Streaming of major sports events catching on in Africa

WINDHOEK, JULY 14 – England’s World Cup quarter-final against Sweden was watched by just under 20 million viewers in the UK via BBC One. While this traditional broadcast audience was huge, it was streaming that broke records with the game being the BBC’s most popular online-viewed live programme ever, with 3.8 million views. In Africa, the absolute numbers are lower but the trend towards streaming major sports events on the continent is also well under way.

“Live streaming of sports is coming of age as a mainstream method of viewing big games, as the latest World Cup figures from the UK show. Africa isn’t yet at the same level when it comes to the adoption of streaming, but usage is clearly moving in the right direction.”

Live streaming of sports dominates the usage figures for DStv’s own live and recorded TV streaming app, DStv Now. The number of people using the app in June was five times higher than a year ago, with concurrent views peaking during major football games.

Since the start of the World Cup, average weekday usage of DStv Now is up 60%. The absolute peak in concurrent usage for one event was reached on 26 June, during the Nigeria vs Argentina game. The app’s biggest ever test was on 16 June with both World Cup Football and other sporting events under way at the same time resulting in concurrent in-app views seven times higher than the peaks seen in June last year.

The World Cup has also been a major reason for new users to download and try out the app. First-time app user volumes have tripled on Android and doubled on iOS since the start of the tournament.

Speaking about DStv Now app usage, MultiChoice Roger Gertze GM said:

“As expected the majority of our customers are using the app to stream live sport, however it is also encouraging to see that the app is fast becoming very popular for watching shows on Catch Up.”

With respect to app usage, the web and Android apps are the most popular way to watch DStv Now, with Android outpacing iOS by a factor of 2:1.

“As we continue to develop DStv Now, to ensure our customers enjoy an overall viewing experience, the other key priority for us is working with the telcos to deliver mobile data propositions that make watching online painless and worry-free for our customers,” concludes Gertze.

The DStv Now app is free to all 10 million DStv customers in Africa. The app streams most of the DStv channels live, offers an extended Catch Up library with series, documentaries, kids content, movies and other shows for customers to stream or download to watch offline. Customers can register up to four devices on one account, and watch two separate streams on different devices simultaneously. – NDN Staffer