DStv vs GOtv – prices and channels compared
M-Net recently launched GOtv in South Africa, offering a pay-TV service over the country’s digital terrestrial television (DTT) network.
You need a UHF antenna and one of GOtv’s DTT decoders to receive the service, which it said will be on sale for R699.
At launch, GOtv will offer two packages: GOtv Value for R99 per month and GOtv Lite for R45 every 3 months.
GOtv Value is priced the same as DStv Access, raising the question: How do MultiChoice’s two services compare to one another?
To compare the two services, we begin with the once-off equipment and installation costs.
| Pay-TV service | Decoder + antenna/dish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DStv | R799 or R99 per month x 24 | Includes installation, excludes subscription. |
| GOtv | R998 (R699 decoder+R299 Gotenna) | Excludes installation, includes 1 month subscription. |
The table above shows that a full GOtv installation is more expensive than DStv.
Looking at the best case scenario for the DTT service – households which have a UHF antenna installed – a full DStv installation works out roughly R200 more expensive than GOtv.
This may be a trade-off many will make if you compare the channels available on the two platforms – as detailed below.
| Category | GOtv Value | DStv Access |
|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | M-Net Movies Zone | M-Net Movies Zone |
| Africa Magic Epic | Africa Magic Epic Movies | |
| Mzansi Wethu | Mzansi Wethu | |
| Mzansi Bioskop | Mzansi Bioskop | |
| Telemundo | ||
| CBS Reality | ||
| AMC | ||
| Africa Magic World | ||
| SABC Encore | ||
| Documentaries and Lifestyle | TLC Entertainment | TLC Entertainment |
| The Home Channel | ||
| Fashion TV | ||
| Nat Geo Wild | ||
| ED | ||
| The Good Life Network | ||
| Sport | SuperSport Blitz | SuperSport Blitz |
| SuperSport Select | SuperSport Select | |
| TellyTrack | ||
| Kids and Teen | NickToons | – |
| Disney Junior | Disney Junior | |
| Cartoon Network | ||
| JimJam | ||
| Mindset | ||
| Music | Channel O | Channel O |
| Mzansi Magic Music | Mzansi Magic Music | |
| One Gospel | ||
| Religion | Dumisa | Dumisa |
| Faith | ||
| Rhema | ||
| iTV | ||
| Emmanuel TV | ||
| News and Commerce | ||
| BBC World News | ||
| SABC News | ||
| ANN7 | ||
| Al Jazeera | ||
| Russia Today | ||
| Parliamentary Service | ||
| CCTV 9 News | ||
| CNBC Africa | ||
| Business Day TV | ||
| NDTV 24×7 | ||
| Weather24 | ||
| Specialist and Foreign | CCTV 4 |
Why would you choose GOtv Value over DStv Access?
The comparison above shows that DStv Access offers almost all the channels on GOtv Value, and a whole lot more.
Add to that the relatively small difference in once-off costs between the two services, and one can’t help but wonder why anyone would choose GOtv Value over DStv Access.
MultiChoice chief operating officer Mark Rayner said that what they’ve seen in other countries in Africa where they’ve launched GOtv is that many families see a satellite dish as a long-term investment.
For families that find themselves moving around a lot, GOtv is more portable than DStv.
“GOtv is also simpler,” he said, in terms of its installation and proposition.
Unlike DStv, GOtv also doesn’t charge a reconnection fee when you let your subscription lapse.
Rayner said the number of channels available on GOtv is currently limited by the bandwidth Icasa has assigned them.
For this reason they decided to select 12 of the more popular channels from their entry-level packages for the GOtv bouquet.
More on GOtv and DStv
Expect a big DStv price hike in April
DStv decoder comparison: Explora vs HD Single View
Netflix vs DStv – can South Africans cut the cord?
This is why DStv wants you on an Explora PVR
DStv Premium vs Extra vs Compact vs Family
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