Over 400,000 Subscribers Abandon DStv
MultiChoice reported a 5% decline in DStv subscribers for 2024 across all packages, with the drop attributed to economic challenges like inflation, rising interest rates, and load shedding.
The overall subscriber base declined by 9%, with a 13% drop in the Rest of Africa and a 5% decrease in South Africa.
As reported by IOL, in 2023, the total subscriber base was around 8 million, resulting in a loss of 400,000 subscribers over the year.
Multichoice cited declines across all DStv packages: premium tier (Premium and Compact Plus), mid-market tier (Compact), and mass-market tier (Family and Access).
According to their 2023/24 financial year statement, DStv’s overall active subscriber base declined by 5%, dropping from 8 million to 7.6 million.
The premium tier saw a significant decline of 8%, the mid-market tier fell by 9%, and the mass-market tier experienced a reduction of 2%. Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice CEO, said:
Subscriber growth is typically more muted in a year that follows the FIFA World Cup, but FY24 came in below trend as the subscriber base declined year-over-year in the face of a deteriorating macro and consumer environment.
To retain subscribers, MultiChoice is enhancing its mid-market packages and launching new promotions.
These promotional offers can include discounted subscription fees, free hardware upgrades, or limited-time access to premium content.
Additionally, they are investing in advanced technology to improve the viewing experience, making it more flexible and affordable.
Multichoice recently announced that with effect from 01 August 2024, it will increase subscription fees in response to rising operational costs.
The subscription fees for the Premium and Compact Plus packages will remain unchanged at US$75 and US$45 per month, respectively, providing stability for the high-end tier of DStv subscribers.
However, the company said that it will implement modest increases for some of its more affordable packages as follows:
- Compact package: The monthly fee will increase by US$1, from US$29 to US$30.
- Family package: The monthly fee will increase by US$1, from US$19 to US$20.
For the entry-level packages, the increases will be slightly more significant:
- Access package: The monthly fee will increase by US$2, from US$13 to US$15.
- Lite package: The monthly fee will increase by US$1, from US$8 to US$9.
Multichoice has also announced adjustments to its specialised packages for the Indian and Portuguese markets:
- Indian Stand-Alone (Premium) package: The monthly fee will increase by US$2, from US$37 to US$39.
- Indian Add-On package: The monthly fee will increase by US$2, from US$23 to US$25.
- Portuguese Stand-Alone package: The monthly fee will increase by US$1, from US$44 to US$45.
- Portuguese Add-On package: The monthly fee will increase by US$2, from US$23 to US$25.
The monthly cost of the HD PVR Service will remain unchanged at US$13 per month.
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