It's Time to Cut SuperSport Loose, Unbundle It from DStv Already

Entertainment
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Alright, I’ve been wanting to get this off my chest for a while, so let me just say it plainly: SuperSport should not be locked behind a full DStv subscription. It’s long overdue, and I genuinely don’t understand why we’re still having this conversation in 2025.

The Problem Nobody Wants to Admit

Right now, if you want to watch live sport proper sport, not whatever’s on SABC you basically have no choice but to pay for a DStv package that bundles in a mountain of channels you’ll never watch. Movies you don’t care about, reality TV, kids’ channels, shopping channels… the lot. And buried somewhere in that bloated package is the thing you actually want: SuperSport.

That’s not a content offering. That’s a hostage situation.

Sports Fans Are Being Milked

Let’s be honest about who watches DStv primarily for SuperSport. It’s millions of South Africans who just want to watch the Springboks, Bafana, the PSL, cricket, tennis, F1, whatever their thing is. These people are being forced to subsidise an entire bouquet of content they never asked for, just to access live sport.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world has moved on. You can subscribe to standalone sports streaming services in most countries. Here? MultiChoice just… hasn’t felt the need to offer that, because they haven’t had to.

The Competition Argument

And that’s really the crux of it, lack of competition. MultiChoice has held the rights to most major sporting events in SA for so long that they’ve had zero incentive to change their model. Why unbundle when you can keep charging premium prices for a bundle that people have no alternative to?

But that’s starting to crack. Streaming is growing. Data is getting cheaper. Younger viewers aren’t going to tolerate a R800+/month DStv bill just to watch a rugby match. The writing is on the wall, MultiChoice just seems determined to read it as late as possible.

What Unbundling Would Actually Look Like

I’m not asking for anything crazy here. Just give us options:

  • A standalone SuperSport streaming subscription — sport only, reasonable price
  • Proper à la carte channel selection so you pay for what you watch
  • Or at minimum, a sport-only DStv tier that doesn’t force you into the full bouquet

None of that is technically difficult. It’s purely a business model choice. And right now, that choice is being made against the consumer.

The Bottom Line

MultiChoice has had a good run with the bundle model, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify. Forcing sports fans to fund an entire TV ecosystem just to watch a Test match is extractive pricing, plain and simple.

Unbundle SuperSport. Let the product stand on its own merits. If it’s worth watching, and it is, people will pay for it.

Would love to hear what you guys think. Are you still on DStv primarily for sport? Would you switch to a standalone SuperSport streaming product if it existed?

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Bottom line is a lack of legitimate interest in protecting the consumer in SA - monopolies can exist simply by “paying for that right“ , in more ways than one.

As we see in so many other factors of SA life, our country is run by the greed of the few.

Won’t change anytime soon. Only fix then for this sports need is for people to vote with their feet, find alternative options where they can, and speak up. But thanks to the sports bodies being on the gravy train, this won’t change easily.

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Don’t you think it will help if the sport bodies stream directly their viewers, like F1 is already doing?

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For sure, but will they then make as much money?

I would say we have to tackle monopoly laws, but have little faith that could result in enough change. They’ll put the brakes on wherever possible.

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Agree, they will have to find a solution or piracy will just increase.

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