Streaming On DStv Now Sees A Steady Growth

The recent improvements in data coverage across Africa has come as a good omen for streaming TV on various devices including tablet and smartphones.

According to Multichoice Africa, its 'DStv Now' service, which allows DStv premium subscribers to stream live TV channels through the website or app, saw more than 4 million titles streamed in 2016.

Over 38 percent of the streams was on web platforms, 33 percent via Android and 30 percent for iOS devices across the continent. According to Cecil Sunkwa Mills, General Manager, Multichoice Ghana, “it is worth mentioning that major live sports events are a major contributor to DStv Now’s peak in 2016 coupled with the presence of reliable 4G data networks across Africa.”

DStv Now is a free app for DStv premium customers. It is the home of DStv on the move and gives premium subscribers the ability to watch Live TV, see the full DStv TV Guide, enjoy DStv Catch Up content and manage their accounts at their convenience on a variety of devices, from desktop and laptop computers, to a multitude of Android and iOS-based tablets and smartphones.

In order to stream Live TV and get DStv Catch Up via DStv Now, you need to be a DStv Premium customer with a good internet connection. If you have an iOS device (iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch) you can get DStv Now in the Apple App Store. The Android version of DStv Now is available to download from the Google Play Store.

According to Mr. Sunkwa Mills, Multichoice Ghana has seen a consistent growth in the usage of DStv Now particularly over the weekends when most of the major sporting league are in action. Adding that DStv aims to deliver value to customers by making great entertainment more accessible with the right mix of content delivered anytime, anywhere via cutting edge technology straight into their hands and living rooms such as DStv BoxOffice Online; an online movie rental service.

The service is open to anyone in Ghana with access to a broadband Internet connection and offers an extensive catalogue of movies, ranging from New Releases and Classic blockbusters.

Explaining further, he expressed concern with the increase in content piracy arising from the improvement in data coverage and called for regulation and enforcement to protect the owners of rights for content and the creative industry as a whole.

The illegal consumption of such content has led to loss of revenue to the audio visual creative industry and the many TV stations who have continuously invested in their people and content, and loss of tax revenue to government.