Author: Trent Meikle

When we said that DStv had its work cut out for it under the Canal+ leadership, we meant it. Since the French multimedia company took over MultiChoice in 2025, it has worked tirelessly to set the course straight. Part of that plan involved axing Showmax for good and skipping the annual DStv price hike in 2026. In terms of future growth, however, the company recently revealed its roughly €100 million (∼R1.9 billion) “boost plan” to kickstart subscriber growth at the South African broadcaster. The investment plan was shown off alongside Canal+’s first full-year results since it took MultiChoice under its…

If you don’t already cough up the R82 monthly fee for YouTube Premium, Google’s latest update may change that. Announced in a blog post earlier this month, Google confirmed that its 30-second unskippable ad format was now “generally available globally” and optimised for CTV (connected TV) delivery. 30-second bathroom breaks are back In short, this means 30-second unskippable ads will become far more prevalent when viewing content on TVs. It won’t always be a 30-second wait, however. In the same announcement, Google noted that it was injecting AI into its delivery methods. The system “dynamically” switches between ‘6-second bumpers’, 15-second standard…

War. War never changes. But petrol prices do, and will, if the latest fuel price snapshot from the Central Energy Fund (CEF) is anything to go by. Judging by the company’s history of accurately forecasting South Africa’s fuel price adjustments, we should probably mention that the latest predictions don’t look pretty. For anyone. Diesel drivers, in particular, are facing a rather hefty hike, currently in the ballpark of R5/l. Petrol drivers won’t be let off easy either, with the CEF’s forecasts teasing a R3/l hike. You can thank the war in Iran for the sudden deviation from March’s official fuel…

After Capitec and FNB got the ball rolling, Standard Bank also wants in on the party. After rolling out three branches with Home Affairs powers in its February trial run, the bank has officially expanded its Smart ID services to four branches around the country. Three of those already participated in the trial phase, while the bank’s branch at Maponya Mall is the newest location where customers can get their Smart ID sorted. “During this phase, Standard Bank customers can apply in branch to convert their green ID book to a Smart ID Card or replace lost, stolen or damaged…

Staying informed isn’t free. It costs you something, whether your news comes from a newspaper, TV station, or social media. For many, that cost is mobile data. Vodacom and SABC have partnered up to remove that cost for any Saffas accessing SABC News and Education channels via SABC+. Your mobile data can rest easy The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) announced the zero data cost initiative for Vodacom customers in a post on X. “Stay informed without the worry. Vodacom users can now access trusted news on SABC+ with zero data cost, keeping you connected to the stories that matter,”…

There’s been movement on the Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) plan to make its smart ID and passport services more accessible. Relying on SA’s banks to pick up the slack, Capitec and several others agreed to upgrade their branches, allowing customers to secure Smart IDs or passports more quickly. Following some good news on that front from FNB, Capitec has launched the service in seven of its branches today. That means a whole lot more Saffas who can get their Smart ID faster than if they took the traditional route. You know, the one that usually ends with the phrase…

FNB customers have long used the bank’s Home Affairs services to get their Smart IDs and passports. That privilege is only reserved for the folks who can drag themselves up to one of the eight branches that offer the service. In 2025, the bank (and plenty of others) committed to expanding that figure as part of a new partnership with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). It’s all going according to plan, it said. Banking on FNB “Partnerships like this will help us modernise Home Affairs, strengthen the integrity of our national identity system, and make it easier for every South…

Enter MacBook Ultra Now that Apple has cleared the slate for early 2026, naturally, the question becomes ‘what’s next?’. The Fruit Company’s iPhone strategy is basically locked down at this point, likely targeting a September reveal. But what about the rest? If Gurman, writing for Bloomberg, is correct, it could mean the launch of a new MacBook Ultra. This isn’t exactly new. Rumours of an M6-powered, touchscreen OLED MacBook have floated for months. What’s new is the ‘Ultra’ moniker, as Apple considers ditching the Pro naming convention for this laptop. Gurman reckons Apple may let the new MacBook Neo simmer…

It’s not quite the rush you’d feel pulling some rare Pokémon card out of a pack, but Wikipedia Gacha does the best to imitate that feeling. For free. A new browser-based game by the name of Wikipedia Gacha has sprung up in the past few days, turning those random Wikipedia entries into a collectable trading card gacha game. It’s awesome. It’s simple. You visit the website and start opening packs. Each pack contains five cards (Wikipedia articles), each assigned an ‘Atk’ and ‘Def’ score as well as a rarity, determined by the entry’s rank on WikiRank. Cards with a ‘100’ score…

UPDATE (06/03/2026, 12h51): Stuff has received confirmation from FNB that “all the reversals will be done in a file run that will take place this evening.” It hasn’t been a great week for FNB customers. Some are reporting on social media that they were incorrectly charged twice, and in some cases, thrice, while shopping. It seemed that the issue was localised to FNB customers shopping on Takealot, though at least one noted that they had been charged twice while shopping at Incredible. MyBroadband covered the initial story before FNB stepped up to put all your fears at ease. FNB’s working on…