Multichoice is looking to change how its business works. Satellite TV and streaming are still part of the company but there’s also plenty more coming. It’s diversified and it includes sports betting, exploration of insurance, fintech, and the security sector, and there’s a spot of education.
Streama and Sky
Oh, yes, and there’s hardware. Multichoice is launching a TV. Technically it’s the Sky Glass TV, which had already launched in the UK. It seems it’s coming to South Africa. It’s basically a streaming box built into a 4K TV panel that looks like a picture frame. Pricing and availability aren’t known just yet.
There’s something else on the way, and it’s right around the corner. DStv’s Streama box is finally (finally) about to hit the market. We’ve seen it and it’s rather tiny. It looks like the world’s smallest PlayStation 2 console, right down to the blue accents. It lands on 1 October this year. We’ll have pricing for it shortly.
Another thing that shows up on 1 October? DStv Internet is rolling out fibre access in South Africa. Just in case.
Read More: Multichoice announces new prices for DStv (if you stream it)
DStv offers an insurance product now, in case you didn’t notice. It’s called DStv Insurance, and that’s about all the details we have right now. Except for the fact that it now has 2.4 million subscribers at present. Expect more info to follow. And then there’s security.
Multichoice has, as part of its company, several security companies. Most of these are digital – like Aura and Irdeto – but there is a physical one now. Multichoice now owns security services delivery app Namola. If you’re not familiar, the app is a panic button for South Africa. Activate it and the nearest security company will turn up. Average response time? About two minutes, the way Multichoice tells it.
More than sport
Multichoice is also expanding its reach into sports in Africa. It is branching into limited overs cricket in SA. There is also the Supersport Schools initiative.
Oh, and if you subscribe to Showmax Pro, you will only pay R350/m now. If you’re a fan of live-streamed sports, and particularly the FIFA World Cup, that’s a fantastic price drop to have.
Also coming? A Udemy partnership with Multichoice. Sports betting, thanks to a company called BetKings. And a little bit more.