You're reading it here first.
Fox Entertainment (TopTV 180) is deliberately not broadcasting new shows or showing further new seasons of shows like Grey's Anatomy until 2011 and rather opting to broadcast repeats since it doesn't want to waste new programming during the end of the year holiday season when it believes there's less viewers.
After a massive number of complaints, confused and irate viewers and an outcry this week due to a shocking, unannounced schedule time shift and a jarring back-to-the-start reset repeat of Grey's Anatomy, TopTV's Fox Entertainment (Top 180) is finally responding by admitting that this is ''a great inconvenience to viewers and we will try to rectify''.
TopTV viewers were waiting for a new season of Grey's Anatomy to start on Fox Entertainment this week when the show inexplicably were reset to episode one of the first season which started a rebroadcast, while the Fox Entertainment schedule also moved 45 minutes earlier. Viewers are fuming mad at Fox Entertainment that gave no explanation for the Grey's Anatomy reset, and didn't announce the schedule time shift.
''We are bound by global agreements concerning broadcast times,'' Fox Entertainment's new local South African representative tells TV with Thinus. ''The fact that that we broadcast in four different time zones across the continent means that in terms of our obligations certain programmes have to be shown during a prescribed window across the continent. To this end we adjusted timings on 1 November at the same time as daylight savings adjustments took place on international feeds,'' says Fox Entertainment, confirming what I told you RIGHT HERE yesterday. Neither TopTV subscribers, nor TopTV themselves were however informed of this jarring change, and sources tell me that TopTV are flooded by angry subscribers.
Regarding Grey's Anatomy suddenly starting all over again from the first season, Fox Entertainment says ''we are aware of the sometimes frustrating nature surrounding repeats, and in particular, the complaints around Grey's Anatomy''. The supposedly premium general entertainment channel on TopTV says ''there are constraints we have to consider, which range simply from the business model of all our international channels, to the availability of rights for individual seasons of shows.''
''While repeats are an integral feature of pay television, we do regret any inconvenience to viewers, but still strive to offer as many new hours per week as we can, particularly in primetime. As you can understand with the festive season approaching we are reluctant to launch new series until January 2011 so that viewers taking a vacation would not miss out on the start of the series. We are committed to rectifying the issues you raised,'' Fox Entertainment tells me, ''as we seek to provide viewers with a viewing experience that is enjoyable without stress.''
ALSO READ: Angry at the Fox Entertainment channel for their unannounced time changes and Grey's Anatomy reset repeat? Tell them about it!
ALSO READ: TopTV subscribers fuming mad about jarring time changes on Fox Entertainment; non-sensical repeats of Grey's Anatomy.