Ster-Kinekor relaunches its movie subscription fee club countrywide.

by Thinus Ferreira

Sterk-Kinekor has expanded and relaunched its monthly movies subscription club countrywide which allows subscribers to go to the cinema for a fixed monthly fee.

Sterk-Kinekor's SK Subscription Club that launched in May 2019 just before the Covid-19 pandemic, is different from the cinema chain's existing SK Club which is its loyalty programme, unlocking rewards and discounts.

When Ster-Kinekor's subscription club launched in mid-2019 it was only available at the Eastgate Shopping Centre, Somerset Mall and the Garden Route Mall, but is now available everywhere. Ster-Kinekor has however increased the price for both subscription options from when it launched. 

The SK Subscription Club comes with two options - a limited or unlimited number of movies per month for a fixed fee, with the benefits of the SK Club folded into the subscription fee.

Sker-Kinekor's limited subscription option is called the "Fan Club" and now costs R269 per month. It launched at R249. 

For R269 per month, this includes four movie tickets per month which could be for any standard 2D or 3D film at a Ster-Kinekor cinema. A 20% discount on a regular cooldrink and popcorn combo is included in the deal.

Sker-Kinekor's unlimited subscription option is called the "Morvies Club" and now costs R389 per month. It launched at R349 per month in 2019.

The R389 per month includes an unlimited number of movie tickets per month - but limited to 5 tickets per day - for any standard 2D or 3D film. A 20% discount on a regular cooldrink and popcorn combo is included in the monthly subscription fee.

"The concept behind the SK Subscription Club is to benefit and reward our loyal customers who love the big screen cinema experience, who love watching movies as they were made to be seen, and those who frequent our cinemas on a regular basis," says Lynne Wylie, Ster-Kinekor's chief marketing officer.

"While the Fan Club membership is great for families, couples or friends, the unlimited Morvies Club subscription offers even more savings and benefits to customers who just love going to the cinema," she says.

"In the next few months, movie lovers can expect a slate of fantastic movie titles launching on the big screen. Joining the SK Subscription Club will enable cinemagoers to enjoy all these great cinema moments at their greatest, every month, at a great price."

Film titles over the next few months include Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Fast & Furious 10; Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Transformers: Rise of the Beasts; The Flash; Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny; Hypnotic; Kandahar; Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One; The Little Mermaid; Love Again; Barbie and Book Club: The Next Chapter.  

MultiChoice Ghana doing a 'price freeze' on DStv and GOtv subscription fees as the latest African country outside of South Africa that won't be hiking monthly fees from April.

MultiChoice Ghana is doing a "price freeze" on the subscription fees for DStv subscribes and GOtv subscribers in Ghana with subscription fees that is being lowered for commercial DStv subscribers in the west African country where MultiChoice won't be hiking subscription fees on 1 April.

In contrast to South Africa where MultiChoice is again increasing hiking DStv subscription fees from 1 April, Ghana has joined the growing number of African countries where MultiChoice Africa has either lowered DStv and GOtv subscription fees the past few months, or kept it unchanged.

MultiChoice Ghana in a statement says "in the last two years we have offered the best value entertainment by combining both quality and variety at a reduced rate to ensure everyone has access to great family entertainment. Consistently we have remodeled our business and adjusted our pricing and content to best suit the varied lifestyle of our subscribers".

MultiChoice Ghana says it is doing "a price freeze on all DStv and GOtv packages for our residential subscribers however our commercial subscribers will get some decreases effective 1 April 2018".

Cecil Sunkwa-Mills, MultiChoice Ghana general manager also revealed that MultiChoice will be adding a 24-hour World Cup channel, SuperSport 13 (DStv 213) as "an appetiser" of the 2018 FIFA World Cup starting later this year in Russia.

All 64 matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be available on all DStv packages.

MultiChoice hiking DStv subscription fees again from April; Compact subscribers see biggest increase; DStv re-uses same 2017 line: 'We're committed to keep improving our offering so it gets better every year'.

MultiChoice is hiking DStv subscription fees again from 1 April with subscribers of the fastest-growing tiers, DStv Compact and DStv Compact Plus seeing the steepest increase.

DStv Compact Plus (the renamed DStv Extra) will pay 4.1% more from April with these DStv subscribers seeing their monthly payment going up from R489 to R509 per month.

DStv Compact subscribers will be paying 5.5% more as their monthly fees will increase from R365 to R385 per month.

DStv Family subscribers on the lower tier are hit the hardest with a 6% increase with their subscription climbing from R235 to R249 per month.

The top-tier and most expensive DStv package, DStv Premium, will cost 2.5% more from 1 April, rising from R789 to R809 per month.

The 2.5% increase is almost half of the 4% price hike for DStv Premium last year.

The percentage of MultiChoice's DStv Premium subscriptions as part of overall DStv subscribers have been steadily declining the past few years, an indication that subscribers no longer see it as offering as much, or enough value, to justify the price.

The bottom-rung DStv Access remains unchanged at R99 per month and DStv EasyView remains unchanged at R29 per month.

While subscribers on the legacy DStv Select package continue to lose channels that are not being replaced, they will see a price hike of 6% from R235 to R249 per month.

People with M-Net analogue decoders will see a price increase of 5.1% from April with their subscription fees rising from R389 to R409 per month. M-Net analogue subscribers are now paying more than for DStv Compact although that bouquet obviously doesn't include the sought-after M-Net (DStv 101) channel.

DStv's access fee for PVR users will increase by 5.9% from R85 to R90 per month.

Decoder insurance fees remain unchanged and DStv BoxOffice PVR rental fees at R35 per title also remains unchanged.

MultiChoice elsewhere in Africa lowered DStv fees the past few months in countries ranging from Kenya, Zambia, Uganda and Ghana, saying in a statement that "We recognise that our customers are living in tough economic times and want to reward them for their ongoing loyalty and support. We want to do our part by adjusting the price of our DStv packages through making them more affordable while adding more value at the same time."

While South Africa's rand has been performing better than most other African nation currencies and has even marginally strengthened, MultiChoice keeps hiking DStv prices in South Africa, where its largest subscriber base is located.

About the latest DStv price hike for South Africa MultiChoice repeats the exact phrase it used in 2017, saying "We're committed to keep improving our offering so it gets better every year".