Masterpass Becomes Payment Option for South African TV Subscribers

South African citizens  subscribed to the DStv digital satellite TV service from MultiChoice can now pay for their monthly bills with their smartphones, thanks to a new partnership with Mastercard.

The functionality comes by way of Masterpass, Mastercard’s cross-channel digital payments platform. Customers need only to download the Masterpass app on iOS or Android, load a payment card onto it, and click a link texted to them from DStv, with the bill settled in a matter of minutes.

In a statement announcing the new functionality, MultiChoice South Africa CEO Mark Rayner said it will help to ensure that “customers never need to miss out on their favorite shows or big sporting events,” adding that Masterpass is helping his company to offer customers “simple, secure and pain-free payment options that make life easier for them.”

It’s another example of the many ways in which Mastercard is pushing to extend the reach of its digital payments platform compete against rivals like Apple Pay and PayPal, with Mastercard also having recently announced a new partnership with Oracle that will see the database specialist integrate Masterpass into its products.