DStv prices – 2000 to 2016
MultiChoice has announced its annual DStv price adjustments, which are set to kick in on 1 April 2016.
For the most part, the subscription fees on DStv’s various packages will be going up by 8% or more.
Exceptions are the prices for DStv Access and decoder insurance, which did not change, and the monthly fee for DStv EasyView, which has decreased.
The big price increases were not unexpected, considering how the rand devalued, in part, after President Jacob Zuma removed finance minister Nhlanhla Nene to replace him with David van Rooyen.
A summary of the new prices and the percentage changes from 2015 is given in the table below.
| DStv packages | 2015 price | 2016 price | % increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| DStv Premium | R699 | R759 | 8.58% |
| DStv Extra | R425 | R459 | 8.00% |
| DStv Compact | R319 | R345 | 8.15% |
| DStv Family | R199 | R219 | 10.05% |
| DStv Select* | R199 | R219 | 10.05% |
| DStv Access | R99 | R99 | 0.00% |
| DStv EasyView | R39 | R29 | –25.64% |
| M-Net Analogue/CSN* | R335 | R369 | 10.15% |
| DStv specialist packages | 2015 price | 2016 price | % increase |
| DStv Indian | R319 | R345 | 8.15% |
| DStv South Indian* | R239 | R260 | 8.79% |
| DStv Portuguesa | R410 | R445 | 8.54% |
| DStv add-ons | 2015 price | 2016 price | % increase |
| Access Fee | R80 | R85 | 6.25% |
| BoxOffice PVR rentals | R30 | R35 | 16.67% |
| DStv Indian add-on | R205 | R220 | 7.32% |
| DStv South Indian add-on | R155 | R170 | 9.68% |
| DStv Portuguesa add-on | R205 | R220 | 7.32% |
| *No longer on offer – only available to subscribers still on the package. | |||
DStv prices versus inflation: 2000 – 2016
MultiChoice stated that the rand’s weakness was the main reason for the larger-than-normal price increases.
“We buy most of [our] content in foreign currency, and due to the depreciation of the rand by 29% since April 2015, our costs have gone up dramatically,” said MultiChoice.
“Over the past five years our adjustments have been in line with inflation. We’ve worked really hard to keep this year’s fees manageable.”
The graph below compares the monthly price of a DStv Premium subscription from 2000 to 2016 to inflation figures from Statistics South Africa from the previous year.
Average CPI for 2015 was 4.56%.
More on DStv
Think Netflix will kill DStv? Think again
Expect a big DStv price hike in April
Netflix vs DStv – can South Africans cut the cord?
This is why DStv wants you on an Explora PVR
