Family fun to football: Your guide to DStv's holiday pop-up channels, guaranteed to add viewing pleasure to festive couch-surfing days.
KeDezemba, and true to the festive season’s spirit of giving, DStv has announced four pop-up channels for the holidays.
The latest “freebie” from the broadcaster follows hot on the heels of DStv’s Thol-iUpsize campaign, which kicked off with an “Open weekend” during which all its customers could access premium content in celebration of its 30th anniversary.
The campaign follows several recent initiatives since MultiChoice’s takeover by Canal+, including decoder price cuts and a refreshed DStv Rewards programme.
Premium pasella: DStv Upsize campaign
Instead of pulling the plug after its “premium pasella” weekend, DStv upgraded customers on its mid-tier and entry-level packages to its higher-end bouquets from 10 November to 31 December 2025 at no additional cost.
During this promotional period, premium customers also have access to two extra free streams.
‘Feast of four…’: Gospel, classic, sports and more
“DStv subscribers have welcomed us into their homes for 30 years, and 2025 has been our year of giving back,” says Willington Ngwepe, CEO of MultiChoice, the broadcasting service licensee entity.
“Now, as families reunite over the festive season, DStv is coming to the party – and since we never arrive empty-handed, we’re bringing a feast of four pop-up channels that celebrate the watch-together spirit.”
Football frenzy and ‘comfort watching’
Ngwepe continued: “Generations of football fans will be cheering in front of our SS Afcom [Africa Cup of Nations] 2025 channels, especially kids who dream of one day swapping that most prized of Christmas gifts, their Bafana Bafana supporter shirt, for national team colours.
“Viewers can share the comfort of watching classic shows with their parents and grandparents on DStv 30.
“Gospel music and faith-affirming shows have a new home on the Holiday Channel, and whether you went to the movies back in the 1960s or celebrated culture and creativity at Silwerskerm, you’ll love fliekNET. ”
Your DStv pop-up channel guide
The Holiday Channel, DStv 30, and SS Afcon will be available across all packages. fliekNET will be available on Compact to Premium packages, and as part of “Add Movies”.
Holiday Channel (DStv Channel 198)
* Live until 3 January.
Faith is the reason for the season. This special channel will be packed with family-friendly gospel music videos, prayer and praise events, and films that navigate faith in an African context.
Highlights include:
- The 20th edition of Africa’s biggest gospel music and worship concert, The Experience, on Friday, 5 December at 8pm;
- The Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol on Friday, 19 December at 7pm; and
- The continent’s biggest street party, Carnival Calabar, from 23-30 December.
DStv 30 (DStv Channel 197)
” From 1 December to 21 January.
- DStv 30 is nostalgia in overload mode as Scot Scott jumps back in his helicopter for Fortuinsoekers Season 2 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 6pm.
- Catch the early-early days of Our Perfect Wedding on Saturdays at 6pm, oil empire drama series Jacob’s Cross on Wednesdays at 8pm,
- M-Net’s filmed-on-location game lodge telenovela The Wild on Thursday nights at 8pm, Carte Blanche’s most impactful episodes on Sunday nights at 7pm and much more.
fliekNET (DStv Channel 149)
From 12 December to 11 January.
fliekNET returns at 12pm on Friday, 12 December with the best Silwerskerm shorts from kykNET’s last two film festival editions.
This includes Noise & Neighbours (on Tuesday, 16 December at 8:05pm), which recently won Best International Short Film at the Chelsea Film Festival in New York.
‘Noise & Neighbours’: Plot synopsis
If you ignore the music, Liza Ludick’s Noise & Neighbours can be classified as a silent movie. Still, with striking animation and the moving piano notes of composer Wesley West, the silence in this movie is significantly meaningful.
Veteran actor Tobie Cronjé and newcomer Olwethu Kunene play the roles of Helmut and Bolelo, two neighbours who can’t stand each other, but who, through the universal language of music, assume unique roles in fulfilling each other’s lives.
Going vintage
Other highlights include vintage movies like 1965’s teen pregnancy drama Debbie (on Thursday, 1 January at 2.05pm) and the 1975 “Boerewors-western” Dingetjie is Dynamite (on Saturday, 10 January at 2pm),
Must-watch doccies
Also on the menu, are unmissable documentaries, including Ruben in Namibië (from Monday, 15 December at 8pm), and Demi Lee Moore: ’n Nuwe Era (on Monday, 5 January at 6pm).
SS Afcon 2025 (DStv Channels 202 and 222)
From 18 December to 19 January, on DStv Channel 202 and Channel 222.
The 35th Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco on 21 December 2025. DStv is making sure that fans get the best seat in the stadium for every game, live on two dedicated channels: SS Afcon 2025 Channel 202 (normally SuperSport PSL) and SS Afcon 2025 Channel 222 (normally SuperSport Football Plus Africa).
These games will be of special interest to Premier League and PSL fans, as Africa’s most talented players swap jerseys to represent their national teams.
Among other PL and PSL stars, look out for Liverpool’s Mo Salah in the Egyptian team and former Kaizer Chiefs’ favourite Edmilson Dove playing for Mozambique.
Must-watch Afcon 2025 games
- Sunday, 21 December
Morocco v Comoros at 9pm
- Monday, 22 December
South Africa v Angola at 7pm
- Friday, 26 December
Egypt v South Africa at 5pm
- Monday, 29 December
Zimbabwe v South Africa at 6pm
- Saturday, 3 January-Tuesday, 6 January
Round of 16 playoffs at 6pm and 9pm daily
- Friday, 9 January-Saturday, 10 January
Quarter-finals at 6pm and 9pm daily
- Wednesday, 14 January
Semi-finals at 7pm and 10pm
- Saturday, 17 January
Third-place playoff at 6pm
- Sunday, 19 January
Final at 9pm
