MultiChoice is ruling out letting DStv subscribers pay only for what they watch and for the periods that they're watching subscriber television content.
MultiChoice Africa CEO Nico Meyer says that the pan-African satellite pay-TV operator buys TV content for a monthly basis and that that is also how pay-TV subscribers have to pay for it.
Nico Meyer says MultiChoice, which operates DStv and GOtv across sub-Saharan Africa, is unable to determine - in the way that mobile cellular and electricity companies do - when consumers and subscribers are making use of the service or not.
Nico Meyer spoke and was in Mauritius last week at the six day MultiChoice Content Showcase with African artists, journalists, international content distributor executives and on-air talent, as well as guests who were flown to the Trou Aux Biches Resort & Spa.
While MultiChoice runs the DStv BoxOffice service where DStv subscribers can rent specific movie titles, the company is ruling out an pay-for-what-you-view monthly bill for individual subscribers.
DStv subscribers in several African countries like Zimbabwe and elsewhere say they struggle due to power cuts and end up paying a monthly DStv subscriber fee although there's periods during the month when the service is not accessible due to a lack of electricity.
"We procure content on a monthly basis, we don't procure it based on the time the consumer will be using it, but on an entire month," said Nico Meyer according to reports, like DailyNews.
"If you buy airtime and you consume it they will deduct it because they can tell. But we cannot tell when someone is travelling or not using it," said Nico Meyer, comparing DStv and GOtv to cellular operators.
"All I know is that someone pays on a monthly basis and we make that service available but I cannot tell if you are consuming the service".
