Barely a month after finalizing its historic acquisition of MultiChoice, French media conglomerate Canal+ is moving swiftly to reshape the future of DStv, Africa’s biggest pay-TV brand.

The new strategy merges nostalgia, affordability, and premium European content, signaling a fresh chapter for a company that has faced serious headwinds in recent years.

For years, MultiChoice has struggled to maintain its dominance in Africa’s fast-changing television market.

The company’s financial reports tell a sobering story — in the past two fiscal years, DStv lost nearly 2.8 million active linear subscribers, including 1.2 million in 2025 alone, representing an 8% decline year-on-year.

The subscriber losses were almost evenly split between South Africa and the rest of the continent.

The losses has been attributed to the dual impact of rising subscription costs, macroeconomic pressures, and a surge in streaming competition. With over 560 streaming services now competing for African viewers’ attention, DStv’s traditional satellite model has been under unprecedented pressure.

A Nostalgic Reset for DStv’s 30th Anniversary

To mark DStv’s 30th anniversary, Canal+ is taking viewers down memory lane. Between November 7–9, 2025, all active DStv decoder users will enjoy an Open Time Weekend, giving them free access to DStv Premium content.

The campaign revives the spirit of M-Net’s iconic Open Time broadcasts from the 1990s, bringing back familiar faces such as Ashley Hayden, Scot Scott, and Doreen Morris, who once symbolized South Africa’s golden age of television.

“DStv has grown up alongside its viewers,” said Byron du Plessis, CEO of South Africa PayTV, during the launch event. “For three decades, we have been part of South Africans’ homes, weekends, and memories.”

The nostalgia-driven campaign will be backed by significant pricing reforms.

From November 1, MultiChoice will slash HD decoder prices by 30% in retail stores and over 40% on its new online platform.

The move is a direct attempt to reconnect with lapsed subscribers and lower entry barriers for new customers amid fierce competition from Netflix, Disney+, and Showmax (also owned by MultiChoice).

Premium Perks, Expanded Sports, and French Football Fever

In addition to affordability, DStv Premium subscribers will now enjoy more flexibility, with the number of simultaneous device streams increasing from two to four until December 2025.

The company’s rewards programme has also been enhanced to include BoxOffice movie rentals, celebrity meet-and-greets, event invitations, and VIP sports experiences.

Sports fans are also in for a major treat. Thanks to Canal+’s European connections, SuperSport has secured broadcasting rights to France’s Ligue 1, home to football giants such as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Marseille, Lyon, and Monaco.

The deal allows up to three live matches every weekend on SuperSport and GOtv channels.

“Broadcasting a prestigious league such as Ligue 1 adds to the value our subscribers receive,” noted Rendani Ramovha, SuperSport’s director of English sport content.

Expanding the African Content Library

Canal+’s vision extends beyond sports. The company plans to significantly expand its African storytelling footprint.

“We create about 4,000 hours of African content each year in up to 15 languages,” revealed David Mignot, CEO of Canal+ Africa. “Together with MultiChoice’s 6,000 hours, we’ll deliver over 10,000 hours of local content annually, in 20 to 35 languages across the continent.”

The long-term goal, Mignot added, is to build a 100,000-hour content library within the next decade and ensure African productions reach new audiences globally through dubbing and rescripting.

A Unified Digital Future

Perhaps the boldest move yet is the upcoming launch of a super app that will unify Canal+, DStv, GOtv, and Showmax content under one login.

According to Maxime Saada, CEO of Canal+, this integration will create a “seamless entertainment ecosystem” — a model inspired by Canal+’s success in Europe.

The platform will also allow subscribers to bundle third-party services such as Netflix, Apple TV+, HBO Max, and Paramount+ at discounted rates, bringing Africa’s viewers closer to a global entertainment marketplace.