DStv Premium subscribers have fallen from 2.1 million in 2016 to 1 million in 2026 — a sign of what the market thinks.
DStv Premium is dying in South Africa because it is incredibly painful to use. That was my experience when I signed up this weekend, hoping to watch the Springboks take on New Zealand on DStv Stream.
My first hurdle was that the DStv account management page and the DStv Stream portal are separate websites.
This means you cannot sign up to watch DStv Stream on the DStv Stream website. You must go to the main DStv website and “manage your account” from there.
I was previously a DStv user, which means I fortunately did not have to create a new account from scratch.
After logging in to the DStv site, I selected the “My DStv” section and activated the Premium package by entering my credit card and paying the amount due.
This was a pro-rata amount of R518, based on a billing cycle that runs until 20 September. The rate for a full month of DStv Premium is R699.
Based on my experience with streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, once you have paid online or entered your credit card details, you can start watching content immediately.
DStv Stream, however, does not work like this — which I found out the hard way. There is a substantial delay between MultiChoice billing your credit card and activating the service.
After my R518 payment was charged to my credit card, I logged in to the DStv Stream website and looked for the SuperSport channel that would show the rugby.
It was nowhere to be found. I tried refreshing the page, logging out and logging in, and restarting the browser which the DStv Stream website was opened in.
None of this worked. I tried the same thing on the main DStv website. It did not help. None of the DStv Premium channels were available to me.
Next, I opened DStv’s live chat support on the website and was greeted by “TUMI the DStv Chatbot”. A list of pre-populated options was available, along with the ability to type a free-text message.
I tried selecting the given options and then typing free text: “My DStv stream is not showing all the channels.”
I was sent back the same message multiple times: “Our agents are busy, but you will get a reply soon.” I did not get a reply soon.
It was a similar story on the WhatsApp self-service channel. I was told all agents were busy, and someone would get back to me.
This went on for over 30 minutes, after which I gave up. I tried the DStv Stream website again, and there were still no Premium channels available in my profile.
I put on a YouTube video and kept a browser tab open, which showed the live score of the game on Google. At least we beat New Zealand.
My experience with DStv Premium could be written off as anecdotal, but what cannot be argued is that MultiChoice has seen a massive drop in top-end DStv subscribers in recent years.
An analysis by MyBroadband in July showed that DStv Premium subscriber numbers fell from 2.1 million in 2016 to 1 million in 2026.
The analysis highlighted that MultiChoice failed to meaningfully enhance the value that DStv Premium offers, even as its monthly price has continued to increase.
Once South Africa’s undisputed flagship television entertainment offering, Premium is now considered worthwhile only for its extensive live sports coverage and some local content.
DStv Premium has lost its top-tier international content from HBO, and multiple channels have also been removed from the bouquet in 2026, including:
Additionally, MultiChoice did not secure the rights to broadcast the 2026 Winter Olympics on DStv. This was the first time in more than a decade that DStv’s SuperSport channels did not show the event.
The pain did not stop there for DStv Premium customers in 2026. On 30 April, MultiChoice shut down its Showmax streaming service.
DStv Premium customers received a free subscription to Showmax as part of their package — a benefit which fell away when it was shuttered.
“Showmax content on DStv will be available to Compact and Premium satellite and streaming-only customers via the DStv Stream app,” a spokesperson said at the time.
However, much of the draw Showmax offered was access to HBO’s back-catalogue, which included acclaimed titles like Game of Thrones, Band of Brothers, The Sopranos, The Wire, and The Newsroom.
The difficulty in signing up for and using the DStv Stream service is therefore a good analogy for why MultiChoice is losing to the likes of Netflix – DStv Premium is more painful and less rewarding to use.
This is an opinion piece.
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