M-Net Movies

Last updated
M-Net Movies
Country South Africa
Broadcast area Sub-Saharan Africa
Network M-Net
Headquarters Johannesburg
Programming
Language(s) English, Afrikaans
Picture format 16:9 (SDTV, HDTV)
Ownership
Owner MultiChoice
History
Launched6 October 1995;27 years ago (6 October 1995)
Former namesMovie Magic
(1995-2005)
Links
Website See below
Availability
Terrestrial
GOtv Channel 3 (M-Net Movies 4)
DStv Channel 104 (M-Net Movies 1)
Channel 106 (M-Net Movies 2)
Channel 107 (M-Net Movies 3)
Channel 108 (M-Net Movies 4)
Streaming media
DStv AppSame as its TV platform

M-Net Movies is a group of South Africa-based film-only television channels launched as Movie Magic in 1995 and broadcast across Sub-Saharan Africa on pay TV satellite services DStv and GOtv. The channels broadcast films/movies based on genre as well as clips featuring behind-the-scenes looks at previous, current and future breakout box office hit films.

Contents

History

MultiChoice through M-Net launched two M-Net film/movie channels, Movie Magic 1 and Movie Magic 2 a day after the launch of its pay television satellite service DStv. In order to unify/expand the M-Net brand, the channels were renamed respectively M-Net Movies 1 and M-Net Movies 2 in 2005. [1] Two additional film channels, M-Net Stars and M-Net Movies Action (which on launch replaced M-Net Action (then actionX) which launched in 2006), were later launched. In October 2012, the previous film channels were expanded to six channels which grouped films according to genre. [2] These channels, along with the existing Action, Stars and Zone, made for a total of nine movie channels. In June M-Net Movies Action was made an HD channel, followed by M-Net Movies All Stars, both only in Southern Africa, in October 2016.

As of 1 September 2020, M-Net stopped giving their movie channels names and went with the numbering system and reduced the number of movie channels from 6 to 4 channels. M-Net Movies also has an Add Movies feature which allows non-premium subscribers to pay for premium movie channels including future pop-up channels. [3]

Channels

These were the channels they offered before September 2020 and its numbers:

A seventh channel M-Net Movies Showcase was later dropped by M-Net on 1 April 2017 with the aim of creating limited run pop-up channels, airing films ranging from those starring Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone and Will Smith. On 1 June 2017 it was replaced by Sundance TV. On 1 December 2017, M-Net Movies Zone was made available in HD to all households who owned an HD capable decoder such as the DStv Explora, HD Decoder, HD PVR and were on the all DStv packages. M-Net Movies Zone is the only channel airing on the GOtv service via its Max and Plus packages.

As of 1 September 2020, M-Net Movies stopped giving their movie channels names and reverted to adding numbers to the channels alongside reducing the number of movie channels to four. From now on, there are 4 Movie channels, numbers, qualities and packages.

NameLogoQualityRegions of AfricaFormerlyChannel NumberPackagesFeaturing
M-Net Movies 1 HDTV Rest of Africa
  • M-Net Movies Premiere
  • M-Net Movies Smile
104DStv PremiumFresh Feel good Movies from the biggest Studios
West Africa105
M-Net Movies 2 HDTV AllM-Net Movies Action+106DStv PremiumSupersized Action Blockbuster Movies
M-Net Movies 3 HDTV South Africa
  • M-Net Movies Action
  • M-Net Movies All Stars
107DStv CompactMovies with Favourite Hollywood Stars
Rest of AfricaDStv Compact Plus
M-Net Movies 4 HDTV South Africa M-Net Movies Zone108DStv AccessMovies with popular franchises and sequels
SDTV Rest of Africa50GOtv Plus
M-Net Movies Pop-Up HDTV AllM-Net Movies Channel 109111
  • DStv Premium
  • DStv Compact
  • DStv Access
Upcoming movie Pop-Up channels near future

M-Net Movies 1

M-Net Movies flagship channel consisting of first run movie premieres mostly after being available on the DStv BoxOffice rental service and M-Net, as well as animation specials. The channel is a result of M- Net Movies Premiere and M-Net Movies Smile (Smile being a combination of M-Net Movies Comedy and M-Net Movies Family).

As a combination of M-Net Movies Premiere & M-Net Movies Smile, the channel is only available for DStv Premium as part of the offering M-Net gives after airing a movie on the original channel.

M-Net Movies 2

The premium action movie channel focuses on thrillers and horror movies. It is a combination of M-Net Movies Action and M-Net Movies Action+.

The channel is only available on DStv Premium for its offering from its former home M-Net Movies Action Plus.

M-Net Movies 3

This is a general entertainment channel focusing on the most favoured stars, inherited from its predecessors M-Net Movies Action & M-Net Movies Allstars. Due to most stars being voiceovers, the channel has mostly animated films/movies, with a mix of comedy and romance and some action.

The channel is available for DStv Compact Plus and DStv Compact .

M-Net Movies 4

The lower tiered channel aimed at DStv Access and GOtv Plus subscribers which air all movies shown on M-Net or other M-Net Movies channels.

M-Net Movies Pop-Up Channel

The pop-up channel and the first of the movie channels to broadcast less than 24 hours a day. Initially, the channel was named M-Net Movies Showcase. In 2015, the same year M-Net Movies Smile was formed, another channel, M-Net Movies Romance was incorporated into Showcase, in direct response to viewer complaints of too many repeats. Mostly airing movie festivals such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, James Bond, etc.

This channel is usually available to DStv Premium and this January, the channel wasn't launched for Premium, it was launched for Compact and Compact+. M-Net Movies also has an Add Movies feature that allows non-premium subscribers to watch premium movie channels for a fee which includes future pop-up channels that may launch on M-Net Movies.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinemax</span> American movie-focused pay television network

Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent network Home Box Office (HBO) and initially focusing on recent and classic films upon its launch on August 1, 1980, programming featured on Cinemax currently consists primarily of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, and original action series, as well as documentaries and special behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group. In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema on demand content are available through these as well as via Now TV, BT TV and TalkTalk TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Movie Channel</span> American movie-oriented pay television network

The Movie Channel (TMC) is an American premium television network owned by Showtime Networks, a subsidiary of Paramount Global operated through its Paramount Media Networks division. The network's programming mainly features first-run theatrically released and independently produced motion pictures, and during promotional breaks between films, special behind-the-scenes features and movie trivia.

Crave is a Canadian premium television network and streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Showtime Movie Channels</span> Television channel

Showtime Movie Channels is a group of Australian pay-TV movie channels, available on the Foxtel, Optus and Austar TV platforms. The service consisted of five original channels, three HD simulcasts and two timeshift channels. It was owned and operated by the Premium Movie Partnership (PMP), a joint venture in which Sony Pictures Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Viacom, News Corporation and Liberty Global had equal shares. Foxtel took over managing and producing the Showtime channels as of 31 October 2012, with it purchasing assets of the PMP. On 9 December 2012, it was announced that Movie Network and Showtime would be replaced with a new line-up of Foxtel branded movie channels to be named Foxtel Movies

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M-Net</span> Subscription TV channel in South Africa

M-Net is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, sport and movies. While the TV signal is generally encrypted, M-Net showed some programmes 'free to air' in its "Open Time" slot between 5 p.m. and 7 pm, until the slot closed on 1 April 2007.

Starz Encore is an American premium television channel owned by Starz Inc. a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment and headquartered at the Meridian International Business Center complex in Meridian, Colorado, United States. Launched as Encore on 1 April 1991, its programming features mainly older and recent theatrically released feature films, although some of its multiplex channels also carry acquired television series. It is the sister channel of Starz and MoviePlex.

kykNET Television channel

kykNET is a South African Afrikaans-language television channel. Owned by pay-TV operator M-Net, it was launched on the DStv satellite service in 15th November 1999. On 16 July 2014 DStv announced that kykNET would be broadcast in high-definition from 12 August 2014.

Digital Satellite Television, commonly abbreviated to DStv, is a Sub-Saharan African direct broadcast satellite service owned by MultiChoice and based in Randburg, South Africa. Launched on 6 October 1995, the service provides multiple audio, radio and television channels and services to subscribers, mostly in South Africa, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. DStv formerly had operations in Thailand under United Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), which is now TrueVisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SuperSport (South African broadcaster)</span> South African sports television channel

SuperSport is a South African-based group of television channels carried on the DStv & Canal+ satellite platforms alongside the GOtv terrestrial platform and Showmax Pro for live sports programming. It provides sports content in South Africa, Nigeria and many other African countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MultiChoice</span> South African based satellite TV company in Sub-Saharan Africa

MultiChoice is a South African company that operates DStv, a major satellite television service in Sub-Saharan Africa and GOtv, a minor service operating in over nine countries of this area and Showmax service. MultiChoice was formed out of the subscriber-management branch of the M-Net terrestrial pay television company, and broadcasts the full range of M-Net channels on the DStv service. MultiChoice is owned by the media conglomerate of the same name. One of the subsidiaries of MultiChoice is DStv Now, renamed as DStv App, a service that delivers television transmission to mobile devices such as laptops, smart phones and notebooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Movies</span> Television channel

Star Movies is an Asian pay television network owned by multiple Disney International Operations. Star Movies was originally launched as a single channel broadcast across Asia, but it was regionalised into different localised channels since then. Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific have since rebranded some of the network's international feeds in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia as Fox Movies, but retains the Star Movies brand in Mainland China, Taiwan, Middle East & South Asia.

U-verse TV is a DirecTV brand of IPTV service. Launched on June 26, 2006, U-verse included broadband Internet, IP telephone, and IPTV services in 48 states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HBO</span> American pay television network

Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based at Warner Bros. Discovery's corporate headquarters inside 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan's West Side district. Programming featured on the network consists primarily of theatrically released motion pictures and original television programs as well as made-for-cable movies, documentaries, occasional comedy, and concert specials, and periodic interstitial programs.

Encore Avenue was a Canadian English language Category A premium cable and satellite television channel that was owned by Corus Entertainment. Encore Avenue was designated to operate west of the Ontario-Manitoba border, including the territories. The channel offered a variety of classic films from the 1970s to the 1990s, with films from the early 2000s interspersed within the schedule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie Network Channels</span> Australian television movie service

Movie Network Channels was an Australian premium television movie service that consisted of five original channels, two SD timeshifts and three HD simulcasts. Its main competitor was Showtime. Movie Network channels were originally only available through Optus TV, who produced and part-owned the channels prior to 1 January 2000.

Foxtel Movies is a suite of 11 pay television film channels in Australia which began broadcasting on 1 January 2013. Owned by Foxtel, the channels replaced the now-defunct Movie Network and Showtime suites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Africa Magic</span> Collection of pay TV entertainment channels

Africa Magic is a collection of Pay TV entertainment channels that focus on African programming, most popularly Nigerian series and movies. Africa Magic, which started off as single channel of the same name, is a brand owned by M-Net and now comprises seven channels.

Mzansi Magic is a South African digital satellite and general entertainment channel created by Multichoice and run by M-Net's local interest division, and is broadcast on DStv.

Pearl Magic is a Ugandan television station owned by MultiChoice Uganda' DStv. The station was launched in October 2018 with its headquarters and studios at the MultiChoice Uganda headquarters in Kololo Kampala and only broadcasts through DStv and GOtv to audiences around Africa.

References

  1. "Super Brands: M-Net" (PDF). 10 November 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  2. "Multichoice | New channel numbers and more HD for DStv customers - detail". MultiChoice . 2015-05-18. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  3. "MultiChoice and M-Net reducing and restructuring its M-Net Movies channels offering on DStv, makes fliekNET permanent and adding KIX as a martial arts film channel". TV With Thinus. 31 July 2020.

As of January 2016, all M-Net Movies Channels are under the sub-domain of the M-Net website;