What Happened To M-Net Movies Pop-Up Channels On DStv?

M-Net Movies pop-up channels was once a staple on DStv for franchises such as Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Fast & Furious and Star Wars. It served as one of those high profile events for DStv Premium and AddMovies subscribers.

Pop-up channels was once a concept that not only MultiChoice but various pay-tv companies around the world had offered at one point. In some cases, this meant giving viewers a glimpse behind the action with documentaries and interviews.

Instead of launching separate channels, M-Net would rather consolidate this offering on existing channels. One example is the Fan Favourites Festival where DStv viewers can pick what broadcasts on the screen.

This reduces the technical cost of running a dedicated extra channel while still offering that "binge-fest" experience. 

MultiChoice had also shifted their priorities for such events to DStv Stream and Catch-Up. Instead of waiting on a movie to broadcast on a pop-up channel, you can now find these movies under a particular tile or folder through these services.

Now under French hands, Canal+ is looking to simplify packages and rationalize on brands. There's no telling what's to become of DStv Premium and AddMovies as MultiChoice had lost millions of its top paying clients since 2016.

We can only imagine that Canal+ will probably look to merge some packages and bring down the prices for others while closing a couple of channels.

For MultiChoice, they have about 10 movie channels and this doesn't include Mzansi Bioskop, CineMagic, Zee Cinema and Africa Magic Epic. There's no telling if under Canal+ they'd continue having this many movie channels as they're in cost cutting mode.

Recap: May The 4th Be With You As Disney Unveils Themes Events And Programming

- Mando Mondays announced at Comic Con Africa Cape Town In Celebration of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Hitting Cinemas Nationwide on 22 May 

- May The 4th is a beloved commemoration of the Star Wars saga

- Galactic Programming Across Disney Channels and Disney+

- An Array of Star Wars Product from LEGO® to Figurines and Plush Available

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 4 May 2026; In celebration of International Star Wars Day, Disney Africa today has announced Mando Mondays – a fan-driven celebration of the upcoming action-adventure must-see cinematic event from Lucasfilm, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.

In the film, the evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu. Directed by Jon Favreau, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu also stars Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White.

Ahead of the film’s release from 22 May 2026, and as announced at a fan-filled Star Wars face off at Comic Con Cape Town this past weekend, Disney Africa is calling on South African fans to get in on the celebrations by visiting the Star Wars and Disney Studios Africa Facebook and Instagram pages to keep up to date on news and competitions to be announced throughout May. More competitions featuring the latest Star Wars products will be in hand through influencer unboxings and reveals, and there’s a galaxy to discover each Monday exclusively on Takealot, with a live shopping experience today only on Takealot.com. 

Burger King® is bringing the Force to flame-grilling with the launch of a limited-time menu inspired by Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Rolling out from 27 April in South Africa the new menu combines bold flavours, immersive packaging and exclusive collectibles to create a truly galactic experience for fans of all ages.  

This Is The Way… To Binge It All On Disney+

Lucasfilm’s acclaimed and celebrated series Maul: Shadow Lord premiere’s its last two episodes on 4 May and adds to the enthralling story of the iconic Maul, a former Sith, who is plotting to rebuild the Shadow Collective crime syndicate to aid in his relentless pursuit of revenge.

As the home of Star Wars, Disney+ has a galaxy of stories awaiting including the complete Star Wars Saga, original series from Ahsoka and Andor, to incredible animated offerings like The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, to documentaries and specials and much, much more for every Star Wars fan to celebrate on May the 4th and beyond.

Discover Special Programming

Disney Channel (DStv Channel 303) viewers are in for a treat as two LEGO® Star Wars series premiere on the channel. From 4-7 May at 16:30 (CAT), LEGO® Star Wars: Rebuild The Galaxy sees the entire Star Wars Galaxy getting completely mixed up when an ordinary nerf-herder, Sig Greebling, unearths a powerful artifact from a hidden Jedi Temple. Then from 11-14 May at 16:30 (CAT) LEGO® Star Wars: Rebuild The Galaxy Pieces of the Past sees Sig, Jedi Bob, Yesi, Servo and the villainous Dev return and must face off against a new enemy – the powerful and mysterious Solitus. Our heroes will make unlikely alliances as they traverse new and dangerous parts of the hilariously mixed-up galaxy in an effort to stop the growing threat Solitus poses to all they hold dear.

The Most Wanted product in the Universe

Retailers nationwide will stock the latest and greatest collectibles, accessories and toys for the whole family from the exclusive Star Wars: Most Wanted celebration.

Highlights include the LEGO® BB-8 Astromech Droid Building Toy, lightsabers for any Padawan or Jedi and an array of Star Wars plush toys. In anticipation for the release of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, fans can collect a number of fun products from Hasbro including the interactive animatronic figure Star Wars: Adventure Buddy Grogu, Star Wars: Huggin Grogu Figure with motion-activated hugging arms and sound effects as well as the Star Wars: Snacking Grogu featuring expressive movements, sound effects and interactive feeding play. LEGO® will also offer the Star Wars: Grogu™ (Mandalorian Apprentice) building set, a must-add for any collector.

May the 4th Be With You

Say “May the 4th Be With You” out loud and you’ll hear the pun that Star Wars fans worldwide have turned into a rallying cry to proclaim their love of the saga.

Today - 4 May - is the day to say “May the Force be with you” to all and celebrate the beloved Star Wars story that binds our galaxy together. From dressing up as their favourite characters, reliving the classic film moments by holding Star Wars movie marathons, holding Star Wars-themed parties (complete with blue milk and Death Star Popcorn Balls, Wookie Cookies and more) – the only limit is a fans imagination that stretches a galaxy (far, far away)! Discover more: https://www.starwars.com/star-wars-day.

Below Deck Mediterranean Returns For Its Milestone Tenth Season As They Set Sail To Spain From 17 May On Bravo Africa.

Below Deck Mediterranean Season 10 will premiere on Bravo Africa (DStv 124) on Sunday, 17 May at 6:10 PM with new episodes every Sunday until 13 September 2026. Franchise favourites Captain Sandy Yawn and Chief Stew Aesha Scott return to lead the ship alongside Nathan Gallagher, the season nine Deckhand upped to Bosun, and a familiar face from season eight, Deckhand Max Salvador.

Additional new crew include Chef Josh Bingham, Stews Kizzi Kitchener and Victoria SanJaun, and Deckhands Christmas Trimino and Tessa Budd.

Coming up this season:

The vibrant energy and artful cityscapes of Barcelona provide the perfect backdrop as Captain Sandy reunites with a newly engaged Chief Stew Aesha for a landmark 10th season that toasts to a decade of unforgettable yachting. Back on board and recently promoted to Bosun, Nathan will need to prove himself in this new role and Max is back as a deckhand to showcase his growing maturity. On deck of the sleek new M/Y Bravado, Captain Sandy immediately feels in her element, back in the city she once called home.  

With a top-tier team of stews by her side, Aesha is able to run the interior with efficiency and seven-star Med service. With this new-found excellence, will she finally become the mentor she always wanted to be? Nathan steps on board after a shocking delay and instantly feels the pressure with a team that seems inexperienced and unmotivated, forcing him to make a tough decision. New Chef Josh is Michelin trained and, having lived on a commune, brings a unique blend of carefree clown-like creativity and skill to the galley. As requests pile up, however, he begins to battle sleepless nights.

This season, the pressure is on to make the charters unforgettable as the crew must navigate the demands of guests with ultra-luxurious taste and a wild streak to match. Unpredictable Mediterranean weather leads to unexpected docked days, leaving guests restless and pushing the crew to get creative under pressure. For the first time, an eligible bachelor enlists his matchmaker to invite six women on board with the ultimate hope of finding love.  

Flirtations spark early as a stewardess with a wandering eye catches everyone’s attention leading to deeper connections and continuous drama throughout the season. After a messy start, Nathan rekindles his past connection with Gael and this time it grows into something much more than they both imagined.   

Below Deck Mediterranean is produced by 51 Minds Entertainment. Jill Goslicky, Ryan Braun, Mark Cronin, Tania Hamidi, Julie Pizzi, Zachary Klein and Nicole Elliott executive produce.

Below Deck Mediterranean Season 10 premieres on Bravo Africa (DStv 124) on 17 May at 6:10 PM, with new episodes every Sunday until the season finale on 13 September 2026.

 

DStv Might Be Restructuring It's Promo Channel

Since Canal+ takeover of MultiChoice, the French broadcaster had begun integrating it's offering onto the company. This would include Pulaayu and Zacu TV which was once only available to Canal+ Afrique now being accessible on DStv.

Even the corporate name MultiChoice had been embedded with the Canal+ trademark alongside its media contacts for M-Net and SuperSport. I mean with a takeover these things tend to happen as the acquiring company wants to familiarise consumers.

Now another restructure that might be underway soon for DStv consumers (most likely GOtv) would be the promo channel Dish that operates in the 100 spot just before M-Net.

Since late 2025, the number of ads seen on Dish had been radically reduced with majority of it coming from KykNET. This might form part of another restructure as there's been a debate about the axing of Afrikaans commentary on SuperSport.

Aside from Francophone Africa, Canal+ also operates in Europe, France and Asia so maybe some advanced version of Dish is underway. This version will probably promote the bulk of content seen on Canal+ Afrique if not the latter markets.

I mean such conclusion wouldn't seem that far fetched as a lot of assets within MultiChoice has already gotten the Canal+ emblem. Even their press portal not only requires MultiChoice credentials and personal but also that of the French overloads.

Canal+ is expected to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in the coming months and it's likely to mirror the current value of the company in London. This shares were trading at R75 and with this merger that's likely to almost double in value.

Could Canal+ Be Looking To Rebrand M-Net's African Channels On DStv?

A few months ago, it was announced SPI International was looking to rebrand it's FilmBox channels in Europe, Africa and other parts of the world to FilmBox+. This formed part of an alignment strategy as a means to strengthen the brand.

Canal+ took control of SPI International by 2023 after buying up shares in the company. This would make FilmBox part of the larger Canal+ ecosystem which include significant movie/TV content production and distribution assets like StudioCanal.

The recent reporting of them rebranding FilmBox Action to FilmBox+ Action with Kino TV being phased out for FilmBox+ One is to make these brands appear more unified. I think the question now is whether the same fate awaits M-Net.

Aside from M-Net 101, there's also Mzansi Magic, KykNET, Africa Magic, Abol TV, Maisha Magic, Akwaaba Magic, Zambezi Magic and Pearl Magic.

Will these brands also be given the + symbol with M-Net being phased out for Canal+ Premium perhaps?

While there's no guarantees, SPI International is singing the same tune as MultiChoice with both of them now identified as A Canal+ Company. They both also have seen certain aspects of the company rebranding to Canal+.

Although Canal+ doesn't intend to reduce local content that doesn't exclude the possibility of a rebrand. With Canal+ looking to launch its streaming service in MultiChoice markets we could as well be see a "+" symbol on Mzansi Magic's name.

Magic is how the previous regime at MultiChoice and M-Net chose to identify and Canal+ may want to enhance that by adding the "+" symbol. Because in most if not all the markets they operate in that's how they usually identify themselves. 

Let's remember that sometime ago when asked about M-Net, KykNET and Africa Magic responded to say "we love SuperSport".