Former Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko, who is also an investor in Canal+, said the French media company has strong expertise in producing, acquiring, curating and distributing content. He was speaking on the Investec Minds podcast about the future of pay television and his outlook for Canal+’s investment in MultiChoice.

According to Maseko, the rapid growth of smartphones, digital platforms and faster internet connections is changing the amount and type of video content people consume.

He said viewers are likely to consume increasingly large amounts of video as devices become smarter and more content becomes easily accessible.

Short-form content could change television

Maseko said traditional television content such as movies and long-running series will increasingly compete with short-form videos.

However, he believes the different types of content will continue to exist alongside one another.

The rise of digital platforms has also made it easier for ordinary consumers to create and distribute their own videos. This means broadcasters are operating in an environment where the volume of available content is growing rapidly.

For companies such as DStv, the challenge will be understanding what different audiences want to watch and when they are most likely to watch it.

Data could become a bigger advantage

Maseko said Canal+ has sophisticated data and analytics capabilities that could become particularly important in South Africa.

He pointed to differences in viewing habits between regions as an example.

According to Maseko, sporting preferences can vary significantly between provinces. While viewers in the Western Cape may be focused on a Springboks match, audiences in KwaZulu-Natal could be watching football at the same time.

These differences could give Canal+ an opportunity to use viewing data to understand audiences at a much more detailed level.

That information could influence decisions about which programmes to produce, which sports rights to purchase and how content should ultimately be packaged for customers.

Sports rights could be targeted differently

Sport remains one of the biggest attractions for pay-TV customers, but Maseko suggested that detailed viewing data could change how broadcasters assess the value of different competitions.

He identified the FIFA World Cup, Africa Cup of Nations and Rugby World Cup as major drivers of viewing audiences.

Other sports may attract smaller audiences, meaning broadcasters could become more selective about how much they are prepared to pay for particular rights.

Maseko also pointed to the English Premier League, arguing that a relatively small number of major fixtures can attract a large share of viewers.

He suggested that similar patterns could apply to South African football, where certain local matches could potentially attract more viewers than some international fixtures.

This type of information could help broadcasters decide how to package sports content and what customers are willing to pay for it.

Local content remains important

Maseko also highlighted the importance of local content as Canal+ expands its presence in the African market.

He said Canal+ has strong experience in content and that its knowledge of production, acquisition and distribution could be valuable as the media landscape continues to change.

For South Africa, this could mean greater attention to content that reflects the preferences of different audiences and regions.

The combination of local programming, sports and detailed audience data could therefore become an important part of the future strategy for DStv and SuperSport.

What this could mean for DStv customers

The potential changes could eventually be felt by customers through the way content is selected, bundled and priced.

Instead of relying mainly on broad audience trends, broadcasters could increasingly use detailed viewing information to determine which programmes and sporting events deserve investment.

Maseko said the data could help companies make better decisions about how content is packaged.

For DStv, the Canal+ investment therefore has the potential to go beyond a change in ownership structure. It could also accelerate a shift towards a more data-driven pay-TV model, with local content and carefully selected sports rights playing a central role.

For now, these remain opportunities identified by Maseko rather than confirmed changes to DStv’s products or pricing. Canal+’s expertise in content and its ability to analyse audiences, however, could become increasingly important as traditional television competes with streaming and short-form digital video.