Top TV, one of South Africa’s satellite pay-TV services has lost the TV channel “Fox Retro” without warning and has replaced “Top Explore” with a new channel called “Spark”.
Channel24 reported the channel Discovery Channels International CEEMEA (Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa) had also been cancelled without an explanation, but all the channels had been restored to the Top TV bouquet.
Fox International Channels Africa (FIC Africa) told Channel24 it had “no plans to remove channels” from Top TV.
However, it now seems Fox Retro was removed from Top TV’s channel 181 slot.
Following the unexpected cancellation of Fox Retro, Top TV said in a media enquiry “this was a decision by Fox to terminate the channel over the whole of Africa. It was not a Top TV decision. Discussions are far advanced with regard to a replacement channel and we will advise soon as the details are known”.
The end of Top Explore also indicated the end of a third channel branded under the “Top” series. Top Explore is being replaced by Spark, which is described as a factual entertainment channel.
Top TV is currently under business rescue with the and the seperate pornographic bouquet forms part of the rescue.
Top TV recently obtained the license for the three adult channels, but On Digital Media (ODM), the company running the Top TV platform, has not given any official statement as to whether they will commercially launch the pornographic channels.
