BREAKING. TopTV abruptly ends another 2 TV channels - Top History and Top Crime - as Top Learn changes to Mindset TV at midnight.

Another three TopTV TV channels are suddenly ending at midnight tonight without any warning, with both Top Crime (TopTV 155) and Top History (TopTV 301) which will both abruptly cease broadcasting on On Digital Media's (ODM).

Meanwhile Top Learn (TopTV 319) will be changing to Mindset TV.

With multiple big StarTimes changes afoot after the Chinese TV conglomerate bailed out the struggling ODM earlier this year which has been in business rescue since December 2012, it's now clear that StarTimes likely plans to rid the struggling Woodmead based South African satellite pay-TV operator of the "Top" name - at least insofar as TopTV's own original set of "Top" branded self-compiled TV channels are concerned.

It looks increasingly likely that even the "TopTV" name might be changed with the fast dwindling number of "Top" channels, several of which were culled over the past year.

ODM confirms what sources have been telling TV with Thinus, which is that both Top Crime and Top History - two of TopTV's remaining self-compiled "Top" channels - will suddenly be no more from midnight on Monday night.

Channel 319 will continue but Top Learn on 319  is changing to Mindset TV.

No specific reason is forthcoming about why Top Crime and Top History are being canned, but sources are saying that ODM will make replacement channels available, although sources say possible replacement channels will not necessarrily be in the "crime" and "history" genres.

With the bulk of the previously yanked channels, TopTV has also said replacement channels will be provided although it has only happened over the past two years with a small number of TV channels. For the most part TopTV subscribers have been left waiting and wanting.

TopTV confirmed to me that Top Crime and Top History is ending on Monday night, saying "this is to do with the many changes that are currently taking place within TopTV while new plans are being put in place".

TopTV subscribers will not miss Top Crime. The much derided channel, criticised for it stale fair the past three years has not added any new programming to the schedule since TopTV launched in May 2010, opting to show the same series over and over again, restarting seasons of shows after a couple of month, every few months.

VIDEO. TopTV on-air promo: 'Cracking the Maya Code' on Top History manages to make it sound mysterious.

TopTV showed a big range of on-air promos and trailers for upcoming specific programming across various channels, as well as themed programming across channel clusters, at the pay TV operator's first-ever programming preview in Cape Town last week held for journalists and TV writers.

I do not own the copyright to any of this; I just want to show what I consider beautiful work and last week asked permission to show a few of the on-air promos among the many which I personally consider to be great work and which deserves recognition.

Here is the third one I thought was good. This promo is for the documentary Cracking the Maya Code on Top History (TopTV 301). The promo was cut using the right bit of inserts and utilising the music effectively to creates mystery and build up suspense around this documentary,making you want to watch it.

ALSO READ: TopTV on-air promo: 'Classic Movies' trailer with striking black and white use is a class act.
ALSO READ: TopTV on-air promo for movies: 'They are all of our journeys, and all of our final destinations.'

BREAKING. TopTV: We're focused on getting some new content on Top Expore and Top History.

You're reading it here first.

TopTV, at the South African pay TV operator's first ever press preview for journalists and TV critics in Cape Town, said that its self-compiled "Top" channels which are criticised for too many repeats, is getting attention.

Heather Kennedy, the vice president for marketing, singled out Top Explore (TopTV 300) and Top Hisotry (TopTV 301) and told journalists that these channels' content are being looked at.

"For Top Explore and Top History we're focused on getting some new content there. We have been getting new content which viewers will start to see soon," she said.

She explained that even though these channels are self-compiled, meaning TopTV puts the channels together, that it's actually physically done for TopTV from Germany.

"Top Explore and Top History are actually packaged for us by a German provider. These channels will have some local South African content. Some of the shows are South African from time to time. We do try and take local content where we can. What happens is that the German provider buys from us [meaning broadly South Africa] and then puts it on the channel. So that's the roundabout way how South African content gets on it."

Programming note: The 4 part documentary series, Ways Out of Darkness, on Top History from 29 May at 18:55.

The 4 part documentary series Ways Out of Darkness will start on Top History (TopTV 301) on 29 May at 18:55 looking at what really happened during Europe's Middle Ages.

Whilst The Middles Ages is synonymous with superstition, backwardness, The Devil, blight and Inquisition, the so-called Dark Ages of Europe not only had shadow pages but also glossy pages.

The Middle Ages perhaps gets a bad reputation unfairly, and this four part series looks at some of the usual cliches about the Middle Ages and whether its really true.


Ways Out of Darkness tells the scientific, technical and cultural achievements of the Middle Ages which paved the way for modernity and continue to influence western society to the present day. The film follows four protagonists on their journeys throughout Europe, reviving the medieval world of knights, monks, peasants and burghers.