I can exclusively reveal that Trace Sports, the new sports lifestyle channel from Trace TV that just launched globally last week, has a very high likelihood of coming to South Africa and the rest of the continent with MultiChoice that wants to carry Trace Sports exclusively, permitting negotiations work out as well as satellite capacity becoming available.
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Trace Sports, a sports lifestyle channel focusing and covering sport stars similar to how E! Entertainment (DStv 124) profiles the personalities from the entertainment world launched 15 June and has started talks with MultiChoice. Trace Sports has been made available to all pay TV operators from the Eurobird 9 satellite (transponder 51) and more than 30 operators have confirmed that they will carry the channel, including CanalSat for all French speaking African countries. I'm now reliably told that MultiChoice wants to carry Trace Sports ''on an exclusive basis on all their South African and African platforms''.
I asked Trace Sports about South Africa who says ''discussions with DStv are not finalized yet''. ''The launch date for each platform will depend on satellite capacity,'' Olivier Laouchez, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Trace TV tells me. He will be visiting South Africa and MultiChoice again in mid-July I'm told.
I asked MultiChoice about my understanding that DStv wants Trace Sports exclusively, how MultiChoice feels about Trace Sports as a channel and when the pay TV plaform might envision it launching in South Africa. ''We are always looking for the opportunity to add more value to our DStv service for our subscribers,'' says MultiChoice in response, ''and that includes being on the look-out for new channels. When we are ready to announce the addition of channels, we will do so.''
