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Cape Town – TopTV has lost another TV channel – this time Manchester United Television or MUTV - on channel 205 which is no longer showing and available to subscribers.
MUTV was yanked from TopTV's channel line-up on Friday night without warning.
The disappearance of MUTV follows the community TV station 1KZN on channel 187 on TopTV which will also no longer be available on On Digital Media's (ODM) bouquet from the end of this month.
The community broadcaster from Richard's Bay in KwaZulu-Natal is switching to MultiChoice's DStv.
TopTV had no comment on 1KZN leaving the pay-TV operator which is currently in "business rescue" but said on Monday in a terse statement that the contract it had to broadcast MUTV (Manchester United TV) on its platform has been terminated "with immediate effect".
TopTV didn't give any reasons for the contract collapse which was announced with effusive fanfare two years ago by both parties.
Suddenly not available
MUTV's disappearance comes exactly two years after the channel was added to TopTV in November 2010. For TopTV, struggling to provide any real substantial sports offering, MUTV was an attempt at some sport entertainment content for subscribers.
MUTV, which debuted in 1998, is the official TV channel for Manchester United that broadcasts across the world on several pay TV services.
MUTV, with its studios at Old Trafford and Carrington, broadcasts a steady stream of soccer documentaries, current and classic matches, interviews with players, press conferences, match analysis and all kinds of football news.
TopTV subscribers who tried to tune to channel 205 since Friday evening only got the message that channel 205 is suddenly not available.
Previously when TopTV lost channels, the pay-TV operator would still keep the channel active with a channel on-screen note advising subscribers that a replacement channel is being sought or that there are technical difficulties.
MUTV was yanked from TopTV's channel line-up on Friday night without warning.
The disappearance of MUTV follows the community TV station 1KZN on channel 187 on TopTV which will also no longer be available on On Digital Media's (ODM) bouquet from the end of this month.
The community broadcaster from Richard's Bay in KwaZulu-Natal is switching to MultiChoice's DStv.
TopTV had no comment on 1KZN leaving the pay-TV operator which is currently in "business rescue" but said on Monday in a terse statement that the contract it had to broadcast MUTV (Manchester United TV) on its platform has been terminated "with immediate effect".
TopTV didn't give any reasons for the contract collapse which was announced with effusive fanfare two years ago by both parties.
Suddenly not available
MUTV's disappearance comes exactly two years after the channel was added to TopTV in November 2010. For TopTV, struggling to provide any real substantial sports offering, MUTV was an attempt at some sport entertainment content for subscribers.
MUTV, which debuted in 1998, is the official TV channel for Manchester United that broadcasts across the world on several pay TV services.
MUTV, with its studios at Old Trafford and Carrington, broadcasts a steady stream of soccer documentaries, current and classic matches, interviews with players, press conferences, match analysis and all kinds of football news.
TopTV subscribers who tried to tune to channel 205 since Friday evening only got the message that channel 205 is suddenly not available.
Previously when TopTV lost channels, the pay-TV operator would still keep the channel active with a channel on-screen note advising subscribers that a replacement channel is being sought or that there are technical difficulties.
