Netflix South Africa Mocks DSTV in New Ad

Last Week Multichoice South Africa’s main pay-TV operator, which owns DStv, reported it had lost 100,000 premium subscribers in the previous financial year, attributing this loss to Netflix which launched in the country in 2016 and currently has more than 400,000 subscribers. Multichoice says Netflix has an unfair advantage, as it’s not under any regulatory pressure in South Africa. MultiChoice wants Icasa (Independent Communications Authority of SA) to enforce the same regulations on Netflix.

As a country we have national objectives. If I was to be very narrow, I would say [to Icasa]: treat us like Netflix, so we do not have to pay tax or comply with black economic empowerment regulations. I am saying bring the likes of Netflix in the same net. Netflix does not employ even one person in this country, it doesn’t pay tax, they do not have to do any local content. Netflix will never employ a lot of people around the world like we have. It employs around 4,000 people for the whole group,” said Mawela in May. MultiChoice currently has 8,000 employees in South Africa., MultiChoice SA CEO Calvo Mawela said.

As technology advances everything in the internet age, it’s quite obvious DSTV is also caught up in this change. No one sees the point in subscribing to a cable service when you can get most of the same content, the freedom to watch it on any device, anywhere in the world + Netflix original content, it only makes sense to make the shift from the old to the new.

Netflix has never responded to any of the claims made by DSTV till now with It’s “jokes aside, no installation required” campaign featuring comedian heavyweight Jason Goliath as a pay-TV installation technician which takes shots at DSTV’s archaic out-of-date process, the use of long cables and it’s famous ‘premium‘ bouquet.

Watch The Ad Below: