DStv Premium price battle
DStv Premium customers in South Africa pay less for their monthly subscriptions than their counterparts in most other African countries while also getting the best value for money when it comes to sports.
The top-end DStv package boasts dozens of channels with local and international entertainment content.
However, subscribers on the package have plunged over the past few years as more households made the switch to video streaming services.
The one element that is keeping many people on the package is Premium’s unrivalled live sports coverage.
However, the extent of sports content on Premium can differ significantly from one country to the next.
That makes sense considering that audiences have widely varying sports preferences.
For example, rugby and cricket are generally more popular in Southern African countries, while football appeals to viewers across the continent.
MyBroadband compared the latest R929 price of Premium in South Africa with the 15 other African countries where the subscription is available.
The broadcaster has implemented annual price hikes in most of the countries since our previous analysis in August 2023.
We also examined the differences in sports offerings to ensure a fair comparison between what is generally considered Premium’s main attraction.
We found the South African Premium subscription price was around 15% cheaper than the average of just over R1,097.
Twelve of the assessed countries were more expensive than South Africa. In addition to being more expensive, all except one had fewer live sports channels than Premium in South Africa.
Only three countries had a more affordable Premium price than South Africa — Angola, Ghana, and Nigeria — with respective prices of R381, R801, and R434.
However, the Premium packages in all these countries did not have dedicated SuperSport channels for three sports that are highly popular in South Africa — rugby, cricket, and golf.
They did have the sought-after Grandstand, Football, and Motorsport channels.
DStv Premium in South Africa has the highest number of SuperSport channels — 20 — in addition to other sports channels like ESPN and ESPN 2.
The only country with the same selection is neighbouring Mozambique.
However, at 6,000 Mozambican Metical per month, working out to R1,713 at current exchange rates, it had the most expensive Premium subscription.
Other neighbouring countries with DStv support — Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe — also offered the dedicated rugby, cricket, and golf channels, but were more expensive than South Africa.
The only other two African countries with a full suite of dedicated sports channels were Malawi and Zambia, which were also more expensive than South Africa.
Overall, we found that DStv Premium in South Africa offered the best value for money in terms of sports coverage.
The table below compares the channel offering and pricing of DStv Premium packages in 16 countries.
| DStv Premium prices compared | |||
| Country | Channels | Monthly price | How South African price compares |
| Angola | 120+ 16 SuperSport channels No dedicated rugby, cricket, or golf except on Grandstand |
AOA 18,200 / R381 | 59% more expensive |
| Nigeria | 160+ 13 SuperSport channels No dedicated rugby, cricket, or golf except on Grandstand |
₦37,000/ R434 | 53% more expensive |
| Ghana | 150+ 11 SuperSport channels No dedicated rugby, cricket, or golf except on Grandstand |
GHS680 / R801 | 14% more expensive |
| South Africa | 265+ 20 SuperSport channels |
R929 | — |
| Namibia | 125+ 15 SuperSport channels |
N$960 / R948 | 2% cheaper |
| Eswatini | 123+ 16 SuperSport channels |
SZL970 / R959 | 3% cheaper |
| Zambia | 150+ 15 SuperSport channels |
K1,420 / R992 | 7% cheaper |
| Malawi | 150+ 16 SuperSport channels |
MWK100,000 / R1,054 | 13% cheaper |
| Botswana | 130+ 16 SuperSport channels |
BWP825 / R1,106 | 19% cheaper |
| Tanzania | 150+ 16 SuperSport channels No dedicated rugby, cricket, or golf except on Grandstand |
Tsh175,000 / R1,182 | 27% cheaper |
| Mauritius | 150+ 11 SuperSport channels No dedicated rugby, cricket, or golf except on Grandstand |
MUR3,323 / R1,297 | 40% cheaper |
| Zimbabwe | 170+ 16 SuperSport channels |
US$75 / R1,369 | 47% cheaper |
| Uganda | 170+ 11 SuperSport channels No dedicated rugby, cricket, motorsport, or golf except on Grandstand |
UGX290,000 / R1,416 | 52% cheaper |
| Kenya | 175+ 11 SuperSport channels No dedicated rugby, cricket, or golf except on Grandstand |
KSh10,500 / R1,458 | 57% cheaper |
| Ethiopia | 170+ 13 SuperSport channels No dedicated rugby, cricket, motorsport, or golf except on Grandstand |
ETB4,800 / R1,517 | 63% cheaper |
| Mozambique | 135+ 20 SuperSport channels |
MT6,000 / R1,713 | 84% cheaper |
| Average | R1,097.25 | 15% cheaper | |
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