MultiChoice Group, the African pay-TV operator owned by France’s Canal+, is cutting the price of its top DStv package in Kenya by 38%, betting on lower subscription charges to win back viewers. The price cut is part of a turnaround strategy to compete with internet-based television and other premium sports rights costs.
Starting with the new lineup, the top-tier Ultimate package will now cost 7,300 Kenyan shillings ($56) monthly, down from the previous 11,700 shillings ($90) for the Premium plan. The Sports package drops to 3,000 shillings ($23) from 4,200 shillings ($33) under the old Compact tier. The Select option is now priced at 1,500 shillings, reduced from 2,250 shillings for the Family package, while the entry-level Starter plan costs 750 shillings ($6), down from 1,450 shillings ($11) for the Access bundle.
Package Changes
The restructuring eliminates the Compact Plus and Lite packages, but MultiChoice has not explained how existing users on those plans will transition. As a result, it’s unclear how much individual subscribers will save or whether their channel lineup will change.
Prospective customers can now purchase a decoder, satellite dish, and installation setup for 2,000 shillings ($15), according to the company. Additionally, DStv is rolling out these revised packages on its streaming platform, allowing users to access content without needing a satellite setup.
Streaming Service
Existing satellite users can connect their smartcard details to a DStv Stream account, as announced by DStv Kenya on social media platform X on Monday. While users can register up to four devices, only one stream can be active at any given time.
Nzola Miranda, CEO of MultiChoice Kenya, described the changes as a key step in the company’s 30-year history in the country, noting it is the first time they’ve reassessed their entire product lineup.
These price reductions come as Canal+ seeks to stabilize MultiChoice’s declining subscriber numbers and financial performance. The company reported 14.4 million subscribers across Africa at the end of 2025, down from 14.9 million the prior year.
Turnaround Plan
Canal+ has allocated approximately €100 million ($112 million) to a recovery plan, shut down the Showmax streaming service, and projected that MultiChoice will incur losses of around €140 million ($157 million) in 2026.
The price adjustments could strain MultiChoice’s revenue from subscriptions. A 38% drop in the flagship package’s cost would require roughly 61% more subscribers at the new rate to maintain the same income, based on estimates from TechCabal.
For the Compact package, a 28.6% price reduction would necessitate about 40% more subscribers to offset the lost revenue, assuming all customers pay the full monthly fee. These projections do not factor in subscriber shifts between packages, promotional discounts, or changes in viewing behavior.
Kenya’s latest pay-TV figures offer some grounds for optimism, though the market remains competitive. Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) show that MultiChoice had 259,047 satellite television subscriptions in June, including 189,871 for DStv.
Across the wider market, the regulator counted about 1.55 million broadcasting subscriptions in June. Digital terrestrial television providers GOtv and StarTimes together had 874,777 subscriptions, while satellite operators and cable providers served the rest.
The challenge extends beyond traditional pay-TV rivals. The Communications Authority reported 54.9 million mobile broadband subscriptions and 52.3 million smartphones in June. Average mobile data use per subscription rose to 17 GB from 13.5 GB a year earlier, while fixed internet subscriptions increased 32% over the year to 2.84 million.
Canal+ is betting that a lower entry price, more accessible live sport and a simpler package line-up will persuade more Kenyans to pay for DStv. The company’s streaming service gives MultiChoice a route to customers who do not want a satellite dish, although it competes for attention with other online video services and the wider range of content available on the internet. Notably, the biggest cash-terms saving is for Premium subscribers, who would save KES 4,400 ($34) a month, or KES 52,800 ($407) a year, by moving to Ultimate, which could be a significant incentive for customers to switch to the new package.
Moreover, MultiChoice’s satellite services figure grew 37% from the previous year and 4.4% from March, suggesting a recovery before the new prices take effect. This growth, combined with the introduction of the new packages, may help the company to regain its footing in the competitive Kenyan market.
MultiChoice has not disclosed its Kenyan subscriber targets, package-level margins, or the expected financial impact of the new prices, making it difficult to assess the full implications of the changes. However, putting every Premier League and Champions League match in a KES 3,000 ($23.1) package gives football fans access to competitions previously split across more expensive tiers, which may attract new customers and retain existing ones.
