M-Net swops Series for the City

M-Net is finally dropping the M-Net Series brand name after 17 years, renaming and rebranding the last remaining M-Net Series Zone (DStv 115) channel as the new M-Net City. by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net City as a name for an M-Net channel was first conceived in the latter part of 2010 already, although for another type of channel. It will now be used as M-Net Series Zones new name when it changes to M-Net City on 6 April.

M-Net Series Zone existed to differentiate it from M-Net Series Showcase and M-Net Series Reality which M-Net cancelled due to under performance in 2014 after just a year and which were replaced with M-Net Edge and VUZU AMP.

Now including movies

M-Net City, like M-Net Series Zone, remains geared towards giving MultiChoices lower-paying DStv subscribers access to content shown earlier on higher-tiered packages like DStv Premium.

M-Net City will remain a rerun channel of sorts, funnelling content from premium M-Net channels like M-Net (DStv 101), VUZU AMP and now also movies.

While M-Net kept movies contained on its M-Net Movies branded channels on DStv, M-Net City will now show movies too. No explanation for the addition of movies to M-Net City is being given.

M-Net Series Zone will change to M-Net City on 6 April with programming like Modern Family, Last Man Standing and talk shows.

M-Net says another overhaul and rebranding of M-Net Series Zone is good.

M-Net City is proof of the companys commitment to continuously evaluate, adjust and reshuffle channel offerings in line with the ever-changing needs of viewers, says Yolisa Phahle, M-Net CEO.

Now we have created M-Net City, a new channel that will enhance DStv Compact viewers experience of international content.

Final goodbye to M-Net Series brand name

M-Net started The Series Channel in April 1998 on DStv, which morphed a decade later in 2008 into The M-Net Series channel.

The M-Net Series channel was split into three channels in July 2013 - M-Net Series Showcase, M-Net Series Reality and M-Net Series Zone.

The under-performance of the channels saw M-Net Series Showcase and M-Net Series Reality closed down in September 2014. That left M-Net Series Zone as the sole M-Net Series channel.

In January 2015 when asked whether M-Net Series Zone on DStv will be undergoing a name change since TV channels prefer as short names as possible from a branding and optics point of view, several M-Net insiders told Channel24 that a name change was indeed being considered.

M-Net City will have a schedule that follows:

Weekdays between 17:00 and 19:00 - the evenings entertainment will kick off with popular talk shows;

Weekdays at 19:00 and 19:30 - its family comedy time;

Weekdays at 20:00 and 21:00 - the heroes and heroines of the best international action and crime series will take over the screen;

Saturdays and Sundays - A variety of movies in early prime time, and from 19:30 it will follow the example of M-Net Edge with weekend binge sessions.

http://www.channel24.co.za

Television

South Africa

News

LINK:	http://www.filmcontact.com/news/south-africa/m-net-swops-series-city...
	See more stories from filmcontact

Most recent headlines