Discovery Networks International for the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) region launched ID Xtra as a replacement channel in April 2014.
It switched ID: Investigation Discovery out for ID Xtra on 31 July on StarSat where the channel has been running for the past five months.
The same switch will now happen on 5 January 2016 on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform on channel 171. ID Xtra will be available to DStv Premium, DStv Extra and DStv Compact subscribers.
ID Xtra is more geared towards targeting specifically female viewers with predominantly tabloid-focused crime stories, since a lot of Discovery's existing other channels like Discovery Channel and Discovery World are mostly geared towards a male audience.
Besides TLC Entertainment, ID Xtra as a mystery and suspense channel will give female viewers another channel catering to their viewing taste with crime programming and dramatic crime reconstructions covering "desperate housewives" and "salacious real-life stories of passion, revenge and murder".
"With its
glossy reconstructions of real-life mysteries, ID Xtra will have viewers glued
to their screens for hours at a time," says James Gibbons, the executive vice president and country manager for emerging business for Discovery Networks' CEEMEA region.
"Mystery and suspense is
one of the fastest growing genres within pay TV and Discovery is in pole
position, leading the category with a channel that has already been a proven
success across CEEMEA."
"Our DStv customers love mystery and suspense stories
and ID Xtra takes these stories to a glossier and more dramatic level," says Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice South Africa's general manager for content.
"Avid fans of this genre will have an even wider selection of brand new
and intriguing content to choose from and still be able to catch up on their
old time favourites from Discovery ID."
ID Xtra carries shows like Tabloid with Jerry Springer (weekdays at 20:20) covering shocking and bizarre crime stories making headlines.
Other ID Xtra programming include Do Not Disturb: Hotel Horrors (Saturday
9 January, 22:00) going behind closed doors to
uncover shocking crimes inside hotels; Bad Blood
(Sunday 24 January, 22:00) following families driven apart by heinous crimes as
they come together for the first time; and Mansions & Murders
(Monday 11 January, 22:50) that re-enacts crimes involving wealthy
mansion dwellers.
