DStv's bundling plans with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video investigated by Competition Commission

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Jamie McKane

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Should DSTV achieve this "One Stop Shop" they will be monopolising the mark further and continue to rip people off. The competition commission should not only stop this but split up DSTV to allow for more competition and less abuse. Mark my words, DSTV is going to cause price increases for all of us through this monopolistic behavior. These streaming platforms achieve economies of scale globally and we benefit from that. I'm all for a good strong healthy home grown South African business but sadly in SA we suffer from the disease called greed. I can't remember speaking to someone and them saying what a rip off DSTV is. Now choice and healthy competition is here.
 
Juzzy said:
Should DSTV achieve this "One Stop Shop" they will be monopolising the mark further and continue to rip people off. The competition commission should not only stop this but split up DSTV to allow for more competition and less abuse. Mark my words, DSTV is going to cause price increases for all of us through this monopolistic behavior. These streaming platforms achieve economies of scale globally and we benefit from that. I'm all for a good strong healthy home grown South African business but sadly in SA we suffer from the disease called greed. I can't remember speaking to someone and them saying what a rip off DSTV is. Now choice and healthy competition is here.
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Nobody is forcing you to sign up for it. You can get netflix all by itself
 
Rabobi said:
Nobody is forcing you to sign up for it. You can get netflix all by itself
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I think this is the key question - Can I get the "full" amazon or netflix experience or will it be the neutered one. So will we have a scenario where Stranger Things Season 4 is only available on the Neflix channel on DSTV and not on Netflix South Africa with Season 3,2,1 being available on Netflix SA. Or will it be a scenario of Stranger Things Season 4 is available on both at the same time. I don't think consumer wants a 3 month lag behind the US because DSTV have bought the rights, or going to look in 2 places to find the Netflix offering. Or will this be a more - netflix for people without 5G/fiber, so a way for the platteland or other locations without access to high speed fiber/5g/4g to access the service via DSTV satellite system. If its the second one I see the attraction for DSTV and Netflix/HBO/Disney/Google ... but if its the first its the aim to lock in via regional licenses access to content just like they do now, I don't see the advantage for the online streamers as people are just going to say, stuff it, I am going to pirate it instead. And we have seen the impact that has had on the market. Shows like Game of Thrones were shown "at the same time as the USA release" because people said, I can't stay off twitter, instagram and everything else for a day, a week or a year until DSTV decides we need the latest episode, so if you aren't going to show it in real time I am simply going to pirate it, which isn't great for DSTV's advertising revenue. So we will see ... but honestly I don't expect DSTV to be the friendliest option. Other questions I have - if I don't want youtube can I opt out of it and save money or will it be like their current offer, which is these are the 4 bundles we think we can get away with offering u the least value, either choose bundle 1,2,3 which all severely lack something or choose bundle 4 which is everything but at a premium price.
 
Thought it was running too smoothly.......
 
Going to be DVD recorders all over again. Remember when it was possible to get a PVR type device that recorded to DVD and had a hard drive built-in, kinda like a pvr/vcr combo type thing. Monochoice was one of the groups putting pressure to get them banned and within a year or two of release, they disappeared.

Will turn into a "You can only get it from us for twice what it normally costs because we need to subsidize the other crud that nobody wants to watch"
 
midasza said:
I think this is the key question - Can I get the "full" amazon or netflix experience or will it be the neutered one. So will we have a scenario where Stranger Things Season 4 is only available on the Neflix channel on DSTV and not on Netflix South Africa with Season 3,2,1 being available on Netflix SA. Or will it be a scenario of Stranger Things Season 4 is available on both at the same time. I don't think consumer wants a 3 month lag behind the US because DSTV have bought the rights, or going to look in 2 places to find the Netflix offering. Or will this be a more - netflix for people without 5G/fiber, so a way for the platteland or other locations without access to high speed fiber/5g/4g to access the service via DSTV satellite system. If its the second one I see the attraction for DSTV and Netflix/HBO/Disney/Google ... but if its the first its the aim to lock in via regional licenses access to content just like they do now, I don't see the advantage for the online streamers as people are just going to say, stuff it, I am going to pirate it instead. And we have seen the impact that has had on the market. Shows like Game of Thrones were shown "at the same time as the USA release" because people said, I can't stay off twitter, instagram and everything else for a day, a week or a year until DSTV decides we need the latest episode, so if you aren't going to show it in real time I am simply going to pirate it, which isn't great for DSTV's advertising revenue. So we will see ... but honestly I don't expect DSTV to be the friendliest option. Other questions I have - if I don't want youtube can I opt out of it and save money or will it be like their current offer, which is these are the 4 bundles we think we can get away with offering u the least value, either choose bundle 1,2,3 which all severely lack something or choose bundle 4 which is everything but at a premium price.
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It won't be a channel but an app on the decoder... Not going to bother reading the rest.
 
Multichoice is missing the point. If I want to watch something on Netflix that I like, I can just watch it. Multichoice seems to be thinking that they can tell me what I must watch.
 
Monochoice trying to pull the wool over. Pandemic must have been a good wake up call for their shenanigans.
 
They can add as many additional streams as they want. It’s still going to be a buffer fest like with their current app. Naaaa, I’d rather pay my Netflix etc, subs and have a decent viewing experience.
 
"Mawela said adding streaming players to the DStv platform is a natural progression of pay-TV into the online space."
It's also your least likely market. Rather give us the separate channels we asked for like Starsat has.
 
Why would this be a competition issue? You can get the services independently and I'm pretty sure it's not going to work out cheaper.
 
Petec said:
They can add as many additional streams as they want. It’s still going to be a buffer fest like with their current app. Naaaa, I’d rather pay my Netflix etc, subs and have a decent viewing experience.
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That is about the ONLY thing you can bet on that will not be a problem. For this to work, there can be no buffering on the download once a selection is made of what you want to watch.

How the selection is made is the question, also via a satellite return channel, or via a different link. And that is where the fly in the ointment is --- DSTV is very secretive about what they are up to at the moment.

But as usual, they believe they are keeping all this secret --- I have news for them it has leaked months ago!
 
garp said:
Why would this be a competition issue? You can get the services independently and I'm pretty sure it's not going to work out cheaper.
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Issue may be that Netflix gets access to the shows that Dstv has the rights on. Still don't see the Netflix okes going for this though.
 
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