It follows after Sony Pictures Television Networks decided to abruptly remove its linear Sony Channel and Sony MAX channels from Cell C black in January 2019, with these two channels that also went dark on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform since November 2018.
The removal of the channels are part of Sony Pictures Television Networks strange and as yet unexplained decision to change its channel distribution business South Africa and Africa.
Cell C black has now also lost True Movies (Cell C black 242) that got culled on 31 January and was already dumped from MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform a while ago due to under-performance, as well as the kids' channel POP (Cell C black 303) that will be taken away on 31 March 2019 when it shuts down.
Both True Movies and POP are run by Sony Pictures Television Networks.
It means that Cell C black is suddenly down 4 TV channels at the beginning of 2019 while Cell C black subscribers are paying the same subscription fee as before for less content. Cell C black didn't say with what or if the 4 channels will be replaced.
POP also remains available on China's StarTimes (Africa)/StarSat (South Africa) satellite pay-TV platform. StarSat was asked whether POP is closing down and being removed from its platform but didn't yet respond. If/when StarSat responds it will be added here.
Ntombi Gama, Cell C black's spokesperson at the Atmosphere PR agency, confirmed in a media enquiry to TVwithThinus that True Movies and POP are also cut from Cell C black in addition to Sony Channel and Sony MAX.
Asked why Cell C black doesn't communicate the discontinuation of TV channels on its service publicly and why potential customers are kept in the dark regarding the changing channel line-up of the service, Ntombi Gama says "we have been communicating these changes to our own subscribers".
TVwithThinus also reached out to Sony Pictures Television this week, with Sony Pictures Television Networks that responded with the same holding statement as in January, again saying that "As part of a review of our channel portfolio, we have decided to revise our offering in sub-Saharan Africa".
"We are actively examining other possibilities in the territory and remain excited about future programming opportunities there."
UPDATE Wednesday 13 February 2019 - 11:40
StarTimes/StarSat respond to the media enquiry confirming that the POP channel will be removed from StarSat since Sony Pictures Television Networks will no longer be producing the channel.
