DStv streaming data use tested — and compared to Netflix

Testing by MyBroadband revealed that DStv Now’s data use when streaming live TV and series compares favourably with services like Netflix and Showmax.

For this test, we used Glasswire to measure the data consumption while streaming on a Microsoft Surface Laptop 3.

Streaming quality was left on the default “highest” setting for the first test, which streamed up to a 1080p resolution.

The Comedy Central live TV channel was streamed for 2 hours, consuming 1.1GB of data. After that, a few episodes of Alles Malan were streamed on Catch Up, consuming 983.3MB over 2 hours.

When switching to the “low” streaming setting, which supports up to 360p, the data consumption dropped to 388.6MB for live TV and 258.5MB for Catch Up.

DStv Now consumed about half the data Netflix, Showmax, and Prime Video used on the lowest setting.

It should be noted that the quality dramatically declined when streaming on “low”, even on a small screen like a smartphone.

The data used on the highest setting, in comparison, is very good.

For people looking to save data, one of the intermediary options may serve them better than simply using the lowest setting.

The table below provides an overview of the data used when streaming live TV and series on DStv Now and compares it with other streaming services.

Now read: Data use of Netflix, Showmax, and Prime Video compared — with a clear winner