MultiChoice has warned that an impasse between itself and Warner Bros Discovery could see all 12 channels operated by the global media company go dark at the end of December.
In a note to DStv customers on Monday, it says that its current distribution agreement with Warner ends on 31 December. Negotiations with the US-based giant remain ongoing, but if no agreement can be reached, subscribers will lose several key channels, including Discovery and CNN.
MultiChoice says its “priority is to provide you with the best entertainment experience at the best possible pricing. Every time you subscribe, you trust us with your money, and we take that responsibility seriously”. This appears to be a thinly veiled hint that Warner wants more than MultiChoice under the new ownership of Canal+ is prepared to pay for these channels.
Interestingly, Canal+ only carries the Discovery Channel on its pay TV offering in other African markets. In France, it offers Discovery, TLC, Discovery ID, Cartoon Network, Cartoonito, CNN, as well as HBO Max, TCM Cinema, Warner TV, and Eurosport 1 and 2.
The complete list of potentially affected channels:
• Discovery Channel (121)
• TLC (135)
• Discovery Family (136)
• TNT Africa (137)
• Real Time (155)
• Discovery ID (171)
• Food Network (175)
• HGTV (177)
• Travel Channel (179)
• Cartoon Network (301)
• Cartoonito (302)
• CNN International (401)
The removal of these channels will affect DStv Premium subscribers the most, as all 12 are on the top-end package; however, there are Warner channels available across all of its packages. In addition to these 12 channels at risk, another four channels will shut down on 31 December. Paramount Africa will 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.
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 says, “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 news of the channel losses comes as new data from Canal+ showed that subscriber losses at MultiChoice actually accelerated ahead of the acquisition’s conclusion in September 2025. Between the end of March 2024 and March 2025, MultiChoice lost 1.2 million subscribers across its operations, while this number jumped to 1.4 million between the end of June 2024 and June 2025.
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
