In February TV with Thinus reported that ESPN said it's "not a definite" that ESPN Classic will be removed, but now ESPN's presence on television in South Africa and Africa will definitely be scaled back and decrease as ESPN decided to can and remove ESPN Classic from pay-TV operator's channel line-ups like DStv.
"Following the agreement with BT, and after further review and consultation, ESPN has decided to cease broadcasting the ESPN America channel across Europe and the Middle East and ESPN Classic channels across Europe, the Middle East and Africa,' says ESPN in a statement.
No specific date is available on when ESPN Classic will go dark on MultiChoice, but its likely - as I previously reported - to be the end of July.
"The date that the channels go off air will be different across different markets, based upon distribution agreements. However, in most markets, both channels will continue exactly as they are, unchanged, until 31 July, 2013 and you will continue to get the exact same sports content and coverage until that time."
For a specific date on when ESPN Classic is terminated, ESPN says subscribers need to contact the TV provider with whom they have a subscription.
