Kenya: MultiChoice’s DStv subscribers evaporate
September 26, 2025
By Chris Forrester
MultiChoice, Africa’s major pay-TV operator, is now controlled by Canal+. The new management will need to act swiftly to cut subscriber losses.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has reported that MultiChoice’s DStv arm had just 188,824 active accounts as at June 30th. This is dramatically down on the 1.19 million a year earlier. DStv has lost more than 80 per cent of its active subscribers in Kenya in just one year.
The decline follows two rounds of price increases by MultiChoice Kenya, which operates DStv. On November 1st 2024, the DStv Premium package rose from Sh10,500 (€69.18) to Sh11,000, while Compact Plus increased from Sh6,500 to Sh6,800. Prices were revised upward again on August 1st 2025, with Premium climbing to Sh11,700 and Compact Plus to Sh7,300. DStv has raised its subscriber fees five times over the past three years.
While subscribers’ finances are clearly under pressure, there is also an impact on streaming piracy with the CA does not monitor.
Competitors also experienced declines: Azam’s active subscribers fell 63.1 per cent to 30,095, while Zuku recorded a marginal drop of 1.6 per cent to 252,051. Like DStv, these providers, including StarTimes offer DTH, DTT and cable-based services and are facing pressure from illegal streaming platforms.
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