Bronwynne Jooste
6 September 2008
Cape Town — Furious DStv viewers say the satellite channel's schedule is a disappointing set of never-ending repeat broadcasts, but the channel claims it has the lowest repeat pattern in the world.
Scores of viewers said their subscription was nothing more than a "waste of money", because of its monotonous programming.
But MultiChoice, which owns DStv, has hit back, saying global research shows many viewers rate repeat programming as "very valuable", allowing them to watch shows they would otherwise have missed.
Spokesperson Fathima Ebrahim said while some people might be unhappy about repeats, neither these nor the economic situation was affecting subscriptions.
DStv Premium costs R468 a month, offering 80 television channels and 40 audio channels.
The Dstv Compact bouquet has 34 channels, costing R199 a month. One of DStv's taglines is "Get so much more for so much less from DStv".
But subscribers disagree. John Cross of Durbanville said the subscription was a "rip-off".
Cross joked that if DStv ran only new programmes, their monthly television guide could be printed on a business card.
"And they still push up their fees. I think they have a fine cheek to increase prices with the programming they have. During loadshedding they had a channel which broadcast all the shows you might have missed during the power cuts, calling it a repeat channel. I thought that was funny, considering the whole thing is a bunch of repeat channels," said Cross.
He cancelled his subscription from time to time, when "the monotony becomes too much to bear".
"I'll stop it for about six months. Then I find that I haven't missed a thing when I start subscribing again."
Cross said BBC Prime, Discovery, National Geographic and the Movie Magic channels were the main offenders.
Ray Butters of Kreupelbosch said he had been at loggerheads with DStv for almost four years, repeatedly contacting the call centre about the repeat programming.
"In all my life, I have never dealt with a company so arrogant and disinterested in its customers. It's really a shambles and a disgrace. I actually feel my blood pressure rising and my dealings with them have probably shortened my life."
Butters said while he often thought of cancelling his subscription, there was no viable alternative to the satellite channels.
"Maybe if they have some competition, they will have to bring down their rates and start having some decent programming. I'm thinking about printing a 1 000 bumper stickers, saying 'DStv sucks'."
Ebrahim said the channel was aware of viewers' concerns.
She said subscriptions had increased in the past few months.
"Multichoice understands the frustration experienced at times by viewers as a result of repeats, and we engage in ongoing discussions with its channel suppliers in an attempt to reduce the repeats."
But Ebrahim added that international research showed viewers sometime welcomed repeats.
Independent studies showed that DStv's repeat patterns were low, compared to the situation in many other countries.
Many subscribers also complained it was difficult to get through to the satellite channel's call centre. Ebrahim conceded that not all calls were answered "within minutes".
But she said that to support this service, DStv provided information on its website. People could reset their decoders and request their account balance.
To complaints about the touch facility on the new high definition TV decoder, Ebrahim said the touch facility would be available in the next few months.
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