DStv choose your own channels — Where we stand

MultiChoice could yet give DStv subscribers the ability to choose their own channels by restructuring its current pay-TV services or launching a customisable package.

The myriad of video streaming services launching in South Africa has put increased pressure on MultiChoice to offer DStv subscribers compelling reasons to continue paying for its services.

As the number of households subscribed to premium DStv packages declines, MultiChoice must consider how it will remain attractive to more affluent subscribers.

Additionally, the company’s controversial decision to limit streaming to one device on DStv’s apps without adjusting the price of its streaming-only packages has caused an uproar.

MultiChoice previously told MyBroadband that bandwidth constraints and the difficulties of generating content encryption keys for each subscriber are primarily why subscribers can’t choose their own DStv channels.

However, last year TV journalist Thinus Ferreira reported that MultiChoice contacted existing and former Premium subscribers about their interest in a customisable package — DStv Flex.

DStv Flex would offer subscribers low-cost access to a basic set of entertainment channels with additional customisability via optional sports and movie packages.

MultiChoice was experimenting with charging subscribers R299 per month for a DStv Flex base package — the Entertainment Pack — and then giving them a choice to add bundles of sports and movie channels for an additional fee.

Ferreira included a slide from DStv Flex promotional material in his report, which showed the structure of the basic and optional packages.

The base package would have 67 channels, including 19 entertainment channels, 4 movie channels, 7 kids channels, 7 lifestyle and documentary channels, 7 news and weather channels, 8 music and religious channels, and 11 free-to-air channels.

Sports Pack 1 would include football and all other sports, excluding rugby and cricket. The second pack would contain rugby and all other sports except football.

For Sports Pack 1 and 2, MultiChoice was kicking around a price of R349 per month on top of the base package.

For R499 per month extra, Sports Pack 3 would give customers access to all the sports channels.

The Movies pack would include channels like M-Net Movies 1, M-Net Movies 2, and fliekNET for an additional R99 per month.

International direct-to-home TV providers like Sky TV and Tata Play have offered customisable packages or a la carte services for years.

Therefore, MultiChoice would not have to reinvent the wheel.

The UK’s Sky TV has a basic entertainment package to which subscribers can add optional extras like sports and cinema, while India’s Tata Play includes various additional bundles like Tata Play Fitness and Tata Play Theatre.

MultiChoice stated on the slide that DStv Flex would not require any contracts, so subscribers could add extra packages based on their monthly entertainment needs.

It would also be available as a decoder-based or streaming service, it said.

MyBroadband asked MultiChoice if there were any updates to their plans regarding DStv Flex. The pay-TV giant gave the same response as in 2021:

“MultiChoice is constantly striving to provide its customers with the best possible content offering. As such, we continually assess our offering and conduct regular research to test different products and services for our customers.”

Now read: DStv’s existential threat