In a potential game-changing move for South Africa’s pay-TV market, MultiChoice is considering unbundling its popular SuperSport channels from its DStv offering, according to a Reuters report published Thursday. The shift, aimed at retaining cost-conscious subscribers, comes in the wake of deepening losses and a massive subscriber drop.
Calvo Mawela, the Group CEO of MultiChoice, confirmed during a post-results briefing that the company was actively exploring the separation of its sports channels into a standalone package. “As part of our product offering, we have always had this project that we ran every year where we look at our packaging structures, similar to what Sky did some years back where they had a basic package, they had a sports package on the side (and) they had a general entertainment package on the side,” Mawela told Reuters.
MultiChoice, through its DStv platform, currently bundles SuperSport with other entertainment options in tiered packages ranging from entry-level to premium. However, Mawela acknowledged that many premium subscribers only opt in to watch sports content, making the cost increasingly untenable during off-seasons or tough economic times.
“We’ve accelerated that project in terms of getting us to finalise which direction we’re going to take in this financial year. But yes, we are considering all options as part of a broader product offering going forward,” Mawela added in the same Reuters interview.
The move to unbundle sports programming could mirror models seen in international markets, offering consumers the flexibility to subscribe only to content they value most—particularly critical at a time when streaming platforms and free video services are luring away traditional pay-TV audiences.
MultiChoice’s consideration of this restructuring comes on the back of financial strain. For the fiscal year ending March 31, the company posted a headline loss of 800 million rand (approximately $45 million) and saw a significant dip in subscriber numbers—losing 1.2 million customers to settle at 14.5 million.
Blaming “the ongoing cost-of-living crisis,” the group said in its results statement that “households are struggling to make ends meet and many had no choice but to give up their DStv subscription for the time being.”
Ugandan enterprises urged to explore regional oil and gas opportunitiesMeanwhile, the broader media landscape in South Africa—and globally—is undergoing seismic shifts, with consumers increasingly gravitating toward cheaper streaming options, social media content, and even pirated material. The disruption has forced legacy broadcasters like MultiChoice to reimagine their business models or risk obsolescence.
Adding to its pressure is the fact that MultiChoice is currently a takeover target of France’s Canal+, which has been steadily increasing its stake in the group.
The potential unbundling of SuperSport, a crown jewel in MultiChoice’s content arsenal, could be both a defensive and offensive maneuver—offering a more flexible, user-centered pricing model while shoring up revenue from sports enthusiasts uninterested in DStv’s broader entertainment slate.
While the final decision is yet to be made, Mawela’s clear remarks to Reuters suggest the strategy is gaining traction within the company. If implemented, it could reshape subscription television in South Africa and possibly across the continent, where MultiChoice maintains a significant market footprint.
Whether subscribers will embrace a standalone SuperSport option—and whether it will halt the churn driven by rising costs and digital competition—remains to be seen. But for now, MultiChoice appears poised to play a more agile game in an increasingly fragmented viewing world.
