by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice deliberately interlinks M-Net, kykNET and Springbok rugby together on DStv and while the latest DStv package restructuring is opening M-Net and kykNET up to a larger subscriber base by downtiering these two out of Premium, Canal+ and MultiChoice, like the Charmed sisters, are well aware of, and are harnessing the magic of the "Power of the Three".
These three extremely sought-after content funnels are what power Canal+'s DStv Premium by far and are the core drivers of DStv premium uptake and keeping them subscribed.
Waldimar Pelser, M-Net director for premium channels, says "We like to group Springbok rugby and kykNET and M-Net together. These are three content streams which are extremely popular with South Africans".
"We also see a lot of English viewers watching kykNET because so little English drama is produced these days in South Africa. kykNET is the viewing of English viewers looking for authentic South African drama content."
With Canal+ and MultiChoice's adjustment to the DStv packages, channels like M-Net, BBC Earth, Discovery and others which have always been DStv Premium locked, are now included and down-tiered into the cheaper Movies & Series package.
This allows more DStv subscribers, at a lower price point, to now get access to channels like M-Net (DStv 101) and the premium content on that channel.
"It's important for us in the design of these DStv packages to enlarge the Afrikaans world a little bit," he says.
"kykNET is now available on the new Movies & Series package, which is big news for us. It's also the home of M-Net and the top M-Net Movies channels watched by many kykNET viewers."
"If you're not a sports-watching home, and there are those, then there's another package where you can view kykNET."
"The kykNET & Kie channel is included in the new Starter package and we want as many viewers as possible to enjoy Afrikaans content," he says.
"The Afrikaans content we produce costs much more than the Hollywood content we broadcast, so it's very important for us to protect this investment."
"How we do it, is that we broadcast the new programmes where the most viewers are, and that's between 18:00 and 21:00 on weeknights."
