DStv has unveiled massive changes to its packages in South Africa following the Multichoice takeover by Canal+, with the first overhaul of streaming options revealed.
The group will simplify its offerings by introducing new packages, including a separate Sports package.
The new packages are expected to launch on 17 September. The packages are Starter, Select, Sports, Movies & Series, and Premium.
Notably, these changes and new prices are for streaming packages only and do not reflect any changes to satellite decoders.
The Starter package will cost R99 per month and offer 85 channels, including some sports, characterised as a “taster” for what DStv has to offer.
Prices jump to R299 per month for Select, with 100 channels and additional sports content.
A package many subscribers have been calling for is a separate Sports package, which will carry 115 channels and offer even more sports content, as well as some entertainment channels, for R399 a month.
The Movies & Series package will start at R500 per month and will carry 115 channels with a stronger entertainment focus, including M-Net, kykNET, and M Movies+.
The Premium is the only legacy DStv package that retains its name and will cost R799 per month for 130 TV channels.
The package changes reflect a remarkable shift in strategy from DStv, which has been bleeding customers over the years as it increasingly tried to shift viewers to its Premium packages.
A notable tactic was to keep top sports content, some of the most popular in South Africa, exclusive to the Premium package. Now, for the first time, customers will be able to cater to their specific tastes.
Aside from offering more flexibility, the group appears to be trying to make the entry point cheaper, with the Starter package’s R99 price lower than DStv Access’s R150.
The launch of new DStv packages comes after Canal+ promised an overhaul of its offering in South Africa.
Canal+ took control of Multichoice in September 2025 following a lengthy acquisition process. The deal was valued at over R50 billion.
Following the acquisition, the resulting group was a 42-million-subscriber media giant, generating R164 billion in revenue across its operations. However, the issues at Multichoice quickly became apparent.
At a March 2026 status briefing, Canal+ outlined the multitude of challenges faced by the South African media company.
After experiencing impressive growth from 2010 to 2023, the combined effects of macroeconomic factors and a difficult transition to OTT, marked by the expensive failure of Showmax, tore into the group.
Continuing this trend, revenues decreased by €142 million (6%) from €2,542 million in 2024 to €2,400 million in 2025, driven by a decline in its subscriber base from 14.9 million to 14.4 million.
To turn Mutichoice’s fortunes around, Canal+ announced a R1.9 billion “boost plan” for the struggling media group, highlighting four main focus areas.- businesstech.co.za
