Five packages, two price lists, from 17 September
The new DStv packages 2026 line-up goes live on 17 September, with prices running from R150 to R979 a month on satellite and R99 to R799 on DStv Stream. Access, Family and Compact disappear. Starter, Select and Sports replace them, and a new Movies and Series package slots in below Premium.
MultiChoice announced the change at a media briefing in Randburg on Monday 7 September 2026. It is the first rework of the package structure in about 15 years, and it follows the Canal+ takeover of MultiChoice.
Nobody pays more. DStv says migration is automatic, that no price goes up when you are moved, and that you do not need a new decoder or an app update.
The full price list
Satellite and DStv Stream are priced differently for every package except Movies and Series, which costs the same on both.
| Package | Channels | Satellite | DStv Stream | Replaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 85+ | R150 | R99 | Access |
| Select | 100+ | R339 | R299 | Family |
| Sports | 115+ | R479 | R399 | Compact |
| Movies and Series | 115+ | R500 | R500 | New package |
| Premium | 130+ | R979, or R799 on a 24 month contract | R799 | Unchanged |
| EasyView | 35+ | R30 | Not applicable | Unchanged |
The R799 satellite price for Premium is the one to look at closely. It is R180 a month below the standard R979 satellite price and it includes the access fee, but it is tied to a 24 month contract. Over two years that is R4 320 saved against a rolling month to month subscription, in exchange for locking yourself in for the full period.
Who moves where
Migration happens automatically and in phases from 17 September. Your account may still show the old package name for a while, and DStv says you will get the new channels anyway.
- Access subscribers move to Starter.
- Family subscribers move to Select.
- Compact subscribers move to Sports.
- Premium and EasyView subscribers stay where they are.
- Compact Plus stays as it is, but closes to new subscriptions.
There is a discrepancy worth noting on Compact Plus. DStv’s own FAQ says Compact Plus customers stay on their current package unless they choose to change. Some coverage of the briefing reported that Compact Plus subscribers would be moved onto Premium for 12 months at their current price. Check your own account in the MyDStv app rather than relying on either version.
What actually changes in the boxes
The real story is not the pricing, which is flat. It is that content has been pulled down out of Premium.
M-Net and kykNET leave Premium exclusivity for the first time since DStv launched, landing on the new Movies and Series package at R500. SuperSport Cricket also drops out of Premium and onto the Sports package, which covers the SA20, the IPL, the Proteas and Test cricket.
The Sports package at R479 on satellite carries 17 dedicated sport channels: every Premier League, Champions League and PSL match, Currie Cup and SA Cup rugby, one United Rugby Championship fixture a week, UFC and EFC, and cycling including the Tour de France and the Cape Epic.
Premium keeps what still justifies its price. Springbok and international rugby, Formula 1, MotoGP, SuperBikes, the Dakar Rally, golf majors and tennis stay on the top tier only.
Some channels close. Mzansi Wethu, Bioskop Movies and Mzansi Music fold into a new channel called Wethu+, which is on every package from Starter up. M-Net Movies 1 and 2 become M-Net Movies+, M-Net Movies 3 becomes M-Net Stars, and M-Net Movies 4 becomes M-Net Legends, which reaches down to Starter. The SuperSport Variety channels are renamed: Variety 1 becomes SuperSport Football Plus, Variety 2 becomes SuperSport KICKOFF, Variety 3 becomes SuperSport Africa and Variety 4 becomes SuperSport Action.
Which package is now worth it
Work backwards from what you actually watch rather than from what you currently pay.
- If you only watch local drama and a couple of matches a week, Starter at R99 on Stream now carries two PSL matches and two Premier League matches of the week on Wethu+.
- If you watch football seriously but do not care about rugby or motorsport, Sports at R399 on Stream is the package that used to require Premium for cricket.
- If you watch M-Net and kykNET series and almost no sport, Movies and Series at R500 is the first time that content has been available without Premium.
- If you watch Springbok rugby or Formula 1, you are still on Premium, and the 24 month contract at R799 is the cheapest satellite route to it.
- Add ons are unchanged. Add Indian, Add Movies, Netflix, Mobile Stream, XtraView and the insurance products all carry on. Disney+ is no longer available on Streama and Explora boxes.
This restructure lands after a long stretch of subscriber losses, and it sits alongside a broader squeeze on household entertainment spending, with South Africans already cutting back on DStv and Netflix. MultiChoice had earlier signalled that DStv prices would stay flat this year, and this change holds to that. The wider shake-up in local streaming continues after Showmax was shut down.
Where to check
DStv publishes the package list, prices and migration details at www.dstv.com, and you can confirm which package you are on through the MyDStv app, the WhatsApp self service channel or DStv customer care. Compare the tiers on the DStv package compare tool before you change anything, because moving off your automatic migration is a choice you make, not one that is made for you.
