The news about shutting down DStv Mobile has led to a lot of angry complaints from customers who are now forced to pay more if they want to continue watching the same TV they've been viewing, as well as having to pay for expensive broadband data.
MultiChoice is shutting down its DStv Mobile service at the end of October and already started turning off transmitters, leaving people with hardware they won't be able to use, and having to pay for data in addition a subscription fee if they want to continue to watch DStv as they have been doing with the DStv Mobile service.
MultiChoice didn't issue any press release about shutting down DStv Mobile but the broader South African public have been talking about it nonetheless.
After South African citizens and DStv Mobile customers gave their opinions on Radio 702, MultiChoice said it wants a right of reply and 702 agreed to interview Mark Rayner, MultiChoice chief operating officer (COO).
On Thursday Joanne Joseph interviewed Mark Rayner, saying 702 received a lot of calls and messages about MultiChoice scrapping DStv Mobile.
From the outset Mark Rayner who said the product has become obsolete didn't come across very well and didn't specifically answer any of the questions or the concerns of DStv Mobile subscribers, instead sounding extremely evasive.
It's not clear why MultiChoice decided to do an interview about DStv Mobile if it doesn't have specific answers for the South African public and DStv Mobile users losing the service.
Joanne Joseph asked Mark Rayner what about South Africans and customers who don't have access to the internet and WiFI and who feel that they're being backed into a corner by MultiChoice and will have to access the internet to pay for data just to watch DStv.
Mark Rayner didn't answer the question and said mobile penetration in South Africa is "well over 100%". He said nothing about data costs.
Joanne Joseph said what upsets people is that they understand technology moving on, but are still able to use mobile phones and cars when those things have been overtaken by newer technology. She said people have paid up to R1 000 for MultiChoice devices that MultiChoice is making worthless.
Mark Rayner said MultiChoice is giving DStv Mobile subscribers a R500 Takealot voucher to spend on a DStv product or "spend on a smartphone or spend on a computer".
A listener, Grant, also asking about the cost of data, wanted to know from Mark Rayner what his father-in-law - who used DStv Mobile and watched using a signal that didn't cost anything besides the DStv subscription fee - can use instead of the DStv Walka that will give all of the DStv channels they got that they pay for, without the data charges that becomes the customers' problem.
Mark Rayner said MultiChoice is giving people the Takealot voucher to buy a "new TV, or smartphone or a tablet".
Mark Rayner couldn't give a specific answer and said the cost of data is coming down. He said cellular operators have attractive data packages.
"But Mark, come on lets not kid ourselves, compared to other African countries,compared to European countries, America, we know very well that our data costs are a good deal higher," said Joanne Joseph.
"Yes, we certainly have work to do in that regard," said Mark Rayner.
Then Joanne Joseph asked, "in terms of your decision to scrap the DStv Mobile service, how linked is it to your precarious financial situation as a company right now?"
"I'm not sure what precarious situation we're in," said Mark Rayner.
"Really? Mark?" said Joanne Joseph. "I'm shocked that you don't know what's going on in your own company. How many subscribers have you lost in the last year, Mark?"
Mark Rayner said "we grew our subscriber base by - I can't disclose" and said DStv subscribers grew.
"Oh, so you haven't lost any?" asked Joanne Joseph.
"Every year we win some and we lose some Joanne," said Mark Rayner.
"Wow. Thank you very much for that Mark, because the rest of us would have thought that DStv had lost a good number of customers," said Joanne Joseph.
Joanne Joseph was clearly thinking of when Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice SA CEO earlier this year told South Africa's broadcasting regulator, Icasa, that MultiChoice had lost 100 000 DStv Premium subscribers to Netflix South Africa in its last financial year.
Mark Rayner said "certainly we do lose subscribers and we gain new ones. It's part of the cycle of our business".
Joanne Joseph said "that probably explains why some of your customers feel that you don't actually need their custom and patronage because you are simply able to attract new custom fairly easily".
"No that's certainly not how I think of the company, Joanne," said Mark Rayner who said every DStv customer matters.
Another called, Bruce, said MultiChoice offered DStv Mobile for R50, what is MultiChoice going to offer now.
"You can pick up one of our other satellite TV packages and get access to the DStv Now product for free,or perhaps you might be interested in picking up something like Showmax that for R99 gives you a great selection of video-on-demand," said Mark Rayner.
Another listener, Kevin said "DStv cut me off in the middle of the Springbok game the past Saturday on my Walka TV. They don't want people watching premier sport and only paying R50 per month, that is the reason".
You can listen to the whole 702 interview here:
