South Africa’s pay-for TV giant DStv is now offering subscribers more flexibility in accessing content across multiple devices.
In March 2022, the streaming service had restricted all subscriptions to a single live stream, to try and curb password sharing and piracy.
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Revised streaming policy
In August 2024, DStv revised its policy and allowed subscribers to add an extra mobile stream to their accounts.
These additional streams are exclusively for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops and cannot be accessed through smart TV apps or smart connected boxes.
With this update, customers who opt for an extra mobile stream can now simultaneously stream content on two devices, in addition to their primary TV decoder.
For DStv Stream customers, the bundled limits include two streams, aligning with the offerings of decoder-based packages.
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In a recent communication to subscribers, DStv announced that customers now have the option to add two extra mobile streams. The prices vary depending on the package:
Premium – R99 per month
Compact Plus – R79 per month
Compact – R49 per month
Family – R39 per month
Access – R29 per month
Notably, the extra mobile stream feature is not available for the entry-level Easy View package.
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For Premium package subscribers, adding two extra mobile streams will result in a total monthly bill of R997 for Stream users and R1192 for those with satellite dishes and decoders – which is inclusive of the PVR access fee.
DStv customers are opting for other streaming services
Moneyweb says that DStv Premium customers who have abandoned the subscription in favour of streaming services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video and illegal IPTV services are unlikely to return.
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If these former customers ‘borrow’ an extra DStv mobile stream from friends and/or family however, MultiChoice will now generate incremental revenue from these streams.
This strategic move, while reflecting DStv’s efforts to adapt to evolving consumer preferences, also has implications for revenue generation. The Premium and Compact Plus segments in particular have experienced a decline in average revenue per user (Arpu) over recent years.
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