MultiChoice’s CEO, Byron du Plessis, has announced plans for substantial changes aimed at boosting the company’s subscriber numbers, stating they are “prepared to reverse past decisions that have not worked.”
In an interview, Du Plessis discussed the potential for unbundling SuperSport from the higher-tier DStv packages. “Toward the end of last year, we recognised the need to reinvest in our business,” he explained.
He elaborated that MultiChoice has initiated discussions to determine the best packaging structure for its South African operations. “The market has evolved with streaming altering the landscape of general entertainment and international content,” he said. “Sports are increasingly reaching audiences directly, and companies globally have made various adjustments in their packaging over the last five to ten years.”
Du Plessis mentioned that MultiChoice is currently engaged in a significant project, which is now in the customer research phase after initial testing. He acknowledged the company’s recent subscriber losses but emphasised a major opportunity to regain customers in South Africa.
The CEO stated that MultiChoice is committed to transforming how consumers perceive its offerings and aims to fundamentally repackage its content. “This is a thrilling opportunity since we have not introduced a new content offering in quite some time,” Du Plessis noted.
With these changes, he anticipates providing customers with more options and catering to their preferences at more flexible price points. This announcement follows MultiChoice’s earlier statement in June 2025 to MyBroadband about exploring the unbundling of the SuperSport channels from the DStv lineup. They are investigating modifications to their DStv packages to keep pace with evolving consumer demands.
“This means assessing whether certain bundled components, such as SuperSport and General Entertainment, can be marketed differently in the future,” MultiChoice stated, adding that they were still evaluating the potential commercial impacts and customer value.
Du Plessis also highlighted piracy as a significant hurdle for MultiChoice, which has been cracking down on such activities for several months. “Recent research has shed light on the serious extent of the piracy issue,” he noted. “We are dedicating resources to combat piracy, but it is challenging, as many activities are sourced internationally.”
In recent communications with MyBroadband, MultiChoice revealed its strategy has shifted from targeting smaller IPTV resellers to focusing on the upstream providers in foreign markets that facilitate these operations. They are blocking accounts linked to these overseas services during high-profile events like live sports to deter illegal usage.
While MultiChoice reported a decline in anti-piracy cases in the latter half of the 2024/25 financial year, they clarified that this is not due to reduced efforts but rather a change in approach toward more focused and impactful actions. “We’ve redirected resources to fewer, higher-impact cases, concentrating on upstream targets, which more effectively addresses user access to illegal piracy channels and applications,” the company explained.
Their anti-piracy tools have significantly improved over the past year, enabling easier identification and blockage of platforms involved in piracy operations. MultiChoice noted that many individuals engaged in selling piracy services in South Africa are typically acting as resellers for operations based overseas.
