MultiChoice has confirmed that four DStv channels will stop broadcasting in South Africa at 23:59 SAST on 16 September 2026: M-Net Movies 1, kykNET Lekker, Mzansi Bioskop, and Mzansi Music.
South African media initially reported the news last week. I waited until I could verify that the information had been confirmed directly by MultiChoice or CANAL+, neither of which had published a public announcement about the closures at the time.
As of today, 13 August 2026, MultiChoice (Pty) Ltd — the company now commonly referred to as LicenceCo, which holds DStv’s South African broadcasting licences — has confirmed the above specifics.
“As viewing habits continue to change, MultiChoice is refining the DStv channel line-up to match,” the company said in its response. “Rather than spreading similar content across many channels, we’re concentrating on fewer, stronger channels, giving subscribers a cleaner, easier-to-navigate line-up and a better viewing experience overall.”
So What?
The company’s explanation is consistent with a strategy CANAL+ set out during its full-year results presentation on 11 March 2026, which I covered. David Mignot, chief executive of CANAL+ Africa and MultiChoice, said MultiChoice had 17 subscription price points, as many as five decoder models and too many sub-brands, including a wide mixture of premium and local channel brands. Mignot said the range fragmented the company’s marketing and that subscribers wanted greater simplicity and value for money. The plan was to simplify its commercial offers, pricing and branding. No word on whether more channel consolidation will follow.
Mzansi Bioskop, DStv channel 164, is the closure with possibly the most direct consequences for South Africa’s screen sector. Launched in September 2013, it includes South African films in local languages and has provided a linear television outlet for work by newer filmmakers, including graduates of the MultiChoice Talent Factory, the company’s training program for film and television professionals across Africa.
MultiChoice has not yet stated where Mzansi Bioskop’s programming will move, whether the channel’s film-acquisition and commissioning functions will continue elsewhere, or how the closure will affect licensing payments and production budgets.
M-Net Movies 1, channel 104, airs recent local and international films. The service’s history dates to the introduction of Movie Magic in 1995, while its current numbered identity (Movies 1) was adopted during M-Net’s movie-channel consolidation in 2020. Its closure will leave M-Net Movies 2, 3 and 4 on DStv.
The other affected services are kykNET Lekker (channel 148), an Afrikaans library channel launched in 2020 for DStv Access subscribers, and Mzansi Music (channel 321), a South African music service introduced in 2012. Note that the flagship kykNET channel and the related kykNET & Kie and kykNET Nou services will continue broadcasting.
Since CANAL+ closed its acquisition of MultiChoice, the French media group has pursued cost-cutting measures, as expected, including reductions in content, broadcasting, marketing and support expenses. Par for the course, though the geographic extent is still unconfirmed. At least some of the four channels are carried in other DStv markets.
MultiChoice/Canal+ has not said whether broadcasts will also end elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa.