Embattled pay-television provider TopTV is negotiating a replacement channel for Current TV, since the US-based channel has now confirmed it will cease operations on 11 March.
TopTV last month announced the channel would be discontinued and no longer part of its bouquet.
The pay-TV operator says it is negotiating a replacement third-party channel and it hopes to make an announcement in this regard shortly.
“Current TV has become very popular among the TopTV subscriber base since its launch on the pay-TV platform in May 2010. TopTV rebroadcasts the channel's UK feed but, following its carriage agreement with BSkyB in the UK not being renewed, this has affected the availability of Current TV on the TopTV platform. BSkyB is the channel's largest broadcast client.”
TopTV extends an apology to its subscribers for this inconvenience, but says the loss of Current TV as part of its channel offering is beyond its control.
“The company's content team has identified a suitable replacement channel. Once it has concluded the necessary negotiations and obtained authorisation from ICASA [Independent Communications Authority of SA], an announcement in this regard will be made.”
Shaky bouquet
The operator last month managed to reinstate One Music, after it was discontinued for about three months. The channel features music, fashion and entertainment from the African continent.
TopTV said, following successful negotiations with the channel operator of One Music, the channel that broadcast African and international hit music videos with a focus on Nigerian talent (channel 506) was reinstated.
One Music, which TopTV says has attracted a large base of loyal followers since it launched in May 2010, was discontinued in November last year, when its operator, HiMedia, was placed under liquidation. Hi Nolly (channel 120), which aired specially selected movies from the Nollywood film industry, was also summarily discontinued. At the time, TopTV said it would explore alternatives to fill the slots, but could not indicate a time frame for this.
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