MULTICHOICE SPORTS PACKAGES POSSIBLE

It’s no secret that MultiChoice has been hit hard over the last few years. Not only did subscriber numbers drop drastically, but shareholder prices did as well.

The company’s DStv packages have never catered for a sports-only package, but that may soon be a reality.

The flagship SuperSport channels are the only channels that still have high viewership numbers, and with the upcoming Springboks tours, those numbers are expected to increase even more.

Other sports like cricket, rugby, football and MMA have also shown a strong growth and engagement across the SuperSport channels.

In light of this, Multichoice CEO Calvo Mawela has said the company is considering new stand-alone sports packages as part of its strategy to adapt to changing viewer habits.

“As part of our product offering, we have always had this project that we ran every year where we look at our packaging structures, similar to what Sky did some years back where they had a basic package, they had a sports package on the side (and) they had a general entertainment package on the side,” Mawela said.

Although Mawela hasn’t gone so far as to confirm the separate packages, he has hinted at the possibility.

“We’ve accelerated that project in terms of getting us to finalise which direction we’re going to take in this financial year. But yes, we are considering all options as part of a broader product offering going forward.”

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