South African pay-TV operator DStv will raise its subscription fees for South Africa-based subscribers on April 1st, and admits they rises are higher than in previous years. DStv is sweetening the pill a little by saying that clients who take out a 24-month contract will not face any further rises for the length of the […]

Disney has renewed a multi-year distribution deal with MultiChoice Group to offer Disney’s portfolio of linear channels, including National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, ESPN and ESPN2 on DStv in South Africa until 2027. The Walt Disney Company operates the six 24-hour channels in Africa, in both English and Portuguese. Christine Service, […]

MultiChoice, the South African pay-TV broadcaster, has rejected a takeover bid from Canal+. Canal+, the Vivendi-owned pay-TV provider, had tabled a non-binding purchase bid but MultiChoice indicated that it felt the value of its business was undervalued. With a market capitalisation of $2.15 billion, MultiChoice turned down the Canal+ offer. In a statement given to […]

Reports from South Africa say that pirate streaming services like 123Movies and Fmovies not only steal revenue from local broadcasters such as MultiChoice but also significantly impact the creative industry as a whole. Moreover, the fines for pirates found guilty are miniscule. The pirate services depend on advertising for their income stream. This inevitably appeals […]

eMedia Holdings and South Africa pay-TV giant MultiChoice are again at each other’s throats. The two are due to appeal at a Competition Tribunal in South Africa today [January 18th]. The battle is over TV sports rights with eMedia alleging that MultiChoice is abusing its dominant position and dictating the terms for access to premium […]

MultiChoice and its DStv pay-TV operation has secured access to the African Cup (AFCON). The football tournament kicks off in the Cote- d’Ivoire on January 13th, and now viewers in Nigeria and other African countries can view the coverage as part of their DStv subscriptions. MultiChoice said it had reached “a commercially viable agreement” with […]

Nigerian consumers are unhappy with the fourth price rise this year from Multichoice and its DStv and GOtv pay-TV services. One quote published in Nigerian local press from the ConsumerConnect watchdog states that MultiChoice is “taking Nigerians for granted”. MultiChoice has announced increases in the costs of its products May, August and early November 2023 […]

SABC, South Africa’s public broadcaster – currently in serious debt – has hired Nomsa Chabeli, the former General Manager of telco MTN as its new CEO. Chabeli was also previously marketing director of MultiChoice’s SuperSport and DStv divisions. SABC stated: “[Chabeli] also has a credible history of developing persuasive and highly influential brand messaging that […]

MultiChoice, operator of the DStv pay-TV system, has lost almost 500,000 subscribers in South Africa. The latest interim financial results show that the loss at the end of September placed the operator’s total subscriber numbers (90-day active) at 8.629 million, or 486,000 less than the 9.115 million at the same point last year. MultiChoice says […]

MultiChoice has raised subscription rates by 19 per cent for viewers in Nigeria. The rise is put down by local CEO John Ugbe as the cost of business operations and “the current economic challenges in Nigeria,” which include high inflation and a weak Naira. The price hikes have understandably not gone down well with subscribers. […]