MultiChoice’s flagship satellite service, DStv, has rolled out significant price reductions on its hardware and a suite of promotional perks under the Thol-iUpsize campaign, aiming to lure back lapsed subscribers and reward loyal ones amid a challenging market. The Model 10S HD Single View decoder, previously priced at R699 excluding installation or R1,299 with it, now starts at R299 without setup and R699 including, a cut effective until 31 December 2025. This move coincides with the broadcaster’s efforts to mark three decades of operation while countering a sharp decline in its user base.
The promotion extends beyond affordability, allowing customers on entry-level packages to ascend to premium bouquets at no extra cost through the year’s end. Those on Access and Family tiers will enjoy the Compact package, featuring more channels and sports options, while Compact and Compact Plus subscribers gain full Premium access, including exclusive events and international series. Premium users, meanwhile, benefit from up to four simultaneous streams – an increase from the standard two – catering to multi-device households. According to BusinessTech, these incentives form part of a “value reset” strategy, following the recent Open Time weekend that granted all active subscribers temporary Premium access from 8 to 9 November, a tactic credited with boosting short-term engagement by 15 per cent in similar past events.
DStv has also refreshed its online store to streamline purchases and deliveries, making it simpler for new joiners to acquire decoders and accessories directly. Streaming-only customers, though excluded from the upsizing, will receive tailored rewards via the DStv app, such as bonus content unlocks. As reported by MyBroadband, the campaign targets the platform’s shrinking premium segment, which fell from 1.6 million subscribers in 2019 to around 900,000 by mid-2025, driven by economic pressures and the rise of streaming rivals like Netflix and local upstarts.
These consumer-friendly steps arrive on the heels of French media powerhouse Groupe Canal+’s completed takeover of MultiChoice, finalised in late September 2025 for approximately R55 billion after securing over 94 per cent of shares through a compulsory acquisition process. Canal+ Africa CEO David Mignot has signalled an era of enriched offerings, blending the acquirer’s extensive European and American libraries – encompassing nearly 9,000 films – with MultiChoice’s robust local slate. The merger promises to deliver around 10,000 hours of African-produced content annually across 20 to 35 languages, up from the previous 6,000 hours by DStv alone and Canal+’s 4,000 hours in up to 15 tongues.
Early signs of this integration include the mid-October addition of live French Ligue 1 football matches to SuperSport channels, marking the first substantial content infusion post-acquisition. Mignot envisions a cumulative catalogue exceeding 100,000 to 150,000 hours over the next decade, designed for cross-continental distribution to sustain viewer interest. With DStv’s active South African subscribers dipping to about seven million by March 2025 – a loss of 589,000 in the prior year – amid a broader continental base of 14.5 million, these promotions and content synergies represent a calculated push to stabilise revenue, which saw average user fees rise modestly to R292 despite the churn.
For a platform once synonymous with premium entertainment in South African homes, where half of households remain active users, the Thol-iUpsize initiative underscores a pivot towards accessibility and hybrid viewing. As Canal+ relists on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange to maintain local investor ties, the combined entity’s scale – spanning 40 million subscribers across nearly 70 countries – positions it to navigate streaming disruptions while amplifying homegrown stories and global hits. Whether this festive largesse translates to lasting loyalty remains to be seen, but it signals a renewed vigour in Africa’s pay-TV arena.