MultiChoice is hiking DStv subscription fees again from 1 April with subscribers of the fastest-growing tiers, DStv Compact and DStv Compact Plus now seeing the steepest increase.
DStv Compact Plus (the renamed DStv Extra) will pay 4.1% more from April with these DStv subscribers seeing their monthly payment going up from R489 to R509 per month.
DStv Compact subscribers will be paying 5.5% more as their monthly fees will increase fromR365 to R385 per month.
DStv Family subscribers on the lower tier are hit the hardest with a 6% increase with their subscription climbing from R235 to R249 per month.
The top-tier and most expensive DStv package, DStv Premium, will cost 2.5% more from 1 April, rising from R789 to R809 per month.
The 2.5% increase is however almost half of the 4% price hike for DStv Premium last year. The percentage of MultiChoice's DStv Premium subscriptions as part of overall DStv subscriptions have been steadily declining the past few years, an indication that subscribers no longer see it as offering as much, or enough value, to justify the high price.
The bottom-rung DStv Access remains unchanged at R99 per month and DStv EasyViewremains unchanged at R29 per month.
While subscribers on the legacy DStv Select package continue to lose channels that are not being replaced, they will see a price hike of 6% from R235 to R249 per month.
People with M-Net analogue decoders will see a price increase of 5.1% from April with their subscription fees rising from R389 to R409 per month. M-Net analogue subscribers are now paying more than for DStv Compact although that bouquet obviously doesn't include the sought-after M-Net (DStv 101) channel.
DStv's access fee for PVR users will increase by 5.9% from R85 to R90 per month.
Decoder insurance fees remain unchanged and DStv BoxOffice PVR rental fees at R35 per title also remains unchanged.
MultiChoice elsewhere in Africa lowered DStv fees the past few months in countries ranging from Kenya, Zambia, Uganda and Ghana, saying in a statement that "We recognise that our customers are living in tough economic times and want to reward them for their ongoing loyalty and support. We want to do our part by adjusting the price of our DStv packages through making them more affordable while adding more value at the same time."
While South Africa's rand has been performing better than most other African nation currencies and has even marginally strengthened, MultiChoice keeps hiking DStv prices in South Africa annually, where its largest subscriber base is located.
About the latest DStv price hike for South Africa MultiChoice repeats the exact phrase it used in 2017, saying "We're committed to keep improving our offering so it gets better every year".
