Buy a new Samsung Smart TV in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa or any of 15 other African markets, and you will find DStv Stream already sitting on the home screen — no download, no setup, no searching.
CANAL+ and Samsung Electronics confirmed the rollout on June 22, 2026, marking the first time a MultiChoice Group streaming application has come pre-installed on Samsung Smart TVs across English and Portuguese-speaking Africa.
The deal extends a partnership between CANAL+ and Samsung that already covers more than 40 markets across Europe, French-speaking Africa and Asia. This latest push brings it into 18 new territories, including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Angola, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with effect from June 1, 2026.
What Changes for Viewers
The practical shift is simple but significant. When you power up a new Samsung TV, DStv Stream sits alongside Netflix, YouTube and other pre-loaded services. It does not require a separate download. It does not demand that a viewer already know what DStv Stream is before they find it. It just appears.
The DStv Stream app now sits prominently on the Samsung home screen alongside global streaming heavyweights like Netflix and YouTube, meaning users will no longer need to manually search for or download the app.
Pre-installing apps on Smart TVs is a strategy Netflix and other global platforms have used for years. It enables users to start watching premium content immediately after plugging in the TV, without the clutter of extra cables, additional devices, or the need to download software or apps manually. For a platform like DStv Stream, which competes for attention in an increasingly crowded market, the difference between being pre-installed and being a manual download matters enormously.
The content on offer gives the launch genuine weight. Through the app, subscribers access the full FIFA World Cup 2026, the English Premier League, domestic and international rugby, and a broad catalogue of local and international entertainment.
The Bigger Picture: DStv Beyond the Dish
This move reflects something more fundamental than a distribution deal. It signals a deeper shift in strategy as the group increasingly pushes DStv beyond its traditional satellite roots and toward app-based viewing on connected devices. Instead of depending solely on decoders and dishes, the company is now positioning DStv Stream as a central gateway for live television, sports, and on-demand entertainment across African households.
Traditional pay TV is bleeding users as viewing habits shift fundamentally toward on-demand, internet-based streaming. The local pay TV market in Kenya lost a staggering 85,000 subscribers in Q1 2026.
CANAL+ accelerated that pivot after completing its acquisition of MultiChoice in 2025. In recent months, the company has consolidated more of its digital offering around DStv Stream, shutting the loss-making Showmax service and folding its content into DStv Stream to create a single streaming destination rather than maintain multiple overlapping services.
Samsung brings its own weight to the arrangement. Samsung is the world’s largest TV manufacturer. Last year it made 250,000 televisions in South Africa alone. Across Africa, its smart TV range commands strong market presence, which makes the partnership a genuine distribution play rather than a symbolic gesture.
David Mignot, CEO of CANAL+ Africa and CEO of MultiChoice Group, described the moment as “a significant milestone in the synergies created by the combination of CANAL+ and MultiChoice Group. As viewing habits continue to evolve rapidly across the continent, strengthening the accessibility and discoverability of our content offer on connected devices is key.”
SportyTV Joins DStv and GOtv in Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana
Alongside the Samsung announcement, CANAL+ confirmed a second piece of news for sports fans. SportyTV — a 24-hour dedicated sports channel — joined DStv and GOtv bouquets in Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana from June 10, 2026. In Kenya, it broadcasts in HD on DStv Channel 237 and GOtv Channel 58.
The channel targets subscribers on DStv Access and GOtv Value, two of the most affordable tiers on the platform, which makes this a deliberate decision to push live sport further down the price ladder.
SportyTV delivers around 750 live sporting events per year. The football lineup covers the English Premier League, Carabao Cup, EFL Championship, Women’s FA Cup, LaLiga, the Spanish Super Cup, the Bundesliga and Serie A. South American football also features, through the Copa Libertadores, Argentina League and Brazil Serie A, with additional coverage from the Greek League and Saudi Pro League.
Basketball fans get the NBA. Combat sports feature alongside nonstop news, analysis, highlights and what the channel describes as behind-the-scenes access to major clubs and competitions.
Four of the channel’s most distinctive offerings are dedicated club channels. SportyTV carries Real Madrid TV, Arsenal TV, Chelsea TV and Manchester City TV — giving supporters of those clubs content that goes well beyond match day.
Sudeep Ramnani, Founder and CEO of Sporty Group, explained the ambition: “Our goal has always been to provide a truly global sports offering for African fans — one that combines live sports action, nonstop storytelling and unprecedented access to the world’s biggest clubs and competitions. Partnering with CANAL+ and launching on one of the continent’s leading TV and streaming providers allows us to bring that vision to millions more households across Africa.”
Rendani Ramovha, CANAL+ Director of Sport Content in English and Portuguese-speaking Africa, positioned SportyTV as an addition to an existing sports offering rather than a replacement for it. “The SportyTV channel gives DStv and GOtv viewers more choice, complementing SuperSport’s wide variety of sports content. It adds a fresh mix of live sport and broadens DStv’s compelling sports offering, covering an additional array of the live action loved by African sports fans.”
What DStv Access Now Includes
The arrival of SportyTV strengthens a package that already carries more than 80 channels spanning movies, series, reality shows, lifestyle, kids’ entertainment and news. Recent and upcoming additions include WWE, music channel Base Pulse and, from July 1, Novelas+ featuring telenovelas from around the world. SuperSport will also launch a dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 pop-up channel for the tournament.
Subscribers who want the full SuperSport lineup — every Premier League match, major rugby fixtures, Formula 1 and MotoGP — need to upgrade to DStv Premium.
Why It Matters
Both announcements point in the same direction. CANAL+ is restructuring how African viewers reach its content — through the television they already own, at price points more of them can actually afford. The Samsung integration removes friction at the point of purchase. SportyTV extends live sport to subscribers who previously could not access it within their budget.
DStv’s long-term future is becoming less about the satellite dish mounted outside a home and more about whether its app is easily accessible on the screens people already use. For Kenyan sports fans in particular, the combination of DStv Stream on Samsung TVs and SportyTV on the Access package means the cost of watching live football, basketball and combat sports just dropped — and the barrier to getting started dropped with it.
