DStv premium pricing – really expensive?

This article looks like a summary of the DSTV related threads in the mybb forum... then again, many articles do :)
 
In the second table Dish and DirectTV have much better offerings than DSTV for a similar price.

But the massive slide in the Rand has complicated these comparisons, South Africans are becoming poorer by the day.
 
*sigh*

Here we go again...

You can't compare dstv to the rest of the world because there they ARE getting bundled services. For 40-60 pounds or 50-80 dollars you are getting 20meg+ lines, free voice and cell calls to same network or on weekends, tivo, hd content and subscription to Hulu, Netflix etc.

The ONLY thing that makes dstv a viable choice is if you follow/like local South African sport. Other than that, it is a rip off service, which should be shunned by all.
 
Petec said:
*sigh*

Here we go again...

You can't compare dstv to the rest of the world because there they ARE getting bundled services. For 40-60 pounds or 50-80 dollars you are getting 20meg+ lines, free voice and cell calls to same network or on weekends, tivo, hd content and subscription to Hulu, Netflix etc.
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You didn't read the article, did you?

Regarding bundled services (which weren't actually compared in the article at all): Go check out Comcast and Virgin Mobile's sites when you have some time. It can be better value than what we get in SA (relatively speaking), but it's not all sunshine and roses out there either.

They hook you into 12 or 24 month contracts by offering you a reduced rate for the first half of the contract and then hike your fees when you're an established customer. There are all kinds of hidden costs and fine print as well.

That doesn't mean people shouldn't complain about DStv if they don't feel they're getting their money's worth, but the reason we tackle comparisons like this is because people make assumptions about how great things are overseas without taking all the factors into account.
 
Jan said:
You didn't read the article, did you?

Regarding bundled services (which weren't actually compared in the article at all): Go check out Comcast and Virgin Mobile's sites when you have some time. It can be better value than what we get in SA (relatively speaking), but it's not all sunshine and roses out there either.

They hook you into 12 or 24 month contracts by offering you a reduced rate for the first half of the contract and then hike your fees when you're an established customer. There are all kinds of hidden costs and fine print as well.

That doesn't mean people shouldn't complain about DStv if they don't feel they're getting their money's worth, but the reason we tackle comparisons like this is because people make assumptions about how great things are overseas without taking all the factors into account.
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It's a rather valid criticicism. Even at the full price these bundled services provide much better value. Sky for instance now include free broadband internet with SkySports. Instead of brushing that off articles like these should do the bundled comparisons even if it's not all sunshine and roses and drive home the point that Dstv is a rip-off. The article isn't even accurate in claiming "DStv Premium is in-line with the top-end packages of Directv and Dish." It isn't as these top end packages include about twice the number of channels. What is also not included is that a lot of these services now seem to include pvr and their own version of "catch-up." The equivalent Dstv package would therefor be R740 for premium plus pvr.
 
Dstv still isn't worth what they expect us to pay
 
ummmm the following has me confused

The table above shows that, in terms of affordability, DStv Premium is in-line with the top-end packages of Directv and Dish.
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but the other companiesa are offering way more channels...so how is it in line? DSTV is surely over charging.
 
My brother had Sky TV and while I stayed with him I watched a bit. Yes it had 235 channels but every channel had a +1 and a +4 which means it's the same channel running behind by so many hours and he had pvr functionality he paid extra for. In 2008 it was about 30 pounds for the total package
 
"DStv doesn’t charge an additional fee to receive HD channels (though you do need a compatible decoder), but its does impose a PVR Access fee"

In effect, it does charge for HD.
We wanted the PVR Access turned off for a few months, and lost the HD reception at the same time.
When we asked for the PVR Access to be reinstated - and we paid the higher subscription - we had the HD back again.
 
Guys - you cant compare what you get and pay for overseas...we live in SA, get paid in SA and therefore need to focus here...is what we pay for stuff in relation to what we earn here taking in to account tax and interest rates...then the answer is pretty simple - DSTV is expensive.
 
mark.saved.duplessis said:
Guys - you cant compare what you get and pay for overseas...we live in SA, get paid in SA and therefore need to focus here...is what we pay for stuff in relation to what we earn here taking in to account tax and interest rates...then the answer is pretty simple - DSTV is expensive.
Click to expand...

That's what the second table shows, no?
 
mark.saved.duplessis said:
Guys - you cant compare what you get and pay for overseas...we live in SA, get paid in SA and therefore need to focus here...is what we pay for stuff in relation to what we earn here taking in to account tax and interest rates...then the answer is pretty simple - DSTV is expensive.
Click to expand...

It's the only thing they can do to see if we are ripped off. It cost a certain amount for this infrastructure and the maintanance of it so we can't say but we have less purchacing power here. It is a premium service that cost a certain amount and they probably want a certain profit.

Best if to compare their profit margins, if DSTV's are exorbitantly more, then I would think we are being ripped off.
 
I have resigned to the fact that I will be paying DSTV premium and Netflix. Just wish DSTV would "unbundle" and allow you to subscriibe per channel. I know this is never going to happen. The cheaper DSTV packages are specifically structured to cater for the mass of the lower income group. There is no cheap package for the middle / high income minorities :(

It's always such a contrast to the plight of poverty in our country to drive through or past an informal settlement, and seeing all the dishes pointing to the sky...
 
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