While DStv’s traditional satellite business faced challenges last year, its streaming-only subscriptions have shown exceptional growth, with DStv Stream revenues increasing by 48% between the 2024 and 2025 financial years.
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Originally launched as DStv Now in 2014, the service was initially exclusive to satellite subscribers. In 2020, MultiChoice introduced standalone streaming subscriptions at prices matching satellite plans. However, these offered few advantages, and a streaming limit change in early 2022 made them less appealing. The platform was rebranded to DStv Stream in August 2023, accompanied by price reductions across most packages.
MultiChoice chief financial officer Tim Jacobs attributes the 48% revenue increase to a combination of price, convenience, and user experience. Jacobs noted that the “discount factor where you can get a linear product at a cheaper rate is definitely one of the big attractions.” For instance, DStv Stream’s 12-month Premium contract at R699/month is currently 26% cheaper than the R949/month 24-month satellite Premium contract. Other DStv Stream packages (Compact Plus, Compact, Family, Access) are also more affordable than their satellite equivalents, with MultiChoice even retaining 2024 pricing for these after April’s annual adjustments.
The second growth driver is the tech-savvy youth market, who prefer online-only products. “There is a certain part of your customer base that simply will not buy your product if they have to put in physical hardware,” Jacobs explained.
Thirdly, new features and user experience improvements have boosted popularity. MultiChoice has worked to align DStv Stream with a pure on-demand streaming service experience. Recent enhancements include a “Watch from Start” button, network connection monitoring, increased Cloud PVR storage, a “Reverse EPG” (rewind live TV up to 24 hours), and “Cast and Crew” details under movie synopses.
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Despite these technical improvements, Jacobs acknowledged ongoing challenges with connectivity and streaming quality, often due to intermediaries. He anticipates a natural migration of DStv customers to streaming-only packages as online connectivity improves, though some older users may retain satellite.
A further boost to DStv Stream’s popularity this financial year is the re-introduction of a second concurrent stream for big screens on Premium, Compact Plus, and Compact packages. This reverses a 2022 decision to limit streams to one device, a move intended to combat password sharing and piracy that Jacobs admitted caused “a lot of pain points with customers.” MultiChoice has chosen to reverse course after assessing the impact, with Jacobs stating, “Sometimes we do things with the best intentions, but we are not too proud to say we might have erred on this.”
