MultiChoice is cutting DStv subscription prices in Kenya by as much as 48.3% in a bid to win back viewers who have increasingly turned to cheaper streaming services, free online video and unauthorised football streams, but the move risks coming too late to reverse a shift in viewing habits.
The pay-TV operator, owned by French media group CANAL+, announced on October 26 that it would consolidate six subscription packages into four from November 5, cutting the price of its most expensive offering by 37.6% as it seeks to arrest subscriber losses in one of its key African markets.
DStv Ultimate will cost about $56.20 a month, down from $90.08, a saving of $33.88. DStv Sports will cost $23.10, DStv Select $11.55 and DStv Starter $5.77, based on an exchange rate of 129.89 Kenyan shillings per dollar published by the Central Bank of Kenya on October 26.
“This marks a defining moment in our 30-year journey in Kenya. For the first time, we have undertaken a comprehensive review of our entire product portfolio, reimagining and simplifying our package offerings to reflect the evolving needs, preferences and realities of Kenyan consumers,” MultiChoice Kenya Chief Executive Nzola Miranda said.
The new Sports package will carry every Premier League and UEFA Champions League match, alongside other competitions, while Ultimate retains additional premium events including Formula One, MotoGP, tennis and major golf tournaments. The company is also introducing SuperSport Swahili, a 24-hour sports channel for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The price reductions are substantial, particularly for customers who want football without paying for the most expensive bouquet. But they follow years of increases and a decline in the company’s customer base, suggesting that affordability is only part of the problem facing traditional pay television.
DStv Premium, the former top-tier package, rose from about $57.74 a month in 2022 to $90.08 before the latest changes, an increase of approximately 56%. The new Ultimate package reverses part of that increase, but remains significantly more expensive than many online entertainment subscriptions.
The former Compact package, priced at about $32.33 a month, is being replaced by Sports at $23.10, a 28.6% reduction. Family subscribers paying about $17.32 will move to Select at $11.55, a 33.3% reduction, while Access falls from $11.16 to Starter at $5.77, a 48.3% cut. Compact Plus, previously priced at about $56.20, is being discontinued as a separate tier.
The new packages are not entirely like-for-like replacements because channel line-ups and sports coverage are changing. The company has also not established that every subscriber will automatically receive the lowest available price, making the migration arrangements important for customers.
Streaming apps offer cheaper alternatives
The most immediate competition comes from subscription services that offer films, television series and documentaries without requiring a satellite dish or a traditional television decoder. Netflix’s Kenyan plans range from about $1.54 a month for mobile access to $8.47 for its premium package, according to its official Kenyan website. The cheapest plan costs about 73% less than DStv Starter and more than 98% less than the new Ultimate package.
Netflix does not, however, provide the same live football offering as DStv. The pricing gap illustrates why households focused on entertainment rather than live sport may see little reason to pay for a traditional pay-TV subscription.
Free video platforms present a different challenge. YouTube offers a large catalogue of creator-produced videos, music, highlights and commentary without a monthly subscription, while TikTok and Facebook distribute short-form video, sports clips and entertainment funded by advertising.
Free-to-air broadcasters also give households access to local news and programming without a recurring pay-TV bill. These services do not replicate DStv’s full live sports catalogue, but they compete for the same limited time and entertainment spending. The Communications Authority of Kenya said in July that online video streaming had become the primary driver of mobile data use, with streaming users consuming nearly three times as much data as the average subscriber.
“I have an app where I pay only $100 for the whole year and I get better quality streaming. I’m not going back to DStv,” Samuel Maina, a Nairobi-based soccer fan told Impact Newswire.
Unauthorised streaming applications and websites further complicate the economics of premium sports broadcasting by allowing many viewers to watch football and other paid content without purchasing a subscription.
“I have two free apps where I can watch any channel. Yes they infringe on copyright but I won’t pay a penny to any subscription as long as they exist,” Dorcas Ooko, a Nakuru based resident, told this writer.
Nevertheless, the availability of these alternatives has increased the pressure on broadcasters to justify the price of exclusive sports rights.
Subscriber losses expose a deeper problem
The Communications Authority’s data indicates the scale of the disruption facing pay television in Kenya. There’s a sharp contraction in DStv and GOtv subscriptions. DStv’s active subscriptions had fallen to 188,824 in June 2025 from approximately 1.2 million a year earlier, while GOtv’s subscriber count fell to 314,520 from 2.9 million. The CA report linked the decline to rising prices, changing viewing habits and the proliferation of pirated content.
The broader market has also become more competitive. DStv faces rival pay-TV providers, including StarTimes and Azam, as well as internet-delivered services that allow viewers to choose entertainment without paying for a large bundle of channels. The growing availability of broadband and mobile internet has made it easier for households to combine free video with one or two low-cost subscriptions rather than maintain an expensive television package.
MultiChoice has also faced difficulties in streaming. Its Showmax service was shut down in Kenya in April 2026, according to local industry reporting, with content being moved into DStv Stream. The closure illustrates how challenging it has become to build a sustainable streaming business in a market where consumers have numerous alternatives and remain sensitive to price.
The company’s latest changes are designed to make football more accessible while simplifying its product range. DStv Starter adds a SuperSport Kickoff channel showing selected matches, Select combines entertainment with selected sports, and Sports brings major football competitions into a cheaper tier. Ultimate retains additional premium sports and entertainment.
The price cuts could attract some former customers, particularly football fans who previously considered the higher-priced packages unaffordable. But many households have already adapted to watching entertainment through free mobile platforms, cheaper subscriptions and internet-connected devices.
DStv’s challenge is not simply to lower prices. It must persuade viewers who have grown accustomed to choosing content on demand, using free services and avoiding fixed monthly bills that a traditional pay-TV package offers enough additional value to justify the cost.
For those who left primarily because of price, the new packages may offer a reason to return. For viewers who have already shifted to free football streaming, free-to-air television or other cheaper alternatives, however, the reductions may be too late to reverse the change.
Faustine Ngila is the AI Editor at Impact Newswire, based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is an award-winning journalist specializing in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and emerging technologies.
He previously worked as a global technology reporter at Quartz in New York and Digital Frontier in London, where he covered innovation, startups, and the global digital economy.
With years of experience reporting on cutting-edge technologies, Faustine focuses on AI developments, industry trends, and the impact of technology on society.
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