I cancelled my DStv subscription sometime at the end of 2014 when I briefly moved in with a friend while waiting for my newly acquired house to be completed.<\/p>\n
In the few months that I bunked down at my mate\u2019s house, I found myself watching only the odd series, and sports show.\u00a0In other words, my TV watching habits changed \u2013 I watched less.<\/p>\n
By the time I moved into my new house, I had weaned myself off from television, and I simply didn\u2019t bother to re-connect my decoder.<\/p>\n
It was strange not being able to turn on the television and have so many choices instantly in front of me. At the same time, it made me realise just how much \u2018junk\u2019 I was ready to consume each night, previously.<\/p>\n
I tried to source content through various other means instead \u2013 from friends, YouTube, and the Internet in general.<\/p>\n
Someone even suggested I\u00a0subscribe\u00a0to a US content provider, but – aside from being legally dubious – I would have also been charged according to the sways of the rand, which would have proven to be quite expensive.<\/p>\n
What sucked about this brave new world was its haphazard nature:\u00a0shoddy content quality; a wonky internet connection; and with\u00a0so many stories\u00a0about the threat of viruses on the underbelly of the net,\u00a0torrenting\u00a0is simply an area I\u00a0didn’t care for.<\/p>\n
The worst part about not having DStv is missing so much sport. I now have to go the pub to watch a game \u2013 spending money on buying a meal and or a drink so as not to look like a mooch.<\/p>\n
At the same time, I have to pick the games I want to watch carefully so as not to look like a bar-fly. I miss not being able to watch darts, or the entire Olympics just by turning on my TV.<\/p>\n
I have been tempted to try ShowMax or Netflix, but the truth is that their offering doesn\u2019t interest me. They don\u2019t have live sport, for a start, and\u00a0many shows are old and I know that I would never willingly re-watch them.<\/p>\n
I miss coming home after work or gym, collapsing on the sofa in front of the tele, armed with my remote, and flicking mindlessly through countless channels until I find something \u2018watchable\u2019.<\/p>\n
Sometimes I like stopping on an old movie that I have seen seven times, but don\u2019t mind watching again, even halfway through. Sometimes I am just in the mood to watch the reveal of \u2018Pimp my Ride\u2019 or learn how butterflies procreate.<\/p>\n
Mostly though, I miss the sport.<\/p>\n
That all said, do I ever see myself getting DStv again? The answer is probably no. I am too far gone for that.<\/p>\n
While sourcing content can be a challenge, I quite enjoy that challenge, and am still figuring out what works for me. I spend less time watching junk and instead spend more time sourcing what I actually want to watch.<\/p>\n
As for the sport, its damn difficult, but I get by:\u00a0watching at the gym in the evening, through highlights on YouTube, or vines of goals, or tries on Twitter.<\/p>\n
This article is an opinion piece.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n DStv Premium will cost you R60 per month more in April<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nMore on DStv<\/h3>\n