In yesterday’s article, I touched on how streaming services were going to decimate DStv. Some felt this was not going to be the case because most streaming services are not available in Zimbabwe by default. You need to fiddle with VPN and SmartDNS if you want to get the most out of your streaming experience. This is beyond the scope of your average home user.
The question, therefore, is just how many streaming services are available in Zimbabwe and what do they have to offer? What would you get without SmartDNS or using a VPN? How much is it going to cost you? Is it worth the hassle compared to traditional DStv?
These are the streaming services available to Zimbos
| Streaming Service | Monthly Price | What it has to offer |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | -$3.99 for mobile -$7.99 for standard -$12 for HD | Netflix Originals, TV Shows, movies, reality series |
| Showmax | -Free if you have DStv Premium -$2.99 for mobile -$7.99 for Standard -$18.99 for Pro | South African, Nigerian, East African content. HBO, ABC, Disney, Fox, Nikoledeon and more. There are a few ShowMax originals there too. EPL, Rugby, Cricket, UEFA champions league and lots of sports |
| DStv Now | -Free if you have DStv or same price as traditional DStv | Sports, live TV channels, General entertainment, news, documentaries etc |
| TelOne’s DEOD | Packages start at $3/month | Local content, movie rentals, live TV |
| YouTube | Free with ads | Diverse content including dramas, comedy, cooking shows, music etc YouTube is probably the most underatted streaming service available to Zimbabweans |
| Amazon Prime | $8.99 per month | Movies and TV shows. Yes you don’t need VPN or SmartDNS to stream and sign up for Amazon Prime Video as it’s available to Zimbabweans officially. |
| Rakuten Viki | -Free ad plan -$4.99 per month for HD | Mostly Korean series and movies with other Asian content also available |
| Apple TV Plus | $4.99/month | While you need a South African address to sign up for this you don’t need VPN to stream it. |
| Google TV | N/A | This service allows you to rent and buy movies and stream them. Prices vary depending on the movie or TV show. You cannot rent episodes unfortunately you get full series or nothing |
| iTunes | N/A | Similar to Google TV you rent TV shows and movies |
| Plex | Free | Free ad supported movies and TV shows. I mean Plex’s official service here not third party pirated movies |
N.B Think I missed a video streaming service? You can comment or reach out to me and I will add it here. Facebook Watch is not going to make it onto that list. I hate it.
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What’s your take?