DStv struggles as South African consumers bid pay-TV brand goodbye

*Canal+, the new owner of DStv, in a trading statement for three months ended 31 March, 2026, affirms ‘MultiChoice Group revenue decreased, driven by lower non-subscription revenue’

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Amid the crisis rocking the foremost the company in the pay-TV market, especially in South Africa (SA), and some other economies on the African continent, MultiChoice’s revenue has continued to plummet as South African consumers cut the cord and move from DStv to competing streaming services, such as Netflix and YouTube.

ConsumerConnect reports Canal+, after acquiring MultiChoice at the end of 2025, provided a trading update for the three months ended 31 March, 2026.

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DStv is South Africa’s leading digital satellite TV service, owned by MultiChoice, offering a range of packages.

MultiChoice’s revenue declined from 657 million euros (R12.7 billion) in Q1 2025 to 617 million euros (R11.9 billion) in Q1 2026, Mybroadband report said.

Canal+’s 2025 Annual Report as well showed that MultiChoice’s DStv subscriber base declined from 14.9 million to 14.4 million over the last financial year.

Key reasons MultiChoice’s struggle to grow revenue

Affirming the grave market situation, Canal+, in its trading statement, noted: “MultiChoice Group revenue decreased, driven by lower non-subscription revenue.”

Source: Mybroadband 

The company revealed the lower revenue drivers include higher subsidies on equipment to new subscribers, content sales, and commissions on insurance business.

It also stated: “Advertising revenue benefited from the SA20 cricket and AFCON tournaments.

Subscription revenue was almost flat on a constant currency basis.”

It is equally noted that MultiChoice’s struggle to grow revenue is not new. The leading pay-TV company on the continent has struggled to retain DStv customers and create new revenue streams, according to reports.

Besides, Canal+ stated that the broader satellite pay-TV market is declining, driven by a shift towards streaming services offering lower-cost plans.

Aside from this, economic constraints and the expansion of Broadband in Africa have accelerated piracy, which negatively impacts subscriber numbers.

Consumers across Africa are also reportedly moving away from DStv because more affordable streaming services are available in the digital ecosystem.

Besides, free entertainment options, including YouTube and pirated content, are also showing strong growth due to faster and more affordable Broadband access in recent years.

On rapid decline in DStv subscribers in South Africa

Report indicated although Canal+ has not provided data on South African consumers, MultiChoice’s previous reports showed a rapid decline in local DStv subscribers.

Highlighting the rationale for continued decline in the company’s subscribers base, MultiChoice’s integrated annual report for the year that ended 31 March, 2025, had shed light on the extent of the DStv exodus in South Africa.

The report indicated that the number of DStv subscribers in South Africa declined by 589,000 in the 2025 financial year, representing an overall base decline of 8 percent.

However, the striking feature of the report was that all segments of the DStv subscriber base declined, indicating an accelerating trend.

Aside from this, the DStv Premium base, which included Compact Plus, declined by 96,000 subscribers.

This represents a year-on-year decline of 9 percent.

“We continue to see a decline in this base driven by customer affordability and competition from third-party streaming services,” MultiChoice said.

MultiChoice’s middle-market subscribers declined by 99,000, representing a year-on-year reduction of 5 percent.

The pay-TV company further explained that the DStv Compact base is most exposed to mid-market consumer affordability challenges, including high levels of indebtedness.

Also, the mass-market tier was down by 394,000, a year-on-year decline of 9 percent. This is the second year it has experienced a decline, according to report.

MultiChoice said Access consumers were affected by load shedding and negative macroeconomic pressures, such as inflation and high unemployment.

According to report, even more striking was that the number of DStv subscribers declined from 8.18 million 2021 to 7.02 million 2025.

MultiChoice reported subscriber declines each year from 2021 to 2025, and it was likely that this trend continued into 2026.

The tedious task of turning MultiChoice around

In its 2025 Annual Report, Calvo Mawela, former MultiChoice CEO, put on a brave face, the organisation had shown perseverance and endured turbulent times.

Mawela stated: “We have made critical strides in optimising our operation and rethinking some elements of our strategy.”

The ex-CEO said that had ensured they laid the groundwork for a sustainable and prosperous future for MultiChoice.

However, based on Canal+’s latest reports, this strategy has been binned, and a new one has been implemented to turn MultiChoice around, reports said.

The report further noted: “The first initiatives of the MultiChoice turnaround plan have been launched, including strengthening the commercial engine and recruiting new sales teams.”

The new leadership at Canal+

Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada reportedly said that the integration of MultiChoice Group was progressing well, with the top management team appointed and in place.

Saada stated: “The boost plan has been launched, commercial operations are being strengthened, and recruiting new sales personnel to expand distribution has begun,” he said.

Going forward

Meanwhile, in a move to stem the decline in DStv subscribers, MultiChoice has suspended the historic commercial policy of annual price increases in South Africa, report said.

The level of subsidies offered to new customers has been increased.

This is a proactive strategy to attract new DStv subscribers, according to report.

Canal+ also discontinued Showmax 30 April, 2026. This is significant, as the previous MultiChoice management said Showmax was core to its future growth.

The new owner made Showmax’s content available on DStv’s streaming platform and migrated Showmax subscribers to DStv Stream.

As a last measure to bolster the finances, Canal+ is implementing a MultiChoice Group Voluntary Severance Plan. This is aimed at reducing the MultiChoice the staff strength.

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