Monthly tracker: activity across streaming platforms, telecoms, and major pay-TV industry developments.
UCC and Starlink signed an MoU and operating-licence agreement at State House, Entebbe, on May 15, 2026, witnessed by President Museveni — reversing the January 1 order that forced Starlink to switch off all Ugandan terminals. Uganda becomes the 28th African country where Starlink is licensed. Source: State House Uganda; Space in Africa.
ICASA published draft amendments to the Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations (2015) and Fees Regulations (2010), setting authorisation procedures for satellite user terminals and Earth Stations in Motion and a registration framework for international satellite operators — Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Amazon Kuiper — serving South African customers. Comment deadline June 29, 2026. Source: ICASA; tech.africa.
MultiChoice confirmed all 104 FIFA World Cup matches live on DStv/SuperSport across Africa, with coverage pushed down to entry tiers (Access through Premium) and discounted decoder and installation deals for new customers. Paired with the 'Everything Can Wait' campaign launched May 21, 2026. Source: DStv; SuperSport.
Tanzania-based Azam TV secured rights to all 104 matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup across Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Rwanda, with dedicated Swahili and English feeds. Reported mid-May; unveiled at a Nairobi press briefing on May 28, 2026. Source: Sportcal; Broadcast Media Africa.
The JSE approved a fast-track inward secondary listing of all 991,959,494 Canal+ ordinary shares on the Main Board (code CNP, 'CANALPLUS'); pre-listing announcement on SENS May 12, 2026, trading to begin June 3. Canal+ keeps its primary LSE listing; market cap about £2.25bn (≈ R51bn). Fulfils a commitment to the SA Competition Tribunal from the MultiChoice takeover, and makes Canal+ the first French company on the JSE. Source: JSE/SENS; Business Day.
Togo-based New World TV, the exclusive sub-Saharan rights holder for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, convened partner broadcasters from 43 sub-Saharan countries in Lomé on May 11–12, 2026 alongside FIFA to operationalize a centralized signal-redistribution system. Every partner channel depends on the Lomé-redistributed feed, making New World TV the continent's sub-Saharan World Cup distribution hub. Source: Afreepress; Togo First.
Showmax shut down across 44 markets in Sub-Saharan Africa at 23:59 on April 30, 2026. No new subscribers or renewals from March 31. Former subscribers were offered a free DStv Stream trial through end-May, then DStv Stream Compact at migration pricing (R99/month in South Africa; about KES 550/month in Kenya) for one year. Selected Showmax Originals moved to a dedicated section inside DStv Stream. Profiles and watch history did not transfer.
Amazon Kuiper Kenya Limited applies to the Communications Authority of Kenya for a Network Facilities Provider Tier 2 licence, per regulatory notice dated April 17, 2026. Follows a seven-year satellite permit granted by Nigeria's NCC in January 2026. Amazon's satellite service was rebranded from Project Kuiper to Amazon LEO in November 2025.
Canal+ confirms plans to simplify DStv's product and pricing structure after taking control of MultiChoice. In South Africa, customers face up to 17 price points depending on satellite or streaming use. Further changes expected including channel renaming and consolidation.
South Africa's B-BBEE ICT Sector Council opens public consultation on the 2016 ICT Sector Code and an updated Equity Equivalent Investment Programme process, with written comments due May 20, 2026. Starlink remains unlicensed in South Africa.
CRAN (Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia) formally rejects Starlink's applications for a telecommunications service licence and radio spectrum access. Published in the government gazette on March 23, 2026. CRAN cites failure to meet Namibia's 51% local ownership requirement and prior non-compliance — Starlink had received a cease-and-desist order in November 2024. Starlink contested the ruling, calling the claim of non-compliance "misleading." A 90-day reconsideration window remains open. Source: Reuters; Space in Africa.
MultiChoice emails subscribers with a firm wind-down timeline. March 31: last day to renew subscriptions or redeem vouchers. April 1: no new sign-ups or renewals. All access ends by end of April 2026, or when the current subscription expires — whichever comes first. Showmax Originals and library content will migrate to DStv Stream.
Orange Tunisie launches Orange Satellite, a retail satellite internet service providing broadband coverage across Tunisia including underserved rural areas. Expands the potential base for streaming platform access in a market where fixed broadband penetration remains limited. Source: Orange Tunisie official site.
Canal+ Africa CEO David Mignot confirms the company intends to extend its existing Netflix bundle partnership from Francophone Africa to English-speaking sub-Saharan Africa including South Africa. The bundle has been live in Francophone Africa since July 2025. No timeline or launch date confirmed.
Starlink becomes commercially available in the Central African Republic following regulatory approval in December 2025.
Canal+ announces Showmax's discontinuation. FY2025 loss: R4.947 billion (up 88% year-on-year). Three-year cumulative trading loss: R8.7 billion. Peak subscribers: ~3.1 million. Operated across 44 sub-Saharan African markets — the largest sub-Saharan streaming footprint of any platform. Was the single largest commissioner of locally produced African content in the streaming space. Canal+ says existing originals will migrate to Africa Magic, M-Net, kykNET, and Mzansi Magic linear channels. Canal+ has committed to an "expanded content offering and platform upgrades" for MultiChoice subscribers — no specific replacement streaming platform, launch date, commissioning budget, or local originals strategy announced. Premier League mobile access (previously R69/month) has no announced affordable replacement.
Canal+ CEO David Mignot confirms DStv will not raise prices in April 2026 — breaking a pattern of annual increases held for many years. "We are building subscribers, so it's not the right time to increase pricing." The decision is Canal+'s first major consumer-facing signal since completing the MultiChoice acquisition in September 2025, and a direct response to the loss of 2.8 million subscribers over two years. Source: TechCentral; Advanced Television.
Starlink goes live in Senegal, its 26th African market. The Senegalese government negotiated 5,000 kits at preferential terms to connect one million citizens by end of 2026, prioritising schools, health centres, and rural communities. Senegal's regulator ARTP confirmed the launch under a defined regulatory framework. Source: Space in Africa; Dakaractu.
SABC+ announces 2 million registered users at OTT Content Streaming Summit Africa. 1.5M monthly actives. 111K new registrations/month (retrospective figure from the 1M milestone in May 2025). Microsoft AI partnership announced January 29, 2026. Platform is free AVOD.
Starlink operates in 25+ African countries by early 2026. In the first seven months of 2025 it launched in seven new markets: Liberia, Niger, Somalia, Guinea-Bissau, DRC, Lesotho, and Chad. A May 2025 partnership with Airtel Africa targets schools and hospitals across 14 countries. In Nigeria, Starlink became the second-largest fixed ISP by subscriber count. Capacity constraints triggered subscription freezes in Lagos, Abuja, Nairobi, and Harare. South Africa remains blocked — SpaceX cannot obtain a licence without meeting the 30% Black Economic Empowerment ownership requirement. Structural relevance: in markets with weak fixed broadband, Starlink is becoming a de facto connectivity layer for streaming.
Ethio Telecom launches teleStream — state-owned IPTV and OTT platform for Ethiopia (130M people). 60+ live TV channels, 350+ VOD titles at launch. Delivered via fiber, 4G, and 5G infrastructure on local telecloud. Bundled with fixed broadband packages.
Nigeria's NCC grants Amazon's Kuiper Systems a seven-year satellite permit covering Ka-band services over Nigeria from February 2026 to February 2033. Commercial service had not launched as of April 29, 2026. Amazon's satellite service was rebranded from Project Kuiper to Amazon LEO in November 2025.
Shahid officially rebrands as MBC Shahid, aligning with MBC Group's wider portfolio following PIF's September 2025 acquisition. ~5 million SVOD subscribers; 18.6M monthly AVOD users.
BET Africa and MTV Base removed from DStv and GOtv at 09:00 CAT. CBS Reality and CBS Justice (CBS AMC Networks) had gone dark December 31. Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and NickToons remained on the platform. Paramount+ never launched as a standalone DTC service on the continent.
Starlink disables all terminals in Uganda following a directive from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), citing the absence of a valid operating licence. The disablement takes effect January 1, 2026 — two weeks before Uganda's general elections (January 15). A Uganda Revenue Authority directive from December 19, 2025 had already imposed military clearance requirements on Starlink hardware imports. Starlink confirmed no terminals were operating in Uganda as of January 1 and said it was engaging with authorities to complete the licensing process. Source: Reuters; Space in Africa.
Canal+ and Warner Bros. Discovery sign a new multi-year, multi-territory agreement. All 12 WBD channels remain on DStv across sub-Saharan Africa. HBO content stays on M-Net. HBO Max confirmed for rollout as a streaming tile through MultiChoice during 2026 — structured similarly to the existing Netflix bundle. The question of HBO/Max distribution in sub-Saharan Africa post-Showmax is therefore not unresolved: it shifts from Showmax to M-Net on linear and an incoming HBO Max tile on the MultiChoice platform.
Trace Africa rebrands to Trace Ngoma on DStv channel 326 at 15h00 CAT. Announced jointly by Trace, Canal+, and MultiChoice. Reflects a shift from pan-African to South Africa-specific music and culture programming.
Paramount Africa shuts down entirely following the Skydance/Paramount Global merger. Closes offices in Johannesburg and Lagos. BET Africa and MTV Base removed from DStv and GOtv on January 1, 2026. CBS Reality and CBS Justice (CBS AMC Networks) removed December 31. Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and NickToons remained on the platform.
Ooredoo Algeria and TOD — the streaming platform of beIN Media Group — announce a distribution partnership giving Ooredoo subscribers bundled access to TOD's streaming catalogue. The first confirmed telecom-streaming bundle in the Algerian market. Source: Ooredoo Algeria official release.
EbonyLife ON Plus launches globally. $10/year Nigeria; $30/year international. Blends films, originals, podcasts, masterclasses, and e-commerce. Founded by Mo Abudu / EbonyLife Studios. Joins Kava and Circuits in a new cohort of Nigeria-anchored streaming entrants.
Apple TV+ rebrands to Apple TV (announced Oct 13; visible Nov 3, 2025). SA subscription R124.99/month. SA is the only sub-Saharan African country with a full Apple TV subscription.
Star tile replaced by Hulu branding globally on Disney+, including SA. Full app integration planned 2026. Global initiative, not Africa-specific.
ESPN and ESPN 2 Africa channels added to the Disney+ SA streaming platform. SA remains the only sub-Saharan African country with a Disney+ direct-to-consumer offering.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) acquires a 54% controlling stake in MBC Group for SAR 7.469 billion (~$2 billion). MBC Shahid — approximately 5 million SVOD subscribers, 18.6M monthly AVOD users — comes under state-adjacent Saudi control. Rebrand from Shahid to MBC Shahid follows January 2, 2026.
Canal+ completes acquisition of MultiChoice Group for ~$2 billion (R35 billion / R125 per share). Consolidates Canal+, DStv, GOtv, SuperSport, and Showmax into one entity covering ~40M subscribers across ~70 countries. MultiChoice delisted from the JSE. Canal+ reaches 94.39% by October 13, triggering compulsory squeeze-out.
INACOM authorises 25% price increase for ZAP (and all pay-TV in Angola). Sports channels rebranded from ZAP Sports to Z Sports 1/2. Bundesliga exclusive (Portuguese-language) runs through 2027.
Kava launches in Nigeria. Joint venture: Filmhouse Group and Inkblot Productions. ₦1,500/month Nigeria; $5.99/month diaspora. Nollywood and African cinema focus.
Canal+–Netflix bundle live. ~25,000 FCFA/month. Netflix accessible via existing Canal+ decoder or myCanal app. Rwanda among first markets (IKIRENGA package, Rwf 35,000). Canal+ is now both a competitor to Netflix and its distribution channel across Francophone Africa.
TF1+ launches at no cost across 22 Francophone African countries including Algeria, Mauritania, Tunisia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, DRC, Gabon, Chad, Republic of Congo. Nearly 20,000 hours of French-language content. Morocco listed as coming soon.
Gabon's first national streaming platform. Led by Orphée Boussougou. Entirely local content. Web-only at launch. Flagship: "La Bataille des Camps," a reality series co-produced by Black Choco.
Canal+ and Netflix announce a distribution partnership. Canal+ becomes the first pay-TV operator to distribute Netflix in sub-Saharan Africa — via decoder or the myCanal app, across 24 Francophone SSA countries.
Netflix raises prices across its two largest African markets. South Africa (effective June 2025): Mobile R59, Standard R179, Premium R229 — Mobile's first-ever increase, up 20%. Nigeria (effective July 4): Premium ₦8,500, Standard ₦6,500, Basic ₦4,000, Mobile ₦2,500 — Nigeria's third price hike since April 2024, Premium up 21.4%. Both part of Netflix's global revenue acceleration strategy.
MultiChoice raises DStv prices by 2.1–7.9% across its markets. In South Africa, DStv Premium rises from R929 to R979/month; DStv Access up ~8%. In Nigeria, a March 1 increase — the third hike since April 2024 — pushes DStv Premium to ₦44,500/month. Confirmed in MultiChoice FY25 results and Reuters. Canal+ completes its MultiChoice acquisition five months later and will freeze prices in February 2026 as a direct response to subscriber losses accelerated by these cumulative hikes.
MTN and Synamedia announce a pan-African streaming platform partnership covering all 16 MTN African markets (291M subscribers). Will offer linear TV, VOD, and FAST channels. No confirmed launch date.
Warner Bros. Discovery takes a $57 million equity stake (30%) in OSN Streaming Ltd., subsidiary of KIPCO's OSN Group. Deepens WBD's MENA footprint. Includes commitment to locally produced content. Deal proceeds in stages, subject to regulatory approval.
On Digital Media formally liquidated following ICASA's October 2024 raid on its Midrand HQ. Had operated across South Africa and 23+ African markets.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) approves a 50% increase in telecom tariffs — the first major adjustment in over a decade. Cost of 1GB of data rises from ₦287.50 to ₦431.25. MTN implements February 11, Airtel February 18, Glo and 9mobile follow. Direct consequence for streaming: one million Nigerian internet users drop off in H1 2025. The hike compounds affordability pressure on streaming subscriptions across Africa's largest market.
Circuits (Circuits Global Solutions Limited) launches in Nigeria on December 20. TVOD model at ₦500–₦2,500 per title. Co-produced King of Thieves 2 (with Euphoria360 Media) and Agbara Nla: The Return (with Mount Zion Film Productions and Sozo Films). 1.3M+ unique streams across 200+ countries by August 2025.