Is there actually any competition between Netflix & DStv

When was the first time you heard that DStv is on the brink of death and Netflix (or streaming) is the cause? I’ve got another question - how often do you hear that DStv only continues to dominate because it has sporting content (specifically the Premier League) and once it loses the rights it’s Kaput?

These are commonly held views and for a while I’ve wondered what informs them. As always I decided to dive into some data to investigate how true these commonly held beliefs are prompted by a recent reveal that Netflix had 1.6 million subscribers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Not only did this figure seem alarmingly low but it suggested that growth had stalled or declined (at the continental level) since available data in 2021 suggested that the streaming video on demand (SVOD) provider would end that year with 2.1 million subscribers.

revealed preference theory looks at actual consumer choices within a proxy market good or service whereas stated preference looks at hypothetical consumer choices surrounding that particular non-market good or service.

Stated vs. Revealed Preferences: Part 1 | Anusha Ali - Researcher

Current state of affairs - hard times for streaming in Africa?

The recent reveal of Netflix's subscriber numbers in Africa is actually counter-narrative - with Netflix being the ones who seem to be struggling on the continent. When you put Netflix’s 1.6 million subscribers next to DStv’s 9.3 million active subscribers its hard to see where the competition actually is between the two? During my research the first resource I turned to is a survey titled The Impact of Over-the-Top Television Services on Pay-Television Subscription Services in South Africa to try and understand if people were leaving payTV for streaming alternatives as is usually suggested.