Meanwhile Top Learn (TopTV 319) will be changing to Mindset TV.
With multiple big StarTimes changes afoot after the Chinese TV conglomerate bailed out the struggling ODM earlier this year which has been in business rescue since December 2012, it's now clear that StarTimes likely plans to rid the struggling Woodmead based South African satellite pay-TV operator of the "Top" name - at least insofar as TopTV's own original set of "Top" branded self-compiled TV channels are concerned.
It looks increasingly likely that even the "TopTV" name might be changed with the fast dwindling number of "Top" channels, several of which were culled over the past year.
ODM confirms what sources have been telling TV with Thinus, which is that both Top Crime and Top History - two of TopTV's remaining self-compiled "Top" channels - will suddenly be no more from midnight on Monday night.
Channel 319 will continue but Top Learn on 319 is changing to Mindset TV.
No specific reason is forthcoming about why Top Crime and Top History are being canned, but sources are saying that ODM will make replacement channels available, although sources say possible replacement channels will not necessarrily be in the "crime" and "history" genres.
With the bulk of the previously yanked channels, TopTV has also said replacement channels will be provided although it has only happened over the past two years with a small number of TV channels. For the most part TopTV subscribers have been left waiting and wanting.
TopTV confirmed to me that Top Crime and Top History is ending on Monday night, saying "this is to do with the many changes that are currently taking place within TopTV while new plans are being put in place".
TopTV subscribers will not miss Top Crime. The much derided channel, criticised for it stale fair the past three years has not added any new programming to the schedule since TopTV launched in May 2010, opting to show the same series over and over again, restarting seasons of shows after a couple of month, every few months.
