Should Zambia Be Worried? What the DStv Channel Cuts in South Africa Could Mean for Zambia’s Creative Industry
By Morgan Mbulo
The decision to remove Mzansi Bioskop and Mzansi Music from DStv in South Africa, effective 16 September 2026, should not be viewed simply as another change to a television channel lineup. For the African creative industry, it is a signal worth watching closely.
Reports indicate that DStv will discontinue four channels in South Africa, namely Mzansi Bioskop, Mzansi Music, M Net Movies 1 and kykNET Lekker, as part of a broader review of its channel portfolio. The changes are expected to take effect at 23:59 on 16 September 2026.
For Zambia, however, the most important question is not necessarily whether these particular South African channels are disappearing.
The bigger question is:
What does this tell us about the future strategy of the DStv and Canal+ business across Africa, and should Zambia’s creative industry be paying closer attention?
This is bigger than two channels
Mzansi Bioskop, in particular, represented more than just another television outlet. It provided a home for South African film and storytelling, including work from emerging filmmakers.
That model is important for countries such as Zambia, where the biggest challenge is not necessarily a shortage of talent. It is the shortage of sustainable platforms through which that talent can be financed, commissioned, distributed and seen by audiences.
The removal of a dedicated platform raises a difficult industry question:
If a major broadcaster decides that a dedicated local content channel is no longer commercially sustainable, what happens to the pipeline of emerging producers, writers, directors, actors and other creatives who depend on those platforms?
This is precisely why the development should matter to Zambia.
Zambia is not South Africa, but the business environment is connected
It would be wrong to conclude that what happens in South Africa will automatically happen in Zambia.
Zambia has its own market dynamics, regulatory environment, audience behaviour and content ecosystem.
More importantly, Zambezi Magic has a different proposition from Mzansi Bioskop.
Zambezi Magic was created specifically around Southern African storytelling and has historically provided a platform for local producers, writers, directors and on screen talent. DStv itself describes the channel as having worked with both emerging and established local creative talent.
MultiChoice Zambia also states that its investment in local channels such as Zambezi Magic and One ZED has contributed to the development of Zambia's local film and television industry.
That makes Zambezi Magic strategically important to Zambia.
It is not simply a television channel.
It is part of Zambia's creative economy infrastructure.
So, should Zambia be worried?
Yes, but not necessarily panicked.
The industry should be alert, strategic and proactive.
The reason is that the DStv business is undergoing a much larger transformation following Canal+'s acquisition of MultiChoice.
Canal+ completed the takeover of MultiChoice in December 2025, and the company has subsequently been implementing a turnaround and synergy programme across the combined group. Canal+ has publicly indicated that the integration is intended to generate substantial cost synergies.
We have already seen the consequences of that strategic review elsewhere.
In March 2026, the group announced that Showmax would be discontinued, citing significant annual losses and the need for financial discipline and investment optimisation.
Now we are seeing channel rationalisation in South Africa.
That does not mean Zambezi Magic is next.
But it does mean that every market, every channel and every content investment will increasingly have to demonstrate its strategic and commercial value.
And Zambia should understand that reality before it becomes a crisis.
The timing for Zambia is particularly important
This development comes at an interesting moment for the Zambian creative sector.
There is increasing interest from industry stakeholders in engaging DStv Zambia and exploring deeper partnerships around local production, content commissioning and opportunities for Zambian producers.
That conversation should therefore become even more strategic.
Instead of approaching DStv simply with:
"We have filmmakers and we want more content opportunities."
The industry should be asking:
What does DStv Zambia need from the Zambian production industry to make local content commercially viable?
That is a much more important conversation.
Because the future of local television cannot depend solely on goodwill towards local filmmakers.
There must be an economic model.
We need to understand what happened in South Africa
The industry should study the South African situation carefully.
Why were these channels removed?
Was it audience fragmentation?
Advertising revenue?
Subscription economics?
Content acquisition costs?
Changing viewing habits?
Competition from streaming platforms?
Or simply a strategic decision to allocate scarce resources towards areas with stronger commercial returns?
The reports surrounding the latest changes point to a broader restructuring of the DStv channel portfolio, including the introduction of additional sports channels.
If the strategy is increasingly about concentrating investment in high value content, sport, streaming and scalable premium entertainment, then Zambia needs to understand where local Zambian content fits into that strategy.
Zambezi Magic must not be taken for granted
This is perhaps the most important lesson.
Zambian producers should not assume that because Zambezi Magic has existed for years, it will automatically remain exactly as it is.
The channel has been remarkably important to Zambia's television industry.
Since its launch in 2015, Zambezi Magic has provided a platform for locally produced stories and helped establish productions, performers and production companies in the Zambian market.
But platforms survive when they continue to create value.
Therefore, the responsibility cannot sit entirely with DStv.
The Zambian production industry must also become more commercially sophisticated.
We need better scripts.
Better production management.
Better budgets.
Better audience research.
Better marketing.
Better delivery standards.
Better intellectual property management.
And most importantly, content that audiences actually want to watch.
The opportunity hidden inside the warning
There is another way of looking at this.
The changes in South Africa could actually create an opportunity for Zambia.
If major broadcasters are becoming more selective about what they invest in, then countries that can demonstrate strong local production capacity, disciplined producers and commercially attractive stories can position themselves differently.
Zambia already has an established local content platform through Zambezi Magic.
DStv Zambia's own description of its operations recognises the role MultiChoice has played in developing the Zambian film and television industry.
The next step should therefore be to move from content supply to strategic content partnership.
Imagine a stronger relationship between DStv Zambia and the Zambian creative industry where producers are not merely commissioned on a project by project basis, but where there is a structured pipeline for:
Development of original Zambian series
Feature films
Documentaries
Reality programming
Children's programming
Regional productions
Co productions
Talent development
Emerging filmmaker programmes
Distribution of Zambian films beyond Zambia
That would make the relationship much more valuable to both sides.
The industry should be asking DStv the right questions
This is where organisations such as the National Association of Media Arts and other industry bodies can play an important role.
The conversation with DStv should not simply be about requesting more slots.
It should be about understanding the future of the platform.
Questions should include:
What is DStv Zambia's five year vision for local content?
What percentage of its content investment is expected to go towards Zambian productions?
How can independent producers become part of the commissioning pipeline?
What genres are currently underserved?
What commercial metrics determine whether a local production succeeds?
How can Zambian content travel across the wider MultiChoice and Canal+ ecosystem?
What opportunities exist for co production and international distribution?
These are the conversations that can protect the industry from simply reacting when decisions have already been made.
We should not wait for the warning to become a reality
There is a tendency in our industry to respond only after something has been cancelled.
A channel disappears.
A commissioning window closes.
A production budget is reduced.
A platform changes direction.
Then everyone starts asking what happened.
We need to change that culture.
The South African developments provide an opportunity for Zambia to start asking questions early.
Canal+ is now operating a much larger African media ecosystem following its acquisition of MultiChoice. At the same time, the group is investing in areas such as streaming distribution and expanding the DStv Stream ecosystem across African markets, including Zambia.
That means the future is not necessarily about television channels alone.
It is about content, platforms, streaming, data, audience behaviour, production and distribution.
Zambian filmmakers need to be prepared for that future.
The real question
So, should Zambia be worried about Mzansi Bioskop and Mzansi Music being removed from DStv?
Not because their closure means Zambezi Magic is next. There is no evidence currently establishing that.
We should be concerned because the decision demonstrates that major media platforms are willing to rethink, restructure and remove services that no longer fit their strategic or commercial objectives.
That is the lesson.
Zambezi Magic must continue to prove its value.
Zambian producers must continue to prove their value.
And the Zambian creative industry must become a stronger business partner, not simply a supplier asking for opportunities.
The question for Zambia should therefore not be:
"Are they going to cut Zambezi Magic?"
The better question is:
"What are we doing today to ensure that Zambian content remains valuable enough to be commissioned, distributed and invested in tomorrow?"
Because if South Africa's experience teaches us anything, it is this:
A platform can be important to an industry, but no platform should ever be assumed to be permanent.
And perhaps this is the right moment for Zambia's creative industry, DStv Zambia, producers, broadcasters, government and industry associations to sit around one table and discuss what the next decade of Zambian television should look like.
The warning may be coming from South Africa. But the conversation needs to start in Zambia.
EDITOR'S NOTE
The latest reports indicate that DStv South Africa is discontinuing four channels, Mzansi Bioskop, Mzansi Music, M Net Movies 1 and kykNET Lekker, on 16 September 2026. This article focuses particularly on Mzansi Bioskop and Mzansi Music because of their relevance to the local content and creative industry discussion. There is currently no verified announcement that Zambezi Magic will be discontinued in Zambia.
Suggested headline for publication:
DStv Cuts Channels in South Africa: Should Zambia's Creative Industry Be Worried?
Suggested standfirst:The removal of Mzansi Bioskop and Mzansi Music from DStv South Africa raises a bigger question for Zambia: as Canal+ reshapes the MultiChoice business, what does the future hold for local content platforms such as Zambezi Magic?
Comments