For generations, South Africans have associated SuperSport and DStv with must-watch sporting moments, from packed rugby stadiums to cricket World Cups and global motorsport showdowns.
That long-standing loyalty has now taken a knock after confirmation that the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina will not air on the platform at all, not even as delayed highlights on Catch Up.
The decision has landed badly with subscribers, particularly because South Africa is competing with its largest Winter Olympics squad to date. In a country with limited access to snow and minimal winter sports infrastructure, the scale of this team marks a rare and important milestone. Yet, despite that significance, DStv viewers will be completely shut out from watching the Games unfold, as reported by My Broadband.
Five South African athletes will be in action in Italy, forming one of the youngest and strongest winter teams the country has ever assembled. Alpine skiing will be represented by teenagers Lara Markthaler and Thomas Weir, with Markthaler racing in both giant slalom and slalom on her 19th birthday. Nicole Burger will make history as the first South African woman to qualify for skeleton, while Matt Smith earned his place in cross-country skiing after just two years in the sport. Freestyle skier Malica Malherbe completes the squad.
Even with this historic line-up, MultiChoice has confirmed that there will be no Winter Olympics coverage on DStv. Many subscribers say the news only became clear when they tried to tune in around the opening ceremony, adding to the frustration and sense of being caught off guard.
MultiChoice has pointed to the absence of an officially listed media rights holder for South Africa, with the Olympic broadcaster status still marked as “to be confirmed”. That explanation has done little to ease anger among fans, who argue that SuperSport built its reputation on securing major global sporting events, regardless of complexity.
The backlash has been intensified by pricing pressures. With Premium packages costing over R1,000 a month for decoder users and up to R799 for streaming customers, many feel the lack of Olympic coverage undermines the value they are paying for.
Industry observers see the situation as part of a wider shift. Under Groupe Canal+, MultiChoice has been tightening its approach to sports rights spending, a move that worries long-time viewers who see SuperSport’s comprehensive sports offering as its key strength.
Subscriber losses underline the concern. DStv has lost 2.8 million customers over two years, while revenue has fallen from R58.42 billion in 2023 to R49.98 billion. The Premium tier, historically the engine that funded expensive sports rights, has been declining steadily since Netflix entered the South African market in 2016.
Although MultiChoice returned to profit in 2025, that turnaround was linked to the sale of part of its insurance business rather than a recovery in its television operations. For many sports fans, the Winter Olympics blackout feels like more than a once-off miss, it feels like a warning.
If an event as symbolic as the Olympics can disappear from South African screens, subscribers are left wondering which major sporting moment might be next.
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