Preparing for the channel shuffle
Viewers should experience minimum disruption with the pending channel shuffle scheduled for 1 October 2007 at approximately 2am. This is according to MultiChoice and Oracle Airtime Sales, which have taken various steps to ensure viewers are on top of these changes.
The channel shuffle will create the necessary space for additional channels. In the past 12 years, DStv has grown from 13 to 88 video channels, and from 40 to 78 audio channels.
MultiChoice has taken the following steps:
- Created an interactive DAL on channel 199
- Provided an easy pullout grid in the October 2007 edition of DISH/Skottel/TV24/Africa DISH magazine
- Hard copies of the new channel numbers will be available at all MultiChoice agents and branches
- Created an informative DStv shuffle site linked to www.DStv.com, with a channel search function
- Provided a video link with step-by-step instructions on how to upgrade decoder software to be shuffle-ready: www.dstv.com/mediaplayer/mediaplayer.aspx?ID=393&sId=268
- Downloadable channel shuffle grid for easy reference: www.dstv.com/channel_shuffle/pdf/SA-Grid.pdf
Peter McKenzie, MD of Oracles, does not anticipate any adverse effect on any of the DStv commercial channels with the shuffle. “We have been working closely with AGB/NMR to ensure that audience measurement on the TAMS panel will continue as normal. AGB/NMR has been aware of the planned reshuffle for some time in advance to allow for the necessary changes within the system. All DStv viewership will be monitored closely during the transition and we will alert all users of the TAMS data should we detect any anomalies.”
Channels will be divided into the following genres; general entertainment, movies, lifestyle and culture, sport, documentary, news and commerce, kids, music, religion and consumer channels. DMX and radio will be in a separate bouquet. Certain channels will move from their current position in the premium bouquet to a new specialist bouquet including foreign language channels.
- Channels 101 – 177: music
Channels 100 – 149: entertainment
Channels 150 – 159: movie-only, including MM1, MM2, TCM and Hallmark.
Channels 200 – 249: sports
Channels 250 – 264: documentary
Channels 280 – 299: news channels, including Sky News, Al Jazeera English, CNN, BBC World, CNBC Channels 300 – 310: Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Boomerang and K-All Day.
Channels 320 – 324: packaged music channels
Channels 341 – 346: faith, religion and spiritual
Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's GM Content, concludes, “We are excited about the shuffle because it will make for a better user experience and allow us to continue to introduce world-class channels in the correct genre categories.”
