MultiChoice Group to Launch DSTV Dishless Streaming Service in 2020

MultiChoice Group might launch a DSTV dishless streaming service in 2020. According to TechCentral, the Group plans to roll out this standalone service by March 2020.

The Group’s DSTV Now streaming service has been tied to a DTH direct-to-home) subscription for some years now. However, the Group’s Connected Video CEO Niclas Ekdahl revealed that they are set to launch a dishless streaming service.

This launch will mark a shift for the company. As it initially launched as a satellite DTH Pay TV 24 years ago. Even after it launched DSTV Now streaming service, its access remained tied to the DTH. But this standalone dishless service will be a game-changer for the company.

Niclas Ekdahl, Connected Video CEO of Multichoice said the group has improved the DStv Now offering in the past year. He stated that the company placed a huge emphasis on boosting the user experience and introducing new features to the service.

According to Ekdahl, the company has progressed in developing the use of broadband connections over satellites and will launch for external testers.

MultiChoice intended to launch by the end of 2019, but currently, the dishless streaming service has only undergone internal testing.

In his words; “we still want to do proper user testing in a real live environment, but the chances of launching by the end of March are pretty good.”

Ekdahl also addressed the risk streaming services posed to traditional satellite services saying; “we can grow in both — there is a dual-growth opportunity. The risk of cannibalization will always be there, but if that’s going to happen, we’d rather risk doing it to ourselves than someone else doing it to us.”