Multichoice to roll out stream-only service for DStv

Multichoice Kenya Managing Director Nancy Matimu(R) cuts tape during the official opening of the Multichoice Kenya Capital Centre branch. Looking on is Jacqueline Sagala(L) Head Of Customer Experience. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

DStv subscribers will from next month be able to stream content from the MultiChoice Group-owned pay-TV service without using a decoder.

MultiChoice Group (Kenya) Managing Director Nancy Matimu said yesterday the latest plan to venture into the over-the-top (OTT) service is informed by the young generation “who are always on the Internet.”

“We need to move and capture that value and be able to give great service to Kenyans and shift with the times,” she said. “And without saying much, I just want to mention at this point that we shall be launching a streaming service in March, which will be decoder-less and dishless. We are really looking forward to the launch,” Ms Matimu added.

She spoke at the opening of a new MultiChoice customer service outlet at Capital Centre along Mombasa Road in Nairobi. The new streaming-only service will allow subscribers to access content directly to their phones or tablets without extra hardware, including a decoder or a satellite connection as long as they have an active subscription and a reliable internet connection.

But the shift, Ms Matimu said, will not compromise the firm’s current digital terrestrial transmission (DTT) services on which its GOtv service runs. Matimu said as the company moves into the future, the DStv app will also be central to their business.

She said the company is working to incorporate artificial intelligence and robotics on the app to add value to customers. Lock-down measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 have brought about a surge in TV watching and online streaming. The service is currently available in South Africa.

According to a report by the Motion Picture Assn, a Washington, DC-based lobby, the number of streaming service subscriptions passed one billion worldwide for the first time in 2020. The report said over the period, global consumer spending on home entertainment exploded, rising 23 per cent to $68.8 billion (Sh7.7 trillion) on the back of online viewing.

The digital home entertainment market increased 33 per cent in the US and 30 per cent internationally, according to the report. MultiChoice also owns Showmax and DStv Now.