{"id":617703,"date":"2025-11-10T15:15:46","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T13:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=617703"},"modified":"2025-11-11T11:26:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T09:26:02","slug":"free-upgrades-for-dstv-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/broadcasting\/617703-free-upgrades-for-dstv-customers.html","title":{"rendered":"Free DStv Premium upgrades announced in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DStv will upgrade customers on its mid-tier and entry-level packages to its higher-end bouquets for the next two months at no additional cost, while Premium customers will receive two extra free streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 10 November to 31 December 2025, DStv’s Compact and Compact Plus customers will have access to all Premium channels, while Family and Access customers will be upgraded to Compact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“No action is required from customers, and normal billing resumes in January 2026,” the broadcaster said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“With the summer holidays fast approaching, families can enjoy a wide range of local and international entertainment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Premium customers will see their regular two concurrent streams increased to four, continuing an offer from the past Open Weekend, and will get more DStv Rewards points than usual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DStv is calling the promotional period Thol-iUpsize and says it forms part of its broader plan to improve customer value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MultiChoice CEO for Pay TV South Africa, Byron du Plessis, said the campaign was part of a bigger value reset at the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’re focused on making DStv more accessible and rewarding, with affordability and customer experience at the heart of our strategy,” Du Plessis said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The campaign follows several recent initiatives since the company’s takeover by Canal+, including decoder price cuts and a refreshed DStv Rewards programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the DStv Rewards refresh had been in the works since before the takeover, it has been allowed to proceed with Canal+’s blessing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DStv also gave all decoder customers access to Premium content and live sport during Open Weekend from 7 to 9 November 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should be noted that the free upgrades will be exclusive to customers with decoder subscriptions. DStv’s streaming-only customers will get separate offers on DStv Rewards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make it easier for customers to get a decoder and other products, DStv is relaunching its online store later this month, offering free delivery and a simpler ordering process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Decoder prices have already been cut to as low as R299 online (excluding installation) or R699 with installation, depending on where customers buy,” DStv said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popular live sports and series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The Springboks are taking on Ireland on Saturday, 22 November 2025, with live coverage on SuperSport. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The upgrades will mean that all three of the Springboks’ remaining matches for the year against Italy, Ireland, and Wales will be available on Compact Plus and Compact packages in addition to Premium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of other rugby and cricket, the Carling Cup Final, Proteas tour to India, and the first few matches of Betaway SA20 will also be <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, football fans will be able to watch the first week and a half of the TotalEnergies CAF Afcon 2025, starting 21 December 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of series, M-Net will be broadcasting critically acclaimed mini-series Tas<\/em>k, starring Mark Ruffalo and Thuso Mbedu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other highlights to look forward to include local drama Mpondoland<\/em> on Mzansi Magic and the award-winning cooking reality show Kokkedoor: Son en See<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DStv provided more details about the Thol-iUpsize promotion in a detailed FAQ. We have summarised the most important information below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Who qualifies for Upsize?<\/strong> Active Compact Plus, Compact, Family, and Access decoder subscribers between 10 November and 31 December 2025 in South Africa. This includes new subscribers, reconnections, customers on contracts, and those paying annually. The package upgrade is applied automatically.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Are the Upsized channels available on both decoder and streaming?<\/strong> The Upsized channels are available only on the decoder. When streaming, customers will receive channels from their standard package.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Will Catch Up content change during the Upsize period?<\/strong> No. Catch Up remains based on the customer\u2019s existing package.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Can customers record from Upsized channels?<\/strong> Yes, if they have a PVR and an active Access Fee subscription.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • What should customers do if their package is not Upsized?<\/strong> They can contact DStv through the call centre or online chat for assistance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • What happens if a customer disconnects during the campaign?<\/strong> Normal disconnection rules apply; once disconnected, the package is no longer Upsized.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • What if customers upgrade during this period?<\/strong> Standard upgrade rules apply. The Upsize will adjust according to the new package.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • How long does the Upsize last?<\/strong> Until 31 December 2025. From 1 January 2026, all packages revert to normal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Do customers get the benefits linked to the higher package, such as Showmax access?<\/strong> No. Rewards, discounts and other benefits remain based on the customer\u2019s original package. Upsize only includes access to the linear channels on the higher package. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • What do Premium customers receive? <\/strong>An additional two free streams (up to a total of four) from 1 November to 31 December 2025, and additional rewards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    “Together, these initiatives, from Thol-iUpsize and decoder price cuts to the AFCON 2025 broadcast, show the progress we\u2019re already making,” said Du Plessis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    “DStv and Canal+’s combined scale makes it possible to give customers across Africa more choice and better value than ever before.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The “Thol-iUpsize” upgrades include all Premium channels for customers on mid-tier packages and Compact channels for entry-level customers, while Premium users are getting two free extra concurrent streams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":341042,"featured_media":569009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[85,12745,45685,12747,475,427,102164],"class_list":["post-617703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-broadcasting","tag-dstv","tag-dstv-compact","tag-dstv-compact-plus","tag-dstv-premium","tag-multichoice","tag-satellite-tv","tag-thol-iupsize"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/341042"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617703"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":617849,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617703\/revisions\/617849"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}