StarSat has quietly dumped and taken away yet another long-running channel it had from StarSat subscribers, inexplicably removing Natura (StarSat 230) and replacing it with the basically unknown Odisseia channel.
On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media South Africa spells Odisseia as "Odiseeia" on its StarSat decoder's electronic programme guide (EPG) - which for the channel is empty anyway and contains absolutely no programming information.
On Digital Media (ODM) and StarTimes Media South Africa couldn't be bothered to tell StarSat subscribers that Natura is being discontinued or that Odisseia is starting; nor was there any announcement to TV critics or South Africa's media in the form of a press release or any publicity or marketing information.
Natura was one of the few remaining launch channels when StarSat started as TopTV in May 2010 and now the nature documentary channel is also gone, a month and a half short of its 6th year on the satellite pay-TV platform.
Natura was run by AMC Networks International Zone, also responsible for channels like AMC (DStv 140 / StarSat 115), JimJam (StarSat 303 / DStv 310), Extreme Sports Channel (StarSat 253) and CBS Action (DStv 133), CBS Drama (DStv 134) and CBS Reality (DStv 132) on MultiChoice's DStv and StarSat's platforms.
Odisseia, also from AMC Networks International Zone, has now been swopped in as a replacement for Natura. It's lesser known and started out as a Portuguese pay-TV documentary channel.
AMC Networks International Zone likewise couldn't be bothered in the slightest to alert the media about its new channel being available and has done nothing to raise any awareness in South Africa's media and with TV critics about "Odiseeia".
