MultiChoice loses 1.2 million DStv subscribers across Africa in 1 year, blames financial woes
Satellite broadcaster MultiChoice has lost a staggering 1.2 million DStv subscribers across Africa in just one year. The company is pointing fingers at widespread economic hardship and rising costs of living.

“We experienced significant financial disruption for economies, corporates and consumers across sub-Saharan Africa,” the company said in a statement posted on 12 June 2025.

This marks one of the biggest subscriber drops in the pay-TV giant’s history.

South Africa hit hard by price hikes
Out of the 1.2 million drop, 589,000 subscribers were lost in South Africa, where DStv increased prices by an average of 5.7% on 1 April 2024. MultiChoice cited “ongoing macro-economic pressure” and the rise of streaming alternatives as key reasons.

“Combined with the impact of structural industry changes in video entertainment such as the rise of piracy, streaming services and social media, this has materially affected the overall performance of the MultiChoice Group,” the statement read.

The remaining 591,000 losses came from across the rest of Africa, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia.

“Extreme power disruptions in countries like Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, and ongoing fuel and electricity issues in Nigeria, have affected subscriber activity,” said MultiChoice.

With prices up by as much as 31% in some regions, many customers are walking away.

Customers speak out on social media
Disgruntled former users are flooding X (formerly Twitter) with comments.

Leonard Makombe wrote:

“Interesting that they heap all on ‘pressures on consumer spend’ without looking at what they have done to retain the current subscribers.”

Brian Mandipaza added:

“I’m among the 1.2 million subscribers they lost. I am not going back unless they introduce pay per view or something more flexible.”

Another user, Kudzanai Sharara, quipped:

“They should add poor performance by Manchester United.”

Others accused the company of being out of touch.

@patand1624 said:

“Their content is old, too repetitive especially any channel that is not sport… we are being scammed.”

“They don’t cater for all Africans. It’s either South African or American content,” posted @06_chirasha. “I have to go to YouTube to watch my Zim content.”

Showmax rises but DStv stumbles
Ironically, while DStv’s subscriber base shrinks, Showmax is growing fast. The streaming service saw a spike in users following its relaunch in February 2024. However, discontinued products like Showmax Pro and diaspora packages affected year-on-year revenue reporting.