The ownership group of MultiChoice, Canal+, has ended its sponsorship of the DStv Delicious International Food and Music Festival.
As reported by Sunday World, this decision is part of a significant restructuring effort within Canal+.
The festival, which has hosted renowned artists such as Janet Jackson and Jill Scott in Johannesburg, now faces challenges ahead as it loses its main financial supporter.
This decision arises as Canal+ enforces a stringent budget across its operations in Africa. Since acquiring full control of MultiChoice in 2025, the French company has focused on reducing expenses to counteract ongoing declines in subscriber numbers and significant losses from its Showmax streaming service.
Reports indicate that the new management at Canal+ considers the festival a “vanity project” that incurs excessive costs. The company aims to save €400 million (R7.5 billion) by 2030, leading to cutbacks on costly events.
Rather than sponsoring lifestyle events, the focus will shift to essential services like enhancing satellite signals and lowering decoder prices for regular customers.
The absence of DStv’s financial support creates a substantial gap in the festival’s budget. Although the event is likely to go on, organizers face the urgent task of securing a new naming rights sponsor.
Concerns are rising among fans about the potential impact on the 2026 event, as the lack of a significant corporate sponsor may lead to a decrease in the caliber of international acts and a reduction in overall production quality.
As emphasized by the online entertainment platform “TVwithThinus”: “The sponsorships of all arts and cultural festivals that used to be sponsored by MultiChoice and M-Net channels like kykNET and Mzansi Magic, as well as the money that went from MultiChoice to support film festivals like the Silwerskermfees and Joburg Film Festival are going to come under serious threat due to the Canal+ takeover.”
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