It's not a new phenomena or news but it is deliberate; and DStv is only doing and behaving exactly how pay-TV operators in America and elsewhere are also giving top billing to their own channels or partner-supplied content streams, favouring those over others.
Corporate sibling M-Net supplying channels such as the M-Net channel, kykNET, M-Net Series, the bunch of new genre-themed M Movies channels, the AfricaMagic channels, Mzansi Magic and Magic World are always going to get favoured - and therefore "better" (the best, actually) and more prominent channel number allocations than say the SABC.
Where TV channels are placed by pay-TV providers are what the biz refers to as "neighbourhooding". It's the "space of land" a channels or channels are occupying in the overall spectrum of channel numbers on a pay-TV operators line-up. And it's very very important. Since subscribers often use remote control arrows to flip up or down, adjacent channels, and where they're located relative and in relation to each other makes a big difference.
Less popular channels get increased viewership through sampling, when placed next to hot or more popular channels. Likewise, popular channels help to bleed more viewership to surrounding less popular channels.
Now take a look at how DStv has decided to move the SABC's 3 TV channels and e.tv from the channel numbers of 131, 132, 133 and 134 to ... 191, 192, 193 and 194 from October.
Where the SABC and e.tv were once (currently close to M-Net) they're now flanked and encapsulated by ... IgnitionTV (DStv 189) and SaffronTV (DStv 195). These channels further lose their "vicinity" and more premium channel number placement in two ways and which has been ongoing since DStv started.
First they keep falling "lower" on the tiered number system - 191 is way further down than 131 and there's more TV channels "in-between". On the way to grandma's house when a subscriber flicks through channels from the top, the chance grows that a viewer on their way to, lets say the SABC, gets stuck at TLC (moving up from 186 to 172) for "just a moment" and then stay there.
Secondly instead of these channels getting boosted, they're now going to boost surrounding lesser watched channels. There's no regulations instructing MultiChoice where to place public access TV channels - only that MultiChoice as a pay-TV provider has to carry them according to "must-carry" regulations.
Companies choosing tollfree customer care numbers will also tell you this because they know this: number memorability makes a huge difference. The M-Net channel remains at 101. SuperSport 2 is 202. Much easier to remember than 191 for SABC1, right?
MultiChoice is keeping a strong correlational numerical value between its best TV channels and their channel numbers [in science its called mnemonic devices].
