MultiChoice rapidly losing DStv Premium subscribers

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Jamie McKane

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MultiChoice rapidly losing DStv Premium subscribers

Naspers has released its financial results for the year ended 31 March 2018, which shows a big decline in MultiChoice’s DStv Premium subscribers.

Over the last year, MultiChoice’s DStv subscribers grew from 11.942 million to 13.476 million – an increase of 13%.
 
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R93 035 000* per month less for DSTV

*this totally excludes downgrades

Still means they earn at least R1 529 010 000 (that's R1.5 billion) per month from the remaining Premium subscribers.
 
the market has spoken, lets see how DSTV responds
 
DSTV will probably keep losing premium subscribers by digging their own graves.
most people just want all the sports anyways.

1. Get family/friends/colleagues to split the price of a premium package
2. Get Fibre
3. Others cancel their Premium package.
4. Keep one Premium package to share.
5. One person gets the PVR and Dish
6. Other people can stream Live TV/catchup/showmax from DSTV now app.

If you have 5 Premium subscribers, 4 cancel
and only left with one.
 
supersunbird said:
R93 035 000* per month less for DSTV

*this totally excludes downgrades

Still means they earn at least R1 529 010 000 (that's R1.5 billion) per month from the remaining Premium subscribers.
Click to expand...

I don't think it hurts them yet but if they were to shed another 500k-800k subs rapidly they should start feeling the pinch.I give it another 3 years before we start seeing either the number stabilizing or costs of the package coming down dramatically.

The big problem is there are numerous sports bars, hotels, ect in the commercial sector that will still have a premium package, what really should be done stats wise, breaking it down to commercial and home users. Home users is the one that I would like to keep an eye on, as that is the one that should show most movement.

If only we can get commercial entities to switch over to streaming services.....
 
Colsuldel said:
DSTV will probably keep losing premium subscribers by digging their own graves.
most people just want all the sports anyways.

1. Get family/friends/colleagues to split the price of a premium package
2. Get Fibre
3. Others cancel their Premium package.
4. Keep one Premium package to share.
5. One person gets the PVR and Dish
6. Other people can stream Live TV/catchup/showmax from DSTV now app.

If you have 5 Premium subscribers, 4 cancel
and only left with one.
Click to expand...
I thought that dstv only allows for 2 simultaneous streams?
 
Colsuldel said:
My bad, you are correct, just looked it up now.

Can register 4 devices,
with 2 simultaneous streams on dstv now, and also have 2 simultaneous streams on showmax
Click to expand...

DStv Now quality is garbage though. Barely passable as a window in a web browser tab or on a phone - pretty awful full-screen on a TV. ShowMax is only R99pm - better to just get your own subscription if you don't have DStv. Or better yet, not get it at all and stick to Netflix.
 
Bryn said:
DStv Now quality is garbage though. Barely passable as a window in a web browser tab or on a phone - pretty awful full-screen on a TV. ShowMax is only R99pm - better to just get your own subscription if you don't have DStv. Or better yet, not get it at all and stick to Netflix.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this. There is no point to DSTV these days; it's just too costly now.
 
Tander said:
Pretty much this. There is no point to DSTV these days; it's just too costly now.
Click to expand...

Well, the point is sports. I really like F1, golf and football. If it weren't for my family of technophobes I'd use a streaming service like NTV.mx, but they struggled to use it when I gave it a try. And Man Utd games buffered, which is unacceptable.

My ShowMax experience thus far has been turning it on, starting a stream, seeing 720p and turning it off. And then watching 4K Netflix.

I'm really, really hoping that the DStv standalone streaming service is done properly and that the tiers are well-priced. R499pm is the max I feel that DStv Now 'Premium' can cost.
 
Bryn said:
DStv Now quality is garbage though. Barely passable as a window in a web browser tab or on a phone - pretty awful full-screen on a TV. ShowMax is only R99pm - better to just get your own subscription if you don't have DStv. Or better yet, not get it at all and stick to Netflix.
Click to expand...

their 1080p = 480p on Youtube and I'm being generous to them
 
Bryn said:
Well, the point is sports. I really like F1, golf and football. If it weren't for my family of technophobes I'd use a streaming service like NTV.mx, but they struggled to use it when I gave it a try. And Man Utd games buffered, which is unacceptable.

My ShowMax experience thus far has been turning it on, starting a stream, seeing 720p and turning it off. And then watching 4K Netflix.

I'm really, really hoping that the DStv standalone streaming service is done properly and that the tiers are well-priced. R499pm is the max I feel that DStv Now 'Premium' can cost.
Click to expand...
What media access devices did you use with your technophobe trials?

I switched family and friends over with Apple TVs, and aside from the initial bump of uncertainty in how to use it; they love the freedom to choose and that it costs substantially less than DSTV Premium. Even the 80s+ are happy.

Btw we did add openview for local content; but that's a once off cost anyway.
 
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