In a market filled with kinds of Pay-TV service providers, DStv is considered to be the king. Being a product of Multichoice Africa, DStv has been on the top spot as the most used premium Pay TV service provider on the continent. GOtv, a subsidiary of DStv and product of Multichoice was introduced to carry along those that can’t afford DStv.
Satellite vs Terrestrial
One important fact you should know is that Satellite Pay TV needs a satellite dish to work properly whereas a Terrestrial Pay TV can work with a UHF antenna. On this premise, DStv (an abbreviation for Digital Satellite TV) makes its transmission type self-explanatory. MTN Data Plan, Prices & activation Codes
Subscribers on DStv uses satellite dishes which receives transmissions from satellites orbiting the earth. Distance isn’t a problem anymore yet weather conditions can affect the quality of the signal reception.
GOtv on its side is entirely terrestrial. What this means is that GOtv uses Digital terrestrial television (abbreviated as DTT), a technology which sends content via radio waves over short distances via an antenna.
Not so long ago, DTT came and become a replacement for analog TV, offering technological improvements. GOtv is affected by terrain, unlike DSTV . Its similar to DSTV as both clarity and strength of the transmission is at the mercy of weather patterns.
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DStv vs GOtv: Price
Comparatively, DStv costs much more than GOtv. The satellite dish costs more than GOtv’s UHF antenna, even installation charges.
On that note, DStv bouquets price tends to be high compared to GOtv packages. Given that GOtv is targeted to be affordable and easy to use and install, it makes sense that the subscription costs are much lower. Looking at the table below, you will notice that DStv’s cheapest bouquet (DStv Access) is only marginally cheaper (by UGX 6,000) than GOtv’s premium bouquet (GOtv Max).
The most costly GOtv bouquet by lump sum is GOtv Lite (Annual) at UGX 70,000. One advantage is that you pay once for a year’s subscription which really makes it cheap when you are to think about. The negative side is that the best you will get are 12 free to air local channels and sometimes a few singular paid channels.
DStv vs GOtv: Decoders
Some of the advantages of having a DStv include advanced decoder capabilities. DStv Explora, for instance, contains a mean punch with PVR program recording (you can record one program while watching another), pause/rewind live TV. Other ballistic offerings include DStv Catchup (you can revisit a repository of series/movies e.t.c ), and Box Office (blockbusters and latest movies). Cable Tv Guide: Comprehensive List Of Digital Satellite And Terrestrial Tv Services Providers In Nigeria
In the video output category, both DStv and GOtv are a tie. Latest GOtv decoders are full HD (1080i) the same as DStv decoders. The tiebreaker in all this is the number of HD channels DStv offers as opposed to GOtv.
Final verdict
In a competition between DStv vs GOtv, there are no clear winners as DStv has more channels and GOtv is cheaper. On one hand, it seems that DStv puts on the big boy pants in this relationship. It holds the upper hand when it comes to signal quality, and channel and bouquet richness. The DStv Explorer is an advanced piece of technology the GOtv decoder has no hopes of matching.
GOtv on its own part provides a more affordable, and if I might add, a more sustainable alternative to Dstv. The Go-tenna promotes mobility on a continent where the citizenry is still rather nomadic in nature. The subscription fee won’t break the bank. On the downside, you don’t get as much variety on the channel front. When it’s cloudy and during thunderstorms, the signal is iffy.
Channels and Bouquets
| GOtv Bouquet/Channels | Price | DStv Bouquet/Channels | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOtv Max (65 channels) | UGX 39,000/$10 | DStv Premium (181 channels) | UGX 280,000/$70 |
| GOtv Plus (56 channels) | UGX 28,000/$7 | DStv Compact Plus (175 channels) | UGX 180,000/$48 |
| GOtv Value | UGX 16,000/$4 | DStv Compact (166 channels) | UGX115,000/$31 |
| GOtv Lite (Monthly) | UGX 11,000/$3 | DStv Family (141 channels) | UGX 60,000/$16 |
| GOtv Lite (Quarterly) | UGX 25,000/$7 | DStv Access (121 channels) | UGX 33,000/$9 |
| GOtv Lite (Annual) | UGX 70,000/$19 | Great Wall Africa Bouquet (35 channels) | UGX 24,375/$7 |
| DStv French Touch (7 channels) |
Frenzy valentine is a passionate blogger, developer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and author of myfreshgists.com and Mycatnails.com.