MultiChoice has announced updated pricing for its DStv pay-TV packages, effective from 1 April 2022.
The new fee schedule includes increases on most of the broadcaster’s packages, with a weighted 2.7% increase adjustment across all DStv’s offerings.
The company said this was significantly lower than the projected consumer price index (CPI) for the year.
DStv said the adjustments come after a period of “increased value offerings” in the form of local and international general entertainment and sports content, DStv Internet, and DStv Rewards.
The broadcaster added it had considered the challenges facing South African consumers and absorbed as much of the increase of the cost of doing business as possible to implement minimal adjustments.
“We realise that customers remain under pressure two years into the Covid-19 pandemic,” said MultiChoice South Africa CEO Nyiko Shiburi.
“These adjustments will help us to ensure that South Africans continue to enjoy the best value, and unrivalled access to entertainment, anywhere, anytime, and at the most affordable price.”
For the top-end DStv Premium package, subscribers will pay R10 more per month, which works out to an increase of about 1.21% and takes the monthly fee to R839.
Compact Plus subscribers will also pay R10 more, an effective increase of 1.86% that makes their price R549 per month.
Mid-tier and low-end package subscribers will bear the brunt of the increases.
The biggest hike is for Compact subscribers, who will have to fork out R20 more per month, an increase of 4.89%.
That is marginally below the South African Reserve Bank’s Headline CPI forecast for 2022 of 4.9%.
DStv’s Family and Access plans will be R14 and R5 more expensive per month, respectively. These reflect increases of 4.75% and 4.35%.
MultiChoice COO Simon Camerer explained this was down to DStv’s hyper-local content strategy aimed at subscribers in these packages.
“We’ve now got Big Brother Mzansi, we’ve generated a whole host of local content across our Mzansi packages and even into our Mzansi Wethu packages, where we are bringing new content onboard,” Camerer said.
“We think that strategy around strengthening our local offering is certainly where we feel our customers want their entertainment experience, and as result, you will find the cost pressures in those areas are probably more.”
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The access fee has also been increased by R5 to R110.
EasyView, Showmax, Add Movies and BoxOffice prices will remain unchanged.
The table below compares the current month-to-month fees of DStv packages with the prices that will take effect from 1 April 2022.