DStv has launched a new brand identity called Expect+, alongside a full overhaul of its subscription packages, MultiChoice confirmed this week. The changes took effect on 17 September 2026 in South Africa.
The rebrand marks the biggest change to DStv’s package structure in fifteen years. It follows the acquisition of MultiChoice by French media group Canal+, completed in 2025 in a deal worth more than R50 billion.
Six Packages Replace The Old Lineup
MultiChoice has cut its package structure down to six tiers: Starter, Select, Sports, Movies and Series, Premium, and EasyView. Each targets a specific type of viewer instead of overlapping with the others.
Starter now costs R99 a month and carries 85 or more channels, positioned as the cheapest entry point DStv has offered. Select costs R299 a month for 100 or more channels. A standalone Sports package, priced at R399 a month, gives subscribers 115 or more channels including football, rugby and cricket that were previously locked behind higher tiers.
Movies and Series, a new package priced at R500 a month, bundles 115 or more channels built around drama, film and local content, including M-Net for the first time outside Premium. Premium remains unchanged at R799 a month for 130 or more channels, and EasyView stays at R30 a month for 35 or more channels.
Why MultiChoice Made The Change
MultiChoice CEO Wellington Ngwepe said the previous package structure had not kept pace with how viewers actually watch television. He said customers had asked for simpler options and clearer value.
“We’ve engaged with customers and heard the message loud and clear,” Ngwepe said at the launch event in Randburg, Johannesburg, on 7 September. “What we are providing is something built around customer needs, rather than overlapping packages that try to be something for everybody.”
Canal+ had flagged the overhaul earlier in the year as part of a R1.9 billion plan to turn around MultiChoice’s pay TV business, which has lost subscribers in recent years amid competition from streaming platforms.
New Channels And Automatic Migration
The changes bring new channels alongside the pricing shift. Wethu+, a new entertainment channel carrying live football and local content, is now available from the Starter package upward. SuperSport has renamed several channels, with SuperSport KickOff and SuperSport Football Plus replacing the previous Variety numbering.
M-Net Movies 3 and 4 have been renamed M-Net Stars and M-Net Legends, and both are now available on packages below Premium for the first time.
MultiChoice said it is migrating customers automatically to the package that most closely matches their current plan, and confirmed no subscriber will pay more as a result of the switch. Compact subscribers move to Sports, Family subscribers move to Select, and Access subscribers move to Starter. Premium, Compact Plus and EasyView subscribers remain on their existing packages.
Rollout Limited To South Africa For Now
The new packages and pricing currently apply only to South Africa. MultiChoice said any changes for other African markets, including Kenya and the wider East African region, will be communicated once confirmed.
