Although not yet a word about it to the press or subscribers, Discovery Networks and TopTV are planning to remove the Discovery Travel & Living channel (TopTV 453) and will replace the dumped Travel & Living with TLC from Thursday 1 September on the same channel number.
Apparently TLC - still a Discovery Networks channel - will suddenly have a whole new schedule as well.
In several countries over the past year and and a few months Discovery has been phasing out Travel & Living, replacing it with TLC - not an abreviation for Travel & Living, but actually an American TV channel that was originally known as The Learning Channel.
The first real ''TLC replacing Travel & Living'' internationally came in March last year in Norway after which Discovery started replacing Travel & Living in different territories one by one.
UPDATE Friday 26 August - Discovery has now issued a press release I received at 08:20.
''TLC, the international entertainment channel for women is now available in South Africa. Discovery Networks has today announced that TLC, its flagship female-targeted channel will launch on TopTV's channel 453 as of September 1 2011.
TopTV will be the first major operator in Africa to launch TLC which is aimed at women aged between 25 and 49 and broadcasts the best lifestyle, reality and inspirational entertainment programs from around the world.
The channel, which replaces Travel & Living, finds extra-ordinary real life characters and tells their stories will join Discovery Networks other channels – ID: Investigation Discovery and Discovery Science which are already broadcast on TopTV.''
''The channel will replace Discovery Travel & Living on TopTV, and will launch with a pan European feed with a program schedule that has been tailored for the South African market and will include brand new smash hit shows.''
''Having seen such a positive response to TLC on all the other European and international markets where it has been launched in the past few months, I am confident that we have a winning formula and TopTV subscribers will see this channel as a great complement to our existing portfolio,'' says Phillip Luff, VP Country Manager, Emerging Business, Discovery Networks CEEMEA.
''While we are sad to see Discovery Travel & Living go, we are very excited about the inclusion of TLC in our bouquet,'' says Ian Woodrow from TopTV.
