DStv Stream gets an update and cuts prices

In its latest move to keep customers watching DStv while attracting new viewers, MultiChoice has updated the platform’s video streaming offering while cutting prices in the process.

MultiChoice, facing growing competition from a flurry of online entertainment platforms such as Netflix, YouTube and gaming, as well as a cost-of-living crisis among consumers across Africa, has been working on multiple fronts to maintain and grow its business.

In August, Africa’s largest pay TV operator signed a deal in SA that allows Capitec customers to pay for and access its video-on-demand service, Showmax, at cheaper rates — up to 50% less — using the bank’s online platform. 

That effort is now extending to its live-streaming platform.

On Tuesday, DStv said the latest update to the DStv Stream app “enhances the user experience with dynamic new features” to the interface. DStv Stream provides access to live and video-on-demand content without the need for a satellite dish or decoder.

The pay TV business has added live TV options, which now play back channels as users browse, letting them preview content directly from the home page.

These options will be displayed in addition to existing channels, “making it easier for users to see what’s happening now and what’s coming up next. This functionality makes planning the viewing experience quick and simple, particularly around major events such as sports games”.

As part of the push, DStv has reduced prices for DStv Stream Premium contract customers by R100 for customers who take out a 12-month Premium contract.

At R699 a month, the price cut amounts to 12.5%.

The company said early numbers showed that the updates to the app were having a positive effect on the user experience, resulting in a 23% increase in the number of series and movies streamed on demand, a 17% increase in the number of titles that customers have added to their watch lists and an overall 8% increase in content watched on DStv Stream, compared to the previous month.

DStv’s traditional decoder customers currently have access to the streaming app at no extra cost.

“This latest update is a big step forward, especially for live sports fans. It’s a fantastic way to dive into everything that SuperSport has on offer,” MultiChoice SA CEO Marc Jury said.

“We know that delivering the streaming experience our customers want means we need to stay at the top of our game,” he said.

The group has 22-million customers consuming the content of its various platforms, DStv, DStv Stream, GOtv and Showmax.

In August 2023, the group relaunched the online version of its biggest service from DStv Now to DStv Stream.

According to Google’s online marketplace, Play Store, the DStv Stream app has been downloaded more than 10-million times. MultiChoice does not publish how many active users it has on the platform. 

MultiChoice is the subject of a takeover bid by French broadcaster Canal+.

gavazam@businesslive.co.za