DStv this week made good on its promise to deliver the biggest shake-up to the DStv bouquet in years, announced on 7 September. The rollout includes one brand-new package, while shuffling the content offered on the old packages. DStv published several guides outlining the new packages and where they stand in the hierarchy.
DStv Premium is still the top dog, offering everything under the DStv sun for one single price. Then there’s ‘Sports’ — the broadcaster’s dedicated sports subscription. DStv Compact customers have been automatically booted to the new package, and retain all the content that was offered there previously. It costs R400/m.
Compact Plus is all about that Premium, baby
Arguably the biggest change involves the existing R550/m Compact Plus. DStv explains that customers will “stay on their package”, and new subscribers will no longer be able to sign up. Speaking to MyBroadband, DStv said that customers have essentially been upgraded to Premium at no extra cost for the foreseeable future. They’ll still see the Compact Plus name on their bill, but will receive the “full Premium channel experience”.
This won’t continue forever. MultiChoice clarified the Compact Plus upgrade isn’t permanent, though it has no fixed end date in mind yet. “This arrangement will continue on a month-to-month basis, and any future changes will be communicated clearly to affected customers,” MultiChoice said. Enjoy it while it lasts, in other words.
The new Movies & Series package is the only entirely new package on offer, starting at R500/m. It places a larger focus on entertainment without sports bogging down the price. M-Net, kykNET, M-Net Movies+, Nickelodeon, Home & Garden TV, and BBC Earth are just some of the channels featured on the package.
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Another big change sees DStv Sports in the mix, formerly known as DStv Compact. Customers will hold onto the channels they currently enjoy, with four more added to the mix. One of those is Wethu+, a new channel combining Mzansi Wethu, Mzansi Magic, Bioskop Movies, and certain PSL fixtures into one. They’ll also get access to Premier League, PSL, Champions League, cricket, local rugby, and UFC + WWE content.
MultiChoice is still keeping some of its high-end content exclusive to DStv Premium. Springboks and international rugby, for instance, will require a monthly payment of R800/m (streaming price) to gain access. Ditto for Formula 1, the PGA, Athletics, and “more.”
DStv explains which packages existing customers have been migrated to:
| Old Package | Migrates to |
|---|---|
| Premium | Premium (from R800/m) |
| Compact Plus | |
| Compact (from R400/m) | Sports (from R400/m) |
| Brand-new package | Movies + Series (from R500/m) |
| Family | Starter (from R100/m) |
| Access | Select (from R300/m) |
| EasyView | EasyView (from R30/m) |
