Online Reporter
JOHANNESBURG. —Subscribers of MultiChoice in Zimbabwe, and across the continent, are likely to wake up to a new era from New Year’s Day— no CNN and Cartoon Network on their bouquet.
Ten other channels —Discovery Channel, TLC, Discovery Family, TNT Africa, Real Time, Discovery ID, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel and Cartoonito — are also set to disappear from the DStv bouquet.
The developments come after revelations that between the end of March last year and March this year, MultiChoice lost 1,2 million subscribers across its operations.
Paramount Africa will also shut down MTV Base and BET Africa following a change in international strategy by the group’s new owners.
At the same time, CBS AMC Networks International will terminate its CBS Justice and CBS Reality channels.
In a note to DStv customers on Monday, MultiChoice said its current distribution agreement with Warner ends on December 31.
The removal of these channels will affect DStv Premium subscribers the most, as all 12 are on the top-end package.
These developments come at a time when data published by French pay television operator Canal+ for a debt investor roadshow ahead of its first eurobond sale show that subscriber losses at MultiChoice, actually accelerated ahead of September this year.
That was the month Canal+ took control of MultiChoice and named a new board of directors for the company.
The last financial and subscriber numbers published by MultiChoice were released in June for its March year-end.
Between the end of March 2024 and March 2025, MultiChoice lost 1.2 million subscribers across its operations.
According to new data from Canal+, this number accelerated to 1.4 million between the end of June 2024 and June 2025.
It is unknown whether the on-demand content slate from Warner’s HBO, available on DStv Catch Up, could also be affected; however, this is likely licensed separately from the channel carriage deal.
MultiChoice said:
“What matters most is ensuring that your viewing experience remains rich, diverse, and enjoyable.
“Our platforms already carry a wide range of local and international sport, entertainment, news, kids, lifestyle and documentary content — and we are preparing to further strengthen and enrich our line-up in 2026 with new content, channels and services.”
The future of Warner Bros Discovery, which merged in 2022, is unclear after it effectively put itself up for sale earlier this year.
Monday was the latest deadline for offers from rivals and suitors, with Paramount, Comcast and Netflix reportedly all in the hunt.
Bloomberg reported that both Comcast and Netflix are only interested in the studios (content) and streaming assets, while Paramount’s bid is for the entire business, including its channels. — Moneyweb.co.za
Mathew Masinge