For the first time in several years, MultiChoice will not implement its customary April price increase on DStv subscriptions, marking a notable shift in direction under its new owner, Canal+, as the pay television operator attempts to stem mounting subscriber losses across its markets. The decision was confirmed by MultiChoice Group chief executive, David Mignot, who stated that there will be no tariff adjustment in April, explaining that the company’s immediate priority is to rebuild its subscriber base rather than risk further attrition through higher prices, although he acknowledged that future adjustments later in the year cannot be completely ruled out should economic conditions such as sharp currency movements warrant reconsideration.
The announcement breaks with a long standing pattern in which MultiChoice traditionally reviewed and raised DStv subscription fees each April, often attributing the increases to inflationary pressures and escalating content acquisition costs, and as recently as April 2025 bouquet prices were lifted by between 2.1 per cent and 7.9 per cent, with the DStv Premium package rising from R929 to R979 per month while entry level offerings such as DStv Access recorded some of the steepest hikes, making this year’s pause a significant departure from established practice.
The shift comes against the backdrop of worsening subscriber erosion, with MultiChoice losing 2.8 million linear broadcasting customers in the two years ended 31 March 2025, roughly half of those losses occurring in South Africa, while the financial year to end March 2025 alone saw a decline of 1.2 million subscribers representing an eight per cent year on year drop that left the group with 14.5 million active customers, following an even steeper contraction of 1.6 million the previous year and indications by Canal+ in June 2025 that the pace of decline had accelerated further.
The financial toll has been severe as revenue for the year ended 31 March 2025 fell by R4 billion to R52 billion and trading profit slumped by 49 per cent to R4 billion, prompting Mignot to argue that the company’s difficulties are rooted less in the strength of its programming than in shortcomings within its commercial execution, noting that subscription businesses typically face annual churn rates of between 12 and 15 per cent as customers relocate, lose jobs or adjust household budgets, and that without attracting a comparable number of new subscribers each year, losses inevitably accumulate despite strong brands such as SuperSport, M Net and Africa Magic.
Drawing on Canal+’s experience in French speaking African markets where pricing has remained largely stable for close to fourteen years under a volume driven strategy, Mignot signalled a renewed focus on rebuilding scale while protecting profitability, and with Canal+ set to present its first combined financial results since the September 2025 acquisition on 11 March covering the year ended 31 December 2025, the decision to hold April prices steady represents an early test of whether price stability can slow subscriber losses and restore momentum in a business confronting intensifying competition and shifting consumer habits.