Will DStv Price Increases Come Earlier Under Canal+? South Africans Are Asking Hard Questions

Will DStv Price Increases Shift Under New Ownership?

For years, South Africans have known exactly when to brace themselves for a DStv price hike. April would roll around, emails would land in inboxes, and monthly debit orders would quietly creep up. But with Canal+ now in control of MultiChoice, that familiar rhythm may be about to change.

The takeover has sparked fresh questions among local subscribers, particularly around whether price increases could arrive earlier in the year as MultiChoice aligns its financial calendar with its new French parent company.

MultiChoice’s financial year traditionally ran from April to March, which neatly explained why price increases always landed on 1 April. That is now changing. The company is shifting its financial year-end to December to match Groupe Canal+, raising uncertainty about whether future DStv price adjustments might also move forward on the calendar.

So far, MultiChoice has not given a clear answer.

What South Africans Paid After The Last Price Hike

The concern is not coming out of nowhere. In 2025, DStv customers already absorbed noticeable increases across nearly every package.

Premium subscribers saw their monthly bill rise from R929 to R979. Compact Plus went up by R40, Compact by R30, while Family nudged up to R339. Even the entry-level packages were not spared, with Access increasing by R11 and EasyView by R1.

For many households already juggling rising food, fuel, and electricity costs, even small increases felt heavy.

Big Content Promises From Canal+

When Canal+ officially gained control of MultiChoice in September 2025, executives moved quickly to reassure customers that the deal would unlock a flood of new content.

Canal+ CEO David Mignot painted a bold picture. He spoke about combining MultiChoice’s strong local slate with Canal+’s vast European and American catalogue. According to him, the merged group could eventually offer tens of thousands of hours of content in dozens of languages.

On paper, it sounded like a win for South African viewers who have increasingly flirted with Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube.

Fewer Channels, Same Price, Growing Frustration

But the optimism has already been tested.

South Africans are heading into 2026 facing the loss of several familiar channels. BET Africa, MTV Base, CBS Reality, and CBS Justice are all set to disappear at the end of 2025 or early January. At the same time, negotiations with Warner Bros Discovery remain unresolved, placing another 12 major channels at risk.

That list includes Discovery, CNN, Cartoon Network, TLC, Food Network, and HGTV. For many families, these are staple channels that justify the monthly subscription.

Veteran broadcasting journalist Thinus Ferreira summed up the mood bluntly in a recent radio interview, pointing out the irony of promised expansion arriving alongside shrinking channel lineups.

Social Media Reaction Tells Its Own Story

Online, DStv subscribers have not been shy. Social media posts questioning value for money have spiked, with many users asking how prices can remain unchanged while content quietly disappears. Others have openly compared DStv’s offering to streaming services that allow month-to-month cancellations without penalty.

MultiChoice has made it clear that prices will not be reduced even if the Warner Bros Discovery channels are pulled. Instead, the company says it will rely on alternative channels to fill the gap.

Whether that reassurance lands with South African viewers remains to be seen.

A Trust Test For Canal+ In South Africa

The Canal+ takeover was meant to signal renewal, ambition, and growth. Instead, it has opened with uncertainty, channel losses, and questions about future pricing.

For now, DStv customers are watching closely. Not just what content arrives, but when the next price increase notice lands, and whether the value still matches the monthly debit order.

{Source:My Broadband}

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