BREAKING. Expedition Impossible to start on M-Net in February as SABC3's massive programming mess is now M-Net's gain.

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TV with Thinus can exclusively break the news that Expedition Impossible, the big brand-new reality show by Mark Burnett that was supposed to start two weeks ago on SABC3, has jumped to M-Net with the pay broadcaster which will start showing Expedition Impossible from February 2012.

It's a shocking turn of events for SABC3 that has bungled the start of the show, telling press and TV critics as late as this past Friday at the SABC3 quarterly press screening that SABC3 will inform and tell when Expedition Impossible will be starting on the channel since the starting date had to be pushed out a bit. Now it's clear that SABC3 won't be having Expedition Impossible at all.

SABC3 hastily padded the schedule with filler the past two weeks after the conclusion of The Ride, first with a Miss World 2011 repeat and then a Michael Flatley stage performance - with Expedition Impossible still appearing on the SABC3 schedule.

I was just told Expedition Impossible is not a SABC3 show but a M-Net show and that Expedition Impossible with host Dave Salmoni will be starting on M-Net in the first half of February.

In September SABC3 told me that the broadcaster has carefully selected Expedition Impossible to become one of the new premier primetime reality shows on SABC3 to alternate in the Monday night timeslot with seasons of The Amazing Race and Survivor.

The plan was to create a new tripple play reality show brand on SABC3.

Then, just over two weeks ago, SABC3 suddenly announced that it had to postpone Expedition Impossible at the last minute because it didn't get the first tape to broadcast. Then it suddenly emerged that the show will also not be starting the second week because of payment and trust issues between the SABC and international programme distributors and suppliers.

Although it seemed temporary - and with Expedition Impossible still appearing on SABC3's advanced schedule for December and January - it's now emerging that SABC3 won't be having Expedition Impossible at all. The broadcasting rights for the show has been acquired my M-Net that will be starting the show in February.

SABC3 didn't immediately have an answer on media enquiries made. What is sure is that the news will create shockwaves. SABC3 will also have to find more programming to replace the Monday primetime timeslot. And viewers promised a show, and SABC3 it is still happening, will hopefully have an answer as to what just happened.