DStv services to migrate to new satellite by 1 October

The IS20 satellite has a Southern Africa footprint and is expected to have a lifespan of approximately
15 years. It has 24 C-band and 60 Ku-band transponders. The company will use the Ku-band for its direct-to-home television services. The satellite was launched on an Ariane rocket from French
Guiana in South America on 2 August 2012.

"We have made a significant investment in this satellite and we will continue to invest in new technology. We constantly innovate to improve the DStv viewing experience as we want our customers to have access to the best entertainment delivered through the best technology available," said Collins Khumalo, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa.

The increased capacity on the new satellite will enable it to expand its high definition (HD) offering and add more channels and services. Six standard definition (SD) and seven HD channels will be added to DStv on 1 October 2012, bringing the number of HD channels on DStv to 14. The additional HD channels include two from NBC Universal: Studio Universal and Universal and five MNet Movie channels.

Shared services need to upgrade

To make space on the DStv platform for future additional channels and group relevant channels together, some channel numbers will be moved around.

The changes will happen automatically in the early morning hours of Monday 1 October. Its customers are advised to access the information about their specific decoder on DStv.com or press
OK on their DStv remote to see if any action is required on their part.

Customers, who live in a complex or flat where they don't have their own dish, will have to request their body corporate to upgrade their system before 1 October 2012. These customers can SMS their email address to DStv at 32444.

"We are really excited about the new satellite and the additional capacity that comes with it. We have reorganised channel numbers to improve the overall navigation experience and to ensure that the DStv platform is set up for future growth," adds Khumalo.

HD and SD on the same channel number

Whilst some channels are being moved around, the station is also taking the opportunity to put HD and SD channels on the same channel number. For example, M-Net and M-Net HD will be on channel 101 from 1 October 2012. This means that if you are a Premium customer, with an HD PVR, you will receive M-Net HD on channel 101, whilst a customer with an SD decoder will get M-Net on channel 101 from 1 October.

The only exceptions will be Discovery HD Showcase, which is not available in SD and SuperSport HD channels, which are not scheduled with the same content as the SD channels.

Themed movie channels

The station will also replace its MM1 and MM2 movie offering and expand it to six movie channels, one premiere and five themed channels: Action +, Family, Comedy, M Drama and Romance, and Showcase. These channels will all be available in HD.

The October Dish Magazine will reflect the updated channel numbers. The online and mobile TV guides will update within hours of the change, as will the TV Guides on the decoders.

Channel numbers

• Channel 101 to 143: General Entertainment: international content
  
• Channel 144 to 169: General Entertainment: local content
  
• Channel 170 to 190: Documentaries and Lifestyle
  
• Channel 191 to 195: Free-to-Air channels eg SABC and e.tv
  
• Channel 198 to 199: Events Channels
  
• Channel 200 to 221: SuperSport channels including SuperSport HD Channels