Here's the names of the TV channels available at launch on Cell C's streaming subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service, black, and their channel numbers.
Cell C recently launched black in South Africa that offers viewers access to several linear TV channels (meaning traditional TV channels that run 24 hours per day); including channels spanning the genres of entertainment, lifestyle, documentary, reality, film, kids, sports, news, music and religion.
FOX 201
FOX Life 202
Sony Channel 203
Sony Max 204
African Movie Channel 205
African Series Channel 206
CBS Reality 207
Scoop Network HD 208
TCM 241
True Movies 242
Nina TV 250
Fashion One HD 252
Fashion Box 253
FTV 254
Travel Channel 255
National Geographic 261
Nat Geo WILD 262
RT DOC HD 264
Boing 301
Toonami Africa HD 302
POP 303
JimJam 304
Fix & Foxi 305
Baby TV 306
Duck TV 307
FOX Sports 1 401
FOX Sports 2 402
MUTV (Man United) HD 403
Chelsea TV HD 404
LFC TV HD 405
Barca TV HD 406
Real Madrid HD 407
Extreme Sports 411
E Sports TV HD 412
Game Toonbox HD 413
Motorvision HD 414
Nautical HD 415
Outdoor Channel HD 416
Sportskool 417
Havoc TV HD 418
Fightbox HD 419
Fast and Funbox HD 420
FOX News 502
Al Jazeera 503
Euronews HD 504
Africanews 505
Deutsche Welle 506
France24 507
TRT World HD 508
Russia Today HD 509
Bloomberg HD 511
CNBC Africa 512
Box Hits 602
Trace Gospel 603
Trace Africa 604
Box Africa 605
360 Tunebox 606
Magic 607
Kerrang 608
GOD TV 702
Inspiration TV 703
Firstly, the list of linear TV channels for this Cell C black service is out of the box very impressive for the service and at the price point (of course yes, the customer also still has to pay separately for actual data).
But the product, taken at face value, on the offering of its number of linear TV channels, is surprising, and surprisingly good and above average for a pay-TV service.
Cell C's black has different subscription services to get access to the linear TV channels, each coming with slightly different access to a different number of these TV channels.
Here's the very bad thing about Cell C's black linear TV channels: There are too many different plans, and these plans are too difficult to understand, and doesn't tell upfront in enough detail exactly what you get for it.
The BINGE Premium, abbreviated as BTV Premium, costs R279 per month and gives access to 60 of these TV channels (and include access to on-demand shows).
The BINGE Access, abbreviated as BTV Access, costs R89 per month. I was unable to figure out, despite research, how many TV channel you actually get access to.
Then there's several other "monthly recurring" TV packages.
Monthly BTV Premium (R189) and Monthly BTV Access (R69) for instance are available but once again Cell C black isn't telling potential consumers how many actual TV channels you get for these packages.
These "monthly recurring" packages also likely mean you're locked into some long(er) term fixed contract. We also don't know that since Cell C black doesn't spell it out clearly.
The soccer club channels costs extra and that's quite obvious.
Also not spelled out and extremely bad of Cell C black and of FOX Networks Group Africa (FNG Africa) are how all the FOX channels also require yet another separate subscription payment.
Even if you pay for the most expensive BINGE Premium Plus package, a very nasty surprise awaits: You will have to pay yet another R99 per month if you want to actually get any of the FOX supplied channels unblocked.
FOX, FOX Life, Baby TV, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, Baby TV, FOX News, FOX Sports and FOX Sports 2 will remain unblocked even if you're on BINGE Premium Plus - the most expensive package on Cell C's black, unless you pay yet another R100.
Why does Cell C black have a "BINGE Premium Plus" when stuff like the FOX channels are excluded? it means it's neither "binge", nor really "premium", and definitely not "plus".
The only "plus" is the "plus R100" out of your wallet that you have to cough up if you want to have the FOX supplied linear channels unblocked.
But the product, taken at face value, on the offering of its number of linear TV channels, is surprising, and surprisingly good and above average for a pay-TV service.
Cell C's black has different subscription services to get access to the linear TV channels, each coming with slightly different access to a different number of these TV channels.
Here's the very bad thing about Cell C's black linear TV channels: There are too many different plans, and these plans are too difficult to understand, and doesn't tell upfront in enough detail exactly what you get for it.
The BINGE Premium, abbreviated as BTV Premium, costs R279 per month and gives access to 60 of these TV channels (and include access to on-demand shows).
The BINGE Access, abbreviated as BTV Access, costs R89 per month. I was unable to figure out, despite research, how many TV channel you actually get access to.
Then there's several other "monthly recurring" TV packages.
Monthly BTV Premium (R189) and Monthly BTV Access (R69) for instance are available but once again Cell C black isn't telling potential consumers how many actual TV channels you get for these packages.
These "monthly recurring" packages also likely mean you're locked into some long(er) term fixed contract. We also don't know that since Cell C black doesn't spell it out clearly.
The soccer club channels costs extra and that's quite obvious.
Also not spelled out and extremely bad of Cell C black and of FOX Networks Group Africa (FNG Africa) are how all the FOX channels also require yet another separate subscription payment.
Even if you pay for the most expensive BINGE Premium Plus package, a very nasty surprise awaits: You will have to pay yet another R99 per month if you want to actually get any of the FOX supplied channels unblocked.
FOX, FOX Life, Baby TV, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, Baby TV, FOX News, FOX Sports and FOX Sports 2 will remain unblocked even if you're on BINGE Premium Plus - the most expensive package on Cell C's black, unless you pay yet another R100.
Why does Cell C black have a "BINGE Premium Plus" when stuff like the FOX channels are excluded? it means it's neither "binge", nor really "premium", and definitely not "plus".
The only "plus" is the "plus R100" out of your wallet that you have to cough up if you want to have the FOX supplied linear channels unblocked.
Both Cell C and the South African media supposed to be covering this, have done and are doing an extremely bad job of actually communicating about the linear TV channels available on Cell C's black and what these channels are.
It is impressive however that Cell C black has such a lot of channels (keep in mind that none of the FOX channels are actually usable without an additional payment).
It's equally impressive how Cell C's black is offering so many of these TV channels in high definition (HD) at launch, and that all of these are linear TV channels that are streamed through the internet.
(Even) MultiChoice doesn't offer some of these channels in HD on DStv, which means that from launch, Cell C's black is doing some things better than DStv when it comes to linear TV channels and stream watching.
It is impressive however that Cell C black has such a lot of channels (keep in mind that none of the FOX channels are actually usable without an additional payment).
It's equally impressive how Cell C's black is offering so many of these TV channels in high definition (HD) at launch, and that all of these are linear TV channels that are streamed through the internet.
(Even) MultiChoice doesn't offer some of these channels in HD on DStv, which means that from launch, Cell C's black is doing some things better than DStv when it comes to linear TV channels and stream watching.
