Scrap DSTV Anyone?

[irneb]

I've just seen this: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadc...creases-2.html

To me, I'm starting to think DSTV isn't good enough and becoming way too expensive. I'm already only using it to see sports, the programming is always (at least) a year behind what I can get from streaming sites - and no, the cheapie options are not showing the sports I want to see (I've checked and been very irritated by them). And now the cost seems to equal my monthly internet anyway - so costwise it's starting to make sense to just discontinue my subscriptions. Can get most overseas sports through streaming sites, but local is a bit of a pain.

I'm starting to think it might be time to go watch sport at the local pub, they generally allow various channels on different areas. Except of course if there's a big game on - which I then want to check myself anyway. Perhaps the "cost" of going to the pub's going to eat into my budget though. Will have to think about it a bit I guess.

AFAICT "Single"Choice is going to see the same problems as many similar companies have already gone through overseas. If you can't compete against the price and quality of what's available on a web page, you're out of business pretty soon. Especially if the latest stuff in the news is going to happen - i.e. cheaper and faster ISP connections across SA. If I were them, I'd be going to court just as Vodacom/MTN is in order to try and stop the government from taking away their gravy train.

Anyone got any other ideas? Some way to get local sport through something cheaper than DSTV's offerings?

[newBix]

Nope DSTV is crazy expensive and there shows are so old it stinks. I myself buy cheap DVDs. As for sport? How well do you know your neighbours? I also like to collect boxsets when it comes to miniseries and you don’t get 30min worth of adverts. I also like sport but R700 a month? Hell no... News paper is much cheaper.

[Dave A]

Meh - those increases are not exactly outrageous. R40 on Pemium = 6.4%
Bearing in mind the Rand slide, it could have been worse.

That said, your point on streaming content as an emerging competitor is certainly valid - at least if you've got the bandwidth to your door.

[irneb]

Meh - those increases are not exactly outrageous. R40 on Pemium = 6.4%

Yes, % isn't too great, but they were exorbitant to begin with. Especially if you look at the quality and timing of their programming.

I also like to collect boxsets when it comes to miniseries and you don’t get 30min worth of adverts.

Precisely! I can order a box set of nearly anything from somewhere like Amazon - and it would be seasons and/or episodes which haven't yet been aired on DSTV. Let alone ordering the electronic file from the same place, or subscribing to their online TV service.

Personally I prefer watching tv series this way. Get the entire season's episodes and then start watching it when you've got the time. It also does away with that itchy feeling when 2 episodes continue with a story - and you feel as if you simply can't wait! For local stuff this is presently the only option if not going through DSTV, but there's very few local series which even makes a blip on my interest scale. Although I don't always go this route - sometimes I just get the latest episode and be done with it.

Just look at the IMDB site to see what you might want to look for, I tend to use that site a lot to pick-n-choose only the very best - so I don't waste my time and bandwidth on some idiotic thing. They've even got links direct to online shops/online-TV "stations" from where you can then download/watch the movie/series. Tends to be at worst a day later than the original air date, but mostly it airs on these the very first time.

[Justloadit]

And what do they do with the exorbitant advert income they receive?
Over seas, if you pay cable TV, you have no adverts, that is why you pay.
If I was not paying a subscription, I would not mind the adverts, but paying subscription and still having to be bombarded with 5 to 7 minutes of adverts every 5 minutes of show, is being a bit over the edge.

[AndyD]

Agreed. I stopped just moaning about it and dumped DSTV about 5 years ago. The only reason I can see anyone paying the high subscription cost and suffering the adverts is if you're a big fan of local sports. I'm only a casual sport watcher so there wasn't enough value in it for me, I'd rather up my bandwidth package by a few hundred bucks and watch Netflix.

[newBix]

Well I have a big decision to make because I am not planning on keeping my DSTV any longer. YES will miss my sport but for R700 “soon to be” a month HELL NO... as in HELL NO!!!

[irneb]

Agreed. I stopped just moaning about it and dumped DSTV about 5 years ago. The only reason I can see anyone paying the high subscription cost and suffering the adverts is if you're a big fan of local sports. I'm only a casual sport watcher so there wasn't enough value in it for me, I'd rather up my bandwidth package by a few hundred bucks and watch Netflix.

Just one query - did you have issues with them when you stopped. I know my brother had a problem when he moved. They wanted to charge him a second sub for the new house and not cancel the old one - while he had to fight for several months to explain that he's simply moving from one place to another, NOT getting a 2nd decoder even.

I'm just asking because I'm fearful they're just as bad as SABC who don't stop charging you even if you're dead.

[ians]

I have a dish and a friend with DSTV, just in case we have a family function and there is a big game, other wise people don't come to the function they would rather stay home and watch the game, so for me it is a win win situation.

On the odd occasion the dstv has been left at my house for the weekend, by the end of the weekend I know why I don't waste money on DSTV.I don't have the patients to sit through 1 hour of adverts and 20 minutes of actual content, not to mention the repeats.

I have my favourite series ( Arrow and the mentalist) on a hard drive which I watch when I am not playing on the internet and I spend a lot of time watching yotube videos of what I want to see, like I am busy watching a company building kitchen cupboard from selecting the wood to final coat. I am ready to start build my kitchen cupboard. I have just installed thousands of parquet blocks and saved a lot of money if I had got a company to do it. My Kitchen cupboard quote R120 000, I am looking at spending around R20 000 if I build it myself.

Personally I would rather get uncapped unlimited internet access with a high speed internet connection.

[irneb]

Seems someone had the same idea, and it looks as if it's really now a very close tie between DSTV/ADSL: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadb...-compared.html

I think DSTV needs to get their act together pretty soon: provide a service which can at least be comparable to legal internet video at similar or better pricing. Else they'd have no future.

[newBix]

All Telkom has to do is say hey “for R700 a month you get access to stream all the rugby and cricket AND get uncap ADSL with a 4mb line” and DSTV is gone as in bye bye

[newBix]

Seems someone had the same idea, and it looks as if it's really now a very close tie between DSTV/ADSL: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadb...-compared.html

I think DSTV needs to get their act together pretty soon: provide a service which can at least be comparable to legal internet video at similar or better pricing. Else they'd have no future.

I see if you Google there is a lot of free live streaming for local sports why not give them ago and tell us what you found. If they are usable or not? Tell us so that we can make a choice between DSTV or a 4mb line.

[irneb]

I see if you Google there is a lot of free live streaming for local sports why not give them ago and tell us what you found. If they are usable or not? Tell us so that we can make a choice between DSTV or a 4mb line.

You're absolutely correct! DSTV has it's own online supersport streeming if you use your own DSTV account to log in. But why should you need to?

Especially since you can view SkySport (BBC competition) for free, which "would have" been showing the cricket today if it wasn't raining: http://www.time4tv.com/2011/09/sky-sports-2.php

[irneb]

On the company's fibre line it's simply perfect. And I tried that site through my cell phone. Looks reasonable even on the 3G connection, so an ADSL might just be good enough. So yep - that means I don't even need to pay over and above the connection fee, which means to me at least DSTV is now a distant bad memory ... if I can cancel my sub of course!

[IanF]

I cancelled DSTV in December and signed up for Netflix. Then I also reactivated the R29 option on the decoder and there was cricket on SABC