BREAKING. The Bold and the Beautiful's move from SABC1 to SABC3 off for now; didn't work fast enough to find a replacement.

The SABC's plan to move the soap The Bold and the Beautiful from SABC1 to SABC3 as I first reported RIGHT HERE in April has been partly postponed, partly scrapped.

TV with Thinus can report that the SABC didn't take into account, and didn't work hard enough in time, for the somewhat intricate and complex procedure of repositioning the weekday soap, with the plan that has now lost some impetus. ''It's not completely off the table but not enough people gave the plan attention soon enough and consistently. And with all the other things going on here the Bold move somewhat fell to the wayside,'' an insider dishes.

The original plan as hatched by the SABC earlier this year, was to move The Bold and the Beautiful from SABC1 to SABC3 by October or around the end of the year to somewhat - if not exactly - co-incide with the relaunch of SABC3 happening in October. The plan was for specially re-edited episodes of Bold being broadcast as well - cutting out ''unnecessary scenes'' and thereby catching up with where the show is in America and moving closer to the American broadcasting date of the soap.

''Everybody left the nitty-gritty for everybody else. So nobody really sat and worked out exactly how it will need to work and exactly what it will entail and exactly what is needed and to only then proceed step-by-step and do the logistics,'' whispers an insider.

The rationale to move The Bold and the Beautiful from SABC1 to SABC3 - the business economics and viewership data supporting the move - are all still legitimate and still there. Viewership of The Bold and the Beautiful has fallen dramatically on SABC1 since the heydey of the soap in the 1990's. SABC1 wants and needs a bigger tentpole to anchor the weekday early primetime line-up.

In addition, the soap's aspirational values are move aligned with the viewer values of the SABC3 target audience, according to SABC executives. SABC3 also already introduced the Bold repeat slot on weekends a few years ago, paving the way for the switch.

''Bold simply fits better on [SABC]3 now,'' says another source. ''The problem is that SABC1 didn't work fast enough on finding an adequate replacement for Bold. The soap can't move and just leave a hole. So basically Bold will at least move to 18:30 from October which is its intended timeslot, just not yet on the right channel.''

Whether The Bold and the Beautiful will or might still move, not even SABC insiders know with 100% certainty. ''It's not that the door is closed. For now Bold is staying on SABC1. But who knows, it could suddenly be on the cards again.''

''SABC1 will retain Bold,'' is all that Vukile Madlala, SABC1 publicity manager is willing to say, when asked for how long The Bold and the Beautiful will still remain with SABC1 and when it might be moving to SABC3.

ALSO READ: The Bold and the Beautiful moving from SABC1 to SABC3 from October; episodes to follow closer to America.