DStv’s cheaper decoder and subscription deals may never return
MultiChoice paused its more affordable DStv Price Lock contracts in July 2026 and has told MyBroadband they are unlikely to return under the broadcaster’s current strategic focus.
The company said the decision to pause the contract options was made to mitigate lock-in risks that arise when DStv’s packages are restructured.
“Following the launch of our new pack structures, sales of Price Lock (hardware and subscription) contracts were paused in July,” MultiChoice said.
“Existing Price Lock customers continue to be fully supported for the duration of their agreement, and a clear migration framework has now been established for them.”
It added that although MultiChoice initially made provisions to re-evaluate Price Lock contracts, its current strategic focus on product simplification made the reintroduction of these contracts unlikely.
Under this strategic focus, MultiChoice aimed to simplify its package offering, including aligning its DStv Stream and decoder-based subscription prices.
The plan was first mentioned by Groupe Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada and reiterated when MultiChoice detailed the restructuring of its DStv bouquets in September 2026.
The first step in the simplification was the launch of a standalone Movies & Series package for R500 per month. It has the same price whether subscribers select the streaming-only or decoder-based service.
The pricing of DStv Movies & Series marked a significant deviation from MultiChoice’s usual approach, except for its very basic EasyView package.
Decoder-based DStv products have generally been more expensive than their streaming-only counterparts.
Movies & Series also stands out as the only premium-tier DStv product with a rounded price. Previously, only EasyView and DStv Access decoder-based package prices did not end with “9”.
Asked about this, Canal+ Africa CEO for South African pay TV, Byron du Plessis, said the change was experimental.
He said they had rounded up the DStv Access decoder-based price in 2025 to make it easier to work with when customers paid their subscriptions in cash at physical retail outlets.
Du Plessis also explained that Canal+’s pricing structure in France and other regions generally uses rounded pricing, so MultiChoice was testing its parent company’s strategy in South Africa.
Du Plessis said that because DStv had not yet changed its legacy pricing in South Africa, it had both price structures in place for the time being.
“We want to see if this makes any difference over the next six to twelve months, and then we will eventually move to one or the other,” Du Plessis said.
Broader DStv repricing in the works
Regarding the DStv Movies & Series price being the same for streaming-only and decoder-based customers, Du Plessis indicated that this was the beginning of a broader repricing of DStv packages.
“The idea is that the two prices will be aligned because the content is similar on both packages,” he said. He assured the Movies & Series price was not a promotion that would later rise for decoder customers.
DStv also announced a Price Lock contract for its decoder-based DStv Premium package, which reduced the monthly price from R979 to R799, to customers willing to commit to a 24-month contract.
Similar contract options for its other products which included a decoder are no longer available, MultiChoice has confirmed.
It previously offered plans for a DStv HD Decoder bundle, which included installation, the decoder, and a DStv Access subscription for R199 per month over 24 months.
The pay-TV broadcaster also bundled the Explora and Explora Ultra decoders, with installation and various subscriptions on 24-month contracts.
For example, customers could bundle the Explora Ultra decoder, with installation and a DStv Premium subscription, for R1,099 per month over 24 months.
Over the same contract term, they could also bundle the Explora or Explora Ultra with a DStv Compact subscription, priced at R724 and R599 per month, respectively.
These bundles made DStv’s products more accessible to those who did not have the funds to buy a decoder and pay the full cost of installation in one go.
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