DStv is an aspirational brand, or so they make us believe. So I was elated to see the brand introduce a promo that lowered the entry price to N9900 from N18,600; the promotional package comes with its mid-range package (Confam). Same time, DStv’s fiercest rival, StarTimes introduced an Easter promo that sees decoder price crashed to N11,200 from N13,200 for its DTH (dish and decoder); the promotional offer comes with its topmost bouquet (Super).
Well, ‘if you want premium entertainment, jump onto DStv’, so we are made to believe. So, it was a great opportunity to jump on the promotional offer. Here comes Africa Magic Showcase, EPL and Champions League for me.
But on second thought, I needed to know what I am paying for. So, I embarked on reviewing the value proposition of the offers from each platform. Entertainment needs differ. I love sports, movies and series. So my efforts were focused here.
In terms of sports, I realised that the DStv Confam package (bouquet) is not the home of EPL and UEFA Champions League. That’s the first shocker. So what are the LIVE sports on this package? La Liga, The Emirates FA Cup and Serie A as well as few EPL matches and ESPN 1 channel. For StarTimes Super Bouquet, LIVE sports content includes Europa League, the Emirates FA Cup, Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia, Bundesliga, and La Liga matches and a dedicated channel for combat sports. The ESPN 1 & 2 channels that show Basketball (NBA), EFL (The English Football League) and much other sports-related content are also available on StarTimes Super Bouquet.
Let’s look at movies, you won’t see flagship movie channels like Africa Magic Showcase and Africa Magic Urban on DStv Confam package. That’s the second shocker. But you still have access to Africa Magic Family, Africa Magic Epic, Africa Magic Hausa, Africa Magic Igbo, Africa Magic Yoruba, Rok 2, Rok GH and Trybe.
Movie channels on StarTimes include PBO TV, ST Nollywood Plus, AMC Movies and Wakaati TV; four Yoruba channels – ST Yoruba, Nigbati, Kaftan Yoruba and Orisun TV; Isimbido (Igbo); and Hausa channels – ST Dadinkowa and Farin Wata. Another Hausa channel, Arewa 24, is on StarTimes and DStv. The catch for StarTimes is its recently rolled-out premium Nollywood channel ‘PBO TV’, an entertainment channel dedicated to top-rated Nollywood movies, series, sitcoms and late-night comedy shows. The channel promises to offer an explosive experience like the one offered on Africa Magic showcase. True to its promise, most of its movies and series since inception are top-class Nollywood movies. But only time will tell if it can sustain the momentum.
Confam subscribers also get Hollywood movie channels like TNT Africa, B4U movies, and M-Net Movies 4. Super bouquet subscribers on StarTimes have access to ST Zone, ST Movies and TNT Africa. Series channels on Confam include Universal TV, M-Net 15 and Telemundo. On StarTimes, there are TL Novelas, TDC (Dizi), ST Novela, Novela Plus, ST kungfu and ST Sino Drama.
Both platforms transmit HD picture quality for sports channels and some other channels. Also, both platforms have dedicated audio channels with diverse musical genres from reggae to gospel, souls, R & B, hip hop, etc
So having reviewed both offers, it’s glaring that StarTimes has a better value proposition. DStv’s promo looks so attractive from the outside until you come inside. If you certainly don’t have between N12400 and N18,400 monthly to enjoy the best of what DStv offers, then staying with StarTimes at N4200 monthly (Super Bouquet) is the best alternative you have.