Publications
Partners
UPDATE: 13 May - 10:30
DStv Now is up-and-running again and users are advised to log out of their accounts, clear their cache, or refresh their apps.
Here's how to clear your cache on Google Chrome:
On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, click More .
Click More tools.
Select Clear browsing data.
At the top, choose a time range.
To delete everything, select All time.
Next to "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files" check the boxes.
Click Clear data.
Now you can log back in to your DStv Now account.
UPDATE: 13 May - 03:00
The DStv Now site was up-and-running again at the start of the 5th episode of Game of Thrones. The DStv social media team advised users who were still experiencing issues to use Google Chrome as their browser and to clear the browser's cache if they were watching online, and to log out and then in again if they were using the app.
UPDATE: 12 May - 21:00
The DStv Now site was up-and-running again with some glitches still popping up, including error messages when trying to connect to the live TV stream. The DStv social media team advised users to "refresh" their apps or landing pages "a few times".
THE FOLLOWING ERROR MESSAGE APPEARS ONLINE WHEN TRYING TO CONNECT TO CHANNELS ON THE LIVE STREAM:
UPDATE: 12 MAY - 20:00
The DStv Now "Error 500" message continued to display on screens on Sunday night with the broadcaster unable to say when the service would be up-and-running again.
UPDATE: 12 May - 18:00
Online viewers that wanted to watch the Spanish Grand Prix race or English Premier League final on Sunday afternoon were unable to do so as the DStv Now app once again crashed, displaying an "Error 500" message. Meanwhile DStv's social media team were assuring users that technical teams were working on the issue. Channel24 has reached out to MultiChoice for comment.
UPDATE: 12 May - 17:25
DStv Now is still displaying an "Error 500" as the broadcaster's social media team is working overtime responding to complaints from angry viewers. "Our technical teams are investigating and we hope to have everything back to normal soon. Please accept our apologies," one tweet to a user read.
UPDATE: 12 May - 16:33
On Sunday afternoon DStv Now once again experienced issues with an "Error 500" message appearing on screens.
DStv on Twitter posted the following message: "We're sorry for the inconvenience. Our technical teams are aware of performance issues on DStv Now and have been working round the clock to resolve. This is due to the Optimization that’s currently being done to improve the overall viewing experience.(sic)"
SEE SCREENGRAB HERE:
Cape Town – MultiChoice says the latest hours-long crash of its DStv Now streaming service was the result of a systems upgrade that failed when it was made live.
Thursday’s DStv Now blackout was the second in four weeks since many DStv subscribers in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa couldn't watch the 8th season premiere episode of HBO's Game of Thrones live on MultiChoice's video streaming service when it crashed on Monday 15 April after they stayed up and woke up wanting to watch it at 03:00.
On Thursday night DStv subscribers who wanted to watch the first season finale of The Bachelor South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) and soccer on SuperSport couldn't do so, getting a black screen saying "Error 500 - There is a problem with the page you requested".
READ MORE: DStv Now streaming app crashes during 'The Bachelor SA' finale
It was eventually fixed later on Thursday night after several hours but after MultiChoice's non-service outraged many M-Net and sports viewers who complained not just about the technical breakdown and bad customer experience but also the lack of DStv customer communication.
Richard Boorman, MultiChoice Connected Video head of communications responded to a media enquiry on Friday afternoon and told Channel24 that "we're currently busy with a full post-mortem to determine the exact cause, but broadly the cause was a systems update which we'd tested ahead of deployment without any issues arising, but unfortunately in the live environment it failed".
Asked if it was the same problem or connected to the DStv Now outage that messed up the Game of Thrones live viewing on 15 April he said that it " isn't related to the incident four weeks ago".
"We're acutely aware of how our customers rely on DStv Now, and we're working flat out to ensure these type of incidents don’t happen. We apologise to everyone affected. Clearly, we will incorporate the lessons learned from these incidents when developing new services to avoid any kind of recurrence," said Boorman.
ALSO READ:
17 behind-the-scenes secrets of 'The Bachelor SA' finale
Heartbroken Lee Thompson opens up about his journey to find love on TV
