DStv is making significant changes to the way its online and app-based streaming works and the most recent of these changes is the removal of the DStv “Catch Up” category on the DStv website. This has now been replaced with new TV Shows, Movies, Sport, and Kids sections.
DStv customers noticed this after they were logged out of their web streaming session, forcing them to log back into the platform, where they noticed that the Catch Up category had been removed.
MyBroadband asked MultiChoice about this change, and the company has confirmed that it is removing the Catch Up option from both its web-based streaming platform and mobile application.
“Over the last two weeks, we began rolling out a navigation change that makes it easier for our streaming customers to find content to watch,” MultiChoice said.
“The option to watch Catch Up remains the same, but titles are now grouped into user-friendly categories, namely TV Shows, Movies, Sport, and Kids. The update is already live on the web and will be rolled out to the app across supported devices in the coming weeks.”
It is important to note that while the Catch Up category will be missing from the DStv mobile app and website, the same selection of content will be available under the new categories.
“All the same titles that customers enjoy streaming under the Catch Up section remain on the service and can be found via the new categories,” MultiChoice said.
This new interface is more similar to other video-on-demand streaming services such as Showmax and Netflix than DStv’s previous Catch Up facility.
Catch Up will likely still remain the preferred nomenclature for decoder navigation, however, due to the dedicated button which sports its name on many DStv remotes.
The old and new DStv web streaming categories are shown below.
Old DStv Streaming Menu
New DStv Streaming Menu
DStv Now and Catch Up Shelved
As part of the modernization of its online streaming service, MultiChoice has not only begun phasing out the Catch Up terminology, but it has also dropped the DStv Now name.
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Its online streaming service is now just called “DStv” and functions more like an online version of the full DStv offering – which is what it will eventually become.
MultiChoice previously announced it would launch a standalone streaming service that will allow customers to watch all the content available on their full DStv bouquet without a satellite connection.
The rebranding of the DStv streaming service is the first step towards the ability to sign up for DStv packages without a decoder or satellite connection.
Once this functionality is enabled, DStv will function as a broadcast service which delivers content over either satellite or Internet, depending on the user’s preference.
This online-only service will be priced identically to the satellite one, but South Africans may benefit from the bundling of uncapped fibre package with DStv streaming subscriptions.
Currently, however, customers are still not able to sign up for a DStv account without ordering a decoder or satellite connection.
Jamie McKane
