M-Net animates and 'ice-over' its cool on-screen channel ident as it launches a daily countdown to the start of HBO's 8th and final season of Game of Thrones.

On Wednesday evening at 18:00, M-Net (DStv 101) introduced a very clever "iced-over" on-screen channel ident as it launched a daily countdown to the start of HBO's 8th and final season of Game of Thrones starting on Monday 15 April at 03:00.

Perfect for the South African autumn, M-Net decided to introduce a limited-period animated channel logo that will count down from "5 DAYS" until Monday.

M-Net will simulcast the first episode of the final season of Game of Thrones at 03:00 on Monday morning and again at 22:00 on the same day.

The "cool" channel logo animation lasts for 11 seconds and plays at the beginning of episodes and directly after programming resumes coming out of commercial breaks.

The blue M-Net ribbon-logo gets iced-over with white icicles, and the "Game of Thrones" title card then slides out first.

It is then replaced by a card showing the number of days left until the Game of Thrones premiere on Monday.

The upcoming 8th season's 6 episodes of Game of Thrones will also be available on MultiChoice's DStv Now Catch Up service as well as on its subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service Showmax.

This will be followed by a 2-part "making of" documentary film that went behind-the-scenes of the production of the last season.

ICED OVER. This is how @MNet (@DStv 101) switched its top left hand corner channel logo since Wednesday 6pm coming out of commercial breaks. M-Net is doing an animated countdown of the days to the start of @HBO's 8th and final season of #GameOfThrones on Monday 15 April 03:00. pic.twitter.com/4yKnEb4OAC

— TVwithThinus (@TVwithThinus) April 10, 2019

On Monday morning M-Net will hold special cosplay celebration screenings at Nu Metro cinemas in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg as part of a M-Net VIP Experience where competition winners and the media will watch the first episode together on the big screen at the same as it's shown in the United States.

Johnnie Walker's limited-edition White Walker by Johnnie Walker" whiskey from Diageo - a special brand tie-in to the show - will be poured at the cinema screenings.

M-Net said on Wednesday that "die-hard fans who won the competition will be notified this week and are in for a one-of-a-kind Thrones experience: These lucky viewers will be dressing in their Westeros best as outstanding Game of Thrones outfits and costumes will be rewarded with cool prizes at the screenings".