TopTV vs DSTV

March 22, 2010 by  

Leave a comment

topLast week, On Digital Media unveiled themselves as the young David who is about to take on the mighty Goliath that DSTV has become.  The new pay television provider will be known as Top TV. Like many of you, I had questions – will this channel offer DSTV any competition at all, what is it that Top TV has which DSTV does not offer?

Many years ago, in my varsity days at film school, I attended a lecture that was offered by Jan Du Plessis – he was still the head of programming at M-NET. Some naïve student asked him why we were not getting American TV channels on DSTV , like HBO, ABC and FOX. His response was that there is no need to have them, DSTV has all their best programs already, and it would be like duplicating content. Television is about content, not how many channels you have – but what will people watch in those channels. When it comes to pay television – exclusive content is King.

Here is a breakdown of what to expect from Top TV:

Let’s start with their basic package:  the truth is that Top TV offers nothing new, the content‘s genres are the same as the ones on DSTV. They have some gospel channels, Bollywood movie channels – which never worked on DSTV – that is why they offer it for an extra fee, Nigerian movie channels and a couple of odd news channels, that are also on DSTV and no one really bothers to watch. The basic banquet also has Aljazeera, BBC WORLD and France 24, which are on DSTV. So why should I go and get this thing when I already have DSTV? The positive thing about the package is that it has MGM’s movie library, which contains a large number of movies, but they are not exclusive to them – I can still watch James Bond on M-NET HD!

They have channels that target kids as well as music channels.  Another package is called Family and Knowledge.  They have STAR, which focuses on Hollywood, think E! , without Ryan Seacrest. They also have Fox entertainment, which will offer the same kind of American content that M-NET provides. I am assuming Fox entertainment will be like Sony Entertainment television on DSTV. They will show us reruns of premium shows like Idols, Grey’s Anatomy and Boston Legal – which are already on DSTV! This package also has a couple of Discovery spin-off channels and criminal shows – still nothing new. However, I have to applaud them, their biggest draw card is BET, which is a popular cable network in America that focuses on black people.  This is a biggie for them. On the premium package – the only thing worth writing home about is Showtime, another hit American cable network, which is the home of shows like Weeds and Californication – both on M-NET.

DStv Logo2As you can see, there is nothing new about Top TV neh? Let us turn the spotlight on DSTV:

The biggest flaw is that DSTV is bloody damn expensive and some still view it as a primarily white thing. The good thing is that DSTV has long-term contracts with some of the biggest channels and studios in America. If it’s good content, you will surely find it on DSTV. Look out for HBO series later this year.

If there are people who know good television, it is the people at M-NET, and they know how to penetrate into their market. When ICASA made the call for new pay television channels years ago, they knew that their monopoly will not reign forever and prepared themselves for this. DSTV has historically been aligned with the higher LSM viewers – it was something of a luxury and the people at Randburg- the home of multichoice knew that whoever was going to come into the pay television market was going to be forced to target the lower LSM market and they went big to capture the lower LSM.

For the past three years, DTSV has aggressively marketed itself to the lower LSM – they used their compact banquet to lure in black people who never would have considered having a dish into buying one. They bought the PSL games and pumped Niger movie channels on the banquet.  Have you realized that almost every major township entry point has a big DSTV banquet billboard? Their marketing worked, even RDP houses now have DSTV.

DSTV and its affiliates  also started investing millions into local productions, something they have shunned away from for years and yet they have managed to keep a strong grip on their Afrikaans audience,  KYK-NET and M-NET soapies are a proof of that. They also started courting the black market with shows like Jacob’s Cross and other short-lived dramas and talk shows. Is Let’s Chat with Mel still on? As you can see, DSTV has been waiting for this fight and they are ready.

The only way I see TOP TV taking on DSTV is by targeting people who are still stuck on welfare TV, that means your SABC 1,2,3 and that weird free to air E-TV. For them to survive, they will have to try to convince those people that pay television is the future and they need to be part of it. It would be much harder for TOP TV to convince someone who already has a dish to move to them since the content is pretty much the same or similar. Now the problem with the people that are still stuck in Welfare TVland is the affordability, what were they waiting for when other poor black people were buying DSTV compact? That means they are probably the poor of the poorest, who might still not care about pay television. See, TOP TV has a mountain to climb, bigger than Mount Kilimanjaro.

My advice is that do not rush to buy Top TV, wait until another friend wa o phapha buys and have a sneak peak before cancelling your monthly subscription with DSTV. When all is said a done, I wish Top TV all the best of luck, they are surely going to need it.

And the winner is : DSTV or am I wrong?

By Phathu Makwarela ©

Related Stories:

MTV Movie Awards Nominees 2010
The Kardashians Coming To Mzansi!
Plans For Valentine's?

Comments

80 Comments on "TopTV vs DSTV"

  1. Lela on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 12:20 am 

    I will sure get top tv cz i dont have dstv n top tv is easy on the pocket.

  2. soul sista on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 12:33 am 

    So far DSTV is ok with me, I even forget other channels they are way too many for me to watch.
    “They bought the PSL games and pumped Niger movie channels on the banquet” Phathu I hope you really mean NIGER not Nigeria there because as far as I can remember I havent seen any movie content from Niger.

  3. GA on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 12:38 am 

    “….and that weird free to air E-TV..”…funny..but true..weird feels like the appropriate word to describe this channel…

    I also will wait till someone i know has hooked it up, then i’ll decide, i have about a year to compare before i saccumb to the world of pay tv.

    But To be quite honest, when im at my other home during weekends were there is dstv,i honestly never see anything interesting. Im not into entertainment channels,so bo Vuzu(is it?…sounds weird) and E! and this music channels dont appeal to me at all. The movies most of the time i have seen, as well as the series (power to xerox).I dont like sport and africa magic offerings…so i only have the educational/news channels to watch…but then i can always google those things as the need arises. So at the moment i dont need DSTV personally…

    Toptv channels on the other hand i find interesting. All the Fox offerings and …ehm…BET…and im hoping their religious channels will be different to DSTV’s TBN coz i think i always switch to it at the “wrong” times ….

    Hai..mara Re tla bona indeed…

    But you did not go into the price differences at all Phathu?

  4. ugogal on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 4:52 am 

    Honestly, I have dstv bcos my lil angel wanted kids’ channels.
    I really have lil need 4 it bcos most of my fav shows are on sabc & I listen 2 radio more than tv anyways.
    Like GA, most of their movies I’ve already seen & they anyway do repeats of repeats in the movie dept.
    I can’t help but b JC re TopTV! I might just consider changing 2 it.
    But will c

  5. Nonkawu on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 5:36 am 

    As long as they dont have the PORN CHANNEL i am keepin my DSTV..The only way Top TV could hav managed to hook me was gon be thru the Porn Channel,but they also dont have it,so i am stuck with dstv.

  6. Madala on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 6:56 am 

    Cheap cheap cheap is da reason why Top TV may hav appeal…. I had a glimspe on the Management team…its not suprising, its amost like I am buying sometin in downtown Durban where despite the cost price written, they ask you “how much u hav my frend” or how much u wanna pay…!

  7. Dladla on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 8:08 am 

    SABC and E-tv. Say What?

  8. Kabzan on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 9:04 am 

    The most interesting part about Top TV is that it is affordable.If DSTV continues to be this expensive, trust me in a year after its launch, many DSTV subscribers will switch to Top tv especially those aged 20′s -30′s coz they will be having same channels. It will also depend on the shows that they will be playing on Top tv, hence they must bring brilliant shows. I for one feel that i should be spending my R500 a month DSTV subscription on something more important that mere tv, therefore as soon as i trust Top tv i will change from Dstv to Top tv.

  9. dolly on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 9:30 am 

    Well, DSTV is a waist of time and money, i stayed home for 3 days the other week and after the second day everything was just repeats, E! does not tell it like it is anymore they are hooked on the same things and truly that does not intrest me, i would support TOP TV with hope that they will sure give us something new and interesting to watch!

  10. Lady gaga on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 9:31 am 

    what attracts me to this,its the word CHEAP.

  11. iconic on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 10:02 am 

    I’ll wait until another friend wa go phapha subscribe to it then I’ll decide.

  12. Tebo on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 10:51 am 

    I put money where there is return…

  13. Sweet-Ash on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 10:54 am 

    I am really considering Top TV shame… DSTV is no longer interesting to me especially with the fact that I am a ‘movies person’. There are so many repeats to last me a life time. TOP TV here I come!!!

  14. Bee on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 10:59 am 

    Mr PM did DSTV give you iJOJO hayi u r advertising them shem while they do nonsense. I mean lets face it DSTV repeats shows like nobody’s business. I reckon you were @home this past long weekend so what did you find interesting on this DSTV ya ga go except from soccer? Repeats! Mna um just waiting for T/TV to be out and if i like it i’ll switch to them. Andimali yobubhanxa kaloku. Oh Phatu plz tell your friends @DSTV to reduce the costs and stop feeding us nonsense.

  15. Onna on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 12:04 pm 

    Heyi shem nami when i red that they are going to have abo weeds ang greys I was like what the? cause as far as I know there is no new weeds or greys we alredy watched the latest on dstv. So until they come up with something new i am sticking with my premium dstv thankyou.

  16. SLIQDIVA on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 12:22 pm 

    Talk abt repeating shows that what dstv is gud at, as for me i’ll change to top tv.

  17. Cinnabon on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 1:02 pm 

    I can JUST afford to pay my TV licence, so I’ll stick with my SABC and that weird free to air E-TV…

  18. Luluwise on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 1:49 pm 

    ME I’m gonna cancel my DSTV subs very soon. I was at home this whole weekend and I swear everything that was on were repeats, I ended up watching DVD’s. I feel that R500x12 is a lot of money to waste. I’m going back to welfare TV, besides I’ve taken a resolution to watch less TV and listen to more talk radio this year!

  19. Cinnabon on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 4:08 pm 

    I think it’s time we revived the Library & Book Club Culture…how many of you actually know where your library is?
    Do you even have a library in your hood?
    Books are your friends people…Let’s READ!!!

  20. Nthoentle on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 4:11 pm 

    I can’t live without DSTV,repeats or not SABC is just a no-no in my world. I love BBC Lifestyle!

  21. Kazisongo on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 4:14 pm 

    Mina I’ve got DSTV compact and i’m not going to cancel it until someone else get the PSL games rights.

  22. kol on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 4:56 pm 

    What a very biased post. Shame on u mr pathu or wat. I expect a bit of maturity n ur post. Dis pipu avnt even startd n u already blabbin dust. Get a life man.

  23. Phathu on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 5:20 pm 

    kwakwakwa at KOL on TUE…..u cant please everyone i guess

  24. Lady T on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 5:35 pm 

    I live on a monthly budget and I don’t consider myself poor cause I don’t have DSTV in my surburbian home…I know plenty of people with a dish outside their homes but it doesn’t work because they can’t maintain it haaaaaaaaaaaaaa. If TopTv is affordable an suits my budget I will get it.

  25. Changed Name on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 5:56 pm 

    Ummm..had a lot of time on the weekend so I compared the 2. For me, Top TV seems like the best option. I can watch PSL on SABC ( as bad as that is), but they have excellent channels from Discovery (3 I think ), 2 from Showtime (Silver, basically in competition to Mnet and a Independent movie channel – can’t wait!) The FOX channels (except for Fox News) look good as well.

    BET ain’t for me but some people will enjoy it.

    But if only we could get a mixture of channels from these 2 companies at R400, that’s the dream.

  26. Q-tee on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 7:19 pm 

    If Top Tv offers the same content as DSTV and more (like BET)at less than half the price, as our dearest Phathu intelligently breaks it down, then why stay with the ‘bloody damn expensive’ DSTV?
    I beg to differ wif d last statement “And the winner is : DSTV…” I’m giving Top TV a chance, sorry Phathu.

  27. Phathu on Tue, 23rd Mar 2010 7:39 pm 

    Q-tee, nothing to be sorry about…freedom

  28. kol on Wed, 24th Mar 2010 11:18 am 

    C’mon shut up der phathu. Ow wil u feel if sum1 talk down on ur business lyk ds. Tis nt abt pleasn sum1, tis abt bn mature n ur reasoning.

  29. Phathu on Wed, 24th Mar 2010 11:23 am 

    tis abt bn mature n ur reasoning. – Tjoo Kol..that was below the belt. Do you work for Top TV?

  30. kol on Wed, 24th Mar 2010 12:09 pm 

    U nt crios. I dnt work 4 eida of dem, am a doctor. Thnk abj dis, JUSTCURIOUS wasnt d 1st blog site n SA, but i dnt thnk d oda older blog site or der allies(like u 4 dstv) talkd JC down, corekt me if am wrng anyway. I jst bliv n lettn pipu do der thn n b hapi wit it as lng as dey dnt cum 2 knock on ur door 2 beg 4 money.

  31. Phathu on Wed, 24th Mar 2010 2:50 pm 

    Kol…i think u take things too personal. Let me clear this for you, DSTV is not an allay of Just Curious. I write from a personal point of view…so i am not mandatated to be objective, its a choice i make whether to be objective or subject. I have reviewed a lot of stuff in the past on Just Curious…most of the readers did not agree with me, but they never took it personal. I am not talking down Top TV, I am just expressing how is see the whole thing unfolding. I dont wish the to fail at all. Are you happy now?

  32. Mntungwa on Thu, 25th Mar 2010 10:15 am 

    yho kol ka mxit lingo!! thx Phathu, ke grand ka DSTV shame.

  33. Phathu on Thu, 25th Mar 2010 10:39 am 

    Mntungwa…EISH…mxit lingo la Kol…kwakwakwakwakwakwa

  34. Kazisongo on Thu, 25th Mar 2010 10:41 am 

    Eish Mntungwa I had to go over it a few times to understand!

  35. Mntungwa on Thu, 25th Mar 2010 10:45 am 

    LOL Pahthu yho, my eyes jsut get crossed when i see stuff like this, Kazi, it doesnt help goign over it a few times, its a mess.lol!!

  36. Phathu on Thu, 25th Mar 2010 11:07 am 

    And Kol is a doctor…imagine prescription ya gae..LOL

  37. LYNNY081 on Thu, 25th Mar 2010 11:50 am 

    LOL…uyeyisa bo wePhathu – I love ‘Welfare’ TV and it works for me considering I watch 2 hours of telly per week…

  38. Enkosi on Thu, 25th Mar 2010 1:12 pm 

    LOL till no end @ kol’s prescription. I am finished.

  39. Tshegofatso on Fri, 26th Mar 2010 6:39 pm 

    do not write one sided articles like you got paid to write it. next time try being objective and not being so glaringly one sided and biased

  40. Disappointed on Tue, 30th Mar 2010 11:30 am 

    I was so looking forward to this post. I really wanted to know the pros and cons of top tv, since I just moved out of home and I was looking for a new bouquet. Its true dat u arent inclined to be objective but the least you could have done was to be objective in ur criticism of d bouquets. Instead I felt insulted as you insinuated that I am poor for not owning dstv. Having said dat it was entertaining although uninformative. I guess dats what u were going for.

  41. Shaun - Cape Town on Thu, 1st Apr 2010 7:47 am 

    I’m going over to TopTV because, for what you getting and paying it make sense. DSTV prices are way too high for what you paying, they spending more money on sport and leaving us with re-runs of the same thing, but every month I give them a “fresh” new dough of moola (money). This is the end of the line for monopolies in this country. Good luck to ODM I will be one of their first subscribers, soon thousands will follow. – Cheers

  42. Tumi on Mon, 5th Apr 2010 8:51 pm 

    I am a premium subscriber to DSTV and don’t watch most of the channels as their contents are just wack…am definately going to switch to TOP once I see their channels line up, hope they are good. I am very dissappointed at the article by Phatu as it’s bias to DSTV’s favour(just my opinion).

  43. Name on Fri, 9th Apr 2010 12:00 am 

    If you are not crazy about sport, and there seem to be many South Africans for one reason or another are not or if there is a big game will go to a bar etc. The offering that TopTV has at R259 for their top package blows dsTV compact’s package out the water… you don’t even get mnet with the compact package that is of a comparable price. But in general TopTV will be targeting people who don’t currently have dsTV and there are many people like that.

  44. Tumelo on Wed, 21st Apr 2010 3:05 pm 

    I’m all for TopTV… i have refused to get DSTV for years because I felt their content was crap, but eventually had to subscribe because of my son and his Cartoon Network… but i will happily move to TOP TV.
    The only people who find DSTV useful are the sports lovers and those who sit and watch those ridiculous Africa Magic channels. And yes, Khathu please i don’t know what the point of your article was, if it wasn’t to punt DSTV.

  45. Flipper on Thu, 22nd Apr 2010 2:13 pm 

    Phathu Makwarela you a confused person, or did DStv pay you to write this? I believe so! DStv’s ONLY draw card is English Soccer! TopTV (“Govender”) this was DStv’s last IPL! DStv had a monopoly and forget its customers! Example: They do a software upgrade at night without user control. You have a power failure during this process. You’re decoder is busted the customer is liable for cost to have it fixed!

  46. Spikegal on Sat, 24th Apr 2010 1:23 pm 

    TOP TV here I come! DSTV has done nothing but upset me with their re-runs for over R500 pm. Its glad to know that u could get almost as much channels for the full bouquet and pay half price. 1 May come on hurry up! DSTV here come ur competition.

  47. Musa on Sun, 25th Apr 2010 8:15 pm 

    Damn Phathu. Your article was one sided and that draws a conclusion that you work for the boring DSTV that repeats shows. I will go for TopTV, same content less price…i dont like being overcharged. PERIOD.

  48. laetitia on Wed, 28th Apr 2010 1:57 pm 

    I could not help to see, but my mother in low has dstv and the last time we spoke she said that dstv went up to R560.00 or something like that, and if we go to visit they always complain there is nothing to watch. We don`t have dstv and I don`t want it, I am glad we waited to see what top tv are going to bring…..

  49. Vinnie on Wed, 28th Apr 2010 2:57 pm 

    Phathu you are so biased its Sad. I have DSTV compact coz i can’t afford premium (too expensive). DSTV is too expensive and all you get are re-runs. If i look at what i pay now for compact (which is a load of c**p and what i would get for the same amount with Top TV, dude i would not need to think about it. I am definitely cancelling my DSTV contract.

  50. vuyo on Wed, 28th Apr 2010 4:22 pm 

    don’t care what u can say abt Top tv..the fact is poorest as e might be..we wil go for toptv..thabnks god ..i’ve been waiting for this longtime..agoTOP TV HALALA

  51. Spaceman on Thu, 29th Apr 2010 8:02 am 

    Top TV………here I come. Tired of the repeats when I give fresh money every month. Can someone enlighten me further on the new pay chennel, pleazzzze! Do I get to chose the chennels I want and how many are they offering–entry level?

  52. Jacques on Thu, 29th Apr 2010 8:47 am 

    So, if a lot of the channels on TOPTV are the same as those offered by DSTV, the repeats will be repeated either way…!

  53. fabio on Thu, 29th Apr 2010 1:20 pm 

    tsek. you talking kak here sannie… im den moving to toptv tomorrow and the whole eldo’s also..

  54. THANDO NJEMLA ORLANDO EAST on Fri, 30th Apr 2010 11:36 am 

    i realy want to get top tv so i dont know were to get it so can top tv make it self available for us because we want to support it. thando njemla ORLANDO EAST 5541 SHUENYANE STREET 0739090916 0119351766

  55. FunkyFK on Fri, 30th Apr 2010 12:13 pm 

    @THANDO NJEMELA ORLANDO EAST

    Go to the folloing shops Pep, Game, Makro, Dion. They sell it there.

  56. Chilu on Sat, 1st May 2010 7:09 am 

    It’s a bouquet not a banquet. Banquet is a feast.

  57. Miss T on Sat, 1st May 2010 9:59 am 

    LOL @Chilu…yes Mistress

  58. Nathi on Sun, 2nd May 2010 12:57 pm 

    Im considerng Top TV, DSTV yabora, they r repeating ama Movie, its expensive for nothing.

  59. Njabulo on Mon, 3rd May 2010 3:52 pm 

    One thing you failed to mention, that makes DSTV far superior than any Competitor is SPORT, SPORT is a reason why most of us subscribe to DSTV, they show live games exclusive games, they show spain’s LA LIGA, Germany’s Bundesliga, England’s Premiership… well thats just the beginning i’m not even talking about Rugby, Tennis, Cricket,Boxing,Basketball the list is endless……well my Winner is DSTV by a long margin…..

  60. mshefane on Mon, 3rd May 2010 4:07 pm 

    @njabulo, setanta sports shows “LA LIGA, Germany’s Bundesliga, England’s Premiership” and im sure euro sport will show golf/tennis, the only thing im not sho about is cricket..
    however i still believe if DSTV were smart, they would also give their subscribers option to SELECT their own channels, but probably make tht for people who are on DSTV compact

  61. Njabulo on Tue, 4th May 2010 12:58 pm 

    THIS WHAT I FOUND OUT ABOUT SETANTA SPORT…”According to the official Registre de Commerce et des Sociétés of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the most recent annual accounts lodged by Setanta Sports S.a.r.l. indicated losses of €173 million (UK£149 million).[17]

    Reports on 7 June 2009 suggested that Setanta could be forced into administration that week[18] after failing to make payments due on TV rights.

    Because of late payment and renegotiation over fees by Setanta to football clubs, several UK football clubs were put into financial difficullties as money promised had been spent in annual budgets. On 4 June 2009, the Scottish Premier League announced they would be paying the sums that some of the clubs were owed to avoid causing them financial problems.[19]

    On 19 June 2009, Setanta Sports failed to pay the latest instalment of £30 million (€35 million) it owed the English Premier League. The Premier League had to sell the rights to the 46 live matches Setanta had for the 2009/10 season. A Premier League spokesman said, “It is with considerable regret that we announce that Setanta has been unable to meet their obligations. As such the existing licence agreement between us has been terminated with immediate effect.”[20][21]

    On 20 June 2009, the Daily Mail reported that a rescue deal had failed and “administration now looks inevitable”.[22]

    On 22 June 2009, it was reported on RTE News that the original Setanta Sports channel Setanta Ireland might be bought out by an existing consortium who already hold interests in Setanta Sport Holdings Ltd the Irish arm of Setanta Sports. Setanta Sports Ireland and Setanta Sports North America were the only brands which made a profit in 2008.[23]

    On 22 June 2009, Setanta lost all their Scottish Premier League TV rights because it was unable to pay the £3m (€3.5m) owed to the Scottish Premier League.[24] Following this, it was announced that ESPN had bought the rights to show the 46 Premier League games bought by Setanta next season.[25]

    On 23 June 2009, the company went into administration following failure to make payments to a number of sporting organisations. About 200 employees will be made redundant. The administration is to be handled by Deloitte.[26]…..I rather stick to my dstv rather than this company i don’t know and i read this…..

  62. Nate on Wed, 5th May 2010 1:10 pm 

    Ladies and Gents… It is sad that only once a monopoly is broken in SA do we see prices cut… I am a DSTV subscriber and i feel that i would migrate to Top TV because of the prices being offered. It is all too common for companies to bleed the public dry because they are the only provider. Take the new ‘Uncapped’ internet scenario into consideration… What u paid for 3 gigs a few months ago is what you pay for uncapped now.. That has sparked a price war and now other operators are offering cheaper uncapped internet than the company that initially introduced it… It has also sparked a reduction in MTN and Vodacoms data charges (Why?? because people are not interested in their overcharged ridiculous rates – they WILL lose business)… Why do companies Milk the public and only offer better deals once a competitor comes in…Competition is HEALTHY for the economy and for the average consumer… By supporting Top TV all we will do is force Dstv to come to the party and reduce their rates. A company must show year on year growth in their annual subscribership and profits. In this scenario, i can almost guarantee that more people would opt for Top TV and put a dent in DSTV’s monopoly… further more, once Dstv start feeling their fat pockets becoming lighter, they will compete!!… Top Tv is in its infancy stage, they have the guts to offer similar content at a reduced rate.. They will grow and have more channels… just like Dstv…If 100 subscribers on the full package leave DSTV – Thats more than a R 670 000 loss to Dstv per annum…I’m pretty certain more will leave and we will soon see cheaper satellite TV being offered from both providers… COMPETITION… IS something SA lacks… Go Top TV – and WELCOME… P.S – Author – Nice article – But instead of listing Pros and Cons and deeming Dstv the better package, you were very biased since the onset. Although I assume that DSTV didn’t not pay you to write this article, you certainly make a lot of readers believe that…

  63. helang on Wed, 5th May 2010 1:18 pm 

    You shouldnt be suprised at the wack article from Phathu, shim writes for Muvhango, go figure

  64. Jappie on Fri, 7th May 2010 6:48 am 

    Top Tv gonne show us soccer like on Dstv ?

  65. meisie on Fri, 7th May 2010 8:19 am 

    shame, i am probably the poor of the poorest, i saw no point of buying DSTV compact since its all niger movies which dont appeal to me at all, and the hallmark channel is just wack, wack,wack! i settled to buy the compact for my dearest mother who is on pension and enjoying it to the fullest. Now, i cant afford premium package, so yes, i am the poor of the poorest, i am on welfare TV and enjoying it.

    I went to get myself the cheap TopTV at game,apparently they are out of stock and I had to write my name down so that they can order for me, I was number 1700 on the list…..it’s been a week and still patiently waiting to get my dish and decoder….apparently the Top TV e rekiwang ke di chomi tsa go phapa is selling like hot cakes…game says there is a high demand now…the only thing i hate is the waiting….HERE I COME TOP TV!!!!! TOP TV is indeed Termination Of Pregnancy TV to DSTV, they have been falling pregnant for far too long with bo DSTV compact, DSTV select or something and big fat checks at the end of the month,now the only solution is to TOP!! they cant have so many babies hleng bathong!!! halala Top TV halala!

  66. Edwin on Sat, 8th May 2010 11:18 am 

    Top tv is most affordable, you can watch all their channels by only spending half of the price of dstv. dstv is a rip-off and not for the poor. you pay more than R500 for dstv and only R250 to watch everything on top tv. difenattely going for top.

  67. Edwin on Sat, 8th May 2010 11:30 am 

    Im tired of paying R6348-00 per year on dstv, rather I will pay top tv R2988 per year. Im sad to say good bye to dstv.

  68. Coreen on Mon, 10th May 2010 2:05 pm 

    I purchased TOPTV last Saturday (launch day) at the Hyperama House and Home in Strubensvalley. I was given 5 numbers to contact one of the TOPTV accredited installers. I am at my wits end now. I cannot get through to these people and also not through to the Call Centre (08600 86788). Ms Naidoo was listed as the area manager but you cannot even leave a message as her inbox is full (083 367 5677). Installers Ryan 073 487 1022 011 582 8500 and Glynnis 076 1234 9514 011 582 8502 does not answer their phones or return any messages left to contact me for an installation appointment. Please help me. This was a birthday present for my husband’s birthday on the 5th May and I cannot believe these people’s attitudes. Don’t they need the business. Their service stinks!!!! And for the supervisor/manager, Ms Naidoo, she must be fired!!!! Sets a very bad example, no wonder her staff has the same attitudes.

  69. Kabelo on Tue, 11th May 2010 11:42 am 

    I think Top is going to survive, problem is that it still doesn’t offer local SA football matches (worse than SABC1), for housewives it might be a hit, dstv has so many channels that repeat the same boring shows the entire month.Guess we have to wait for their tv guide & let the games begin.

  70. bestpaytv on Tue, 11th May 2010 4:26 pm 

    It’s about time that DSTV get some competition! I just went to town looking for a toptv decoder, but to no avail. And on top of it, it’s raining cats and dogs :)

    Anyways, I’m SO excited about TOPTV, that I just started a microblog for it at http://bestpaytv.co.za. Come and join, it’s free!!

  71. Greg on Tue, 11th May 2010 4:44 pm 

    It’s bouquet not banquet… McFly.

  72. Greg on Tue, 11th May 2010 4:49 pm 

    sneak peek (not peak)… McFly.

  73. thokozani on Fri, 14th May 2010 9:58 am 

    i realy dnt lyk da line Niger channel…

  74. DJDEE on Thu, 27th May 2010 3:59 pm 

    Top TV is TOPS coz it offers THE CHOICE,thats what outwits DSTV.IF DSTV offered their customers a choice to choose channels they would have been competition for TOP TV.SO HERES A LESSON FOR DSTV,stop being so bureaucratic about your company and offer customers the choice.After all we are paying for it and a hefty premium nogal.

  75. Rasnil Ahir on Fri, 4th Jun 2010 12:42 am 

    I think DSTV is way too overpriced! I am a CA and never got a dstv subscription because its wasteful, not that I cant afford it. R 600 pm for a extra channels most of which i will never watch. I think Top TV offers a refreshing change…choice of programming for a great price. even if you dont watch TV all that much, having an option to watch something other than SABC 123 or etv is a great change, for not an arm or leg. TOP TV here I come baby!

  76. ramon on Fri, 21st Jan 2011 10:18 am 

    How do I move from DStv to TopTV? What do I do with my DStv decoder?

  77. Kiki on Fri, 21st Jan 2011 10:36 am 

    @Roman,people are moving BACK to DSTV wena you wanna move to Top TV?? Lol

  78. Polly on Fri, 21st Jan 2011 11:26 am 

    Kwaaaaaa Ramon, that means you have not read the divorce article.

    Lol @ Kiki calling you Roman #toomuchDaysofourlives.

  79. Kiki on Fri, 21st Jan 2011 12:03 pm 

    Polly bathong I didn’t even notice yazi? Askies Ramon for mispelling your name.

    Mciim wena Polly I don’t watch Days Of THEIR Lives…lol

  80. Read on Tue, 24th May 2011 7:27 pm 

    I downsized my package from R559 to R250 and all I seem to be missing is a few quiz shows, never-ending criminal cases and a few constantly repeated movies.
    At this time DStv is showing a “Say what” that claims Pratley Putty was invented by a South African called Pratley. Check this seriously out, because epoxy putty was invented in England in 1924. It was made in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe by Prodorite for many years. When they closed down it appeared in SA.

Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!

Click here to register in order to prevent re-entering your details the next time you leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.