MultiChoice Says No More DStv Now Password Sharing, Limited to One Device to Avoid Piracy

• From 22 March 2022, MultiChoice will only allow one user per DStv Now account to stream at any given time
• The broadcaster has become aware of streaming piracy, where many people stream from a single account and only one user pays
• South Africans took to social media to express their outrage over the new policy, as they feel that if they pay, they should get access to multi-device streaming

JOHANNESBURG - MultiChoice has announced that from 22 March 2022, their systems will only allow one person per account to stream DStv Now at a time.

"As part of our ongoing efforts to counteract password sharing and piracy, while continuing to bring you the best viewing experience, we will be introducing measures to limit concurrent streaming," the broadcaster said.

The new policy will apply in South Africa and all African countries where DStv Now is available. According to Channel24, often, one person pays a DStv subscription and shares the password with many people, who then stream without paying.

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New DStv streaming policy draws outrage from customers

Since the announcement yesterday (22 February), many South African DStv subscribers have expressed outrage over the new policy. They feel that as paying customers, they should be allowed to have each family watching the content they want, whenever they want, IOL reports.

Briefly News rounded up some of these responses here:

@shun_pillay shared:

"Driven by greed as a result of losing subscribers. Well, that’s the end of my DSTV subscription. DSTV content quality is poor and other streaming services are already available at a fraction of the cost."

@Sihle_MG remarked:

@AlisterSouth said:

"I’ve had @dstv since 2004, I’m going to cancel my subscription because you are only allowing 1 device to stream at a time. I don’t care what inconvenience I have to face to watch SA sport. Your monopoly won’t last much longer."

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@Chingodzaa believes:

"Minus the football DSTV does not offer anything exceptional."

@UnqAdvisor shared:

Some of the outraged subscribers offered MultiChoice a solution by suggesting that they create a "family plan" for households who want to stream from multiple devices simultaneously, like those offered by Spotify and Netflix.

All DStv packages, channels and prices comparison for 2022

Speaking of DSTV, Briefly News recently reported that all the channels on DStv are available in different packages, which means if you want to enjoy your premium subscription, you have to choose and pay for the package that contains your ideal programmes. Here is an updated overview of DStv packages in South Africa, channels, and prices.

The one crucial question that viewers ask is how do I check my DStv package? This provider has six packages: Premium, Family, Compact, Compact Plus, Access, and EasyView. While different DStv packages and prices vary, they are all placed in balanced groups with channels that suit various family members.

Before paying for a specific package, make sure the particular channels you want are in that bouquet. This is because you will not feel the ultimate viewing experience on offer if you have a ton of channels, but you do not like the playlist's content.

Source: Briefly News