MultiChoice in talks to renew Warner Bros deal as channel cuts loom

With less than two weeks to go before the removal of several major channels — including Cartoon Network and CNN — from DStv, MultiChoice said discussions are still under way to renew its contract with international content group Warner Bros Discovery (WBD).

Talks between WBD and MultiChoice began months ago, but the parties have yet to agree on the price for renewing the distribution arrangement, which expires on December 31.

Neither company has disclosed the value of the deal.“At this stage, no new agreement has been reached between the parties. Should this remain the case, these channels will no longer form part of the DStv line-up from January 1 2026. As always, any updates that may affect our customers will be communicated directly and transparently,” MultiChoice Group said.

Earlier this month, MultiChoice, now owned by French pay-TV group Canal+, told millions of subscribers that 12 channels would be cut when its distribution agreement with WBD ends. The channels are Cartoon Network, CNN International, Food Network, TNT, Cartoonito, TLC, Discovery, Discovery Family, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, HGTV and Real Time.

In addition to the 12 WBD channels, DStv is losing an additional four more — BET Africa, MTV Base, CBS Justice and CBS Reality — because the owner of these, Paramount Global, is exiting its Africa business.

The cancellation would be a further blow to Africa’s biggest pay-TV operator. MultiChoice lost 1.2-million subscribers in the year to March, with the loss evenly split between South Africa and the rest of Africa, as consumers struggled to keep up with monthly subscriptions in a tough economic environment.

Since 2023, it has shed 2.8-million subscribers, which impacted its earnings. At the end of March, MultiChoice had about 14.5-million subscribers across the continent.

MultiChoice has been under pressure in recent years and has lost subscribers for various reasons, including intense competition from streaming platforms and households cutting back on discretionary spending.

Its tie-up with Canal+, which has a strong presence in Francophone Africa, will serve more than 40-million subscribers across close to 70 countries in Africa, Europe, and Asia, supported by a workforce of about 17,000 employees.