MultiChoice to start testing DStv Now as a standalone service in 2020

MultiChoice Africa, the parent company of satellite TV services DStv and GOtv, has revealed that it will separate its DStv Now app from its satellite TV and start testing it as a standalone service.

DStv Now, which was introduced in 2014, is an Internet-based Video on Demand (VoD) platform that provides its users with DStv content in sports, shows, and movies on Catch Up on mobile phones and tablets.

In 2018, MultiChoice launched its DStv Now app on Apple TV, Samsung Smart TVs, and media players running Android TV.

As stated by MyBroadband, the company will be independently launching DStv Now before the end of March 2020, after it is done with external testing.

According to the report, MultiChoice’s Connected Video CEO, Niclas Ekdahl said they are about to hit field trials, following last year's announcement to roll out in this fiscal year.

At the moment, the DStv Now app is only available to DStv subscribers. In order to view content on the app, users need a decoder connected to a satellite dish and an active DStv subscription.

Once it is launched as a standalone service, users would be able to access DStv content without owning a decoder.

It is still unclear how the DStv standalone service will work. It remains to be seen if users will only pay a monthly subscription to access all of DStv’s content or subscribe for various plans.

It is also uncertain if the subscription service will be as high as the current DStv packages and if it will be available in all other parts of the continent upon launch.

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Regardless, it would be nice to see how a standalone DStv app fairs in Africa’s struggling VoD market.

Suggested Read: The Nigerian market may not be ready for an online-only VoD platform

It is noteworthy that MultiChoice released its six months interim results in September 2019. The South African company explained that it has “seen a 48% year-over-year increase in the number of monthly active users on its Showmax and DStv Now platforms across Africa.”