MultiChoice expands DStv ON DEMAND offerings

MultiChoice (JSE: NPN)(LSE:NPSN) today announced the launch of DStv ON DEMAND

The DStv ON Demand service is now available through any of our PVR decoders. This is a service where subscribers are able to catch up on their favourite TV series and sports highlights at a time that is convenient to them. It is available to Premium subscribers only and the first phase of the service is free. It provides 20 hours of the most popular TV series and sports magazines shows for up to 7 days after broadcast on DStv Channels.

DStv ON DEMAND Online can be accessed by using a personal computer or similar device through our dstv.com website and provides 80 hours per week of premium content including blockbuster movies, award-winning series, sporting action, kids’ shows and documentaries.

Nolo Letele, Group CEO of MultiChoice South Africa says “Last week we announced enhancements to our bouquet offering. DStv ON DEMAND adds another element to the overall viewing experience of DStv and it is the first step of making our services available to subscribers on a number of different platforms.”

At launch, the online service will only be available through the MWEB ADSL service. Discussions with other ISPs are underway to ensure that the service is widely accessible.

John Kostafis, CEO of DStv Online, a MultiChoice company says: “It is crucial that the service is of a high quality standard and this is only possible if ISPs are able to meet certain technical criteria. Due to the large size of the files, downloading content will use significant amount of bandwidth, and for this reason, we recommend an uncapped service for the best viewing experience”.

The content of the DStv ON Demand online will be hosted by MWEB who has built a content delivery network for this purpose. The network will be open to other ISP’s that peer with MWEB to ensure the fastest possible response for end-users and also to ensure cost-effective delivery of the content to other network providers.