After over a decade on-air in South Africa Discovery Inc. abruptly dumps Fine Living on StarTimes and StarSat without warning or explanation.

by Thinus Ferreira

Discovery Inc. has abruptly removed its Fine Living TV TV channel this week after more than 10 and a half years on-air in South Africa, with pay-TV subscribers and loyal viewers who got no warning that the lifestyle channel is being terminated or any explanation why.

Fine Living, also known as Fine Living Network or FLN, first came to South Africa since May 2010 when On Digital Media (ODM) launched its TopTV pay-TV service as a competitor for MultiChoice DStv.

China's StarTimes operating in sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa, eventually took over ownership of TopTV in South Africa that was rebranded as StarSat, although Fine Living continued as one of Discovery's channels on the StarSat platform and was added to StarTimes as well.

For a while, Fine Living was also carried on Cell C's now-shuttered Cell C black video streaming service as a linear TV channel until that loss-making subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service went bust. 

While Fine Living (StarSat 281) had small distribution within South Africa, the beloved lifestyle channel had a hugely passionate fan base. These viewers are truly shocked and upset by Fine Living's abrupt axing.

The small but persevering Fine Living channel weathered multiple international corporate and distribution changes at Discovery Inc. as well as bouquet realignment changes inside StarTimes, and continued broadcasting for over a decade in South Africa while many other TV channels would come and go with much shorter on-air lifespans.

The unexpected and unexplained end of Fine Living on StarTimes and StarSat is very reminiscent of when Discovery Inc. and MultiChoice abruptly axed Animal Planet from the DStv channel line-up in December 2017 without warning or explanation.

The removal of Animal Planet, and Discovery Inc. and MultiChoice's lack of communication at the time, caused brand damage and riled DStv subscribers for months afterwards who were extremely unhappy not just that it happened but the apparently careless way in which nobody could tell paying subscribers that it would be happening and why.

The public relations agency Razor PR now repping Discovery Inc. told TVwithThinus in response to a media enquiry about the abrupt disappearance of Fine Living that "Fine Living is currently unavailable, and we apologise for any inconvenience. For more information, please contact StarTimes customer service by phoning 0719077077, via email at info.ke@startimes.com.cn or by visiting www.startimestv.com".

Razor PR provided no reason as to why Fine Living is "unavailable".

On Wednesday afternoon the company said that "fans will continue to be able to enjoy a range of home renovation and property content on HGTV, as part of a strategic decision to focus on Discovery’s flagship brands".

To watch HGTV, StarSat subscribers will have to switch to DStv since HGTV is not available on StarTimes or StarSat and only on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service.

Meanwhile, StarSat told upset subscribers in a message seen by TVwithThinus that "due to the strategic adjustment of Discovery, the lifestyle channel Fine Living will be offline, but we are looking into a channel with similar content".

StarSat told TVwithThinus in response to a media enquiry that Discovery Inc. abruptly ceased broadcasting Fine Living this week without warning but was actually only supposed to take Fine Living away from paying subscribers at the end of December 2020.

"Please note that Fine Living was off-lined because the channel provider ceased the production of the channel. Communication is yet to be sent to customers as this was supposed to be at the end of December".

Upset StarSat subscribers like Celeste Ahmed asked: "Fine Living on channel 281is off. What's going on?" 

Tony Concalves said: "My favourite programme is King Pool. Now where can I watch this programme? You have removed Line Living. Why could you not take away StarTimes Africa on channel 180 - nothing showing, just the logo on?"

Leheezy Likhead said: "When are you replacing all those channels you took off? I can't image the stress of us paying while you play taking channels off without replacing them immediately".

Deon Smith said: "The question is when are you guys going to replace Fine Living? If you remove something you must replace it immediately because your customer is paying for it".

Scripps Networks restructures its London operation from where South African viewers get The Food Network, FLN and Travel.

Scripps Networks Interactive has restructured its operations in the United Kingdom from where South African pay TV viewers receive several TV channels such as The Food Network (DStv 185) and Travel Channel International (DStv 181) on MultiChoice and Fine Living Network (FLN) (TopTV 451) on On Digital Media (ODM).

Jonathan Sichel has been appointed as the managing director for the business and will be in charge, based in London, for these channels' day-to-day operations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa or so-called EMEA region.

His job will be to expand distribution, further develop the brands in the region and to boost viewership and revenue of The Food Network, Travel Channel International and FLN. He will be reporting to Bob Baskerville, the chief international operating officer for Scripps Networks Interactive.

Meanwhile Nick Thorogood, previously the managing director of Food Network EMEA has been named senior vice president of content and marketing for the UK and EMEA, reporting to Jonathan Sichel.

Programming note: Withdrawal after the Royal Wedding? Watch I Married a Princess on FLN with Casper van Dien and Catherine Oxenberg.

Withdrawal after the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton? Try I Married a Princess on FLN (TopTV 451), the reality show following the family drama of Casper van Dien and his wife Catherine Oxenberg who's a real-life princess.

I Married a Princess (FLN, weeknights 23:10 South African time; repeats 04:20) was filmed in 1995 for 13 episodes and shown previously in South Africa, but remains an enjoyable look at a real Hollywood family (before reality TV went Kardashian-common with fake dramatics played up for the camera).

I Married a Princess follows Hollywood action man Casper Van Dien and his real-life princess bride, Catherine Oxenberg who's the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. After falling in love on a movie set they got married and have 5 children between them: Catherine's daughter princess-in-training India; Casper's children from his first marriage, Cappy and Gracie; and the couple's two children together, Maya and the one year old Celeste.