My TV, the new pay TV operator in Zimbabwe, to offer an alternative as SABC, e.tv is set to disappear.

As Zimbabweans TV viewers are set to lose SABC1, SABC2, SABC3 and e.tv most probably from the end of this month when South Africa's signal distributor Sentech has to take steps from preventing the unencoding TV channel's broadcasting signals from being available in the neighbouring country, Zimbabwe just got a new pay TV operator - and it's offering looks very much like something South African TV viewers will know.

My TV which was licensed by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe last month has started a subscription TV service in the country as an alternative to MultiChoice's DStv - and looks very much like TopTV in South Africa.

My TV Africa  is actually a Lebanon company but has its pay TV service now being run in Zimbabwe (as it has been elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa such as Nigeria, Zambia and Botswana) through an agent company. My TV Zimbabwe is now trying to offer a cheaper pay TV alternative to MultiChoice's DStv. Subscribers have to buy a PVR decoder for $80 (R671).

Subscribers can then get the minimum My TV bouquet for $22 (R185) per month which has 18 TV channels. Fox International Channels (FIC) will have reason to smile. Fox is extending its presence with the Fox Entertainment channel - available on TopTV in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa - now available on My TV. FX Movie Network is another FIC channel which is on the My TV Zimbabwe channel line-up.

Other channels range from BBC World News and Al Jazeera to KidsCo, Fine Living network (FLN), Setanta Africa, Trace, Baby TV and National Geographic Adventure. Just like TopTV, My TV doesn't have any sport channels - the most costly type of programming to procure.