1Magic and ME channels on DStv shutting down at end of March

As part of M-Net's linear pay-TV channels portfolio consolidation, MultiChoice will shut down the 1Magic and ME channels at the end of this month.

The axing of the channels was initially planned to take place just before the relaunch of MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax last month, but was delayed by two months.

The loss of the 1Magic and ME channels is the latest in a string of eight TV channels that will have gone dark on MultiChoice's DStv over just the first three months of this year, while South African pay-TV subscribers are expected to pay more for the traditional satellite pay-TV service.