MultiChoice Group, now owned by Canal+, is ramping up its turnaround strategy with a festive season campaign designed to claw back market share.
The pay-television operator has launched “Thol-iUpsize”, a DStv promotion that automatically upgrades active decoder subscribers to higher-tier packages at no extra cost between 10 November and 31 December 2025.
Compact Plus and Compact customers get access to Premium channels, while Family and Access customers are bumped up to Compact – a move aimed at re-energising engagement and stemming subscriber losses.
“What we’re doing with our Upsize campaign is part of a bigger value reset at DStv,” said Byron du Plessis, CEO: Pay TV South Africa at MultiChoice, in a statement on Monday. “We’re focused on making DStv more accessible and rewarding, with affordability and customer experience at the heart of our strategy.”
With the business losing millions of subscribers in recent years, particularly at the high end, the shift in focus is critical to the turnaround being led by Canal+ and newly installed CEO David Mignot.
The Upsize offer forms part of a broader value-for-money drive that includes decoder price cuts to as low as R299, an updated DStv Rewards programme, and a new online store launching later this month with free delivery and simplified ordering.
Competitive
The campaign arrives ahead of a packed sporting calendar featuring the TotalEnergies CAF Afcon 2025 (kicking off 21 December) and the Betway SA20 cricket tournament (from 26 December), alongside new festive entertainment line-ups such as Mpondoland on Mzansi Magic and Kokkedoor: Son en See on KykNet.
Customers don’t need to opt in – the temporary upgrade is applied automatically and normal billing resumes in January 2026.
Read: DStv slashes decoder prices and brings back ‘Open Time’
The Thol-iUpsize initiative underscores MultiChoice’s attempt to rebuild momentum in a fiercely competitive video market by focusing on affordability and value. The company’s majority shareholder, Canal+, has backed a strategy that blends premium content with better pricing and improved customer perks to keep DStv top-of-mind for South African households.
Du Plessis said the combination of free upgrades, reduced hardware prices and major sports coverage shows that MultiChoice is “listening to customers and giving back real value”. Of course, the real test of that will come in future financial results. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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