DStv’s New Strategy to Win Back South Africans

DStv is aggressively rolling out a campaign to win back viewers in South Africa. The company is offering free upgrades to higher-tier packages, discounting decoders, launching an online store, and pushing big sports broadcasts, all as part of its “Thol-iUpsize” initiative. 

From 10 November to 31 December 2025, active DStv decoder subscribers will automatically gain access to higher-value tiers without paying more. Compact and Compact Plus users will enjoy the Premium package, while Family and Access subscribers will move up to Compact—all at no extra cost.  Billing will revert to standard charges in January 2026. 

Beyond the Thol-iUpsize campaign, DStv has already taken several steps to make its service more affordable and appealing. Decoder prices have been cut to R299 online (installation excluded), or R699 with installation, depending on the buy channel.  The company is also relaunching its online store later in November, which will include free delivery and a more user-friendly ordering system. 

MultiChoice’s Pay-TV CEO Byron du Plessis says these efforts are part of a larger “value reset” for DStv. He notes affordability and improving the customer experience are at the heart of the turnaround plan. 

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This strategy follows years of subscriber losses. By March 2025, MultiChoice lost about 1.2 million DStv customers globally—an 8 percent decline—with close to 590,000 of those coming from South Africa.  The losses reflect deep economic pressure: a cost-of-living crisis has forced many households to drop their DStv subscription. 

To counter this trend, DStv also ran an “Open Time” weekend from 7 to 9 November, allowing all decoder subscribers to watch Premium channels for free.  This promotion coincided with the company’s 30th anniversary and was designed to remind users of its value and reach people who may have left. 

Part of this broader push comes after Canal+ acquired MultiChoice. DStv’s parent says the acquisition gives the platform scale and synergies that will ultimately benefit local subscribers.  Canal+ is already talking about boosting local African content, more sports coverage, and better value through its integration with MultiChoice. 

Industry analysts see this effort as DStv’s attempt to stem subscriber bleeding and reposition itself in a market shifting fast toward streaming. Many South Africans are ditching satellite TV in favor of on-demand services, particularly among younger, mobile-first audiences. 

DStv also faces pricing challenges. While decoder costs have come down, still-expensive premium packages remain a barrier for many households.  At the same time, MultiChoice has cut other prices for example, trimming the DStv Add Movies bolt-on from R79 to R49 to boost value. 

Despite the rough patch, MultiChoice recently returned to profit. Its turnaround is driven in part by cost cuts and a renewed focus on customer retention under Canal+.  But it faces a delicate balancing act: lower prices to win back users, while protecting revenue and economic sustainability.

Going forward, DStv’s success will depend on execution. Its value-reset strategy could pay off if customers return and stick. But if economic pressures persist and more people cut the cord in favor of streaming, DStv’s revival may prove short-lived.

Source ~ businesstech