VH1 Classic on DStv swapped for MTV Music 24; Viacom Africa's kids channel Nickelodeon upgraded to HD from 5 March.

Viacom Africa and MultiChoice are removing the outdated VH1 Classic channel and replacing it with a third MTV channel on its DStv satellite pay-TV platform, MTV Music 24 (DStv 323), with the standard definition channel that will continue to play just music videos from 5 March.

Meanwhile Viacom International Media Networks Africa's (VIMN Africa) kids channel Nickelodeon (DStv 305) will be upgraded to high definition (HD) in South Africa, and MTV Base (DStv 322) will be made available to DStv Access subscribers from the same date.

VH1 is getting swapped out for MTV Music 24, and will play music videos from all genres, including pop, dance, rock and urban.

"As we celebrate the 14th year of establishing VIMN’s local presence on the continent, we continue to value our strong partnership with MultiChoice to deliver great entertainment experiences to subscribers across Africa," says Alex Okosi, VIMN Africa executive vice president and managing director.

"The expansion of MTV Base's reach to DStv Access, the arrival of MTV Music 24 and the upgrade of some of our channels to HD are part of our commitment to provide dynamic channels that speak to diverse audiences".

VIMN Africa says the move to HD forms an important part of VIMN Africa's distribution strategy with MultiChoice with the network launching 4 channels across the Southern Africa (SADC) region - BET, Comedy Central, MTV and MTV Base - to high definition next month. 

Nickelodeon will be upgraded to HD in South Africa from 5 March.

Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice executive head for content strategy, says "DStv is always thrilled with the innovative customer solutions that come out of the Viacom stable. We are inspired by their focus on producing local content and putting local talent in the limelight through well-established international brands".

"Our DStv Access customers will thoroughly enjoy the programming on MTV Base, which really speaks to this audience and the addition of MTV Music 24 is a current and relevant evolution that will delight viewers."

No changes to the VH1 Classic channel's logo as VH1 changes and updates its logo to 'plus one'.

There will be no changes or updates to the channel logo of VH1 Classic (DStv 323) after the main VH1 channel, no longer seen in South Africa, updated and changed its brand identity to purple lettering now incorporating an ambiguously pluristic "+" sign.

MultiChoice dumped the VH1 channel after years from its DStv channel line-up in November in South Africa.

VH1 was replaced with VH1 Classic which is also supplied by Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) and is more music video centred than VH1 which has steadily transformed into a popular culture and reality fare channel similar to MTV.

"There are no plans to phase in the new VH1 logo into VH1 Classic in Sub-Saharan Africa, or other non-US markets, at this time," VIMN Africa tells me.

MultiChoice is replacing the VH1 channel with VH1 Classic based on feedback from customers.

MultiChoice is replacing the VH1 music channel from Viacom International Media Networks Africa with VH1 Classic DStv on channel 323 because the pay-TV platform feels that that version of VH1 is what more subscribers would enjoy.

MultiChoice tells me that "we made the decision to replace VH1 with VH1 Classic based on feedback from our customers".

MultiChoice will switch VH1 for VH1 Classic on 13 November. VIMN Africa told me yesterday that "we're very excited about VH1 Classic".

"As MTV focuses more on general entertainment programming, and MTV Base on urban music and youth content, we feel that VH1 Classic adds a complementary, third dimension to our music offering," VIMN Africa told me.

'We're very excited about VH1 Classic,' says Viacom International Media Networks Africa as VH1 on DStv switches to VH1 Classic.

Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) tells me they're "very excited" about delivering VH1 Classic as a new TV channel to MultiChoice's DStv platform.

Earlier today MultiChoice made the official announcement that VH1 Classic will be replacing VH1 on channel 323 on DStv from 13 November.

"We're very excited about this new channel. We tested it with DStv two Christmases ago and the response from viewers was very positive," a VIMN Africa spokesperson tells me.

"As MTV focuses more on general entertainment programming, and MTV Base on urban music and youth content, we feel that VH1 Classic adds a complementary, third dimension to our music offering," says VIMN Africa.

BREAKING. On 13 November MultiChoice is ending VH1 and replacing the channel with the VH1 Classic channel.

On 13 November MultiChoice is discontinuing VH1 (DStv 323) and replacing it with VH1 Classic on the same channel.

Two years ago DStv experimented as part of subscriber consumer research with making VH1 Classic accessible as a TV channel to subscribers. MultiChoice then said the channel wasn't feasible and a good fit. MultiChoice said VH1 Classic "didn't test well".

Now VH1 Classic is considered a better fit on the DStv bouquet than VH1, despite not having tested well, two years ago. MultiChoice now clearly believes that VH1 Classic is a better channel or a better fit to its overall bouquet.

BREAKING. VH1 Classic TV channel could come back. Permanently.

You're reading it here first.

It's gone . . . but maybe not for long forever. South Africans got the chance to watch the music channel VH1 Classic that MultiChoice's DStv and MTV Networks Africa decided to broadcast for only a month and a half in the country. That has now ended.

But VH1 Classic could be back. Permanently.

MTV Networks Africa broadcast VH1 Classic for a limited period as both a market initiative to celebrate MTV Base (DStv 322) turning five, as well as for testing audience feedback. I asked Alex Okosi, senior vice president and managing director of MTV Networks Africa, what the responde has been to VH1 Classic and whether they're looking to make it a permanent new channel addition in the future.

''Absolutely. We're hoping that it can become permanent,'' he says. ''The response that we got was phenomenal. Most of the people we talked to were quite excited. We want VH1 Classic to be here and we think it definitely caters to the classic music for a particular audience of course. We're looking to see if we can make it permanent here and we're having conversations with our distributors here to see how that can happen.''