by Thinus Ferreira
Universal+ will be added to MultiChoice's DStv Catch Up service from 14 October as an on-demand video streaming service not requiring additional payment and will be accessible through the DStv app or DStv Explora decoders which are connected to the internet.
Universal+ or "Universal Plus" is not Peacock - NBCUniversal's over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service taking its name from the logo of the American TV network NBC - which isn't yet available in South Africa but is run as a streamer in the United States and countries like the United Kingdom through Sky's pay-TV service.
Universal+ which is not accessible on its own and must be accessed through DStv's pay-TV platform will contain series and films from NBCUniversal International Networks' set of available TV channels on DStv in South Africa like Universal TV, E!, DreamWorks, Studio Universal and Telemundo.
Universal+ is already available through pay-TV services in Latin American countries like Brazil, Spain and India and will now make binge-watching possible for DStv subscribers across sub-Saharan Africa. NBCUniversal says the on-demand service will have "thousands of hours of compelling entertainment", including a "huge selection of full boxsets to binge, new shows and movies".
"We're thrilled to launch Universal+ with our long-standing
partners DStv, giving their customers a brand-new way to enjoy a vastly
expanded catalogue of our best content," says Lee Raftery, managing director for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region for NBCUniversal International
Networks & direct-to-consumer, in a statement.
"From 14 October, the incredible
line-up of entertainment available to DStv customers ranges from award-winning
original production Celebrity Game Night – which shortly goes back into
production for a fourth season – to gripping dramas and Hollywood blockbusters.
And, it's all at no extra cost to a subscription."
Simon Camerer, MultiChoice South Africa chief operating officer, on the addition of Universal+ says "We are excited to bring the best of international content
and the widest possible choice of great shows to satisfy all our
viewers".
It's not clear why NBCUniversal is adding Universal+ for Africa now, with the company late to the video streaming party in the continent where MultiChoice's streamer Showmax, Netflix Africa, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Disney+ are making inroads in the video streaming market segment.
South Africa's public broadcaster is still to launch its SABC+ streaming service in the third quarter of 2022, with Paramount planning to roll out its Paramount+ video streaming service sometime in 2023 and with Warner Bros. Discovery which hasn't yet confirmed any launch for South Africa of its combined and to-be-renamed HBO Max and discovery+ streamers.
Smaller existing streamers like VIU, Britbox and TelkomONE are also battling for a piece of the pie in the ramping up streaming wars, with eMedia's eVOD service that launched in August 2011 which has now passed the mark of 500 000 registered users with its content carousel of movies, series, Afrikaans telenovelas and documentaries.
