Canal+ Aiming To Launch Showmax Replacement App In MultiChoice Territories By 2027/8

DStv subscribers hoping to get the Canal+ app soon may have to take a rain check. In an interview with The Media Reader, Canal+ revealed an estimated timeframe that places the streamer’s arrival in MultiChoice territories in the second half of 2028. The company is first launching in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the coming weeks, followed by Belgium early next year.

After shuttering the Showmax streaming service, MultiChoice consolidated more content under DStv Stream, with various original series and films now branded under M-Net. Former Showmax subscribers were even offered a 12-month deal to subscribe to DStv Sports (formerly Compact) for R99 per month.

MultiChoice is also expected to close the GOtv Stream offering in other African countries. Following its buyout of the company, Canal+ wants to integrate DStv Stream into the kind of “super app” it has already launched in other markets. Some consumers have already noticed several tests underway on the DStv Stream app.

The Canal+ app is essentially the equivalent of DStv Stream. It offers live TV channels and bundles content from other streaming platforms such as Netflix, HBO Max and Apple TV. Canal+ has been vocal about wanting to introduce a similar format in MultiChoice territories, but a two-year wait is not what many consumers had in mind.

With the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Belgium covered in 2026 and nothing major planned for its streaming business in 2027, many DStv subscribers are left wondering whether Canal+ is simply waiting for merger conditions with South African regulators to run their course. Some speculate that this would allow the company to shift more of DStv Stream’s technical operations to France.

Canal+ already handles a significant portion of decision-making around M-Net and SuperSport from France, leading some viewers to expect a similar approach for the streaming platform. One of the outlined plans at MultiChoice includes the optimisation of broadcast infrastructure and the renegotiation of hardware prices — both of which are slated for completion by 2028.

For now, Canal+ has focused on smaller changes: revamping DStv packages across MultiChoice territories and removing duplicate programming from its portfolio. These moves, along with enhanced layout designs on DStv Stream, are giving subscribers an early hint of what the long-awaited streaming service could look like.

Some DStv viewers have begun questioning whether Canal+ is gradually moving away from the DStv brand name in favour of its own corporate styling. Changes such as the inclusion of Novelas+, the rebranding of Mzansi Wethu to Wethu+, and the new colour schemes for DStv packages all carry a strong Canal+ influence.