What to expect from DStv’s new packages in the rest of Africa

MultiChoice will introduce a revamped DStv package structure across Africa from November as part of a plan by owner Canal+ to simplify its offering.

The changes were announced in Nigeria by Canal+ MultiChoice Nigeria chief executive Kemi Omotosho on 15 October, at an event for advertising buyers and executives at The Royal Box in Victoria Island, Lagos.

“Nigeria is changing, and so are we,” Omotosho said, confirming that the new packages would be rolled out across sub-Saharan Africa from November. Nigeria will join several other markets adopting the new structure.

MultiChoice Kenya has said the refresh will be introduced in phases in November, while promotional adverts have begun appearing in countries including Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi and Tanzania.

Outside South Africa, where MultiChoice held a press conference to detail the new line-up, there has been little publicity for the changes.

According to analysis site Insidus, this may suggest the revamp is largely about aligning packages across territories rather than introducing entirely new content.

MultiChoice currently offers 17 packages across its markets. Under the new structure, DStv Premium will remain the highest-end bouquet, with four other options below it.

In Kenya, the new packages have been named DStv Ultimate, Sports, Select and Starter, while in Nigeria they were presented as Starter, Select, Sports and Movies & Series and DStv Premium.

Omotosho said the aim was to simplify the offering and give subscribers more flexibility at different price points. Prices and full channel line-ups for Nigeria are yet to be announced.

The same structure is expected to be used across other countries in East and West Africa, where MultiChoice uses a shared transponder.

In Southern Africa — including Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Malawi — packaging is expected to follow the South African model more closely.

As part of the simplification, DStv Compact+ is being discontinued, with customers moved to DStv Ultimate or Premium.

DStv EasyView is being retained for now in South Africa, although it has been deprioritised following the closure of Magic Showcase and CineMagic. France 24, Church TV and Moja 9.9 have been added to the package for news, religion and reality, respectively.

DStv Lite, the equivalent of EasyView in other African markets, is expected to be folded into DStv Starter, which is set to offer about 90 channels.

MultiChoice is also working to rebuild its streaming business after the closure of Showmax. Canal+ is preparing to introduce its own streaming service into MultiChoice territories, following roll-outs in markets where it already operates. DStv Stream is seen as a likely platform, with new layout designs already appearing on the app.