How MultiChoice can stem tide of subscriber losses
It has been clear to many that the digital landscape is moving rapidly. As Naspers recognises that SA is feeling the pinch and is needing to make hard decisions to scale back on lifestyle spending, it would have been an appreciated gesture towards loyal audiences by restructuring the package deals some time back and preventing their subscription losses.
Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk says it is premature to speculate what future packages will look like.
I believe there are various ways MultiChoice can deal with their dwindling subscribers and as one who still pays subscription fees and appreciates having access to DStv, I would like to suggest possible solutions for them to consider.
Consumers’ needs
Viewers today are more savvy and adept at tailoring their lifestyle by selecting programming they wish to enjoy in their own time. Scheduled viewing is taking a back seat although for obvious reasons in SA it remains a given.
The popular concept of ‘curation’ — the self-determining process of selection — is manifest in the careful selection of and association with programming which has become so current. Why not allow viewers the option to choose their own bouquet of channels based on their interests? A ‘pick and pay’ idea, choosing channels you want to watch from the different genres enables viewers to individualise their own bouquet.
These channels can be charged per genre on a rate-card basis making up the cost of individual subscription bouquets.
This allows the viewer the ability to select their bouquets for their own requirements and budget. A variation on pay-per-view, paying only for particular channels.
Another gesture towards audiences could be to introduce a simpler automated process of cancelling or changing channels rather than the full month’s notice when one decides to switch off temporarily.
Surely a digital system could allow for a 24-hour notice period to be sufficient and help stop the exodus of viewers knowing they have an option to stay? Although many can access a streamed service in SA, many consumers do not have access to reliable broadband.
The switch from broadcast to an online distribution system which does not require a decoder will have limited appeal for some time so why not offer a variety of options to keep DStv?
Quality local content
Shifting requirements and expectations from both audiences and providers is a continuously evolving fascination. Few viewers would deny the need for excellent local content plus the development of our film industry’s sustainability. DStv need not concern itself with Netflix not providing local content.
South Africans, like all nationalities, enjoy seeing themselves reflected in local productions. Perhaps we need to produce a range of quality local programming across all languages.
Netflix understands that for its bottom line, production must equal quality. DStv could focus on a variety of different language groups producing high-quality productions like the recently acclaimed Afrikaans Kanarie.
It is a sad indictment that DStv is not serving a wider demographic with more quality content. This would greatly increase the possibility of on-selling and redistribution. Cheap content has neither the longevity nor the long term market opportunities.
Nurturing talent
Creating representative quality programming requires a cadre of young filmmakers across the socio-economic divide and from all nine regions.
It is reassuring to see many previously MultiChoice-funded students cutting it as viable young filmmakers. DStv needs to be articulating future developments for producing and growing local talent to facilitate a diverse range of high quality productions.
The money will follow if consumers are not limited to pre-conceived packages; technology is used to make migration between options easier; and local content that has quality at its core and ensures the empowerment of the next generation of content producers is continued to be produced.
Sadly for MultiChoice, the old pay-TV model is no longer viable and its monopoly days are long gone.
It is a sad indictment that DStv is not offering more quality content
Chait, who is CEO of Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking, is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker and was previously in SABC’s management and on the board