How to watch DStv when #ShedHappens this July
22 July 2021
Keep your downloads up to date on the DStv app, and watch shows like Reyka, Survivor SA and more during loadshedding.
No lights, no power, no Wi-Fi, no internet… ? No worries, thanks to the DStv app.
Don't let loadshedding ruin your viewing plans. With the DStv app, you can squirrel away your favourite series for when times get dark. All you need is the DStv app on your smartphone or tablet, and a little preparation…
The DStv app (available via the Apple or Android app stores) allows you to download up to 25 DStv content titles on your device, and keep them stored on your smart device for those days when the lights go out. This includes movies, sport highlights, documentaries, kids shows and episodes of your favourite series. Everything you need to stay entertained – even in the middle of a power outage – is waiting for you on the DStv app.
Simply download your favourite titles when you’re connected to Wi-Fi hotspots, then watch them offline later. You'll be sorted when #ShedHappens.
Note: Downloading to a laptop is not available.
How to download DStv shows to your phone or tablet
If you haven’t already, go online and register for DStv streaming.
Next: download the DStv app to your smartphone or tablet.
Open the app on your device, log in and go to Menu > Catch Up.
Select the movies or series you’d like to download and tap the cloud-shaped Download icon.
When you download, choose between 4 download quality options: Highest, High, Medium and Low. You will be shown how much data and storage space you need, based on the option you choose (If the icon has a cross through it, it means that show can’t be downloaded).
You can download up to 25 items to your device. This includes movies, sports highlights, documentaries, kids shows and episodes of your favourite series.
To see what you’ve downloaded, go back to Menu > Downloads. You’ll also be able to see which downloads are still in progress.
Check the expiry date of the item you are downloading. Some movies or episodes expire sooner, while others remain on the DStv playlist for quite some time.
Once you press “play”, you need to watch that movie or episode within 48 hours.
Tips for downloading to your DStv app
Make space on your phone or tablet by deleting old or duplicate photos, clearing old WhatsApp chats and uninstalling apps you haven’t used in a long time.
Choose “Low” when you download movies or episodes from DStv to your phone or tablet, that way it takes up less space on your device.
See what you can see…
Right from the start of July, some previews for new content coming your way and some of June’s most popular shows, including series trailers, will already be on Catch Up. Test out the shows and start booking space for your downloads!
Reyka S1
Brilliant criminal profiler Reyka Gama (Kim Engelbrecht), who's investigating a serial killer at work in the sugar cane fields of KwaZulu-Natal, reaches out to a sinister man to help her enter the mindset of the killer. This manipulative, charming prisoner, Speelman (Iain Glen), is the farmer who kidnapped Reyka when she was 12 years old and tried to mould her to fit into his idea of the perfect family. 20 years on, he still has his claws sunk into her – but Reyka is still fighting back.
Watch from Sunday, 25 July on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 20:00
Watch Reyka Watch M-Net Read all about Reyka See M-Net’s Reyka YouTube channel
Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island S8
Host Nico Panagio welcomes 20 new Castaways to South Africa’s remote Wild Coast bush in the Eastern Cape, where they will battle to outwit, outplay and outlast each other in its jungles and beaches over the course of 39 days. The 20 contestants, aged between 24 and 39, will later be split into tribes Vuna (orange) and Zamba (green). Expect everyone from a rugby coach and an escape game owner, to lawyers, a chemical engineer and an engineering draftsman duking it out.
Watch Thursdays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 19:30
Watch Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island Watch M-Net Read more
Finding Bongani Fassie
South African pop superstar Brenda Fassie died in May 2004. In this reality series, her son, Bongani, a producer and musician in his own right, will reveal what it was like growing up in a celebrity’s shadow, how her death rocked his life, and his struggles to protect Brenda’s legacy and secure his own as he raises his own children. Bongani will open up and answer people’s lingering questions about his mother’s death and how the media coverage at the time affected him, and his deadly struggles with addiction and mental health issues.
Watch Saturdays on Moja Love (DStv channel 157) at 20:30
Watch Finding Bongani Fassie Watch Moja Love Read about Finding Bongani Fassie
Karakter S1
In this travel documentary series, Rian van Heerden meets South Africa’s most compelling, eccentric personalities who’re living life on their own terms. Riaan will first get to know them through the eyes of their local community, then sit down with them in person. Prepare for the likes of ex-prison warden Rusty Pool who now takes tourists through Cullinan with a coffin-shaped trailer attached to his 3-wheel bike, and ex-nudist and lotto winner Rita Woodall-Terblanche (allegedly niece of Eugene Terre’Blanche, former head of the white supremacist AWB), who got married to herself, and more.
Watch Mondays on kykNET (DStv channel 144) at 20:30
Watch Karakter Read about Karakter Watch kykNET
Listing Jozi S1
A group of charismatic estate agents introduce viewers to South Africa’s high-end property market, with multi-million rand houses up for grabs in and around Johannesburg. Get an insider look at lavish homes in opulent suburbs like Waterfall to the North, Dainfern to the North-West, Morningside, Hyde Park, Strathavon and Sandton, and Meyersdal. Along the way we’ll meet the buyers, too, including successful businesspeople, local sport stars, celebrities and property moguls. And we’ll find out what’s on everyone’s “must” list, from security to swimming pools.
Watch Wednesdays on BBC Lifestyle (DStv channel 174) at 20:00
Watch Listing Jozi Watch BBC Lifestyle Read about Listing Jozi
Betty S2
Real-life skaters Dede Lovelace, Moonbear, Ajani Russell and Rachelle Vinberg are back gliding through the streets of New York. This season isn’t so much about girls versus boys anymore as world events push the guys to step up and be better allies. The season is set in the turbulent late summer and early autumn of 2020 (August to October) as political protests run wild and COVID-19 keeps New York in its grip. Masks on, wheels down, it’s time to hit the street.
Watch Mondays on 1Magic (DStv channel 103) at 21:30
DC's Legends of Tomorrow S6
S5 ended with Waverider Captain Sara Lance losing her powers, regaining her sight and getting kidnapped by aliens after throwing Atropos into the Loom of Fate, Zara and Charlie leaving the team, and Astra giving Constantine back his Soul Coin. As S6 begins, the Legends will have a new member, Esperanza “Spooner” Cruz (Lisseth Chavez), who could be the key to tracking down the aliens who took Sara because she claims to have been abducted by them when she was a child.
Watch Fridays on M-Net City (DStv channel 115) at 20:00
Watch DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow Watch M-Net City
In Die Sop S1
Chef and restaurateur Bertus Basson’s route to the top hasn’t been a straight line. In this reality series, he’s hoping to pass on the hard lessons that he's learnt from his missteps and dead-ends to other restaurant owners who’re suffering through the pandemic. Bertus and his team are on hand to help turn things around for struggling businesses, from food trucks, to haute cuisine or family restaurants. Hard work and long hours are not enough to make it in this industry, you need to steer in the right direction, too.
Watch Wednesdays on kykNET (DStv channel 144) at 20:00
Watch In Die Sop Read about In Die Sop Watch kykNET
Avenue 5 S1
Fans of The Orville and sci-fi comedy in general, prepare to blast off into space aboard interplanetary cruise ship the Avenue 5, with inept Captain Ryan Clark (Hugh Laurie) and the ship’s billionaire owner, Herman Judd (Josh Gad). There’s been a technical mishap and now the ship is on an estimated 3-year journey back to Earth, with a dead chief engineer, and only enough supplies aboard for their planned 8-week cruise. The series is created by Armando Iannucci (Veep, I’m Alan Partridge, The Day Today).
Watch Fridays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 22:30 and on Catch Up
Godfather of Harlem S2
After 3 months in hiding from the Italian mob, Bumpy makes some new friends with the European suppliers so that he can return to his family in Harlem. Bumpy’s ambition is to set up drug distribution networks in the primarily black neighbourhoods of the major cities across the US. Meanwhile, Malcom X makes some influential moves with boxer Cassius Clay and the National of Islam. And Bumpy and Malcolm see eye to eye when it comes to retaliating against police violence and racial injustice across the US.
Watch Mondays on 1Magic (DStv channel 103) at 21:30
Watch 1Magic Watch Godfather Of Harlem
Brand-new in July…
These new series arriving in July are worth taking note of. If you’d like a sneak peek, follow the link to watch trailers for these series on the DStv app. Doug To The Rescue reunites pets and owners after disaster strikes. Comedy lovers should give Us, Moonbase 8 and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist a look. For sci-fi fans, the big news is that time-hopping series Manifest is back, and if you like to play with ideas about government, give The Republic of Sarah a try. Reality fans, Mnakwethu returns with all the polygamy drama, too.
Doug To The Rescue S1
Aerial cinematographer Doug Thron lends his skills to teams of animal rescuers as they travel into the devastation left by natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes. Using a specialised drone carrying a sophisticated array of cameras equipped with infrared technology that detects the heat signatures of warm-blooded animals, Doug is able to spot and track lost pets across rough terrain. Once the team has the animal safe, Doug then turns to social media to track down the owners and set up a reunion. Bring the tissues.
Watch from Wednesday, 21 July on Curiosity Channel (DStv channel 185) at 20:00
Us S1
When dull as ditchwater Douglas’s (Tom Hollander) wife, Connie (Saskia Reeves), tells him that it’s time they got a divorce because exactly nothing in their marriage works anymore, Douglas proposes that they take one last shot at fixing the situation – during a family trip to Europe with their disgruntled son, Albie (Tom Taylor), who’s about to go to university. We also get flashbacks of how Connie and Douglas got together. This 4-episode comedy series is based on the 2014 novel of the same name by David Nicholls.
Watch from Thursday, 22 July on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 22:30
Moonbase 8 S1
Wanna-be astronauts Skip (Fred Armisen), Rook (Tom Heidecker) and Cap (John C. Reilly) are undergoing a final, rigorous test before they’re allowed into NASA’s moon programme – a stay in a simulated moon environment out in the Arizona desert. There they’ll carry out tests and show how they deal with emergency situations (as it turns out, rather poorly). But combine the pressures of isolation and the fact that these guys truly aren’t the best of the best, and the simulator becomes more of an amusement park ride run by a man with 1 tooth.
Watch from Friday, 16 July on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 22:30
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist S2
Following her dad Mitch’s death at the end of S2, Zoey – who can hear what the people around her are really thinking about in song and dance form – is staying with her mom, Maggie, and she returns to the office after 6 weeks away. Coming up this season, Zoey and Max finally kiss, but there’s more romantic drama to come for Zoey with Simon, and her childhood friend, Aiden. Zoey celebrates her 30th birthday, Max starts a business with Mo, and a medium messes up Zoey’s powers.
Watch from Saturday, 31 July on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 19:30
Manifest S3
Airline passengers aboard Flight 828 find out on landing that they've been missing, presumed dead for 5 years in this sci-fi drama, and some experience visions or “callings”, warning them about future events. This season picks up 3 months after the S2 finale. Michaela and Zeke are on honeymoon when they get a “calling” of the tailfin of Flight 828 being found in the sea off Cuba. And Ben becomes obsessed with convincing doubting passengers to pay attention to the “callings” so that they can survive as a group.
Watch from Thursday, 29 July on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 20:30
The Republic of Sarah S1
When it seems like the only way to stop a mining corporation from taking over and destroying their small New Hampshire town, teacher Sarah Cooper (Stella Baker) leads the townsfolk in declaring independence from the United States of America. Now Sarah’s friends, family and colleagues must start nation building from scratch, including working out how to establish diplomatic relations with their giant neighbour, building independent water and electricity grids, and working out how to stand on their own feet financially and logistically.
Watch from Thursday, 15 July on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 21:20
Mnakwethu S2
Polygamy reality series Makwethu stirred outrage in 2020 on the socials, with viewers calling out disrespect from husbands, mistresses and from wives, left and right. Keeping a marriage on an even keel when you add another partner turned out to be no simple mission. Now as Mnakwethu returns, Mafuleka isn't calling on host Musa Mseleku to ask him about how to raise the topic of polygamy, because his wife has already agreed to him marrying another woman. The thing is, he wants to marry her friend…
Watch from Tuesday, 6 July on Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161) at 20:00
And don’t miss…
These series premiered in June and there’s something for every taste. The gritty dramedy of Shameless has just begun, and Black Monday’s Dark comedy offers a hilarious spin on the ’80s and greed culture. If you’re looking for a lighter laugh, Kids Say The Darndest Things is fun for the whole family, while Call Me Kat is a treat for rom-com lovers, and Time Travelling Bong should please sci-fi comedy fans. And for people who like to keep the drama real, Doubling Down With The Derricos gives insight into what it’s like to be part of a huge family.
Shameless S11
In the final season, Frank and the Gallaghers fight the gentrification of their Chicago neighbourhood, Frank gives his version of local history, newlyweds Ian and Mickey tackle communication and bedroom issues, Debbie finds out that she’s now a registered sex offender, Kevin and Veronica start making money hand over fist by selling marijuana products, and Carl trains to become a police officer. As the season continues, the Gallaghers will tackle issues like the US’s broken healthcare system, kiddie pageants, rent control, and schooling during COVID times. And keep an eye out for the special 6-episode behind-the-scenes companion series, Shameless: Hall of Shame, Wednesdays on M-Net at 22:30.
Watch Tuesdays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 22:30
Black Monday S3
Rogue stock market traders Mo (Don Cheadle), Dawn (Regina Hal) and Blair (Andrew Rannells) are set to make the naughty 1990s even naughtier. Mo is dipping his feet in the music business, promoting singing sensation Nomi (Adrienne Wells), who might be too much diva for him to handle. Dawn (Hall) is making the best of her time behind bars by exploiting her knack for making deals, and new congressman Blair (Andrew Rannells) is navigating shark-infested political waters with the help of his handler, Werner (Thomas Barbusca).
Watch Wednesdays on 1Magic (DStv channel 103) at 21:30
Kids Say The Darndest Things S2
Tiffany Haddish hosts this variety show that reveals how little kids think about the world – to comic effect. This season, Tiffany’s talking wig makes 1 of the kids feel special, she takes her little players to meet Drew Carey on the set of his own game show, The Price Is Right, and they take a turn trying to guess the real world prices of common items. Tiffany and Cedric The Entertainer will chat to twins, and a panel of little love experts will dish out advice. Stay tuned.
Watch Wednesdays on 1Magic (DStv channel 103) at 17:30
Doubling Down With The Derricos S2
Wife and husband Karen and Deon Derrico have 2 regular kids, 2 sets of twins and 1 set of quintuplets, and recently, a new set of triplets. Every day is like a maths problem! Last season, the family had to adjust to COVID-19 and battled medical emergencies for 1 of the new triplets. In the new season, as well as some adorable Black History month dress-up fun with the kids, there’s more medical drama on the way – little Diez might need brain surgery and a pregnancy test shocker lies in wait.
Watch Wednesdays on TLC (DStv channel 135) at 21:00
Time Traveling Bong S1
In this live-action comedy series, Sharee (Ilana Glazer) and Jeff (Paul W Downs, Ilana’s Broad City co-star), 2 run-of-the-mill suburban New Jersey cousins, live together in a condo left to them by their grandmother. But their humdrum lives are in for a change after they come across a bong (a water pipe used for smoking marijuana) that works as a time machine. Together, they get high and travel back in time, contrasting their modern thoughts around race, class and gender, to the ways of the past.
Watch Saturdays on Comedy Central (DStv channel 122) at 22:30
Call Me Kat S1
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory's Amy, stars in this new comedy series inspired by Miranda Hart’s series, Miranda. A 39-year-old single woman named Kat quits her job to open a cat cafe, where customers can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a snuggle with one of the resident cats. Soon fur is flying and romance might be brewing, too, when Kat’s former crush, Max (Cheyenne Jackson), returns from years of travelling and starts working at the bar next door to Kat’s cafe.
Watch Fridays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 19:00
Legally minded
Cops, lawyers, judges, first responders… If you love legal TV, there’s so much you can stock up on DStv for when Shed Happens!
All Rise S2
The 2-episode season premiere of this legal drama is off to a tense start. Through flashbacks we see how Mark came to be a bystander while Lola was detained by police after she defended a teen girl when a tense situation at a protest spiralled into violence. And we’ll see how closures caused by COVID-19 have caused a backup in the court system, placing everyone under massive pressure when they re-open. And Lola hires Ness Johnson (Samantha Marie Ware) as her new legal clerk.
Watch Tuesdays on 1Magic (DStv channel 103) at 20:30
Chicago Fire S9
The new season starts with the Firehouse 51 staff on high alert as the COVID-19 pandemic strikes Chicago. Cruz’s childhood friend, Gianna Mackey (Adriyan Rae), joins the crew of Ambulance 61 but an accident (caused by an OD victim’s brother who’s been threatening Brett) on her first day on the job is going to shake her resolve. Casey and Brett’s relationship takes a turn following a kiss. Keep an eye out for the intriguing episode 5, which centres on Herrmann and Cruz when they’re trapped in a lift together.
Watch Tuesdays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 19:30
Chicago Med S6
Gaffney’s first responders are adjusting to the “new normal” under COVID-19, as April. and Dr. Choi are put in charge of the COVID-19 unit, and Dr. Charles and Sharon go into quarantine after contracting the virus. Dr. Choi becomes the new head of the ED, and Dr. Charles’s daughter turns to Dr. Manning for help but Dr. Charles suspects that Anna is having a pregnancy scare. Maggie weighs up whether to meet her long-lost daughter, and Dr. Halstead suspects that 1 of the staff is stealing medication from his medical trial.
Watch Tuesdays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 20:30
Chicago P.D. S8
Voight and his team are facing 2 major challenges this season: COVID-19 and sweeping police reforms. Voight seems unwilling to back down on using violence against suspects and he butts heads with Atwater over the issue, as well as about systemic racism within the police department. Episode 8 in particular will centre on the police murder of a black man during a traffic stop. The season will also explore Upton’s experiences growing up with a violent and abusive father and the issue of domestic violence over several episodes.
Watch Tuesdays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 21:30
9-1-1 S4
Athena returns to the LAPD, and we see the responders struggling to adjust to pandemic conditions. But this is 9-1-1, so we’re off to an epic start with an earthquake, a dam breaking, a bus crash, a flood and a landslide that takes down the Hollywood sign in the 2-episode season premiere! Also coming up, episode 3 will set up the 9-1-1: Lone Star crossover event when Eddie, Hen and Buck go to Texas to help the Lone Star team tackle a wildfire (in Lone Star episode 3).
Watch Wednesdays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 19:30
9-1-1: Lone Star S2
Are you even ready? In episode 1 and 2 alone we have a military tank running wild, a human pile-up at a roller-skating rink, a volcanic eruption in Austin and a woman who’s trapped in her food truck by a horde of scorpions. And coming up, viewers can look forward to a highway crash, a wedding nightmare, an explosive situation in a homemade minefield, an extra dead body crashing a funeral, a rogue MRI machine and Owen becoming the prime suspect in a multi-episode arson case.
Watch Wednesdays M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 19:30
City On A Hill S2
Attention turns to the Roxbury neighbourhood of Boston in the 1990s. Assistant District Attorney Decourcy Ward (Aldis Hodge) and corrupt FBI agent Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon) need to restore peace to a community torn apart by drugs, gangs and violence, where the police are no longer welcome – since news of the FBI being in bed with local mob boss Whitey Bulger has gotten out. Community activist Grace (Pernell Walker) joins the fray in a new season that leans into City On A Hill’s comparisons with The Wire.
Watch Mondays M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 22:30
Bull S5B
When we last saw Bull, Benny scored points in his race to become DA when TAC defended the innocent wife of a dead domestic terrorist. Going into the season’s 8 episodes, we’ll see TAC tackle an ugly case in which a pharmaceutical company could be suppressing life-saving research, Danny finds out what happened to her father, and in the final 2 episodes, we’ll see what happens as Benny’s race to become DA heats up, and wedding bells will ring for 2 members of the TAC family.
Watch Thursdays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 21:30
Walker S1
When we last saw Walker, Cordell’s partner, Micki, was finding out the truth about her real mother and birth name. Coming up in this season’s remaining 5 episodes, Walker and Captain James investigate a gambling ring, believing that 1 of the players might have information on Emily’s killer. Walker and Geri’s relationship becomes more complicated when Hoyt comes out of prison. And in the season finale, we’ll see flashbacks of the time leading up to Emily’s death, and how her family coped with the early days of her loss.
Watch Mondays on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 19:30
The Equalizer S1B
When last we saw ex-secret agent-turned-vigilante Robyn McCall (Queen Latifah), she was organising the public exposure of a sexual predator and politician. As we return, Robyn searches for a kidnapped black woman who might be the victim of a serial killer, but the case might end up pitting Dante against Robyn. When Robyn’s past comes calling, she pulls some old strings in the intelligence community but is forced to fly to France to sort things out herself. And Robyn is forced to come clean to Aunt Viv, too.
Watch Tuesdays on 1Magic (DStv channel 103) at 20:30
Clarice S1
In this procedural series based on the characters created by Thomas Harris, set in 1993 shortly after the events of The Silence of The Lambs, FBI special agent Clarice Starling (Rebecca Breeds) is back on the job hunting down serial killers and sexual predators. But she also has to navigate the office politics and rampant sexism in the FBI offices in Washington DC, particularly from her boss, Paul Krendler (Michael Kudlitz). The series will build to a box set, so episodes will stay up on Catch Up during the show’s run.
Watch on Catch Up
Prodigal Son S2
At the end of S1, criminal profiler Malcolm’s sister, Ainsley, killed pharmaceutical tycoon Nicholas Endicott, who was holding her prisoner, and Malcolm hid the corpse to protect her. Months have passed and Malcolm’s imprisoned serial killer father, Martin, hints to him that Malcolm probably enjoyed hacking up Endicott’s corpse. But enough family chit-chat, there are killers to catch including 1 who’s using a guillotine. The series will build to a box set, so episodes will stay up on Catch Up during the show’s run.
Watch on Catch Up
