MultiChoice is confronting one of its most significant challenges in years. The group risks losing a vast library of content from Warner Bros. Discovery. The pay-tv operator has warned customers that 12 channels including CNN, Cartoon Network, Discovery, TNT Africa, and HBO could be removed from its DStv bouquets after December 31, 2025, following failed negotiations to renew distribution rights.

The stalemate centres on the high cost of renewing agreements, a particular concern for MultiChoice as its new owner, Groupe Canal+, pursues aggressive cost-cutting. The warning comes amid a major shift in the global media landscape, with Netflix recently announcing a $72-billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, pending regulatory approval expected in late 2026.

This acquisition poses a deeper long-term threat. Netflix, DStv and Showmax’s foremost streaming rival, will gain ownership of a hugely popular catalogue of on-demand content. This includes major HBO series like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and The Last of Us, alongside Warner Bros. movie franchises, all of which are currently key attractions on Showmax and M-Net channels. The potential removal of this content would severely undermine the value proposition of MultiChoice’s offerings.

The studio also boasts a large slate of critically-acclaimed legacy titles such as The Wire, True Detective, Chernobyl, The Newsroom, and Westworld.

All of these and dozens more HBO and Warner Bros titles are currently available on Showmax and have been broadcast and streamed on M-Net and M-Net Movies.

As of 7 December 2025, Showmax’s “Best of HBO” page had 191 series. The Warner Bros. movie and series slate will likely put the total title offering in jeopardy in the multiple hundreds.

While there is a possibility that MultiChoice could retain rights to some live channels following a planned separation of Warner Bros. Discovery’s linear TV business, the loss of on-demand content alone would be a major blow. The situation is compounded by the confirmed departure of four other channels BET Africa, CBS Justice, MTV Base, and CBS AMC Networks due to the closure of Paramount Africa, bringing the potential total to 16 channels.

The cumulative loss could trigger significant subscriber cancellations and the impact could force MultiChoice to immediately discount its packages and potentially overhaul its offerings. There is speculation that Canal+ may use this moment to streamline DStv and Showmax into a simpler, consolidated subscription model, with possible pricing changes as early as January 2026.