DStv is a popular South African channel with over 20 million subscribers, most of which reside in South Africa. The service is more popular than Netflix in some areas due to it’s huge library of diverse programs ranging from local to international blockbusters.
You can watch DStv content live or on-demand if you have some catching up to do on your favorite shows. The service is home to some of the largest productions and most popular movies, shows, documentaries, sports events and so much more. In short, there’s always something to watch on DStv.
Unfortunately the service is not available for viewers outside South Africa with the exception of a few other African countries. However, you can easily get around the geo-blocking issue and watch DStv outside South Africa with a VPN.
Where is DStv Available?
DStv is mainly available for viewers in South Africa, and they make the largest portion of subscribers to this services. However, it’s also available in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria.
As you can probably deduce by now, it’s not available in the rest of the world. Unfortunately DStv and DStv Now will detect your IP address and block you if you happen to be outside South Africa and the allowed countries I just mentioned.
Your IP address is used to determine your physical location. If you appear to reside outside the broadcasting regions supported by DStv, you’ll receive a geo-error that looks somewhat like the one below.
No worries though, a VPN can solve that problem for you easily. A VPN with the ability to bypass geo-blocks will allow you to trick DStv into thinking you’re in South Africa when you’re not. DStv will then allow you to watch all their content without any blocks or bans.
How Does a VPN Work?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) first establishes a secure connection between you and the VPN server. By secure network I mean a fully encrypted tunnel with authentication and authorization rules. All your traffic is then routed through the aforementioned secure tunnel.
At this point you’re IP address is completely concealed and replaced by that of the VPN server. VPN IPs are almost always shared between users which is actually a good thing for anonymity simply because third parties won’t be able to differentiate users with the same shared IP. Therefore keeping you protected as your actual IP address remains hidden from prying eyes.
That’s what allows you to bypass geo-blocks and watch DStv outside South Africa. Once you connect to a South African VPN server, you’re IP address will appear to be in South Africa.
Best VPN for DStv
As mentioned above, DStv applies geo-blocks to restrict access to its streaming service. Which you can easily get around with the help of a VPN.
That said, not all VPNs offer the same quality of service. In fact a lot of VPN providers don’t support DStv or at the very least have constant issues unblocking it. That is due to aggressive blocking campaigns directed at VPN IPs. However, elite providers like the ones I’ve selected for this article have no problem unblocking DStv from anywhere in the world.
These VPNs are fast, secure, and offer the best value for money deals on the market today. With these VPNs you can stream live or on-demand DStv content in full HD outside South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria.
NordVPN
The absolute top choice for unblocking geo-restricted streaming services. You can use NordVPN to watch DStv outside South Africa without any buffering. Not only DStv though, you can pretty much unblock any service anywhere.
NordVPN supports P2P applications like Bittorrent, Utorrent and others. In fact you can select one of the dedicated P2P servers from the app menu and enjoy the unlimited bandwidth. Additionally NordVPN offers extra security and anonymity features like the kill switch, split tunneling, double encryption, WireGuard protocol, ad blocker, and malware blocker.
The company does not keep any user activity logs nor is it obliged to report any info to authorities since it’s located in Panama. On top of that you have a 30-Day Money-Back guarantee protecting your investment so it’s literally risk-free.
Surfshark
Another good pick for streaming DStv outside South Africa. With over 3200 servers worldwide, Surfshark offers a huge network that can unblock pretty much everything.
The Surfshark app is compatible with most operating systems and is very easy to use even for VPN noobies, you just click connect and enjoy the show. It also happens to be very cheap considering it’s competitors. Don’t let that fool you though, Surfshark offers an elite service that you just don’t get from your run of the mill VPNs.
Surfshark supports P2P applications with unlimited bandwidth so you can download as much torrents as you wish, all the while keeping your identity anonymous. You also get a 30-Day Money-Back guarantee with all Surfshark subscription plans.
CyberGhost VPN
Fast, secure, reliable, and cheap. CyberGhost can unblock DStv outside South Africa with ease. It can unblock most other streaming services as well.
CyberGhost servers are optimized to deliver high speed and low ping connections for gaming. It also offers unlimited bandwidth for anonymous torrenting. The service relies on the strongest encryption algorithms to secure your traffic and sensitive data. You can use CyberGhost on 7 devices simultaneously or install the VPN directly on your router to cover all your devices at once.
The company maintains a zero-logs policy and offers a 45-Day Money-Back guarantee to any dissatisfied customer.
ExpressVPN
An elite provider with a reputation for unblocking streaming services. It works particularly well with major services so you can watch DStv from anywhere in the world in HD quality.
ExpressVPN offers a wide network of around 3000 servers spread all over the planet. The servers are optimized for high speed streaming, torrenting, and gaming. That’s not all, you also get a free Smart DNS feature “MediaStreamer” which you can use on devices that don’t allow VPN connections like the Apple TV, Playstation and Xbox consoles.
You can contact support 24/7 via live chat regarding any technical or billing issue your facing. In addition to that you have a 30-Day Money-Back guarantee as well so there’s nothing to worry about.
Additional Benefits of Getting a VPN for DStv
VPNs can be use for a lot more than just bypassing geo-blocks and unblocking streaming services. Originally it was created as a network security tool but has since evolved into a complex tool with many useful features. Here are some additional benefits that I believe can be extremely valuable for users looking to get the most value out of their DStv VPN.
- Online Shopping: Shopping online presents a serious risk if you’re not taking the necessary precautions to protect your credit cards and payment information. A VPN does exactly that by encrypting your traffic so that malicious intruders and thieves can’t steal your information and clean you out.
- Online Gaming: A VPN allows you to play online games in different regions, unblock banned games in heavy censorship areas, and reduce your lag for an ultimately better gaming experience.
- Working from Home: As a result of the on-going Pandemic, a lot of business moved to working from home and with that came a lot of vulnerabilities that hackers are exploiting to gain a foothold in private networks. A VPN secures your connection so you can rest assured the company network won’t be compromised while you access it from your home network.
Is Using a VPN Legal?
While it may seem at first like a copyright infringement issue since VPNs can unblock geo-restricted streaming services, but it’s not. It’s perfectly legal to use a VPN for any purpose that of course doesn’t break the law.
You can use a VPN to unblock DStv and other services like it. However, you can’t break the law while using a VPN and think things are going to be fine. You might run into some trouble using a VPN in heavy censorship countries like China, Iran, UAE, and Iraq as strictly prohibit the use of VPNs. That said, even those countries find it extremely difficult to uphold the VPN ban.
The same goes for gaming VPNs. For example you can use a VPN for Steam games but you’ll certainly get banned if you try to cheat Valve by buying a game from a cheaper store region.
The only grey area regarding legality lies in downloading torrents. As you probably already know, downloading or sharing copyrighted material via torrents is illegal in many countries. It’s a serious offence in some places and you could very possibly face jail time for it. However a VPN can conceal your identity while downloading torrents which puts you in the clear.
Watch DStv Outside South Africa Using Smart DNS
Smart DNS is an alternative method to stream DStv from anywhere. It works like a VPN but with a distinction. Smart DNS routes DNS requests only as apposed to VPNs which route your entire traffic through the secure tunnel.
Selecting only DNS request for routing causes less congestion on the VPN network which in turn will lead to higher bandwidth speeds. While you would still be able to unblock streaming services and geo-restricted websites, your IP address information would be exposed. So if privacy and security are of any concern to you then use the VPN instead.
Smart DNS is compatible on any device including the Apple TV, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. I’m mentioning that because VPNs are not compatible on these devices. There goes Another great use of the Smart DNS feature.
The following VPN providers offer a stable and most importantly free Smart DNS service along with their VPN subscriptions:
What to Watch on DStv?
DStv offers a mixed lineup of local and international channels. It’s the main reason or driving force behind their success. All that premium and exclusive content has definitely elevated DStv above other channels and streaming services in the area.
Some of the most popular channels you can watch on DStv:
- M-Net Movies Premiere
- M-Net Movies Comedy
- Studio Universal
- Telemundo
- BBC First
- Discovery Channel
- Comedy Central
- ITV Choice
- E!
- FOX
- MTV
- Lifetime
- CBS Drama
- AMC
- Eva English
- kykNET
- AfricaMagic Showcase
- Ebony Life TV
- The Home Channel
- Fashion TV
- Nat Geo Wild
- SuperSport Blitz
- SuperSport 5 Africa
- Disney XD
- Trace Africa
- Al-Jazeera English
How Much Does DStv Cost?
One of the main reasons this service has been so successful is it’s flexible subscription packages. The objective of having a bunch of subscription plans in different price ranges is to accommodate as many users as possible, they’ve certainly succeeded there.
| Plan | Channels | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | 148 | $53.91 |
| Compact Plus | 131 | $34.59 |
| Compact | 117 | $26.60 |
| Family | 86 | $17.66 |
| Access | 68 | $7.00 |
| EasyView | 37 | $1.93 |
Supported Devices
DStv is compatible with most devices so you can enjoy the show on your preferred streaming device. It’s also super easy to install and use. If you have any technical issues, you can check the FAQ page for answers.
Devices compatible with DStv:
- Apple TV
- PC
- Mac
- Android (Phone, Tablet)
- iOS (iPhone, iPad)
- Android TV
- Samsung Smart TV
Watch DStv Outside South Africa – Bottom Line
In order to watch DStv outside South Africa, you’re going to need a VPN subscription. Keep in mind that DStv is known for aggressively blocking VPN IPs which is why most providers can’t unblock the channel.
That said, the VPNs I’ve chosen for this article have been tested and are able to unblock DStv from anywhere in the world without any buffering issues. If you have an Apple TV, you can use the Smart DNS feature to unblock DStv since VPNs are not supported on Apple TVs.
A quick guide on how to watch DStv outside South Africa:
- Subscribe to a recommended DStv VPN.
- Download the VPN app.
- Log in with your VPN credentials.
- Open the server menu.
- Select a server in South Africa and click “connect”.
- All done, head over to the DStv website or app and enjoy the show.
