MultiChoice rapidly losing DStv Premium subscribers

Arthur said:
Good for you. I'm glad it keeps you satisfied.

I have Netflix and Amazon Video/Prime, but they're largely unused - log in to see what's available maybe once or twice a year. I don't watch movies and fiction on TV, though wife does. For me it's doccies and sport.

I really can't understand some people's hate for DStv. I think they're a great company with outstanding service and value.

And no, I'm not and never have been an employee, shareholder, director, supplier, etc. Neither have any of my family and friends.

I've twice dealt with their management, many years ago. Once when I arranged an Anton Piller order and a SAP raid, and once when I and some associates tried to persuade them to carry a channel (not for gain). The former succeeded, the latter didn't.
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Hates government sanctioned monopolies, fine with DSTV who enjoyed government protection for however long because government would not license competitors?
 
crackersa said:
Basitds! So they moved it from regular espn to espn+
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Yes, bastids they are. I had no choice but to subscribe to the ESPN+ addon since my son is mad about rugby. It's not much, but the danger is the small subscriptions start adding up.
 
Bryn said:
As someone who generally defends DStv, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's great value or that they're a great company. Premium is over £50pm equivalent, and Sky Sports streaming can be had for £35pm. Many people have DStv Premium purely for the sport, myself included. Your family needs to watch a crapton of TV to get great value out of R1000pm. That said, it's not terrible. Supersport is very comprehensive, the pundits are mostly decent and SS throws in major stuff like the Olympics, World Cups and pay-per-view boxing without extra cost.

Netflix has awesome documentaries btw.
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As I always have said, a lot of people pay R899 for one game ( the non-pirates of course). if you don't want DSTV, don't pay for it. But watching all the soccer, cricket and tennis to my hearts content is worth it, imo. And that's before all the other things I watch.
 
Azg said:
Yes, bastids they are. I had no choice but to subscribe to the ESPN+ addon since my son is mad about rugby. It's not much, but the danger is the small subscriptions start adding up.
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Only $5. Not bad at all. I have AT&T uncapped so that gives me free hbo. And I run directv now for $35/mo
 
Splinter said:
As I always have said, a lot of people pay R899 for one game ( the non-pirates of course). if you don't want DSTV, don't pay for it. But watching all the soccer, cricket and tennis to my hearts content is worth it, imo. And that's before all the other things I watch.
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DStv has to deal with the rapidly increasing opportunity cost of their service though. In years past I wasn't so concerned about the value, but now we have services like Netflix for $11.99pm that my family and I use more than DStv. Prime Video isn't bad, but once BBC, HBO and Disney inevitably wake up and hoard their content for their own international streaming services then DStv is going to have an existential crisis if they haven't adapted to the times with a comprehensive and well-priced streaming service.
 
Bryn said:
DStv has to deal with the rapidly increasing opportunity cost of their service though. In years past I wasn't so concerned about the value, but now we have services like Netflix for $11.99pm that my family and I use more than DStv. Prime Video isn't bad, but once BBC, HBO and Disney inevitably wake up and hoard their content for their own international streaming services then DStv is going to have an existential crisis if they haven't adapted to the times with a comprehensive and well-priced streaming service.
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And I'm not arguing. As I posted in response to Bwana, the market forces are changing things. Love Netflix as well. Still spend a bit more time watching DSTV though.
 
Still, we are getting R19,69 per share dividend this year.
 
supersunbird said:
Hates government sanctioned monopolies, fine with DSTV who enjoyed government protection for however long because government would not license competitors?
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Where have you been for the past 23 years? The last "state protections" ended in late 1994, a year before the launch of DStv in late 1995.

It's not MultiChoice's fault that government didn't license other services before 1995.

You forget, the Nat government very reluctantly, after many representations, granted a licence to M-Net in 1985, and they started broadcasting in 1986, on one encrypted, subscription-only channel, as a government-imposed condition and limitation.

However, in 1995, after BMR, the government removed licensing barriers to entry. It has in fact since then been government policy to encourage competitors, but the local market is too small for big players to make an entry bid and MultiChoice is entrenched.

What you call "state protection" was in reality the opposite - the state barely tolerated M-Net. It was government policy to allow a limited subscription-only tv service with no free-to-air, and news programs were specifically forbidden by law.

The company struggled for 4 years to make its first profit, mainly because the Nat government wanted to restrict viewership and keep most people watching HMV on SAUK/SABC.

Still, even if we grant your point, the root problem remains: Government suppression of the free market. I opposed it in 1986 when M-Net was launched. And I oppose it today.

The solution to government-produced distortions in the market is not more government interference. It's laissez-faire.
 
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Multichoice diversivied in time. Sure, they won't have as easy a time in the streaming era, but they will continue doing well.
 
Azg said:
ESPN+ now has the international rugby. Excellent 1080p quality as well. Have been watching the Super Rugby and the June internationals on that.
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Alright!
Good to know I wasn't making shlt up again! :D

Mind if I ask you some stuff? :)

What line speed have you got?
Does it suck watching the rugby -camera / angle-wise / commentating? (I guess I'm trying to figure out if their camera work [and other stuff] "screws up" the experience?)
Is the F1 included in the service?
How much are you paying for the service?
You're obviously using a VPN or DNS service, right?

:)
 
Sl8er said:
Alright!
Good to know I wasn't making shlt up again! :D

Mind if I ask you some stuff? :)

What line speed have you got?
Does it suck watching the rugby -camera / angle-wise / commentating? (I guess I'm trying to figure out if their camera work [and other stuff] "screws up" the experience?)
Is the F1 included in the service?
How much are you paying for the service?
You're obviously using a VPN or DNS service, right?

:)
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I'm not sure what you mean? Last time I watched SuperRugby on EPSN it was a Supersport feed, likewise they used the local equivalent for the NZ and Aus matches.
 
bwana said:
I'm not sure what you mean? Last time I watched SuperRugby on EPSN it was a Supersport feed, likewise they used the local equivalent for the NZ and Aus matches.
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Ok, that's cool!

I meant: I've heard that sky sports and / or fox sports aren't as good as supersport when it comes to camera work. As in "our" camera guys cover better angles, so the viewers really "get in there" -whatever that's supposed to mean, but I think you get what I'm saying...?
 
Sl8er said:
Ok, that's cool!

I meant: I've heard that sky sports and / or fox sports aren't as good as supersport when it comes to camera work. As in "our" camera guys cover better angles, so the viewers really "get in there" -whatever that's supposed to mean, but I think you get what I'm saying...?
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It's not like supersport sends camera crews to Australia and NZ to cover the matches either.
 
bwana said:
It's not like supersport sends camera crews to Australia and NZ to cover the matches either.
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Hey man, I have no idea how that all works...and honestly, I would've believed you if you told me they did :crylaugh:

Obviously that makes sense, I've just never thought about it :D
 
Had to begon happening sooner or later.
The economic realities are biting and DSTV finally have some competition.
The only thing slowing the trend is the sports fans needing Premium service to watch their favourite sport.
The way SA sport is deteriorating that grip is loosening too.
I think DSTV are missing an opportunity - here is what I would do.
1. Take sports channels out of Premium and reduce Premium subscription drastically.
2. Offer all sports channels as a bolt-on Sports subscription - keeping the "New Premiun" and "Sport Boquet" cheaper than current Premium
3. Offer Sport Boquet as a stand-alone subscription for sport junkies, at a premium price but dramatically less than the existing Premium offering.
There are a lot of people subscribing to Premium only for the sport.

I feel that would increase their total subscriber numbers, although it would probably reduce their average revenue per subscriber - for now. The way they are headed bith subscriber numbers and average revenue per subsciber will continue dropping, so what do they have to lose?
 
Sl8er said:
Hey man, I have no idea how that all works...and honestly, I would've believed you if you told me they did :crylaugh:

Obviously that makes sense, I've just never thought about it :D
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:)

The point I wanted to make was that you're probably getting the same video feed as supersport. The only difference is likely to be the commentary. From what I recall ESPN used the locals for that.
 
bwana said:
:)

The point I wanted to make was that you're probably getting the same video feed as supersport. The only difference is likely to be the commentary. From what I recall ESPN used the locals for that.
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Yeah for sure, I understand.
And the service is what, like R100 or less [or something], right? ...not including a DNS service....
(I mean, if you're one of those guys that only cares about rugby, surely this would be better option than paying a R1000 ransom to mc every month.)

But thanks for the info...this is good to know if you wanna "stick it to the man".
 
...yet

MultiChoice profit leaps higher, despite Netflix
Naspers’s video entertainment segment — in effect, the MultiChoice business — has grown revenue by 8% to US$3.7-billion in the year ended 31 March 2018, despite recently warning of tough competition from online streaming video providers such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

The segment grew earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, or Ebitda — a measure of operational profitability — by 21% to $627-million, from $520-million a year ago. It delivered a trading profit of $369-million, an increase of 29% on 2017’s $287-million, Naspers said.

https://techcentral.co.za/multichoice-profit-leaps-higher-despite-netflix/81990/
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