If you are a Kenyan sports fan wondering why your DStv subscription didn’t grant you a front-row seat to the Winter Olympics 2026 for the first time in decades, the answer lies thousands of kilometers away in Paris, France.
Following the acquisition of MultiChoice by French media giant Canal+, a major shift in power has occurred. SuperSport, long considered the undisputed home of premium sports in Africa, has been stripped of its autonomy to decide what content to buy. According to reports, all acquisition decisions are now being made directly from Canal+’s headquarters in Paris, a move that is already reshaping what DStv subscribers can and cannot watch.
The end of SuperSport’s autonomy
Veteran broadcasting journalist Thinus Ferreira recently revealed that the blackout of the Winter Olympics 2026 on SuperSport was a direct result of these new management dynamics. Speaking on Radio 702, Ferreira explained that the “new European masters” at Canal+ have centralized all content acquisition power, effectively bypassing the local decision-making that SuperSport previously enjoyed.
“They’ve taken away all of the acquisition power from SuperSport,” Ferreira said. “Our new European masters are deciding for us which sports they will buy or not, directly from Paris in France, where Canal+’s head office is.”
Consequently, the Chief Content Officer in Paris now holds the final say on sports rights. For the first time in recent history, this leadership decided that the cost of broadcasting the Winter Olympics 2026 and other events like the World Darts Championships was not worth the investment.
Cost-cutting over content
The decision to skip major sporting events is reportedly driven by intense pressure to cut costs. Canal+ has promised investors a leaner operation, but they face a significant hurdle: a mandate preventing them from retrenching staff for the next three years.
With their hands tied regarding personnel costs, the new owners have turned their cost-cutting focus toward content. “They are looking at cutting back on costs. One of the things they are doing is… deciding not to buy [expensive rights],” Ferreira noted.
This strategy leaves DStv subscribers in a precarious position. While subscription prices remain premium, the guarantee of “premium” access to all global sporting events is no longer absolute. On the brighter side, Canal+ is said to be working on bringing Apple TV+ and HBO Max content to DStv.
The loss of the Winter Olympics 2026 may just be the tip of the iceberg. Ferreira warned that DStv’s dominance is facing an existential threat from global streaming giants with deeper pockets.
In an earlier interview, Ferreira highlighted that international players like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are poised to “rip away” more sports content from traditional broadcasters. “It is just a matter of time before they rip away more sports, the lifeblood of traditional pay-TV,” he said.
We are already seeing this shift globally. For instance, WWE has moved to Netflix. In Australia, the English Premier League (EPL) shifted from traditional pay-TV to a streaming service. Amazon Prime Video has secured rights to major cricket tournaments and rugby.
Ferreira describes this as a “bigger fish” moving up from the depths. While SuperSport historically outbid local competitors like SABC and E-tv, they now face global tech giants that can acquire rights at price points Canal+ simply cannot match.
For years, DStv has been the default utility for sports lovers in Kenya. However, with decision-making power moving to Europe and budget cuts taking precedence, the platform’s value proposition is changing.
As Ferreira grimly predicted, “DStv stands to be eclipsed at some point in time, in the way that DStv eclipsed the SABC.”
For now, subscribers must adjust to a new reality where paying for DStv no longer guarantees access to every major global sporting event. If Paris decides it’s too expensive, your screens will remain dark.
