New DStv packages in South Africa – with bad news for Formula 1 lovers

The company behind DStv is preparing to launch a completely revamped lineup of viewing packages, and Formula 1 is locked behind the most expensive tier.

According to our sister publication MyBroadband, MultiChoice is set to unveil a new set of packages that will be made available to customers from 17 September 2026.

This is MultiChoice’s biggest change to its content lineup since it first created different DStv options in 2005, adding five main options.

The bad news for motorsport fans is that access to Formula 1 and MotoGP content is tied to the Premium tier, the most expensive of the listed options at R799 per month.

The new model introduces a new standalone package for movies called DStv Movies & Series, while overhauling the old Dstv Compact into a standalone sports package called DStv Sports.

MultiChoice’s commercial arm, DStv Media Sales, unveiled the plan to advertisers on Tuesday afternoon. The media reveal is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg next week on 7 September.

DStv’s South African operator MultiChoice LicenCo, also known as MultiChoice (Pty) Ltd, was created when the MultiChoice Group created a separate entity to manage its South African operating licences when the Groupe Canal+ acquired the company.

The company accidentally published several webpages about its new packages on the DStv website on Friday. These have since been removed, but not before we captured screenshots.

Based on the information leaked on the site, DStv is renaming and changing most of its packages.

DStv Premium is still the option that grants access to everything the platform has to offer, including motorsport.

The packages and price list are as follows:

• DStv Starter – R99 per month
• DStv Select – R299 per month
• DStv Sports – R399 per month
• DStv Movies & Series – R500 per month
• DStv Premium – R799 per month

Note that the prices listed are only for streaming, not for using a decoder. MultiChoice is not changing the pricing for either the streaming-only or decoder-based packages.

DStv Starter grants access to 85 channels, including some sports like the Premier League Match of the Week, as well as local content like kykNET.

The Select package expands the offering to 100 channels, with entertainment like the children’s channel Nickelodeon and M-Net Mzansi Magic. It also has SuperSport’s PSL soccer content.

DStv Sports, previously known as DStv Compact, has 115 channels, including the Premier League, UEFA, UFC, WWE, cricket, local rugby, and the URC.

The new Movies & Series package unlocks M-Net, which was previously reserved for DStv Premium, and features the widest variety of entertainment content.

Last up is the R799 per month DStv Premium package, which has 130 channels including motorsport such as Formula 1 and MotoGP.