DStv Premium vs Compact — price and channel comparison
MultiChoice’s DStv hiked its subscription prices in April 2023, bringing the price difference between Premium and Compact Plus to R300 and between Premium and Compact to R430.
The pay-TV broadcaster continues to increase its pricing annually, even as its subscriber base starts to drop from 8.16 million to 8.016 million between 31 March 2022 and 31 March 2023.
Between the two previous years, 2021 and 2022, the decline was significantly lower — from 8.177 million to 8.16 million — a loss of about 17,000 year-end subscribers.
The graph below shows how DStv’s subscriber numbers changed from March 2018 to March 2023.
DStv’s latest price increases took effect on 1 April 2023, with the broadcaster hiking monthly subscription fees by between 3.2% and 7.5%.
The increases work out to an average of 4.3% across DStv’s satellite pay-TV portfolio.
The broadcaster emphasised that the adjustments were significantly lower than the projected inflation rate for the year.
DStv Access customers saw the biggest proportional increase, with the monthly subscription fee rising from R120 to R129 a month — an increase of 7.5%.
DStv Premium subscribers now pay R40 more per month, an increase of 4.8%.
Those who subscribe to DStv’s Compact Plus, Compact, and Family plans will see their fee increase by R30 (5.5%), R20 (4.7%), and R10 (3.2%) per month, respectively.
“The pressure that consumers are facing due to remnants of the pandemic, as well as the continued rolling blackouts nationwide, has not been lost on us,” said MultiChoice.
“These nominal adjustments help DStv to ensure that South Africans continue to enjoy the best value and unrivalled access to entertainment, anywhere, anytime, and at the most affordable price.”
The prices are summarised in the table below.
| DStv Price Increases for 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Packages | 2023 | 2022 | Increase |
| DStv Premium | R879 | R839 | 4.8% |
| DStv Compact Plus | R579 | R549 | 5.5% |
| DStv Compact | R449 | R429 | 4.7% |
| DStv Family | R319 | R309 | 3.2% |
| DStv Access | R129 | R120 | 7.5% |
| DStv EasyView | R29 | R29 | 0% |
| Add-ons | 2023 | 2022 | Increase |
| Access Fee | R115 | R110 | 4.5% |
| Add Movies | R79 | R79 | 0% |
| Box Office | R4″ | R40 | 0% |
DStv Premium, Compact Plus, and Compact channel comparison
Despite the significantly higher price — R300 more than Compact Plus and R430 more than Compact — DStv Premium only offers 16 and 32 more channels, respectively.
However, it remains the most popular option for rugby, cricket, golf, and motorsport fans, with the other two packages excluding SuperSport’s dedicated channels for these sports.
It also gives customers access to more movie and entertainment channels, including M-Net, M-Net Movies 1 and 2, and the Discovery Channel.
DStv Premium, Compact Plus, and Compact customers get access to the same free, kids, religion, and specialist channel catalogues.
The table below compares DStv Premium, Compact Plus, and Compact packages, highlighting key channels in each category and providing the number of channels per category.
| Channel category | DStv Premium package | DStv Compact Plus package | DStv Compact | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Channels | # | Channels | # | Channels | |
| Movies & Entertainment | 52 | M-Net, M-Net Movies 1 to 4, Studio Universal, M-Net Movies DC Heroes, Discovery Channel, Comedy Central | 45 | 1Magic, M-Net Movies 3 and 4, Studio Universal, Comedy Central, E! Entertainment Television, Telemundo | 40 | M-Net Movies 3 and 4, Studio Universal, KIX, Universal Channel, Telemundo, BBC Brit |
| Documentaries & Lifestyle | 18 | BBC Earth, Discovery ID, CBS Justice, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, Food Network, The History Channel | 17 | Discovery ID, CBS Justice, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, Food Network, The History Channel | 14 | Via, Discovery ID, Honey, BBC Lifestyle, Food Network, The Home Channel, National Geographic |
| Free Channels | 13 | SABC 1 to 3, e.TV, Soweto TV, Cape Town TV, KZN TV, GauTV | 13 | SABC 1 to 3, e.TV, Soweto TV, Cape Town TV, KZN TV, GauTV | 13 | SABC 1 to 3, e.TV, Soweto TV, Cape Town TV, KZN TV, GauTV |
| Sports | 21 | SuperSport Grandstand, SuperSport Rugby, SuperSport Cricket, SuperSport Golf, SuperSport Motorsport, ESPN | 14 | SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport LaLiga, SuperSport Football, SuperSport Variety 1 to 4, SuperSport Action | 10 | SuperSport PSL, SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport LaLiga, SuperSport Football Africa, SuperSport Variety 3 and 4 |
| Kids & Teens | 14 | Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Disney, PBS Kids, NickTOONS | 14 | Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Disney, PBS Kids, NickTOONS | 12 | Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Disney, PBS Kids, NickTOONS |
| Music | 10 | KykNet Nou, Channel O, Mzansi Music, MTV Base, MTV Hits, TRACE Urban | 10 | KykNet Nou, Channel O, Mzansi Music, MTV Base, MTV Hits, TRACE Urban | 9 | KykNet Nou, Channel O, Mzansi Music, MTV Base, TRACE Urban |
| Religion | 5 | Dumisa, FAITH, Day Star, TBN Africa, Emmanuel TV | 5 | Dumisa, FAITH, Day Star, TBN Africa, Emmanuel TV | 5 | Dumisa, FAITH, Day Star, TBN Africa, Emmanuel TV |
| News & Commerce | 16 | Bloomberg, BBC World News, CNN International, Sky News, eNews Channel Africa, SABC News, Al Jazeera | 15 | BBC World News, CNN International, Sky News, eNews Channel Africa, SABC News, Al Jazeera | 14 | BBC World News, CNN International, eNews Channel Africa, SABC News, Al Jazeera |
| Specialist & Foreign | 6 | RAI Italia, Beste van Nederlands, RTPI, TV5 Monde Afrique, Deutsche Welle, CCTV 4 | 6 | RAI Italia, Beste van Nederlands, RTPI, TV5 Monde Afrique, Deutsche Welle, CCTV 4 | 6 | RAI Italia, Beste van Nederlands, RTPI, TV5 Monde Afrique, Deutsche Welle, CCTV 4 |
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