With M-Net Series - once the home of Mary Tyler Moore reruns (we still love you, Mary), The Wonder Years and Little House on the Prairie when it started on MultiChoice's DStv - now finally pecking through its shell in a transformative expansion event, the M-Net Series brand within the realm of subscription television in South Africa and Africa is finally released from its confined existence and able to grow.
Earlier today M-Net at its media roadshow in Durban that the existing M-Net Series channel is expanding and folding out from 9 July on DStv into a trio of channels - a premium M-Net Series Showcase channel which will be in high definition (HD), as well as M-Net Series Reality for "conversational reality" shows, and a M-Net Series Zone, a rerun type channel giving viewers who haven't seen a show or season to catch up.
Not only do the new M-Net Series channel logos (above) share a striking resemblance to the flip folder "mini bouquet" of M-Net Movies channels rolled out by the South African pay-TV broadcaster in October last year, it also ties and brings the existing M-Net Series channel as well as the new channel expansions closer in terms of brand look to the blue ribbon device M-Net mothership. M-Net Series is an M-Net product - and don't you forget it.
Similar to the many more M-Net Movies channels in existence - M-Net Movies Zone which was just added and with M-Net Movies Showcase and M-Net Movies Zone now both sharing channel moniker suffixes with M-Net Series channels - its tantalisingly clear, although still speculative, that even more M-Net Series channels could possibly be added by M-Net and DStv in the future.
Mmm. How about a M-Net Series Sci-Fi, the absence of which I just lamented?
The more structured and "zoned" approach for M-Net Series as a brand and as separate content pipes is a great thing and a natural evolution for both M-Net as well as DStv.
Pay-TV subscribers to services like MultiChoice's DStv want channels where the channel proposition is clearly defined, metered and provides a satisfying viewer pay-off. (Some channels are not - History is for instance more "Ancient Aliens Channel" thesedays.).
M-Net Series Reality will for instance, like CBS Reality, provide a buffet of all-you-can-eat reality shows falling within a certain niche if you look closely. M-Net calls it "conversational reality shows". The channel will now also be carrying all the talk shows.
More M-Net Series channels also means the possibility that more foreign TV shows can be shown quicker and closer to the American and British broadcasting dates - the TV series plate which is now bigger can now carry more content.
With M-Net Series "set free" so to speak, the gain is for the South African TV viewer. Although currently the gain is in essence only one channel - since M-Net Series really only changed into M-Net Series Showcase and M-Net Series Reality was added (M-net Series Zone is a rerun channel) - the beginning of M-Net Series branching out, is a welcome start.
