The DStv channels list is the heart of every subscription decision. Whether you are weighing up Premium against Compact, hunting for the right SuperSport channel for a Saturday fixture, or simply trying to work out which package carries your favourite series, it all comes back to the line-up. This 2026 guide lays out the full DStv channel catalogue by category and shows roughly how many channels each package unlocks, so you can match what you watch to what you pay. For the wider picture — packages, decoders, streaming and login — start with our complete DStv guide.
A quick but important note before the list: channel counts and channel numbers on DStv are never fixed. MultiChoice adds new channels, retires old ones and occasionally renumbers entire blocks, and the exact mix differs by country across sub-Saharan Africa. Every figure here is indicative for South Africa in 2026 and should be confirmed against the live in-app guide. If you also want the cost side of the equation alongside the channels, our breakdown of DStv packages and prices pairs each tier with what it costs per month, and this page builds directly on the channel detail in the main DStv pillar guide.
DStv Channels by Category
The DStv catalogue is organised into a handful of clear categories. Your package decides how many channels you get inside each one — the higher the tier, the more premium sport, movie and series channels are unlocked. Here is how the full line-up breaks down:
Sport
SuperSport's full bouquet — dedicated PSL football, Premier League, rugby, cricket and motorsport channels, plus general sport and highlights. The complete SuperSport line-up sits on Premium.
Movies & Series
M-Net (channel 101), premium movie channels and box-set series channels, with the newest premieres on Compact Plus and Premium and a deep catch-up library.
News & Documentary
Local and international 24-hour news alongside factual, lifestyle and documentary channels — most available from the lower packages upward.
Kids
A full block of children's channels spanning pre-school, cartoons and tween programming, anchoring the Family tier and available widely across packages.
Music
Dedicated music-video and audio channels covering local, African and international genres, included from the entry tiers up.
Local South African
Mzansi-focused entertainment, drama and general-interest channels showcasing South African productions, a core draw of the Family and Access packages.
Football fans will care most about the sport block. If your subscription is really about the league, our guide to DStv Premiership and PSL fixtures maps exactly which package and SuperSport channel carries each match this season.
Channels by Package Tier
DStv is sold as a ladder, and the channels list grows with every step up. The table below shows the approximate number of channels on each package for 2026. Treat the counts as indicative — they shift as channels are added and removed, and they vary by country.
| Package | Approx. Channels | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | 175+ | Every channel — full SuperSport, M-Net premieres & all movies |
| Compact Plus | 150+ | Most sport including PSL, extra movie & series channels |
| Compact | 135+ | Core PSL, general entertainment & balanced sport |
| Family | 110+ | Family viewing, local content & a limited sport selection |
| Access | 85+ | Entry-level entertainment, news & general channels |
| EasyView | 45+ | Cheapest live-TV starter line-up |
The decision most households wrestle with is Compact versus Compact Plus versus Premium. Compact covers the core PSL and general entertainment; Compact Plus adds extra movie, series and sport channels; Premium unlocks everything, including the complete SuperSport bouquet and the latest premieres in HD. The biggest jumps in channel count sit between those three tiers, which is why they command the steepest price differences.
SuperSport Channels Explained
SuperSport is the single biggest reason many South African households pay for DStv, and it is also the most misunderstood part of the channels list. SuperSport is not one channel — it is a bouquet of more than a dozen dedicated channels, each focused on a sport or competition. There are channels built around PSL football, the Premier League, rugby, cricket, motorsport, tennis, golf, boxing and general highlights, plus variety and grandstand channels that switch between live events.
Crucially, not every package carries every SuperSport channel. The full SuperSport line-up is exclusive to Premium. Compact Plus includes most football — the PSL channels and several SuperSport channels — making it the value choice for league watchers. Compact carries the core PSL and general sport, while Family and Access include only a small selection. If your decision is driven purely by sport, it is worth knowing exactly which SuperSport channels live on which tier before you pay for Premium every month.
SuperSport channels occupy the 200s in the channel-number range, so SuperSport PSL, Premier League, Rugby and the variety channels all sit together in the guide. Because schedules and channel assignments change match to match, the in-app TV guide remains the most reliable way to find the right SuperSport channel on the night.
Where to Find DStv Channel Numbers
Channel numbers are how you actually navigate DStv, and they follow a broad logic that makes the line-up easier to learn. While exact numbers change over time, these ranges hold true for 2026:
Channels 100s
Movies & series — M-Net on 101, premium movie channels and box-set series channels.
Channels 200s
Sport — the full SuperSport bouquet, from PSL and Premier League to rugby, cricket and motorsport.
Channels 300s
Kids — pre-school, cartoon and tween channels grouped together for easy access.
Channels 400s
News & commerce — local and international 24-hour news and business channels.
To find an exact channel number, the most reliable sources are the on-screen TV guide on your decoder or in the DStv Stream app, and the official channel finder on the DStv website. Both reflect the live line-up for your package and country, so they stay accurate even when MultiChoice renumbers or refreshes the catalogue.
How the DStv List Compares to IPTV
The DStv channels list is generous by satellite standards, but it is finite — Premium tops out at roughly 175 channels. By contrast, a modern IPTV service streams its line-up entirely over your internet connection, and the scale is on a different order: a service like Tivimate carries 50,000+ live channels and 130,000+ on-demand titles, spanning international sport, movies and global networks alongside the local content viewers expect.
That does not make one option simply better than the other — they suit different homes and different connections. We lay out the full trade-off, including cost, reliability and local sport coverage, in our DStv vs IPTV streaming comparison, so you can decide whether to switch, supplement or stay.
Frequently Asked Questions About the DStv Channels List
How many channels are on the DStv channels list?
The number of channels depends on your package. DStv Premium carries roughly 175+ channels, Compact Plus around 150+, Compact about 135+, Family around 110+, Access about 85+ and the entry-level EasyView around 45+. These figures are indicative — MultiChoice adds, removes and renumbers channels regularly, so always confirm the live line-up on the official DStv self-service portal.
Which DStv package has all the SuperSport channels?
The full SuperSport bouquet — including the dedicated PSL, Premier League, rugby, cricket and motorsport channels — is reserved for DStv Premium. Compact Plus carries most football including the PSL plus several SuperSport channels, while Compact covers core PSL and general sport. Lower tiers such as Family and Access include only a limited selection of SuperSport channels.
Where do I find DStv channel numbers?
DStv channel numbers appear in the on-screen TV guide on your decoder or the DStv Stream app, on the official DStv website channel finder, and printed in the press kit MultiChoice publishes. SuperSport sits in the 200s, M-Net and movie channels in the 100s, news channels in the 400s and kids channels in the 300s, but exact numbers change, so the in-app guide is always the most reliable source.
Can IPTV give me more channels than DStv?
Yes. Where DStv Premium tops out at roughly 175 channels, a modern IPTV service like Tivimate carries 50,000+ live channels and 130,000+ on-demand titles over your internet connection — including international sport, movies and global networks. Many viewers run IPTV alongside DStv, and Tivimate offers a 24-hour free trial so you can compare the line-up risk-free.
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