MultiChoice has ruled out plans to introduce pay-per-view for sports events, even as the company struggles to stop a steep decline in subscriber losses evenly split between South Africa and the rest of Africa.
In a recent interview with TechCentral, MultiChoice South Africa CEO Byron du Plessis said there are no plans to allow viewers to pay for single sports matches without a DStv subscription.
“It’s a strange one. It would change the SuperSport brand. We have always positioned SuperSport as the brand that brings you everything,” he said. “Unless you are willing to do it at scale, it’s really difficult to get a return when it only lasts for two hours. You need hundreds of thousands of people paying… It’s not on our radar.”
MultiChoice’s decision comes as it faces rising competition from streaming platforms and affordable local alternatives.
To win back customers, MultiChoice is planning a major overhaul of its DStv packages. The company is exploring new content bundles aimed at younger viewers, many of whom prefer online video platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Du Plessis confirmed that a new product structure is on the way, but said any changes will be based on customer feedback and financial viability. While new ideas are being explored, pay-per-view, he stressed, is not one of them.
