DStv streaming changes announced

MultiChoice says strengthened piracy controls, significantly improved platform stability, and dynamic ad insertion technology have allowed it to bring back two concurrent streams for DStv Premium, Compact Plus, and Compact subscribers.

This allows customers to watch live programming or on-demand content on any two devices simultaneously. The benefit extends to satellite and DStv Stream subscribers.

DStv announced the change yesterday, saying the upgrade was rolling out to customers from Thursday, 13 March 2025.

This comes after DStv restricted the number of simultaneous streams on 22 March 2022 as part of a crackdown on password sharing and streaming piracy.

The return of the second concurrent stream suggests that MultiChoice has found a way to curb the piracy that resulted from it, or mitigate its impact.

Dynamic ad insertion technology was one of the key developments MultiChoice highlighted when asked what allowed it to bring back the second stream.

In its half-year financial report released in November, MultiChoice stated that it was focused on developing advertising technology solutions for streaming and video-on-demand environments via DStv Stream and Showmax.

“Over the last 18 months, the group was the first in Africa to implement Dynamic Ad Insertion through DStv Stream,” a MultiChoice spokesperson told MyBroadband.

“The technology is enabled by fellow group company, Irdeto, together with a partnership with Invidi.”

Irdeto is a MultiChoice subsidiary that specialises in digital platform security. It offers services and technology solutions that protect platforms, digital assets, and software applications across multiple industries.

Invidi is a privacy-preserving advertising technology provider that helps target commercials to viewers with the same level of accuracy as online retailers and social media platforms.

“The technology enables us to insert separate commercials on DStv Stream from the advertisements shown on the satellite service,” MultiChoice said.

“This is starting to show promising growth as the DStv Stream base grows.”

Regarding the benefits to subscribers, MultiChoice said the technology would improve the relevance of the advertisements customers are shown.

“As we are seeing in many first-world markets globally, it also allows for lower pricing to customers when ad-supported models are able to scale,” said MultiChoice.

Asked whether the successful integration of dynamic ad insertion means that MultiChoice is considering an ad-supported tier for Showmax, the company previously said it was monitoring international developments. However, it did not have immediate plans to that effect.

“We are continuously monitoring global trends around ad-supported streaming models, which continue to grow in markets such as the US and Europe,” it said.

“However, as the streaming market in Africa remains nascent, no major streaming service is offering an ad-supported model at this stage.”

MultiChoice said it would see how the South African market evolves and consider an ad-supported model on Showmax when it feels the market is ready.

Several major international streaming services offer ad-supported plans in specific markets, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

However, in markets like South Africa, streamers have elected to offer more affordable mobile-only plans than ad-supported tiers.

While Showmax competes more directly against international streamers in on-demand video, DStv Stream occupies a different niche.

In addition to on-demand content, DStv Stream offers access to traditional broadcast channels and live events, with SuperSport being its crown jewel.

On 29 January, SuperSport set a record by making 18 live UEFA Champions League fixtures available on the same day.

“With DStv’s packed sports calendar and broad choice of general entertainment channels, more people will have access to enjoy content at the same time,” MultiChoice said regarding the return of two concurrent streams.

“The update offers greater flexibility to customers, making it easier for them to watch what they want when they want,” it said.

“With growing customer demand for streaming content, now is the perfect time to bring the second stream back,” MultiChoice said.

DStv’s streaming-only product, DStv Stream, has also received several other enhancements in the past year.

These include cloud PVR functionality that offers the ability to pause and rewind up to 24 hours without a decoder, an improved “Watch from Start” feature, a refreshed interface with personalised recommendations, better overall stability, and AI-driven content suggestions.