In a landmark strategic shift, DStv subscribers will not face their traditional April price hike this year. This decision marks the first time in recent memory that the pay-TV giant has bypassed its annual adjustment, signalling a new era of “subscriber-first” management under the ownership of Groupe Canal+.
Read: Nvidia secures multiyear megadeal to power Meta’s AI infrastructure
Newly appointed MultiChoice Group CEO David Mignot confirmed the freeze, ending a cycle of predictable and often unpopular increases. “We are building subscribers, so it’s not the right time to increase pricing,” Mignot stated, clarifying that while he cannot rule out adjustments later in the year, specifically if the rand weakens significantly, the immediate priority is market stability.
The move is a direct response to a mounting crisis. MultiChoice has been “bleeding” customers at an alarming rate, losing 2.8 million linear broadcasting subscribers in the two years leading up to March 2025. South Africa alone accounted for roughly half of those losses. By mid-2025, the decline had accelerated further to 1.4 million year-on-year, leaving the group with 14.5 million active subscribers.
The financial impact of this exodus has been devastating. Annual revenue recently fell by R4 billion to R52 billion, while trading profits plummeted by 49% to R4 billion. Mignot, a 30-year veteran of the industry who took over following the Canal+ acquisition in September 2025, framed the situation as a commercial failure rather than a lack of quality content.
Mignot argues that DStv’s content—including SuperSport and M-Net—remains world-class. Instead, he blames a stalled “commercial engine” that failed to offset natural churn. He noted that even the healthiest businesses lose 12% to 15% of their base annually due to deaths, relocations, or shifting household budgets.
See also
“If you don’t refill your portfolio of subscribers by 15% every year, whatever you’re doing, you will be bleeding,” Mignot explained. He pointed out that MultiChoice’s acquisition machine was highly effective until roughly 2022, and his goal is to restore that momentum.
The price freeze reflects the philosophy of Canal+, which has successfully maintained a stable pricing structure in French-speaking Africa for nearly 14 years. Mignot describes this as a “volume strategy,” focusing on growing the total number of subscribers to drive revenue rather than squeezing more money out of a shrinking base. When asked if prices might eventually be cut to stimulate further growth, Mignot remained open to the possibility, stating, “Could be. I don’t know.”
The industry is now looking toward 11 March, when Canal+ will release its first set of combined financial results for the year ended 31 December 2025. Mignot is expected to use that presentation to outline a more detailed roadmap for the group’s recovery. For now, the message to South African consumers is clear: the era of automatic April price hikes is over as the new leadership focuses on “stopping the bleeding” and returning to profitable growth.
