LISTEN: MultiChoice considers sports-only DStv packages
The iconic DStv and SuperSport duo might be splitting up, but not really.
MultiChoice has been through its fair share of ups and downs in recent years.
LISTEN: Francois van Coke responds to Robbie Wessels video
The organisation operates in 50 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and has 19.3 million subscribers. It includes Africa's premier sports broadcaster, SuperSport, and the DStv satellite television service.
In May 2025, South Africa's competition authority announced that it approved the buyout of Africa's largest pay TV enterprise by France's Canal+.
LISTEN: Meta is bringing ads to WhatsApp
This comes after MultiChoice reported that it posted a pretax loss of R706 million ($38 million) for the year ending in March 2024, citing weak local currencies and a drop in subscribers.
Now, in more recent news, the new group CEO Calvo Mawela has announced that the company is accelerating an investigation into whether it should unbundle SuperSport from DStv.
This model is used by pay-TV operators worldwide. One example being Sky in the UK.
READ: South Africans concerned about Miss SA organisation
Essentially, subscribers will be able to add a sports bouquet of their choice to their subscription.
Consumers will then have a choice between a more rugby, soccer or other sport-oriented package, but still have the option of choosing all of the above.
In an interview with TechCentral, Mawela said that a positive outcome from this investigation will help accelerate the process for this possible new model.
We think that in this financial year, we should have a view of which direction to take, and as soon as we have made that, we should be able to update you.
WATCH: American watches rugby for the first time
However, he also emphasised that the unbundling must continue to deliver revenue and profit growth.
MultiChoice also has no intention of making the SuperSport bundles available to other broadcasters.
Sport is our key differentiator. It drives stickiness. It drives subscribers to come in … it drives [customer] acquisition … so we need to keep it exclusive [to us].
For more information on these possible changes, listen to the podcast below:
Tune into 'The Drive with Rob & Roz' on weekdays from 16:00 – 19:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.
Listen to Jacaranda FM:
- 94.2
- Jacaranda FM App
- http://jacarandafm.com
- DStv 858/ OpenView 602
Follow us on social media:
Main image courtesy of @goldmynetv / Instagram