will no longer be getting rid of the History and Lifetime Channels. Yipeeee!
Earlier last month, it was announced that DSTV would be scrapping the Crime+Investigation Network (DStv 170), History Channel (DStv 186) and the Lifetime channel (DStv 131) to refresh the local content line-up. The last airing date was scheduled to be today, November 1. The announcement also stated that there would be two new, as of yet unknown channels added.
This quickly angered many DSTV users. A Change.org petition was started to implore the network to keep the shows. To date, it has 8 776 signatures.
In a statement today, DSTV announced that they have reached an agreement to keep the History Channel and the Lifetime channel on the roster. However, the Crime + Investigation channel is not so lucky.
“We’re delighted to have reached an agreement with A+E Networks Africa to extend the current contract to air History and Lifetime channel on DStv platform,” reads the statement.
“We are excited to have reached this agreement as it allows us to ensure we meet our commitment to getting the best programming for our customers, based on commercial terms that make sense and provide a value for money offering to customers. We are pleased that Lifetime will also now be available to our Compact customers from Friday 1st November,” adds Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice Group CEO for General Entertainment.
“We appreciate our customers’ patience and feedback and have their best interests in mind as we continue to work hard to improve our entertainment offering.”
“We are pleased to have agreed on a long-term renewal of our flagship brands, History and Lifetime in Africa with our partners, DStv. As part of this renewal, the new distribution of LIFETIME in Compact presents an exciting opportunity to reach millions of new viewers with our unique programming offering”, comments Dean Possenniskie, Managing Director A+E Networks EMEA.
