BREAKING. M-Net Series channel finally going HD on MultiChoice's DStv; M-Net Series expanding as a channel subset with Reality and Zone.

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The long-gestating plan to turn the M-Net Series (DStv 114) channel into a high definition (HD) TV channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform and to expand the M-Net Series brand into an expanded TV channels subset is finally happening with M-Net Series turning into M-Net Series Showcase as an HD channel, and M-Net Series Reality and M-Net Series Zone being added as two further standard definition (SD) TV channels.

TV industry insiders knowledgeable about the M-Net Series plans and TV with Thinus have steadily tracked it, and today the pay-TV broadcaster made it official by revealed the major upgrade to its M-Net Series channel brand.

The flagship M-Net Series channel will change to M-Net Series Showcase in name and become a HD channel on the new DStv channel number 113, M-Net Series Reality will show reality shows on channel  115 and M-Net Series Zone on channel 114 will be a rerun channel with previously shown seasons of shows seen on the M-Net channel and elsewhere.

The channels will go live on 9 July on DStv during the primetime evening. DStv Premium subscribers will get all three M-Net Series channels. DStv Compact subscribers will get M-Net Series Zone.

M-Net Series has been on a constant evolutionary change since the channel - provided by M-Net to MultiChoice - started as The Series Channel on DStv showing only old library titles of American shows similar to TopTV's Fox Retro channel.

At M-Net's media roadshow currently underway at the Fairmont Zimbali Resort in Durban, M-Net talked about the upcoming changes.

Plans more than a year ago to turn M-Net Series into a high definition (HD) channel and to start further additional M-Net Series channels on the DStv bouquet which went through various permutations and was postponed in favour of first launching, extending and structurally realigning M-Net movie channel offering under the M-Net Movies umbrella and boosting DStv's movie channel offering in the process.

Now the M-Net Series channel is following the same pattern, also with a showcase channel and additional channels.

M-Net Series Showcase on channel 113 will have Defiance I, True Blood VI, Castle V, Criminal Minds VIII, The Carrie Diaries, Pretty Little Liars III, Mad Men VI, Army Wives VIII, Teen Wolf II, Grimm I and Supernatural VIII.

M-Net Series Reality will have "the best conversational reality series depicting real talent, real people and real stories on channel 115. Shows on this channel will be Real Housewives of New York, Real Housewives of Orange County, Junior MasterChef II, Life After Top Chef, America's Got Talent, The Face I, Ready for Love I and Fashion Star.

M-Net Series Reality will also be the channel carrying the talk shows from now on.

The schedule for M-Net Series Zone has not been locked down yet I'm told but the channel on channel 114 will "offer the best in uninterrupted bundled episodes of series' that viewers may have missed."


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EXCLUSIVE. M-Net Series channel to go HD before the end of the year; to expand with M-Net Series: Seasons and M-Net Series: Escape - sources.

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I've been told a while ago - although its not officially being confirmed - and now want to share, that plans are afoot for major changes coming to the M-Net Series (DStv 110) channel which is apparently getting ready to be upgraded to high definition (HD) before the end of this year, as well as plans to "expand" the M-Net Series brand into multiple more channels.

SEE THE FURTHER UPDATE BELOW.

In June, when TV with Thinus asked whether an M-Net Series HD channel is coming or launching, M-Net Series officially responded by only saying that "it has not been confirmed whether there will be an M-Net Series HD yet".

Insiders however are telling me that M-Net Series is going HD before the end of the year - possibly by 1 October or perhaps as early as 1 September. This HD upgrade and changes could potentially co-incide while M-Net's roll-out of genre-fied new additional movie channels which I was told M-Net has been working on for a while, and about which I have written before.

That's not all. According to various insiders, M-Net Series is apparently working on "splitting" or "expanding" its current channel offering.

Whether the new M-Net Series channels are in addition to the current M-Net Series channel, or whether one of them actually replaces the existing M-Net Series channel is not clear, but I was told last month that plans are for two new M-Net Series channels to be rolled out before the end of the year. Both channels will be seen both in South Africa as well as in Africa, although the two sets will function slightly differently, or have different aspects to them.

I was told that plans are to call the first channel M-Net Series: Seasons which will become the new home of hit series television which are performing strongly and has multiple TV seasons of a particular tentpole TV production to show.

It is also partly why some drama shows which are available in HD has silently been shifting away from other channels, so that the HD option on those properties will finally be able to be picked up on those come September or October.

It's part of the overall bigger picture of M-Net slowly but surely moving to more HD programming - the M-Net and M-Net HD channels will for instance become 100% simulcast channels from 1 October as well. M-Net Series Seasons in South Africa will be in standard definition (SD) and HD.

As I've said - as I'm piecing the different bits together from various insiders - it's not clear to me yet whether M-Net Series: Seasons will be in addition to the current M-Net Series channel, or be replacing the existing channel. M-Net Series: Seasons will also be available in Africa but in SD only, I'm told.

Then there is apparently also plans for another new channel, M-Net Series: Escape SA. M-Net Series Escape SA will be seen in South Africa as well as be available on mobile devices. It's not clear yet whether this channel will be in HD in South Africa. M-Net Series: Escape will also become available in Africa as M-Net Series: Escape Africa but will definitely be in SD only, I'm told.

UPDATE Thursday 19 July 15:40 -

I just heard from M-Net officially regarding what I've been told last month by various people. Here is what M-Net tells me:

"The information provided in your article is incorrect. M-Net would like you to please publish this correction to ensure that our viewers are not misinformed:
M-net continuously investigates and evaluates options to evolve our content and bring even more compelling entertainment to our viewers. We have been researching and looking at various options to possibly introduce additional M-net Series channels, but nothing has been confirmed as yet. M-Net will not launch new Series channels this year. Please be assured that if any changes are to be made on the M-Net Series channel, we will inform our viewers and the media timeously."