Broadcasting13.09.2023

DStv Stream problems — MultiChoice responds

MultiChoice’s DStv Stream has accumulated numerous complaints since its transition from just “DStv” (and DStv Now before that), with customers complaining of ads during CatchUp, missing channels, and general functionality issues.

The broadcaster told MyBroadband it had picked up on an increase in complaints in early August and partially blamed the issues on Internet disruptions caused by the WACS undersea cable break.

“With regards to the general functionalities on Smart TVs, we picked up on an increased number of customers experiencing issues in the first two weekends of August,” it said.

It added that its technical teams “quickly resolved” the issues by implementing several updates.

“This resulted in a significant reduction in customers experiencing issues,” said MultiChoice.

One MyBroadband reader — who subscribes to DStv Premium — said they only had access to six live channels and no Catch Up content after transitioning to DStv Stream.

After signing out of their account and back in several times, they could finally access and view the content they paid for.

MultiChoice recommended steps to take if this occurs, including logging out and back into your account and clearing app data.

“For customers experiencing this issue, we recommend for them to sign out and then sign in again,” it said.

“If the issue is still not resolved, we recommend customers to either clear their cache or uninstall and reinstall the app.”

“We have noticed a welcomed reduction in the incidences of this error once these steps were followed,” MultiChoice added.

In addition to the technical problems, subscribers have also complained about increased advertisements while watching DStv’s Catch Up content.

“@DStv @DStvCare NOT OK. #DSTVStream a scam. You pay premium subscription to be bombarded with adverts every few minutes while watching a show on the app. I pay not to watch the ads,” one user said on Twitter.

“Ads on CatchUp!!! One specific ad flighted four times per episode on multiple episodes and channels. Are you increasing your REVENUE STREAM? CatchUp is and should be advert free,” another vented.

“If you insist on including ads on CatchUp programmes, then reduce the subs charged. SUBSTANTIALLY.”

MultiChoice told MyBroadband that viewers should only see short, skippable ads at the start of Catch Up content.

“Skippable ads before the start of selected shows on Catch Up have always been a key part of both our Explora decoders as well as DStv Stream,” it said.

“These ads are skippable after 5 seconds. Customers should not experience ads while playing the content therefore, we encourage any customers that experience this to report this issue to our team.”

MultiChoice announced its transition to DStv Stream on 28 July 2023, with the update rolling out from 1 August.

“Our teams have worked tirelessly to deliver a smoother, simpler streaming experience just for you,” said MultiChoice Group CEO Calvo Mawela at the time.

“We’ve listened to all the feedback and are delighted to introduce a host of new features.”

He highlighted the new features available through DStv Stream, including:

  • Improved personalisation for better content discovery
  • Profiles for each family member
  • Smoother and simpler streaming
  • The ability to change soundtracks to local languages where applicable

However, it should be noted that the previous DStv app supported profiles and the ability to change soundtracks.


Now read: Goodbye TV Licence — SABC admits defeat

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