M-NET
| M-Net | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | 1986 |
| Owned by | Naspers |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV, 4:3) - Terrestrial, 576i (SDTV, 16:9) - DStv, 1080i (HDTV, 16:9) - DStv |
| Slogan | Where magic lives |
| Country | South Africa |
| Language | English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Setswana, Xhosa, Sesotho, Venda |
| Broadcast area | South Africa, Africa |
| Headquarters | Johannesburg |
| Website | http://www.mnet.co.za |
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Availability
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| Terrestrial | |
| Sentech | Channel depends on nearest Sentech repeater |
| Satellite | |
| DSTV | Channel 101 |
M-Net (originally an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a subscription-funded television channel broadcast in South Africa. It was 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 p.m., until the slot closed on 1 April 2007.
In the early 1990s, M-Net added a second analog channel called Community Services Network (CSN), and began digital broadcasting via satellite to the rest of Africa, via its sister company MultiChoice. With the introduction of MultiChoice's multi-channel digital satellite TV service, DStv, in 1995, several different channels have been created to complement the original M-Net channel, including M-Net Series and several movie channels based on film genre.
The idea of a pay-TV network in South Africa came to life in the mid-1980s, when Nasionale Pers (Naspers) - headed by executive Koos Bekker — started to promote the idea to the country's other three largest media corporations: Times Media Ltd (now Avusa/BDFM), Argus (now the Independent Group) and Perskor (which is now defunct). The newspapers and magazines published by Naspers had lost a lot of advertising revenue to the SABC after the arrival of television and for this reason, according to some sources, the National Party government wanted Naspers to run its own television network. Initially, the plan was for M-Net to be jointly owned by the four media corporations, with the Natal Witness also having a small share in the station. However, as time went on, the project became that of Naspers only.
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