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I can be first to tell you that TopTV that promised subscribers the first real sports channel for the 2nd quarter of this year is finding its biggest headache so far - acquire and starting a real sports channel - so challenging and troubling - that its now been pushed out to the 3rd quarter of 2011.
According to TopTV a sports channel - which insiders tell me has proved to be quite a daunting challenge for the new pay TV operator - is not ready to debut by March. ''Content rights and clearances . . .nightmare,'' says one.
The lack of a sports channel - whether an international one or a self-packaged one and considered a big driver of pay TV subscriber uptake - is considered TopTV's singular biggest drawback. The pay TV platform initially planned to add a sports channel next term, but had to reevaluate and now only sees it happening during the second half of 2011 at the earliest.
ALSO READ: TopTV to launch HD TV channels and a HD PVR only by early 2012.