MultiChoice, the pan-African streaming giant now owned by Canal+, has recently made strategic moves to address years of operational losses.
Biggest on the list, the streamer has announced plans to discontinue Showmax, the more nimble subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) app—although it hasn’t given a timeline yet; it also plans to list the group company, Canal+, on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) only months after it delisted in December 2025; it plans to hire more employees, and refocus on exclusive African content, but this time, created for Canal+.
The company also cut decoder prices for DStv, one of its two pay-TV businesses, in January 2026. And now, Canal+ is looking to slash DStv subscription prices entirely, according to Group CEO Maxime Saada.
Canal+ is admitting that the old MultiChoice model—high average revenue per user (ARPU), hardware-led, with a loss-making streamer glued on top—has run out of road. Price cuts on decoders and, potentially, DStv subs are not charity; they are a volume play.
Cheaper entry points make it easier to stabilise or grow subscriber numbers, which matters if you want to pitch Canal+ to JSE retail investors as a growth story rather than a shrinking cash cow. Lower prices also blunt competitors, while a tighter focus on Afrikaans, Zulu, and other local-language content keeps the one moat global streamers cannot easily copy.
Cheaper decoders and subscriptions make it easier to keep households inside the DStv universe at a time when Netflix, YouTube, and piracy are all competing for the same monthly wallet.
Goodbye to the super app? In October 2025, Saada previously floated the idea of a “super app”—a single platform where customers could manage DStv, Showmax, and other services in one place. With Showmax on the chopping block and Canal+ being rolled out as the primary streaming service, that vision has likely shifted course.
Instead of a neutral app that aggregates content from global streamers, a Canal+-branded ecosystem is emerging; one that bundles DStv channels, Canal+ streaming, and local exclusives, while rival platforms remain separate apps.
