After 23 years on MultiChoice's DStv Turner Broadcasting switches the old TCM for the action-film channel TNT in South Africa and Africa.

Turner is dumping and replacing one of the last remaining original channels that DStv started with, with the old American films channel TCM from Turner Broadcasting that is being switched to the TNT channel from tomorrow, 21 September.

TCM has been available on MultiChoice for 23 years on DStv channel 137, as well as on Cell C's subscription video-on-demand streaming service, Cell C black, since late last year.

Tomorrow TCM, on DStv and Cell C black, that reaches 6.7 million monthly viewers across 49 English-speaking African countries, will switch to the blue-circled TNT.

TNT's programming is built on an action-driven, pulse-raising slate, mixed with some romantic films and comedies.

Despite a TCM brand fresh earlier this year and the addition of more recent films the past two years on the channel, DStv subscribers still saw TCM as old and outdated, prompting the final switch-out of the channel.

TCM - short for Turner Classic Movies - was one of the few original channels in 1995 that MultiChoice launched DStv with 23 years ago.

TNT that in the United States also carries drama and reality series, will be a film channel for South Africa and Africa and be a more contemporary film channel from Turner to be competition for channels like Studio Universal, SundanceTV, and M-Net's set of self-packed M-Net Movies channels.

"The TCM brand has had a strong classic association which doesn’t reflect the actual brand proposition, or deliver the right message, to our African audiences," says Guillermo Farré, head of general entertainment for Turner in Southern Europe & Africa, about TCM's demise and replacement with TNT.

"Even though we have listened to our viewers and worked hard towards modernizing the image of the channel, there was still a strong association of the TMC brand to 'classic Hollywood silver screen productions'. We therefore decided to switch TCM to TNT to fully reflect the new brand identity and perspective in line with our American blockbuster programming strategy," says Guillermo Farré.

Turner says TNT will offer a "young, fresh and entertainment-filled offering for the entire family" with "creative and relevant programming specially tailored for African fans".

TCM up until now was slightly male skewed with a growing number of viewers in the 25 to 49 age demo, particularly amongst black African viewers.

TNT will show films ranging from The Illusionist, The Green Mile, Crank, Robin Hood and Hellboy 2 to Doom, Tango and Cash and Gladiator.

Turner issued no September schedule for the mid-month TNT replacement.


Below is Turner's first teaser trailer promo for TNT.

While Turner says that TNT will be an "entertainment-filled offering for the entire family" Turner chose to deliberately include profanity like "Holy mother of Jesus!" in its official promo, something that will definitely be off-putting and be seen as blasphemous by certain families who are DStv or Cell C black subscribers who might choose to rather steer clear of TNT.

While TNT Africa is or African audiences, it doesn't seem as if Turner's marketing team for TNT knows Africa or audience sensitivities.

TCM turns 20 years old today - of course you wouldn't know it watching TCM on DStv in South Africa.

TCM (DStv 137) turns 20 today - of course you wouldn't know it if you're in South Africa where TCM is carried on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

There's been no press release, no programming note, no little reminder from Turner Broadcasting or even a self-congratulatory statement or email to mark the special anniversary milestone. Nothing.

TCM is America tonight will show TCM: Twenty Classic Moments as a retrospective TV special as well as fan favourite movies like Casablanca, Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon and Singin' in the Rain.

South African and African viewers are not good enough for that.

In South Africa TCM viewers are heaped a repeat-upon-repeat helping of Bells Are Ringing and Julie and zero recognition or celebration of TCM's 20th.

Clearly the 20th anniversary of the classic movie channel that Ted Turner launched on 14 April 1994, means little if anything, or is seen as having no relevance, or isn't regarded by Turner Broadcasting as even something to point out or make something of for South Africa viewers.

BREAKING. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) channel rebranding; will be changing its look with its focus on younger viewers.

The movie channel Turner Classic Movies (DStv 109) is rebranding which means changes in the look of the channel for South African viewers.

The British version of TCM will be rebranded to reflect the channel's new focus on younger and ''female-inclusive'' audiences. Since MultiChoice gets the UK/Ireland feed of TCM for South Africa and the rest of Africa on DStv, it means that TCM will soon be changing.

TCM didn't immediately respond to enquiries I've made about the coming changes, what it will entail and exactly when it will be happening.

UPDATE Tuesday 12 July 10:15 - TCM says ''TCM South Africa had a rebrand two years ago so nothing is planned at the moment.''

BREAKING. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will celebrate 10 years with a big ''old world style'' gala evening and top classic films in September.

You're reading it here first.

I can be first to tell you that Turner Classic Movies (TCM) (DStv 109) will be celebrating its 10 years in South Africa as a niche classic movie channel on MultiChoice's DStv with an elegant and glamorous ''old world style'' gala evening that viewers will be able to attend.

TCM's 10th anniversary in South Africa will take the form of a massive birthday gala evening on Tuesday, September 28 at the Turbine Hall in Johannesburg and viewers will get the chance to attend. Viewers who want to win one of the ten double ticket to what is set to be the most glamorous birthday party of the year, can now enter HERE before August 30.

''We hope that many of the TCM fans join us on the evening of September 28 to celebrate real excellence in cinema'' says Alan Musa, vice president and general manager for the Middle East and Africa for Turner Broadcasting Systems.

As part of TCM's 10th anniversary in South Africa TCM will broadcast some of the world's greatest classical movies and has launched a new website at http://www.tcmafrica.com/. During September viewers will be able to tune in for epic cinema classics at 21:00 like Casablanca (September 4), North by Northwest (September 5), Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Donnie Brasco and Man in the Moon amongst others.