Multichoice group is planning to launch its own unique offerings to go toe-to-toe with streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+.

To recall, Multichoice owns DStv, which offers both dish-satellite and streaming options focusing on more traditional television content, including news and live sports. It also owns Showmax, which is a streaming-only service.

Calvo Mawela, Chief Executive at Multichoice, expressed his thoughts on the launch of new streaming services saying: “I would not use the word ‘nervous’. We recognise them, and we know that they are competitors in the market, and we need to take note of their activities in the market like all other competitors that we are competing with across the continent. The competition will happen, but we will see some overlap between the services. Of the content we have pursued ourselves, we are the best in sport and the home of local content in local languages. No matter how fluent people are, they still want to hear the languages that they are able to speak on a day-to-day basis. That’s where we are able to position ourselves”.

Mawela then added: “We are very deliberate in focusing on technology-driven businesses that are going to address the everyday needs of Africans on the continent. We think that with this strategy, we should be able to see great returns for the business going into the future”.

With Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Britbox and other streaming services already available in South Africa, DStv’s next big competitor is likely to be the Disney+ streaming service which will launch in South Africa in 2022.