With limited options for traditional television services, South Africans have welcomed the streaming age with the arrival of entertainment giants such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in the country.

But as the market has matured, we’ve also seen the same issue arise: streaming services becoming more segmented and the requirement for users to subscribe to multiple services to follow popular series and movie releases.

So if you’re a cord-cutter who wants to follow major releases, how much will streaming cost you in South Africa?

I took a look at the biggest services available locally. Excluding mobile plans, I looked at the entry-level and premium plans for each service.

All-in-all, this is how much streaming will set you back…

Streaming service prices in South Africa

The major streaming services available in South Africa include Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix, and Showmax.

Some include only one plan, while others offer various packages at differing tiers.

Here’s a brief overview of price range for each service’s TV streaming options:

• Amazon Prime Video: R79 per month
• Apple TV+: R124.99 per month
• Disney+: R119 per month
• Netflix: R99 to R199 per month
• Showmax: R99 to R349 per month

While DSTV offers a streaming-only package, I haven’t included these prices in my calculation. But if you’re curious, plans range from R29 per month to R699 per month.

How much will streaming cost you if you subscribe to all major services?

If you choose to subscribe to each of these services’ TV streaming plans, you’re looking at a minimum of R520.99 each month.

If you opt for the premium plans, such as Netflix Premium and Showmax Pro, the price increases to R870.99 per month.

This still wouldn’t get you access to live rugby streaming however, which is exclusive to the DSTV Premium streaming package (R699) or the DSTV Premium Decoder package (R879 to R999 per month).

In order to watch local sports and stream all major shows and movies, you’re looking at prices from R1,219.99.

It is notable that the basic plans for all major streaming services combined cost less than either DSTV package that offers rugby streaming.

If you enjoy niche streaming services, such as Britbox and Crunchyroll, you would have to add extra to your monthly bill.

Some films are also limited to releases in South Africa through Google TV (formerly Google Play Movies & TV), which means a once-off purchase to rent or buy the film.

How to save money while streaming in South Africa

If you don’t want to miss out on major streaming services, but also want to save money, here are a few tips to follow:

• Don’t subscribe to all services at once. Rather subscribe in batches and catch up on viewing when certain shows or movies are available instead of waiting for these releases while subscribed,
• Share accounts with friends and family. While some services are cracking down on password sharing, other services allow multiple users to stream at once.
• Look out for promotional discounts.
• Before signing up for a service, try out a free trial to see that there’s enough content that you want to watch and that will keep you entertained.