DStv is giving Select subscribers a free week every month of its new Sports package, in a test MultiChoice says will be extended to other packages before the end of the year if it succeeds.

From Tuesday, Select customers who pay month to month, in full and on time will automatically get seven days’ access to Sports at the start of their new subscription period, the company said. No sign-up is needed, and subscribers revert to Select when the week ends.

The move is clearly designed to entice subscribers to upgrade their packages, in the process boosting average revenue per user, a key industry metric that’s followed closely by investors.

The test follows the biggest overhaul of DStv’s packages in 15 years, which took effect on 17 September and replaced the old line-up with Starter, Select, Sports, Movies & Series and Premium.

Sports is DStv’s first dedicated sport package, with 17 channels carrying every Premier League, Uefa Champions League and Betway Premiership match, as well as international cricket, UFC, WWE and local rugby. Select already includes full Betway Premiership coverage, so the free week mainly gives subscribers a taste of international football, cricket and combat sport.

Select costs R339/month on satellite and R299/month on DStv Stream. Sports costs R479/month on satellite and R399/month on Stream, a gap of R140/month on satellite and R100/month on Stream.

Leaning hard on sport

The offer looks designed to nudge Select subscribers up a tier, and fits a strategy under parent Canal+ that leans harder on sport to hold on to subscribers.

The announcement does not say how many subscribers qualify, whether the free week recurs every billing cycle or is a once-off, or what would count as a successful test.

“We told South Africans to expect more, and we meant it,” said Willington Ngwepe, CEO of MultiChoice, the licensed broadcaster of DStv in South Africa, in a statement on Tuesday. “Our new packages were just the beginning. We’ll continue to find ways to give customers more value from their DStv subscriptions.” — © 2026 NewsCentral Media