While most streaming services popular in South Africa focus on international content, MultiChoice has stated that it will take a “hyper-local” approach with DStv to compete with Netflix.<\/p>\n
This is evident in MultiChoice’s decisions around its channel line-up.<\/p>\n
DStv shed several foreign-based channels in 2019 and 2020, including BBC First, Crime + Investigation, History, Sundance TV, Fox Life, Lifetime, and Disney XD.<\/p>\n
In addition to its hyper-local approach,\u00a0DStv also remains dominant in sports.<\/p>\n
For those who are willing to forgo SuperSport and DStv’s exclusive local content offering, online streaming services are a cheaper alternative to a DStv package.<\/p>\n
To see how the price of DStv Premium compared to online streaming, we took the price of a 24-month contract, including the access fee for recording and on-demand services. We compared this to what it would cost for the most popular streaming services in South Africa together with an Internet connection.<\/p>\n
While a home broadband connection is typically used for more than video entertainment, it is a necessary component to use an online streaming service.<\/p>\n
However, since an Internet connection can be used for more than a single streaming service, we also show what happens to the costs when you subscribe to five different streaming services in one household.<\/p>\n
![\"Netflix](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Netflix-DStv-headline.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h3>\nWe chose the most affordable fibre package currently available in the country for this comparison \u2014 a R399 25Mbps\/5Mbps line on the Openserve network, available from Webafrica.<\/p>\n
The five streaming services we considered were Netflix, Showmax, Amazon Prime Video, Vodacom Video Play, and Apple TV+.<\/p>\n
To give DStv a fair chance, we chose the most cost-effective option for a Premium package, which worked out to be a 24-month contract with its access fee included, combined with a standalone HD decoder, dish, and installation bundle from Makro<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nA contract with the latest Explora decoder and installation included would have been more expensive.<\/p>\n
Each streaming service was bundled with a 25Mbps fibre connection over 24 months and worked out significantly cheaper than the cost of a 24-month DStv contract plus decoder and installation.<\/p>\n
It should be noted that DStv Premium includes a subscription to Showmax. However, factoring it in would not substantially change the comparison. There is also an overlap between the content on Showmax and that one DStv.<\/p>\n
Amazon Prime Video was the cheapest at a total cost of R11,535 because its first month is free.<\/p>\n
Even with the cost of an entry-level Internet service included, two years of Netflix Standard worked out to be R8,138 cheaper than DStv Premium.<\/p>\n
Paying for all five streaming services and the Internet connection was only R613 more expensive than paying for the DStv contract.<\/p>\n
The table below shows how the costs added up for each option.<\/p>\n
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A contract with the latest Explora decoder and installation included would have been more expensive.<\/p>\n
Each streaming service was bundled with a 25Mbps fibre connection over 24 months and worked out significantly cheaper than the cost of a 24-month DStv contract plus decoder and installation.<\/p>\n
It should be noted that DStv Premium includes a subscription to Showmax. However, factoring it in would not substantially change the comparison. There is also an overlap between the content on Showmax and that one DStv.<\/p>\n
Amazon Prime Video was the cheapest at a total cost of R11,535 because its first month is free.<\/p>\n
Even with the cost of an entry-level Internet service included, two years of Netflix Standard worked out to be R8,138 cheaper than DStv Premium.<\/p>\n
Paying for all five streaming services and the Internet connection was only R613 more expensive than paying for the DStv contract.<\/p>\n
The table below shows how the costs added up for each option.<\/p>\n