We just touched on the challenges that Multichoice faces in its home country of South Africa. Tough economic conditions mean more and more users are starting to look at DStv as a luxury.
When you couple that with load-shedding which means most hours of the day people cannot even enjoy that luxury, it is no wonder that growth has stalled in the country.
Multichoice doesn’t really have control over this. Luckily for them, they do have control over the other problem they are facing – competition.
When it comes to entertainment, we are not really starved for choice. The monopoly that Multichoice once held in that space is being shaken.
Entertainment is not limited to television, we have books, music, gaming and various other things. The more we enjoy those activities, the less we sit down to stare at that large rectangle in the living room.
Streaming wars
As if that’s not enough, there is now competition on the television front from streaming services, especially Netflix. Multichoice’s answer to Netflix is called Showmax and has been available for years. Showmax is a compelling product, especially for sports lovers, offering what Netflix cannot.
However, Netflix is still the preferred service for many, some because it just sounds cool to say they use Netflix and some because it is cheaper.
Recently Netflix lowered prices in Africa, further putting pressure on Showmax. The standard Netflix plan now costs $3.99 with the mobile plan a mere $2.99 a month. Showmax costs $7.99 for the standard plan and $2.99 for the mobile one.
If sports do not become part of the conversation, Netflix has the edge there.
Price is not the only consideration for users though. Showmax might be more expensive, but it might be worth it if they have better shows. Showmax is looking to bring the heat on the quality of programming battlefront.
Aggregation
I was already impressed by the HBO deal they struck. I am a huge HBO fan and am glad Showmax can offer that bundled in with a standard plan. HBO Max on its own costs $9.99 in the U.S. but for us here in Africa, we get pretty much all that it has to offer plus Showmax for only $7.99.
Multichoice will be sweetening that Showmax deal even more with their latest partnership with NBC NBCUniversal and Sky. NBC has a streaming service called Peacock and some of the notable shows on there are:
- The Office
- SNL
- Parks and Recreation
- 30 Rock
- Yellowstone
These shows will be coming to a Showmax plan near you. So, we’re now talking about Showmax, HBO and Peacock all for the price of one. Multichoice is proud of its super aggregation strategy.
To get Peacock, Multichoice had to give up 30% ownership of Showmax to Comcast which owns NBCUniversal. They see this as a positive too, saying now they will be acquiring content from partners rather than suppliers.
Super aggregation
This super aggregation does not end with streaming. On the satellite front, DStv has YouTube Premium, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and even Netflix content all bundled in. Well, not bundled in the Peacock-Showmax kind of way.
DStv’s Explorer Ultra decoder supports third-party streaming services. So, users can access the services we mentioned above from this one decoder. Technically, it’s not that Netflix content is now on DStv for example but that you can make out one payment to DStv that includes access to Netflix.
So, DStv can ride on some of Netflix’s success. Nicely done.
What do you think? Do you still have room for DStv in your life? Does the aggregation of Peacock content onto Showmax move the needle for you? Do let us know in the comments section below.
Also read:
Load-shedding and financially struggling users are negatively affecting DStv, even in SA
[Update] Another Zimbabwean station, NRTV, launches on DStv today
14 comments
Still a big no from me. With pricing being my main reason
It really is hard to beat the $3.99 for a standard Netflix plan.
Sailing the seven seas
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Looks like we got a few Sparrows in the house.
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Oooo
I struggle with audio on Netflix watching on my Hisense TV plus my previous TV. Both HD & HDR content. I have to turn up the volume high to hear talking then get blasted when the effects or background music comes on. Like it’s not balanced. Audio is perfect on YouTube, Showmax, and Prime Video
Dang it, switched apps and the reply lost track! Comment below is for you👇🏽
Dude if you watch Tech Reviews you know that movies nowadays require Subtitles because they’re getting darker and darker and less audible
TV or App could be detecting and applying some kind of DSP and decoding by default like Atmos or 5.1 surround, even without the output hardware to make it sound right. Check if you can set simple stereo processing as default or turn off automatic decoding for other standards. Or just bite the bullet and spend on a crazy 7.2 sound system and annoy the heck out of your neighbours 😂
It’s really hard to beat paying $3.99 Netflix is charging for a Basic Plan,You can get super-duper loads of content For that low price_ON DEMAND.So terrestrial DSTV Is a big NO For me, seriously in this day and age waiting until 8PM To watch a particular show is a total Turnoff,Explora & Showmax not practical for me as well,(affordability issues)In short, Putting sports aside, Netflix is a no-brainer
As someone who has no means to pay online, l find these other options hard to even fathom.
I have however come across certain websites which if you put in the labour will allow you the option to watch virtually anything you wish. l am a big sports fan and l watch the NBA, NFL, Cricket, Rugby, Football you name it all online. l am fortunate to have a steady supply of power and data so it may not be applicable to everyone.
So for me, for a price of about say 700Rand l have reasonable unlimited wifi, it does not make sense to go onto the trouble of DSTV. As someone who rarely watches regular tv programming, this works very well for me. However, if you love things like series and so on, it could be a challenge or it could be l just have not found the websites.
So the convenience of actually watching the same broadcast as where the sport originates from is mind blowing for me, sometimes l think l am in the US due to my exposure to their news and adverts or in Europe and so on due to the exposure l get. Weirdly l have been getting a lot of sport from Supersport. l think that is quite ironic.
Anyway it is not without its issues, some of these websites disappear, speeds vay, they may not always stream what you want or in the definition you desire, for instance if l am on youtube l typically run on 1080 or 1440 depending on availability. This does not always apply some streamers have excellent picture quality, others it seems to be lo def.
The other issue is language, sometimes you get a good feed but in a language you are not familiar with. At times the internet is unstable affecting availability but generally this is not an issue.
At times for obscure sports like cricket, l guess for American streamers, it is hard to get good quality feeds. You either cannot get any feed at all or you make do with some Asian feeds which are either not in English or in an accent which makes it unintelligible.
On the whole for a fee which not only gets me unlimited internet access as well as live sport, l think this is a win for me.
Some friends in the UK suggested KODI however due to the level of programming needed it seemed a bit out of my league so l settled for the easier option. However, l am considering getting it at some stage. That one has better quality more stable connection and virtually all the tv stations you can find codes for. So that is quite an appealing option. If any here are using KODI or have experience with it please share.
Oooohhhh