DStv Upsize Promotion Receives Another Extension Amidst A Carriage Dispute

MultiChoice has announced that DStv customers with decoder-based subscriptions will be upgraded to higher-tier packages for free until the end of January 2026. This is because consumers are likely to lose 12 additional channels by the end of this month.

DStv has been running a promotion that gives customers on its mid-tier and entry-level packages access to higher-end bouquets until the end of December. This has now been extended by a month as Warner Bros. Discovery and MultiChoice try to reach an agreement.

Until 31 January 2026, DStv Compact and Compact Plus customers will have access to all Premium channels, while Family and Access customers will be upgraded to Compact. 

DStv Premium subscribers receive two extra concurrent streams, for a total of four, and will get more DStv Rewards points than usual.

While the upgrade promotion is exclusive to decoder-based subscribers, MultiChoice said that DStv Stream customers will get separate offers on DStv Rewards.

To make it easier for customers to get a decoder and other products, DStv is relaunching its online store later this month, offering free delivery and a simpler ordering process.

MultiChoice launched its Upsize promotion on 10 November, immediately following its successful Open Weekend that gave all decoder-based subscribers free access to DStv Premium.

“With the summer holidays fast approaching, families can enjoy a wide range of local and international entertainment,” MultiChoice stated.

It stated that no action is required from customers to receive the upgrade, and normal billing will resume in February 2026.

DStv said the Upsize promotion forms part of its broader plan to improve customer value. MultiChoice CEO for Pay TV South Africa, Byron du Plessis, said the campaign was part of a bigger value reset.

“We’re focused on making DStv more accessible and rewarding, with affordability and customer experience at the heart of our strategy,” Du Plessis said.

The campaign follows several recent initiatives since the company’s takeover by Canal+, including decoder price cuts and a refreshed DStv Rewards programme.

While the DStv Rewards refresh had been in the works since before the takeover, it has been allowed to proceed with Canal+’s blessing.

Woman In Charge Coming Soon To Telemundo Across Africa

Telemundo, an American based entertainment channel offering telenovelas in English and Portuguese is set to rollout a new series titled Woman In Charge. Overseas this series is known as La Jefa which means The Boss in English.

Because Telemundo already has a series called The Boss (La Patrona), the channel will be distributing La Jefa as Woman In Charge.

Synopsis for Woman In Charge

Gloria Guzmán appears to have the perfect life: a successful career, a beloved son, and a wedding day with her fiancé, the high-ranking police commander Juan José Cruz. This dream life shatters when hitmen crash the wedding ceremony and murder her groom. 

Penniless and on the run from Tijuana with her young son, Daniel, Gloria begins an endless race for survival. She initially finds work in a beauty salon run by Maribel Ortiz, a con artist who performs illegal cosmetic surgeries, and forms alliances with other women there, Yadira and Laura. 

Her situation becomes more desperate when Daniel is diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, and she realizes she cannot afford his expensive treatment on a hairdresser's salary. This forces her to break into the criminal underworld of money laundering and drug trafficking. 

Using her intelligence, resilience, and beauty, she gains the mentorship and alliance of powerful cartel bosses, eventually earning the feared title of "La Jefa" (The Boss). As a powerful drug lord, she navigates a world of betrayal and violence, all while trying to defeat the enemies who made her life impossible and discovering a hidden, shadowy figure behind all her misfortunes. 

Based on the 2014 series Señora Acero (Woman Of Steel), it starred Fabiola Guajardo as Gloria Guzmán, Iván Arana as Eduardo Torres, Mauricio Henao as Mateo Restrepo, Azela Robinson as Maribel Ortiz and Andrés Almeida as Jacinto Ortega.

The revenge saga is not over once a Thirst For Revenge comes to a close as the story lives on with  Woman In Charge airing everyday at 10PM CAT from 26 January.

January 2026 On History Channel Across Africa | Channel Premiere: Hazardous History With Henry Winkler | Returning Shows Including Life After People | More

Brand New & Exclusive

LIFE AFTER PEOPLE S3 

5 January

Mondays 19:25

What would happen if every human being on earth disappeared? This is the story of what happens to the world we leave behind. The series builds on the HISTORY Channel’s documentary special ‘Life After People’. This latest season of the series continues to explore what a world wiped clean of humanity would look like. The series uses the most cutting edge visual effects to provide a detailed picture of a post-human future, revealing the fate of famous structures and investigates the creatures that might inherit the places we once lived. Repeat: Next day 11:45

Brand New & Exclusive

BEYOND SKINWALKER RANCH S3

2 January

Fridays 20:15

To fully unlock the secrets of Skinwalker Ranch - widely considered to be ground zero for Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - Dr. Travis Taylor and Erik Bard expand the investigative team and broaden their reach to explore evidence of similar phenomena at sites around the country. Repeat: Monday 12:35

Brand New & Exclusive 

HAZARDOUS HISTORY WITH HENRY WINKLER

22 January

Thursdays 19:25

There was a time, not long ago, when we drank Coca-Cola that was laced with actual cocaine. We smoked everywhere, from airplanes to the doctor’s office. We stored our food in toxic refrigerators and flew down slides that ripped our skin off. We played (unknowingly) with radioactive toys and decorated our Christmas tree with ornaments made from asbestos. And ignorance was bliss. Hosted by the iconic Henry Winkler, each 60-minute episode of this nostalgia-drenched series tells the entertaining stories of the unchecked and unregulated places, people, products, practices, and pastimes from a forgotten era. Fast-paced, informative, and a little bit scary, the series is a running cavalcade of the most careless, reckless and unsupervised tales of irresponsibility in our history. Repeat: Next Day 11:45

Brand New

HITLER’S HOLOCAUST RAILWAYS WITH CHRIS TARRANT 

27 January

Tuesday 21:05

British television personality Chris Tarrant goes on a personal journey to explore the darkest chapter in the history of the railways, their role in the Nazi Holocaust of WWII. Traveling through three countries from Nuremberg to Auschwitz, he explores the history from the first anti -Jewish laws and the Nazi’s quest to build the world’s most powerful railway of war - to the eventual use of that railway network to transport millions to their deaths. Repeat: Next Day 13:25

Amigas Y Rivales (Friends And Rivals) Coming Soon To TLNovelas Across Africa

TLNovelas, a Mexican based entertainment channel by TelevisaUnivision that offers telenovelas in English and Portuguese has announced the addition of Amigas Y Rivales. This translates to Friends And Rivals, the series is slated to rollout in 2026.

Synopsis for Amigas Y Rivales

Amigas Y Rivales tells the story of four women from different social backgrounds. The first is Laura, a studious, sensitive, serious girl from a middle-class family; she studies data processing in a private university because she received a scholarship.

Jimena is the typical rich girl, dissipated and irresponsible, for whom sex is just another amusement. At one point she is kidnapped although she doesn't realize it. She lives with Sebastián, a drug dealer who gives her drugs in exchange for her having sex with men in his home. Ofelia is Jimena's best friend. Like Jimena, she is rich and lives for pleasure and fun, until she gets infected with HIV.

The fourth protagonist is Nayeli, who has a humble background and works as a maid in Jimena's home. Nayeli dreams of being a Hollywood actress, like her idol, Salma Hayek. This dream takes her to the United States illegally, where she meets boxer Johnny Trinidad, who falls in love with her. She is reported to the immigration service and deported back to Mexico.

It starred Michelle Vieth as Laura González Uribe, Arath de la Torre as Roberto "Robertito" de la O Terán, Ludwika Paleta as Jimena de la O Terán, Rodrigo Vidal as Armando del Valle and Adamari López as Ofelia Villada Ruvalcaba.

Amigas Y Rivales premiered on Las Estrellas from February 26, 2001 and concluded on November 9, 2001 after 165 episodes each with a duration of 42 to 45 minutes. It was produced by Emilio Larrosa who is known for shows like Fooled Into Love.

Canal+ Acquires Remaining Stake In MultiChoice Following A Squeeze Out

Multichoice will officially delist from the JSE this week following its acquisition by French media giant Canal+. 

Canal+ has been attempting to acquire control of Multichoice for nearly two years and has now acquired all the remaining shares following a Squeeze-Out of other shareholders. 

The group will not delist the ordinary shares of Multichoice from the JSE and the A2X, effective Wednesday, 10 December 2025. 

This is subject to obtaining regulatory approvals from the JSE, the A2X, and the South Africa Reserve Bank. 

Canal+ said it remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under the conditions set by the South African competition authorities. 

It thus intends to proceed with a secondary inward listing on the JSE within 9 months following the effective date of the delisting.

This aligns with the timetable and procedures envisaged in the relevant regulatory approvals.

The move marks a major change for Multichoice, with the company’s history dating back to 1985, when M-Net was founded. 

With Supersport part of its catalogue, Multichoice was launched in 1995. DStv launched its first satellite service that same year. 

The company would continue to expand into other African markets and launch its own streaming service, Showmax, in 2015. 

In 2019, Multichoice was spun out of South Africa’s most valuable company, Naspers. 

Soon after, its shares began trading on the A2X Markets on a secondary basis on Monday, March 2, 2020

The recent acquisition by Canal+ means that South African investors can no longer own a direct stake in Multichoice, and will only be able to own an indirect stake when Canal+ lists.