The last time M-Net did a general upcoming line-up and channels preview that I still went to, Colin Moss was still the Idols presenter and M-Net's big upcoming show was a genealogy special, So, Where Do We Come From?. It was September 2004.
Although the SABC (SABC3 is the best and does them quarterly like clockwork), MultiChoice overall, and several local and overseas DStv channels on their own, regularly do general press screenings and talk and tell more about their channel and various upcoming shows before the press and TV critics covering television that includes question and answer sessions, M-Net never does. The pay broadcaster would from time to time elect to show episodes of specific local shows (for instance Survivor SA), but shy away from general press previews. (What M-Net does do better than the rest though is controlled, proper press conferences, and M-Net channels also do specific press events - usually launches - around specific local shows, but I'm not talking about those things all TV channels do.)
Now an unusual occurence has TV writers and critics abuzz, wondering what it all means, what M-Net will do, possibly show and announce and whether it possibly marks a change for the pay broadcaster. This week M-Net has invited members of the press to not a specific show's launch, not a specific show preview, but mysteriously to ''an update on all our enchanting channels and projects''. Note the words all our channels and projects.
Indeed M-Net has a massive amount of things happening this year to crow about, so to talk with and engage TV writers, journalists and critics would seem absolutely the appropriate thing to do.
M-Net is turning 25 this year. That's a huge thing. Besides new seasons of reality show such as Idols and Survivor SA, there might be more on M-Net's attempts to secure the rights for a local version of The X Factor. M-Net's new weekday soap The Wild will kick off in April, which is also when M-Net will split into two channels with a slightly different schedule - an analogue one and the ''normal'' digital one on DStv.
When might M-Net be ready to talk about M-Net City, the new M-Net channel its envisioning for local shows? And of course M-Net Action (DStv 106) and M-Net Series (DStv 110) is starting to change as well. Then there's M-Net HD (DStv 170) that will become a proper HD mirror channel of M-Net from April as well. M-Net is also planning bursaries for local student film makers. M-Net's working on a major shake-up and wholesale changes to its Vuka! Awards. So it will be interesting (and good) to see what the pay broadcaster wants to share with viewers through the press.
