MultiChoice Botswana will replace its entire DStv package line-up on 5 November, renaming and rebuilding every tier from the entry offering to the top of the range, according to Mmegi Online. The move, launched under the DStv Expect+ campaign, brings more channels to cheaper packages and creates the first DStv package built specifically for sports fans.
The overhaul comes a year after French media group CANAL+ completed its acquisition of MultiChoice, a transaction that, as the Liberian Observer reported, marks the beginning of a new era for African entertainment and creates greater opportunities to invest in content and customer experience. For Botswana households, the immediate question is simpler: what changes on the decoder in the sitting room.
What the new DStv packages offer
The entry tier, DStv Access, becomes DStv Starter and adds ten channels over its predecessor. Two of them are entirely new: SuperSport KICKOFF, which carries selected football from the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, and Wethu+, which brings premium local and international series down from Mzansi Magic and M-Net to an entry-level package for the first time. FrontPageAfrica reported that the Starter tier will also include the Premier League Match of the Week, La Liga, M-Net Legends and Star Life.
DStv Family becomes DStv Select, a package aimed squarely at the whole household: refreshed movie channels, local and international series, a selection of football and other sport, and every kids' channel. DStv Compact is split into two new options. The first, DStv Movies and Series, groups M-Net, all the movie channels, Discovery Channel and BBC Earth into one package for viewers who watch drama and films rather than live sport. The movie offering itself has been refreshed with M-Net Movies+, M-Net Stars and M-Net Legends, which the company says will bring more blockbusters, faster access to new releases and fewer repeats.
The second, DStv Sports, is the most significant departure. It is DStv's first package built specifically for sports fans, with 17 channels covering every Premier League and UEFA Champions League match, cricket that was previously reserved for DStv Premium subscribers, selected international club rugby, WWE and UFC. It also carries the general entertainment channels found on DStv Select. At the top, DStv Premium becomes DStv Ultimate, combining everything in the Sports and Movies and Series packages with Formula 1, MotoGP, Grand Slam tennis and golf majors.
Value and choice, not gimmicks
Stephanie Pillay, CEO of MultiChoice Botswana, framed the changes as a response to how customers actually watch television today.
Our commitment is on giving our customers better value and access to the entertainment and sport that matters most to them. We recognise that customers' needs and viewing habits are evolving, and our new DStv packages reflect that.
Pillay added that the packages were tailored to different viewing preferences, whether customers want African storytelling, international series and movies, or world-class live sport, all in one place.
There is a lesson here for other businesses serving Botswana. Rather than chasing novelty, MultiChoice has done what a responsible company should do: it studied its customers, priced its products in tiers that families of different means can afford, and put popular content within reach of the entry-level subscriber. That is competition working as it should, delivering more for the monthly payment instead of asking the household to pay more for the same.
Local content and the CANAL+ question
The corporate backdrop deserves attention. MultiChoice is now a CANAL+ company, and some will reasonably ask what a Paris-headquartered parent means for African screens. The company's answer, so far, is reassuring on the substance. MultiChoice says the tie-up lets it draw on CANAL+'s global scale, content relationships and more than 30 years of experience across Africa, while it remains committed to investing in local content and telling authentic African stories.
Nomsa Philiso, EVP Content at CANAL+ Africa, said the investment is not cosmetic.
MultiChoice has built an extraordinary connection with African audiences and a deep understanding of the stories they love to watch. Not only does CANAL+ share the same passion and commitment, but they are also investing in African storytelling through increased production and global distribution.
Viewers can judge the promise by its results. Over the coming months, the slate includes Big Brother Mzansi season seven, alongside a continued expansion of original productions across markets. African stories made in Africa, distributed to African homes first, is the right order of priorities. If CANAL+ keeps that commitment, the acquisition will have strengthened rather than diluted the continent's own television industry.
When the changes take effect
The new packages launch on 5 November with the DStv Expect+ campaign, according to DStv, which also confirmed affordable hardware promotions to help more customers get connected. Details on packages, migration and hardware sales are available on the company's website.
Existing subscribers should check how their current package maps onto the new line-up before the switch, particularly households on Compact who must now choose between the Movies and Series package and the Sports package. Those decisions belong to each family, and it is good that the company has given clear, separate options rather than forcing every household into one bundled price.
FAQ
When do the new DStv packages start in Botswana?
The new line-up launches on 5 November under the DStv Expect+ campaign, MultiChoice Botswana announced.
What replaces DStv Access?
DStv Access becomes DStv Starter, adding ten channels including the new SuperSport KICKOFF and Wethu+ channels.
Is there now a DStv package only for sports fans?
Yes. DStv Sports carries 17 channels covering every Premier League and UEFA Champions League match, cricket, selected club rugby, WWE and UFC.
Does DStv still invest in African content after the CANAL+ takeover?
MultiChoice says it remains committed to local content, and CANAL+ Africa says it is investing in African storytelling through increased production and global distribution, with Big Brother Mzansi season seven coming in the next few months.