Scrolling through the full range of DStv channels can be both daunting and time-consuming.

There are, quite literally, hundreds of channels that I have never watched before, and I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that there are probably only 20 or so channels that ever get watched in my house.

Those 20 do not include the History Channel, the Crime + Investigation Channel, or the Lifetime Channel, which are the three channels set to get the axe from DStv come the end of October.

Whilst I won’t miss them, many South Africans will, reports MyBroadband:

These three channels have been available to DStv Premium and DStv Compact Plus subscribers for years.

The contract term for these channels, which are all provided by the American broadcasting company A&E Networks, ends on 1 November 2019.

MultiChoice’s senior manager for corporate communications, Benedict Maaga told MyBroadband the decision formed part of a plan to refresh the DStv line-up.

He said the fact that the contract term for these three channels came to an end gave MultiChoice an opportunity to evaluate the value it offers subscribers.

If you ask independent TV expert Thinus Ferreira, the loss of these A&E channels is less to do with DStv ‘refreshing’ its offering, and more to do with negotiations that took a turn south:

According to Ferreira, channel carriage contract renewal negotiations between the two parties “turned ugly and broke down”.

A&E Networks said in a statement that South African fans of its channels “could soon miss out on the thousands of hours of new and unique shows”…

The company added that it has been very proactive in trying to reach an agreement that is best for its viewers and for DStv.

“Our goal is to continue to bring our high-quality, award-winning programming to our local audiences,” A&E Networks said.

It added that it is willing to keep negotiations open. “We sincerely hope DStv will find a way to work with us to keep our channels on its platform,” the company said.

That appears unlikely, and you read more of the ins and outs of the failed negotiations on Ferreira’s website.

Because South Africans love a good petition, there’s even one aimed at keeping the three channels on DStv. That’s it, focus on the important issues.

In order to somewhat balance things out, MultiChoice will soon announce two new channels, which “will bring exciting new titles and genres that viewers will really enjoy, including blue-chip documentaries, history, and factual reality shows”.

From what I’ve gathered, the History Channel offers little in the way of actual history, so perhaps one of those new channels will provide something resembling a look back in time.

[sources:mybroadband&teeveetee]